Daim Blond Serge Lutens for women and men

I adore this scent but, the longevity/silage are extremely one of the worst!!

It just lasts 1h on my skin although I sprayed 15~20 times....It's extreme annoying

DM me if you’re selling a partial :)

A used Band-aid, a dried apricot, and a pair of sweaty pleather pants lay before you on a table. How did you get here? Is there any way to escape?

Got a partial bottle (old square design) for a good price on ebay last summer, on the basis of what I remembered from the 00s. For the first month or two I smelled literally nothing, but perhaps the perfume needed to settle because now it smells exactly as I remember, an elegant blend of juicy apricots and fresh bandaid, silky musky-suede drydown, really beautiful and classic.

I appreciate a play on words. Something I think Rosalie Hale might smell like. Definitely for dressed up occasions, a white tie affair. Just stunning. You have to have the personality for it, else it'll wear you.

I don't have any new insights to add to others' descriptions - I also get all the leathery, creamy, apricot, musky skin stuff.

I'm only leaving this post because my most major beef with this is practically NO ONE CAN SMELL IT. For the price and considerable effort it took me to obtain this fragrance, I think that is a fair expectation. I am also saddened that no one else gets to experience this fragrance in smelling it on others, which is basically a big part in wearing scent in the first place. *Sigh*

First spray

My nose is most definitely immature because I get childhood bandages

I can see the apricot but all I can smell is bandages right now

Will report back when I grow up

If anyone is selling an older version, pre reforumulation, please let me know ❤️

(Edit - I found one! Thank you )

Anyone know a website that ships international where I can get the bell bottle of this ? ♥️

Smells like you just open a new Birkin bag and surprise inside there are a dozen ripe apricots. Soft feminine leather with a prominent waxy sheen of iris. Sits very close to the skin.

The only iris fume that works with my skin chemistry. I have the bell jar splash and I love it, I apply generously. Daim is a beautiful clean, crisp, slightly cool suede and jammy fragrance that dries down to a stunning musk that quietly projects. It reminds me of the original Gris Montaigne by Dior which I stupidly gave away. It has the same refined classic vibe that screams LUXURY. Daim Blond also has the signature Lutens ghostliness to it, it's like a phantom whispering in the night. I'm immediately picturing the music video for Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse of the Heart.

I like it. Smells really yummy, approaches gourmand but doesn’t quite make it. On me was fairly one note. I don’t know if it’s for me. Couldn’t stop smelling but I see it more as a frag for a charismatic, bouncy party girl. That being said, if I had the funds I’d buy a full bottle for certain occasions

I wore this fragrance extensively in 2019, one of the best years of my life until the covid broke out. It brings me back to the dawn of an early autumn day in Berlin. It's a poetic mixture of apricot and suede accords. For those who are asking if it's been discontinued - no, it's just been moved to the bell-jar collection some 5+ years ago. You can still buy it from the SL's official website, just in a different flacon and price range.

I am on the market for a small decant if anyone is selling and can ship to the UK. A truly beautiful scent, elegant your-skin-just-better which I just wish was a tad louder.

this is beauuuutiful; i don't think i'm quite the right person to wear this as i picture someone really elegant and refined when i smell this but, wow!!! wasn't expecting to like this quite so much based on the notes alone; the apricot and heliotrope are easily discernible. really pleasant and refreshing

This fragrance reminds me of Dr. Pepper. No cherry nor fizz. Rather the airy essence of the aforementioned beverage. Another fragrance this also reminds me of is the popular release from Maison Crivelli: Lys Solaberg… another one that has a similar essence. Lys is more wearable in my opinion for day to day but Serge is more elegant.

Anybody knows if it has been discontinued? I can't fid it anywhere
Willing to buy it

Everything just works here- buttery iris, the delicate sweetness of apricot and that rich suede accord. This is hauntingly beautiful

Sophisticated suede lightly sweetened by oily apricot and a waxy iris. Feels leathery but in a very soft & gentle manner, like a worn down leather blanket.
Great sillage (arms' length), and lasts ~6 hrs on me.
Perfect for warmer weather if you want to enjoy a (softer) leather fragrance.

GODDAMN I FUCKIN LOVE THIS. it's a hybrid of hermessence cuir d'ange and infusion d'iris. Faint apricot on the dry down, I was blown away. If you're afraid of leather, don't be afraid of this, it's so gentle and lovely. Lasts A LONG TIME, moderate projection on me.

I’ve heard this perfume described as a white suede. I think that’s fitting. For me, it’s highly reminiscent of a new BMW smell. Even though this is described as a suede and Hermes Cuir D’Ange as a leather, I find Cuir D’Ange softer and like the smell of my grandmother’s well-loved leather handbags.

There’s something metallic and sharp to Daim Blond. Like a peppery Iris. I echo that I pick up this unpleasant plastic note to it. It’s distinct, but maybe just not the mood / cozy comfort I was hoping to get during the holidays. I hope it tones down over time.

The suede is there, and is muted by floral and fruity elements. But the unfortunate thing about all of this is that there is a resulting plastic accord that emerges. It's slight, but it's there...
It's distracting me from the otherwise fine scent, though, to be completely honest, this is not the kind of scent I usually go for...
Leans slightly femme, though otherwise pleasant. Definitely worth a try...

I am sitting here with the old formula on one arm, and the new one on the other and honestly to me they are identical. Don't believe the bad reviews regarding that sentiment. With that said, Daim Blond is one of the most beautiful fragrances I know. The juicy apricot and soft suede marry each other so well, it's insane! Sheldrake truly got this one 100% correct. It's not what I reach for the most, but it probably is one of my top 3 fragrances ever. I want to wear this on my wedding day.

Daim Blond starts as a mood. It seems to begin cool, dry, aloof, sort of like unrequited love, something just out of reach, squeezing out the yearning in the wearer. It's all distant pastels and grey pebbles, starched skies, and the persistence of unembraceable beauty.

It's a study in from what my nose detects as Suederal (judiciously dosed, not pummeling like TF's leathers), heliotropin, and anisaldehyde (have I mentioned before that I love a hawthorn note? I want to create a hawthorn-centered scent one day). Of course, we have in the opening cardamom accompanied by this plush apricot, which is the point of interest, as it were. As the cardamom slowly recedes, the apricot goes from voluptuous to desiccated as it embeds in the florals and suede.

As time passes, Daim Blond becomes hazier, sort of the like that sensation where you drift in and out of sleep, and you're at your calmest and most still. The iris and musks swaddle you and the realization comes that it was never out of reach after all, it was right there with you all this time, you just had some opening up of your own to do.

I really disliked Daim Blond when I first tried it 3 or 4 years ago, but have gradually come to love it in the intervening time, though it remains a strange and challenging composition to my nose.

Daim Blond is a very fruity, dry suede with a dry iris in the mix. When I first tried it, the apricot really got to me and came off sweet but also a little papery, somehow. In many ways it still is, but now it conjures to mind dry fruit wrapped tenderly in leather, like a sort of alien bouquet. The skin of the apricot is peeling away from the desiccated flesh like an ultra-thin parchment; it is crying out for water as it cracks into dust under the midday sun. I maintain that it doesn't smell particularly "natural", it's a strange and jarring scent but also beautiful and serene. A mentholated ghost of either cardamom or hawthorn (or perhaps Lutens' notorious cough medicine note) is swimming around for the first half an hour before finally yielding. I just can't pin down the "mood" of this one - it's giving an emotion but just not one with which I'm familiar.

I think one thing I still struggle with in this scent is the seeming lack of "payoff", its unsettling demeanour is simply how it is - it's not taking you on a journey so much as luring you out into the desert to die from thirst. Even now, smelling it on my arm, there's something subtly sinister in it, in its unnatural dryness, the ambiguous fruit, and the suede from an animal not found in any bestiary.

It's a love for me, and in my view is actually Lutens' best fruit scent, though Bois et Fruits remains much more approachable for me.

A bit too animalic to my liking. The smell also reminds me of a hair bleach.

