Dorian

[synestheticheart]

Inspired by and created for my beloved Tedwin: my eternal, beautiful, wicked Dorian Gray. Refined, elegant, and lovely, with a noble bearing and seemingly gentle air. This blend is an artful deception: a sweet gilded blossom lying over a twisted and corrupted core. A Victorian fougere with three pale musks and dark, sugared vanilla tea.

Dorian didn't really work well on my skin. I'll have to give it another shot, though.

Imp: For some reason I smell pine trees. Like the smell of a really sweet pine tree. Hmm...
Wet on skin: Same as in the imp. However, I now smell the vanilla.
Dry: It definitely smells like the description, but with a soapy undertone. I think I need to give it another try soon...

[Josh]

This was really nice at first. There was a warm, faded/glowing brown-orange-yellow "color" to this oil, slightly aged apples and weak tea. It was complimented on 3 times today (one saying it smelled "light and comforting" to her) and lasted most of the day but went to baby powder after some hours. I understand the hype behind this one.

[naeelah]

The first time I tried this is was too sugary and too musky. It definitely had a raw, young quality to it.

 

I dug it back out today, after letting it hide in my imp bag for several months, and it seems much nicer. Wet, all of the notes seem to be apparent: a strong lavender musk with very sweet, lemony and milky tea. It's very nice, but definitely leans on the masculine side. However, the aged version feels more gender neutral to me than the young version did.

 

After an hour or so, it's not so lemony or sugary. It's a cologne, now with softer lavender, and a smoother cup of Earl Grey tea. Generally more subdued in character. I'm not sure what musks are here. There is definitely some white musk, but the combined effect is much richer.

 

Still not my cup of tea, but it's a great scent, and I think it's well worth all of the attention it receives. I would definitely like this on a guy. Try it if you like: Antique Lace, Snake Oil, Severin, Black Lace, Theodosius.

 

The throw is pretty decent, but it does seem to get a lot softer once it dries. Wear life is about average. After 4-5 hours it was pretty much gone, and the lingering traces smelled nothing like the scent during its proper life.

Edited January 4, 2008 by naeelah

[Delirium1009]

When I first put Dorian on, it is a slightly musky tea scent with a hint of citrus and men's lavender cologne (from the fougere I'm guessing). As I wear it, the vanilla comes out beautifully and sweetens up the scent. Upon drydown, this scent is best described as vanilla earl grey tea with a hint of men's lavender cologne and a sexy, warm muskiness. This scent lasts for hours on me (I have some on I put on 5 hours ago that is still as fragrant as when I first applied it this morning), and is a very comforting scent. It's my favorite bpal scent for sure!

 

It's a lovely, unique work of art

[RoseWhite]

I ried this and didn't really go mad for it first time. That might have been sulking as it smells so much better on my SO, so I'd say it's definately one of those scents a guy can pull off. It's all musk and black fragrant tea on him.

 

I relented and gave it another go, and it smells so different on me. It's sweet and sugary on me, with only a hint of tea. It's probably the sweetest one I've tried so far, with *such * a feminine edge (I know that sounds at odds with what I wrote above but it really isn't) and a really good throw. I really like it now I've given it a second chance.

[tziporra]

Wet and in the bottle, I get lots of Tea from Dorian, which makes me very very happy.

 

Alas, once dry, I get the musk that hates me and goes all powdery. And vanilla and sugar.

 

It's interesting, actually -- on me Dorian is dead-on Angel by Thierry Mugler. Which is not a scent I'm wild about although I bought a bottle of Angel once because it was the trendy thing to do. I think it's scenting a linen drawer somewhere.

 

I think I'd just better stay away from these "three musk" blends. Sigh.

 

Tzi

[fierylioness]

When I opened the imp, I was struck by how much it smelled like my favorite (and now impossible for me to find) black vanilla tea. On, it did not change that much, but the musk warmed to my skin and made it almost sweeter. In fact, it turned to a lovely, almost gooey scent that was pure vanilla with a dark tea undertone, even through drydown.

