Ladon

[juniperus]

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

bottle: very golden delicious apple, tree and all
wet: the florals are more apparent behind the fresh apple
dry: I can barely discern the resin, it's still very much apple and blossoms
later: the same...nice, but more apple than I can really manage well

[sedona]

In the imp - Lovely dark peach oil and whoa sniff 100% fruit.

 

Wet - The fruit are apples, of course. This is a delicate scent and no matter how I inhale I don't get any Dragon's Blood, which I adore.

 

Drydown - The apple in this almost smells like apple peelings, zingy and tart but with the promise of what's underneath just beckoning. It isn't morphing at all as it dries. I'm not familiar with hyacinth but there is a floral which I assume is that and it's rather lovely.

 

I like Ladon but it fades very quickly on my skin One for the locket if I ever get around to choosing one!

[neuilly]

This is mostly fake apple on me...more like apple candy flavoring then the genuine thing. Looks like Hesperides is still my big apple frontrunner. After a couple of hours the white musk and hyacinth take over which is lovely but...only at the end so I guess this goes into the swap pile!

[PurpleHeather]

In the bottle: Sort of sweetly spicy, nice and fruity.

 

Wet:Kind of smells like cider. Not bad, since I'm testing this one at a folk festival. Sort of spicy apple.

 

Dry: Has gone talcy very quickly, like old lady apple sweets, or apple soap. Must be the hyacinth - flowers don't seem to work on me at all; maybe I'll try The Hesperides for an apple scent that might not go to soap. Poos. This one's probably a swapper.

[Naamah_Darling]

Ladon is apple and musk and dragon's blood in the bottle, but it's a light, white musk more like Dorian's than like the thick musk of Dragon's musk.

 

It's amazing how much variety a basic scent like musk can have – the odor of the darkest musk is hardly like the odor of the palest at all, and while red musk is unmistakeably musky, one would never mistake it for white musk or for black musk.

 

Anyway, this is mostly apple and dragon's blood, with a slight drift of musk. It has a lot of throw once it's applied and is a sweet, almost candylike apple odor with a nice layer of cool, light florals. The juiciness of the dragon's blood keeps it from becoming powdery at all, and instead keeps it sticky and cool. It's a lovely scent, a bit reminiscent of Bilquis and Les Bijoux, as far as the apple is concerned.

 

The end of it is musk and flowers, with a hint of spicy dragon's blood. Very nice.

[Trish]

In the imp: Sweet apples and soft dragon's blood.

 

Wet: Uh.. nothing. Well, nearly nothing, there's just a tiny hint of apple on my wrist.

 

Drydown: Huh? Usually dragon's blood takes off on my skin, but I can still barely smell it! There's just a very light apple with a tiny drop of dragon's blood and that's all. I can only smell it if I put my nose right up to my wrist and concentrate. *walks outside briefly* Oh hang on, there is a little throw that's light dragon's blood. And now it's starting to get a little stronger on my wrist as well. Light dragon's blood, sweet apple and there's a hint of a floral emerging.

 

Dry: This does gradually warm up and strengthen and it was worth the wait! It's primarily apple blossom with a little sweet apple and light musk. The dragon's blood gives it warmth and depth, but stays very much in the background. Definitely the softest and lightest of all the Ars Draconis blends I have tried (which is all bar two). It does have good throw now but it's certainly not overpowering, although the dragon's blood is far more noticeable in the throw than on my skin. Ladon is a very pretty and soft hundred-headed dragon!

 

After a while the dragon's blood does become more apparent, but it's still quite soft and subdued with the other notes on top.

 

This is a keeper alright and it may be a bottle eventually. In fact change that may to a more than likely - every minute I wear this I like it more. It's also made me very interested in trying other apple scents since this was my first.

Edited July 11, 2007 by Trishek

[arichan]

For now, this'll have to be an "In the imp" only review, since I'm already wearing Bengal, and have way too many imps to decide which to slather on without them overwhelming each other .

