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Patrikstar666 – :
DAIM! Love this incredible, dry, smokey apricot leather.
What a vibe it has, I don’t know how I’m going to pull this off, but it’s going to be preppy, well dressed at an art gallery for a start.
Gorgeous.
Alex999 – :
I just love this everytime I wear it I have a mini swoon. I’ve had my bottle a few years now. It was my first niche purchase from a perfume shop in Lytham, Lancashire. It was my birthday treat but I still felt guilty at spending so much. It’s perfect for early autumn, very soft suede and apricot, it’s super classy and I adore it, will always be special.
witas007 – :
man, this one has been an unusual experience. initial blast of iris (which i love), that very quickly (20 seconds-2 minutes) turns into a very sweet–almost plasticy bubble gum-like–apricot with a hint of cardamom. this phase is challenging for me, a bit too jammy, and i yearn for my iris and suede and quiet-but-confident sophistication ! and i get it–after an hour or so, the sharp apricotiness fades and a velvety apricot remains, intermixed perfectly with suede and all cloaked with a powdery (but not too powdery) haze of iris (and it certainly is iris, i can’t grasp the heliotrope). and it is beautiful. remains mostly as a skin scent, as others have noted; i’m eager to experience this more in the outside world to see if and what comments i may get. for me, it is only sometimes worth trekking through the apricot plastic to get to the soft and comforting soul which seems to lasts anywhere from an hour to an entire day. i haven’t figured out why it fluctuates so, but it quite possibly is my nose and not the juice itself.
edit: it’s growing on me. i definitely have to be in the mood for it, but i have caught myself craving it sometimes ! i still find myself a bit confused by it– perhaps the schism comes from it just not quite fitting my personality due to the apricot.
medved – :
This isn’t my style at all. I like smoky woods and earthy greens, resinous tinctures in black bottles that challenge peoples expectations. Daim Blond is none of those things and yet I am utterly bewitched by it. I want to bathe in this stuff, wash my clothes in it, make candles out of it. If car exhaust smelled like Daim Blond I’d cheerfully sit in traffic all day. The opening is a peppery cardamom bomb that transitions to an almost fruity iris note before a clean leather finish that makes me swoon. My only criticism is that it longevity is terrible. It fades to a gentle skin scent within an hour but while it lasts it is sheer bliss.
sraders – :
An unusual and trendsetting floral leather from the eclectic Serge Lutens line, this is softening and mellowing of the leather note like it was never done before in perfume. The perfume begins with an interesting combination of hawthorn berries and cardamom before moving to a brief heart comprising of iris and apricot before settling into its dense base of leather, suede, heliotrope and musk, which remains throughout the stay of the perfume. The perfume is unisex (feminine leaning) with moderate to strong sillage and very good longevity. It is also almost of extrait concentration. A very interesting composition that introduced a creamy floral gourmand side of leather, this is another exceptional offering from the line that began the niche perfumery movement that has gained so much popularity today. Enjoy!
DGokep – :
I’m in a similar situation. I wasn’t sure if I liked this at first, but as it dried down I found myself liking it so much that I didn’t know what to do. It smells so good it is a kind of torture to wear it. That apricot note is addictive and it goes perfectly with the soft fuzzy suede. I’m just now discovering Serge Lutens. What an incredible house.
Panic Kernel – :
I hated this for the first two minutes and now it’s one of my go-to fragrances. My partner calls it- “dumb blonde”- it is a bit flaky! But it’s smooth and creamy and has a wonderful fruity apricot note that sashays with you all day.
salraf – :
A big fragrance journey here. I totally get what other reviewers have been saying, medicine cabinets with band-aids and dettol,dolls heads,pencil shavings etc but for me this is a place, an old pub I used to have Friday night dinners in as a kid with musty carpets,lacquered polished wooden bars and leather upholstered chairs. Even with all that, I really enjoy Daim Blond, the quirky opening dissipates to leave a great soft dry powdery leather scent.
begemot78 – :
Opening is rather complex on me and promises mainly of suede and soft iris. A slightly soapy feel hiding further olfactory treasures.
And then something happens. Something as awful as when those lovely furry cuties turns into gremlins.