-Daim Blond is a yellow floral scent reminiscent of Chrysanthemum tea.
-Has with a watery quality to it.
-Somehow it reminds me of the interior of a freshly-cleaned car. (-)

I'm revisiting Serge Lutens' Daim Blond, a scent I thought I didn't care for. It's objectively "nice", but it just doesn't resonate with me. I smell the things that people love about it: the elusive whiff of soft suede from the inner pocket of an expensive handbag, the cool floral iris, the bowl of apricots basking in a beam of afternoon sunlight. But those things, they're over there. And I am here. And we don't connect. It's the career woman who got married, had kids, holds an executive position somewhere, and does hot yoga and spin class. So very not me. It makes me think of that photo of Maureen Prescott that you see in the first Scream movie. She looks like a put-together lady. But you later find out she had a past, and it was complicated and fraught, and the catalyst for the entire franchise. Today when I smelled a previously undetected bit of pensive cedar, and wistful violet it made me think about Maureen's pain and trauma and tragedy, and I recognized how layered we all are, and how no one's life is ever quite how we imagine it from the outside. That's something to sit with, and so too, I suppose, is Daim Blond.

One of the things I love about this site is the way it re-educates you. If I were ever forced to chose only one "personal signature" fragrance from the vast Serge Lutens offering, it would almost certainly be Daim Blond. It was first given to me as a gift by my partner. I don't love it BECAUSE my partner gave it to me, but because in giving this perfect fragrance to me, I know why he is my partner. But, back to the learning. Leather, musky... certainly I know these are notes I like. But "powdery", "floral" or "fruity"? These are qualities I seldom associate with myself. And maybe that's why this is exactly the perfect scent for me. When I want to feel comfort, my own strength or simply taken out of myself, this is always a go-to option.

Opens with a plush blast of cardamon, apricot and something unknown to me which must (by a process of deduction) be Hawthorn. It's new to me and I breathed it in deeply, but it's so harsh it caused the back of my throat to constrict for a few minutes... an experience which has created some respect.
When I stop gasping, I get a warm, peppery spice (no incense in the notes, but I get something resinous nonetheless) as well as that bracing must-be-Hawthorn note and a big hit of dry, powdery Iris and apricot. There's a plush suede note (osmanthus?) joined by heliotrope in a violet haze something like powdery violet-leaf which I love.
As time passes I catch a whiff of warm leafiness which could be hay or could also be tobacco leaf; whatever the case, the dry-down is a sun-warmed, dry, plush concoction which radiates off my skin for hours.
Lutens describes Daim Blond as "yellow as corn silk, as gold as the sun" & I do get a warm, summery atmosphere which feels comforting and luxurious.
I'm about to dive deeply into this house.

Distillation:
attacked by Hawthorn
but comforted by plush suede
and spiced apricot

Well, a soft leather it is, but what a synthetic, artificial opening!
Difficult to digest at first, almost all SL have "strong" or "weird" openings to me... and most of them afterwards reward you with some surprising and pleasant notes. I mean that very few SL buy me immediately, have to give them the time.
Daim Blond makes no difference: after a difficult initial approach, it reveals its beauty later.
I can smell a hint of a tobacco note - even if not listed - and some basmati rice (yes, that's what I smell): all in all waves of the Orient are coming by.
A lovely earthy, cold iris, not powdery, dominate the middle notes, together with a soft leather, more suède than pure leather, that soft suède of designer purses.
Gives peace and confidence. Easy to wear in all occasions.
Not feminine nor girly, but very refined and classy, cozy, subtle. Elegant.
Definitely worth a try.

.

There is a synthetic note that ruins the composition for me, almost liked a perfume that has turned. I am sniffing a recent sample from a reputable source.

Update: there must be aldehydes that don't agree with me in the opening. About 2 hours in I am getting a nice apricot suede.

Daim Blond is the apricot-leather I was looking for in Osmanthe Yunnan. It’s softly-restrained-lush Where Yunnan is austere. The floral notes lift it a bit from that bottom-of-your-birkin-bag vibe you often get with Hermès. It dries down lovely, soft and sweet. I am so pleased to have it in my collection.

Got this from a friend who told me "I don't like it because it smells like a funeral home"

lol. I don't know if I would go that far but, as the user Fava Beans has mentioned, it's nothing crazy, more calm and relaxed of the notes. It's nice but, seeing also that a lot of the reviews are by women, it is better fit for them. An older, mature woman at that. I cannot see myself, or really any man wearing this.

As for season, definitely the colder times.

It definitely does not give off a youthful vibe. So for me, as a guy, it's a pass and something that will sit ( Full ) in my closet.

Sample this if anything.

Smoky, savory, spicy. Almost resinous.

I wasn't sure at first, but now I love it. It's unusual and challenging, but sensual. Surprisingly lightweight, and gone within a few hours.

"Skin on skin, fusing touch with smell. A powdery, snowy take on leather dusted with pollen and gentle almond nuances A soft, shiny suede."

A very accurate description. It's quite beautiful. Very soft leathery musky fragrance, leans fem. Very creamy, delicate, relaxed 'country-esque' kind of fragrance. Slightly sweet and fruity as well... Really lovely. 7/10

It’s probably the fruitiest leather that I own. I don’t personally notice the leather as much... there is something synthetic suede like in the background. The most prominent notes are fruity apricots and jammy notes.

When I think of the Serge Lutens collection, descriptors like “rich,” “bold,” and “excessive” come to mind. And as much as I love those rich, bold, and excessive fragrances—(Lutens devotee here!)—I admire Daim Blond because it’s firmly not any of those things, because it goes against the grain of the house’s signature style. The magic of Daim Blond lies in its restrained elegance. A pitch-perfect suede quietly grounds the scent, while a pronounced apricot, subtly bolstered by a smidgen of iris, gives it lift. Daim Blond speaks in whispers and hums, embodying a sense of introversion that’s both intelligent and confident. Love, love, love.

Realistic suede, texturized, like a lady’s glove, or a treasure bag. There is an undecided danse between the touchy animal and a bright classy feeling. The result is gender free, playing with the best of the feminine and the masculine, melting into a melancholic, nearly cold embrace. Sense and sensitivity in one only scent.

Agree with gianwang that it is soothing and calming. This is a very good example of gender neutral perfume. I sometimes layer it with Chanel 19 Poudre in order to girly it up. Perhaps it could be an acquired taste, it's understated, not a powerhouse in any way, shape or form, but a perfect nuzzle perfume. If you are confident enough to wear a fragrance that wafts the scent of zen and the beauty of the Crysanthemum throne this is for you.

Daim Blond. Daim Blond? Yes .. . .soft suede, apricot jammy, touch of cardamom, iris, hawthorn, and heliotrope. Very classy, classic . . . Supremely wearable. I am about 60 percent through my bottle. Will definitely be rebuying this, as it gives me so much pleasure.
Lasts all day and can’t be over sprayed. Seamlessly perfect blend. Bravo, Uncle Serge!

The powdery apricot suede iris I never knew I needed. Innocent, like most powdery frags are, but not overtly femme. Gender neutral powder. I think one must really enjoy apricot to derive any pleasure from this one. Luckily, I do. This is the powder that I would wear on cold weather days, anywhere I wanted. The cardamom is very subtle but makes it warming. Some of my powders feel too childish to be worn on certain occasions, but Daim Blond has the Lutens composure and sophistication that transcends impropriety. The drydown is mature, a bit masculine.

I’ve been wanting this for so long and I finally got it. Bought it blind. I trusted the reviews, I trust Lutens, I studied the notes and I know what I like. This is a masterpiece. It is a complex iris suede scent yet it is highly refined and masterfully blended. It is sheer elegance in a bottle. Worthy of being a signature scent (whatever that is lol). This is the play-by-play of my experience. The opening is just a hint green and spicy. I quickly pick up on the iris and a slight powderiness begins. The apricot kicks in and brings with it a subtle sweetness to the overall composition at this stage. I’m still getting a hit from the iris and this stage lasts a while until the leathery suede finally appears and then the most luxurious scent emerges from my skin. It’s like nothing I’ve ever smelled before. This is quiet, rich and luxurious. The heliotrope deepens the leather at this point and adds just a tad more sweetness but the scent, as a whole, never becomes sweet. It’s actually somewhat “dry”. You’ll still catch whiffs of iris, spice, and leather at this point and this dance will continue for a while. The end is a powdery soft musky leather that becomes a second skin. On my skin, the iris note lingers a long time well into the dry down stage. I want my skin to smell like this all the time. Daim Blond has as many facets as a Tiffany diamond. It’s sexy and sophisticated and I’m in love.

