The Picture of Dorian Sufganiyot

[Jenjin]

It has mysteriously stayed fresh for decades… but you REALLY don’t want to see the pastry in the attic.

 

A deep-fried fougere with three pale musks and dark, sugared vanilla tea.

Edited December 24, 2023 by Jenjin

[Weirdgirlpilled]

This starts off with a really lovely buttercream-y vibe. It’s definitely recognisable as dorian. It’s like a cup of tea next to a beautiful vanilla cake with layers upon layers of lemony frosting, with the tiniest hint of musk to warm it up. 

Edited December 23, 2023 by Weirdgirlpilled

[elissamay]

Being newer to the BPAL fandom, I hadn't tried Dorian until very recently. The hype was enormous, and I was tempted many times to buy a bottle for many multiples above retail price. Then, a lovely BPAL gifted me a vial of 2016 vintage and I had the opportunity to experience it. It was lovely, wearable, and such a unique scent, but I was OK with waiting for it to come back into stock, which it eventually did. I bought a bottle, I enjoy it, and I've reached for it once or twice, but it's not one that I'd say is in my usual wheelhouse.

 

I expect to be in the minority here on the back half of this statement, but I'll say it: I love The Picture of Dorian Sufganiyot and prefer it over Dorian proper.

 

The funny thing is, I'm not a major gourmand lover, so the Sufganiyot genre hasn't appealed to me that much until Snake Oil Sufganiyot, which is sexy and spectacular. I'm guessing this perfume-filled Sufganiyot sub-genre is my jam, because Dorian Suf is really doing it for me. The fougere and the musks with the pastry and sweet vanilla tea are just coming together into something that I don't go crazy for when they're separate, but that I'm head over heels about when smooshed together.

 

As with Snake Oil Suf, I found Dorian Suf to be pretty potent: one cap drop on my arm was smell-able for me for hours and hours, even into the next morning. That was just a skin test, so with a full pulse point application I expect that the throw will be quite nice (for me). I didn't find that it morphs at all. It's exactly what you smell when you apply it the whole way through, just fading a bit after many hours.

 

If you're a fan of Dorian, I can't see how you wouldn't love this, but if you just like Dorian, you might also really love this (like me). It's not super duper gourmand, IMO, so if you are coming for the Sufganiyot part, it's there, but it's not as forward as others I've smelled.

 

Now I've got my wheels turning on whether or not this becomes a yearly tradition, and which Beloved Favorites might make good doughnut fillings?! Alice? Morocco? Blood Kiss? O? Scherezade?! Phew.

Edited December 23, 2023 by elissamay

[WoolyBee]

Wow! This is so good! I was worried it would be too gourmand for me, but it’s the perfect amount. On me it’s straight up Dorian, with a lil hug of pastry. I wasn’t sure how my fave, Dorian, would smell after it was sufganiyot-ified, but what a delight! Not much else to say, except I love it!

[ghoulnextdoor]

A dribble of jelly clung to his lips as he lifted the velvet curtain from the portrait. This angelic young man who looked to be sculpted from ivory and roses stuffed the remainder of the oil-kissed fritter into his mouth, a shower of glittering sugar dusting his cuffs, rendering him that much more celestial in appearance. He gestures vaguely at the monstrosity in the portrait, a study in corruption and decrepitude. “Yeah, yeah, that’s meant to be me then; what of it, mate?” he scoffs, spraying my face with fragrant crumbs and small clots of rich berried jam. “It’s a good thing his guy smells so good,” I mutter disgustedly to myself, taking in his scent of softly sweetened tea and creamy, silken musks as I pick up my brush to paint over this junky canvas of horrors.

[Little Bird]

The new formulation of Dorian doesn't smell much like the OG Dorian to me or the mid-release version that was more clean and sharply musky.  OG Dorian is perfectly unisex, so incredibly smooth, cool toned, vanillic and creamy, just absolute perfection.  It's not a dry or powdery scent at all.  I'm so sad that it had to be reformulated and that it no longer exists for people to experience in its original form, and I'm glad that I paid some of the higher prices to hoard up on the original because it's one of my all time favorite fragrances.  The new version of Dorian smells like a warm, pink tinged vanilla musk, powdery and dry, and it definitely gives off a traditionally feminine impression to me rather than being unisex.  I don't think that I would connect it to the OG Dorian at all if I didn't know it has the same name and inspiration behind it.  All of that Dorian rambling out of the way - 

The Picture of Dorian Sufganiyot is like a warm vanilla musk scented powdery floof covered in shimmering sugar crystals and infused with a hint of lemony tea.  The pastry or donut scent isn't really there for me.  I do like this more than the new formulation bottle of Dorian that I have because I get more of the lemony tea from this blend and it's sweeter.  It feels more cheerful and bright.  The drydown has a bit of a good vanilla frosting creaminess as well that I enjoy.

I like this blend, but it also makes my heart ache for OG Dorian.

