Le Baiser Du Dragon

This was gifted to me by a dear older relative, and the first time I wore it decades ago a woman *sprinted* across the parking lot to ask me what it was after I'd walked by her. Thoroughly gorgeous, immersive and elegant.

I really get the almond and rose coming through on this fragrance. I will say that there is a dry spice that reminds me of Opium a little bit! It's a super sophisticated scent that I'm so happy to have in my collection. Worth the $$$!

This is wealth. It's always difficult to quantify the ephemeral nature of the intangible into the concrete realities of the day-to-day but that simple statement does serve as a solid starting point. Let's try some more: This is affluence. This is lineage. This is heritage. This is "I am walking on the prestigious Ivy League campus so that I may study in the library named after my great-great-great-great-grandfather." These are tattered, broken-in custom Deniro boots worn on an errand to the small "in town" boutique to pick up a new item specially ordered for me because I didn't have time to change. It's not a fragrance, it's a small olfactive window into a certain life. Let's be clear about the following: 1) "Well-constructed" does not automatically translate into cost where fragrance is concerned. Many people are paying a lot of money for cheaply produced, even more cheaply constructed niche perfumes because they are on-trend and for the sake of status. The first must be understood in order to digest number 2: 2) Most well-constructed fragrances will have some variation of the following: naturals in high proportion in addition to aromachemicals, a good understanding of the balance of citruses, solid basenotes (often multiple), and a powdery/musky/aldehydic finish. Why those finishes? Because, among certain portions of society, smelling like perfume is obtrusive and gauche. Therefore, the goal is not merely to wear a fragrance but instead to create an aura. Where does your skin end and the fragrance begin? Who can know these things? That is the point. Fragrance takes on a new goal. To intentionally present your best self under the most controlled and idealized circumstances. Escapism. Powder = clean skin, hygiene habits, good breeding, and an overall relaxed lifestyle. Musky = the authenticity of skin and humanity, intimacy, but in a controlled and intentional way. Aldehydes = clean soap, outdoor living. the sun, the sky, the exuberance of champagne, and the lilt of laughter. Cartier LBDD has all of that. Therefore, when I say that it is wealth, I mean that it has restraint and structure intermingled with a protective insularity that could be mistaken for escapism by 99% of the population. It is actually very gourmand, but in the way that a Montrachet might be described as having facets of Meyer lemon and salted butter. To most, it's still just a dry Chardonnay. This is not a safe blind buy because that vetiver can be a bit rough if you're not familiar with what vetiver can do. Get a sample and then, if it is to your liking, get a larger bottle. In terms of longevity and sillage? I have two 3.4-oz bottles, and I think I will be okay. I also have both the original 2000s version and one constructed in the 2010s. I prefer the original 2000s. The vetiver is toothy and bracing. Those who like their vetiver to play like a kitten rather than roar like a lion might prefer the more modern formulation. Both are excellent.

Le Baiser Du Dragon by Cartier is a first class european, french perfume. Elegance wrapped in almond, similar to the refinement experienced when sipping Sambucca or Amaretto after an elevated Italian meal. Sophistication at its best like the woman who knows how to wear it....simply not for every lady. Other perfumes in this league include Jasmin Noir by Bvlgari 🇮🇹 ! Both have been discontinued, sadly. Preceding these two, about four decades ago, Fendi, Gucci, YSL, and Chanel had perfumes similar to Baiser and Jasmin, but nowhere close to the beauty exuded. Simply a cut above. European standards.

Smells like baby powder directly off baby asscheeks

This is a compliment getting fall/winter staple in my wardrobe. The floral notes in the opening are prominent on my skin. Within an hour of wear, the amaretto, almond notes take over then eventually settles into a soothing and beautiful amber. It's the only perfume of which I have back up bottles.

I have had the privilege of being enveloped in this scent- it is a mythical olfactory journey- TIME TRAVEL to be exact. Dynasty old money.

I agree qith the reviewer below that this smells vintage - would definitely think more 90's than 2000's. Unusual perfume to wear nowadays, but pleasant. Summarized, this is a powdery vetiver. At first, this has a benzoin blast - very much like those perfumes that smell of vintage soap. When that calms down. To me, the vetiver stands out - it's citrucy and woodsy, not sure if it's the cedar that makes it citrucy. It's not at all sharp - very creamy from the musk. For those who are asking about the iris note: yes, I can smell the iris well, and it's that very powdery iris. The perfume doesn't have much sweetness. There are no white flowers that stand out to me here. Can't smell the rose at all. The almond/amaretto do pulsate from this s little. Patchouli, chocolate, amber and caramel are all about equally strong on me, which creates a pleasant, smooth slight sweetness.

