How do you want to be remembered?

A woman without perfume is a woman easily forgotten. 

Have you ever stumbled across a scent that reminded you of your first love, the house you grew up in, or the semester you spent in Italy? Besides completing a look and making you smell nice, perfumes also envoke powerful memories. So when you choose a new perfume, its also important to think about how you'd like to be remembered years from now because chances are- the perfume you are chosing today will create scent memories for years to come. 

Are you a light, airy, flowery girl- or do you prefer warmer musk tones? Your choice of scent could also depend on the seasons as well- some women prefer to have a few different scents for different times of the year. 

Here are a few of my favorite scents:

Givenchy's Hot Couture: 

This has been my signature scent since my Freshman year in college. There is really no other perfume that smells anything like Hot Couture, and I've only known of two other people to wear it (its hard to find and Givenchy's prone to 'discontinue' it for a few years every now and then--- but you can always find a bottle).  It's a delightful mix of both floral and musk at the same time-- with upper notes of vanilla and lower tones of amber and jasmine. Delicious! 

I have had a scent crush on Lolita Lempicka for as long as I can remember, but I've never bought a bottle. The packaging is so sweet and feminine, and the perfume is a blend of ivy leaves, delicate violet, and iris root with a hint of vanilla and musk. It's very flirty and light, and reminds me of something Betsey Johnson might wear while vacationing at her beach house, Betseyville- (www.betseyville.com). 

Valentino's Rock n Rose

 would have been perfect for female

 guests of Michael Saylor's Washington DC's Rocktoberfest blowout, where guests were dressed as rockers, roadies, and "band-aids."  This scent always reminds me of my best friend Jenny- who always knows of the hottest off the radar bands. Try it- maybe it will bring out the rocker in you! 

Bond no. 9

    I felt something so intense, I could only express it in a perfume- Jacques Guerlain

Bond no. 9 is the most imaginative, inspiring perfume line I've ever come across.  I almost hestiate to post about it, loving that it is still a decently well kept secret, but its a secret too good to share. The thought behind Bond no. 9 is to capture the spirit of New York City- each fragrance embodies a certain part of New York. For example- sitting on my dresser now are samples of Bond no. 9 entitled Park Avenue, Nuits de NoHo, Coney Island, and Chinatown. 

For Christmas this year, my sister surprised me with Andy Warhol Union Square:

Its a lovely blend of Lily of the valley, green stem, blue freesia, white birchwood, amber, a

nd musk. Apparently it was inspired by Warhol's art studio in Union Square.  I love the bottle too, such a fun shade of pink! 

It's so hard to decide on a favorite, but I definitely love Coney Island (fun in a bottle!), The Scent of Peace (to commemorate 9/11 and the space where the towers were), and bestseller Chinatown (who could resist this super girly bottle and scent?). 

If you're visiting New York anytime soon and want to feel like a princess, you simply must make a visit to the perfume's flagship boutique, located at 9 Bond Street (hence the perfume's name).  I paid a visit in October while I was in town, and was pleasantly surprised at the adorableness and ambiance and what a unique, memorable experience it was. I was immediately given a tour by a friendly saleslady, then offered a cup of flavored tea as I flipped through oversized glossy books on tea and perfume fashion while relaxing on an oversized couch (Bond no. 9 originated selling teas and still offers an impressive selection). There were huge artsy atomizers filled with perfume for refills, and pretty antique one-of-a-kind bottles you could buy and fill.  It was a grown up playground (of scents).  I was Charlie in the Chocolate Factory, delirious over each new delightful discovery.  I was probably in the "library" for over an hour while contemplating over which perfume would be my first purchase! Afterwards, I was placed on a mailing list and now receive handwritten cards and samples of new perfumes as they hit the market. Bond no. 9 sure knows how to treat their customers well! 

                           

www.bondno9.com