 

So, just sniffing this blindly (I never remember what things I ordered were supposed to smell like until I go back and look it up), my initial reaction was "WTF cantelope?" Mostly because I really, really hate cantelope, and never would've ordered something with a cantelope note. After going back and reading the description and remembering why I ordered it (because I love The Hesperides...bought a big bottle on this order), I...still smell cantelope primarily. Dunno if it's the dragon's blood or the white musk playing tricks, but it's just not happening for me. I'll have to bite the bullet and try it on to see if my mind is changed.

[gwynhwyfar]

*swoons* I am officially in love with all BPAL dragon's blood blends. This one is another winner for me ... this is all rich and spicy dragon's blood with a strong apple base, at least for me. I can't WAIT to age this and see what happens to it when it's a little bit older. I'm hoping that the other notes get to come out and play but even if they don't, I love the spice-sweet-resin with apples scent.

 

This is definitely not a subtle blend, though.

[TheIceMaiden]

Apple scents usually make me think of autumn, but Ladon is very summery - it must be due to the florals. Wet, this is apple blossom and hyacinth, very fresh and lovely. As it dries, apple mixes with the florals. I don't get much dragon's blood until the full drydown. It blends well with the apple. There's a hint of white musk that holds everything together. Gorgeous!

[JenM]

In the imp: a lurid reddy orange that is the exact colour of what we used to call “essence of nuclear oil” at a local Chinese restaurant. Smell: a rather nice floral, blossoms rather than full-blown flowers. Very spring-like.

 

On the wrist: A bit echoey, as if there’s a hole where the main scent should be. Not astringent, not antiseptic, just…a hole. I think it’s meant to be apple, looking at the description, but my skin is doing something funny to it.

 

Dry: left wrist: quite lovely. A bit like I remember Cacharel’s scent Anais Anais smelling. Right wrist: still has that hole.

 

An hour: a hint of something like lilac. I love lilac.

 

Two hours: can’t differentiate the scents any more, but this is a lovely floral. 7/10

[hackess]

Imp: Apple, very sweet and crisp.

Wet: I still get a lot of perfetly ripened red apple, the richness of dragon's blood just under the surface.

Dry: Sweet apple blossom and creamy hyacinth. Very pretty and springy. This dragon has been hanging out in the orchard for a very long time.

[hushmesilent]

AHHHHHHHHHHH, Autumn! This smells JUST like a cider mill! Very evocative. Leaves changing, picknig apples.. this is kind of what your skin would smell like if you had spent all day in a cider mill. There's something down to earth and not overpowering about this.

 

So good.

[aquazoo]

The hyacinth comes up first. Now the other florals are coming in, and it's quite nice. It's tied together well, without the notes battling each other. Yum, very pretty!

[taramarie]

Ladon on me is plumeria (because of the dragon's blood) and apple blossom. I'm not getting any of the other notes. It's light and very pretty. I'm hoping age will bring out more notes.

[MaidenGenevive]

Ladon

 

First sniff - fresh cut apple and apple blossom. It warms up, but it's a quiet so that it compliments and doesn't dominate. The hyacinth arises; what a strong distinct floral. One of my favorite florals, it's much heartier (both physically, and in scent) than lilac, but certainly scent-related. I grew up with lilac bushes near my house, and later on mom planted hyacinth near the house, so these scents have a strong pull for me. The apple is present, but it doesn't have the presence that it did initially. Which is too bad, it was gorgeous and I wouldn't have minded if it played a more dominate note.

 

[1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love]

 

4 : This is a floral that I enjoy! (Those are few and far between, it seems.) It's definitely one of the heavier florals that I've liked so far.

[ophidiae]

The only scent I've tried with Dragon's Blood is Dragon's Milk, and that smelled like soap on me. Ladon was a frimp included with my last purchase, but I thought I would give it a go to see if my experience with Draon's Milk was a fluke.

 

IN THE BOTTLE: Mostly apples.

