From The Beauty Brains Forum Member: Taiwanese Girl

I was beyond amazed to be given the opportunity to sniff and test out 14 different Bond No. 9 perfumes. Yes, you read that right, 14 different scents. Being a somewhat newbie to the scent business, it was a tad overwhelming, but oh so rewarding.

Scent is such a subjective and personal matter. What I think smells wonderful might smell like poop to you. I do want to make this disclaimer first: I’m a sucker for citrus notes and jasmine. However, I think I have a pretty picky nose, and the scents I like are quite universal. Hopefully that’ll mean that the three scents I’ve picked out of all of Bond No. 9’s women’s perfumes are ones that you will all enjoy.

Best of Bond

With that being said, here are my top three Bond No. 9 perfumes in no particular order:

- Scent of Peace
- Hamptons
- Saks Fifth Avenue for Her

Scent of Peace lives up to its name. The scent is so soft, relaxing, and peaceful, that it immediately calms your head. One small spritz on your wrist (or neck, or décolletage) provides a full day of aromatherapy. From the Saks Fifth Avenue website, its “Notes of sparkling, energizing grapefruit and blackcurrant are balanced by the sheer loveliness of lily of the valley, and mellow base notes of cedar wood and musk.” I do love grapefruit, and the scent of blackcurrant is so soothing, this makes it the perfect perfume to wear for a relaxing Sunday brunch.

Hamptons is another scent with citrus and floral notes, combined with a very subtle hint of musk. It smells sweet and a teensy bit spicy, and the scent just lasts all day. The jasmine note really stands out in Hamptons, and like I said above, I do love how jasmine smells, so it won me over immediately. The other notes include lime blossom, bergamot, combined with magnolia, white jasmine, with a touch of amber and sandalwood. I must warn you though, wearing Hamptons to work may cause you to day dream about vacationing in the Hamptons!

Saks Fifth Avenue for Her is a scent that I grew to love over time. When I first applied a bit on me, I thought I was choking in floral tones. Like all other Bond No. 9 scents, Saks Fifth is extremely complex and layered. When I wear this, I end up taking deep breaths every so often just to see how the scent has changed. After a long day of work, the most beautiful and soft floral scent just lingers on my body, making all of my coworkers fall in love with me. Yes, it is that beautiful. I can imagine myself being a beautiful and sophisticated Fifth Avenue woman shopping at Saks when I wear this. Notes include gardenia, jasmine (my favorite), vetiver, and vanilla.

Perfumed present

Since Valentines Day is coming up, I recommend you lovely ladies to nudge your loved ones over to the perfume counter to pick up an iconic star shaped bottle of Bond No. 9 perfume. If you want to splurge even more, you can get bottles with Swarovski crystals on them, to make your vanity table just a bit shinier and prettier.

What do YOU think about Bond fragrances? Leave a comment and let us know. Or, you can start a thread and talk to Taiwanese Girl directly in the Beauty Brains Forum. And if you’re interested in getting free goodies of your own, join the Forum now and show us you’ve got what it takes to be a Beauty Brainiac!

Sarah Bellum says:

I thought that wearing waaaay too much perfume was a sign of bad fashion sense, kind of like the Christian Dior mess that Charlize Theron wore to last year’s Academy Awards. But according to Science Daily.com, scientists from Tel Aviv University say that overdosing on fragrance may be a sign of a much deeper psychological problem – depression.

The study, published in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism, shows a link between depression and the way your body’s sense of smell works. Their findings indicate “that women who are depressed are also losing their sense of smell, and may overcompensate by using more perfume.” A member of the research team, Prof. Yehuda Shoenfeld, even suggests that aromatherapy could be part of the treatment regimen for depression.

Hey, I’m feeling a bit bummed out today, I wonder if my doctor will give me a prescription for a bottle of Clinique Happy or Calvin Klein Euphoria?

Do you know anyone who always wears too much perfume? Do you think they’re depressed or just nasally insensitive? Leave a comment and share your smelly thoughts with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

Erin asks: Does perfume expire and if it does is it bad to use it?

Sarah Bellum sniffs out a response: Since I have the biggest fragrance collection of all the Beauty Brains, I told Lefty I’d answer your question Erin. Here’s the scoop:

Perfume chemistry

It takes dozens, sometimes HUNDREDS! of different chemicals to make perfume smell so sweet. Some of those chemicals can react with each other and change over time. (If you wanna be a real geek about it you can learn more by reading the Brains’ Fragrance Science series.)

These reactions can make fragrances “go bad” over time. When that happens some of the scents change and the fragrance doesn’t smell as pretty. So once a fragrance expires you’ll know it because you just won’t like it anymore. Can it be bad for your skin? Lots of people have fragrance allergies, so it make sense that if the chemistry of the fragrance is changing over time, you could become more irritated by it. But it’s not like BOOM all of a sudden your favorite fragrance is going to make you break out in a rash. So chances are you don’t need to worry about that.

