Dragon's Milk

[angelamaria]

A truly fae nectar! Dragon’s blood resin and honeyed vanilla.

In imp: hmm. Resiny milk? I can get a bit of the vanilla, but it's not much to my nose.

Wet on skin: huhhh. This is surprisingly sweet! It's almost candylike, but rather ethereal. I can get at a hint of the resin at the end. Honey honey honey--very sweet, very creamy. It's not so much "vanilla" as cream to me, it melds well with the other notes here. As it dries, I'm also getting a bit of cherry. Huh where did that come from?

Dry: sweet cherry! Very sweet, and unexpected, and quite nice and yummy. It's slightly powdery at the start, and I thought that it was nice at this stage, but soon (about 2-3 hours later) it's gone all powder: a sweet, almost cherry-like powder but...it's still powder.

Verdict: aww, I really liked this one. It's frustrating how it's disappeared into slightly-cherry-smelling baby powder. Edited July 4, 2011 by angelamaria

[arrow]

I'm really pleased I took a chance and ordered a full bottle of this. It's one of the few blends that I loved instantly from the moment I dabbed it on my wrist (most blends for me are growers, not show-ers!).

 

It starts out ridiculously heady and full. I am getting a floral feel, but I don't know what florals they could be. They usually give me a headache but this is fine. What I assume is the dragon's blood resin adds a richness and depth, and the honey is thick-- not like runny honey but deep, almost spreadable honey. I could see this going to cherry cough drop on someone else's chemistry, but I guess I'm just lucky this time.

 

After a while the vanilla is starting to make an appearance, but it's so well blended I can hardly pick it out. It definitely has a vanilla feel, though.

 

The throw is excellent. I keep getting rich wafts and I've only applied a dab to one wrist!

 

This is not my usual type of blend as I like vanilla/patch/spice/food, but I think that's why I'm so thrilled. My collection had a gap that's been filled-- this is going to be my go-to blend for when I want something floral-esque. I'd wear this on a proper, nice date (as opposed to the snake oil/o combo I wear when, well, let's just say I don't have fancy restaurants in mind, rawr). I can't wait to see how it ages.

[KittyHawk]

Huh, I thought I had already reviewed Dragon's Milk but I guess I haven't. Here goes!

 

In the imp, it's very sweet and creamy; the honey note is prominent.

 

On my skin, this got *really* sweet. A little too sweet, actually. I understand why some forumites use DM to calm and relax themselves, but I couldn't get past the cloying sweetness. Dragon's Milk seems to me like Dana O'Shee's boozy, boisterous neighbor. It's certainly a beautiful scent, but it's not for me. I wonder if it's the dragon's blood resin that's ruining it for me or if it's just the honey... Hmmm, this calls for more Ars Draconis imps!

[melrose]

I really love this blend. From the listed notes, I thought it would be way too sweet. What I experience at drydown is cherry/vanilla (both the cherry and vanilla smell natural, not the horrible fake stuff you get in department stores), grounded by something that doesn't read honey to me, but is magnificent. It's a note of cold smokiness, as if someone started a fire on a concrete floor.

 

I'm not explaining this note well, but it's perfect. It grounds the cherry and vanilla, and DM may become my go-to sweet scent.

[WidgetAlley]

Somehow in, like, five or six years of BPAL it's taken me until now to try this!

 

Imp: Hunh. Almost medicinal, plastic cherry-honey-vanilla cough-drop smell. I'm not a big fan of dragon's blood, and I don't love most vanillas or honeys, so I'm not sure what I was expecting here. It smells like little-girl perfume to me.

 

Wet: Thick, floral vanilla with lots and lots of DB. It's a little spicier and lot less artificial now, and there's a fresh almost green honey underneath. Much more tolerable than in the vial although I still don't love it. The throw on this one is that weirdly slick sweet smell I sometimes get from DB and certain vanillas. Urgh.

 

Dry: Eventually the honey comes up and takes over and it's much nicer, but there's still that artificial DB and vanilla backing it. I can see how if you didn't have issues with DB and vanilla this would be a great, gently-spiced, warm and sweet scent, but it's definitely not for me. Glad to have tried it anyway!

[DeadlyNightshade]

It smells great in the bottle but when i put it on it turns sour.

I guess it's the honey?

[archergrl]

Wet: This is super strong on my skin and I don't like it but don't hate it. I do get a lil of the cherry people are mentioning.

 

Dry: No more hint of cherry. Kinda hard to describe but yum and comforting. I REALLY like this one dry.

 

Still need to try it in my scent locket. Maybe I will get a full bottle if I still like it as much when I finish the imp.

[stellamaris]

This is fine but I still like Dragon's Reverie better.

[Alia Kaitan]

From an imp, from a kind forumite.