 

WET ON SKIN: Apple, with a hint of soap.

 

DRYDOWN: Soap, with a hint of apple.

 

DRY: Nothin' but soap.

 

So, not a fluke after all. Ophidiae + Dragon's Blood = Soap.

[ravenfeathers]

in the bottle gorgeous, feminine, maybe a tiny bit sharp.

wet on skin still very beautiful. the individual notes don't really do much here, it's all about the overall blend and it's fantastic.

dry on skin i'm getting a bit more musk on the drydown, but the apple stays strong and fruity. this scent just screams "girl". it's not my perfect apple, but it's already a favourite.

[hkhm]

imp: apple! i'm a nut for apples anyway (poisoned apple and the hesperides are two of my favourites) but this is truly fantastic. i've placed it at the top of my bottle list and it will be in the next order.

 

wet: apple with just a touch of hyacinth. this is apple blossom heaven. i could bathe in this scent. [/gush]

 

dry: sweet, apply florals. let's see... i'll need at least two bottles added to my next order...

 

[erraticprophet]

Initial Impression: sweet, fruity floral

 

On Wet: candied apples

 

On Dry: more apple-y, still sweet

 

Final Impression: reminds me of a juicy red apple

 

Rating (on a scale of 1-5): 4.5

[Torrain]

In bottle: dragon's blood and apple.

 

On skin: something floral starts coming out. Hyacinth, I think; pretty sure that's not apple blossom.

 

3 min: apple starting to come out a little. *Maybe* the musk. Tiny bit of musk. *Tiny.*

 

7 min: Seven minutes in and I'm not getting *any* dragon's blood. How weird. It's a hyacinthine floral musk, with a trace of apple.

 

20 min: more of same. Apple's maybe a tiny touch stronger.

 

30 min: there *is* dragon's blood in this, right? *goes to check ingredient list on BPAL site and label on imp* ...yeah. Okay. Weird.

 

40 min: *finally.* Small hint of dragon's blood under the the floral musk.

 

50 min: ...aaaand a small hint is all it is. White musk and floral hyacinth, somewhat warm. And it just sits and stays that way until fade. It's a nice smell, but it's striking me as undistinguished, and I've had much better luck with other BPAL scents.

 

However, the utter lack of dragon's blood did seem odd; it usually comes out much better on me. I'll try it again in a couple of weeks, and edit this if my results change.

 

Love and coffee,

Frances

[septima_pica]

(Kalirren's review)

 

The apples in this all seem to come out at the beginning, and then it's pretty much hyacinth for the first ten minutes or so. A little whisper of dragon's blood comes out, and then it starts to pulse -- goes up and down in intensity, which is what it usually does. It's a strange note -- very different reactions on different people. All the florals and fruit soon volatilize completely, which leaves the pulsating dragon's blood as the only thing going on. After a while there's nothing left but a faint hint of white musk -- there aren't any base notes here to anchor the dragon's blood. A pleasant floral, but not terribly interesting in the final accounting.

[tziporra]

My grandparents ran an apple orchard, and growing up I worked there every fall. My favorite variety of apple they grew was called "Ozark Gold", an amazingly delicious juicy (like an apple well) cross between a Golden Delicious and a MacIntosh (there are many of these crosses, by the way, none as good as an Ozark Gold, but very fine in their way if you can't have an Ozark Gold, which you can't, because I've never seen a tree anywhere but my grandparents' orchard, and they took them out long ago).

 

Ladon in the bottle and wet reminds me very much of my first long-awaited bite of Ozark Gold of the season. And the apple note lasts about as long as the Ozark Gold harvest as well (about ten minutes, seriously.... the most delicious apples are NOT the most commercially viable, and I'm convinced the only reason the Ozark Gold trees lasted as long as they did was because I was so enamored of the fruit).