[doomsday_disco]

I usually don't wear a scent as a scent of the day without testing it for at least four hours before showering that day. But today, I decided I was slathering this on before work, consequences be damned.

 

Fortunately, this did not go wonky on me, because I can still smell the results of that slather seven hours later. 

 

I even put some of the new Dorian on one hand and this on the other to compare the two while working in the office... but right after I did that, something fell out of a cabinet, and I promptly forgot which one was which.   

 

I don't get much pastry from this. If anything, it is a possibly more sugary and lemony version of the new Dorian (I agree with Little Bird that the reformulated Dorian doesn't smell like the OG)? I smell a sugary musky lemoniness swirled with vanilla. I'm not that surprised by the pastry being MIA on me since that has happened to me with a lot of the sufs. The lemony tea, vanilla, and sugar give it a lemon glaze type of feel, but of course, it is not strictly gourmand due to the musk.

 

I'm keeping this for sure, but I'm curious if I'll get any more pastry from this as it ages.

[LavenderCoffee]

I can't hang with Dorian. I want to, but my skin chem seems to shift it into a higher register than I can tolerate. Now, make a Dorian donut filling, and that is apparently something I can do.

That's what this one smells like to me: instead of a lemon filling, it's a lemony vanilla tea filling, surrounded by pillowy soft musk and a suggestion of fried dough peeking through the haze of powdered sugar.

[blair]

as a dorian & gourmand lover, i had to grab a bottle of this, and i have no regrets! i do believe that, dare i say, i might prefer this over dorian itself! to me, this is a gorgeous vanilla tea with a squeeze of lemon, sweeter and softer than the original, with wafts of powdered sugar and vanilla buttercream. the pastry is subtle but present, adding a chewy roundness that isn't too gourmand, thanks to the undercurrent of musk. as it wears, it becomes sweeter and more blended as the notes melt into one another, and i get alternating whiffs of lemony vanilla tea and sugary fried dough, akin to a pillowy soft sufganiyot topped with a lemon tea vanilla glaze. if dorian is the sophisticated, put-together picture of elegance, this is dorian on her day off, curled up on the couch with a cozy blanket, a sugar-dusted fried doughnut, and a hot cup of tea.

[Jenjin]

Dorian's in the attic getting phat on cupcakes. Rich tea flavored cakes spread high with the most delicious vanilla buttercream. It's completely something beyond iconic Dorian. It's oh so creamy and warm on my arm. I get most of the tea at the beginning, until a "poof" of sweet vanilla takes over and blankets the musks. My #1 for 2023 ***editing to say take this subjectively cause I still have a few more to try 
 

Edited January 13 by Jenjin

[WhatAHoot]

It's official, I like this more than the current version of Dorian on its own! This is Dorian + a soft, sweet fluffiness. No "fried" notes here. I've never smelled the original Dorian (I wish I had), but this sounds more like the original scent. While the lemon element stands out while wet, the vanilla and musk begin to shine during the dry-down. 

[dancingchair]

Like other reviewers, this doesn't really smell fried to me. I get a rich pastry cream smell, reminiscent of Bavarian cream or a vanilla custard, wrapped in a thin layer of flaky pastry. Dorian is definitely present, and here it's powdery, like a perfumed powdered sugar finish. The tea is present but faint. The Dorian is strong enough to stop this from being too rich or foody. It's Dorian but more delicious.

[melandie]

It's been AGES since I've smelled Dorian the OG (I had an imp from the Beloved  Favorites set, and remember I liked it but wasn't wowed enough to get a bottle, even after the restock). 

 

However, I LOVED the Snake Oil Suf, I loved how the pastry element really played well with SO, so I had to try this one. Definitely a great choice. I don't really get a fried aspect, but just a lovely pastry note cozying up with the tea and vaniilla. A nice addition to my small Suf collection.

[Biocarbons]

The Picture of Dorian Sufganiyot vs Dorian 2012.

 

Dorian Suf is definitely creamier, sweeter and more vanillic than 2012 Dorian. 2012 Dorian is more herbal.

 

If you wish Dorian was sweeter, Dorian Suf is for you.

[Sjofn]

I am a BPAL foodie collector. I love the idea of the BPAL Sufganiyot scents, but every time I get my hands on one, I end up passing them along because the fried pastry part of them is just too much for me. I amp the fried note. 

 

That said, I love Dorian Suf! I even like it better than The Serpentine and OG Dorian! 

 

I'm not giving it the credit it deserves, but it comes across as a slightly sweeter Dorian with a creamy vanilla edge. It's so good!

[ziggystardust13]

As previous reviewers mentioned, this is comes across as a softer, more vanilla leaning Dorian. (2023 Dorian that is).

I avoided this scent initially due to the fried dough aspect. I am not a fan of any of the previous Sufganiyots. However, this one is very pretty. I may prefer it just slightly over the 2023 Dorian, but they are similiar enough for me that I do not know that I need a bottle of each. If the lemon or musk was a little heavy for you in the recent iteration of Dorian though, I would definitely recommend going for this one. In summary: Pillowy, girlie Dorian. 