This is not a real review. I just want to talk about it a little bit. Daim blonde smells sweet and calming. A scent that can puts me in to bed mood. I definitely smelled it somewhere in the past, a place in my faraway memory. I did not smelled it once from someone, I smelled it for a quite a while and I was really familar with the smell. however, I cannot find that whole piece of information. which does not matter much, i just know that this is a miracle to me, the miracle that brings my childhood back to me again.

Love it, love it, love it... It is like a blanket with some leather threads in the beginning. Some gourmand accord in the middle notes. Comfort and calm bearing fragrance, decently long lasting on my skin.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

My favorite "Wearing to Bed" (for the purpose of a good night sleep) scent.

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.

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!

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).

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.

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!

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.

Portrait of Lunia Czechowska by Amedeo Modigliani 1919

U should try Cara Mia by Aigner...it's quite similar imho...

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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, it does smell the same & I do still love it though.

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

Way closer to... dare I say it... La Petite Robe Noire Eau Fraiche than Bottega Veneta in my opinion.

*ducks rotten tomatoes*

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sweet, dry, powdery leather scent.Feminine, it is not my favourite range, but very correct overall.

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.

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.

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.

Soapy, sweet suede (with warm sweetness of apricot). Really nice. Makes you feel groomed. Good longevity, as usual with SL. Great corporate setting scent. :)

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.

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.

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?

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.

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 a 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 suede giving it richness. Apricot and suede are similar scents for me making for a harmonious accord.
Cardomon can make harsh scents more comfortable and wearable, like in TF Oud Wood.
J-C Ellena often uses Cardomon, adding a vegitality, or as some mentioned of Daim Blond, it makes it smell like skin.

In the mid- drydown, wow some accord is zinging me, nice ! Slightly boozy, like a nuance of Apricot brandy, and now I'm getting a very nice and very light vanelic powderyness, which I guess is the Iris.

Continued below as " guest"...

Do I like fruity notes? No
Do I enjoy a powdery note? No
Do I gravitate towards floral notes? No
Do I like musky notes? No
Do I like Daim Blond? No…………I LOVE DAIM BLOND!
Daim Blond is more than apricots, florals, powder, musk and suede to me. Yes those notes are present in Daim Blond, but Cardamom is the key player for me. It impregnates all the notes and makes Daim Blond warm and sensual while still allowing the other players to express themselves. Cardamom gently adds a spicy, resinous, creamy and aromatic experience to Daim Blond that I truly love. Can a man wear Daim Blond? Do I really need to answer that?

Another Sheldrake-Lutens goodie, Daim Blond is a nice, fruity apricot suede fragrance. Like all Lutens, try this on skin, not paper and give it time to develop. Do not judge it by the first harsh notes which in trademark Lutens style is a weird sweet herbal cough syrup kind of smell to my nose. Give it half an hour and the apricot and suede comes in with some floral notes and hints of musk and spice, the iris and cardamom I am guessing.Does'nt change much for the rest of it's scent life. Projection is personal space only and longevity on me is about 5 hours with 3-4 sprays.

If you are looking for a soft leather frag that is very different compared to say Tuscan Leather or Cuir Cannage, this is worth a look. Very comfortable frag once it settles in but it might take you 3 or 4 full wearings for it to click into place and to fully appreciate it so do not be quick to dismiss it. No such thing as a straightforward Lutens Frag!! I like it a lot.8/10

Today I am wearing Serge Lutens Daim Blond.

A short while ago I went into my bedroom caught the wonderful aroma of Bottega Veneta and thought for one moment that was what I had put on. Daim Blond (to me) could be the twin sister of Bottega Veneta. And I adore it. My review for Daim would be almost identical to my previous review for B.V.
Think younger sister, quiet, introspective but just as beautiful.

First wear: bike tires you braked abruptly and scorched a bit,iris, powdery rich plum? As it dries the suede joins, not pale but the soft, seasoned ripeness of your favorite deerskin suede fringe jacket that's been broken in. Other supporting notes I can't identify and try as I might, I don't smell dried apricots. On me SLDB lasts with minimal projection and low sillage.

Daim Blond is subtle, warm, deep mellow fruit, musky, suedy. A deep sniff hits low in the throat like wine. Warm and elegant with no need to cross over to sweet, spicy or woody, and IMO this level of control is mighty impressive! SLDB is what Bvlgari Black should have been.

This is exactly what I was hoping for based on that enticing pyramid of notes: a lovely combination of (above all) suede and apricots.

The suede is very smooth and dry, a bit dusty. That pleasantly rigid vibe is on the one hand enhanced by the slight spiciness from the cardamom and the somewhat sharp iris, and on the other hand contrasted by the jamminess and subtle sweetness of the apricot. The result is a wonderfully velvety and even creamy smooth scent that blends together very well, while not losing the separate charm of the different notes. Very well done, as can be expected from Serge Lutens, with average sillage and longevity. It's the kind of unisex fragrance that can turn out very feminine on the right person, I think.

So this is going straight on my wish list; I want to get a bigger amount as soon as possible, since it's so perfect for the current season of fall.

I don't smell much leather here. I mainly get a fruity, floral, aldehydic-musk. It's very very smooth. Unisex, but weighted slightly on the feminine side. It's elegant, and perfectly suitable for all seasons and occasions. I like Daim Blond a lot. Not sure if it suits me, but I enjoy smelling it nonetheless.

am i the only one who gets a *strong* wiff of blue cheese when this is applied? i could almost swear there was oud in the composition. unfortunately the association remains all the way to dry down, where a sort of nutty, powdery accord joins the cheese. this is the same even on paper. bad batch? quite putrid in my opinion.

Initially, this is what I would imagine a "scratch and sniff" apricot band-aide to smell like....somewhat medicinal, but then again, this IS a Lutens scent and they are so often artistically different and miles away from any main stream parfum mass produced. I adore almost everything the SL team creates. I see the slight resemblance to BV; however in the dry-down the softness of DB ie. the apricot/musk and baby-suede leather, as opposed to the sharp boldness of lime/patchouli/Italian luxury-car leather in BV sets these two apart. I wear them both, but prefer the intimate uniqueness that is DAIM BLOND.

Smelling like leather is one of my favourite things to do. This one is so great that I want to learn French just to be able to pronounce its name right. A perfect fruity/leather combo that could make you forget you married the wrong person.

Effervescent fruity windex with a side of pencil shavings.

Incredible Parfum !!! Right from the start. Refined, Dear, Lovable, Wonderful! For me, it was love, so much that I could not stop sniffing my wrist :). Truly a masterpiece of the house of Serge Lutens (is the first fragrance that I had the honor to hear Lutens). Beautiful in the drydown become "dusty", velvety, soft and fantastic! I would really recommend this perfume. I think I'll use it for the colder months (especially autumn). The notes come together in perfect harmony with each other .. especially apricot-suede, is a perfect combination for me in this composition! They are also the two notes that stand out more from start to finish ... Pure magic! *


Sillage: 6/10
Longevity: 8/10
Scent: 10/10

Overall: 10/10

A blast of apricots and suede. Loving scent good duration, bad projection.

This is my second review - I often find it helpful to hear thoughts from someone who has worn a scent for a while, rather than when they are fresh from just one test.

I have nearly finished my bottle and I will replace it with a second. Lots of people report a medicinal opening - I get none of this - for me it starts with apricot and suede. Then I get the florals and the cardamom, which add a creamy layer, and a musky iris dry-down. I smell every note listed and find the scent interesting, non-linear and nicely blended.

Having owned this for some time I have noticed that it is a very sexy scent without being loud : I get lots of compliments, people look me over with a loaded expression on their faces, animals go crazy over the spot I have sprayed the perfume. And I can start the day wearing something else but end up craving Daim Blond instead.

It is soft, floral, gourmand, sweet, animalic... and very addictive.

Does this list oud? Leather and,, apricots,, is this a joke?

There's clearly oud in the introduction, and it's that hideous medicinal/band-aid type that totally knocked me off because I was aloft such high hopes this would be my 1st SL that I wouldn't curl my nose upon. Especially after seeing apricots.

Suede, iris and apricots,, what could go wrong, right?

