Dee

[DiesMali]

... His scent is soft English leather, rosewood and tonka with a hint of incense, parchment and soft woods.

 

In the imp: Spices and vanilla.

 

Wet on my skin: This starts out almost floral on my skin, but quickly turns into soft, vaguely sweet and incensed leather.

 

Dry: This is a gorgeous blend on me, but I had a feeling it would be since it shares a few notes with some of my other favourites. This is mostly leather and sweet, fuzzy tonka on me, and then rosewood and incense drifting through it. It's a very comforting, pleasant sort of scent, and it smells amazing on my skin. It's a warm, creamy brown and ivory swirling together, in my mind. Bottle! Must have!

[Malaena]

I got this as a frimp in a recent swap. Initially I was concerned about the leather note since it has turned powdery in all blends of tried thus far.

 

I never detect leather! It seems to be all rosewood. I don't know what tonka smells like so I can't comment on that. Dee is fairly masculine and I LOVE it! It makes me want to cuddle myself.

[Veronica]

This scent is cozy encapsulated--sweet tonka, warm leather, like a fire crackling in a worn, well-loved library. Really interesting and pretty, this starts off more incense-y on me, but turns into mostly tonka and leather and wood--very sweet and warm, with the rosewood and parchment lurking in the background, adding a softer note.

Edited June 10, 2015 by delighted

[claudia6913]

I don't know how many times an imp of Dee passed through my hands in the years I've been buying/selling/swapping. I'm sure if I knew I would kick myself for ever letting this blend get past me.

 

It is wonderful. Softly sweet leathery goodness. It's domfy, cozy, and warm. Like being held by your love as they tuck the blanket closer around the two of you and you snuggle together to watch the fire as it crackles in the one room cabin you rented.

 

I can't even sing it's praises high enough. I love this blend and need more. And this is FRESH from the lab Dee. I can only imagine it aged.

[agirlnamedfury]

Testing location: right wrist

 

In imp: slightly bitter wood

 

Wet on skin: less bitter, and there's a nice nutty warmth coming through now. Getting just a touch of soft, well-worn leather coming through as well.

 

 

This reminds me a bit of Tombstone, another woodsy masculine scent I like, but maybe even a bit more mellow. I like it, I can imagine myself wearing it now and then, but I don't think I need a whole bottle.

[HighlyBell7]

In Imp: Healthy urine yellow color. Sunflower seeds and some kind of citrus musk?

Wet: Sunflower seeds and some flower with a hint of something oily. A musk?

Dry: Outside in summer in a field of sunflower. Something deeper and more spicy.

Later: Spicy and more powdery. Resin? Amber?

 

[doomsday_disco]

In the imp: Leather, rosewood, parchment, and soft woods (but the first two notes I listed are the most prominent to my nose).

 

Wet: Leather and rosewood dominate the blend. This one is very masculine to my nose. The parchment and soft woods are present, making the blend seem even drier to my nose. It isn't long before the rosewood becomes the most prominent note.

 

Dry: I'm still getting a lot of rosewood from this, but the parchment and soft woods are stronger now. The leather has taken a background role, and the tonka adds a nice warmth to the scent, preventing it from being too dry. I can smell the hint of incense if I inhale deeply, but it isn't a main player in this scent.

 

Verdict: This one is too masculine for me, but I wouldn't mind smelling it on a guy!

[roseus]

In the imp: soft leather, rosewood, and incense. Very intellectual.

 

Wet: primarily leather and rosewood, with a kick from the incense. The parchment is peeking out now.

 

Dry: similar to when wet but everything becomes more blended and softer. The tonka also sweetens and warms everything nicely, and makes it a touch less masculine.

 

I really like this, especially on days where I need to be particularly studious, or am just feeling bookish. It is masculine but I wouldn't say "too" much so. If you're into very feminine, floral scents this probably isn't for you. Dee is not musky or heavy in anyway however.

Edited May 25, 2016 by roseus

[d0gbones]

In the imp: Definitely getting the leather. Pretty generic masculine fragrance.

 

Wet: Still leather, but much sweeter and sort of vanilla-y. Hopefully, the incense is coming out.

 

Dry: Leather ruins everything for me It's not all that strong but it's basically just leather and vanilla. I'm fascinated by John Dee so I'm gonna hang on and hope it'll age and the incense will come out more.

[Sue Dribben-Dickson]

This is a total game changer for me. It made me not care if a scent is masculine, if I like it I can where it? Plus it introduced me to the scent of leather and parchment in perfumery! It's complex and wonderful! I will be purchasing a bottle with my next order & I want to venture further into the realm of scents I wouldn't normally associate with perfumes! I also want to learn more about Tonka, not to mention John Dee!

[LizziesLuck]

Leather is so iffy on me, and so are "woods" but I love trying things! So here I go.