 

In the imp this smelled like really nice, milky... soap. Yep, soap. I was a little worried, because I've had a few other dragon's blood scents go completely soapy on me.

 

Wet, yay, the soap vanished almost instantly! It started to go sweet, then sweeter... and at the apex of wetness smelled a lot like that vanilla cherry coke that was out a few years back. (Maybe still is, I dunno, anyway...). Not an overbearing vanilla cherry coke smell, mind you, but a very pleasant one, if you're into smelling like a soft drink.

 

Dry, thank goodness, whatever was giving it the cola smell has backed off. Now I am getting a resiny, slightly dry vanilla with a subtle cherry note and a sweetness like natural, raw honey: ie, not oversweet, but thick and delicious and creamy. Very cozy, definitely a 'cuddle me' scent.

 

Am just starting on trying vanilla scents, so not sure how this will compare in the long run, but my imp is certainly a keeper.

 

Emoticon rating:

[sharkdiver]

I am wearing this one today, and oh my it's so gorgeous!! The bottle I have is fresh, and I already love it...I can't imagine how awesome this will be aged!!

[MadameFaye84]

*Claps hands in excitement.* Oh this is sweet yet creamy enough for me to wear . Very easily conjures up images of a Dragon's Blood. I only got this as an imp and will so be getting a bottle of this <33.

[MadameFaye84]

Oopsy! Sorry for the double post.

Edited February 4, 2012 by MadameFaye84

[becca_s]

I really wanted to get honeyed vanilla from Dragons Milk but all I get is Dragons Blood resin and it smells artifial and weird on me. I faintly get a little bit of honey in the background, the same kind of honey that's in O. I am still searching for a vanilla that works on me

Edited March 6, 2012 by becca_s

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Sweet and warm. Vaguely fruity.

 

Drydown: Tootsie Rolls. I'm not kidding! It's tootsie rolls for a good ten minutes, then it morphs into vanilla'ed dragon's blood. Sweet, warm, creamy, spicy, and smoky.

 

Drydown: Pretty much the same but with extra vanilla. I'd say it's 60% vanilla, 40% dragon's blood.

 

 

 

 

6.5 out of 10 bones

Edited August 27, 2013 by BoneBone24

[Rho]

I love this one as a skin scent and as a room scent. Just good stuff!

 

On me, it opens as a cherry lollipop: tangy, hard, and smooth. It's super sweet and ever so slightly spiced for interest. It carries on like this for hours on my skin, and it's rather delightful.

 

Down the road, Dragon's Milk leave behind a vanillic spice that just works wonders as a "my skin but better/sweeter" vibe. Completely awesome for me, and my favorite from the Ars Draconis line so far.

[mimieux]

I'm a sucker for Dragon's Blood so I wasn't surprised that I liked this. I've loved all the Ars Draconis blends, but this one made me want to drink the damn bottle. Seriously. I s'pose that's why she so aptly named it Dragon's Milk because I want to chug something that smells like this. Love it.

[ami226]

On the skin: This is very sweet! A hint of powderiness, but mostly I smell honey sweet tarts? Smells kinda good! Not sure if it is me...

 

After a bit, all I can smell is sweet dragon's blood. It doesn't quite turn to suntan lotion like normal, but it definitely isn't for me.

[captnklaus]

I think the lab read my mind. I had been thinking about how I wanted to try a vanilla scent, since I didn't have any, and then this one appeared as a frimp with my bottle order This is also my first Dragon's Blood blend.

 

 

My first impression sniffing it in the imp: vanilla and kinda floral, though maybe that's the cherry others are getting?

 

On my skin, this turns into warm, creamy vanilla, honey (which I recently discovered works nicely on me), and spice. Very yum!

I don't get the medicinal cherry I read a bit about in some reviews, thankfully.

 

I must say, I quite like this one. Dragon's Milk is so sweet, warm, and comforting, that the boy and I felt extra lovable while I was wearing it ;3 And it lasts a good long while! Overall, I like it and will be using my imp. We'll see whether or not I decide to get a bottle.

[catalyst]

I like dragon's blood all right in other things, but this was just weird. Milky and sweet and just... weird. But then I don't like food ones. I did give this one to a friend who does like food ones, and she loved it. Not for me.

[yakiguri]

If I hadn't tried Ae. Aegypti before this, I'd love Dragon's Milk. However, since I did, I have to say I prefer the mosquito over the dragon. I'm not too big a fan of dragon's blood, so the extra bits in Aegypti help make the dragon's blood more subtle than it is in Dragon's Milk. Both have that dragon's blood + honeyed vanilla vibe, but again, the dragon's blood is more subtle in Aegypti. Not that Dragon's Milk is bad, Aegypti just has a tad bit more oomph that skirts it just ahead. When I run out though I'll definitely buy Dragon's Milk.

