doomsday_disco Report post Posted February 2 A new year’s blessing! Peony, China’s national flower, with bamboo for flexibility, plum blossom for perseverance, courage, and hope, tangerine for wealth, orange for happiness, lychee for household peace, pine resin for constancy, golden kumquat and quince for prosperity, narcissus and King mandarin for good fortune, and peach blossom for longevity, with a splash of blazing red of dragon’s blood to help you scare away the rampaging Nian. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Little Bird Report post Posted February 12 This year's Lunar New Year blend is a mix of super fruity & sweet with sensual florals. In the bottle, Wooden Dragon smells like a homemade tropical punch with a generous splash of citrus juice and a background of pine needles, like you're sitting outside at a summer party in someone's backyard and they happened to plant a big pine tree and you're sitting in its shade while you sip this fancy punch. It's not a strong pine, but a natural one that floats softly in the background. The pine doesn't survive at all on my skin, though. First applied, this immediately launches into gummi worms candy and sharp floral perfume that's sort of dewy and sensual rather than being offputting. Gummi candy trying to be a mature lady's perfume, in the best way possible. It's really fun and candied for about a half hour, and then the drydown is just amazing. The gummi candy impression fades, but it's still a very sweet, tropical lychee juice with hints of cheery, sharper citrus cutting through the sweetness, and I just adore the way the florals and dragon's blood are swirling together in this year's blend. The plum blossom, peach blossom, and peony combo in this is gorgeous. I smell actual plum fruit and the florals are sharp and threatening to go soapy, which I would normally hate, but mixed with the sweeter notes, they smell elegant and rich. The dragon's blood makes it even more sensual, darkening the florals and giving off a red, glowy impression. This might be my favorite Lunar New Year scent yet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ShadowEtienne Report post Posted April 5 I collect the Lunar New Year scents, so I got 2 bottles of this right off the bat, and I may end up ordering an extra before it goes away if the timing lines up right. Like all of the LNY scents, Wooden Dragon evokes the decorative red lacquer dishes of dried and candied fruits that my foster family would put out for LNY. This year, the lychee definitely leads the fruit on my skin, bright and sweet and tart. The bright, tart citrus and crisp watery quince back it up, and I can especially pick out tangerine from the citrus. The warm, resinous notes of the dragon's blood especially evokes for me those red lacquer dishes. It's almost what they looked like they should smell like, and combined with the pine resin, it also reminds me of freshly cleaned house with a tiny waft of incense. The florals are very present and airy, like their are cut bouquets of peony scattered around the room, and from open windows drift rich wafts of plum and peach blossoms. It's a beautifully balanced LNY scent, a bit more floral toward than fruit forward, and I really love how distinct the dragon's blood is this year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doomsday_disco Report post Posted April 17 This went through three phases on my skin: Phase one - Predominantly citrus. The kumquat, tangerine, and orange were the main players on my skin. It starts off as a really juicy citrus, but then it gets more pith-y over time. Then we go into Phase two - Mostly dragon's blood and pine resin with a little pith from the citrus. Dragon's blood doesn't always play nicely on me, but I don't have any problems here. I think it may be the same one from Third Eye Extraction, my favorite scent to contain the note. And the pine pairs perfectly with it. It is mostly resinous/woody, until... Phase three - Oh hai, florals! This is now floral-dominant, but the dragon's blood and the (much softer) pine resin reside in the background. I think the narcissus is the strongest of the floral notes. I really enjoyed the first two phases of the scent, and I think phase two in particular really makes sense for its inspiration. I don't love phase three as much, with its floral notes, but it's still one of the best Lunar New Year scents that I've tried. And I'm not just saying that because I'm a dragon! 🐉 (Last year's Water Rabbit turned into soap on me.) I'm not sure I need to upgrade to a bottle (I'll retest to be sure), but the decant is a keeper! And if you like scents that morph: try this one! It will take you on a journey! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roseus Report post Posted June 5 In the imp this is blossomy and fruity, but fresh on it is all citrus. I have a similar experience to @doomsday_disco, it starts of all citrus which gets more bitter and pithy as the pine peaks out. I don't get any dragon's blood, which is just as well because it tends to takeover and goes oddly fruity on me. As it dries I get the florals, I have a hard time picking out any one note but it's like a garden breeze with the citrus notes underneath and tiny bit of pine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
