Dorian

[fairnymph]

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.

In the bottle: Sweet vanilla, citrus, tea and light spice.

Wet: Sweeter, more vanilla-foody-tea, much lighter spice, citrus gone within seconds.

Dry: Musk coming out quite noticeably, tea growing in strength. Still strong on the vanilla and light on the spice. Something very light and herbal, lavender I think.

Summary: Musky vanilla tea with a hint of herbal spice. I like that it's a really natural, true vanilla scent that is not overpowering or sickly sweet. Good throw and wearlength.

Much more pleasant than I expected, but I'm not into spice or 'foody' scents. Edited July 17, 2008 by Shollin

[whisperingmachines]

In the bottle: Tea, vanilla, and a little lemon.

 

Wet: sweet sugary tea.

 

Dry: Warm, gentle and feminine: flashes of the tea come back and forth between the dribbles of musk, lemon, and florals. I normally dislike lemon and florals, but they're so gentle here and the tea mellows them out a bit.

[lmaunu]

Source: Bottle from the Lab

 

I bought this at Will Call last night for Mr. BookGirl, but he wasn't too keen on the scent, so I decided to keep it for me. It's just wonderful! In the bottle and on my skin, it smells like warm Earl Gray tea, mixed in with sugar and vanilla, and just the slightest hint of musk. I'm not getting too much lemon, which is nice since I'm not a big lemon fan. I was also expecting it to be a bit more foody, but it's really not too foody at all. (I like foody scents, but if you don't, you'll probably still like it since it's subtle.)

 

It's got a soft throw to it, and nice wear length. I've had it on my wrists now for five hours (with just an average application since I always test new scents out with a light hand), and I'm still catching nice snatches of it as it drifts up to my nose. Lovely, lovely, lovely -- with some sexiness thrown in for good measure!

Edited April 21, 2008 by BookGirl

[greenranger]

In the imp, sweet and lavender? I'm not sure, but, it smells slightly herbal.

 

Wet on me, sugar and musk with maybe some tea hanging out in the background.

 

Drying, the back of my hand is smelling of sweet tea. My wrist is mostly sweet musk with something...else...hiding pretty effectively behind the sugar and musk. I can't identify it. On my elbow, I'm getting more of a sweet floral tea scent with the musks providing a base...

 

Isn't skin chemistry weird?

 

Altogether the scents are nice, but, I have doubts about their staying power on me.

 

----------

Much much later, after becoming addicted to Dorian:

 

This one grew on me. It has become one of the scents that I reach for often. It's a little better for hot weather than Snake Oil or Dragon's milk, so it has become my vanilla of choice for when the air conditioning at work becomes unreliable, as it often is.

 

I grew to love it on a trip I took recently. I packed a few scents that I thought wouldn't interfere on a wine tasting trip, and Dorian was one. It turned out to be the one I wore the most. It's a nice comforting vanilla and tea scent, on me, now, and it is possible that aging it slightly helped the scent.

 

Oh, and I shouldn't have worried about the staying power. It lasts fine on me, as most of the vanillas seem to.

Edited June 25, 2008 by Aerinha

[terrenity]

Dorian = deserves his reputation.

 

In the imp: Tea! I guess I didn't really believe that there could be a perfume that smells like tea... that'll teach me to doubt Beth's godly powers.

 

On: Ooh, this tea is strong! Very dark and very very sweet, like a cup of real, southern sweet tea. Sometimes I can smell a little sliver of lemon, more as a garnish than to actually add flavor to the tea. The musk is subtle and sweet, hinting at sex but far too dignified to say it outright. Yes, he's going to give you the best screw of your life, and yes, he expects to make you beg for it first, but in the end he will walk away with his suit perfectly pressed and nothing but the scent of very sweet tea on his jacket.

 

Overall: I'm going to need a bottle of this.

 

Color association: dark brown, like strong tea

[charisse]

Imp: Vanilla and musk, what a lovely combination.

Wet: Oh my. The vanilla is not sickeningly sweet at all, a touch masculine but not so much that a woman can't wear it. I want to sniff my wrists out. I want to slather this scent all over!

