Dorian

[emily2531]

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.

I can't believe I haven't reviewed Dorian yet. It's probably my favorite BPAL.

With Dorian, it was love at first sniff. Dorian is a fairly sweet vanilla, but tempered with musk, crisp tea and the dusky green notes of the fougère (moss, lavender, slightly minty, maybe some sandalwood). Dorian softens as I wear it and eventually an ambery slightly musky vanilla is all that's left.

I'm going to make a couple of comments about the other two most frequently talked about vanilla-based scents: Snake Oil and Mouse's Long and Sad Tale. Snake Oil can give me a headache, and I really get a strong impression of urine (I think from the Red Musk) and a pungent mustiness (from the Patchouli). I also don't care for Mouse's Long and Sad Talep it was sickly sweet for me, cloying. Compared to the other vanilla scents, Dorian is so refreshing and actually makes me feel better if I have a headache. Edited April 3, 2010 by Shollin

[TNTknits]

I adore Dorian! The scent on me is a vanilla-y floral. I'm guessing the floral is really the tea, but it is light and sweet. The scent lasts all day with a bit of throw. Definitely bottle-worthy!

[Janegodzilla]

Oh, YUM. I can definitely see why everyone makes a fuss over Dorian. I'm one of those people who gets a lot of lemon from this, but it's a sweet, creamy lemon, like what you'd get in a lemon meringue pie. Dorian is sweet and subtle, all musk and sugar and lemon cream with just a hint of vanilla and tea to round things out and keep everything from being overly sweet. The lemon makes it feel very fresh, and the musk and sugared tea are weirdly sexy together. I don't know. I really, really like this. Bottle for sure!

[SugarCookie]

Delicate feminine scent. Very young and innocent, a balanced powdery fresh with a hint of sweetness like delicate white cotton candy. The sweetness of vanilla gives this girlish perfume depth without compromising Dorian's soft simplicity.

[Amaroq]

Unfortunately, Dorian smells fantastic on me when it's wet, all refined cologne and sugared tea, but goes soapy when it dries (it has a fougere note, and fougere includes lavender... I have never agreed with lavender). It returns to its initial deliciousness in a lower key a few hours hence, but I really dislike how long the soapiness lasts. Still, it's extremely promising, so I'm going to let this bottle age and see what happens.

 

Edit: I'm wearing it now on my wrists and neck... it's dry and not soapy at all. Well, then. I can now admit to a fondness for Dorian.

Edited December 16, 2009 by Amaroq

[Beckiemort]

Wet: HOLY LEMON CLEANER!!!! Wow that was a sharp lemon note I wasn't expecting at all…not off putting but unexpected.

 

Dry Down: The lemon starts to play nice with the other notes and the vanilla starts to warm up on my skin but it isn't all vanilla there is a slight bit of black tea and I am definately getting a whiff of floral...maybe thats the fougere. Later on I can't detect the lemon at all but mostly a vanilla floral which surprisingly doesn't put me off at all. Its quite nice and on me a little masculine. I think I like it.

 

ETA: Not even ten mins after writing this review the vanilla becomes even more pronouced and the floral starts to fade (this makes me super happy...I generally despise most florals)

 

I have changed my mind again...I LOVE this scent the vanilla is really warm without being too sweet or cloying, there is still just a hint of lemon and a smigeon of tea and a little cologne scent. This is sexy, not in a RAWR I'm going to pounce on you way but in a 'You can't afford me way'

Edited December 15, 2009 by Beckie

[lensflaaare]

My first review ever!

 

Wet: Extremely sweet, refined sugar.

 

Dry-down: There's something creamy now, and it smells like crumbly white cake. After a while, a bit of vanilla comes out, but it plays in the background and doesn't overwhelm. I can't really smell tea but there's something spicy (fougere?) that's emerging, and a soft, sweet lemon.

 

Dry: Tea is starting to show up, but I wish there was more of it. It's still creamy though, and there's something in it that makes me think of a Victorian parlour with the curtains drawn open on a sunny day. Beautiful and evocative. Lemon disappears completely after a while.

 

On my brother: It smells like sugar, and a bit of lemon. Mostly sugar, but in a bad way. Ultimately, he felt sick from it and went to scrub it off.

[strahlend]

I'm usually hesitant to hop on a bandwagon, but Dorian *really* is as fantastic as everyone says it is.

It's musky and vanilla and sweet.... mmmmmmm.... it makes me feel like taking a big sniff, a long sigh and then nuzzling something lovely and soft and comfortable. If I could, I would make my sheets and nightgown smell like Dorian all the time, forever. It's a happy scent that makes me feel like if I were a cat I would purr. The kind of scent that cheers you up when you're down, soothes you when you need comfort, can put you in the mood if you're so inclined, or feel content and peaceful. Good stuff!!

[copperwick]

as an enormous bookworm, i was really looking forward to trying dorian. i'm not sure how i feel about it quite yet-- i think i need to let it grow on me.