 

 

Wet: I know it's not listed, but this smells really strongly of vetiver to me when it's wet. Like pretty much vetiver single note. Not sure what to think of that.

 

Dry: I'm still getting a vetiver vibe from this! I don't know if the combo of the leather and woods is tricking my nose, or what. It's not bad or anything, I don't mind vetiver. But this really isn't my type of thing. I'm kind of confused by it too, and even sort of wonder if this imp is mis-labeled. I will likely try another imp another time if I get the opportunity.

 

 

ETA: I see others have smelled vetiver in this, so I am likely not entirely crazy.

Edited February 6, 2016 by LizziesLuck

[Joyleaf_]

After taking a bit of time away from the Bpal world, Ive come back and decided to re-test my collection.
Dee for some reason was one that I had passed over on and was at the top of my list to re-try.

 

I am so glad I did. This soft, light leather is barely touched with incense smoke and has the warmth of the woods interspersed.

 

Its like getting a hug from a favorite friend.

 

6/5 would wear again.

[Victory]

Leather is very hit-or-miss with me, so I was glad to get an imp of this. Starting out, the leather is strong and dry, which was a bad sign, but as it's dried, the leather gets less dry-smelling. There is a sweetness to it that smells somehow bubble gummy (it isn't bubble gum. I just don't know how to describe it. It's not tonka, it's not the rosewood, what is it?). I like it. It's in the same family as Herr Drosselmeyer- definitely masculine but really comforting for me to wear. I prefer HD, but this is a good second choice should I run out.

[Beary Strange]

In the imp: like a woodsy men's cologne

Wet: more woods as well as the tonka and incense

Dry: incense-y wood with tonka and a scent that reads as cedarwood to me; if I really concentrate I can smell the rosiness of the rosewood and the leather

 

I like it but while I like masculine scents generally, this one might be too masculine. So I decided to try it on the dude and it smells very different on him; his skin amps whatever cedarwood smell I'm getting, the vaguest whisper of menthol and I swear it smells like this one shaving cream. He said it was "ok" and compared it Brut. Washed off it smells like shaving cream on me as well.

Edited November 26, 2016 by BearyStrange

[KezzieZ]

This one was a frimp I got from a Trading Post order and I was very interested in trying out something that has parchment and tonka notes, so I had to try this one out fairly soon out of the lineup I was sent. The leather had me a bit unsure, but I'll tell you how that turned out below.

 

In Bottle: I opened this one a bit early out of curiosity and whew! Very masculine to my nose and spicy, which I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised about. I definitely smell the leather note in this. It has somewhat of an antique study room smell to it, I think, with the leather, wood, and old parchment notes together. The spice I'm picking up must be the incense. I was somewhat hoping the tonka would sweeten it up, and I suppose it might a tiny bit.

 

Wet on Skin: First whiff is leather and it was pretty darn musky, but it seems to be settling down a bit. Getting more wood (especially rosewood) and incense, I think, maybe a little tonka and parchment underneath. It's some strong stuff, but pleasant for what it is. Still smells a bit masculine, but at least more on the unisex side of masculine, I suppose? It smells like some sort of familiar cologne and still makes me think of an antique study, though the incense and tonka are coming through more than in the bottle.

 

Approx. 1 Hour Later: The scent is still very cologne-ish, but I feel that it's just a tad lighter than before. It's mostly the incense and tonka with some musk underneath, probably from the leather note and maybe the parchment. Occasionally, the leather and rosewood move forward.

 

------

 

Out of all of the more masculine-leaning scents I've tried (this, Masquerade, and Tavern of Hell), I appreciate this one the most. This smells bookish in a warm, pleasant way to me. It leans a bit too masculine for me personally, but this could be great for someone looking for a more masculine scent that smells like some sort of classic old study room.

[Casablanca]

Wet on my skin, this is a lovely leather-rosewood blend with hints of tonka, pale incense, paper, and other woods.

 

As Dee dries, his leather, paper and incense amp on me. It’s like he, or someone else wearing these things, is sitting so close as to almost touch my nose. Even as I write, the incense has surpassed the others and come into dominance.

 

After drydown, a soft vanilla beeswax note joins the party. It contributes to and blends into the pale impression from the incense.

 

I like this and may bottle it once my Wan White Humming Hive is empty, because it reminds me of that blend.

[lizabelle]

This is gorgeous, but it's also throwing me for a loop--on my skin this smells exactly like a cologne my dad wears all the time. My dad has good taste, though (he likes florals, woods, and vanilla), so that's not a bad thing.

 

The leather, woods, and tonka are perfectly balance and blend into a cuddly, slightly dry vanilla-y thing. It feels like a warm hug or intimate conversation in a well-loved library. While this does lean slightly masculine, it's a very soft masculine and wearable by someone with more feminine tastes--more so than most of the other "men's" blends I've tried from BPAL.

