Dragon's Musk

[meaganola]

Dominant, passionate, devastating. Dragon’s blood and five deep musks.

Wait, where's the dragon's blood? This one goes all musky pretty much instantly, and it's mainly red musk, which has unfortunately been setting off The Quease the past couple of weeks. I had to wash it off after about half an hour because I just couldn't handle smelling it any more. I mixed this one with perfumer's alcohol in a sprayer quite some time ago, so it isn't off to the swap bag. I'm hoping that I'm just more sensitive to red musk right now and will be able to give it a better test in the future, though, so I'll have to try to remember to try it when I'm doing better on the red musk front.

[Mousesong]

The boyfriend said, "You smell like Earthbound."

 

Presumably he meant "sans the hermit crab stink and the odor of closet-yuppie trustafarians with terrible customer service skills."

 

I like it. The musk keeps it just enough in usual-perfume territory to make it work appropriate, and the dragon's blood keeps it unique.

 

My boyfriend's wrong, though. It doesn't smell like Earthbound.

 

Smells like Renfaire.

Edited July 6, 2010 by Mousesong

[Aldercy]

So, I had kind of started ignoring the Ars Draconis line because dragon's blood resin based scents pretty much all end up smelling the same on me with only slight variations. However, Dragon's Musk is really proving me wrong. This is a very deep musky brown scent that reminds me a bit of Snake Oil (if red musk and vanilla musk are two of the five, that makes sense I guess) with just lacy borders of dark crimson, slightly smoky dragon's blood. It's very serious and sexy without the bouncy red sweetness that usually dominants lighter dragon's blood scents.

 

It's bold and strange, but doesn't get overpowering because it stays really close to the skin. Normally a little dragon's blood goes a long way and tends to draw an unusual amount of attention, but I actually put on pretty much Dragon's Musk on, and I'm only getting pleasantly subdued whiffs. Kind of like a second (hot, scaly) skin.

 

[TastyMischief]

This one did not work for me. It started out floral, turned soapy, dried down head shoppy floral. Will retest, though.

 

ADDED Feb. 12:

 

Much better today. Though I am surprised: I thought this would be a power punch kinda musk and it's turning out to be very, very soft. Quite nice, though. Think of it as a shy and coy dragon. This one breathes kisses instead of fire.

[Gold Dust Kitten]

Imp: Perfumey. Nothing stands out.

Wet: Dragon's Blood, musk and something floral that makes my nose itch. It's very intense, almost syrupy.

Dry: The dragon's blood has a vanillic quality to me, so it gets a bit sweeter when it's dry. The musk I can pick out is definitely red musk, and once it's dry it smells like a single note red musk.

 

I love red musk perfumes, and this is very nice but I have 3 bottles of The Infernal Lover which this smells a lot like once dry.

[Suu4LC]

Hmm! I am curious as to which musks are in this! Musks can be so different! Some I love (light/white musks) some I don't do as well with (dark/black musk).

 

Hmm...in the imp I can't really tell-it's a musky, perfumey dragon's blood scent. Definitely doesn't seem like the musks are TOO dark.

 

Yeah, this is like a perfumey dragon's blood scent to me. A bit sweeter than I expected. Honestly, not THAT musky. As it dries, it does go more musky I suppose.

 

I would swear this has amber it in the way it has gone quite powdery. Overall this is a sweet, powdery dragon's blood scent. A bit perfumey and a bit musky-maybe a bit richer than the usual Dragon's Blood blend. I am just not a huge Dragon's Blood fan, but if you are, this is worth checking out.

[Diva Urd]

In the imp: Dragon's blood and what appears to be a metric ton of musk. Yay!

On: Initially, the dragon's blood is VERY sweet, but as it dries, it calms down slowly but surely, and the musks are starting to peek out. I hope that, in a few minutes, I'll get just a bit less DB and a bit more musk, since I was hoping for a veritable musk fest with a drop of DB, not the other way around.

Later: Oh yeeeeaaahhh, there it is. Dry, deep and warm, with just a hint of sweetness. I'm not sure it's up there with my favorites of the Dragons (I prefer Dragon's Eye, Dragon's Claw and Ladon), but this is good, and the imp's a keeper. Too bad the DH can't wear dragon's blood (total bubblegum on him...).