 

in the imp: sharp and sweet, with something floral and sort of darker-- lavender and the fougere? lurking underneath.

wet on skin: i got the "men's cologne" feeling from dorian; that... note that sort of sticks in the top part of your nose. not in a bad way, and it's still very sweet, verging on vanilla.

dry: oh, it's much better with time. warm vanilla on top, with a layer of "dark sugared tea"-- that description fits it perfectly! and then something underneath that as well, the vaguely floral manly note i noticed before.

 

it lasted quite some time on me, with a fair amount of throw. by the end of the day it was mostly sugar, with a little lavender. i'm not the biggest fan of lavender-- it gives me headaches, thanks to the memory of an unpleasant car ride-- but i'm really hoping i'll overcome that with dorian. i want so badly to like it! i think i might expose myself gradually... yeah, that sounds like a good idea. :]

[irishelf]

Imp: wonderful, glorious, sweet musk with some citrus and mint.

Wet: the vanilla pops out on its own briefly before settling in to cover the musk and citrus. I get a touch of lavender, too.

Dry: I knew I loved this scent and have worn it multiple times before I wrote up this review, so I'll just cut to the end and say that this has a ridiculous throw on me, lasts forever, and smells like an extension of me-smell. It softens perfectly into warm vanilla musk.

[moosue]

First review!

 

Oh my, yes.

In the bottle, it's slightly medicinal lemon tea.

On, but wet: Mostly lemon with a bit of tea.

Dry: Oh yes. Vanilla comes out and plays with the lemon tea and you get a scent reminiscent of Victorian castles around tea time. It smells like old, pretty things. I think it's the tea and vanilla, with just a hint of musk in the background. The lemon really fades out from the forefront, but is still there behind the vanilla and tea.

SO pretty, and so very very me.

 

Verdict: I'd declare it a favourite, but it's the first one I've tried. I think it'll be staying in the top 3 though, no matter what else I try. Glad I went for the bottle right away.

Edited January 28, 2010 by moosue

[misscoldheart]

I tried this one a few days ago after ordering a bottle of this for my husband. The description sounded nice and I was curious...

Well, I do like it quite a bit, but on me...something just isn't right about it. It's hard to put my finger one exactly what bothered me about this one, but I certainly do prefer it on my husband much more.

It was pretty lovely, really. I liked the way the vanilla came through, but again, something about it just didn't sit right. Glad at least the husband will wear it!!

[Sawasdee]

I can't believe I didn't try out Dorian sooner, and boy was I missing out. There is the initial lemony muskiness, but once on, the sugary vanilla add a milk tea quality, which is divine with the musk, and just amps the sexiness of this. I just want to bathe in this, I can't get enough. I'm going to have to never be without a bottle. Ever. I've already gotten several compliments on it.

[lilwhiterabbit]

Quick history--I actually purchased a 5ml vial of this for my boyfriend for Valentine's Day (he actually got it early, because I suck at surprises). So this is going to be a two-for-one review of both my and my boyfriend's opinion. Maybe this will be helpful to someone to get a guy's perspective on the scent.

 

In the bottle, Dorian smells like black sugared tea and gingersnaps to me. I mean, like the cookies. There is something sharp and very spicy about it that comes out after the tea scent overwhelms you. It's strong to my nose, but not unpleasant.

 

My boyfriend says Dorian in the bottle smells spicy, like aftershave to him, with a bit of vanilla.

 

On me, I get mostly black tea and sugar with something very clean underneath. Maybe the ginger smell has mellowed out a bit? Not sure what the 'ginger' would be, though. The musks, maybe?

 

On him tea and musk. The vanilla scent is pretty much gone. It's much more spicy on his skin than on mine. Almost peppery.

 

Overall, I find Dorian very nice, but it's probably not something I would wear very often. The slight gingersnap smell puts me off a bit. My boyfriend, however, loves it. I have a feeling he's going to use up the bottle really quickly, the way he slathers it on. At least I know my Valentine's Day gift was a success!

[Geminirubyshoes]

This was one of the first bottles I ever bought once we got Bpal at the store. I wore it a couple of times, but I have been ignoring it for a while since I have started building my collection. Yesterday I pulled it out of the box and put some on just to see if it still smelled awsome and OMG Dorian aged is strong, sweet, sexy musk with vanilla and some lavender underneath. Throw like woah ( hahaha) and it stays on for a while, even though I keep slathering just so I can bury my head in my arms. This is the second day in a row I have worn it and I think I am going to be a Dorian kick for awhile. I made a list of black phoenix smells for my friend who makes the coffee drinks at the cafe in our store and when he was reading it he was like "I really like how this paper smells" LOL! Dorian FTW.

[DeltaCat]

Lavender and tea with a little lemon. This smells so good! On drydown I can detect the vanilla. Yum!

[amritchie]

Imp - Smells very musky, with the vanilla coming through underneath. I like.

 

Wet - The vanilla is now the strongest note, sweet and a bit sugary, but not at all sickly or cloying. I don't get any of the fougere or tea, but there's still a hint of musk. I think it's what prevents the vanilla from getting too sweet.

