Cartier Le Baiser Du Dragon Eau de Toilette Spray

...Lanvin, and previous additions of Cartier (you know the Panthere era).

Hmm this will be it... then after a couple of tries of various lanvin and 'old school' Cartier I almost fell over in excitement: I smelled the grown-up version of Prada L'infusion d'Iris!

The assistant looked puzzled and said: this perfume is not at all popular at the moment, it's very eighties. We started chatting and after about 20 minutes I said: ...
...red box that has the Cartier house's signature written across is an oblong shaped that is flat on the front and the back. The bottle comes with a black lid that clicks tight on. There is a grill-like motive that reminds me of a labyrinth or a gutter drain and definitely something that sends a warning. The use of a black lid with the same silver motive and the dark amber colour of the perfume accentuates the message.

=== The fragrance ... more

Launched: 2003
Olfactory group: oriental woody

Introduction

I discovered Le Baiser du Dragon when I was looking for an alternative for Prada Infusion d'Iris which I tried but unfortunately was very short-lasting on my skin. It felt more like an eau de toilette than a perfume. It smelled nice but lacked that 'edge' or 'depth' an eau de parfum can give you, a real woody oriental that makes a statement of the wearer, a fragrance with lasting individuality.

So what I wanted was an oriental with a difference. Knowing that in the past two years the fragrance shelves have been covered with synthetic patchouli smelling oriental clones, I thought this would probably mean that in order to find something that will be quite like Infusion d'Iris, it would probably be a fragrance marketed at some point in the 1990s and with a bit of luck it's still sitting in the bottom of the fragrance shelves somewhere and has not entirely been discountinued.

The big sister of Prada Infusion d'Iris

After I parcoured the main fragrance selling department stores of Oxford Street, in the far end of the (cob-webbed) corner of the fragrance department of House of Fraser, under the huge staircase (honest, it's there!), I found an assistant with a Russian accent who was looking after a rather odd looking collection of oldies but goodies where I spotted Lanvin, and previous additions of Cartier (you know the Panthere era).

Hmm this will be it... then after a couple of tries of various lanvin and 'old school' Cartier I almost fell over in excitement: I smelled the grown-up version of Prada L'infusion d'Iris!

The assistant looked puzzled and said: this perfume is not at all popular at the moment, it's very eighties. We started chatting and after about 20 minutes I said: I think this perfume has one of the most interesting compositions I've ever come across and could easily be one of the best fragrances in the world. Then he goes: that's funny, you're the fourth person who said that in the past three weeks... well, then they did know something didn't they?

The packaging

Enclosed in a fiery red box that has the Cartier house's signature written across is an oblong shaped that is flat on the front and the back. The bottle comes with a black lid that clicks tight on. There is a grill-like motive that reminds me of a labyrinth or a gutter drain and definitely something that sends a warning. The use of a black lid with the same silver motive and the dark amber colour of the perfume accentuates the message.

The fragrance

Top notes: gardenia, bitter almond, neroli

I would say it's a lot heavier, sumptious version of Prada Infusion d'Iris where the main theme is quite similar - a mix of woody citrus, orange leaves and delicate exotic flowers - and the difference is in the concentration and longevity.

Middle notes: orris. musk. cedar. rose. jasmine

Only after a few moments the more powerful floral notes take over where what appears is a spicy creamy - powdery cloud of jasmine and spicy, camphorous tones of cedar, mixed with the clearness of musk.

Luckily the musk accentuates the more delicate floral notes of iris so you don't get overwhelmed by the heady jasmine, which tends to be too animalistic in some orientals.

Base notes: amber, vetiver, benzoin, caramel, patchouli, cedar

With time the fragrance gets slightly woodier and more ambery but it still has the camphorous edge. The main source of spiciness in the composition is benzoin, a balsamic resin and of course the amber and pathouli.

The fact that this fragrance uses a lot of notes otherwise mostly used in base notes - musk and cedar - in its heart makes Le Baiser du Dragon powerful and extremely long-lasting that will envelope you with its warmth and coolness all day.

What it ultimately reminds me is a walk in the forest when arriving at a meadow the coolness and mysterious semi-darkness of the cedar, vetiver and patchouli undergrowth meets the sumptious nectar sweet cloud of strong smelling exotic flowers jasmine and iris.

Conclusion

Appropriately named the kiss of the dragon, this perfume is a lover or hate one. I don't wear it every day only on days I want to appreciate its uniqueness, its unusual warm and cool blend and masterful composition.

If this is something you might be looking for I advise you to buy from ebay. A 100 ml Eau de Parfum costs £106 in department stores, somewhat less at discounters online.

I bought my unused 100 ml tester on ebay for £21 including postage. There was quite a heated bidding on it though, so if you don't like it after all you can always swap it back for its original price!

Price / Where to buy

Debenhams, John Lewis, House of Fraser

Online: http://www.fragrancedirect.co.uk

Starting from £29.99 / 50 ml Eau de Toilette Spray Tester

Other products in the line

From http://www.fragrancedirect.co.uk

£44.95 / 100 ml Eau de Parfum Spray, 30 ml Sparkling Body Oil & 50 g Bath Pellets
£20.95 / 100 ml Deodorant Natural Spray

Thanks for reading my review.

Lilla

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