 

I may have to try it a few more times to see if I want a bottle, but this is the first true masculine-leaning blend I've considered buying. It's wonderful.

 

ETA: Okay, this is going in my cart right now. The drydown has less of the dad's-cologne smell and more of the soft, warm vanilla/tonka with a suede-y undertone. It is magnificent. This is what I want to smell like at all times.

Edited January 23, 2017 by lizabelle

[gloame]

This is a scent that smells best after it’s been on skin for an hour. The settling period takes longer than a lot of other blends and there’s a strong dirt note (to me) while it does which fades into the leather/incense that’s so lovely once it’s gotten comfortable on your skin.

Masculine, dry, leather.

Where I'd wear this: Forbidden Forest potions-brewing

Edited July 16, 2017 by gloame

[ramblingrambler]

Wet and in the imp, I'm not a fan of Dee. I don't especially like it dry, either. It's parchment through and through while wet---and for some reason, the lab's parchment note, whatever that is, doesn't work for me. Dry, the parchment is still there, but I smell some tonka, and that's about it. Maybe some rosewood here and there. I'm deeply reminded of The Library of John Dee, which makes complete and total sense, but The Library of John Dee is much sweeter, honeyed and full of tobacco. It also does not work for me. I know many love this and its companion fragrance, so off they go to get more love!

[achildoftime]

I get a very soft, worn leather out of this. It's very close to the skin, which is kind of a bummer because it really is nice. The woods and incense become much more apparent at the half-hour mark. It reminds me of sitting in an oversized leather chair and burning some incense. It's very cozy, but I wish it was a little stronger and that I'd get some of the parchment. My imp is quite old, so I wonder if the parchment just gets overwhelmed over time. I'll have to try a fresher one and see.

[patina]

This is a scent I ignored after reading the notes. A few years later, I get it as a frimp and actually try it without remembering what the notes were. I couldn't tell there was leather there, I just got an old parchment scent with vetiver, tobacco, faint incense and crumbling herbs around the edges. I'd never liked most of the book scents I tried, but this one was different.

 

The scent is manly to me, though the sort of man who wears lace collars, traffics with spirits and obsesses over old manuscripts. It seems more like Aziraphale than Aziraphale's actual scent did. On reading the notes, I can definitely tell that there's leather. My skin tends to eat leather so it makes sense that the Tonka and wood would nearly cover it up. This was perfect for the summer heat, maybe due to the rosewood/ incense/herbs/ what other reviewers call aftershave. The tobacco wasn't amping nightmarishly as it sometimes does in summer.

 

My only complaint is that it sticks so close to the skin there's barely any throw.

Edited July 9, 2017 by patina

[Lucchesa]

Dee is soft rosewood, just a hint of leather and parchment -- a really nice men's cologne, not one that my husband will sniff and say, "Too cologney," Not all unisex blends work on me, and leather is very iffy, but this one is beautiful. No throw but a lovely skin scent for my more scholarly days when I want to evoke some of that Renaissance magic. And I have days like that, definitely.

[InaraRedCloak]

Date: November 2016

In the bottle: An almost sticky, resin like scent (maybe this is the incense? or the rosewood?) The leather scent actually reminds me of doeskin leather. This scent is categorized as a universal scent. At first it seems too feminine for men's wear. It seems to have strong staying power. I can still smell it after opening the imp.

 

 

Wet on skin: It's almost a soft musk. This reminds me of high quality men's cologne. I get a very oiled leather sort of scent. I keep thinking of men - men's briefcases, businessmen and such. There's something on the edge of the scent, a sharp note, like an old wooden book shelf.

 

 

Worn 30+ mins: Lots of leather, in a very good way. I get a slight peppery scent. This to me is a surprisingly masculine scent.

 

 

Worn 3+ hours: This has definitely mellowed out. There is a woodsy spicy quality to this. I really like this one, but not on me. It smells like a man's cologne. It reminds me of cuddling close to a man. On my skin, it's really similar to Old Spice, but mellower. It really reminds me of a former lover. Unfortunately, I won't be wearing this one anymore, although it smells wonderful.

Edited November 28, 2017 by InaraRedCloak

[monocainsheresy]

To me this is an incense-y version of Lush's Twilight - I get a lot of tonka - with a little leather in the background. It's super calming.

[cyborgutena]

I think.... I have a low tolerance for tonka, unfortunately.

 

Wet, I get mild spice, a little leather and tonka. It's warm and a bit green somehow. Kind of cologne-like in a woody way. It's kind of pleasant but I get the feeling I might get a headache if I have to sniff it for an extended period.

 

I like that it gets more leathery, but I prefer something darker with my leather. This stays relatively pleasant, but again the tonka sticks around. It's kind of mildly sweet woody masc. Not sure that I ever get parchment from it.