[becca_s]

I find this to be a sweeter, gourmand Dorian. The sufganiyot really brings out the vanilla and sugar notes from the original blend. It is still distinctly Dorian on me, but it is sweeter and I think it's softer as other reviewers have mentioned. I don't get the fried aspect in this blend either. It's really quite lovely.

 

Eta - I've been wearing this regularly over the last few days and it's quickly becoming a favorite of mine. It's my favorite out of the Yules. 

Edited February 12 by becca_s

[Amoraexcena]

In contrast to the black and white label art, this scent is warm, sepia-toned. This is an old-fashioned sweetbread soaked with lemon sugar and topped with creme fraiche, next to a cup of tea. I can't detect much musk, maybe a hint of it farther in the drydown, but something's keeping it from going full-on-foody. It's a really, really pleasant, wearable gourmand perfume from start to finish. This is what I want to wear to a high tea with some fancy friends.

 

I'm comparing it side by side with original Dorian - my bottle's an early 2010s vintage I believe - and the latter is quite a bit more cool-toned, not as sweet, and more musky. 

 

Both are gorgeous. This is another Yule that I want to get another bottle of before it comes down...

[sea turtle]

Just commenting to say that I agree with all of the previous posters: Picture of Dorian Suf is a sweeter version of Dorian (in my case, 2023 Dorian). I will say that the difference is most prominent in the opening, but after an hour or so of wear, the two smell nearly identical to me with maaaaaaaaaybe an extra pinch of sugar in Dorian Suf.

[twilighteyes]

Apologies for my massive brain fog which doesn't let me use the words but I really like this one and might need a back up bottle before they come down.   (I can't remember what the OG Dorian smelled like on me (I destashed it years ago) and don't have any of the new Dorian.)

[RoseThornAndOak]

I remember the original Dorian being a really nice lemony tea vanilla fougere type thing on the right skin. It never really played nice on me, but on others, it was beautiful. The remake of Dorian didn't really gel on me, either.

 

This however, smells far better than both on me and is quite fetching: I get a bit of lemon, but soft, no cleaner or artificial vibes. There's tea, but this is also soft, not astringent. Just light and airy. For the gourmand aspects, this just lends a subtle vanilla sweetness to soften the edges of Dorian, making it more wearable. It's not doughy or bready or overtly sugary to me (sugar can go plastic on me and doesn't here). 

 

It's beautiful, and I'm considering a bottle. The only thing holding me back is holy smokes does this fade to a skin scent fast, and I do have a tea scent that sticks around better. 

[splendidissima]

I remember liking but not loving OG Dorian (I might still have an empty imp or decant or something around?) - pretty, but light and very tea-forward on me.

 

But I do love sweet cakes and lemon-vanilla and all the Lab's Sufs.

 

And this is gorgeous. It might be my favorite of the Yules. It's the lemon-vanilla aspects of Dorian baked into a fluffy cream cake covered in a generous pour of a vanilla cream-custard, with just a whisper of freshly-brewed dark tea, just to bring down the sweetness and make it more complex. Really nice throw, too - it's a big scent.

 

Two people on two different occasions have said "Wow, you smell good!" while I was wearing it, too!

[quantquill]

This was a BPAL full-size purchase in March 2024. I love Dorian (have it in hair gloss, imps, a 5ml); I've tried two sufs and my skin chem pulled out a "cheesecake" type of note on one, I'm aging that one a while longer, but I have utmost faith in Dorian (and am new enough to BPAL that I've never smelled the OG version, and love the new one without reservations or comparisons). 

 

Okay, rationale and backstory out of the way, what does it smell like? 

<eyes roll back in head>

Incredible. Delicious. Sexy. Not really gourmand, though I do get a whiff of "fresh doughnut" like a Krispy Kreme with the Hot. Fresh. sign flashing. A bare hint. More strongly, there's something peach-like, both the firm, ripe, sweet flesh, and a hint of greenness, like the stem and a single leaf were still attached. Glorious vanilla and musk surround and cushion the sweet and fried notes. Fantastic.  

[forspecial_plate]

Either my nose is wonky, or I got a batch variation, or I got a mislabeled bottle, because on me this smells like Dorian plus a pretty strong white pepper note.  There's no lemon, no cake, nothing sweet or creamy at all, instead it's peppery Dorian that almost smells metallic.  Kind of reminds me of Quicksilver Phoenix from way back.  

 

I've tried a few of the sufganiyot scents and this isn't anything like them.  Nothing remotely like a pastry note - but to be fair the description says "deep-fried fougere", not pastries..... But still, when I read the other reviews, I really feel like I got a different scent.  

 

I keep trying it again, thinking maybe it will age into something like the other reviewers talked about, but it hasn't changed at all.  After being absolutely blown away by Snake Oil Suf, I have to admit I was disappointed by this one.