Well, OK, this isn’t a gremlin but my shock and disappointment is alike.
All the sweet promises gone. No complexity left.
Just a screechy loud musky cheap soap.
A bit of iris and heliotrope in there too, so this is not the one that’s going to make me love iris.
Can’t understand what went wrong.
No suede, no cardamom and not a single trace of apricot.
The opening had me thinking this one might not be my cup of tea but that I should still be able to appreciate it’s composition and the art of it. Sorry to say I can’t even do that.
Alas not a safe blind buy, try it first.
From the first 5 minutes I can imagine that it could have been heavenly on the right skin.
If you’re after a sweet, soft suede and apricot smell I’d recommend Suede Osmanthe 5.1 instead.
Performance of Daim blond is impressive though, on the verge to frightening. 12 hrs and still sillage at an arms length. From one spray. After double heavy scrubbing!
noumoulpillup – :
I don’t get the fruit on this at all. It’s simply a creamy, woody skin scent. Cardamom is present. Odd scent…
Edit: oh lord… the leather and spice are prevalent and I’m loving it… Would be even better on a man.
nbd495bedyWelty – :
Daim Blond is such a beautiful leather fragrance. It’s definitely suede and not smooth leather, but it’s not too animalic. It’s a warm scent, but it has some cooler powdery accents from the iris and also a sweet jammy fruit note from the apricot. Sometimes, especially in the beginning, I get a phantom violet note from the iris/fruit combination. I’m usually indifferent to powdery cold purple florals, but with the warm suede and the apricot, they work for me.
In the drydown I also get a hint of woodiness. The apricot fades away, which is a bit sad to me as I love that note, but the fragrance stays very beautiful.
I think this is more of a feminine leather scent at first sight. On the other hand, iris fragrances for men are popular right now and leather is generally considered masculine, so I guess this could be worn by all genders without any second thoughts.
It’s generally easy to wear and elegant for every occassion, as long as you like suede.
Some users voted this as similar to Bottega Veneta EDP. I’m one of the few who don’t like BV and luckily, Daim Blond is totally different to my nose.
Vlad-Z – :
God I love this scent. I always have. It’s not too strong. It’s subtle but present. Lasts all day, definite staying power. I LOVE the soft notes.
tugris – :
My favorite “Wearing to Bed” (for the purpose of a good night sleep) scent.
sergo1964 – :
This is one fragrance that begs to be over sprayed.
At first tentative two sprays I was a little disappointed, I could just smell my beloved apricots but only softy…
Right. go hard or go home.
seven sprays and… IT LIVES!
There’s the suede-y note I was hoping for.
It’s extremely hot here in outback Oz, as my lover was coming in from outdoors I pounced like a perfume Ninja and sprayed him!
Aha! Cardamon!
yay! a blind buy but what a winner!
Hot & Happy, great for summer.
aleonidyich – :
I first sprayed this on a foray into Liberty and fell head over heels. It lasted hours, and even once it wore off I was hungrily sniffing at my wrist like a woman possessed to try and catch the last vapours. I waited for a few weeks but couldn’t stop thinking about it and eventually caved and bought a bottle
I wore it quite frequently for a few months, not particularly fussed by the sweet apricoty opening, but obsessed with the powdery leather (i.e. suede = Daim!) base. It felt clean and sexy but substantial – everything I love in a perfume.
But… I forgot about it for a while over the winter and finding it at the back of the vanity the other night I thought I’d spray it on a night out. Yeesh – I now find this completely repulsive. The opening is so horribly, cloyingly sweet and the musk now smells screechy and soapy and give me a headache.
What the hell happened? Did I change or did Daim Blond? I think it may have been me as I also find Bottega Veneta off-putting now, where once I loved it.
It’s such a shame – bring me back my leathery joy!
Marimme – :
I find that this smells very leathery and sweet in the beginning and quite rich. However, after a couple of hours, this smells IDENTICAL to Rihanna Rogue to my nose. I really enjoy this scent, but I’ll take the cheaper option. Somehow, I get a patchouli vibe from Daim Blond although it is not listed. Also, this is not as in-your-face as Rihanna’s Rogue and doesn’t have the mentholated note that Rogue has. If those things bother you, but you enjoy the essence of Rogue, this might be a better option. Definitely a beautiful perfume, but I find that many of Serge Lutens perfumes don’t last on my skin (except Fleurs D’Oranger which lasts over 24 hours on me).
vanyusha.h – :
This settles into sweet powdery leatherbound vintage books. Maybe the books were left in a musky corner of a greenhouse. Smells familiar like a memory.
