Ladon

[imaginepageant]

The hundred-headed dragon that guards the garden of the Hesperides: dragon's blood resin, golden apple, apple blossom, white musk and hyacinth.

In the Vial: Two of my favorite notes: dragon's blood and apple. HOW HAVE I NOT TRIED THIS BEFORE? Anyway. I'm surprised to find that the apple is stronger than the dragon's blood in this blend. It's supposedly a golden apple, but to my nose, this is a juicy, wet, sweet red apple. There's a light floral behind it all, but I'm not getting the musk at all.

Wet: The apple goes tart on my skin, but then the dragon's blood comes out a bit more, making it all sweet again. This reminds me a bit of Dragon's Eye, thanks to the floral notes. However, the dragon's blood is still much fainter than it usually is on me.

Dry: The scent hasn't changed (which rarely happens with my funky skin chemistry), but it is extremely light. I have the feeling this is going to vanish before the hour is up.

An Hour Later: It's still there, but very faint. The dragon's blood has finally conquered the apple, which I can't really smell at all anymore. Yet, the dragon's blood itself is still... lighter, than it usually is. I suppose it's being muted by the other notes. I usually get a deep, resinous quality from dragon's blood, but this is the light, floral dragon's blood that a lot of others get. This still reminds me very much of Dragon's Eye, though it's crisper.

Overall: Sigh! I wish the apple had stuck around, and that my skin didn't devour this scent so much. This will get a second testing in a couple of weeks before I decide whether or not to keep it.

Edited to add description. Edited May 11, 2011 by imaginepageant

[StevenBoatman]

In imp: Sweet apple blended with dragon's blood.

 

On: Apple! Bright red, this is like the apple Snow White bit into. The other notes are non-existant.

 

Dry-down: Erm, uh, where'd the apple go? I can't smell any of the original notes now. All I'm getting is cigarette smoke. WTF?

 

It smells lovely in the imp, and I'll give it a try as a room scent, but overall this is not one I'll be buying to wear.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Lagniappe. I forget who sent it to me.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I wouldn't have picked this one on my own because of the florals. I'm also not a huge apple fan, but I do enjoy it in some scents, so it wouldn't have put me off. But the florals...well, it's almost unheard of for me to enjoy the smell of flowers in my perfume. In fact, they can ruin an entire scent for me even when they're barely there. But I'm open to giving this a try.

 

First sniff:

 

Oh, so pretty! Dragon's blood and fresh, juicy apple. It smells like a macintosh apple to me, not a yellow/golden apple. I get just the faintest hint of florals here. It's mainly apple with dragon's blood.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Juicy apple with a touch of dragon's blood. It smells like summer and autumn to me. I'm not usually much of a fan of apple blends, but this is actually very nice.

 

Dry down:

 

Just when I was thinking that this was possibly bottle-worthy, the apple disappeared on me and the florals took over. In the space of a few minutes, Ladon went from juicy apple and dragon's blood to soft, gentle florals and a touch of dragon's blood. The florals are quite pretty as far as these things go (they're not the heady, headache-inducing florals that I can't stand to be around; instead, they're soft, delicate and almost creamy). It's still a nice scent, but it's decidedly "not me" at this point.

 

The bottom line:

 

I'll be keeping my imp, but I won't be needing a bottle. If the scent had stayed true to the bottle or wet scent, I would probably have bought a bottle at some point, but there's just too many flowers cropping up in the drydown.

Edited June 3, 2011 by Penance

[brilliantcat]

I could swear I reviewed this one. Anyway, here are my notes:

 

In the bottle: Mostly musk, I can definitely smell the hyacinth, and just a hint of the apple. I think the "dragon's blood" also has a musky scent.

 

Immediately after application: Whoo, musk! A little bit of florals and hardly any apple.

 

Warming up: Oh yum, the musk has mellowed and the hyacinth is more pronounced. I can make out the apple scent now. I keep catching whiffs of it as I move to type and it's very pleasant. Not overpowering at all, which is a big deal to me. I dislike overpowering.

 

Fading: Weirdly, my left wrist smells more musky and my right more flowery. Very little apple.

 

Faded: Very soft floral. It faded very fast (approx. 3 hours) but I applied lightly as I don't like heavy fragrances. There's still a hint of scent if I sniff my wrists directly.

 

Overall: I tend to like spicy scents rather than floral but I like this a lot. I'm not sure it would be an everyday sort of scent for me, but if I planned something outdoors, it would suit nicely. I'd have liked more apple. I've been sniffing myself repeatedly though.