 

EDIT: I think my skin chemistry was a little off when I first tried this, as testing again this morning I get more of the creamy, milky vanilla, and the dragon's blood and honey are softer and more subtle. At this point I'd say, thanks to finally getting the cream note, that Dragon's Milk and Ae. Aegypti are definitely different enough to justify having both. However, if you already own Dragon's Milk and O, the two of them together would probably make a close approximation of Ae. Aegypti minus the mosquito's gardenia note.

Edited June 16, 2012 by thatbrownelf

[lavenderfrost]

In The Imp: Tintagel meets Snake Oil? Minus the woodsy-leathery-berry-wine stuff? Clearly Igraine wanted to get a litttle freaky that night too, not just Uther.

 

Immediate Application: Oh, hey Dragon's Blood - what's up? Mind giving me some space, here? *WHEEZE*

 

30-45 Minutes Later: Softer Dragon's blood.

 

Couple Of Hours Later: The honeyed vanilla finally pokes through. This stage is kind of nice, but I dunno if it's worth the OMG DRAGON'S BLOOD phase.

 

Verdict: Meh. I'd like it better if the dry-down phase came sooner. May be up for swaps. Hey - at least it was a frimp!

[Alethia]

Thoughts before testing: I've seen this blend talked about a lot and figured it was high time I tested it! I love vanilla and honey, but am not so sure about the dragon's blood resin.

 

Wet: Honey and vanilla, just a hint of something spicy/incensey/resiny. This is surprisingly nice!

 

Dry down: Oooh. I see why this is a favorite. It's right up my alley: creamy, spicy, and slightly sweet.

 

Dry: I'm loving this! Still very creamy, smooth, spicy, and sweet, but it's not foody.

 

Final thoughts: This was a surprise love for me, but I've got a lot of creamy-spice scents, so I'll have to do some death matching to see how this stands.

 

Verdict: This goes to the death matches!

[boomtownrat]

Dragon's Milk: in a battle between three notes that my skin has been known to amp, which note shall be the victor? Let's introduce the known competitors.

 

Honey: One of the best smells my skin has ever known, it's never cloying when I wear it. Even during Shark Week, it smells delicious.

Vanilla: Prior to my acquaintance with The Lab, Vanilla was already one of my skin's favourite scents. I love it with musks, resins, florals, fruit, wood... anything.

Dragon's Blood Resin: A newer contender, this is a scent that my skin is still just getting to know. It smells almost like a deep pink floral on me.

 

The winner every time I've worn Dragon's Milk has been DBR. (That goes for anything containing DBR that I've worn so far.) This stuff must be powerful indeed, to so easily overpower both honey and vanilla. Occasionally the honeyed vanilla is a little stronger in the mix and it's closer to what I want, but there doesn't seem to be a pattern. A few hours later, the DBR fades and vanilla is most prominent.

 

When I tested a friend's Dragon's Milk imp of unknown vintage back in May, it smelled so good I thought it might actually knock Snake Oil from the top of my list. That Dragon's Milk made me swoon! I won an eBay auction for a bottle of Dragon's Milk (also unknown vintage) about a week later. My bottle smells much more DBR-heavy than that imp so maybe it's newer or there was some kind of batch variation. It's not that Dragon's Milk doesn't smell good, but it's not what I had hoped it would be. My friend's imp is probably at least two years old because she has been on a BPAL-buying hiatus, so I'm hoping this bottle will age into something closer to what she let me test.

 

Having said all that, Dragon's Milk is lovely and I wear it often. I think it will layer well with Blossoms in Springtime -- that might actually be pretty close to what the sample of my friend's imp smelled like on me.

 

ETA on 4/28/13: The Lab recently included a frimp of this with an order and it smells closer to what I remember from testing my friend's imp. I'm now inclined to think it was a batch variation, because my friend's imp was aged, my bottle is who knows how old, and the imp is now only about a month old. The vanilla and honey are still not as strong as the DBR, but at least now it's not The DBR Show.

Edited April 28, 2013 by boomtownrat

[whitsunweddings]

In the imp: Sweet vanilla and spices. Quite a bit like Snake Oil.

Wet: Perhaps a slightly fruiter Snake Oil?

Dry: Yeah, this is like Snake Oil's hyper little sister - fruiter and sweeter. I'd be perfectly happy with a bottle of either

[mymymai]

In the Imp (ITI): Smokey dragon's blood resin is present, although a bit overshadowed, by the honeyed vanilla. It's certainly intriguing, though.

 

Wet: Think honey and amber with a faint touch of smoke from the Dragon's Blood resin.

 

Dry: Delicious resin and a combination of honey and vanilla that makes to resin alluring and manageable.