I wouldn’t buy this in a large container. Maybe a small vial for every so often.
*I wish it would last longer than an hour as Eau de parfum. I keep respraying for that powdery leathery drydown.
sanovich – :
Diam Blond is such a beautiful perfume! The opening is strong waxy Iris with lots of cardamom. It reminds me of Kenzo jungle elephant but lighter and with Iris added. I’m a sucker for Iris! Soon this changes into a candied violet scent paired with fruit, apricots and suede. At this point the cardamom has dissipated and the similarities to Kenzo are gone. At the last stage of the perfume it has become a musky iris And occasionally I get whiffs of cardamom. I find this perfume unique and delicious. It is warm and cozy. Sillage starts off strong but within 10 min. It calms into close to the skin but still noticeable to people close to me. Longevity is about 4 hours. I wish it lasted longer on my skin but I’m happy to reapply. It’s one of the most beautiful iris perfumes I’ve tried. I love it.
lesevl – :
Love this slightly apricoty, greenish, mentholated doll’s head scent! I usually hate doll’s head by itself but slightly mentolated, greenish, slightly fruity doll’s head is awesome!
nzi260speagoessenda – :
A beautiful scent but just too weak for my taste. Soft suede, sweet apricot and cool powdery iris. These three notes definitely dominate all the way along its timeline.
I’m testing this in a cold atmosphere so it might come alive in warm conditions. I’m so relieved the Hawthorn is barely detectable on me as I abhor the note. The musk is also quite low key.
One to wear when you feel young at heart and carefree.
The sillage is weak but the longevity is surprisingly good.
sedyhnata – :
Portrait of Lunia Czechowska by Amedeo Modigliani 1919
Johnka – :
U should try Cara Mia by Aigner…it’s quite similar imho…
hanachavtfyod – :
Sweet, well-behaved, malleable leather; the suede is sophisticated and mild enough not to clash violently with anything, and the apricot is mellow and gently spicy, rather than being an overripe/rotting overbearing top note. To me this is utterly unisex and would be delicious on anyone. I get no medicinal or moldy notes at all; just sweet, gentle, agreeable soft suede.
If you want really raunchy leather, this isn’t it; if you want a wearable, slightly fruity leather at a lower price, then Fendi Leather Essence is not a million miles away. Daim Blond is not even the deepest or most complex or most delicious Lutens leather – to me that’s Cuir Mauresque, which I’m dreaming of owning one day. But Daim Blond is genuinely lovely and somehow reassuring. I wear it on days when I need to feel snuggled, relaxed and wrapped in warmth.
Sillage isn’t huge, and drops off pretty sharply after the first hour or so; in terms of longevity it stays around 5hrs on my skin, which is longer than I was expecting – it’s so gentle I thought it might disappear earlier.
livovich – :
This is a light and fresh leather fragrance, with subtle florals and peach.
And a nice distinct light musk.
As a guy who doesn’t go for girly unisex frags, I think this is very wearable for me, and am growing in appreciation of it over the last few years.
I just broke it out for Summer use, seasonally it’s very versatile.
It is gender neutral. From the reviews it looks like mostly woman are using this, but I can incourage the guys to try this light fruity leather frag, that works in warmer weather.
swat5d – :
This is a bittersweet powdery leather. Daim Blond is vintage, almost antique smelling. Quite mature and classically French. I can imagine an older, wealthy, aristocratic woman attending a performance at the Opera Garnier and wearing this scent. I don’t see myself fitting into this fragrance quite yet, however.
udalec2010 – :
This is my biggest disappointment so far, and the most expensive one! Seriously, try this out ON YOUR SKIN FIRST to check the longevity for your type of skin! It gave me only two hours of a lovely leather vail that was so close to skin that nobody else could smell if they didn’t dug their nose in my neck, plus apricot, heliotrope and hawthorn are almost non existent on my skin, just some cardamom, iris and a bit of musk in the beginning, later on it’s only suede, lovely, soft suede that just doesn’t last long enough to justify the price!