Edited November 8, 2013 by brilliantcat

[milo]

Wet, very sweet, syrupy dragon's blood with a touch of apple. Dry, spicier DBR, then slowly fades away after a couple of hours. Dragon's blood really isn't 'me', and this one is pretty sweet.

[Christabel]

In the bottle: I get a very strong fruity and sweet apple scent and a slight flowery note. It smells very fresh.

 

Wet: The scent becomes darker and the strong fruitiness gives way to a stronger scent of hyacinth and resin.

 

On drydown: It seems to be a scent where all the notes mix quite well. It turns into a flowery/fruity and very clean scent on me.

 

I get watery colours from this. Trees with fresh fruit hanging above a stream and freshly washed laundry drying in the wind.

[Alethia]

Thoughts before testing: This was a frimp from the Lab, which is good because I never would have picked it otherwise. White musk turns to baby wipes on me, and dragon's blood tends to be stomach churningly sweet on my skin. Despite loving apples, apple blossoms, and hyacinth, I don't have high hopes for this.

 

Wet: Nothing but apple and apple blossom. Well that's a nice surprise! I'm getting no white musk or dragon's blood resin. This is really soft and girly at this point.

 

Dry down: The hyacinth starts to peek through, and is absolutely lovely. It's not a high pitched screaming floral blend and it's not powdery, which I really appreciate.

 

Dry: Still no musk. The dragon's blood resin made a very small and subdued appearance finally, turning the blend a little sweeter than I like, but this doesn't automatically disqualify Ladon from staying in my collection.

 

Final thoughts: I think that I really like this. I'm lucky in that my younger sister also loves BPAL, and I have a suspicion that she'll go bananas for this. If that happens, sister gets it

 

Verdict: Probably not a bottle purchase, but between my sister and I, the imp will be well loved.

[Honey]

Imp: Fruity, tart, slightly dusty/murky apple.

 

Wet: This is like mashed Braeburn rubbed allover my skin.

 

Dry: Still smells like yellow apple - not to sweet, not too green. Perfect for apple lovers I say!

[Lyssa]

I had a dream the other night where I found a bottle of "dragon's blood musk." I'm not really a musk sort of person, so I wasn't going to go for Dragon's Musk, but I picked the next best thing I bought an imp of: Ladon. I love everything about apples, and Autumn always puts me in an apple sort of mood, so when the stash feature on the forum recommended Ladon, I grabbed it immediately.

 

Now, I don't know how much this affects the scent, but it is that time of the month, and my hormones are a bit wonky. Either way, I love this. When I first put it on, something about it was so familiar somehow. It took me back to my childhood, getting one of my first tarot decks (I collect them) from one of my favorite spiritual shops, DragonMarsh. It smelled like DragonMarsh, which sells herbs and essential oils of their own. It also reminded me of my Dragon Tarot, which isn't a deck I use, but it was one of my first. Somehow, this scent brought up memories associated with getting the deck and visiting the store. I just think it's interesting that two "dragon" things would pop up for me because I'd honestly forgotten that Ladon is in the Ars Draconis collection.

 

It's so sweet and soft and golden. I don't think it's heavily dragon's blood, but I think the dragon's blood lends warmth to the apple and florals so it's not too crisp or sharp. I like the throw on this. I keep sniffing myself occasionally, and it makes me happy. It's really lovely and has faded (somewhat quickly) to a sweet, warm apple.

[angelamaria]

In imp: wow, bright! Fruity! Apples! Some hyacinth, but...apples!!

 

Wet on skin: apples! And hyacinth. Both are equally strong and sort of vying for attention, but it's a very good meld, hyacinth a bit soapy though. Beautiful, almost intoxicating floral/fruit, and as it dries, the hyacinth is winning a bit, I think? But the apple note is giving it a clean, crisp freshness, which I like in apple. Beautiful. Clean and bright and beautiful for summer. Fresh! Almost playful.

 

Dry: mostly hyacinth now, the apple kind of pale and probably just providing a good clean background, trying to prevent the hyacinth from taking over and going all boozy. It's a pretty scent, but as it ages on my skin, gets slightly powdery, until much later it's gone soapy and rather old-ladyish because of the strength and "fullness" of the hyacinth I would prefer the crisp apple! I even liked the color in the imp too

 

Verdict: sadly, this blend just isn't a winner in the dry stage for me.

[Eliyetres]

Wiie, it smells so good, freshly cut apples. It's gonna be awesome for spring, I'mm so glad I got this as a frimp, I would never have picked it out myself!

