Dragon's Eye

[ashtonrose]

A piercing, radiant perfume: dragon's blood resin, lily of the valley, lilac and galbanum.

I swapped for this one. Mostly because I hadn't purchased an Ars Draconus scent. I like the freshness of the scent, but it was more of a house scent to me. This is one that I have to say was too much Lily of the Valley for me.

I have made melting waxes from this scent and they diluted the Lily of the Valley enough to make the house smell fresh and clean.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Oh, gorgeousness! Thanks to Minilux for this giftie, since I wouldn't have thought to try it (me: "what the hell does an *eye* smell like??"). I should have read the description--I adore lily of the valley and also lilac, and this oil overflows with both. The dragon's blood resin keeps the flowers from being "old lady" (their unfair reputation) and sexes things up. This will be the springtime version for all of those (including me) who loved Dragon's Milk for cold weather--this is just as distinctive and beautiful, replacing the foodiness with floral.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Lagniappe from the Lab.

 

First sniff:

 

Dragon's blood and lilac. Lilac is one of the few flowers I love the smell of and I adore dragon's blood, so this may work for me even though I generally avoid floral perfumes. Ths is vaguely spicy but with the unmistakeable sent of lilacs underneath it....it's an unmistakeable combination to be sure, but I'm not quite sure if I'm going to love this or hate it.

 

Wet on skin:

 

The dragon's blood is much more prominent now that Dragon's Eye is on my skin. The lilac is still there in the background, but it's much less prominent than it was in the bottle. I really prefer this to the way Dragon's Eye smelled in the imp. Even though I love lilac, I didn't really really care for strong lilac and strong dragon's blood together. One or the other would be fine, but not both.

 

Dry down:

 

The lily of the valley is coming out now and competing with the lilac for dominance, with the dragon's blood in the background. I really don't care for lily of the valley, unfortunately. For some reason, it's always smelled matronly to me and I don't really care for smelling like someone's grandmother. I have a feeling it's my body chemistry amping up the flowers in this blend, which makes me sad since I wanted to love it.

 

The bottom line:

 

Too floral for me although the wet stage is nice. I'm just not a floral kind of girl, unfortunately. Off to swaps with it!

[Gin]

I'm not sure I smell the dragon's blood resin here at all. This goes on very sharply floral--maybe that's the lily of the valley? It's almost unpleasantly sharp on me. However, when it dries, this is a lovely floral. The lilac comes to the forefront, without being too loud or obvious. Not at all what I expected! I think I may have to get a larger bottle because this is wonderful.

[Unseelie]

very perfumy, the spice of dragon's blood wafts though the floral notes. wet it's very sharp, all sharpness; fancy heels and laquered nails, hair swept back tight and flashing glasses. very tangy at this stage, although just 10 minutes into it i realize it smells like something very familiar, look it up trying to place it. at 15 minutes dry the flowers are winning, softening it up, but are still turned a lovely unexpected direction by the dragon's blood; the lilac wants to go to soap but the dragon's blood is having none of it. this is just so cool.. it also reminds me of Dior's Poison, and reading the ingredients the common one is galbanum(sp).. that plus the lilly, being nearly orchid/opponax-ish, that kind of sweet cloying floral in Poison.. yeah, that's where it's coming from, a close combination.

 

half an hour now, i'm getting more of a soapy effect now from the spiced lilac, and want to put this on a boy at work.. very badly.. maybe tomorrow.

 

this would make a wonderful perfume for office/work wear, or cold lifeless environments where you really want to put a kick in the air as you pass; it will pass "professional" requirements, but still zing em. final brief: a deeply spiced floral, warm and clean.

Edited August 20, 2005 by Shollin

[LiberAmoris]

Dragon's Eye was all lilac on me with nothing else discernable. Unfortunately lilac is one of those notes that my skin amps up until it drowns out everything else. I enjoy lilac, but I prefer florals that are tempered by other notes or that are more complex.

 

The comparisons other reviewers have made to sexpot 50s fragrances are dead on, though. Dragon's Eye and a little red lipstick could get a girl into the right kind of trouble.

[Dinah]

This is a very strong scent, just as piercing as it says in the description.

 

It's almost pure lily of the valley and lilcas on me (I guess that's why it reminds me a bit of soap...) but there is something in the back that tempers it after a while and makes it less harsh. I guess that'd be the resin? I honestly can't tell.