disnei – :
Daim Blond palais vintage bottle
Theres a spicy leather accord with osmanthus giving the apricot vibe. The heliotrope and iris gives the suede or powdery vaneer. The musk adds depth and foundation for the notes. The opening is rough but opens up and you get alternating moments of the suede, the fruity osmanthus shapeshifting around that masculine spicy leather accord. I smiled when I smelled it as I remembered an old friend. Lutens first fragrance Nombre Noir also has this lovely osmanthus treatment. Here its styled in another chapter in the lutens cannon. Its much more than meets the eye, slips detection by its subtlety.
Waffoomozes – :
I tried a sample of this and it’s really, really nice. I think a lot of leather scents can be overbearing, but this one is really light and smooth. It feels very classy and peaceful.
Faudel – :
I was 100% sure I will find pine wood in the pyramid, first 30 minutes it is totally pine wood-smell to me!! After adds the gentle smell of suede and apricot.
nikidron – :
Wanted to blindbuy it as it’s notes look so appealing and I find it highly discounted,I also love bottega veneta which is mdntioned as a similar fragrance so I thought this won’t be a risky blindbuy but before ordering it,my freind lended me his bottle of daim blond so that I could test it properly before deciding to buy it
In first test it was a no-no for me.I was shocked to see it’s totally different with my imaginations and it wasn’t at all like my beloved bottega venetta.there’s just a soft touch of leather in that one but daim blond was all about suede!
When first sprayed I can smell apricot but in less than half a minute it’s totally covered by suede and iris.a dry and bitter scent and on my skin it seems to be a dark colored suede not a white one(although it had a clean vibe).I couldn’t detect any heliotrope or much musk which I was eagerly looking forward to.I was thinking that it leans more towards being masculine and is only good for women who like non sweet scents or are hard core suede lovers
Today I decided to try it again.but this time after about 20mins suede becomes less intense and apricot shows up again.it’s not a juicy,fresh apricot and it appears lightly mingling with suede-iris combo but it’s enough to add a slight touch of sweetness and feminity so I can like it..this time I could see similarities between daim blond’s drydown and bottega veneta..sillage is good at first but becomes soft as it dries down and longevity doesn’t past four hours on my skin
I have to test it once more to see whether I can get musk and heliotrope out of it.for now it’s a soft,powdery iris-suede with a touch of apricot sweetness.it’s cozy and classy and pleasant and although it’s not something I’d wear a lot,I’m considering buying it
Will edit after another test
Jambazi – :
I love this one. It is the perfect autumn scent with it’s soft delicate suede. Sweet, but not overly so. For the autumn to come, i’m getting a full bottle.
Sova1007 – :
A beautiful fragrance that is very wearable. So light, but with enough body to transport your positive emotions on it’s soft, sweet, suede wafts of powder. I’m not a lover of powdery scents, but Daim Blonde isn’t just a powdery scent, it has it’s own understated but desirable quality that speaks for itself. I’ve only worn it once, but I already love it. Another bottle worthy Lutens to be sure.
dashadoza – :
DB is my most worn perfume, & I must be on 6th or 7th bottle now.
I don’t think I can write a review that really does it justice though – it’s just a gorgeous perfume (imo) that speaks to me more than the rest of my bottles.
Suede (especially strong in the opening), the apricot feels dry-ish in texture, not sugary or juicy. I can’t pick out iris or heliotrope distinctly (& I love heliotrope) – although I do vaguely sense some purple florals. Anyway, to me they they sit quietly & politely in the background. On my skin the drydown is a warm clean musk. I get no powderiness at any point.
DB feels really well balanced. It opens coolish & aloof, & finishes up warm & mellow, like a sunny Autumn day ! It doesn’t make a big statement, people will say “you smell lovely”, rather than “your perfume smells lovely” A versatile scent that never feels inappropriate – it gives me confidence & always makes me feel better than I know I am.