[Lanolin]

Testing an imp of unknown vintage, but judging from the condition and design of the label, it's a very old one.

 

Exactly what it says on the tin, and I am okay with that! It's a sexy blood-forward, deep and strong blend, only needing the tiniest amount to make an impression.

 

Very pleasant if I remember to be sparing in the application.

[Victory]

This is a sweet, fruity, dragons blood/red musk scent. Dragons blood tends to dominate scents, but here it is so tightly wrapped up with the red musk that neither predominates. I was hoping to get more of the musks, maybe to cut the sweetness of the dragons blood. I'm glad to have tried it, but it's not something I would wear again.

[a_llb]

In vial: Red, bloody and spicy.

Wet: Fainter than I expected from the vial! Dragon's Blood, slightly soapy, and a touch of musk.. maybe red?

Dry: It never seemed to strengthen once it dried- the musk's spiciness faded and for some reason the DB was soapy the whole time! Something weird in my chemistry, perhaps, though usually DB goes sweet, almost fruity on me.

 

Verdict: My curiosity is satisfied as far as DB + musk is concerned. I feel pretty neutral about this blend, so Dragon's Hide remains my favorite from the Ars Draconis set!

[Ghost of a Rose]

One reviewer above (tempete) said to mix well before applying - good advice for all BPAL scents. And when I tried it both ways, it did make a huge difference! I agree with tempete that, in the unmixed vial, the Dragon's Blood was the predominate scent; and that the musk was much more apparent after mixing.

 

Unmixed, from an imp that has been standing upright for several days:

In the imp: Rose-scented soap. (The rose-like scent comes from the Dragon's Blood.)

On me, wet: I'm channeling Ivory soap (or is it Dove? Something like that, anyway), with a little musk in the background.

On me, barely dried: The soapiness has evaporated, leaving a lovely rose-like scent. So far, I haven't gotten caught much of the musk at all.

Well-dried: The musk is definitely apparent now, equal to the floral-fruitiness of the Dragon's Blood.

After about 45 minutes: Only musk is detectable.

 

After mixing well:

In the imp: Musky rose-scented soap with a bit of sharpness.

On me, wet: Ivory soap equally balanced with musk.

On me, drydown: As the soapiness has evaporated, the musk comes out more and more. Still plenty of floral though.

After about 45 minutes: Only musk is detectable.

 

The musk is still going strong 2 hours later.

 

I love this blend for the rosy scent of Dragon's Blood, with the musk adding depth and longevity.

My rating: 4

[melrose]

I love musk and like dragon's blood, so this is a winner, right? Nope, it's horrible on me. I get no musk (how can that be, with five different ones?), but I get a little bit of dragon's blood and a whole lot of funeral home flowers. DH walked past me and said ''You smell like rancid furniture polish''.

[calivianya]

I received this as a frimp from the lab, but I can't do dragon's blood at all so I'm just giving you my impressions from the imp. Yep, dragon's blood and sharp musk. The oil itself is a very red-orange. I got some of it on my thumb while opening the imp so I'm having a fairly unpleasant dragon's blood related experience at the moment...

[yakiguri]

As my skin amps red musk like whoa, that's what I'm mostly getting. I get faint whiffs of some fruit and spices vying for attention, but red musk shoves them all backstage. *sigh*

[theredkilt]

I find it to be a very wearable scent. The dragon's blood resin essence isn't that strong and its potency is downplayed, leaving just enough of its aura to maintain the Dragon's Blood theme.

[bergamot_bliss]

In the imp: Purrrrr. Lovely dragon’s blood resin, and the musks are strong.

Wet on skin: Heady dragon’s blood mixing nicely with the musks. My head’s spinning! Hopefully it will be a little less wicked on drydown

Drydown: The musks and dragon’s blood resin are gorgeous together. It’s calming down and getting a little bit sweet. No, please don’t go powdery!

Dry on skin: It was so beautiful. Now the dragon’s blood is still juicy and strong, and my skin loves the warm musk, but it’s a little too sweet. I think my nose is still affected by the last imp I tried, which was way too sweet, so I’ll try this again later.

