Bond No.9 Swarovski Stars

Here at M.I.S.S. we’re all about taking time to honor the women in our lives who’ve made a difference, and who’s more special than your own mother? Plus, you already know that we’ve got the scoop on the hottest products about to hit the market, so if you’ve been wondering how to show your appreciation to Mom this Mother’s Day, read on.

New York City’s own luxury fragrance brand Bond No. 9 is stepping it up double time this holiday. To start off, Bond No. 9 is offering a year’s supply of its fabulous perfumes for the very lucky winner of its Mother’s Day Raffle. To make the deal even sweeter, the winner of the drawing will get to select which Bond No. 9 fragrances she’d like to receive. The contest has already started (on Sunday, May 3rd), so if you’re interested, grab a pen and paper so you can jot down the details and make some moves ASAP!

Bond No. 9 Mother's Day

Participating in the drawing is easy: you’ll need to supply the name and contact information of the lady you’re entering. To do so, stop by any of Bond No. 9’s NYC locations - that’s 9 Bond Street, 680 Madison Avenue, 897 Madison Avenue, or 399 Bleecker Street. Don’t reside in NYC? No reason to worry. You can enter via any Bond No. 9 counter at Saks Fifth Avenue. (And remember, don’t rule yourself out - any Bond No. 9 customer is eligible, no purchase necessary! You and Mom can share, right?) Drawings will be entered into a hatbox, where the winner will be selected on the evening of Saturday, May 9th - literally, just in time for Mother’s Day. The winner will be informed of her good fortune on the same night as well. If your entry’s not selected as the winning ticket, still consider gifting Mom (or any other lady you wish to impart) with these fabulous scents: for a limited time, Bond No. 9 will offer 12 bottles for the price of 10, mailing one monthly to the recipient of your choice.

If you’re someone who’s all about planning ahead - and you’d rather not wait until Saturday night to find out whether you’re Bond No. 9’s lucky winner - there’s another gift option you should consider. Bond No. 9 understands that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, and why shouldn’t a perfume’s packaging shine as brightly as Mom’s personality? The perfumer has partnered with Swarovski to deck out three of its best-selling scents to create Swarovski Stars: your favorite Bond No. 9 fragrances encrusted (completely!)  in Swarovski crystals. The glammed up editions include Nuits de Noho (sapphire), The Scent of Peace (amethyst), and Chelsea Flowers (topaz). The fragrances, available for a limited time only, will be sold in 50ml bottles and will retail for $550. Swarovski Stars launched just this month - brand new, but don’t sleep on them - we doubt it’ll be long before they’re sold out.

For more information, check out Bond No. 9’s official Web site, and act fast! Mother’s Day is rapidly approaching, and you won’t want to be left in the dust come Sunday.

The power of scent is a strong one. Scents can trigger memories, beckon emotions, or become the marker that you tie to a certain place or moment. The power of scent is something fragrance company Bond No. 9 understands fully well, and Saks.com provides an exclusive video where president and founder Laurice Rahmé shares that understanding as well as a peek at the full range of perfumes inspired by 35 New York neighborhoods.

M.I.S.S. has taken note of the recent Bond No. 9 releases of “Brooklyn” and “Astor Place” which came out in March and this month respectively. Like “Brooklyn” and “Astor Place,” fragrances such as “Wall Street,” “Little Italy,” and “Chinatown” embody the vibe of the neighborhood by using particular notes and equally representative flacons.

Rahmé has a love for New York that shows through her enthusiasm for the variety of classic and modern scents Bond No. 9 has to offer. With the collection, Rahmé points out that people from Minneapolis to Dallas can experience New York everyday, and finding the right scent simply depends on “choosing the one that makes you dream.”  Watch “The New York Story” Bond No.9 video on Saks.com.

One of the most distinctive landmarks in NYC is the black cube, teetering on an angle, in the middle of Astor Place. In fact, the Alamo by Tony Rosenthal has become synonymous with Astor Place. Located in downtown NY, Astor Place is a place where worlds collide - students from neighboring schools like NYU and Cooper Union interact with skateboarders and theater folks. In it’s latest homage to NY, Bond No.9 has chosen Astor Place as its inspiration.

