Perfume Review: Fire Island by Bond No 9
July 2nd, 2006
Fire Island is the newest offering by Bond No 9, a perfume house that creates scents dedicated to New York neighborhoods. Quoting the marketing flyer, it features the notes of: “CARDAMOM gone wild, electrically charged OZONE, normally sparkling NEROLI in a languid frame of mind, WHITE MUSK, misbehaving as usual, SKIN MUSK - musk that really knows no limits, TUBEROSE that can’t get enough of the musk… so it steams up and stays steamed up, PATCHOULI in its own prancing little sexy, non-stop pout.”
Upon first sniff, it’s a burst of musk, neroli, and ozone. The ozone is definitely “electrically charged” - the kind that makes your throat tickle. It’s like a burst of fresh air by the ocean water, except there’s also lots and lots of musk (misbehaving indeed!) to the point where it gets almost unbearably soapy. The whole mix gets softened by cardamom but it’s not very prominent. When the ozone finally subsides (after good 20 minutes or so), tuberose kicks in, making the scent take a 180 degree turn. The effect isn’t so fresh and marine any more. The scent is said to resemble the smell of “premium Euro-sunscreen”. I’m not sure exactly what Euro sunscreen smells like (when I lived at home, I didn’t used to believe in sunscreen) or how it’s any different from the typical American brands but I clearly smell it but only in very top notes. The drydown is more musky floral. The tuberose isn’t creamy or buttery. Patchouli is said to be one of the base notes but I somehow can’t find it. Overall, it’s a nice musky skin scent which does indeed fulfil its promise to “approximate smell of skin in the sun” and bring out “the sensual stirrings of a body in heat”.
The official release date for Fire Island was July 1, so it can be purchased at Saks Fifth Avenue, Beautycafe, Beauty & Scents.
Entry Filed under: Perfume Reviews
16 Comments Add your own
1. Elle | July 3rd, 2006 at 5:55 am
Patchouli is prancing??? Maybe you couldn’t find it because it was so offended by that press blurb that it pranced off of the scent altogether. Did Paris Hilton’s press secretary write that drivel? I love cardamom, but I’m not fond of excessively soapy musk. I’m definitely going to have to try this for the sake of the cardamom, but I’m not terribly optimistic about it being FBW or even decant worthy.
2. Patty | July 3rd, 2006 at 6:16 am
The writers at Bond should be arrested for “lively word” abuse. Well, I hopefully will get to try it today, and I still don’t know why I like these suntan lotion but more scents yet.
3. Judith | July 3rd, 2006 at 7:03 am
I guess I want to try it, but I’m no more optimistic than Elle. From what I’ve read, I think the smell is supposed to approximate that of an older, orange European sunscreen called Bain de Soleil–very distintinctive smell, but I can’t begin to describe it (although R. at NST has put their commercial jingle permanently in my head:)
4. Marina | July 3rd, 2006 at 7:56 am
“Electrically charged OZONE”…I am scared.
5. March | July 3rd, 2006 at 8:47 am
Well, I remember the smell of Bain de Soleil, and it’s a great smell, but if I want to smell like that, I can go buy it online for $9 and put on something yummy instead, like that new Russian Carnation, or some Bvlgari tea, or….
Unbearably soapy, ozone and musk? Meh.
6. Ina | July 3rd, 2006 at 10:07 am
Elle, even in the very drydown I got no patchouli. It’s either what you said or it got scared by all the musk. I’m not sure you’ll like it but still worth a try.
7. Ina | July 3rd, 2006 at 10:08 am
Patty, I sort of tend to agree with you. I was a little taken aback by that flyer. Curious to know what you think of it.
8. Ina | July 3rd, 2006 at 10:09 am
Marina, I was scared too but believe me, this is one of the few ozone-dominated scents that’s actually not so bad.
9. Ina | July 3rd, 2006 at 10:09 am
Judith, Bain de Soleil sort of rings the bell. Must go find it. Thanks!
10. Ina | July 3rd, 2006 at 10:10 am
March, you crack me up, as usual.
11. Victoria O | July 4th, 2006 at 5:37 am
I’m glad someone else thought it was soapy, I thought it was just me. :O)
12. Ina | July 4th, 2006 at 10:16 am
V., it’s the abundance of musk that makes it soapy, it seems.
13. Patty | July 5th, 2006 at 12:03 pm
So I’ve tried this over the holiday and I wasn’t sure at first, but for what it is, I kinda like it. I kept getting these lovely wafting fumes that made me think I was poolside in the Caribbean somewhere, which is just a great feeling to get.
Overall, I’m scoring this a good one. Not a great one, but one that is excellent for the summer, just warm, soothing and a little exotic.
14. Ina | July 5th, 2006 at 12:17 pm
Patty, I feel the same way. It’s nice and beachy-summery but I don’t think I’ll splurge for a bottle. Maybe a decant.
15. Katie | July 6th, 2006 at 7:56 pm
Huh. Just doesn’t sound like something I would like, I think. I guess with it being called Fire Island, I was thinking maybe it’d be a little more wicked, but from reading this it doesn’t sound like it’s going that way.
“CARDAMOM gone wild” sounds exploitative to me
16. Ina | July 6th, 2006 at 7:59 pm
Katie, cardamom doesn’t really go wild here, to my nose. It’s not your typical creamy beachy scent. It does remind me of Bobbi Brown Beach, a little. You should still give it a try.
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