Dragon's Musk

[shelldoo]

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

i love love this one!

wet it was all dragon's blood, as it dried the musks blend beautifully w/ the blood, and it becomes a deep, sexy, dance between the notes, it is very heady and makes me feel a bit intoxicated w/ the sexiness of it.

[Lit Chick]

BWWWAAAAAA!

 

This is gorgeous. Musky, sexy, exactly what I was hoping for. Not too animalistic, not too dragon's bloody - a perfect harmony of the two.

 

And in 5 mintues, it's baby powder.

 

I'm so sad!

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Juicy dragon's blood.

 

Second Impression: Dragon's blood is always on the top and for a goodly while that's all I can smell. Once it starts to recede, I can start picking out musks. I smell red musk and Siberian musk, as for the other three, perhaps Beth will share that with me someday. The drydown on this is a bit like a dragon's blood and Snake Oil combo. This is very sexy.

 

Final Analysis: I have imps of all the dragon's blood blends, but still can't decide which one I love best to order a larger bottle. This only makes the choice more difficult.

[Theravada]

I really thought I'd love this one, because I'm a bit of a musk fanatic. I decided to order a 5ml unsniffed.

 

Unfortunately, I've recently realized that dragon's blood is one of those notes that completely overpowers everything on my skin. All I ever get from this is dragon's blood. It might as well be a single note. I don't ever get any yummy musks! Hours later all I smell is dragon's blood.

 

I'm going to have to swap or sell this one. Stupid skin.

[Soli]

I'm wearing this today and am falling in hard lust for this scent. I adore both dragon's blood and musk on their own, and they do wonders on my skin. So to have them mixed and on my skin... it's like heaven to me. They blend so well and smell obscenely wonderful.

[Rheliwen]

Hm, in the bottle, this is least DBR smelling Draconis blend I've tried.

 

Wet, this is a deep, murky DBR. It's more understated than Dragon's Hide is, and I thought it would be the other way around.

 

Sometimes, darker musks can give me a headache, but in this one, I can definitely smell them, but they carry a different quality. I want to compare the dark musk to the more animalistic ones, but it really isn't. I think the DBR keeps it in check.

 

Wow, this is so much better than I could have ever expected. You get the beautiful DBR but without all the candy sweetness. In it's place you get depth and a bit of darkness.

[ChupaChup]

I just got Dragon's Musk today in a swap from cricketshay

 

I think this may knock Dragon's Milk out of first place among dragon's blood scents for me. When I first put it on, it was actually a little too heavy on the dragon's blood but within minutes, the musks came to the rescue. Oh my, they make this blend absolutely gorgeous. I too can pick up red and Siberian musks and maybe a tiny bit of the powderyness of black musk. I almost get a hint of vanilla from this, but I don't think there is really any vanilla in here, it's just the way the notes all combine. I think I like it more than Dragon's Milk because Dragon's Milk can sometimes be a bit much, a little sickeningly sweet some days but Dragon's Musk is just perfect. Anyone who loves Snake Oil should also give this a try, it's got a similar swoon effect to it without the spices.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: the lab sure knows how to pick my free imps. i love musk, and it's just perfect with dragon's blood.

on: love it! dragon's blood and musk.

half an hour later: lovely!

1 hour later: very soft, sweet, and musky.

2 hours later: so lovely. a wonderful light scent.

5 hours later: more perfumy. lovely

overall: the ars draconis oils are just fabulous. i really like this one.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Deep. Warm. Powerful. And entirely swoon-inducing. Holy cats this is good stuff.

 

Wearing: Dragon’s Musk makes me smell really damn good. I’ll have to wear and compare, but I think… I might like this even better than my top-three staple Dragon’s Heart. I was sniffing my wrist all night during a crazy day at work and this just made me smile every time. It’s so, so me.

[jj_j]

Most of the musks do funny things on my skin, and turn into overpowering animal smells, so I'm shocked at how much I like Dragon's Musk - it doesn't seem to get out of control, and I very much agree with those who've mentioned Dragon's Milk with a little less candy sweetness.

 

I don't think this will knock Dragon's Milk off my favorites list, but I won't guarantee it. If you've tried Dragon's Milk, imagine it doing a Varga Girl sexpot number and you've got Dragon's Musk. A little less sweetness, a lot more steaming sensuality, and likely to get you nibbled on in all the right places.

 

I'd hazard a guess that Beth used more of the "light" musks - red, siberian, and white - than the dark musks, because this stays sensual without going over the line into animalistic and overpowering. The rave results I got from my other half, not to mention the definite "that woman is competition" stiffening-up I got from other women while I was wearing this, tell me that if you're looking for sultry and sexy without flowers, this is the way to go.

[fallow deer]

A lovely high, creamy and sweet musky scent straight off, blending really well with the dragon's blood resin. I agree with jj_j: it's a much less cloying take on Dragon's Milk and I think more sexy.

[closedacct]

As with all of the Ars Draconis...I love this. It smells very similar to Dragon's Heart on me, but without the fruity note. Musk + Beth's Dragon's Blood= one happy ewalk.

