Notes: cantaloupe, jasmine, osmanthus absolute, suede, iris root, sandalwood, musk complex, and ambergris.

I recently did a write-up here about my first experience sampling Hans Hendley’s line, Hendley Perfumes. I mentioned that Blond was my favorite of the bunch, and I finally went ahead and ordered myself a 9ml travel bottle! On the website, Hans uses a few short phrases to communicate what Blond is about: “Panoramic Nostalgia. Disappearing Horizon. Velveteen Drift.” I’m quoting the description here because it’s more accurate than I even realized at first!

Blond opens for me with an intense and nostalgic iris. The iris note by-passes a carroty iris reference and goes right to pencil shaving territory for me. It’s like emptying a pencil sharpener. It reminds me of Meg Ryan’s line in You’ve Got Mail about the beginning of Fall being like “a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils.” I describe the iris in Blond as nostalgic because the pencil shaving association makes me think of art class in school. I think of a sheaf of loose leaf paper and manual pencil sharpeners. Plus, You’ve Got Mail is one of my favorite movies and it makes me feel nostalgic in general.

The iris note remains present throughout wear time, but the composition begins to develop on the skin pretty quickly after the immediate opening. The suede note comes in and it reminds me of the Hermès leather note in Galop, in that it’s both soft and refined, but also contains quite a bit of depth. The iris is central to Blond, but the suede is what carries the composition for me. It’s the anchor.

After a couple hours of wear, I feel like I’m really in the heart of Blond. I actually sense the cantaloupe note here! It’s a fresh melon note, but it has the cantaloupe-like density of texture. This texture melds together with the soft osmanthus and suede. My nose can’t pick out the jasmine note individually. I do, however, sense the sandalwood kind of peeking out underneath the suede.

I love Blond because it comes across as very pretty and refined at first sniff, but there are so many layers to uncover. I didn’t make the Hermès comparison lightly. Blond is elegant like the best of classic designer scents, but there’s also a lot going on beneath the surface, in true niche fashion. It’s so enjoyable to wear a scent and pick up on different layers and nuances as you wear it.

I want to purchase the full 50 ml Blond flacon at some point, but I’d like to finish one or two in my collection before adding another full bottle. I’m planning a couple of short trips for spring and this 9 ml size will be perfect to bring with me, so I think this was the right choice at the moment. I still have some Hendley scents to explore for myself, but Blond is the stand-out for me.

____________________

I purchased my bottle directly from Hendley Perfumes. The list of notes is also via Hendley.

The photo of my 9 ml bottle was taken by me.