Dorian

[kelpsoda]

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.

wet, it's lemony and sweet vanilla

dry, it's a musky vanilla. It's far too candy-sweet for me, or too powdery, or too musky, or too much something. I don't get any lemon, though. Edited March 1, 2009 by Shollin

[Mousesong]

After the Great Number Ninety-Three Engine Debacle of 08 (when I discovered that my imp was a fluke and that the real thing was way different and oh god I need to go edit my review to say this), I was so put off BPAL I wasn't trying anything. A friend of mine sent along an imp of Dorian and I ordered my bottle today.

 

Rather than attempt to straight-up try to describe it I'll just say that I spent the past weekend with my not-a-boyfriend and he spent most of his time with his face buried in my neck snorfing my Dorian and telling me I smelled delicious and I have to agree. It's a little cloying initially, but it's worth waiting a couple of minutes for.

 

That said, the staying power seems minimal on me, unfortunately.

[poolsoflaughter]

Sniffing the bottle: Yes, oh my! My first impression is warm vanilla cookies and tea.

 

Wet on Skin: At first, all I get is a warm, almost buttery lemon.

 

Dry down: Here comes the tea! The lemon slips into the background, and this turns into an all-out winner! I'm so glad that I tried an imp, and this will go on my bottle list.

[kjirstiben]

Initially applied, this is a strong burst of lavender, but after that, it dries down to a sweet herbal. Or perhaps what I'm reading as "herbal" is the smell of tea; tea with sugar.

 

As time goes on, this becomes very distinctively a sugared tea scent… with a perfumey vanilla overtone (as opposed to a foody vanilla), and over time it develops into a sweet, non-foody perfumey vanilla scent, a soft scent.

 

Recaplet: Tea with sugar, then soft perfumer's vanilla.

My rating: 3 of 5 (Nice enough.)

Color impression: Lavender and cream.

[NixieCakes]

I am in looooove with Dorian. I really can smell the tea. It's perfection.

[Kikkervisje]

Wet and dry scent: This one didn't differ much at all wet to dry on me, so... that makes this easy. Basically, if you've ever had vanilla black tea (which is my personal favorite variety of black tea) that's what I smell. It is sweet, but not in a candy, sugary way. It's a very pleasant, refined, comfortable scent. Another one that I'm quite fond of. "Refined, elegant, and lovely, with a noble bearing and seemingly gentle air" does seem to fit the bill.

 

The more I wear it, the more I like it. It's sweet and fresh, but not cloying or overly sharp. I also find that it isn't too feminine, which is fairly surprising to me. Not at all the sort of thing I would normally think to try, but I love it. Makes me happy the whole time I'm wearing it.

[TilHelvete]

Smells AMAZING!

 

Out of the 18 imps I received this one is my absolute favorite. It smells like a lot of things. My Dad asked what smelled like Pez, my boyfriend thinks it smells like cotton candy, but it doesn't smell like either of those things in my opinion. It is an innocent smell, like sugared Victorian candies over a white bouquet of flowers. But it does not smell childish, or unsophisticated at all. It is a really girly scent, I can't imagine this smelling right on a man.

[papermaker]

This is really good. It isn't too masculine for a woman. On me it is a light lemon tea sweetened with honeyed vanilla.

[cinderfallen]

The aged stuff makes me a bit sick, but fresh, it's delicious! Well, aged, it's very much more vanilla, and the musk really gets a gritty sugary edge, but I really like the more airy notes of the fougere and black tea of the new bottle. Reminds me a bit of sugared ginger.

[ImperatrixMundi]

Yet an other review for Dorian!

 

I swapped for a bottle without testing first and have no regrets! The bottle is already over a year old so I dont know if there is much difference to fresh Dorian. Possibly this is sweeter and smoother than fresh.

 

Musk, vanilla and tea are most prominent, the fougere blends in and without having smelled it alone I could not say where it begins and ends in the blend, maybe it has aged away a bit. On the whole this is a very smooth blend. I get no lemony scent or lavender whatsoever, which I am glad for. Theodosius, the Legerdemain is often compared to Dorian and disappointingly I only got citrus and little else from it.

Dorian, however, is very sweet underneath and the musk, sugar and vanilla would be infernally cloying if it was not for the tea that provides a refreshing top note and the fougere that must be the element making it elegant and gender neutral instead of cloyingly foody musk.

