Le Baiser du Dragon: the Kiss of the Dragon

Speaking of sensual (I was in my previous post on sensual writing)... sometime ago, when a friend of mine told me about this perfume by Cartier, I was intrigued. Mostly by the name: Kiss of the Dragon. I don’t wear perfume that much; my husband is sensitive to most of them, so I usually restrict myself to scented crèmes (I’m partial to Nina by Nina Ricci) and even then must apply them sparingly. But, once in a while, when I’m out of town or my husband is, I indulge. So, when I found this exotic scent for sale at a local perfumery, I snapped up the kiss (the Eau de Parfum, that is; not the EDT), curious what it would do on me. Here’s what I found:

Le Baiser goes on sharp, almost pungent and biting, like a dragon’s playful nip with a breath of musky almond. Then, within moments, as the essence of le Baiser and my own body oils and the fabric I’m wearing marry in an exquisite cocktail, the sharp edge dissolves and oozes away, revealing a lingering floral scent that promises exotic adventure. I feel both wild and at home with the heady scent of le Baiser.

According to The Style Group, Le Baiser du Dragon is "a fusion of powerful elements including notes of bitter almond, gardenia, cedar, musk, and patchouli." The Perfume Critique describes le Baiser du Dragon as a “supremely confident, seamless interplay of masculine woods and feminine florals. Not everyone responds to a woody oriental, but for those who do, this comes close to perfection.”

Karin of the Savvy Thinker said Le Baiser Du Dragon By Cartier , or Kiss of the Dragon, or Dragon’s Kiss (alternatively Dragon’s Breath) is … not warm and fuzzy, but it is warm. It is the temptation of an adult lover. It is not the kiss of innocence. 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 me, it is both smoky and incensy, though neither note is listed… this smokiness reminds me of the smoldering look of smoky eyes, a come-hither from the dragon… 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.”

The Perfume Posse says: “I’ve read several reviews of this, and this one seems to be one that works on you or doesn’t. I’m glad it works on me, but I can see how the musty patchouli and vetiver could take over if the other notes got eaten up and be a badly behaved, smelly dragon. My only complaint is it doesn’t seem to be as pungent as all the reviews say it is. I have this bad feeling that I’m just not smelling it, that the dragon is curled around my neck breathing lightly. Once I go out, the little dickens will just blast everything in its path…Evil dragon.”

The Perfume Critique summarizes: ““Hitting all the right notes, Le Baiser du Dragon is a pitch-perfect blend of almond, vetiver and benzoin, creating a heady love potion to inflame the mind and the senses and underline a radiant and bold femininity…Le Baiser du Dragon—The Kiss of the Dragon—juxtaposes softness and strength, masculine and feminine, with surprises at every turn. Described as “a fusion of powerful elements,” this gem from Cartier was No. 1 on the top-ten list of luxury perfumes rated by luxury website The Style Group. Not for the faint of heart, Le Baiser boldly goes where no woody oriental has gone before.”

The author of “For the Love of Perfume” said of le Baiser, “I speak of this gem with a sense of longing and intrigue. Although it is not wearable to me as of this moment I hope to grow into it some day…I would love to think I could wear a scent as bold, spicy and mysterious as this. The sales associate sure thought I could. Being the fruit, vanilla and white floral lover that I am, this strays far away from my comfort zone…Perhaps I haven't truly embraced my inner power? Perhaps that explains my general ‘playing small’ in the corporate world? Perhaps if I took a risk and wore this fragrance, avenues would open up for me? It is definitely a thought worth exploring. I will keep you posted.” She did six months later, after taking on a new job. Her moral was: “keep trying a fragrance that intrigues you. You never know when it will become you, or when you will become it.”

The Chinese dragon is a mythical 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 and weather and are sometimes depicted as water spouts or tornadoes. This contrasts with 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.

Nina Munteanu is an ecologist and internationally published author of novels, short stories and essays. She coaches writers and teaches writing at George Brown College and the University of Toronto. For more about Nina’s coaching & workshops visit www.ninamunteanu.me. Visit www.ninamunteanu.ca for more about her writing.