Today’s posting is a joint effort by Ida (Chaya), Elena (Helg), and me. Thanks to both perfumistas for writing!

I asked them to speak to the perfume version of this, as I have not tried it.

>>>>>>>>>

Le Baiser Du Dragon By Cartier , or Kiss of the Dragon, or Dragon’s Kiss, alternatively Dragon’s Breath, is about what you would imagine from the name. It is not warm and fuzzy, but it is warm. It is the temptation of an adult lover. It is not the kiss of innocence.

On me, it is both smoky and incensy, though neither note is listed. I have smelled at least two fragrances in which the smokiness smelled like burnt ashes, which is a negative to me in a fragrance, but this smokiness reminds me of the smoldering look of smoky eyes, a come-hither from the dragon…

Top notes: bitter almond, neroli orange, and gardenia. Heart notes: Woody, powdery: iris, cedar, and muskomes… Earthy base notes of vetiver, patchouli, and benzoin.

This one is another beautiful bottle, with Chinese overtones. In China, of course, the dragon stands for many positive things, unlike Biblical references, and once was the symbol for the emperor. It is one of the signs for the Chinese Zodiac. No one knows the origins of the Chinese dragon, but it likely pre-dates written history. It shows up in art, songs, poetry and literature, as well as architecture.

I bought it as much for the Chinese influence (my youngest two daughters are from China) as I did for the fragrance.

The Chinese dragon (spelled Long in transliteration), is a mythical Chinese creature that also appears in other East Asian cultures, and is also sometimes called the Oriental (or Eastern) dragon. Depicted as a long, snake-like creature with four claws, in contrast to the Western dragon which stands on two legs and which is usually portrayed as evil, it has long been a potent symbol of auspicious power in Chinese folklore and art. Chinese dragons control water in an agricultural water-driven nation. This is the contrast of the western dragon, which controls fire to show its mythical power. The dragon is also the embodiment of the concept of yang (male) and associated with the weather as the bringer of rain and water in general. Its female counterpart is the Chinese phoenix. wikipedia

I chose to purchase the edp. Right now, I can’t remember if they even had a tester of the parfum. I know I chose the edp over the edt, and there must have been a good reason, I just don’t know what it was. Many of my Guerlain’s, I have in edt and in parfum, not the edp, so I’m not an edp-purist by any means.

I first tried this — and tried it and re-tried it — on an Alaskan cruise. I wondered if it would smell the same, taken out of the ship, away from the sea air and the cold…into the heavy heat of tropics. I’m wearing it today in 98 degree weather. I don’t notice that I love it more, or less, depending on if it is cold. It’s my mood. Maybe if I’m in a cold mood, this is the right fragrance, or conversely, if I’m warm and want to be cooler. It’s a chameleon. It is classified as an Oriental fragrance, but it is not like Opium or Obsession, no, no, no, it is not sweetly warm and spicy, this one has a kick to it.

At first spritz, it blasts away at me with a kind of interesting bitterness, that is the incensy/smoky time of it (it is definitely not sweet almond)…then it softens down to something sweet and patchouli-y but with a twist. On the cruise, I’d find I couldn’t smell it, and could barely smell it if I put my nose to my arm. Then, I’d re-spritz it again, passing through the perfume shop to retry it. And, of course, because the rooms were huge, the perfume was never too large for the space. This is one my family likes on me, though no one ever compliments without my asking.

Today, I’m not having any trouble smelling it. If I want to renew the first blitz, I re-spritz, then let it soften again. If I want the softness to reign, I do not respritz. (Interestingly enough, the only other fragrance that I know of that I cannot smell at all is Passage D’Enfer by L’Artisan. I can wear others of their fragrances, but not Passage. Those that like it describe it in terms similar to Dragon, so there might be a common note in them that makes them difficult for me to smell.)

I’m sure most people would say to wear it only at night, but what fun is that! If you can carry it off, wear it (or if the Dragon can carry you away, fly with it)…Let your imagination take flight.

Karin

Chaya adds:

Le Baiser Du Dragon, by Cartier, is one of those fragrances that possesses a different character in the parfum. My supposition would be that it was originally created as one, and that
the other forms followed in turn…

I base this on one of the lessons the amazing Liz Zorn** taught me, a few months back. She said that each fragrance is created by the perfumer with a particular strength or form in mind; that is why, when one experiences something that really ’sings’ , it was likely created for that purpose, originally.

This would explain why many eschew all but the parfum in Baiser. For one thing, the wearer rapidly becomes anosmic, even though the notes listed are potent in their raw forms. For another, the notes aren’t necessarily situated where you’d normally expect to find them.

Top: Neroli, Gardenia, Amaretto accord
Heart: Cedar, Iris
Base : Vetiver, Patchouli, Amber, Benzoin

The opening is fleeting, with neroli barely nodding, and gardenia lasting a bit longer…Amaretto accord? Slightly almondy bitter/sweet, the heart lasts only a few beats as well. We are more accustomed to having iris and gardenia in the middle, but not cedar- and it’s pretty hard to find that. Sometimes you pick up more patch, sometimes more vetiver- but the base is very smooth, a satiny base.

Dragon is a strange choice of appellation. This is a smoky whisper, not dragon breath. Rather snuggly, I find. [Dragons are supposed to represent the union of Heaven and Earth, so, in that sense, it's plausible] The unctuous body cream makes this last a lot longer- layering it helps a lot.

-I/C

** who is Liz Zorn?

Liz Zorn is an indie perfumer of great talent, from Ohio- Parfume Moderne was the name of her store- now it’s called Liz Zorn Perfumes. She is extremely generous about sharing information- like Ayala Sender, Anya Mc Coy, and Jenny van Veenen [or Andy Tauer]. An Aquarian with a dry sense of humor. I love her. I/C

Now I have to hunt up more about her! Karin

And Helg/Elena weighs in:

When dragons and kisses mix, courtesy of jeweler par excellence Cartier, the red Chinese-style box resembling a calligraphy set reveals a prism of notes that combine to make a smooth oriental of unexpected elegance and poise.

The bottle alone with the single black wick immersed into the ambery fluid as a sketchy line amidst a Chinese ideogram is enough to captivate the fantasy.

Contrary to its name that would suggest a pyrocaustic feral gust of sulphur Le Baiser du Dragon (=the dragon’s kiss) in parfum concentration reveals a calculated whisper of deep and velvety tones humming at a low, seductive frequency. In contrast to eau de parfum which explores the quite bitter notes of almond contrapuntal to amber and cedar, in parfum there is no pronounced bitterness but only sublime smoothness and opulence.

The earthiness of wood and vetiver project immediately from the skin allied to sweet ambery tonalities that do not reveal the floral heart too much. Indeed neither is there a distinct top nor heart as proclaimed by official notes that list neroli, gardenia and iris. Instead I would hazard the statement that a candied hesperide peel accord is hiding under the resiny richness providing the element of classicism in the oriental tradition and offering the slightly piquant much needed “air” that a rich perfume would require.

As the parfum dries onto skin there is sensuality, smokiness, and a flight of fancy on a red carpet that transports you to mystical places where benzoin is burned in chalices. Close your eyes and inhale deeply, knowing that your lips will not get scorched by the fiery kiss.

Thanks again to both!
Karin

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