 

This is the first really popular vanilla scent that I have tried and liked. Unlike with Antique Lace and Love's Philosophy or Opuhi I did not get plastic vanilla. Also it was not too sweet like Snake Oil or Glowing Vulva. I finally got one where I can understand why it is so popular

 

 

[Suu4LC]

I have been dying to try this forever-I love Lilith Victoria, so I am pretty sure this will not disappoint. Mmm sugared vanilla tea and musk, maybe a hint of lemon. Yes, it is sugary, but not candyish or foody persay. More delicate and elegant.

 

Mmm-on my skin this is just as lovely! Perfect sugared vanilla tea and musk, and something else I can't quite put my finger on...on full drydown this is just as amazing! It really isn't a morpher on me-same wet and dry smell. So gorgeous! I am having a hard to time describing this one to be honest-but it is truly an amazing and beautiful blend. There is a reason why it is so popular!

[batsy]

In the vial: Sugary sweet vanilla. Very simple. Kind of like a subdued Midway.

 

On the skin: Oh I like this one. The musks are a nice blend and the hint of darkness compliments the sugary sweet nicely. This might require a bottle, for the days I want to feel girlie. And it hasn't gone wonky on the dry down, which gives it another plus in my book! Very simple beautiful blend!

[tapestry]

Dorian is what made me fall in love with musk notes, particularly the 'pale' ones. Dorian is also what made me realize that my skin amps the shit out of vanilla, so that almost any Lab oil with vanilla in it turns into:

 

The Vanilla Show!!

Starring Vanilla

With Guest Appearances By Vanilla, Vanille and 'Nilla

 

Which could be worse because I don't hate vanilla, but whoa there!

 

That said, Dorian remains one of my favorite perfumes. Wet I get vanilla (obviously), but heavy on the musk which gives it such an interesting kick. There's not a ton of lavender here for me -- sadness, because I <3 lavender so! -- but I do get the barest hint of something else, something teasing at the edges of one's senses. I've read a lot of folks mention it as citrus, and I can kind of get that. Presumably it's the tea, so maybe it's a kind of bergamot?

 

On application, I wear Dorian the way described above for a little while -- my VANILLA PARTY WOO doesn't usually happen until closer to drydown. My dentist, leaning over me during drydown and thus getting a schnoz full of Dorian, told me that I smelled like vanilla cake. I would have booed her out of the exam room, but she had sharp instruments in my mouth.

 

So! If you love vanilla, Dorian is for you. If you amp vanilla like a mofo and don't mind that, Dorian is for you. If you hate vanilla? Um, need not apply. After coming into possession of two bottles, I found that I actually needed to take a break from Dorian because of the vanilla, and my personal opinion is that it's a scent better suited to spring days or summer afternoons.

[mineralgirl]

I get lemon goodness here and luckily, no lavender note (I hate lavender) and then on dry down it evens out to a mellow vanilla-lemon scent with a slight tea-ness. It doesn't last on me tho... too faint.

[Banyangirl]

SUGAR CUBES. This scent on me is like someone took a sugar cube and dribbled tea, musk and lemon over it. It's far, far too sweet. It's reminding me of crunching sugar cubes to the point where I'm actually getting a stomach ache. Now that's amazing that a scent can do that in its own right, but jeez. I'll see how it is on me in an hour or two, but for now, I really have issues with Mr. Dorian.

[CynicalPink]

Ahhh...The famous Dorian, at last (thanks to a generous frimp). Let's see how we fare...

 

Imp: ...Oh that's nice. I have no idea what's going on in that imp, but I like it

 

Wet: Eee! Sweet and lemony. I think the trick here it to have the blend *not* turn to cleaning solution

 

Drydown: Okay I REALLY like this. Maybe too much. Tea has come out to play, but the sugar and lemon are hanging in there.

 

Overall: Love it, want a bottle, but I must be good and do a full day test. It so sweet and cozy. The lemon's a team player, and anything with black tea in it gets automatic points from me.

 

After full day: ...yeah I went and got a bottle...It's sweet and musky and smells so comforting. It's been rainy and gloomy out in the Philly burbs for days now and Dorian has made me feel so warm and cozy with it's sweet, musky vanilla-ness

Edited April 16, 2009 by CynicalPink

[Seismogenic]

You know, there's really no excuse whatsoever why I haven't tried this one until now. I like tea, vanilla, and pale musk notes. I've read The Picture of Dorian Gray several times and really like the book. And there's the whole thing where it's a forum favorite, and Puddin has given me crap at Will Call about not having tried it yet. Seriously, I have no good excuse! But I'm trying it now.

