Wilde

[LizziesLuck]

A sophisticated traditional gentleman's cologne, with just the slightest taint of patchouli's passion, tonka bean's decadence, the philanthropy of bergamot, moss' cynicism, the sharp wit of lavender, and the hopeless romantic longing of jasmine and thyme.

Wet: Smells like a very clean, traditional cologne. Sophisticated is a good word for it. It's quite bright and citrusy. Hints of warmth from the Tonka and patchouli come through what is generally a "cool" feeling scent.

Dry: Hints of spice emerge. Really quite nice, in terms of cologne. I definitely identify it as a "man smell" though, and I prefer more feminine scents personally, so I don't think I would ever wear it, but it's really nice and I could see giving as a gift to a guy who could use a better cologne!

[PrinceofcatS]

This is a very earthy, herbal cologne - surprisingly unpretentious but still sophisticated and lovely. This is absolutely not my jam, at all, and it actually reminds me of Dead Leaves and Lavender (which i had to actually wash off - but this heightens my perception of the dead leaf note as being cologne-y), but it's gorgeous, i think anyone who likes that sort of thing will adore it. So like, i don't personally like this (and suspected i would not, though I love Oscar) but it's objectively gorgeous. It's got an urbanity but its heart is in the woods.

[renfair]

I bought this one directly as an imp from the Lab, on the recommendation of my cousin, who was a big fan of it.

First Sniff Impression: Very clean. Smells like a body wash or aftershave my husband would use.

Wet in Vial: I am absolute crap at picking out any notes in this. It just smells sort of like a generic men's body wash, but not in a bad way. It's a scent I really like! Herbal, spicy ... Smells like it should be named "Mountain Fresh" or something like that. Very traditional, in my mind.

Drying Down on Skin: The florals might be coming out more in this as it dries? I'm getting something almost like citrus, or at least something sour.

Dry on Skin: This one fades a good deal in between application and about 2-3 hours later. It's still very nice, but more of a subtle cologne now than a burst of fresh aftershave. It also smells a little more unisex to me, less overtly masculine. I'm kind of annoyed at myself, however, that I still wasn't able to discern a single note apart from the others.

Conclusion: This is a nice clean scent, probably great for someone looking for a safe, masculine cologne as a newcomer to BPAL. I'm looking forward to trying it on my husband (if he'll let me!) The only thing that confused me a bit was the name. For me, this scent feels very modern, because it reminds me of existing men's fragrances I've smelled. My preexisting assumption from the name and scent notes made me think it was going to be somehow more "Victorian." But then again, for all I know, that is how men back then used to smell too! All in all, it's a great masculine cologne.

[gloame]

I picked this up at a BPAL event after a single sniff, then have basically been pouring it on my husband since then. He loves it, fortunately. This smells so freaking good and sexy. It's light and sophisticated but definitely has an 'Would you care to tear my clothes off, miss?' vibe to it. None of the listed notes overpower; it's all quiet confidence. The man who wears this has nothing to prove, but he knows he smells good anyway.

Where to wear this: When you're hoping the lady will undress you with her eyes

[Lucchesa]

Wilde is beautiful - I love the lavender and bergamot pairing - but it's just too masculine on me, too "cologney" in my husband's words, and he is profoundly uninterested in ever wearing scent of any kind. I'll need to pass this one on.

[achildoftime]

I can see the comparisons to how a cologne feels. I don't know if it's that far on me, but I could see it pushing that way on others. I think it's a touch citrusy and has a floral edge. There isn't any one note that stands out for me even though I can pick out a few, which I think lends itself towards that cologne feel. It's a very cohesive scent that politely seems to say "Why, of course you're interested, darling. Tea?"

[tomservoandcroooooooow]

Okay, so this probably isn't a surprise to people but Wilde is nice. I'm not a lavender person at all and jasmine is not my friend but I had to try it for Oscar Wild's sake. The lavender is def. there but it's a soft and not very herby and the citrus balances it out. No sign of jasmine and I'm okay with that.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: Men's cologne, and lavender.

 

Dry: This has some STRONG throw. I can smell it without even trying to. Very much strongly cologne still, but with a "fresh" and citrus-like edge. Not getting much lavender anymore.

 

I'm not too fond of the smell of cologne, so I won't be holding on to this.

[monocainsheresy]

I concur with the traditional men's cologne vibe other people are getting. On me this is mostly bergamot and moss. Not my thing.