Can someone please direct me to find this, or even the other two in the line. Please AND thank you!

@Maaryel I don’t recall the Iris note really standing out to me, at most I definitely think it might just be in the background, but I’m not 100% on that and that may just be me

I wish someone would answer my question: Does the iris note stand out by any change? It would matter if someone would answer😊🙏❣️

I wrote a note a couple years ago, but never posted a review. Here’s what that note says: “Powdery, almond, amaretto, and slightly creamy. It’s kinda sexy.” From what I remember it’s kind of powdery in that vintage kind of way kind of like Ciara or Tabu (which I’m finally trying for the first time tonight) Update a few days after posting my review while wearing it for the first time in a couple years: The dry down is kind of boring straight powder with a little bit of the amaretto/boozy scent when smelled up close. I don’t love that part.

second time I've tried a perfume with a bitter almond note and they both smelled awful to me. I shall have to avoid that note in the future. Smells like smoke which I like, but also kind of just smells like a poisonous lizard shut away from fresh air, I guess inside a mountain. This smells exactly like a dragon would smell, so, good job. I just don't happen to want to smell like this, sadly.

I was really excited to sample this but can’t even bring myself to put it on my skin now that I’ve smelled the sample. To me this is very vintage, like 90’s rather than 2003. I think vintage is just a foreign scent language to me because everything kind of smells the same. I’m surprised that such a unique scent pyramid, dominated by almond can smell so in-distinct. And it doesn’t really even smell like almond to me.

Sooooooooooo good!!!

It smells like a creamy whiskey liqueur but without dairy, instead it has almond in the best sense of the word. It is not dairy but it is amber, semi sweet and semi spicy like a spice that does not exist yet but that would be between vanilla and cinnamon, a spice that has been crated just for this perfume. Despite this, this kiss is ethereal, it knows how to fly at great heights. This composition is fabulous for its almond; it does not smell bitter or like synthetic cherry liqueur, but, finally, a perfume with a very refined, sophisticated, elegant almond. Something very relaxing and a little bit invigorating is hidden in this perfume: like coming home after a long day at work and receiving a vigorous body massage with a luxurious body cream, wrapping yourself in a slippery fabric robe.

There are many bottles left to be had on eBay, for less than Cartier prices.

Le Baiser du Dragon is a multifaceted scent. Every time I have it on it is different from the time before. It smells noticably different from person to person. Before I bought it I was very confused from reading the conflicting reviews: patchouli bomb, boozy almond, soapy vintage, dry floral, earthy gourmand. It seemed so strange that one scent had all these descriptions. I found a bottle from 2017, batch code 6JAM, with the incised cap, sold for a bargain price. I couldn't help but order it right away to solve the dragon mystery. I realized that all the reviews were, in a way, correct in their description. The opening was a soapy, woody patchouli, flower-forward and clean, accompanied by a smooth vetiver accord. After a few minutes the bitter almonds bloom, nutty and green, with a light boozy accord from the amaretto note. The longer it sits the more the caramel and chocolate develop. The chocolate smells like cocoa pods on a green branch, the almonds underripe, the patchouli wet and earthy. Even the amaretto and caramel bring a toasty sweetness that smells natural rather than syrupy. The composition borders gourmand in the drydown. It never treads on that territory, though, because the opening notes never really disappear. They supplement the gourmand notes with a green and clean character that keeps the perfume soft and elevated. It's a unisex scent that leans slightly feminine. I'm wearing it in the summer and surprisingly the sillage and longevity are moderate. Wearable all year round, day and night.

I have the incised cap version. Smells exactly like the scented tampons and always pads. It’s uncanny! Maybe even scented toilet paper. It’s not a good scent memory, and I think about trying to avoid that scent when shopping for products. To think it’s also in a Cartier perfume! Blah !!!

I have had a bottle for a few years and thought I was anosmic to it, and I was writing this review to say I want to sell it- I sprayed this on the back of both hands just to test it again as I was writing. It's been a few minutes, I wasn't loving the opening, and I wasn't getting any of the big smoky spicy booziness that I wanted. Then I lifted my hand to my nose to try it again and said out loud "oh, there it is." I get it now. The powdery opening isn't my favorite, but it mellows out (and dries out) and starts to give way to a lovely, mature, sexy spiciness. The almond and woodsy notes blend beautifully. It's currently spring and this scent is not working for me at this time of the year but I think I'll really come around to it in the fall. I also want to try it in the summer like some reviewers have mentioned, because this doesn't project very much on me and I can see this being a beautiful skin scent on a hot, dry day.