[ladyflash]

Prologue: Purchased an imp from the lab. I really like dragon's blood, but it is just too metallic for me by itself.

 

Intro: In the imp, I can definitely smell the dragon's blood. Ooh, and the apple is warm and not too sweet! There is a hint of musk, & a hint of floral.

 

Exposition: Wet, I can smell the dragon's blood, but I wish it were more prominent. The dragon's blood is preventing this from turning into DKNY Golden Delicious, which is inoffensively boring. This, thankfully, is not! This is one of the few apple scents I can wear because it's not overly sweet. After an hour, the dragon's blood comes back into play, and is spicier & more prominent. Slightly less apple but still there. The floral is not overpowering, which I'm thankful for. I do like that the spice amps up as it dries down further, but doesn't make me smell like spiced apple cider or anything. After about seven hours, the scent is pretty much gone.

 

Epilogue: I wouldn't mind a bottle of this, but I think I'm going to stick with my imp for now. I'm pretty pleased with this scent. Good lasting power. This is very comforting, and the warmth makes it perfect for the winter.

[impolight]

:::LADON:::

Ye Gods, there is much pitter-pattering that goes on in the name of Daemonorops! Apples is another story altogether. Oh, aye there is much by the way of mythology, sci-fi, and insinuation that comes with the territory of all things Appley. There are horrific omens of green hard candies and teefs-yanking taffy’s that bob up and down in the poorly lit corners of the imagination.

The time is nigh to draw up faith to full height, one supposes. Surely the ways that this could go wrong are finite. This is a long way from the days of Head-shops, Enya, and bong water. The Lab has an amazing capacity to dwarf the most aspiring grandiosity!

From the Imp: Now THAT is Apple! There is nothing harsh or artificial about the Apple fragrance in Ladon. The Hyacinth note is also assertive and it pairs nicely with the Apple. Ladon smells like something a person would expect to have massaged into their tresses at a salon in some preposterously affluent community. Ladon is fresh, brilliant, and clean. Ladon bespeaks airy and open spaces with plentiful light and well polished surfaces. There is a healthy and cleansing vitality to this; a sense of quietly confident well being. Ladon is both the tranquil sound of trickling water and the comfort of flowing raiment.

On the Skin: Nice spectral shift! Ladon becomes a fantasy tropical beach; the sands are brilliant white, but the surf is bubble-bath warm and glassy pink. The Hyacinth has shied away from the remaining olfactory experience leaving the Dragon’s Blood to fuse with the Apple. What brilliant insight must have gone into the discovery that these notes work so well together. Seeing the world through Rose-coloured glasses? Well, Ladon fills you, every cell and pore, with a radiance that would render said spectacles obsolete. Ladon is no mere baptism, Ladon is outright deification.

Ladon is time-elapsed blooming. Ladon is resurrection. Ladon is the hush of a lunar eclipse through the window of a newly painted room.

Ladon is ideally suited for feminine biochemistry. Ladon has an otherworldly allure that moves with a grace, temperament, and wavelength that is suited for the curled lips of the Goddess infinitely moreso than the expectant glare of the God.

Profound stuff! Ladon gets a 4 out of 5.

[lavender84]

Lovely sweet and milky apples...

15mins later metallic apple comes out and gives me a headache.

[mymymai]

ITImp: A faint hint of dragon's blood tempered with apple and apple blossom. I don't smell the other two notes, but it's pretty so far.

Wet: Wow, the hyacinth and musk come out, flanks strongly by the apple. The dragon's blood is there as a subtle spice to the sweetness of the apple.

Dry:After 30 minutes, the dragon's blood became really strong, to the point of smelling like too strong incense. I couldn't smell any of the other notes. After 3/5 hours + a workout, it smells faintly of dragon's blood and just a hint of musk and floral.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Walking through a garden while sipping grape soda

 

Drydown: Aha! A great big juicy red apple. After a moment the apple steps aside and the hyacinth comes in. It becomes tingly and spicy and more blended.

 

Dry: Fresh hyacinth with a sweet and spicy effervescence.

 

 

 

I like this one. It's unique. I think I'll have to wear it a couple more times to figure out if it's a favorite or not.

 

7.5 out of 10 bones

Edited June 21, 2013 by BoneBone24

[jkfagtongpun]

This was a frimp, yay! Very excited about this as I would have never thought to even try it.

 

In the imp it was mainly a vague sweet scent, slightly soapy.