The Jeffwithfrags review (further down) really made me think. The perceived “faults” are probably exactly why I am so fond of DB. Not too fruity/vanillic (I’m tired of vanilla) not loud, & not “too” anything. There are more than enough syrupy fruity vanilla bombs in this world already!. I love this perfume because it is understated & elegant, but contemporary & still unusual.
Edit Aug 2017. I’m sure DB has been “watered down”. It used to last all day on me, but sadly I can’t say that about my more recent bottles. Such a shame, I do still love it though.
eser – :
Wow, the scent of impact, the leather appears punching soon in the face, deep down I feel the iris want to bloom more the leather insists all the time that she is that reigns. I like it a lot, but it sure is not a very easy perfume, because it is a rough perfume with a slight sweet touch in the end, this is very good for me.
I evaluate this:
Smell: 8/10
Projection: 7.5/10
Longevity: 8/10
ney226Unlogrere – :
Way closer to… dare I say it… La Petite Robe Noire Eau Fraiche than Bottega Veneta in my opinion.
*ducks rotten tomatoes*
avar – :
Oh, how I wish suede style fragrances worked on my skin.
I had a hard time differentiating the top notes; the blend was too close to Neosporin and band-aids. It took a few hours for the smooth suede and creamy tone to develop.
It’s very lovely, but the beginning was too much for me to tolerate.
I can’t handle the top notes, so I don’t deserve the drydown.
945198 – :
What a beauty. There are so many Serge Lutens that I know upon first sniff id fall deeply in love with. Sadly the prices certainly restrict me from ever really finding out.
This was my first ever Serge Lutens experience. Thanks to the amazing Perfumeaddict777. I am not disappointed. High quality well composed fragrance. Warm, rich, dry and indulgent suede/leather. It smells a little boozy to my nose too.
ripper80 – :
Nice leather scent, quite sweet, but far from popular sugary monsters. I would say it’s an interesting scent for suede and musk lovers. I like it even if it’s not in my style.
propovednik-08 – :
This is very interesting one to try. I like how suede, musk and iris notes mix together in it. There’s some sweet notes too, but it’s not too sweet, just right amount of sweetness.
It seems more feminine than masculine to me.
I think it smells like some very old, but valuable leather material.
My impressions of this perfume are very good.
I can imagine someone very classic looking and elegant wearing this perfume. She would live in old but classy house and have lots of old books with leather covers.
kucha – :
I go back and forth on loving this one and thinking it’s only okay. It is exactly as if Le Labo Santal 33 and Bottega Veneta had a baby. But this baby only got the good genes from each parent, not that nauseating dirtiness of the Santal 33 and the sharpness of Botegga. This is soft, very soft, lightly floral, creamy, leathery, and only very slightly powdery and fruity.
Zlodey_Nordic – :
Sweet, dry, powdery leather scent.Feminine, it is not my favourite range, but very correct overall.
ALEXEY777 – :
Oh no! I thought I was going to love this, since I’ve adored pretty much every leather fragrance I’ve tried. And I was thrilled to get a sample from a kind fragrantican 🙂
I also adored my suede jacket and wore it to ribbons. But I have to say, it never smelled like this, and if it had I wouldn’t have been a fan.
Basically, musky apricot is what I’m feeling – and that’s not a good combination. Bleuch.
Sorry Serge.
boba55 – :
Uh.. no, i don’t know. Looks promising on the notes card, but in reality feels like lots of shredded leather soaked in sweet apricot. Or may me this could be a smell of a shoemaker’s little shop, after the apricot is gone. Way too heavy and overpowering to my taste. Has nothing in common with Bottega Veneta, which is by far much more elegant, wearable and simply tastefull. I start to think Luten’s perfumes are overrated. Even though the authour’s hand is very recognizable throughout the range.
rolexreplica53815 – :
I’m revisiting this one and would like to ad some new observations.
The sillage is soft to moderate, but the juice is of such high quality you can over spray with this one and many more nuances come forth.
The quality reminded me of Creed fragrances, the notes are clean and distinct. It reminded me of Aventus a bit, the soft sillage, bright fruity apricot note, and the musc with the floral nuances. It’s so smooth, refined and a bit sexy, if the sillage was greater, it could be over the top.