The floral scent consists of a “seductive freesia-poppy-violet leaf composition and then simmers down into the smooth, steady notes of teakwood and musk.”  The flacon in the trademark Bond No 9 shape is decorated in a pattern of angles and cubes, reminiscent of the Rosenthal sculpture. The rainbow of colors hearkens back to the colorful personalities that inhabit and frequent Astor Place.  For Mother’s Day, Bond No. 9 is offering the fragrance in a limited edition, complete with Swarovski Crystals.

Read on for pricing and details.

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As of late, it seems that every industry imaginable is putting on their ‘green’ cap and making moves towards becoming eco-friendly. When it comes to perfume, don’t be fooled by the brands that claim they were the first to institute a recycling program in efforts to make their users more environmentally-friendly. Bond No. 9, whose perfumes are each dedicated to different parts of New York, was the original brand to institute its recycling program in April of ‘07, a program that is still thriving today.

Feeding off of Mayor Bloomberg’s recycling push, Bond No. 9’s Laurice Rahme began a recycling program in 2007 to recycle not only empty Bond No. 9 containers, but any glass perfume bottle. Individuals are encouraged to bring their empty perfume containers to a Bond No. 9 New York store or to Saks Fifth Avenue. After donating your empty bottle, Bond No. 9 will recycle it. And remember, bottles are not required to be Bond No. 9 - you can bring in any brand’s empty bottle. For your good deed, Bond No. 9 will gift you with a refillable pocket spray. It’s a win-win situation for all parties involved, and you even get rewarded for your eco-friendliness.

Bond No. 9 is known for its ultra-luxurious, New York City inspired fragrances and perfume flacons that sometimes seem a bit unattainable. This holiday season, I’m excited to introduce Bond No. 9’s “recession-proof” Holiday 2008 collection that includes brand new, totally glam, NYC-inspired gift ideas! The first two items are perfect for the girl-on-the-go that may want to re-up on her scent as the day goes on. First, there’s the perfume “token,” a nostalgia-laden circular “token” as a solid-perfume compact, containing your choice of six of our most sought-after eaux de parfum. Stashed in its own perfect little white leather zipper case, it’s so street-smart it’ll glide through any turnstile. The compact’s refillable; the zipper case will lead a double life as a carry-case for rings, earrings, and lapel pins. The Perfume Token retails for $85 and is available in the following scents: Andy Warhol Union Square, Chelsea Flowers, Chinatown, Nuits de Noho, The Scent of Peace or Wall Street.

If a traditional spray is more your style, and if you want a bouquet of mini-bond scents to choose from, the All-Around-Town pocket spray is perfect for you. Each mini spray is wrapped in the trademark foil and are perfect for slipping into an evening clutch bag, with plenty of room to spare. The best part? They’re refillable. The set of 8 retails for $130.

Bond No. 9 does just have your body smelling divine, it’s got your home covered as well.
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A lot of street wear tees are usually based around the idea of “playing” with a famous logo or piece of art.  It’s not a new concept, people have been doing it forever.  Everything from Tide (early Freshjive) to Warhol portraits (1/2 the brands out there) have been given a twist to further the message of small brands.  The tees I saw in Vegas were no different - but I did feel like there was a giant increase in the number of tees touting very high end brands.  This too is not new, but I felt that this time around there were so many more.  Maybe it’s the economy crunch?  Can’t afford real YSL but I can feel close to the brand by wearing a tee with it’s logo?  Or, maybe it’s a t-shirt brands way of aligning itself with what it thinks is cool, for example, girls that like Chanel should like my brand.  Whatever it is, there were a million (not quite, but almost) of these “designer” tees - I didn’t take pics of most of them but I’d be confident in saying that almost half of the clothing brands we looked at had some kind of designer reference - Chanel and Karl being the most used.  We even saw a shoe that made a designer reference.

Oh, and by the way, word on the street is that Fucking Awesome is coming back and re-issuing the Karl Lagerfeld “Gangsta Situations” tee (Yay!) - you heard it here first.  Check out more pics after the jump . . . .