Pretentious and preposterous by SL to somehow pass off what appeared so tempting and sumptuous on 1st view to this farce act of a synthetic oud/pungent plastiky odour.

I really cannot hope to stand if it lasted even 5 seconds,, I don't see why a, say, Davidoff Cool Water game bottle for $20 should come off smelling half-pleasant upon 1st app, yet this $100 number think it can send someone down a hosptial ward!

Ridiculous. I'm possibly through with this farce of a house, sorry.

Scent: 1/10.
Quality: ,, not sure this is applicable now!!

Edit: not meaning to be offensive,, I'll have to order another sample from another reliable distributor as still it's hard to believe, especially going by the majority of the other reviews. I did have other sample vials beside this 1. hoping to update this with the 2nd tester soon.

A mature scent, it smells like a glamorous older woman whose together and experienced - carries a real leather handbag, gets her hair done in expensive salons and its got a vintage vibe, its very strong but not sharp and it reminds me of my childhood - waiting in the salon while my mum got her hair permed. That scent.

Beautiful. It does start a bit harsh, like rubberized wood and leather imbibed with apricot Eau de vie. Strident but even then beautiful. After an hour, it settles into a wonderful soft leather (more than suede, but less than classic leather juices), spiced with vanilla and jammy yet somehow dry apricot. Yum.

This is going to be my next full size purchase. I'm totally in love. It's soft, creamy, powdery and a dream of how I wished my natural body scent was. The longevity is just awesome on me. I can still sniff it the day after I applied it. The silage is nice and I just need a little to feel gorgeous.
I don't want to buy anything beautiful, luxurious and expensive and just have it vanished.
This going to be a very wise investment and my new warm comforting and sensual go to perfume for winter.

(Other perfumes I used on daily basis are Bandit/Piquet, Infusion de Iris EDP/ Prada and Untitled/Margiela.
I plan also to shop Chanel 19 edt, Dior Homme in full size for your reference. I'm a iris, musk and woody lover.)

Ah man, I love this one. FB worthy for sure!
I got a travolo of it and have been savouring it, so lovely.
When I put it on for the first time, I burst out laughing! It smell exactly like band-aids haha. Like the tan rubber and the glue. I thought it was interesting, funny and that I was going to use up my sample but not buy a bottle. This phase lasts for about 30min on me.
Then, then I got to the middle and the dry down and they are amazing.
The middle is quite similar to BV, at least the Suede note is but I find Daim Blonde is more "pretty" while BV is a little dark (only a little). The name Blonde Suede is really appropriate in my opinion.
The dry down is up there as one of the most beautiful "your skin but better" scents I've ever come across. Everyone I've shown it to has liked it. Sadly I seem to be unable to describe WHY it's a beautiful skin scent (like what notes I'm getting and such). What I can do is give the perfume a personality: it would be the nice girl that looks all sweet and maybe a bit boring but turns out to have read 100's of books and have knowledge of the rare and interesting. Simple on the surface and beautifully complex underneath.

Daim Blond, Daim Blond, Daim Blond!! Where Has This Gem Been Hiding?!

A purple shades of suede with a background of silent white painted apricots. a hint of Iris with allot of cooling breeze. purples things are all around floating in a lighter purple colored clouds. i have absolutely no idea what that purple is but there IS something purple in there, something very relaxing and it's not lavender. i love this allot, dunno why but i love it :)

It started as a medicinal smell but turned into a Apricoty Leather as the day progressed. I could smell it on myslef till 8 hours.

I like it but would not purchase it .

A new everyday treasure found! As there is already many reviews on the notes and longevity I would like to compare SLDB to other leather perfumes that I like and wear.
SLDB- very soft and delicate suede, feels almost like second skin; you can reapply freely, not overcloying or too strong on the leather/suede note
Bottega Veneta- amazing elegant leather+violette smell (eventhough not listed in the notes). Being my signature scent I can even plunge myself into a bath of BV!
Tom Ford Tuscan Leather- Very, very elegant and strong perfume, definitely unisex. Suitable for occasions when you want to declare yourself as a sophysticated and determined person. One spritz is enough for over 7 hrs, two give me a headache.
Fan di Fendi Leather Essence- A very nice mix of leather and resins, that is what I smell on my skin. I wanted to buy a full bottle and have tried the perfume more than three different times on my skin. The beginning and the middle part are both great, but the drydown is too sweet for my taste. Probably because of the Tonka beans.
Hermes Kelly Caleche EDP- Delicate roses and leather, combined very well, without any doubt. I used to wear KC a lot, but lately I would rather prefer separate rose note perfumes and leather note perfumes. Suitable for both cool and warm climate. When it is hot the roses turn somewhat sour on me and it gives me a headache.

This thing is glorious. Realistic suede mixed with apricots. Perfect in every aspect: From smell, to sillage, to projection, this thing is a masterpiece. The longer it sits on the skin, the more beautiful it gets. This is one of those fragrances where you become one with the scent People will say YOU smell good, not your perfume smells good. Very few scents can achieve that, but Daim Blond does it superbly.


Longevity:B+
Projection:B
Uniqueness:A
Versatility:B+
OVERALL: A+

Apricot & suede.

I reach for this fragrance a lot, because it's soft, pleasant, not too sweet, easy to wear.

It's not too complicated and perhaps not even that original, but it's not typical either. Anyway, I am very fussy about my fragrances, and I tend to like "big" fragrances, that just sit there and collect dust. Daim Blond is a great everyday fragrance, really well done.

This perfume is so evocative of Paris for me, the place I first smelt it.
It's a gorgeous, smoky, sensual suede, but softer. Like a beautiful pale grey suede notebook full of memories and sketches - the sort with a matching suede cord that wraps around it to keep everything close and contained whilst promising some special and exclusive secret if you can just get your hands on it long enough to find out.

Very feminine in my opinion and definitely underrated - especially if you like to smell different from the masses.

I don't get much of a projection off this perfume and, oddly enough, the opening notes of Daim Blond are very outputting, but the drydown is quite enjoyable! The first hour to me smells very medicinal, almost like cough drops or medicine of some sort. The dry-down gets very nice like warm musk and suede. I can smell the cardamom, but not overwhelmingly so. Very warm and comforting, but it's mostly a skin scent at that point, which is a tad disappointing. I would love for this to project more.

Edit: I should note this fragrance definitely is a strong, strong iris perfume and has helped me truly learn what iris smells like when not flanked by sugary-sweet gourmand notes. The iris is truly strong in this one.

What is this magic?
How can I smell like wonderful apricot (never knew it was so good) and luxurious suede at the same time, as if these two scent were just meant to be together?

This smells like nothing I could ever dream of.
Unusual but so very, very lovely, it almost seems like I've known this scent from a former lifetime.

My new, delicious love.
I even forgive SL for naming it Daim Blond (being the proud owner of the darkest curls) :)

More often than I care to admit, I have smelt a SL, picked out a dominant note and decided I don't like it. In Daim Blond, I detected suede (plus it was called "blond" and as a brunette that psychologically swayed me (sorry for the pun!)) and decided it wasn't for me.

I've given it another chance and I love the florals of the hawthorn and iris, the spicy sweetness of apricot, cardamom and heliotrope, and the darkness of the leather, which feels to me darker than white suede. I love it for its contrast between sweet and floral, and dark and animalic.

I've drained my sample and ordered another. It would have been a full bottle but I need to convince my husband. At first he commented that it smelt "really good", which is much better than the "yeah, ok" that most fragrances get. But today he said it was "quite heavy and dark". I think it comes back to the duality of the perfume - part sweet, part naughty.

The longevity is pretty good, but sillage is fairly close after an hour or two, which is the biggest drawback for me. But I find it enticing, seductive, sweet, comforting and sexy.

Good for: subtle seduction

Extra soft cream-colored suede with hints of dried apricot and powder. There is some suede in the heart, but it is only an hour or so before it dries down to a boring gentle musk. I was a fan at first but not so much all too soon.

Adore the opening on this. It reminds me when I was a kid and would buy parma violet sweets from the local shop. That intoxicating yet welcoming sweetness.
Then the suede kicks in with soft floral notes which really fine tune this.
Really lovely scent which I am very fond of.
8/10

Fruity hay for me. I really like this one. I could have sworn I was smelling peaches, but reading the notes apparently it's apricot, so I was wrong there (I could still swear I get peaches though). The leather accord is gorgeous, all light and creamy suede. This is very feminine on me.