[Ishtar]

Dragon's Musk left me wide-eyed with wonder when I first tried it. I could not believe how good it was.

 

I am violently in love.

 

Of course, I love both dragon's blood and musk, so I reckoned this would be a keeper, but I certainly did not expect it to be so lovely.

There is a freshness to this blend and a hint of saltiness that prevent it from turning too sweet. The musk lends it a beautiful softness and a tranquil air of unaffected sexiness.

 

I just gave my bottle of my beloved Dragon's Milk to my mother and I am going to replace it immediately with a bottle of Dragon's Musk. This may well be my favourite draconic scent. Stunning.

[Penance]

First sniff:

 

Very heavy on the musk (surprise!) with only a hint of dragon's blood. Dark, heavy musks rarely work on me, but I'm not giving up hope on this one just yet.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Black musk and lots of it. It's the same "almost cat pee" note I get in Dragon's Heart, which is my skin's reaction to a lot of the darker musks. I had a feeling this would happen, but this is the only Ars Draconis scent I've not tried yet, so I had to give it a shot anyway.

 

Dry down:

 

The musk is much more subdued now. No more cat pee, just strongly sensual smelling musk with a bit of dragon's blood. It's still not quite me, but it's much better than when it was wet.

 

The bottom line:

 

I'm not a huge fan of the heavier, darker musks, so this isn't quite my cup of tea, but I'm glad I gave it a shot anyway.

 

ETA: Another super belated review update! In the 6+ years since I tried Dragon's Musk for the first time, I've completely changed my opinion about musky scents. I love them now.

 

So with that in mind, I bought a bottle of Dragon's Musk "unsniffed" (it may as well have been, as far as I'm concerned, since it had been more than 6 years since I'd smelled it and I couldn't remember what it actually smelled like) and gave it another try. So new review time!

 

Origin:

 

5mL from the Lab.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I know that I didn't care for Dragon's Musk the first time around and that it was because the musk bordered on smelling like cat pee. Luckily, that's not an issue I have anymore, so my skin chemistry has apparently changed. That or my nose has decided to interpret musk differently. Honestly, either one is possible.

 

So, since I love musk now and it doesn't turn into or register as cat pee anymore and I like dragon's blood, I'm expecting to like this one.

 

First sniff:

 

This smells very similar to the majority of the other Ars Draconis blends. I find that they're subtle variations on a theme in the bottle (the exceptions of the ones I've tried being Dragon's Milk, Dragon's Heart and Ladon) and Dragon's Musk is no exception. I mainly get dragon's blood, but there's definitely musk here. It's not pungent, sharp or animalistic in the slightest. It's just rich and...well...musky. So far, so good!

 

Wet on skin:

 

Not too different than the other Draconis scents, but it does seem muskier on me than in the bottle, so maybe I'll get lucky and this will turn out to be one of the ones that breaks from the pack.

 

Dry down:

 

Ooh, I really like this. Somewhere along the line, the musk amps up quite a bit until it's the main note (notes, technically, since there's more than one type of musk here) with a backing of sweet, resinous dragon's blood. I couldn't identify all the musks that are in this, but I'm going to definitely say black musk is one of them. There's also something that makes me think of Ivanushka. A sort of fuzzy, warm, furry musk, which is unexpected since dragon's aren't exactly known for their luxurious pelts. I don't get any red musk here, but I suppose it could be lurking somewhere. Other than that, all I can say is that this is musky and warm.

 

I have no idea why, but this smells like a headshop to me. I've never been in a headshop that smelled so strongly of musk, but that's the immediate association I'm getting. I happen to love the smell of a good headshop, so that's a good thing for me.

 

The bottom line:

 

So glad I gave Dragon's Musk another shot. It's easily one of my favorites of the Ars Draconis scents now, and one of the few that really smell noticeably different than their brethren.

Edited July 19, 2011 by Penance

[silverlilac]

The Draconis scents don't seem to change too much on my skin. This one is not much different. The Dragon's Blood is definitely deeper here than on it's own, and I smell the smokiness (lots of smoky dragon's breath!), and the musk adds a clean, sexy aspect.

 

I really do like this, but it smells just a bit too masculine, of all things, to me, to justify to keep it. If only my bf would wear this, I would be a happy girl

[tsarina]

I'm not a big fan of musks, so this was a Lab surprise. While it isn't something I will wear, I'm glad for the opportunity to try it out on my nose.

 

Bam! A strong waft of musks, heady and thick. I have wandered into the dragon's lair for certain. As it dries down, I get little hints of the spicy dragons blood. But overall, pure muskiness.

 

Interesting, I never imagined dragons as msuky animals. But now I do!

[pekeana]

Hmmm, I like this, but I know I'm going to get smacked around by my mother for wanting to keep it and maybe even get more.

 

In the vial: Dragon's blood resin and red musk.

