Fragrance 03 Blonde

Ok, I need to step in here. Blonde is not your best friend but not the bad rap it gets either. This fragrance is not for those who only like their purchase if “it got me so many compliments.” Not to say that it does or does not, but it’s not a fragrance to please others. This fragrance is moody as hell, and so am I. And some of you. Sometimes I won’t touch it. Sometimes I crave it. Mostly I’m careful with it, sometimes I spray it with reckless abandon on everything. I like the smell of leather, I hate the smell of raspberries, I find the smell of crystal rose something of the imagination. Together, they are strangers that I desperately want to flirt with. I enjoy the confusion it creates in the reviews, I feel like I understand it. I do get the idea of pickles, at the same time I do not smell like pickles. It is the color magenta, it starts off loud but composes itself quickly. it is only quenstionable for being not bad, but rather interesting and different. I have owned a full bottle for 2 years but was compelled to defend my strange and lovely friend after watching a recent YouTube review which ultimately decided this was terrible- but praised dedcool Taunt 01, which smells like warm crusty cereal milk. I have that unfinished sample myself. That spoke all I needed to know about the reviewer and their unfair take on a far less mainstream beauty. So I’m standing up for my mysterious friend. The one people want to know but are too afraid their vanilla friends will judge. I get it. Also, this is the only scent my fragrance-immune husband has ever gushed over multiple times- in which I am also am not immune to the good ole fragrance flattery myself. This is an extrovert smell loved by an introvert. The last review I will mention is that it has been called old lady scent, followed by “y2k.” That doesn’t hit, I was in high school in y2k and the fragrance of my time was Victoria secret love spell and Ralph Lauren in a teal bottle - which are constantly redone again and again. We call that timeless. Ultimately, you can be cruel to this strange baby but I don’t sense she gives a flying fluff about it.

I bought the dedcool sample pack and this is an unexpected love for me that took me by surprise. I typically prefer your skin but better scents – musky, airy, floral, marine, green, salty, clean sorta fragrances. I thought "Oh that smells sorta nice but a bit too perfumey, definitely not something I'd wear." I sprayed it on my skin anyways since I had the sample and sat at my desk to work. And I found myself sniffing my wrist, over and over again, as it settled into my skin. It's been four hours and I keep sniffing. I began to grow confused if I was smelling it because it was interesting, or if I was starting to like it. I jumped online and started reading reviews to see if others had the same reaction and I realized something. This scent, while definitely different than my normal go-to's, still incapsulates all of the things I typically love while not being any of those things. It's like, I'm outside and can smell the air, the concrete, the trees. I can also smell my own musky skin scent, maybe some lingering clean linen from my sweater, and a cool and beautiful it-girl walks by and I catch a whiff of their perfume as they breeze past. Blonde 03 smells like the perfume, mixed with the air, the concrete, the trees, the breeze, it encapsulates the moment. The longer I smell this and think of different things, the more I can smell everything in this. It's day and night, airy and sweet, sophisticated and mysterious, floral and leathery, feminine and masculine, fruity and spicy, clean and complex. Maybe I'm just new to fragrance and this is so cringey – but this is why I love fragrance so much. You think you know what you like, even going so far as having instant reactions, and then you take a chance and you're surprised – and it opens a whole new world of notes to explore.

I'm glad I waited to review Blonde because I have been totally perplexed by this fragrance. I bought the sample pack from DedCool a couple of months ago and I ended up favoring Blonde and buying a full-size of it with the intention to be used as a "signature scent" (now laughing at the idea that I could ever find just one), as well as a travel size of Fragrance 4 and Sunlit Blooms. I've had a bottle of Blonde for a few months now and I'm never drawn to wear it. I remember it as being a slightly edgier than normal scent, something you would smell on the cool girl next to you at the bar. Now it smells like old, vinyl booth seats and unripe tomatoes. It smells like you're in the bar at closing time and they turn the lights on. You look around and you see smeared makeup and sticky floors. The fantasy of the night has dissipated into a stale mist. When it dries down, it becomes an inoffensive but slightly stale green and violet. I want to try and find something to layer this with as maybe there is a way to bring out its potential? But definitely would not buy again. edit 5/8/25: i let this bottle sit for about 3-4 months and it feels so much more developed. i actually love it now. so much depth and nuance. beautiful suede and powdery violet. I have two theories as to why this happened: a) the flavors developed after four months b) the spring weather has brought out the real leather notes. again, probably will not buy again because I don't want to wait for a fragrance to develop but have been enjoying this as a go-to spring scent!

I love this perfume the more I wear it and it’s quickly become a fragrance I can’t imagine not having in my collection. Honestly, it’s hard to describe. It’s clean, but the leather makes it anything but ordinary. The violet+leather+raspberry is super interesting and unlike any other fragrance I’ve smelled. About 2 hours after the initial spray, the raspberry comes through, adding a subtle sweetness. It’s sultry, cozy, sophisticated, and smells of wealth. The performance is amazing. I sprayed it on at 3pm yesterday and at 7am, I still got distinct whiffs from my wrists as I was getting ready. It’s one of the best performing perfumes I have. From reviews I’ve read, most of the Dedcool perfumes are equally unique and have great performance. I’m anxious to try more because if I love them as much as 03 Blonde, I’m going to need another job. Which brings me to my next point...this is a great value. Most 30ml fragrances are around 90USD, so a 50ml for that price is great. Then, you add the eternal longevity, and this fragrance will last a long time. Even the travel spray gives you 50% more product (15ml) for 30USD when most others are 7.5-10ml for around the same price. I can’t say enough about this perfume and cannot wait to get my full bottle!

Truly fell in love with this perfume at first sniff. Dedcool Blonde is a clean, floral scent that manages to avoid becoming boring. To my nose, violet is the most prominent note. The violet is not overly powdery and instead is as comfortable and clean as fresh laundry, with an added sophistication from the touches of leather. The leather note is not overtly strong, it is more like the smell of a well worn in vintage leather jacket. Not the punchy strength of a leather store. I find a lot of more masc leaning scents really punch you in the face with leather notes. This is more gentle and truly just enhances the freshness of the floral notes. While the lightness of this scent makes it friendly for warmer weather, I can't wait to wear this in the winter. There is something about it that reminds me of the holidays. (perhaps it is the Juniper) However, I think it could easily be worn year round as a signature scent.