Dorian

[allidavie]

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.

Absolutely, positively gorgeous. Like Antique Lace, but with lemon. I don't get the tea note at all, just creamy vanillay musk with a yummy, but not overpowering lemon note.

I just ordered TWO 10 mls after deciding that this may just well be my favorite bpal ever and I want to be stocked up at all times. If this were discontinued I might have a heart attack.

I'm planning on making a dorian spray perfume now that I have more on the way, but I find that once I make sprays I stop wearing anything else and once I have a Dorian spray that may be it for me!

Still have no idea what a fougere is though...

[slugbait]

I was rummaging through my fiancés imps and this one I’ve been longing to try. He let me try some on and DAMN! I smell good.

 

Dorian makes me want to lick myself. No joke. It is incredible. This reminds me of Republic of Tea’s Vanilla Almond tea with brown sugar.

 

In the imp it smells like dark vanilla, a tad smoky, and sweet. I don't smell any lemon. On my skin this is so rich, provocative and seductive. I still don't get any lemon, but the deepness almost reminds me of tobacco. Absolutely mind blowing. I couldn’t stand certain vanilla perfumes before, like Vanilla Fields and Raw Vanilla. I liked Bath & Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar, but Dorian has them all owned. It is so much more complex and sensual, I can see why everyone swoons over this blend.

 

My fiancé seeing that I was in lust over Dorian, grew jealous and slathered himself in it. OMFG x 100,000,000. I smell vanilla on him, and the black tea emerges and smells divine. I could eat him and more. Dorian’s throw is incredible, and it lasted well over 8 hours on him.

 

I’m going to buy two 10 ml. bottles of this – one for me and one for the boy.

Edited July 6, 2005 by slugbait

[mmcfa2]

I almost messed this scent up for myself with wanting it to smell a certain way.

 

Initially on it is white musk. Gawdawful 70's white musk, coty musk, musk in a oil bottle that you applied sloppily because you just had to smell like musk although white musk smells nothing like real musk at all. I was not so nuts to wash it off, but I was really saddened by the smell.

 

I'm so glad I did not wash it off

 

After the musk settled down this georgeous tea appeared and slowly milk was added to it and I caught a whiff of lavender from somewhere. Only after this wonderful gustatory feast did the musk reappear and this time it was a bit refined and subtle with a bit of spice around it's edges.

 

At the very end of the scent I smelled the same spices and vanilla present in snake oil, but grounded by black tea, LOVELY!!

 

I like this alot, even if the first snif was so er 70's

[pensive]

I emailed two friends with the subject: "BPAL: OMG. You Must TRY." while wearing Dorian (its still on me, mind you).

 

I honestly think this was ‘the tea’ scent I was looking for. On me it is vanilla tea, with just an itty bitty drop of non-offensive lemon. I could wear this anywhere, everywhere, any weather. This is also 2x better than Snake Oil (which I wouldn’t probably get a bottle of, but oh hello, I want a bottle of this). Yeah I know, some of you just put me on the "you so crazy" list.

 

Imp: Creamy vanilla tea.

Wet: Tea plus a drop of lemon.

Dry: Creamy creamy lickable vanilla and tea.

Verdict: 10ml? You bet. This zoomed up to the top of the love list with Alice.

[delicate_fangs]

Dorian is yummy. In all sorts of ways.

 

It starts off smelling to me of vanilla and pine needles (perhaps the pine is the way my nose interprets fougere/herbal stuff?) but goes quickly to vanilla tea with musk. Yum.

 

And there's just a tiny edge of citron and that pine-needle-y scent to keep it fierce. Why is it that fierceness held in check by propriety is such catnip to me? RrrrrroOWR! Maybe it's because of what it hints at in the future. In other words, I do believe Andrabelle speaks for me as well, in her review of this one.

 

I can understand the comments that this is reminiscent of southern (US) sweet tea, too. Double yum.

 

I so want a bottle of this. Am trapped in fiscal responsibility until after my next show, but ooh. Want.

[~AmusedMuse~]

My Impression:

This is the truest tea scent I have had the opportunity to try to date. The creaminess and vanilla come out after the drydown but it is truly lovely. I love it but it wil be a bit longer for me to be able to tell if it loves me...As light as it is it seems that it would fade quickly but I find that it has not...good job lab on a really nice blend

[ethermaiden]

I don't get any lemon from this, but that's ok by me.

 

It's a warm vanilla-bean smell... reminds me of when my father would make vanilla sugar by cutting open a lot of whole vanilla beans and putting them in jars filled with high quality white sugar. It smelled so good.

 

A bit milky, I just barely get the tea aspect, it could be a bit stronger but this will do. It's almost the smell of a tin of black vanilla tea.

 

Definately a sibling scent to Dana O'Shee, and definately a "skin" scent.

 

Not a gender neutral scent in my mind, too sweet and vanilla-y for that.

 

EDITED TO ADD: After wearing this for 3 days in a row, I just NOW got the musk- and it's definitely reminiscent to the white musk of the 80's. It comes and goes, so I don't mind it terribly. I wonder if it's the insane humidty pulling that bit out? Also forgot to mention that this is after the imp had aged for several months, although not away from light, so that may have effected the scent as well.