Dry: The scent remains elegant, lasts quite awhile.

Overall: I love, love, love this scent, and in my excitement I spilled nearly half the contents of my imp. Gasp. I dabbed it all over (shouldn't waste the precious) and I left a trail of this glorious scent, causing more than one coworker to tell me I smell so good. I will need to get a bottle of this.

[ErinZ]

Wet in imp:

sweet vanilla

 

Wet on skin:

same

 

Drydown:

I'm not terribly familiar with musk, but I think the "three pale musks" are pushing forward through the vanilla. I'm not picking up much tea - just a hint.

 

Wearlength:

Still there 8 hours later.

 

Final impression:

Not sure I like this one. It seems to smell like someone I used to know, but I don't recall who or if I liked them.

[gecko]

In the vial I get vanilla and green tea with a squirt of pine. As it dries the musk moves to the front with a top note of sweet vanilla and a touch of lemon. It's funny how skin chemistry works because on me this isn't masculine at all. In fact, it borders on too girly and foody for my taste. After it settles down it gets more warm and skin-like, with that hint of something naughty. I thought it had less than average throw and 3-4 hours before it went playdough on me. I am a light applier though. My husband likes it and I think Dorian will get better with age, so I'm keeping it. I give it 3.5 out of 5.

[inurbanus]

I tend to get nervous when I try really popular blends, because they never seem to work out on me. Isn't skin chemistry awesome? Dorian, though, exceeded my expectations. While I don't think I need a bottle of this, it certainly is a nice scent, and I do like the smell of it.

 

Dorian is warm tea with lemon and a little bit of vanilla. Each of these elements ebbs and flows on me -- sometimes I get lots of tea, then lemon, then vanilla. I can smell a little bit of musk, too. I think it has to be white musk; it has that same powdery background that Embalming Fluid has. Come to think of it, with the lemon, this reminds me a great deal of Embalming Fluid. I think this is a scent I would rather bathe with than wear as a perfume -- maybe I should check out the Dorian soap from the Trading Post.

 

3/5

 

ETA: I actually like this a lot more now than when I originally reviewed it. I'm not sure why -- maybe my decant aged significantly or my skin chemistry shifted. Anyway, this is great! Vanilla tea, with cloudy musk. I want to get a bottle as soon as possible. 4.5/5

Edited September 21, 2008 by inurbanus

[Tilby]

Beautiful!! I am glad I have a bottle of this one because it is perfect for slathering. It smells like my Grandfather's sweet tea, with a splash of vanilla. It's light, but has a distinct presence which oozes elegance. It only lasts for a short while on my skin, but the reapplications are completely worth it. I have been complimented on this scent by three different people, and it has become one of my favorites.

[mybrainhurts]

First impression:

Smells like soap. And flowers.

 

End if day:

I really don't like florals. This is incredibly floral on me. I really don't like it. This one goes in the swap pile.

[lostluckkitten]

Based on reviews and people who like similar scents, I thought I'd love this one. In a sense, I do, but not overall

 

Dorian is, in theory, pleasant to my nose. Sweet, vanilla-sugared white tea. Fairly potent. A nice sweet scent.

 

However, something in this amps up to WOAH WAY TOO SWEET and become cloying to the point of nausea. I wore it for several hours, and I'd get a nice whiff only to be immediately slammed with an after-smell that was something akin to NutraSweet.

 

So bummed

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Light musk with a tinge of vanilla.

 

On Application

Hmm....quite foody at first. Vanilla and what smells like berry. Kind of smells like a sweeter Eat Me. No tea...drat.

 

Dry Down

I still get the berry and vanilla but the muskiness of the tea is coming through. Much better after it has been on a while. Good throw and great lasting power.

 

Rating (0-5)

4.5

[heathercaley]

Minty!! Minty creamy vanilla tea with a cube of ice to make it cool.... Not foody at all... but definitely creamy and spicy! Very regal indeed. I shall hold my pinkie out wilst I sip my cool creamy vanilla mint tea! I know there's no mint in it.. but there is something minty about it. It's not actually mint... just refreshing like mint.