 

On, I'm afraid it turned into an apple scented air freshener from the 80's. Those rubbery ones that were in a conical plastic holder that you pulled the top up to open. Sadly, it didn't morph into anything else.

 

I think it is the combination of dragon's blood and apple, they just don't like me.

[Lethran]

In bottle: The apple notes and dragon’s blood combine into an apple accented fruity dragon’s blood dominant affect, with the musk and hyacinth almost entirely subsumed under the stronger notes. The effect is almost the feel of without quite smelling like grape. Wet: More distinct on the skin. They all switch sides, and the dragon’s blood and musk are now facing off against the apples and hyacinth. The feel is now as much floral as fruity, though the apple is still holding it’s own. It’s very much about dragon’s blood, so you have to like that to where this. The perfume as a whole is sexy and womanly. It’s a little weird on my skin, as is often the trouble with dragon’s blood, white musk, and florals just generally, but that shouldn’t be a problem for most folks. Dry: Musky dragon’s blood with a hint of hyacinth.

[detritius]

A soft, floral apple with a touch of something musky and spicy underneath. This is a more innocent apple than Poisoned Apple, but it has a nice little kick to it, too. I'm really loving BPAL's apple scents, and this is a definite keeper.

[stellamaris]

I had to try this for my MIL, as I am always looking for hyacinth scents for her.

I have tried so hard to love apple, but bleech, it is really vile, and totally dominates this at the beginning, it softens and then the hyacinth appears quite clearly.

I could not wear it myself as I can't stand the apple, but if you love hyacinth try this. The DB is quiet in this one for me.

[loubric]

Juicy wet sweet apple peels with hints of smoke. Hints of musky watery clean coolness as it dries on my skin, the apple still the most prominant scent.

 

Lovely.

[KittyHawk]

Ladon is easily one of the best apple scents in the BPAL catalog, and it gives all the LE apple scents a run for their money!

 

The dragon's blood gives this blend a great deal of staying power, while the apple blossom and hyacinth blend together to make a deliciously sweet fruity-floral that has a charm all its own. It's a very clean and unobtrusive scent, like something you'd find at B&BW, but with a complexity that you'd never find in a commercial scent.

 

Ladon is one of the unsung blends of the GC, I think, and deserves more love than it gets. A must-try for apple and floral lovers alike! The hyacinth really makes it something special.

[bergamot_bliss]

In the bottle: APPLE. I just got punched in the face with apple.

Wet: Musk and dragon's blood resin peeking through apple.

Drying: Apple dying down, which is good because it was way too strong at first. Mostly dragon's blood resin and florals now. Musk, where did you go? I liked you.

Dry: It's fading a little. Which is odd because my skin eats a lot of perfumes, but it's never eaten one with dragon's blood. It's mostly the resin now, with the florals and a hint of musk, and the apple is present at the perfect level. Will definitely be getting a bottle.

Edited November 21, 2012 by bergamot_bliss

[Jazzi]

So, so, so excited to try this one~! I love apple scents and dragon's blood.

 

My first sniff of the imp smells like big, bright, juicy red apples. Next I get florals, ew, but okay. No hint of the dragon's blood yet.

 

On my skin, it's like a battle between yummy apples and less-than-yummy florals. I'm really going to have to develop my ability to discern between flowers because all read as "white" and "flower shop/funeral parlor" to my nose. The apple is delicious enough that I might keep it around anyway, though, so ...

 

Hey, wait. Where'd it go? I was just about to comment about how there was some sort of warmth in the background, probably musk and dragon's blood, and now there's virtually nothing left. It's just a little bit of floral musk I have to press my nose to my arm to smell. Disappointing. Re-applying to see what happens.

 

Again, apples with something I don't like as much in the background--floral and musk, maybe? I'm not sure how I feel about musk just yet. Actually, the more I smell it, it's definitely floral, and it's not that I don't like it. I just wish it would go away and leave the apple alone. Or ... Apparently this is a scent I'm having trouble making up my mind about. I'm starting to like the florals there. They make it smell like a real, fresh apple skin rather than a Jolly Rancher. Even if they do tend to take over.

 

3/5 for me. I'm not quite sure if I'll keep this around for spring (it's definitely not a cold weather scent) or pass it. Probably the latter.

[GoddesShel]

How did I not review this? I *adore* Ladon. I get fresh, juicy apple, with hyacinth (one of my all time favorites). This is one of my all time favorite spring scents, because of the hyacinth. (Why don't I have more hyacinth blends?) Dragon's blood resin is always good with me anyway, so this one is pure win!