Brian Lichtenberg for Blood Is The New Black - YSL

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Before Andy Warhol started making his iconic screen-printed color block portraits and hanging out at The Factory, he was a shoe illustrator living on Lexington Avenue. To celebrate how Warhol got his start, Bond no. 9′s third fragrance in the Warhol Series is called Lexington Avenue and the bottle is an homage to his whimsical footwear silhouettes. Each of the scents in the Andy Warhol are lovely: First, there was Silver Factory and then there was Union Square, but Lexington Avenue is my favorite so far because it honors Warhol’s roots in fashion. The eau de parfum has “fresh citrus topnotes and a lingering forest-like base” with notes of peony, orris, patchouli, sandalwood, cardamom, fennel, almonds, cumin, and even crème brulee. Hmmm. Sounds heavenly already. The fragrance is seductive and intoxicating - perfect for the coming autumn-winter season. Bond no. 9 Lexington Avenue launches in September 2008 and will be available at Bond no. 9 boutiques, BondNo9.com and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Also, just in time for the holiday, “limited-edition flacons will feature Robert Lee Morris sterling silver shoe pendants of Warhol’s shoe designs—four of them—on a sterling silver chain.” More info on the inspiration of the eau de parfum and a close-up of the gorgeous bottle with the silver shoe charms after the jump . . .

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Nothing makes me feel better in times of stress than a good whiff of something calming. Hawaiian Tropic tanning oil was doing it for me for a while, and then some WTAPS incense, but after having received a special gift in the mail those all seem like child’s play. A few months back I received the most luxurious candle I have ever had the pleasure of seeing or smelling from Bond no. 9. Bond no. 9 is a fragrance company that’s not only based in NYC, but uses the city as it’s muse. All scents are named after neighborhoods in the city like Chinatown, Little Italy, West Side, and Wall Street to name a few. Those who know me know that I have a “perfume should be French” mentality but Bond no. 9 is one of the very few exceptions to the rule. Everything they do from their scents, branding, and packaging are impeccable. Their scents automatically convey a sense of luxury that so many brands miss the mark on. Bond no. 9 has also done some amazing collaborations, most recently with Swarovski and The Andy Warhol Foundation.

I’m digressing, back to the candle! The candle comes packaged in a gorgeous white and gold box - not just any box - one that feels like there’s something very special inside. And, there is! The name of the scent I received is “So New York.” Before I lit the candle I smelled it and the first thing that hit me was the scent of chocolate. I don’t know anyone that enjoys chocolate more than me so I was ecstatic to be able to enjoy chocolate in a different sensory way. There are also notes of bergamot, plum, bittersweet espresso (another favorite), Patchouli (don’t worry, there is nothing hippy about this scent), lily of the valley, peony, musk and precious woods. These scents all combine to make one of the most sublime scents I have ever smelled. It’s not only about the smell - these are the best quality candles you could find. The candles hold 16-20% perfume concentration which is very high for candles. They use the best wax and wicks in the business which adds up to about 60 hours of burn time (that’s long for candles!). The candle comes with an embossed gilt gold cover to make sure the scent doesn’t fade when the candle is not in use.

This is by far the most beautiful and best smelling candle I have ever owned. If you or someone you know is a big fan of scents, I highly recommend this as a splurge for yourself or a gift for someone special. You can purchase the candles at Bond no. 9 boutiques in NYC, Saks Fifth Avenue or online.

More pictures after the jump!

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Mom’s never get a day off so what better way to thank them than by giving them something to help them relax after a long day?  Mother’s Day is the perfect time to let the moms in your life know that’s ok to take a minute out for themselves.  From scented to candles, calming creams, to spa treatments, I’ve picked my favorite stress-relieving treats from Fresh, Shalimar, Origins, Diptyque, and Bliss.

On a side note, I received some info on a fabulous set of perfumes that Bond No. 9 is releasing for Mother’s Day that dazzle with thousands of Swarovski crystals covering the bottle.  Unfortunately, they are priced beyond my Mother’s Day budget but “if I were a rich girl” I would definitely love to surprise mom with one of these fabulous bottles.

50ml for $650

Pics of the Bon Bons  and more info after the jump . . .

Each bottle is a different fragrance:  Pink is Bryant Park, Green is Bleeker Street and Blue is Nuits de Noho.

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