 

Unfortunately, my wonderful husband has declared that it smells exactly like one of his classmates--and therefore I can't wear it often.

[maribouquet]

Dorian smells very, very similar to Hanae Mori Butterfly to me. I like it, but it is a strong scent and with my chemistry it was strangely off and not great. Oh, skin.

[scarletgenesis]

rawrrrrr! Dorian starts out like musky tea, kind of sharp and refined. Then once it dries, the tea remains (like black tea steeped for a lonnnnnggggg time, and the sugary vanilla comes out, along with something that almost smells of lavender. Amazing on me and in the scent locket both.

 

This has a lovely transition and I definitely need a bottle soon. I could BATHE in Dorian!

 

edited to add: after I wrote this, I went to make tea. I used one of my favorite Welsh blends (similar to earl grey, but a bit milder), and mixed in heavy cream as usual. Then I looked at my lonely bottle of Vanilla Paste from Trader Joe's, which I bought but had never used. It's vanilla with sugar, so it's sort of a syrup consistency. I put about 1/2 a teaspoon into my tea, and stirred until the sugar dissolved. OMG Dorian! This combination IS the tea/sugar/vanilla that I get from Dorian. The vanilla paste just gives a slight sweetness to the tea, with a vanilla overtone. Wonderful and comforting.

Edited January 18, 2008 by scarletgenesis

[MaeKitty]

Bottle: I definitely smell a sweet tea, maybe with some honey. Almost what I would consider the masculine version of O

On Me: The musks balance out the sweetness of the tea, without taking it away completely. This is a very sweet scent, though really lovely. I really enjoy this one. It reminds me of the tea I used to drink with Lis: Dark with only a splash of milk, with lots of sugar.

[jynxjynx]

I'm new to bpal and scents in general, so it's hard for me to pick out particular notes. However, this is the first scent I've tried that I've absolutely loved, so I'll give it a go!

 

Bottle: I can smell the vanilla but also what I assume is the tea. I also smell something else sweet, possibly floral in the background.

 

Wet: Just like in the bottle, but the sweet and tea are stronger. It smells clean but familiar, sort of an ivory color of something hand-stitched by my grandmother. It's a comforting smell.

 

Dry: The vanilla begins to come through in a big way. It's not a foody vanilla on me, but it's definitely the note I smell the most. There's a hint of the tea and musk which keeps the vanilla under control and gives the scent some complexity. It's warm and comfortable, but not overly thick. I adore it! This may just be the first bottle I buy.

 

The only downside is that it fades fairly quickly and doesn't have much throw after the first 30 minutes or so, but being new to scents, I feel more comfortable with things that don't have a lot of throw anyway.

Edited February 4, 2008 by jynxjynx

[girlygirl]

Dorian smells lovely in the bottle but on my skin is quite masculine. I believe I am actually allergic to oakmoss because I got sniffly each time I wore this.

[pinkstardust420]

Oh my! Totally loving this! I initially get lemon tea with a good hint of vanilla...and as it dries down on me, all of the tea/lemon notes go away and I am left with a sweet, dark vanilla, which, since I love everything and anything vanilla, is just fine with me. Definitely a keeper!

[Luxari]

Oh my. Sexy. SEXY. *purrs* I wanted to love myself upon testing this. White tea, honey, and something sexy and edgy. something that puts to mind the finely dressed man wearing the armani suit with long hair tied back in a ribbon that eyes you across the room while drinking a dry martini over the the rim of the glass, a sexy glint in his eyes, and you feel absolutely sexy and vulnerable at the same time.

 

Oh oh oh I must get a 5ml.