 

Dry - The vanilla is pretty much overpowering the other notes. But it's a lovely vanilla, perhaps the nicest I've ever smelled! It's not sweet or cloying - there's a little hint of black tea coming through, which perhaps is what keeps it smelling fresh and light.

 

This was very faint on me, not much throw, despite the fact that I slathered it on. Still, I love the scent, it smells gorgeous. I think a bottle of this is going on my wishlist.

[girasol]

Oh dear. The BPAL lynch mob might come after me, but I have to confess... I don't really like Dorian. There, I said it. There's something about this I found a bit sickly.

[fieryredhead]

When I first was picking out scents to try I asked a few BPAL savvy friends for ideas. Every single one of them said I needed to try Dorian. But I balked. Lemon? Tea? Musks? Meh. Don't like any of those. Well, I thought I didn't; BPAL has proven me wrong multiple times already!

 

Anyways, I ordered an imp to try along with a few others not really expecting much. I didn't even sniff it till a few days after I got my order. As soon as I did though I immediately slathered it on my wrists and spent the rest of the evening smelling myself. Slathered it on my husband the next day and spent the rest of the evening smelling him. Dorian smelled so good on me even my pug Pearl repeatedly tried to lick my wrists! I think that speaks for itself.

 

On me it's a little more creamy than it is on my Husband. It stays pretty much the same as it is on me when in my scent locket. Vanilla sugar tea. NOM.

 

I immediately set about hunting out some aged Dorian which I thankfully found & love even more. I think this is going to be a my first bottle hoarding scent.

 

[KesHiro]

In the bottle, I get a sweet black tea with a hint of lemon. Wet, it's the same but with vanilla, as if the sugar cubes in the tea were made with vanilla infused sugar. During the drydown, the pale musk starts to emerge and once dry, I'm left with all of the above, plus lavender, although this element stays very much in the background.

 

This is a sweet scent, almost a little too sweet for me, but it's not a big deal and it does not overpower me or make me feel ill. I don't get debauched gentlemen from this so much as one with a very mischievous and randy sense of humor. He's the perfectly put together Victorian gentlemen who playfully winks at you from across the room, treats you like the lady you are, brings you your cup of tea, and then gives your bum a playfully little squeeze when no one is looking.

 

Despite the sweet element, I like this scent and am glad I have a bottle.

 

Edit: 10/10/10

 

Definitely gets sweeter as it ages. It's now starting to smell a bit like lemon pastries! Yum.

Edited October 11, 2010 by Kejiaron

[kohimame]

Dorian is a prime example of why I should let an oil dry down completely before judging it. When I originally tried Dorian, I swiped some on and immediately thought 'Wow, this smells like cologne,' then promptly washed it off.

 

Luckily I decided to give it another go. This time, I waited a bit before taking a sniff and WOW, so much better! After Dorian had a chance to settle on my skin, it turned into a sugary vanilla musk. It reminds me of vanilla-flavored tea, with a tiny bit of lemon to cut down on the sweetness.

 

It faded away after a few hours, but I don't mind slathering on some more. Definitely need to get bottles of this!

[voorishsign]

I've been contemplating getting an imp of Dorian for a while because I was intrigued by the tea and musk notes, but have had a lot of instances of widely loved oils not working on me at all. I was still in the middle of making up my mind when somebody frimped me Dorian out of the blue. I love it when that happens

 

In the imp - musk and sweet tea, delicious!

 

On wet - Tea and a hint of lemon.

 

Drydown - lightest vanilla, tea and musk. Very delicate and beautiful but still surprisingly masculine. I'm keeping some more of this to test against Theodosius when my partial of that arrives. I'm pleasantly surprised, very, very delightful.

[angelicruin]

This blend is always so amazing on my skin. It's soft sugared tea on my skin. A trace of lemon and light skin musk. I could bathe in this stuff all day it's just so perfect on my skin.

[divaberry]

Just got a new order in yesterday, and I nearly killed my arm trying several scents at once. Then I came to my senses, washed them all off, and started over with Dorian.

 

I see why this is so popular. It's delicious and sexy and cozy, a very nice scent that I was happy to wear to sleep yesterday and to work today.

 

The funny thing is I don't get a strong tea smell, but I do get a strong scent memory from my favorite tea house in France. I smell vague tea smells and the aroma of gorgeous french pastries, the kind that are mostly butter-flaky crust, creamy white chocolate, and subtle sugar. Sometimes I'll daub and a sudden lemon jumps out, but the creamy sweetness and the musk remain when it dries.

 

Overall, I like this a lot and I'm definitely keeping the imp. Buuuut, I think I just need to stop ordering BPAL's vanilla. The vanilla blends are yummy, but just not quite "me".

[topaz]

Why oh why did I wait so long to try this one? I fell asleep this afternoon (my night) with my wrist close to my nose just to keep huffing in my dreams. Pure sweet tea with cream. Every once in a while, I get a hint of lemon. This is delicious (and I don't even like tea all that much). Will be buying more of this one.