 

The drydown is lovely and sweet on me... hyacinth and white musk with a teensy tinsy drop of Dragon's Blood. It's not the Dragon's Blood scent I'm looking for (richer, deeper, spicier), and the aftermath is more spring than fall which does funny things to my scent memory of apple seasons working the Orchard that I'm not quite ready for. So no, this doesn't go on my buy list (which isn't surprising, because it turns out that things I describe as "light", "pretty", "springlike", and "fresh" aren't things I actually want to wear), but I am very grateful for the opportunity of trying it (thank you Shollin for enabling me with the imp!).

 

Although I'm sure the notes aren't at all the same, this also has the same "feel" for me as Bath & Body Works Pear Blossom (which I'm also not enamored of, but my family keeps buying for me in bulk and I can't find a B&BW scent right now I am crazy about - peony, I miss you so - so I end up using by the gallon whether I like it or not), so if you are a fan of that you might give this a shot.

 

Best,

 

Tzi

(Apparently it's my day of many parentheses. Too much math tutoring will do that to a writer, you know)

 

ETA: Hours later Ladon was an incredibly dreamy blend of hyacinth and musk. It has nothing in it that <i>grabs</i> me, which is what I'm looking for in a fragrance, but it is so beautiful on my skin. Maybe this will work for me at some other time in my life? Maybe it's just too much spring to contemplate in January? In any event, although I won't be ordering a bottle, I definitely need to get ahold of my own imp.

Edited January 11, 2008 by tziporra

[gchris]

In Vial: rotton apples

 

Wet: Sweet red apples with the rotton smell fading (thankfully!)

 

Drydown: I smell red apple with floral. It's nice, pretty. A nice fruit scent that is not citrusy. The visual I'm getting is one of walking through a beautiful garden eating a ripe red apple.

 

Evoking Color: Ivory

[fountaingrl]

What a pleasant surprise this turned out to be! Normally dragon's blood does not behave with my chemistry. Nor does apple! If I had known the notes in this before trying it, or if it had the word "draconis" or "dragon" or "apple" on the imp tag, it would have gone off to swap untested and that would be sad.

 

Immediately on skin this smells like fresh cut melons on me! Not apple. It takes maybe 3 or 4 minutes for the smell to warm up and the crisp, slightly tart apple to come forward (melon note disappears).

 

Then on drydown? Good heavens GUH, this has the same musk note on me as OISIN, but with apples! It is a slightly sweet, comforting, almost fuzzy musk with a bit of floral and apples!

 

I have no idea where the dragon's blood went, or if it just is kept under control with the musk and hyacinth (I love hyacinth!), but I don't care. As long as it plays nice, it's all good.

 

This just jumped to the top of my GC bottle wishlist. Me! The "hates dragons blood" and "hates all fruit notes" girl! What is the world coming to? I iz so confused now.

[donnatron]

This was a freebie in my last order and I'm very glad the lab tossed it in. I'm not a fruit scent girl and the thought of apple perfume took me right back to Calgon body sprays and junior high.

 

Imp: Sharp and a bit unpleasant. Smells like semi-rotted crab apples. A bit boozy. I didn't think I would like it.

 

Wet: That same rotted scent but sweeter. Booziness is gone.

 

Dry: Bellisama! The dragon's blood comes out to play and there's both a very gentle apple blossom scent and a crisp golden apple sort of scent. Very feminine and lush smelling. It didn't last very long on me (curse my dry skin!) but I could see this being a very beautiful spring/summer scent. It makes me think of a lover's lane on the edge of an orchard.

 

Throw: Definitely a lean-in sort of scent. I might try mixing it with a carrier to see if I can get that beautiful drydown to last longer.

 

Conclusion: It doesn't have that big, musky/incense-y scent I usually go for, but it's a very pretty and unusual scent. I don't think I need a big bottle but I'll be hanging onto my imp until the snow melts.

 

ETA: Well, call me a dirty liar. It's a few hours later and I can still smell this on my wrists. I'm a bit of a slatherer, but the throw and length of scent is a lot better than I initially anticipated. Yay, skin for not eating this one up!

Edited February 18, 2008 by paperrose