Smaug

4 thoughts on “Smaug”

1. On my skin this is an herbal kind of dragon’s blood. It has that wintergreen/sassafras twinge to it. Thankfully it disappears after about the first 10 minutes. At this point the red musk is coming across rather sharp but it settles down after another 15 minutes or so. At this point it’s a 50/50 mix of the dragon’s blood and the red musk. It’s my favorite scent containing dragon’s blood (so far) from Hexennacht’s offerings. I don’t get any smoked vanilla but, I do get the patchouli note in the background as this wears on. I tried this primarily for the red musk but I have scents in my collection that contain dragon’s blood and red musk that I like much more than Smaug. This wears for around 6 hours before I can no longer smell it. It’s alright but I think I’d like it much more if the smoked vanilla made an appearance.

2. I can feel the heat of a summer sun beating down on me as I sip iced tea and slather a scone in butter and jam. The sweet strawberry is delicious and teeth-achingly accurate. I’ve never had marionberry but I think I remember reading it’s similar to huckleberry, and I can really smell that in there with a whiff of scone biscuitiness. It’s triggering a memory of a ride through Yellowstone National Park and huckleberry candy. The tea note is actually making me thirsty, and I don’t like sweet tea. I’m imagining a tall glass of cold brew with frozen strawberries in it. I can see the glass sweating right now as I take another sniff.

3. A spicy-sweet punch of dragon’s blood, the smoky quality is given a boost from the smoked vanilla. There’s a filthy, dirty quality right underneath from the musk and patchouli. It’s blazing fire and smoke, the earth notes don’t overtake but add complexity. This is pure dragon. I picture black stone, cracked, with glowing red lava oozing out. Anger and passion. I grew up with really poor quality dragon’s blood incense from hippy shops so I feel spoiled with this blend. It’s just beautiful.

4. I see what everyone means by “fiery”. So appropriately named. I tend to like dragon’s blood (though it’s one of those notes that can vary widely), and this is a dominating representation of it. It’s evoking a scent memory I have of sniffing a fresh, resin-y chunk of it long ago. It’s complemented well by the warm red musk and matured patchouli. These notes seem like they belong together. I’d describe it as an aggressive scent, but I mean it in a good way. It’s got a sharpness to it, commanding attention. As it dries down, the smoky vanilla rolls slowly in and tempers everything a little. It has a burning herbs quality to it too, how a torched meadow might smell. I think this would work when I go to concerts or out for drinks, like it’s going to hold up well in battling yucky cigarette and sweat smells. I appreciate this for its strength and mischievous darkness. There’s an intimidating, dangerous edge. I don’t think it would be for everyone though, and it’s not an everyday wear for me either. It’s got some major bite, especially at the beginning.