I get a soft leather, some cardomom, and a bright apricot note, one of the best fruity notes I have ever experienced.
Diam Blond is one of only two Lutens I have in my permanent collection, along with Ambre Sultan.
Kronas – :
Soapy, sweet suede (with warm sweetness of apricot). Really nice. Makes you feel groomed. Good longevity, as usual with SL. Great corporate setting scent. 🙂
sanias53 – :
The more I test perfumes, the less I know.
I was sure DB had lavender in it but no, not a bit. On my skin this smells like very dry iris, lavender, leather and salt. Never before have I found a fragrance to smell salty. I do not pick up any fruit or heliotrope. For such a dry scent, I don’t mind it.
Edit – on second trial it reminded my of the smell from an old medicine chest. Soap, leather strap for a razor, benzoin ointment, talcum powder and band-aids or plasters, toothpaste and maybe a little Dettol. This doesn’t mean that I don’t like DB. In fact it takes me back to my aunt and uncles bathroom in an old victorian stone house, in Scotland. … with no central heating. Right, so if I follow my thought processes, medicine chest in an old, slightly musty house. Great for nostalgia but I won’t wear it again.
kikorrik – :
Thanks to a very sweet member, I have just sampled this for the first time. I could fall over I love it so much! Ohhh. Wow. I need this in my life and soon.
elen-orlova – :
This is nearly great. I love the sweetness of apricot and the gentle florals against the soft suede and cardamom – just so sensual to me. The combination of the cool (spice, leather, iris) and sweet (floral, fruit) is excellent. However, it just wears too close to the skin. I have finished a bottle, and finished a bottle of Bottega Veneta which has similar longevity issues for me. So close! Is there anything else out there which has a similar cool but sensual theme that plays a little longer?
gennady5 – :
This fragrance opens with cardamon, apricot, heliotrope, and suede. The cardamon adds more sweetness to the fuzzy apricot and lasts about 30 minutes, after which it becomes faint and lets the apricot become the star of the show. The suede is plush and adds a softness that makes you feel like you could almost touch this perfume. However, there’s a slight soapiness that bothers me, maybe my skin chemistry is at fault, and turns this from a love to a like.
mishania123 – :
Daim Blond was released in 2004 and its name means, in English, “Blond Suede”, in literal translation. But figuratively, the translation would be White Suede, in the same way that happens when we’re talking about the blond woods.
Serge Lutens was inspired by the softness of white suede and defends his idea saying: “As blond as a Swede, as yellow as corn silk, as gold as the sun or a golden boy or whatever else you can imagine”.
Daim Blond opens with notes of cardamom of Ceylon and Hawthorn, followed by iris and apricot seeds, ending with a base of musk, heliotrope and leather.
On the skin, what could be a great fragrance, reveals itself as a light creation with nothing to add. For five minutes, the scent is lovely and brings that leathery aspect of so many other niche perfumes. However, in less than 2 hours, the scent disappears, leaving a soft trail of leather and vanilla, which is a result of the heliotrope note. Cardamom? Iris? Not here on my skin!
Apparently, Daim Blond is mutant. I’ve read reports of people who found its fragrance extremely sweet, others said that the perfume has resulted in an apricot jam and there are those who were bothered with a soapy nuance.
In my opinion, Daim Blond is a failure if compared to the rest of the creations of the House. I dare to say that by not being part of the L’eau Collection, the disappointment is even bigger. At least, fresh scents have volatile ingredients, which is understandable. This is not the case!
I close my analysis with a comparison: Daim Blond could transmit the delightful feeling of being wearing a beautiful white suede jacket, fitted and at the same time comfortable. But ended up being a cheap plastic jacket without a good trim and, above all, quality.
tima134 – :
In the past couple of months, I must’ve gone through 50 different fragrance samples, looking for an instant love.
I wanted leather with no hint of the chemical leatherette hit that some good quality leathers still have, with just enough sweetness to stop it from veering into the masculine.
This is it. It’s soft, buttery suede that been well-taken care of. No scent of tanning chemicals linger, but apricot and warm skin. The musk and iris is there so it doesn’t go syrupy sweet.