 

On me: Dragon's Musk is very, very powdery at first, then settles in and warms up for the ride. It's slightly sweet, but deeply resonantly spicy from the dragon's blood. I mostly smell Siberian and red musks on me, which lends a deep, warm tone to the overall scent. It's similar to Scherezade and Bastet, but without the sharpness that both of those blends have. And after a while, Dragon's Musk fades away into the land of softness...

[gingersnapp]

I definitely intend to get a big bottle of this blend. The dragon's blood is the primary note on me, as with all of the Ars Draconis blends, but this time the musk is present too, giving a darkness and a depth to the blend. It's slightly spicy and also a touch masculine on me (but not overwhelmingly so).... very nice for those days when I'm feeling playfully androgynous.

 

Very nice.

[Ajila]

I have to admit that without knowing which was which I'd stuggle to tell this and Dragon's Heart apart, the musks really don't make much of an appearence. There is something around the edges of the dragon's blood, but I suspect it's only there because I'm looking for it. On the whole I like this, but I don't think I'll be buying more of it.

[Loligo]

I've tried lots of scents with musk as just one note among many, but this and Czernobog are the only ones with musk as a very prominent note. Czernobog was *way* too feral, but this one is great. It's pure dragon's blood with just a hint of musk at the beginning, but an hour later it's a warm, clean, sexy musk with just a bit of that unique floral/fruit/resin smell to make it interesting. Very nice!

[JazzieCazzie]

I don't get any musk from this at all ... I get straight out spicy floral Dragon's Blood, like a big tube of orange Bain De Soleil No. 4. To me this smells a lot like Wrath (I haven't checked but I am guessing in retrospect Wrath MUST have Dragon's Blood in it), without the "red hots."

 

I love Dragon's Blood but have found that my favorite blends are the ones where it is cut with something dry and incense, like Bone and Hide ...

 

This is just too too for me ... on a scale of 1-5, I give it a high 3.

[Northernminx]

This is the only Dragon's blood blend in Ars Draconis that has worked fantastically well on me - and boy does it work! Rich, spicey, sexy dragon's blood and a touch of warm glowing musk. Sexy, strong, and slinky. This is a little strong for day-wear for me but it's a great evening scent and is going on my 5ml list.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 2/5

Summarised in a word or two: Disappointing!

 

In the imp: Deep, rich dragon's blood resin and -- surprise! -- musk!

 

On skin, wet: The dragon's blood dies off *instantly*, leaving a mixture of light, unimpressive musk.

 

On skin, dry: This is odd. Dragon's blood usually loves my skin, but this... doesn't. It's a sickly, barely-there skin musk within twenty minutes.

 

Conclusion: Consider me heart-broken! I love musk, and I love dragon's blood resin, so I thought I'd love this. Definitely not. It's not *bad*, but just very run-of-the-mill, and plain.

Edited December 16, 2005 by Aredhel

[tempete]

I'm not a fan of dragon's blood resin - depending on what it's blended with, it can do a number of wacky things on my skin, like go soapy, sickeningly sweet or generically spicy. But I adore Beth's darker musks, so I swallowed my trepidation and ordered Dragon's Musk. And now that I have it, I realize that I should have ordered it the instant it became available. WHY OH WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG?? This is by far the best Ars Draconis scent for me!

 

The musks play the starring role here, and it almost seems as if each stage in the drydown feature a distinct musk. The complexities and evolution of the drydown are best appreciated when Dragon's Musk is slathered on (so order a bottle rather than an imp if you can). The dragon's blood resin is a supporting note in this scent, and it lends a vague cherry-like sweetness in one stage, a slight metallic edge in another and an almost floral quality to yet another.

 

It's amazing how Beth managed to make such a musk-laden scent so smooth and not overbearingly animalistic, yet retaining enough of that feral edge to make me feel as if I've slipped into the skin of a very powerful, dangerous yet unreservedly sensual creature... one who exudes a "Don't fuck with me" attitude while wearing black leather thigh high boots. It brings to mind all those sexy female fighters like Trinity, Aeon Flux and La Femme Nikita who can deliver a roundhouse kick almost in the same breath as a passionate kiss.

 

I would think that Dragon's Musk would be absolutely devastating when layered with other musky fragrances, like Snake Oil and Scherezade. But for now, I'll be wearing Dragon's Musk solo so that I can enjoy the effect that it has on me and the people around me at work...

 

(I should note that the first time that I tried out Dragon's Musk, the dragon's blood resin was more predominant and it got sweeter and sweeter during the drydown. The next time I wore Dragon's Musk, I carefully mixed it before applying, which seemed to greatly subdue dragon's blood resin note and bring the musks to the forefront. So be forewarned, some of the musks might settle to the bottom if you haven't mixed Dragon's Musk before applying.)

[AngelFireHeart]

Dragon's Musk,

 

Now I normally don't like Musk at all!!! But in this I can hardly smell it, it just all blends in & is a beautiful dark sexy scent, It's for wearing in the bedroom with dark red & Black silk sheets, cushions pillows & curtains all around. I absolutely adore this scent as I adore the entire Ars Draconis Range. A must have for Dragons Blood fans