[Fuhrankie]

I closed my eyes and reached into my imp box. Dragon's Musk came out. This was a frimp. I amp musk, so I've only tried this once before, and didn't like it all that much, possibly because I'm not that much of a fan of dragon's blood either and the idea of it tainted my impression.

 

In the imp: Musky, sweet, sort of soft, with a lingering tang of something in the background - probably the dragon's blood. Slightly hippy bookstore.

 

Wet on skin: Creamier, but still with that dragon's blood tang.

 

Drydown: Powdery, very feminine. Softer than the last time I tried it.

 

Dry on skin: I feel like I could be a seductress in a Bond movie. Nothing really stands out in the fragrance anymore, it's all gorgeously balanced. I look forward to the next few hours with it on. Not a scent style I'd normally enjoy, but it is rather lovely.

 

 

Edit: Almost 24 hours later, I can still faintly smell it on my wrists. I like it at this stage quite a bit, but as it stands, this will not be a scent I go back to. Glad it's a frimp, will pass it along to a friend.

Edited November 30, 2012 by Fuhrankie

[Mechanical Death]

Normally musks love me. This however fails short. The dragons blood overpowers and leaves this weird mixture of fruitcake and black musk that sticks to the skin.

[tharsei-thanate]

Bought an imp from a lovely forumite!

 

Now, I'm not really familiar with Dragon's Blood. I remember trying a dab at NYCC last year and it was surprisingly sweet and floral. I wasn't expecting it to smell like that and I had thought it had mingled with one of the many other oils that glistened all over my arms, but sniffing Dragon's Musk, I can say for sure that it's certainly floral. I can't quite place what kind of florals are in here (I think there's lilac maybe?), but it's gorgeous.

 

But what's even better is that the musks go so well with the florals. Together they create an amazingly sweet-yet-sultry scent. This is like a floral, non-boozy Smut, and considering the booze in Smut sometimes goes a bit sour on me, this is perfect.

 

It gets a tiny bit powdery the longer it stays on, but it's not really noticeable unless I really concentrate.

 

I really like this! Not sure about getting a bottle (this isn't quite a *me* blend, even if it is lovely), but I'll gladly keep the imp.

Edited April 9, 2013 by tharsei-thanate

[mermaidsdream]

In the imp: musky, with something sweet.

 

Applied: All honeysuckle with more floral. Is that gardenia?

 

Drydown: Is that some rose? And now, all baby powder.

 

Who knew dragons smelled like flowers? I see this more as "The Knight of Flowers" from GoT than the musk of the Dragon.

 

Disappointing, and going into the trade pile.

[ResinManiac]

Sweet but strong, warm and fierce, it's very fortifying and comforting. Like having a permanent devoted bodyguard protecting you, it feels safe. And smoky. I love it! It does wonders for self confidence and personal strength, highly recommended!

[OctoberGwen]

Love the musky undertone, hate the super sweetness. I really need to stop trying blends with dragon's blood resin! I simply don't like it, it's far too sweet.

[Lani]

This one was far sweeter than I expected, but it's a creamy sweet, and not overpowering. I can't really pick out any of the individual musks, but I don't mind. I just get a smooth, even, creamy sweet dragons' blood, and that's just fine with me!

[lucycat]

This was a frimp from the Lab. It’s also the first Ars Draconis blend I have tested, and, as far as I know, the first blend I’ve tested that contains dragon’s blood. I was a little scared of it, to be honest; I thought it would be overpowering.

 

In the imp: Musk with a background of heavy, sweet flowers.

 

Wet: Musk and flowers. Sexy dragons frolicking in a field of flowers?

 

I was afraid this was going to be too floral, but the florals quickly died down and I was left with soft, powdery musk. It smells like Snake Oil without the spices, and is similarly long-lasting.

 

A pleasant surprise!

[quickdrawkiddo]

Lab frimp! This is mostly red musk on me, which is just fine and dandy since it's one of my favorite notes. I'm starting to suspect I amp musk pretty intensely since it's *much* more resiny in my hair (I did both today, just for fun).