The only problem I have with it is I'm never sure when to wear it. It's not the kind of fragrance you can make a statement with because it's so subtle, but there's no particular mood or memory I want to evoke that matches this one either. So I tend to forget about it, nice as it is.

Very soft sillage and longevity is about 5 hours on my skin.

Why am I JUST NOW getting pencil shavings from this? I came to see if anyone else got that... glad to see I'm not alone. So odd! I used to only get the zippiest cardamom infused apricot and suede tones, where did 'graphite + wood' come from?!

All I can smell is leather and tobacco. I was hoping for more. Too masculine for me, although I would like to find the perfect blend of leather and tobacco but more sweet like from the tobacco flower.

Daim Blond is beautiful.
A very complex scent, fruity enough to remind you that fruity notes can be used elegantly classically (see Mitsouko and Femme, just to see what fruit can do in a scent), but not so fruity as to become disgustingly syrupy.
The suede note is very chic, much subdued but not hidden.
Then there are spices; Serge Lutens is a Master of Spices, all of his creations employ spices like no other has done.
Here I find that spices are no so prominent as in, say, Feminité du Bois and I love how they mingle with the apricot and the leather.
I would not say this is similar to Bottega Veneta even though they are pretty much in the same league. While BV is more peppery, in DB the spices are more complex and the fruit note is something I do not detect at all in BV.
Daim Blond is a very elegant scent, very versatile and I would use it throughout the day, night and seasons.
The only thing I lament is poor lasting power and poor development: I love scents leading you minute by minute to discover their complexity; modern creations lead you to the final drydown too fast.
A pity, but this remains very beautiful all the same.

I really, really like this fragrance. The cardamom gives a delicious dry spicy note to the super supple, softer than soft, sweet leather. There is a perfect balance between the leather, iris and musk that creates an impression of sophisticated beauty from the moment of application. This is a gorgeous frag but longevity for me is too short especially for a leather fragrance, seriously disappointing on that measure, for the price. That's the only downer for me with Daim Blond otherwise it would be love!

I prefer this much much more than Bottega Veneta. the latter bores me after an hour.

I am a big lover of MKK and any perfum that is "animalic" because on my skin it always turns out wonderful. With time and practice, I discovered that my skin hates spices, vanilla and fruits. I wanted to try something new and on my skin DB is...ceder...I mean really! Ceder closet at the start, the middle and the finish. It was like all the notes in this perfum were one big mess on my skin. Let's just say that my husband was not very pleased with this test.
And on that, staying power is HUGE!

Reminds me of the shoe sections at Barney's. It must be the high-quality leather and suede. A lovely, soft, newly-made luxury product kind of suede. I adore it, but do feel that it seems plasticky or some kind of synthetic -- not a synthetic fruit, but a synthetic interpretation of a high-quality leather/suede mixed with shoe-glue maybe. It feels upscale, expensive, refined, but not human at all, and definitely not sexy. If there were a beautiful, sophisticated robot in the room, she would be wearing this. :-)

(Edit to add the dry-down): The luxurious soft leather/suede note is far away and only a hint. The apricot note has gotten stronger, but not at all sweeter (which I'm relieved about). I like my dry-downs to feel more "lived-in" at least, if not slightly dirtier than the opening. Clean smooth and lovely, nonetheless.

Smells like an old-fashioned pharmacy to me. You know, the one you get your medicine prepared in by pharmacist, and everything smells herbaly, clean and with a hint of petrol and alcohol. Really calming and pleasant.

Notes of apricot, suede and iris are easily detectable and blended well, but the opinion above is my general impression.

Longlasting, but keeps close to the skin.

Blonde suede and iris mingle together most enticingly in Serge Lutens Daim Blond, perhaps this house's most genteel perfume! So soft and sophisticated but potentially dangerous--like a calfskin purse hiding the brutality of its production.

Every time I smell Daim Blond, I think immediately of Keiko Mecheri Cuir Cordoba, which is another fine suede and iris perfume. Which do I prefer? That is the question. The Serge Lutens is slightly sweeter, so that's a small difference. Are they different enough to justify owning both? Perhaps. I'm pretty sure that I could drain 125 ml of this sort of scent without undue strife.

Daim Blond is so different, delicate, proud…It’s strange, but I did not like it first time I tested it. It seemed to have a lot of apricot in the composition and it was just too much for me… I nearly forgot about the sample until one sunny day I rediscovered this beauty and I couldn’t stop sniffing it any more.

This is all about leather, but not this kind of leather as Cuir Mauresque for example. It’s not dark and heavy. It’s fresh and soft. It’s more similar to Bottega Veneta, but without oak moss and with more heliotrope. Attention! One drop is enough, the concentration is very high! And this one drop can envelope you for whole day into the fresh, soft, powdery aroma.
The influence of this refined, elegant juice is wonderful – it makes me to walk with the straight back, to speak slowly and even reminds me to not raise my voice at my kids… how nice! It makes me behave more politely…

The opening smells interesting, good. Then it turns into your run of the mill designer type scent.. Very synthetic and potent. I wouldn't agree this is for a man. He'd smell like he just hugged his mom.

DAIM BLOND
FRESH SWEET LEATHER smell. I quite like the apricot beginning mixed with the iris and musk. It gives it a fresh leather quality. The inside of a new car but better , the Cardamon is sweet ,resinous and spicy which gives it a gougous quality and the hawthworth adds to the leather feel , makes it hazy and sweet, I am really enjoying this.
But I have to apply only ONE spray in order to love it and feel the freshness. As soon as I go overboard with this one it can suffocate me and feel uncomfortable and smells slightly chemical , glue or something that I smelled in the garage before. So a little goes a long way, and its wonderful.

I love leather fragrances and this one is amazing! It is warm, musky and sexy. I think a male or female can wear this with confidence. It is very much a skin scent on me and everytime I wear it I am constantly drawn to smelling my wrist....It is another amazing creation from Serge Lutens and Chris Sheldrake who by the way, I think are genius perfumers. This perfume makes me feel sexy and elegant.

Not one of my top 5 scents but a nice casual 'go to' frag when you want to be closely enveloped in subtle creamy suede and apricot.As stated by other reviewers it is not a projection or sillage monster but I wear my fragrances for me or my nearest and dearest who get close enough and not to make an extravagent statement and drown out the room.I wore it today and after reapplying at work,which I usually do,my manager made a comment that he really liked my aftershave today.Well I guess it does project more than I had initially thought.

After testing this and a million other Lutens on paper today, I finally settled on spraying this to my wrist. The apricot started strong and dominated the first half hour at least. Then, maybe two hours in, I kept thinking "why does this smell so familiar?" It was driving me nuts, and I wanted to come here and check out the "this perfume reminds me of" to jog my memory, but I had left my phone at home :(
It nagged at me for hours, this sweet, earthy smell. Soft, feminine but not girly. Light pink and beige come to mind, and it is rare that scent evokes colours so distinctly for me. I really appreciated that imagery in the scent, given it is called "White Suede." While it did not smell overly leathery, the scent evoked that feeling of soft, worn suede, and light colours. Genius! But still naggingly familiar.
I got home and checked the site. Bottega Veneta! Of course! I find the dry down almost identical, but the opening and middle quite different. BV wins in it's mossy, resinous opening. Daim Blond has a beautiful musky-iris dry down. And both fragrances are inspired by soft, luxurious leather. I guess both perfumers were on to the same thing.
In all I was disappointed that the fragrance was not unique, but still enjoyed it. Also is is quite long lasting. The dry down is still going strong and it's been 6 hours of sweating, hand washing and cooking.
Update: 4 hours later the dry down is still going strong. That puts us at about 10 hours! Not bad.
Update the second: I own this now and want to say the dry downs are not as identical as I thought, but still similar.

