Saturday, January 27, 2007

Cartier Le Baiser du Dragon

I speak of this gem with a sense of longing and intrigue. Although it is not wearable to me as of this moment I hope to grow into it some day. You see, I bought a bottle at the prompting of a very pushy SA at Neiman Marcus. She hailed from France, had the loveliest accent, took one look at me and said you must wear Le Baiser du Dragon. Was it the red hair that tipped her off? Or the combination of modern and exotic elements I was wearing? The whole way home with the lovely Neiman Marcus bag next to me, I sniffed my wrist and begged the question, "Is this really me?" Unfortunately after 24 hours I came to the conclusion it is not and I returned it for a more floral, less heady concoction.

Cartier is known the world over for fabulous watches and jewelry. This designer has also fared quite well in perfumerie. My introduction to Cartier perfumerie was Must de Cartier, which as a seventeen-year-old girl I purchased with babysitting money and proudly wore to school. (It must have been the French influence I experienced just five years prior!) Even at that ripe age, I thoroughly enjoyed wearing scents none of my contemporaries were remotely aware of. And believe me, in the tiny little town I lived, Cartier wasn't even sold. I had luckily purchased it on a trip to visit family in Chicago.

Back to my fascination with Baiser, the reason it still has a hold on me is that I would love to think I could wear a scent as bold, spicy and mysterious as this. The sales associate sure thought I could. Being the fruit, vanilla and white floral lover that I am, this strays far away from my comfort zone. According to The Style Group, Le Baiser du Dragon is "a fusion of powerful elements including notes of bitter almond, gardenia, cedar, musk, and patchouli." Powerful. Now there is a word. Perhaps I haven't truly embraced my inner power? Perhaps that explains my general "playing small" in the corporate world? Perhaps if I took a risk and wore this fragrance, avenues would open up for me? It is definitely a thought worth exploring. I will keep you posted.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this fragrance and the type of woman you picture wearing it!

Update! May 6, 2007: This past week I accepted a job offer doing what I love for a fantastic, cutting edge company. I finally took the bull by the horns and embraced the power to change my circumstances after staying in an oppressive work environment for years. Isn't it interesting that within this time frame I decided to give Le Baiser another spin? This time, its sophisticated sensuality shone through and I broke down to purchase the Parfum. Moral of the story - keep trying a fragrance that intrigues you. You never know when it will become you, or when you will become it.


Image source: aromat.ru

A 1.6 oz. EDT retails for $70.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I bought this for my girl friend - $200 without her ever smelling it. I thought if she did not like it - I would. She loves it. Every now and then I sneak a some. USMale

Indrani said...

Hi, I was passing through when I saw your old review. I feel the same way about Le Baiser. I love it, but have been daunted by the fact that even the EDT seems to wear me. I'd love to get this as a gift for someone, and was wondering about the longevity of the scent in various concentrations. You seem to have tried different concentrations, so perhaps you are a good person to ask.