 

In the imp: Light and sweet, with the sugared tea particularly evident.

 

Wet on skin: The vanilla aspect of "vanilla" tea is starting to come out now. Getting the musk, too, but as a soft backdrop.

 

Drydown: Freshly dry, there seems to be a little lemon in this tea, just a tiny bit. It probably won't last long on me. But yes, overall, it's still sweet vanilla tea with only the littlest hint of musk. At one hour in, the lemon is indeed gone, and it's starting to go from "tea with vanilla" to "vanilla with tea." The musk is more evident now, though it's still serving as a soft and sweetish backdrop.

 

Five hours later: Still quite present, as a mix of vanilla, musk, and only a very little bit of tea.

 

End of the day: And still going surprisingly strong. Mostly musk now, with a bit of vanilla left. The tea is gone.

 

Overall: Ok, seriously, why did I wait this long to try Dorian? It's wonderful! It's smooth and sweet and refined, but the musk keeps it from being too clean and innocent. It's back there like the picture in the attic, with the "apparent" Dorian being all sweetness and courtesy. Totally fits the story. I'm also seriously loving the tea note in this one - I was hoping for that sort of tea from White Rabbit, and I didn't get it there. I absolutely see why this is such a favorite, and I'm sure I'll be using it, particularly as the weather gets warmer.

[magikalbrownies]

okay dont get me wrong but i love vanilla -- only in small amounts and well--- this is not one of those i'd try again. the lemon and vanilla mixture is just a little too weird for me to really like...

 

 

[ealasaid86]

First Sniff: From the bottle its sweet tea. Nice but I already have a Gennivre and White Rabbit for my tea fix.

 

Second Sniff: Wet and dry its the most delicious vanilla I have ever smelled. The musks ground it and keep it from being too sweet. No tea, lemon or lavendar to be found.

 

Final Verdict: My new favorite. At the rate I'm going my imp is not going to last much longer. Time to order a couple of bottles

[ShadowsDance]

I might as well be holding a vial of tea, sweetened with a touch of vanilla sugar. That's exactly what Dorian smells like. Nothing changes when applied, either. It's delicious and it lasts - 12 hours and still going. Amazing, and definitely one of my top scents.. although it's normally my fiance that I slather this on!

[thewondersmith]

Bottle: Lavender. Very herbal. Hrm.

 

Wet: Lavender, lemon. Smells like dishwashing liquid so far. Persevere, self, persevere.

 

Five minutes later: Boom, it suddenly turns sweet. Oh boy, this is delicious. Musky vanilla and tea, with a lovely buttery note underneath everything. It's like being served breakfast in bed by a pretty and exceptionally smug Victorian dandy after a night of debauchery.

 

Dry: Velvety vanilla, sugared tea with lemon candies on the side. I am SO pleased I ordered a bottle of this untested. I can really see why this is such a favourite.

Edited April 21, 2009 by downloadstone

[Champagne]

There`s nothing I can add to the other reviews, but i want to say it was love from the very first moment.

This is the lemon vanilla tea of perfection and happiness, of happy memories and funny afternoons.

I feel complete with Dorian on

[caitilarkin]

In the imp: Tea (much lighter than I had expected) with lots and lots of lemon

 

Wet on skin: Light tea with lots of sugar, cream and lemon--florals very far in the background

 

Dry on skin: This becomes much fainter as it dries, but remains a lovely, creamy tea scent. Luckily, the lemon never turns to Pledge on me in this blend. Dorian will be nice for spring and summer.

[melrose]

In imp and on, wet: crunchy brown sugar, like the top of creme brulee, with a hint of something darker - I am in mad love with this.

 

Near drydown: Oh, for the love of God, it's turning into baby vomit. I hate my stupid skin chemistry.

 

Far drydown: Lovely, with just a touch of play-doh. This has great lasting power - just don't know if I can make it through that baby vomit part.

[Schmoozy]

Ahh Dorian. Such a beautiful lemon sugared tea with hints of musk and vanilla. One of my favorite scents. The vanilla plays nice, and the pale musks remain prevalent but not overpowering at all. Altogether the notes combine seamlessly and provide so much comfort and familarity while wearing it.

Edited May 9, 2009 by Schmoozy