 

It's a pretty scent and I felt great just smelling it (I have pollen allergy and just being able to breathe those spring flowers in without getting an asthma attack made me feel absolutely blissful) but it's not a scent I would want to have wafting around me the whole day, especially since it stays a pure floral on my skin.

[shelldoo]

hmmmph this is all floral on me when it was wet i could detect the sweet candy like smell of dragon's blood but when she dried it was all floral

[ChupaChup]

Dragon's Eye was a gift from the lab, thanks guys . This was really strong dragon's blood at first then it became a lovely floral, mostly lily of the valley which I love. As the florals toned down, it reminded me a lot of Dragon's Milk, but as it dried down farther, the lilac came out more. Lilac smells a little bitter and unpleasant on me so in the end this blend is going up for swaps.

[Barb25]

At first, Dragon's Eye went very resiny and metallic on me. Not good at all.

 

After about 10 minutes, the metallic scent died down, and it turned into an absolutely amazing, gorgeous creamy floral. Absoultely heavenly! The dragon's blood is still there, but faintly in the background. It is a wonderful spring scent.

 

I might even like this one better than Dragon's Heart. Not sure yet though.

[anmorata]

Dragon's Eye:

 

Hello, Lilac! While I could smell the Dragon's Blood Resin tones upon application, this quickly turned to lilac and stayed that way. Not bad.. apparently, lilac works well with my body chemistry. Not an everyday scent, but lovely nonetheless.

[couscous]

I also got almost pure lilac from this scent . Lilacs are dusty, soft, dry flowers, and I like to think of lilac as my rose substitute since I strongly dislike the smell of roses. If you get your nose right up to the skin, you can definitely detect some resin-y sweetness, but you really, really have to work on it.

 

I'm not really a floral girl, but today, only a few days after I noticed my lilac tree budding, it feels completely appropriate. I feel girlish and sunshine-y.

 

Good for springtime/summer, and good for professional/interview sitautions, as well.

 

For those who aren't sure whether they like lilacs, you can smell them in BPAL's Cordelia.

[omly]

At first the dragon's blood is very strong. After dry down it pulls back a little bit. Then the lilac comes out. This reminds me of early summer/late spring at my childhood home with the lilac's all in bloom.

[joseybird]

Hmmm...this smells almost exactly like pure Dragon's Blood to me =P I only get get deep resiny lilacs in Dragon's Blood, and the lilac is even stronger here. Purple flowery dragons? o_0;

[amberlox]

This has become a signature scent for me because of how fabulously it reacted with my skin chemistry and how mad it drives my boyfriend. Whenever I wear it he can't help but draw me close in his arms and tell me how "Pretty" I smell.

 

The note that stands out the most on me is fresh-cut lily of the valley. It smells, literally, like a bundle of dew-kissed, fresh-from-the-forest romantic lilies. The dragon's blood is faint but present and loves my skin!

 

The lily lasts and lasts and lasts. It only gets more beautiful the longer you wear it (if you're anything like me, that is) I did come up with the image of a flower like an iris (haha, punny) and it being in the center of an eye. This scent is pretty visual, you get the distinct visual of fresh-cut flowers.... and I can see how "dragon's eye" is the perfect name for it..... there is definitely an image of a great scaly dragon napping on a bed of wild flowers as sweet and as colorful as what is behind those great hooded eyes.

 

A++++ for this scent. I need to get a 10ml of it when I have the cash.

[UltraViolet]

In the bottle

Lilac

 

On

Strong Lilac scent. The lily is struggling to balance the lilac. I don't smell any Dragon's Blood really.

I have a feeling that when this dries it will be at it's best.

There's a note that is piercing and sort of green and strongly floral and I'm gonna assume it's the lily. The lily needs to back off a bit, he he.

 

30 minutes

It is at this point where it is really great. It still has throw, and it doesn't have as harsh of a green note, it's sweeter and more lilac-ish.

 

Throw:

Incredibly good throw. The throw is a heavenly scent as a matter of fact. It's much better then smelling it directly on the skin. Wow.

 

Scent category:

Floral/Resin

 

Summary

One of my favorite flowers is the Lilac so this was quite nice for me.

Initially it's almost too strong and headache inducing (my body chemistry does that with floral remember). But if one rides that out, it's a beautiful thing at the other end.