I really like how Serge Lutens does iris, and Daim Blond is no exception. Vetiver Oriental is still probably my favorite, but f paying $290 for 75 ml.
This is a powdery, sweet and only slightly rooty iris. Heliotrope comes through very strongly on my skin. I also feel like the cardamom was used well in this fragrance. Often it's thrown in with these uber sweet male gourmands because uh, cardamom is a manly spice? I don't know, but I'd begun to grow tired of it.
Anyway, I really enjoy this fragrance and for my taste, it's a great all around. I could wear this any time of day, any place. I enjoy powdery/musky fragrances and this fits the bill.
The only drawback is that longevity is quite weak. Less than 2 hours. For this reason I'd only purchase a full bottle deeply discounted.

I love it and I have just discovered that it is as wearable under cold weather as it is now in a very hot summer. It smells very different however.

Wow! I guess it's checking out at the 1hour 37min mark. Yeah...that's how long it lasts. On my skin, i get no fruit whatsoever but i did get a really smooth floral note. The leather was a nice touch which helped rough up the fragrance a bit. Let's pretend that Daim Blond lasted for 18hours: Would it still be a buy? Im not too sure about that. It's passable but i can think of at least 15 Serge Lutens frags that are better than this.

I'm very sad that I don't get the notes everyone else does out of this. Sueded leather and apricots? Jasmine and oud? I'd love to smell that in combination. As it is, I get a terrible plastic synthetic leather with hints of powdery heliotrope. Actually pretty nasty on me and I had to scrub it off in the end.

Lutens + Sheldrake... a pairing that I would have assumed could do no wrong, and I suppose there's nothing 'wrong' with this scent: indeed, I can tell it's well crafted using highest quality ingredients. It boasts complexity and elegance and really showcases the suede note fantastically. So well, in fact, that it was this fragrance that finally caused me to realise that I don't like leather notes as much as I thought I did.

As great as I somehow know this fragrance is, it's just not for me.

A fuzzy, soft apricot held in a glove made of white suede. The apricot here smells like a fresh one being cut open--not the sweet or tart tang of the dried fruit. The leather in Daim Blond smells like an ivory purse strap, not like a biker jacket or a whip.

Leather + food is an incredibly interesting and creative concept. The olfactory experience of the leather almost suggests the possibility that an apricot can have a skin made from white suede.

Daim Blond smells like luxury without being unapproachable. The tragedy is that it does not last very long, or else I would have kept my bottle.

I love leather perfumes, but apparently don't understand the leather note. The 'leather' note in perfumery doesn't have any relationship to leather for me. Not in Bandit. Not in Rien. Not in Knize Ten. I understand the components, the aromachemicals used in leather perfumes. I even understand the taxonomy and historical role of leather scents in perfumery. It's just that 'leather'doesn't smell like leather to me. Do you think 'leather'at the start of the 20th century was just the 'aquatic' of the end of the century? Was it just marketing to the aromachemicals that that were coming into play at the time?

Given this blind spot in my nose, the perfume that differentiates suede from leather should leave me confused. But I love Daim Blond. It is distinguished and identifiable, but swings through my mind triggering all sorts of associations. A less jammy Robert Piguet Visa (contemporary version.) Sharp and cold like Chanel 19. Powdery-fine like PG Cuir d'Iris. It also fits perfectly into the Lutens line. What Bois de Violette does to its predecessor Feminite du Bois Daim Blond does to Arabie. Less dense, more crystalline, higher-pitched.

So I forget leather and remember the chilled, sweet cardamom dessert broth my boyfriend and I used to love at a favorite restaurant 20 years ago. Daim Blond's cold, precise spiciness keeps the fruitiness on a short leash. It balances sharpness and powdery sweetness through drydown.

The smell, mostly on paper, reminds me of redbull energy drink... I think it resembles the smell a bit but it also vividly reminds me of drinking vodka redbulls, in the winter, and being out in the town at night. It reminds me of good times and very much of the winter.

Sadly, I did find I needed to re-apply very often and using many sprays for any effect. I also got sick of the smell.. It became too masculine after a while, which is why I bought it in the first place, I wanted a unisex scent... I hope I come back to it again as it did cost a pretty penny.

It reminds me a lot of bijan nude.

What a beautiful scent!.. It lasts very long on me and "behaves" well, i.e it stays pretty much the same all this time. Then it gradually fades.
I was actually surprised by how much i liked it, as it's a dry scent and i'm more into oriental spicy perfumes. I'll be wearing it again soon :)!

a couple of months later:
...I've been wearing it quite a bit, and i have to say that it is an incredibly long lasting perfume on me, more than 12 hours, and i don't mean on my clothes! I think it is one of the most easily distiguishable, but simultaneously non-offensive perfumes i've ever used. Magnificent smell <3 !!

This is so soft, I cant smell anything after 10 minutes.... is it only I ?

I am wearing this scent for the first time today. I did have to re-apply at lunchtime but the scent is still on my clothes and my skin. I am a huge fan of Lutens and Sheldrake so you can probably figure where this is going, but I particularly like Daim Blonde because it is a bit different from the other Lutens line. It is not as sweet, not as spicy, not as overt.

This is such as warm fragrance without being too sweet, you can aslmost feel a soft suede jacket rubbing your arms when you put it on. I think this does have a leather smell, but it's soft, not the in your face leather that so many other frags have. I adore this and will wear it often. And I will definitely wear it with my lovely suede jacket- heavenly.

One of my very first niche perfumes and my first Lutens, it's still a favorite after all this time, though unfortunately I don't use it as much as I should. The problem with Daim Blond is that it's too discreet, too "comme-il-faut", too delicate and that makes me forget it's even in my collection. Still, when I open the cap and smell its gorgeous fragrance, I always end up wearing it:) And delicate or not, it's managed to get me a compliment from a male coworker, when I thought it was barely detectable myself.

Daim Blond is heavy on the apricot and suede; if you expect a leather fragrance, remember that suede has quite a different smell from leather and the difference is quite obvious here. There's a fruity sweetness in it, that happily does not resemble the sugary confections in the mainstream market, but is a bit sour as well, refined and as elegant as it gets; in fact I can better imagine wearing Daim Blond with a crisp suit and pumps rather than my faded jeans and t-shirt.

Still, the projection is low as most people have mentioned and this is mainly a skin scent. However, based on another fragrantica member's suggestion, I wear a bit at the base of my hairline just above the nape, which causes it to drift with the movement of my hair and be noticeable without being 'on-your-face'. Longevity is good though it's not amongst the strongest Lutens, but somewhere between 6-8 hours. If you're not all about dry and spicy scents, give this elegant beauty a chance!

Hey Wispita, only the coast, about 15% of the Pacific Northwest doesnt' get snow. The majority of it gets plenty of snow and little rain, FYI.
But I totally agree that this is a perfect warm frag for chilly, snowy nights. It'll wrap around you like a creamy leather blanket. Unfortunately the aroma will stay that close as well and it doesn't last long, but I have no issue reapplying.

Like so many Serge Lutens fragrances that i have tried what appears to be bold and exciting compositions on paper end up failing to live up to the hype. I sooo wanted to love this scent, i have been longing for a apricot, leather and heliotrope combination for ages and finally thought i had found it! At first squirt the fruity florals and soft leather are delicious and i thought i had finally found my signiture fragrance the one id been searching for... untill... after half an hour or so the sweetness vanishes and all im left with is an overpowering musc! I must have a very odd skin chemistry because on me musc just smells too strong and synthetic and basically makes my nose sting and my head ache so this was a deal breaker for me, however for people who like musc and want something deeper than a light floral this is for you. As for me i will just have keep searching and pray that Serge will one day hear my prayers and remove that musc!

Smells very nice, but stays close to the skin.Sillage and projection are poorm but longevity is great. If you want a scent for yourself it is ok.

buona l'accoppiata pelle-albicocca.
meglio su una donna...di giorno e rigorosamente in pelle.e che pelle pero'...
longevity:6 hours

The only time I wear this is after it has snowed, which, in the Pacific Northwest, is rarely. I just can't help but see a beautiful woman exiting her luxury vehicle in furs and finery to walk through across the shovelled sidewalk into a theatre for a night at the opera. Her gloves are the softest suede scented with the ghosts of perfume she's worn in the past.
I breathe this off myself and I feel ever so much the lady. It makes for a good night.

Suede jacket, wood chips and apricot jam. Great stuff!

It smells sour but good and last long on me.