So, so beautiful. Sillage is moderate, and the ghost of it still lingers on my skin after a whole work day (10 hours)
And gladly, it does not go the least bit soapy on my skin.
john.green – :
Sweet, hint of powder, musk (and pine?) in opening. Light and fruity. Smoky leather there starts very much in the background but quickly moves forward, with a soapy note. Graphite (pencils). Amber also very light. Dry down loses it’s sweetness, dry, dusty. Soapy incense. Long lasting dry down; cool, powdery spice. Could smell the amber a bit more towards the end but it was still restrained.
mazanov1977 – :
in the beginning, this is more leathery than i thought it would be- a fruity leather, that leans more to suede as time goes by. i recently tried bottega veneta, and while i see a similarity in the feel of the scent, this one is both sweeter and smokier to me. i’m getting something a bit floral here i think, (besides iris) but it’s unrecognizable so maybe it’s hawthorn? the apricot seems to come and go and the leather goes from smoky to suedey, back and forth. i like that aspect of the scent a lot and overall i really like this one a lot.
Gorodetsky – :
Daim Blond is by far the most approachable Luten’s in his whole library but it sadly doesn’t mean it’s amazing. In fact, it’s utterly disappointing.
Main problem is the apricot accord is surprisingly light-handed and not really sweet enough. But then, a faint smell of the dreaded ‘rubber’ vibe that fades pretty fast but not fast enough for an Opening impression.
This is a $150+ scent for 50mls and they couldn’t iron-out this off putting note? Terrible.
It doesn’t carry the ‘punch’ of a dedicated ‘Fruity’ nor the velvet feel of a good suede.
What is there is pleasant but faint. I really think the scent misses vanilla, this would have taken it 2 levels above.
But for those who prefer a fainlty-sweeteesh scent and totally cannot stand vanilla, this may be the scent for you.
For me, a fruity scent with beautiful floral and the rare heliotrpe adding some gourmand does not make sense without a good bit of vanilla and/or cedar.
If you’re after a syrupy bold ‘Modern powerhouse’, steer well clear. This lasted less than 1 hour on me. I think Lutens missed a trick with a real crowd-pleaser here and it’s sad.
But, ending on a positive it’s by far the best offering for me of a very poor House, just my take on this one.
Was thinking of buying the smaller bottle but there was simply too much competition to waste $100.
May pick up an empty bottle on Ebay, just for collection’s sake, as I love Luten’s presentation!
Oh well, it’s not like I’m at a loss here.
My rating: 5/10.
Scent Quality: 8/10.
9055987 – :
That’s my review just below. I was signed out, and they don’t let you delete or edit as a guest reviewer.
This fragrance is long lasting, but it wispers. So we need to listen closely. It took me a few months of wearing my summer signature to pick up the nuances. This fragrance is quite great, but it takes time to get to know and appreciate.
I like having a few nice male florals in my colection, as Iquitos, and Givenchy Insense, I place Daim Blond in that genre, although it is a shared fragrance for sure. If you like this and would like it more rich, full and oppulant, check out Iquitos.
The suede leather, many have as the main note, is not the main note for me. The heart is an animalic, (musk) fruity/ floral accord. The florals are sweet and bright, similar to Lilly of the valleys, I guess it’s the Heliotrope. I almost get a nuance of coconut making an accord with the musk, giving it that velvety comforting smoothness. In the base notes, I get the light suede, Amber and Cardomon.
I’m glad I don’t detect any Iris, as I don’t care for it, as in Dior Homme or the Sport. Fruit, and bright sweet florals make for a nice accord, as one of my favorites Givenchy Insense which blends Lilly of the valley, magnolia, with black currant with wisps of pine. Daim Blond is grounded with suede and Cardomon and possibly a touch of balsamic Amber. At the Lutens web site, it has Daim Blond in the resinous/ Amber category, with Arabie, Ambre Sultan and Chergui.
The fruity accord, reminds me of the tropical fruit and coconut accord I find in “Iquitos”. Mango, Papaya, and Apricot, yes. I’m enjoying this beutifull subtle fragrance in the Winter, but I think it will shine more in Spring and Summer.
I think of Daim Blond as a fruity fresh fragrance, with substance and sophisticated elegance. You have mostly a lightly sweet fruity floral, with the nice musk and