Why I had always thought that it was a freaking heavy fragrance so never even attempted to try it for all these years, and why oh why, have I just decided to try it by decanting only to find out that, 1. it's going straight into "my favourite perfumes EVER" shelf, and 2. it's discontinued. This is clearly Cinéma's (ANOTHER masterpiece that is discontinued lately) identical twin; while Cinéma is the art historian and a popular lecturer at a prestigious university, Le Baiser Du Dragon is the cybersecurity expert and since she's in a male-dominated field, goes straight for the kill at work but otherwise she's just the sweetest friend you could ever have.

I purchased a 1.7 oz vintage bottle from 2003. (Batch Code 3GBC Ornate carved cap) It’s a beautiful, elevated, bone dry woody amber fragrance. It’s interesting because to my nose LBDD develops in reverse. It seems the base notes are in the opening: I experience bitter dry chocolate and earthy vetiver. It’s a bit powdery after a minute but I don’t detect any almonds or amaretto liquor. There is zero sweetness in the opening. It does sweeten up as it warms on my skin but it’s a “no sugar added” type of sweetness. The florals are really downplayed except for the rose- that’s when I start to smell similarities to Dior’s Ambre Nuit. My skin seems to amplify the amber and rose in LBDD. When I smelled it next to Ambre Nuit, I can smell just how sweet AN is compared to the unsweetened LBDD. This fragrance is so well balanced, nuanced and complex that LBDD takes you on an journey. Don’t look at the notes and think you’re getting a boozy amaretto, chocolate covered caramel candy. I believe those notes are just softening some sharp edges from the drier, woody notes. LBDD has amazing projection for 3-4 hours then becomes more intimate and when I woke up the next day (I wore it to sleep) it was still on my skin and only then did I smell anything resembling almonds. I could smell almonds and musk but it’s still not gourmand to my nose. Definitely unisex ( some women used to fruity florals and gourmands might find this masculine) I adore woody ambers, balsams and resins so this is beautiful to me. The bottle is stunning! I’m definitely going to get my nose on the Parfum. 7.75 out of 10

(3) ★★★★★ a façade of fire behind the smoke, laid gently a sleeping dragon

I wear this when I want to feel elevated, classy and confident. This must really work well with my body chemistry because I get compliments when I wear it. I love this scent from start to finish

One of the prettiest perfumes. It has energizing components anytime I sniff it its energy booster. I don't know what ingrediens is responsible but its gives arousal. My friend told me about it - anytime she sprays her husband is ready ... and she also. Well I didn't believe her, so I got it and indeed...she was right. I talk about formula I got 10 years ago in Skokie Bloomingdale. Alberto Morillas what have you add to the bottle to have a liquid sensual arousal? Formula is so exotic and original I want a new flanker.

The age of your bottle of this perfume makes a HUGE difference!! Unfortunately Cartier gutted it with reformulation when they brought it back and the newer bottles contain very weak and diluted scent. One way to differentiate between vintage and reformulation is the bottle cap - the new ones are smooth and the old ones are incised.

Based on the notes it seemed dreamy, but it is dry and sour. I suspect it's the neroli and cedar that didn't blend well with almonds and amaretto. Almonds are only perceptible in drydown.

This has a strong opening but once it dries down, it is quite lovely. I could smell the florals, spices, woodiness, and hints of musk. I did not get great longevity on my skin, only a few hours tops. However, it performed very well on clothes, and could be smelled 8 hours later. This perfume has a special place for me, as a relative newbie to perfume, I came across a sample of this. Le Baiser du Dragon is THE perfume that helped me branch out of the floral fruity aquatics stage when I realized I could enjoy and even like a scent profile as different as this. Now that I’ve had time to learn and for my nose to become more sophisticated, I need to resample this perfume, as I’m sure I would appreciate it much more now than I did at the beginning of my scent journey.

Gather 'round and prepare to be enchanted by the magnificent aroma that is Le Baiser Du Dragon by Cartier. Let me regale you with tales of its splendour, though I must confess, it may be a tad too sophisticated for the average folk who fail to grasp its intricate allure and sheer magnificence. Alas, it faced a daunting hurdle in its journey to glory—the initial whiff was somewhat unfamiliar and failed to please the senses, which, in today's fast-paced society, is akin to committing a cardinal sin, for instant gratification reigns supreme. Oh, if only my pockets were lined with abundance, I would seize the opportunity to acquire the exclusive rights to this exceptional fragrance. For in its captivating essence lies a symphony of scents that only the discerning connoisseurs can fully appreciate.

Over a few years, Cartier Le Baiser Du Dragon has turned into my summertime spicy, boozy vetiver. It is so exotic and rich but dry, dry, dry. Perfect for my hot, humid summer days or nights. No other season works as magically for me. Gorgeous and unique.