I had a sample of Serge Lutens Daim Blond. It is a little bitter, a little balmy and oily, smell like expensive leather jacket, white leather jacket.

imagine rubbing suede with apricot....and then rubbing suede on your skin..et voila- daim blond! :)..lovely and close to skin, but just a little too overpriced;)

Suede and apricot. Very subtle and soft. Different. But after the opening it becomes very linear - suede becomes sharp with a little accord of iris. I expected something else and more including better longevity and sillage, but it didn't happen at least on my skin. I love the opening but the base notes become unbearable.

One of the most beautiful perfume in terms of smell, but the lasting power is almost ten minutes at MAX!!

A glorious lady she gets compliments galore,
A beautiful suede,she'll make you want more.
An apricot edge that sweetens and teases,
A powdery iris that pleases and pleases.
A little bit musky,she enhances the air,
Your friends will definately want you to share.
So versatile, she'll bring you lots of attention,
I've never worn another that so many have mentioned.

Seriously, this is very special juice for me. It's one of those that could have been custom made for my skin.It's virtually seasonless and even though it's not strong, it's sure. This'll last a good 12 hours plus on me and I've never, ever gotten as many compliments on another perfume. Perfect strangers will stop me and ask what I'm wearing. The best part is that I love it too. Daim Blond can be worn with jeans or a business suit and everything in between A personal classic......

A mature scent with a feminine twist which stays very close to the skin

0-5 hours - Mature scent with little projection, has occasional fruity moments, turns more feminine which is the blond twist perhaps? as time elapses. Has a base of rice wine and is very forgetable

Sorry not for me

This one opens with a slightly fruity and very velvety aroma guaranteed by damask and suede, this note of animal origin, which is very evident trough the whole life of this fragrance! Also from the opening, I can also smell the scent of iris, but not a very dominant one as in Dior Homme, with that makeup smell. Here, the iris only contributes to give more texture to the obvious aroma of suede.

Over time, the scent does not change much. It just decreases the suede, leaving the scent with it's character more focused on the feminine side.

For a serge lutens, this is rather safe and tame. On my skin the suede almost fades into the background immediately. The sweetness of apricot is powerful but not overwhelming. The flower beds that entwines with its fruitiness is distinctive enought to rescue this fragrance from smelling like a punch cordial.

back to the suede, it adds a tint of sphistication that allows women in their twenties to flaunt this perfume without the fear of smelling like any coming-of-age adolescents *cough B.Spears frag wearers*

If I were to personifiy it, I see this fragrance as Roxie Hart wearing with her négligé: a sweetheart in essence, but mature enough for seduction. The balance of sweet floral and warm suede gives this murderess a wrath of a everywoman, temperamental yet kind in nature.

The transistion between sweetly bound infusion and subtle darkness makes this perfume rather pleasantly wearable (for a SL)

This opens so nice...soft suede and a slight fruitiness, a little spicy. There's something so warm and familiar about it, like a favorite leather jacket you haven't worn for a long time. The way it wraps around you and holds traces of the perfumes you wore before.

But on my skin, it very quickly turns to soap. Is it the iris? It smells exactly like I have just showered and not rinsed completely. It's not that it smells bad, but I feel like I need to rinse...and the sillage is fantastic, so I can't escape the feeling.

I would love this so much if it held onto that lovely opening....I guess Serge can't win 'em all.

One of the few compositions in the Lutens range that doesn't make me fall to the ground for the excessive sweetness. Don't get me wrong, Daim Blond is definitely a SWEET fragrance but it's incredibly balanced to never become cloying or too rich. A very wearable fruity (apricot) and canvas (read soft leather) composition with woody hints on a musky base. Not too far from Armani's Cuir Amethiste but way much better executed. In the same vein I still prefer Cuir Ottoman but if you're a fan of Lutens you won't be disappointed.

Rating: 6.5/10

This is by far one of the most complex, interesting fragrances I have ever tried. It is a walk down a city street in 1978-83 after a summer rain: cigarettes, the trees in a nearby park, the perfume of a leather coat, cement, dirt. Silage 3/5. Excellent longevity and not easy to wash off. It is oddly pleasant but not me.

I was completely sucked in by the description of this perfume but sadly it didn't live up to my high expectations. I initially got a heavy waft of leather mixed with what I thought was licorice. Not a great combo.

This scent begins with the chamois-leather, suede . Very quickly it transfers us on the silk whereon lie iris. But we feel so as we would come by the peace ,room wherein is the bed coated a silk and on him spread flowers - yet some with the earth from the garden ....
Wonderful experiences. Quickly it disappears and appears with the delicate sweetness .This is very ,very personal scent <3
How said Serge Lutens : "the CHARAKTER "..

Right from the start this is a beautiful, soft, slightly sweet leather and powdery violet/iris scent, along with a fuzzy musk. There’s a slight fruitiness to it, but it’s not too sweet or overpowering, although it does increase in volume and become more apricot and almond-like as the scent dries down. I get no trace of spices.

After an hour or so it’s a strong skin scent that stays close without much sillage. The leathery iris with a touch of musk persists during the entire drydown, which is about 4 hours on skin, longer on clothing. To me, Daim Blond falls into the “comfort scent” category, since it’s a mild-mannered perfume that produces that feeling of being wrapped in something warm and soft, perhaps a much-worn favorite thin suede jacket that’s absorbed remnants of good perfumes, many based on iris, violet, clean musk, or light fruit.

Daim Blond is the sort of scent that I could wear anywhere, any time, and truly enjoy the experience at close range without offending anyone. If you like leather-iris scents, this is definitely worth sampling.

On me the opening is horrible - sharp and medicinal - like a disinfectant solution. it takes a while - half an hour at least - for this smell to go away. Finally, the soft suede emerges, with a a bit of tobacco and apricot. the apricot is what makes it lovely - however, a tinge of that medicinal disinfectant carries throughout, making this perfume a big miss for me.

It is some really strange smoky leather/suede scent that's coming up from my wrist where I applied Daim Blond. I was not expecting much as I am not a huge fan of Iris, must be from it's dryness and powderyness. And no leather except Cuir de Russie has ever worked on me.
What do I get out of Daim Blond? I get suede, powdery suede. Like someone have spilled baby powder on suede shoes and now I have to sniff them. Oh, no offense please, I don't mean it's bad, it's just not my cup of tea. The sweetness of Iris and Heliotrope actually plays really well together with suede. It's sweet, smoky and reminds me yet again of some kind of turkish delights. You know, those almondy sweets dipped in powder. Dunno where does that come from in Daim Blond, but it's happening.

Not a fan. And feeling sad about yet another Luten's not working on me. Maybe he's my arch enemy :) But I'm still waiting to try something I'd love. Never give up on a perfume house, I say. I will not rest till I found Luten what I'll be able to wear. But I'll pass on Daim Blond.

Such soft Suede/Leather notes...!
Warm and Creamy on my skin .. but
it lacks kick .. punch ...zing!
a "Heaviness" that I associate with LEATHER scents...
it's a good scent .. but ...
too "Uptight" ..
too "Lady's that Lunch Crowd"
too dare I say.... "CORPORATE" ..
it doesn't "Stir the Pot" ..
it doesn't "cause conflict" ..
it doesn't promote "Overt Sexuality" ..
it's at best "Naughty Underwear under your Best Suit"!
I like it ...
but I really wanted this to be sooo much more ..
I might still purchase it ... but
use it as a base for a layering effect ..

This Gives out a vibe Black and white circa 1958. Bad boy Tommy of the Tomcats wearing his Black Suade shoes trimed with scarlet from the front to the back. it's a hot July 4th so he takes off his black Leather Jacket
hangs on a chair grabs his Tools and
works on his Harley Davidson. And sweat pouring from his forehead making his jet black hair fashioned into a quiff
like the popular rockstars of the day. like a moptop but he doesn't care Tight Blue Jeans Cigarette and a pair of Sunglasses like the ones from the warden in Cool hand Luke.
all he has in his mind is the Girl
he wants to go to the 4th of July Dance Her name Is Lola; Lola is a blonde from a Respectable Family Parents Educated Father Lawyer Mother An R.N Nurse and lived in a well to do home the Polor opposite from Tommy's so at night after
he fixed his motocycle he droved though
Lola's Neibourhood Knowing her Parents didn't approve of her dating tommy so
she sneeked out from her window and wears a Tight Daring red Dress with Red
Steletto's and she got on his motocycle
and they drove to the Dance.