Edited July 16, 2005 by ethermaiden

[Caltha]

Dorian

 

This is really sugarsweet on me, cookies and candy. Hardly strong, black tea, but perhaps vanilla tea with lots of milk and sugar. Or perhaps milk and honey. It makes me hungry and I love the sweetness of it, although it's not very complicated or "dark" or "masculine" at all. It makes me want to drink tea, sweet tea with milk (which I usually don't use in my tea) so perhaps that is the tea note after all even though I can't quite detect it. Or perhaps Dorian is the spicysweet cookie I'd like to combine with tea... It's an amber-coloured scent to me and cookie-dry and tea-wet at the same time. A bit like a yummier version of the warm, sweet unisex perfume "Liquid Karl" Karl Lagerfeldt did for H&M and which I got for about $3 since nobody else wanted it... If I smell it real hard I might just detect the more "oriental" sweetness of musk beneath the childish sweetness of tea and cookies. For a while I thought I got a faint hint of leather as well, but there's nothing "masculine" about it other than that.[/color]

Edited September 6, 2005 by Caltha

[inkstone]

A freebie from the Lab.

 

In the imp: Sweet, vanilla tea.

 

Wet: Hmm, the musk comes out. Something vaguely lemony and sharp too. Not sure what that is.

 

Drydown: Less sweet vanilla, more musky tea.

 

Final thoughts: I wish this would have smelled on me the way it did in the imp. As it is, it's actually a bit too masculine for my tastes. Le sigh.

[Abbie]

In the bottle: Hmmm... a sweet fragrance that I actually like. V. nice. To me it smells like burnt sugar with just a hint of lemon... not at all musky.

 

First on: The warmth of my skin brings the citrus forward some more. This is very soft and tangy. Weird thing: I always sample these in the morning while getting ready for work, and all the "sensual" scents seem to make me want to go back to bed. This one is no exception.

 

Dry: Soooo subtle. Soft musk, sugar, and citrus mingle together, so that every time I sniff it's a little different.

 

Overall: I'd put it on the big-bottle list if I didn't have WAY too many on there already. Maybe someday...

[empi girl]

Got a freebie of this in my last order, and was very excited, as I've been wanting to try this one!

 

In vial and on it stays remarkably true. It smells like sweet lemon gingersnaps, which I wasn't expecting (was thinking it would be sugared vanilla tea), but which is fantastic! I don't really notice tea, or white musk (which tends to go bad on me).

 

It has really good staying power, and is a beautiful scent. A definite big bottle purchase, as I could see this being good in all seasons-light and clean, but with a little heat from the gingersnaps.

[cupide430]

Dorian

 

Light, sweet tea with an almost burnt sugar note. I can see why everyone loves this. It's sweet without being too sweet. As it dries the tea note comes out more, but it still remains lovely and sweet. The tea and the sugar notes seem to be trading places, back and forth, as the sugar note is at the forefront again. I'll have to try this one out for everyday wear. I'm not completely in love with it yet, but I do like it quite a bit.

[shayelea]

Oh. My. GOD.

 

A long time ago, I was first introduced to the wacky ways in which perfume interacted with individual body chemistry by putting on some Tuscany Per Donna which belonged to a friend of my mom's. And it smelled fantastic on me - the friend, who actually sells perfume at a department store, said it smelled better on me than anyone she'd ever experienced.

 

Unfortunately, perfume allergies run in my family, so not only was my mom allergic to it, I became allergic to it as well.

 

I finally figured out that it's usually the alcohol that gets me with perfume, which is why I was so pumped to try various BPAL scents.

 

And Dorian smells on me the way Tuscany Per Donna used to, only better.

 

In the bottle it's a moderately strong musk-and-tea scent, with maybe a whisp of sweetness floating through. Wet, the musk stands out a little more than I'd like, except that it dries down absolutely perfect. (It helps that the musks aren't strong musks - if they were I'd probably be headed right back to allergic reaction.)

 

It's strong, bitter tea tempered with a wonderful vanilla, and mixed with the musk to keep it from smelling foody. And yeah, I can maybe smell a tiny bit of lavender-spiciness in there too, which is probably why it calms me down to wear it to bed.

 

I feel a right idiot - this was a lab freebie, and so far the other scents I actually ordered have been various levels of horrific on my skin. Maybe I should just let the lab pick my scents from now on, eh? *g*

 

This lasts about six hours on me; after that it kind of reverts to a very faint spicy vanilla. But that's not unusual - I've never encountered a scent that lasted all day on me. And for a glorious few hours, it's got PLENTY of throw - I'm sitting here typing and it gives me this wonderful satisfying almost-taste in my mouth. I'm in love.

[QueenFae]

I've heard so many people rave about this one, and it's all true! A truly magnificent blend. It smells like comfort food to me, it's strangely calming and fulfilling. I love any blend that has that magickal sugar note in it, and it's definitely the top note in Dorian. It's like sugar crusted vanilla candy, so smooth and delicious. I love it, will probably need a 5 ml.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Vanilla.

