Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Serge Lutens Daim Blond

After my scent debacle on Friday, I was hesitant to try anything new on Saturday in case my sense of smell was still out of whack. I decided to brave it anyway, so I went for the best: Serge Lutens. I have many samples left to try, all in my Serge Lutens grab bag, so I reached in and pulled out Daim Blond.

This scent is said to mimic the scent of the finest suede, and in that it succeeds fully. For such a soft scent, it has an amazing amount of texture. If you were to close your eyes and sniff, you might swear someone was holding an expensive suede bag up to your nose. The next thing you would expect would be the soft touch of it against your skin, perhaps on your arm, or brushing lightly against the back of your hand.

The notes in Daim Blond are Padilla iris, apricot kernel, cardamom, musk, heliotrope, and hawthorn. I think of a woman, sometime in the 1950s, wearing a beautiful cashmere coat with three-quarter-length sleeves and a chic hat with a wide brim that sends a shadow across part of her face, giving her an air of both elegance and mystery. She wears long suede gloves that cover her arms beyond the edge of the coat sleeve. This is her scent. Soft, refined, and slightly haunting.

*photo from Aedes