The Music was Blasting with songs Featuring Jerry Lee Lewis Great Balls of fire Little Richard Trutti Frutti
Elvis Presley Of Corse the King
Jailhouse Rock. A Lot of goodies that ther parents didn't Approve of.
and then all the Sudden A Boy cuts in
and danced with Lola And In a Drunkin
Ludeness Said you had a Nice Ass
and And Tommy Wasn't so happy about that so he punched him in the face.
and the opponent got out a Switchblade
and the tone changed and Tommy Grabed a
Pole and the fight Begin The swiftness
of the knife almost sliced him and Tommy
Swinged his Poll And Coulden't Touched the Oppinent and everyboby was chearing
and screaming in horror at the same time
And when Tommy Was Cought Offgard he Stabed him with his knife. and the screams Ring From the garden and one Boy Ran and called the Police and the siren Ringed the police Broke up the Fight And Tommy And The Advasary to put into Police Cars And sent to the Hostiptal and then the police station
the next day the parents from the two
Lovers came for the sentancing Tommy and his Advasary went to Juvanile Hall. A Bad Boy from the wild Side

If you want a Fragrance to Bring out your Inner Rebel This is It.

Those of you on whom Daim Blonde smells like a bit of warm, suede heaven because on my sorry skin there's no fruit and no suede; instead all I get is a nostalgic trip back to 3rd grade, using the hand-cranked, wall-mounted pencil sharpener to grind points on dozens of bright yellow Ticonderoga #2 pencils.

I just spritzed away grandly, expecting great things of the first S.L. I've ever sniffed, and then wandered around for a bit wondering "Is this it? Pencil shavings?" Yup. Pencil shavings.

It's actually nice, in that bright, woody "walking in a pine forest" kind of way, but on my sorry skin Polo, Tsar, Giorgio Red for Men and Balmain's Carbone do that better (especially Carbone) and each is kinder to one's piggy bank .

Not at all what I was expecting and none of the suede I was looking forward to. Darn it. Now pardon me... got to go sharpen and sniff a pencil.

Yep leather and apricot jam. I guess it's a unique scent and it's nice enough but I just dont feel pretty when wearing this and cannot think of an appropriate occasion to wear it on. I have not had much luck with SL fragrances, they all seem to have something 'off' about them, despite their status and apparent high qualtiy. This is another one, Im glad I tried but won't be buying.

I never thought of myself as a "leather"-note lover. Nor did I care much that Daim Blond listed "suede" in its description. However, along with Chergui, this was the one that stood out for me at the Serge Lutens' counter this past summer. My first impression was that it was spicy and very, very refined! It smelled luxurious, but not heady or heavy in the least. I ended up getting a sample of this one and several months after that a FB.

I am still not an expert on the "leather" or "suede" notes, but I love Daim Blond. The scent's opening is spicy on my skin (it is the cardamom that I liked when I first smelled it, as I found out later). It was spicy and slightly bitter. The suede could be felt almost immediately, and it stays throughout the phases of the composition, but it mellows down significantly, along with the spices, over the hours.

I don't find apricot jam here. The middle and final notes of the composition remind me of the fruit itself, with its tender velvety skin. It also reminds me of the kernel of the fruit. There is an apricot tree at my parents' house, and I have occasionally opened the stone of the fruit to get to the tiny, aromatic, bitter part inside it. This is what the slight bitterness of the perfume is reminiscent of.

Daim Blond, like a typical Lutens, stays close to the skin. It is sophisticated, but in a "cool" , not "in-your-face" way. It projects the type of luxury that doesn't need to prove itself to anybody. It's interesting that Mellybee has mentioned gloves. In fact, while I was testing Daim Blond, I was re-reading Anna Karenina, and I imagined how her soft and elegant gloves might have smelled as she was watching Vronsky's horse-racing competition. That doesn't mean that Daim Blond is a romantic scent, or that it is not a modern fragrance. It can fit the confident style of the corporate world today perfectly.

As a chypre lover I supposed to like the leather note in perfumes and I can say wearing Daim Blond I tend to like it. (I'm already in love with Visa and L'Arte de Gucci which have leather among the basenotes.)
Daim Blond comes off with an apricot jam smell, the home-made apricot jam my mother used to conserve every year. As the leather arrives it brings along some smokiness. This leather is not that raw dry dirty mainly masculin monster but a truly feminine gentle fairy. Rather suide than leather. A pair of suide gloves. The spotted back of a fawn.
The smoky sweetness remains in the end and turns into a cozy chypre with obvious musk underlining it.
Highly recommended as an entrance into the world of leather fragrances.

This fragrance is one of the few Lutens perfumes that has a real poor sillage and long lasting power. What bother me on Daim Blond is that the opposite smells that work on it really disappear (or better are not developed on my skin) and just remains a musky scent with any personality as a niche fragrance.

haaa...haaaa, Rebella, this straight guy LOVES Daim Blond...okay, first the story...I am very sad lately(heartbreak) and have poor impulse control...was using the computer at the library to order myself some Sables and Knize Ten from Perfumenetwork.com and I find out that they just ran out...MOTHERFUCKERS!!!! so I go to Luckyscent to order Comme des Garcons Incense Avignon...and my PayPal doesnt work right, I've gotta transfer money...3 to 5 days...go FUCK yourself, PayPal....so I run to the local Barney's New York...where I am trying to get a job or at least an internship at the perfume dept....not to mention I find the manager rather attractive...(Could be my future boss is I am lucky...)...and buy Daim Blond from the nice Serge Lutens guy. Okay, now I am a little behind on my rent, and all of my old friends are calling me on the phone worried that I am going to kill myself...but who cares? This is a GREAT fragrance...I think that the criterion for one is when you get a specific mental image upon smelling the juice...for me, I felt like I was slipping into a suede jacket exactly the color of a sweet potato...time travel to the 1970's...felt like I was sitting in one of those egg shaped chairs and listening to T-Rex...I've never smelled a bad Lutens fragrance...

Everything is just perfect in this fragrance, till it comes to the base notes.Musk and suede give a full impression of a leather shoe insole, may be very expenisive but nevertheless.
The creamy start is beautiful and I almost fell in love though.

Very peculiar scent, but I'm immensly surprised it has leather in composition, from what I smelled it have never been even nowhere near leather/suede..unless if it is about velvetry texture.

I was rather wondering if there was pear or some other fruit in it, because it is so very fruity fragrance to me and on the sweet side as well, but with some strange freshness. I don't know why recently so many fragrances have reminded me punch drink, but this luxury frag reminds it as well, though in the best and most elegant way: you would rather get drunk wearing this to refined coctail party than some pub:))

The staying power can't be called legendary, my Chanels holds longer, and Daim Blond would simply 'bite the dust' from Piquet's Fracas longevity.

The Main note from "Daim Blond" is a very spicy leather accord, its relative dark and deep but however with a very soft and somewhat creamy background thats always present. At the end its a spicy and slightly powdery-cremy but strong Leather note.

Its hard to imagine this scent on a women because it is rather masculine. Its a really great Parfume and you can even imagine the blond leather but for me its a bit to pungent.

07 out of 10 Points.

An amazingly true and realistic suede-fragrance, smells like a soft, luxurios and new suedejacket.

Kind of naughty and nice at the same time. Set me in a mood of sensuality and my husband think it is really sexy. A lot of leather fragrances are a bit masculine or at least androgyn, not this one, this is a pure feminine leather fragrance.

Like it a lot, but not love it. Mostly because it fade away on me really fast, for a perfume of this price I think it is fair to expect longer staying power than about a couple of hours. After 3 hours i hardly notice it any more.

I was wanting to try this ever since I saw a review about Daim Blond on MakeUpAlley. Leather and apricots seem to be what everyone else smells. But to me? UGH! Sharp spoiled uni sushi! Just like I get from Montale Black Aoud's opening notes. Surely there's oud in here!? Or is that the leather note everyone refers to? And I can barely smell peaches, what with all the oud smell. It took about 4 hours for the oud smell to fade to tolerable, and I was left with what smelled like jasmine and oud. Still oud! Doesn't anyone else smell it? Or did I get a sample of something from Montale, and not Serge Lutens?