It reminds me of Lush's "Flying Fox" scent, it's Jasmine and it's so strong that you almost want to put it down, but it's so good that you can't stop inhaling it deeply. I think this would be a five star scent with some white sandalwood or maybe even white musk.

 

Purchase again?

Yes. An imp or maybe a 5ml

 

1-5 rating, 5 being best.

4

[tart]

Iris is the most prominent note in Dragon's Eye on my skin. The dragon's blood resin is hidden underneath, the way I remember it to be in Red Moon. The lilac comes out more as the scent dries, adding depth and a surprising warmth. Overall, the florals definitely make Dragon's Eye "piercing," as written in the description.

[Loligo]

Dragon's Blood itself smells like resinous lilacs on me, so I can't pick out a separate lilac note in this. In the bottle and at first, it smells like D.B. only with a fresh green note to it, too. A nice subtle variation, but then it starts to fade quickly and gets a soapy (nose-prickly) cast to it. I never picked up any hint of lily-of-the-valley, and come to think of it, I didn't in Hymn, either, so that must be a note that completely doesn't work on me.

 

I love straight-up D.B., and I was hoping this would be "D.B., only better", but it's quite the opposite, alas.

[gwynhwyfar]

My success with Dragon's Milk led me to trying out the other Ars Draconis scents where I had went 'well, that sounds nice except for the Dragon's Blood'.

 

In the bottle and wet: Again, dragon's blood. Sitting there and overwhelmingly screaming that it was there while I waited patiently to see what chemistry was going to occur.

 

This time, drydown got me a beautiful floral coming up to sit on the dragon's blood and moosh it into proper behavior. The floral smelled like pure spring -- strong lilac and lily under the lilac combining into a sweet and delicious scent, like I had a gathered armful of flowers that I could stuff my face into.

 

Then the oil dried and settled into what it was going to be while I had it on. A spicy and incensey floral, with a very sweet scent of lilac and more lilac and the resin sitting there underneath making sure that the florals stayed spicy. This gave me wrist-to-nose disease for most of the day and is also on my big-bottle want-list.

[Eros]

Wet, dragon's blood(which I love), but just a hint. As it dried I picked up a little bit of lilac but this has quickly turned into a strong, soapy smell, & its staying that way. Like the washing detergent aisle Unusual, as dragon's blood generally works on me. Oh well.

[gingersnapp]

This smelled very salty on me, too similar to Dragon's Tears. After a while, it did become more floral than aquatic, but I think I'll just stick with Dragon's Tears when I'm in that kind of mood.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Lilac

 

On Skin: This scent seems like it should be a violet color but it has the telltale red Dragon’s Blood resin tint. The lilac is strongest by far. Wow. But the Dragon’s Blood is right behind it… very resiny and powdery. The lily of the valley adds to the floral body, and the galbanum has a soft woody undertone. Very pretty and feminine.

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: My nose is broken. But I swear last time I smelled flowers sitting on a bed of dragon's blood, with a slight tang like in Dragon's Tears.

 

First on: As said by others, the lilac is definitely the most prominant scent. If I look for it I can find the dragon's blood, but mostly it's a floral blend.

 

Drydown: The tang has come back to where it's almost salty. It's Dragon's Tears with florals added. Nice blend, just not for me.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 3/5

Summarised in a word or two: Floral.

 

In the imp: Dragon's blood resin and soft lilac.

 

On skin, wet: Dominant notes are the dragon's blood resin (of course), lilac and a faint lily of the valley.

 

On skin, dry: Ooh, this is quite nice! Normally I don't like lily of the valley and lilac together, but the dragon's blood adds something beautiful to it.

 

Conclusion: I'm not sure if I'd ever *wear* this, but I like it all the same. Another great Ars Draconis scent.

Edited December 16, 2005 by Aredhel

[moukin]

I'm still experimenting with florals to see what I like and don't like. I'm not a very floral person generally, but I think I'll learn to like florals in some of these blends. I seem to like florals best when they are darkened and sweetened, like in Kali. (dark chocolate, wine, honey, and balsam are the notes aside from the florals)

 

 

All that said, when I opened Dragon's Eye and dabbed a bit on, I had to wash it off immediately. Dragon's Blood often tends to seem a bit floral to me and I guess paired with the actual florals, it was just too much. I think if I had worn it long, I would have gotten a headache from it.

 

I bet it's a lovely scent for many people, though.