[alouettesque]

I really wanted to love Wilde because it has so many of my favorite scents in it. My initial thought was "fancy shaving cream," which is the same thought I have about my favorite non-BPAL scent (Penhaligon's Endymion) and I think it must be a combination of lavender and either moss or thyme? It it dries down, it gets sharper and a little spicier, too. It gets earthier the longer I wear it, eventually getting a little TOO earthy for my taste around 3 hours in. It definitely feels like a scent that starts out as oxfords and turns into hiking boots.

[biggnerd]

Oh, I love Wilde.  It smells like a really classy hotel lotion, like something you'd get at Aveda.  I get the lavender and thyme blending very well into a soothing herbal that isn't abrasive or sharp.  There's tonka's sweetness, and moss grounding everything. 

[torikitty]

Before I really understood the notes in Dorian, this is what I expected Dorian to smell like. It's fresh and herbal enough to be unisex, but i personally feel like it leans a bit more masculine with the lavender and bergamot taking the stage. It does end up smelling clean, and a bit of the clean side. I can see the connection made by previous posters about smelling similar to a particular brand. It does walk that line, but manages to stay away from being too "perfumey". I think I'd recommend this to just about everyone who wanted something clean, lavender, and unisex.

[torischroeder9]

Huh. Can't believe I haven't reviewed this one yet, either. But here I go, from the lovely frimp from @VetchVesper's Weenie decant circle. 

 

In the imp: Lavender soap. In fairness, we have enough lavender soap in the house that lavender sometimes conflates with soap in my mind. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, however, I maintain the "lavender soap" vibe. As it dries, the lavender fades, but I still retain a fuzzy, soapy vibe, which might be part moss and definitely has some savoriness that might be the thyme. As it develops, some of the louder notes on my skin chemistry calm down, and I can start to make out the bergamot. However, that's mostly at the skin level; a lot of the scent's throw is fairly herbal on me. 

 

Hrm. I don't love this one, but to be fair, that's probably a reason I didn't seek it out before. 

[hhelix]

This perfume is the best example of gender fuckery I have smelled. It is riveting, sexy, vintage and wicked. Anyone watch the HBO series Gentleman Jack? 

 

https://www.hbo.com/gentleman-jack

 

This is what Anne Lister would have worn.

 

But to describe the perfume: it's soapy, colgne-y, very wearable, with low throw. Someone would have to be nuzzling your neck to smell it. I get the lavender and bergamot the most, supported by a dapper moss/patchouli/tonka base. I believe this is in the family of historical perfumes called fougere, or fern-based fragrances. Well done, Elizabeth!

[IoPan]

Wilde:

 

I like masculine scents on myself, so I had to try this one.

 

In the bottle: A classic men’s-cologne scent with a clear interplay between bergamot and lavender. Fresh-smelling.

 

Wet: After reading so many reviews saying it’s very strong, I put only a tiny dab on my wrists. Wet, the thyme comes forward to join the bergamot and lavender.

 

Dry: Very bergamotty on me. I almost can’t detect anything other than bergamot.

 

After 30 minutes: Still basically just bergamot on me and not much else. Bummer!

[proverbsofhell]

On me:

Barely something that morphs into light cologne that morphs into...nothing. Too bad, I'm not Wilde about it.

[Viiinylflowers]

Mmolggjfhffhhfff I love this. 
 

i reallllyyy really dislike cologne scents, so this is saying something.  I’m the type of person that if a scent even has a hint of smelling like cologne, usually its in my destash pile immediately.  
 

this however, is gorgeoussss.  
 

I feel like I’m smelling some kind of secret or something.  Like I’m way too close to Oscar Wilde after suddenly time traveling.  
 

I admit, I never would have tried this if it didn’t come as a frimp in an order.  Not just because I dislike cologne, but also because the way I think of Oscar Wilde, I imagine him wearing more sensuous foreign attars and intoxicating florals and spices and ambers and things like that ~ like things from settings he describes in his fairytales in such vivid ways.  
 

I bet he would indeed wear those scents, but this really unexpectedly does evoke him to me.  And if not Oscar Wilde, maybe some other kind of wildeian romantic victorian man ~ 

 

it’s clean, fresh, pretty sexy, lavender pitched, and very *human* smelling to me. 
 

I literally can not describe colognes, and others have done better, so I’ll leave it at that.  

Edited February 2, 2022 by Viiinylflowers
Grammar