 

Just On: A nice vanilla scent.

 

An hour or two later: A very faint bit of plastic, and vanilla.

 

Around 6 hours: About the same, mucho vanilla with a bit of plastic. Not enough to deter me, mind you.

 

12 hours: Vanilla, faint but lingering.

 

Overall: I like this scent. If I could completely avoid the plastic, it would almost be perfect.

 

After reading other reviews: After all the raves, how could I help but want to try this one? I didn't get nearly as much sweetness as others did, and I never got lemon, and not really tea either. I certainly didn't get musk. This isn't a OMFG scent for me, but I adore Andra's review of it.

[dcmo]

I know I'm very late getting on the bandwagon for Dorian, but better late than never right? In the first I'd say maybe 10 seconds, I get the scent of lavender, but it quickly fades to a vanilla, honey sweet tea scent with a slight slight lemon tinge. This is gorgeous!!! I want to cover myself in it. Big bottle purchase right away!

[tesao]

right. i am officially in OMFG love with dorian.

 

andra's review was SPOT on.

 

to me, this was an instantaneous love. bergamot tea (think earl grey) with, bizarrely enough, BOTH cream AND lemon. and honey. and, sure enough, cookies. (must be the vanilla).

 

cream my pants, i did.

 

(although i must admit that my husband said it smelled like hai karate to HIM, and that he didn't like it at ALL. so what. i'll wear it when i'm alone!!! bwahahahah!)

[LadyWilde]

Yep, 80s drug-store white musk. And, oddly, Avon Skin-So-Soft. And a drop of vanilla, maybe, which would be absolutely lovely without that other junk mucking it up.

 

So very, very disappointed am I.

 

 

 

EDIT: Um, hmmm. Huh. I, ah, well. . .hmmm. I can't figure this one out. I always try a scent at least twice unless it's truly offensive, and today, Dorian smells. . .different. The vanilla is more prominent, and I'm getting occasional hints of creaminess if I concentrate really, really hard. Still getting that weird musk, though, and absolutely none of the lovely tea/lemon/lavendar/honey/etc. notes that so many others have mentioned. Oh, well. It's wearable, and it's still my favorite novel even if it will probably never be my favorite bpal.

Edited August 11, 2005 by LadyWilde

[eadavenp]

i really like this scent but can't decide if i love it. my first impression was Sweet, vanilla, foody, almost like a poundcake or something, and then i picked up on the "tea" note as it dried. i think tea may be one of my favorite notes. I love the way it dries down to a soft vanilla that is not dissimilar to antique lace, which other posters have mentioned. Sadly, i don't get much of the lemon, which i wanted to get because Fresh Lemon Sugar is one of my favorite non-bpal scents. definitely keeping the imp, and a big bottle may be in order. 4/5

[BlueStar]

Hmm I wonder if Dorian is edible? No it isn't, not really it tastes kind of yucky actually but boy does it smell good.

 

Wet in The Bottle: Mmmm High Tea with the Aristocracy in London.

 

Wet on my Skin: Ooooh Musky!

 

Drydown: Oh man this smelled really good in the bottle now it is kind of benign but dig that sugary vanilla syrup smell. Mmm I want pancakes...

 

Verdict Not good on my skin but smells pretty good on the wife.

[Julilla Regina]

I read the description and I thought "eh. musk.", but it got so many rave reviews, I thought I should at least try it.

 

This is amazing! The musk is very very light, only seems to be there to keep the entire thing from being too sweet, maybe? I love the way this smells. In fact, after I thought it had faded into nothingness, a co-worker asked me what I was wearing that "smelled so *good*. It was my honest to goodness first compliment on BPAL. It might not seem feminine enough for many, but it doesn't smell like a cologne at all, either. It's smooth and mellow and veddy veddy sophisticated. It's really beautiful, and definitely worth a big bottle.

[theseagrows]

ah this is beautiful!

 

it smells like some sort of lemon-vanilla cake, but the lemons are very soft and subdued. the citrus just add to the vanilla, and doesn't overwhelm it.

 

it is soaking in very quickly on my skin, and i wish it was a little bit stronger, but i think i've found another favorite to update my wishlist with!

[Silverstrike]

Initially I was overwhelmed with lemon; a little bit later I could discern a bit of tea, but the lemon was so strong I could understand why someone would mention Lemon Pledge, although it still smelled kind of yummy. Half an hour later, the musk came out and it was heavenly! This is a gorgeous scent, very sexy in a velvet sledgehammer type of way. I *think* I can't smell the sugar or vanilla, but with whatever my nose and brain are registering, I'm not missing it. This is going on the big bottle list.

[Alice Aforethought]

A masculine floral blend. And it is absolutely gorgeous!

 

There's a smooth deepness there but no bitterness, just a beguiling rich quality that is ever so slightly sweet but never offensively so.

 

I can't smell any lemon in this at all! And only vanilla tea if the tea is very very weak.

[wtchmel]

In the vial this one had a very 'green' scent to me. I put it on and on the dry down it was very male scented to me, no problem with that, but it reminded me of 1950's hair oil, of some older relative from the past, but not in a good way, did not work with my body at all.