 

 

[thomasblackthorne]

Ahh Dorian.

 

Dorian to me, does convey a certain elegance. Like a wolf in sheep's clothing. To me it says: "Yes, I am a gentleman, but just wait, and you'll see, I am none the like."

 

Imp: A bit too feminine, but I tried it anyway. The vanilla made me a little cautious.

 

Wet: Very sweet, like drizzling honey over a naked body in candlelight, with incense burning.

 

Dry down: Very elegant and seductive, I can see the tea and vanilla symphonizing together to form a very sexual sonata. One that even Marquis De Sade would swoon over.

 

Big Bottle?: Possibly. Edit: HELL YES!

Edited June 23, 2008 by CaptainBlackthorne

[thegirlisonfire]

in the imp, I got a simple vanilla-tea scent

 

as soon as it was on, the vanilla and tea stayed true but something .. naughtier warmed up underneath. kind of an herbal-y-lemon type sexual naughtiness underneath a proper victorian tea party scent.

 

I ordered a large bottle immediately -- this and philosophy's Amazing Grace are the only perfumes my boyfriend has request that I wear more often :]

[icecreamcone]

Dorian! One of my all time fave scents.

Edited December 26, 2022 by icecreamcone

[milo]

I can't really add much to the great reviews. This is no exception for me, I love Dorian, and it is one of my fave scents. I had an imp from the lab, and was lucky to get a 6 month or so aged bottle. There was a difference between the two, the aged version being much better. It is "fresh and foody" at the same time. Very nice.

[DenMother]

Dorian says with a slow sexy drawl "hello you wanton hussy"

Me with a shocked expression "Oooooeer" *giggles*

Dorian smiling seductively "Why don't you move a little closer so that I can dry hump your leg"

Me with eyes wide and a high pitched "OOOOOoooOOOooOOOOOOER" *blushes furiously*

Dorian starts moving up and down.......

Me "Ahhhh.......would you like a cup of tea with that?"

Edited July 1, 2008 by DenMother

[veronicafranco]

meh?

this is just some sort of dark vanilla that i don't care for.

maybe it will be great on the boy, for whom i bought this imp, but he is being standoffish and not eager to try his new smellies.

i'm gonna go test my own frimps now.

[thelaurenator]

I'm not sure why so many women love this scent. It is very masculine and cologne-y, at least on me. Normally I'm all about tea scents but this just smells like a guy.

[anardana]

This one is not for me. It is a very sweet vanilla with a hint of floral. I'm not a fan of either note. I was hoping for more tea/bergamot.

[Lyrical]

In bottle: wow! I think it's the fougere that provides the crispness here - it's very perfumy and very beautiful - light and cool and sweet.

 

Wet on skin: sweet and fresh, almost floral, and remarkably similar to the lemon/vanilla/musk of Zephyr! I suppose the fougere has lemon in it.

 

Dry on skin: stays very much like Zephyr, but with less citrus and more vanilla. A little powdery (like Zephyr). Doesn't morph much but after a few hours it is suddenly reduced to a waft of sweet, vanilla tea. Lovely!

 

Second test: this time it was more as I expected. The lemon has calmed down and I can smell the tea. A bit faint, though. A soft, powdery vanilla, with refreshing tea and just a hint of lemon underneath. Very nice! Unisex.

[undream]

wow, this is very nice! i don't really get any tea at all, it's mostly just a lovely vanilla aaaand ... something that smells a little too masculine/cologney on me.

 

the throw is beautiful, soft, creamy, ohhh so yummy, but up close i feel like a boy! not for me, but i'd definitely love to try this one on the boyfriend! /lick!

 

ETA: ah! after about twenty minutes the boy smell fades into the back (yay!) and the whole thing becomes just a very soft, beautiful vanilla. LOVE!

Edited July 13, 2008 by undream

[stillalive]

I don't smell any lemon... it's definitely a vanilla tea sort of thing. I don't smell much else, but it's still a nice enough scent. Somewhat creamy, and it fades extremely fast to a point then just sort of stays mellow for a while.