[Victory]

I've had my two imps of Dorian for coming on two years now, and it's taken that long for me to appreciate them. When I first got Dorian, both my mother and I smelled cheap, mass-production-type musks- the kind I forswore any musks for before BPAL. Later, the cheap musk scent faded away and it was a lemon musk bu nothing special. Now, my aged imps are divine. The lemon has remained strong but it's backed up by the tea and vanilla and the musks are wonderful. It makes me want to buy a bottle and let it age.

[adeia64]

Imp: Almost spicy, mostly tea smelling.

 

On: This reminds me of cleaning day when I was little. It doesn't hit you over the head with lemon pledge, but it's in the periphery. The vanilla starts to come out a little.

 

Drydown: After a few hours on my skin, I keep getting whiffs of pale musk and vanilla. The tea/lemon scent has taken a backseat. It's actually pretty girly, not all that masculine at all.

 

Verdict: I like it well enough, but not well enough to buy a full bottle. The search for the perfect fragrance rages on.

[iheartbooks]

I LOVE Dorian. OMG. I smell sweet, spicy, musky vanilla when I put it on my skin (no lemon at all). When I first heard about BPAL I thought I would just be interested in flowery scents, but I ordered some forum favorites like Alice and Dorian to try them out. I wasn't too sure about Dorian when I first put it on, but it's grown on me in the past week! It lasts for hours and has fairly good throw. I'm really excited about Dorian; I have my first BPAL love!

 

(Yes, I'm buying a bottle.)

[ravenfeathers]

in the bottle sweet, bland

wet on skin sweet, bland. milky tea with too many sugars. no kick, no bite, just bland.

dry on skin the musks are coming out now and they're pretty, inoffensive, and generally dull. this is a close skin scent with negligible throw. not my... cup... of tea.

[Dracoo9]

I have no idea why I never thought to try this before. My deepest gratitude to the labbies.

 

In the imp I can smell the sweet vanilla and I love it already! Its almost slightly remenescent of Antique Lace (another favorite of mine).

 

On: It does smell very similiar to Antique lace on me only the vanilla is a lot stronger. I dont really detect any of the musks in the scent but there is a slightly darkness that adds an edge to the vanilla. This really is amazing!

5/5

[djsiberia]

crisp and clean. a bit musky when first applied. after dry down, i can smell tea and it's slightly sweet from the vanilla. i might have to try this one again since i'm not sure what's giving me the cleaning supply smell. over all i really love this when it's wet..and it's light enough that it would be perfect for summer

[iiinterstate]

 

Dorian is, in a word, DIVINE.

I'm not sure how aged mine is (I received a partial 10ml in a swap) but this is sweet and sexy vanilla musk drifting in strong sugary tea. This is the vanilla-y scent I've been looking for, for sure!

 

I know I'll use this one often, and I am quite sure my fiance will approve.

[Acedia]

 

This is going to go down as one that broke my heart.

 

At first it smelled intoxicatingly good, like sweet warm tea but with an undercurrent of something darker and earthier and a little dangerous.

 

Within minutes, though, it turned to men's soap. Which isn't necessarily bad, except that I don't want to smell like men's soap.

 

 

I'll hang onto it and see if it smells better when it's applied to cloth and/or if it changes once it ages.

[lucyintheSkywithDemons]

This one is so gorgeous...

 

I received my bottle yesterday and wore it to bed..

 

In the bottle its almost green, lemon and a bit of milk.

 

First applied it went a little plastic-sharp,

but when it dried it nearly took my breath with all its naughty beauty..

 

Warm Earl Grey Tea ( I always expected it to be Green Tea from the descriptions somehow.. ) with loads of sugar,

Milk - nothing else.

No Lemon left , nothing but warm black tea.

 

I love it.

 

Gonna have a cup o´tea now..

[quartz]

Enough people love this that I tried it several times over. It's like the scent is on the edge of something nice, and then it tips into plastic-powder-sweet on me. The soap is closer to what I was expecting, but the oil is not for me.

[savage_rose]

This smells like tea and pastries on me...very light and sweet.