How long does perfume last

How long does it take for a fragrance to expire? Can’t say for sure because there are sooo many different chemicals in each perfume. But in general a fragrance should be ok for about 2 years. If you keep it away from light and store it in the refrigerator, you can make it last a lot longer. Of course, it depends on which fragrance you’re talking about. Celebrity fragrances, for example, are much less stable than regular ones. Let’s take a peek at some:

“Fantasy” by Britney Spears shouldn’t last any longer than her marriage to KFed.

“Starlight” by Shania Twain will probably expire before you even buy it, considering how long her career has been over.

“Fetish” by Christina Aguilera will be very unstable unless it’s covered up better than she was on the cover of Marie Claire.

“With Love” by Hilary Duff. Not sure about this one, I get mixed it up with Duff Beer fragrance from the Simpsons.

How long do YOU keep fragrances? Do you use them up before they go bad or do you end up throwing them away? Leave a comment and share your fragrance fetishes with the Beauty Brains community.

Here’s a fascinating bit of technology that may someday allow you to actually “record” odors as easily as recording sounds. Engineers at the Tokyo Institute of Technology have created a device that captures odors, analyzes them, and then reproduces them using a mixture of 96 different chemicals. In this system, computers quickly do the same work that trained perfumers (the scientists who create fragrances) have taken decades of training to master. Reportedly, they’ve reliably reproduced odors such as orange, lemon, banana, and melon. The perfumers might not agree that the quality of the reproduced odor is as good but it’s a start. Someday you may be able to reproduce any fragrance you want in your own home. Of course, it’s a year later and no product is on sale yet. Maybe the engineers have hit a snag.

Incidentally, the story was first reported in New Scientist. I read it first in Chemical & Engineering News where every good card carrying member of the American Chemical Society should get their chemistry news. One more thing, while I wrote this, I was listening to that Fergie tune, “Big Girls Don’t Cry“. I like that song.

-Mid Brain

If you could record any smell you wanted to (ANY smell!)  what would you want to save? The smell of your favorite childhood candy? The scent of your Grandma’s perfume? A whiff of a sweaty old boyfriend? Leave a comment and let the rest of the Beauty Brains community have a sniff!

The Beauty Brains Forum Member Purple Rules reviews Diesel Fuel For Life fragrance.

The bottle for Diesel Fuel For Life warns me to “use with caution.” I don’t know why. It’s not a daring fragrance; no need to worry about emptying the elevator with this.

Sniffing Skittles

The fruity top notes smell just like Skittles! Then it dries down to very generic, fruity heart notes but it’s an artificial fruity smell like the overly sweet, fruit candy that kids like. It’s almost medicinal at times and then it becomes very powdery and slightly less sweet at the end.

You’re an animal

It’s described as having “a heart of jasmine, intensified by indole, a floral-animal note that is found naturally in jasmine” but I get none of that. Indole doesn’t smell particularly good on its own (it’s often described as smelling fecal or like cat pee) but when combined with other notes, it gives them weight and depth. It can also take the edge off florals that are too sweet or too nice; it’s dirties them up a bit.

It’s often combined with jasmine, which may explain why Fuel For Life reminds me of so many other fragrances that are popular now. Fragrances containing indole are often described as being animalic and sensual but I wouldn’t describe Fuel For Life as either. It’s fruity, then it’s powdery and then it’s gone.

Cheesy packaging

The bottle is not terribly attractive. It’s described as being covered in lace but it looks more like cheesecloth to me.

This is not fragrance that I would normally be drawn to. Most fragrances that are described as “fruity” are cloying on me, although they may smell great on others. If you’re one of those who can wear fruity fragrances and not smell like a sticky-fingered preschooler, or if you want to smell like Skittles, you might like this. If you’re looking something bold and sexy, this is not it.

What do YOU think about Diesel Fuel For Life fragrance? Leave a comment and let us know. Or, you can start a thread and talk to Purple Rules directly in the Beauty Brains Forum. And if you’re interested in getting free goodies of your own, join the Forum now and show us you’ve got what it takes to be a Beauty Brainiac!

I’m not lucky like the other Beauty Brains because I don’t have access to a lab for making all the cosmetics my heart desires. However, here’s a kit from Thames & Kosmos that will appeal to budding perfumer in all of us. The Perfume Science kit is a mini-lab complete with a variety of perfume oils, mixing vessels and book explaining the basic science behind it all. The kit is uber-cute but be careful. I got some lavender oil on my hand and I’m still smelling it 2 days later.

Where do YOU find the best recipes for home-made cosmetics? Leave a comment and let the rest of the closet cosmetic chemists in the Beauty Brains community know about it.

-Mid Brain

Hi Beauty Brains community!

Sarah Bellum here with another new product commentary. A few weeks ago the new Reebok Pulse Scented Bra Top was all over beauty blogs like That’s Fit and FitSugar. But the Right Brain thought this idea was worth of my comments too.
In case you missed it, this work out top actually releases a peppermint fragrance as you sweat. It’s certainly an interesting concept but totally gimmicky. I’ll leave to the Left Brain to explain how the peppermint fragrance will eventually leach out of the polymeric fabric mesh and this top will end up as just another bright orange sports bra. And the Right Brain can chime in on the increased potential for skin irritation from essential oils. Me, I just want to make fun of the product description:

• Quickly moves moisture off your skin

• Knitted seamless cups

• Ribbing and mesh design enhances breathability (Ribbed for MY pleasure.)

• Knit-in design detailing adds interest (Great, just what I need. Another reason for that creepy guy on the Stairmaster to gawk at my chest.)

• Content: 95% PLAYDRY Nylon/5% Spandex (Playdry?)

• Colors: Orange (Orange? Pink I could understand, but it only comes in Orange?? It would have been nice if they would have at least tried to coordinate the color with the scent!)

I think I’ll stick with my Versatec sports top.

BTW, this product made me think of the post we did in April ‘07 on the Top 10 Titilating Tidbits About Bras. I still spray Diet Coke out of my nostrils every time I read the one about the guy who crashed his car to avoid a flying bra.

Strappy Bra Top, Garter Belt Skirtini Skirt, G-string Panty Set
From: Flirty Lingerie

Here’s a bit of odor research showing that symptoms like fatigue, chest pain and lower back pain may actually be related to the odors you’re smelling.

Researchers had 194 people keep track of their stress levels and odor experiences over the course of 8 days. What they found was that physical symptoms actually got worse after people experienced intense odors. They don’t know exactly how the two are related but they believe that the memory of the odor becomes linked to the pain which triggers the sensation.

So what can the Beauty Brains community do about it? Well, you might keep a diary like the people in this study did. Anytime you feel fatigued or pain write down all the things that you smell. You may start to notice a pattern and start avoiding odors that trigger the symptoms.

Hey Brainiacs, Sarah Bellum here with an interesting, although somewhat off-color, product review. This one comes from Fauxmccoy in the Beauty Brains Forum. You should join the forum if you want to get all the behind the scenes scoops and sexy chit-chat that’s too provocative for the blog.

Case in point: Faux tipped us off to a new fragrance product that I guarantee is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. (This one’s not for the kiddies, so if you’re under 18 stop reading this now. I mean it! Ok kids, have you stopped reading? Good. Still not reading? You’d better not be, or I WILL call your parents, you little brats. Alright, that’s better. Here we go…)

The product Faux referred to is called VULVA and according to their website it’s a “precious vaginal odor filled into a small glass vial. Not a perfume but a beguiling scent for your own smelling pleasure.”

As is the case with all truly noteworthy scientific endeavors, VULVA was discovered by researchers who were examining “the entire range of erotic products available on the market.” Their efforts led to “years of cost-intensive research” which finally resulted in “capturing the arousing, milky aroma.” And now a tiny vial of VULVA is available to you, my friends, for a mere $30.

Yes that’s right. For only $30 you and your boyfriend/husband/significant other can smell someone else’s p@##% anytime you want. I’ve heard of “scent of a woman,” but is ridiculous! Is it a joke? I’m not sure because I didn’t actually try to order any product. But here’s the thing that worries me the most: what happens when the people who make Glade find out about this technology?

I stumbled upon this story in the great magazine Chemical & Engineering News (well, great for a card carrying member of the American Chemical Society anyway). There’s a fabulous column called Newscripts where they find all sorts of quirky and interesting stories about the world of chemistry.

In this article, they report on a fragrance company called Demeter who is producing products designed to bring you back to your childhood days. The odor receptors in your nose are directly linked to the olfactory lobe in your brain. As a result, odors can trigger some of the most intense childhood memories possible. These are typically more intense than both visual and audio induced memories.

The Demeter Fragrance Library has a host of smells such as Orange Cream Soda, Thunderstorm and even Dirt. Recently, they introduced Eau de Play-Doh which smells just like the pastey plaything you molded as a child. And look, they’ve even got Jelly Belly fragrances! I haven’t smelled them yet but they sound great.

So, if you’re interested in transporting your mind back to younger, happy times try some of these fragrances by Demeter. Now, if I can only get Left Brain to stop wearing the Fuzzy Navel fragrance. Well, I hope that’s just a fragrance.