Dorian

[TinaWillsieWhite]

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.

Dorian Gray was all about self-love, and so is this. I SO love myself when I wear it! Sexy, spicy, creamy sweetened tea. Deee-lish!!

[Mokiefraggle]

This smells wonderfully tasty--that's the only term to describe it. It smells like all the best parts of a high tea, with a little whiff of lavender and musk just under the surface. Not sure if I want a bottle just yet, but it's lovely.

 

In the bottle and wet on my skin, it smells of vanilla tea and something akin to candied lemon, sweet and tart all at once. Underneath that, becoming more evident as it dried, was the lavender, and below that was the faintest bit of musk. And yet, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't too much sweet, nor did the vanilla and the lemony edge of the scent feel too foody. Even though the combination on the whole makes me first think "tasty," it somehow doesn't actually smell like food; possibly because it also seems a very cool scent to my mind. I was also pleasantly surprised to note that it did indeed smell very feminine on me, as the name and some of the reviews had me thinking it might end up a tiny bit too masculine. It's sweet but somehow haunting, and surprisingly persistent in spite of how light a scent it is.

 

I have a feeling that I'd like to wear this in the summer, actually. It's light and has a cool, foggy quality that I imagine would be wonderful in a California heatwave.

[Circaea]

I must have tested Dorian four times or more before I finally fell for it. I think it's a matter of a little aging - to soften the sharp cologny edges of this wickedly clever and persistent little scent.

 

I have no idea what fougere is, although it sounds delightfully Victorian (the perverse, decadent Victorians, though, not the proper ones who covered their piano legs out of prudery.) I love tea blends, though weirdly enough, they never make me think of tea when I'm smelling them. I just know that if tea is one of the notes, I will be happy. And vanilla, when it comes off right, is always both comforting and sexy. Plus I adore citrus.

 

And that's probably why I kept trying this one. If you found it too strong and too "men's cologne" at first, you might like it after a year. Mine (bought from a kind forumite) is that old, and it's just right. There is an initial citrus, and then the pretty sugared tea effect, all grounded by the three musks, which ensure that Dorian will last and last. This is very civilized and sophisticated, self-satisfied, and quite androgynous; at home anywhere, but always uniquely disturbing and attractive. Like its namesake, it will be unforgettable, and may have lasting consequences once it enters your life. Wear with insouciance, and a little, knowing smile.

[puellacaerulea]

Yeah, so it's like BPAL figured out what all of my favorite notes are and put them into one glorious scent. Milky, super-sweetened black tea with a generous helping of vanilla musk. I don't seem to notice the fougere notes; on the other hand, this imp's been aged for a bit, so maybe the vanilla/musk notes are heavier than they might have been with a fresh imp. Either way, it's wonderful and incorporates everything I love about "foody" notes, yet I wouldn't call the overall scent impression foody/gourmand. This is definitely going on my 5ml wishlist.

[Drae]

My first lab-fresh Imp review!

 

In the imp: This is definitely a "pale" scent, with some debauchery lurking underneath. It it very aptly named. A sweet musk, it does have that "cologne" quality but I quite enjoy it

Wet on skin: As usual, my skin amps sweet and vanilla, and this turns pretty sugary on me. The sharpness fades and the vanilla brings a sweet warmth that rounds off any sharpness I smelled in the imp. I smell absolutely no citrus, and the black tea has barely a whisper of a presence.

Verdict: Dorian on my skin chemistry has turned into a refined, distinguished musky Vanilla. I don't mind vanilla sometimes, and if I do wear it I like it to be somewhat complex like Dorian is, but I was hoping for more lemon and tea. I'll hold on to the imp to see how it ages, and layers with other scents.

 

I'd rate it a 3/5.

[Innocuousmold]

Dorian is a really beautiful scent. It makes me feel like I'm at tea time with an English gentleman and I've just caught a whiff of his sexy, subtle cologne. Pretty much all the reviewers before me have got it spot on- a sweet, creamy tea nicely blended with delicate musk. No wonder why it is so popular!

[eastbriar]

My favorite scent, absolutely love this one.

 

In bottle: Sweet earl grey tea and musk

Wet on skin: Still has the sweet tea and musk smell but with a little bit of lemon

Dry: a very creamy vanilla tea and musk smell. No more lemon thankfully!

 

I don't know how much throw this one has or if its one people can only really smell on you if they are close, but it lasts a really long time on my skin. Such a beautiful scent.

[relax]

It smells soooooooooo much like Schrodinger's Cat to me, but I do prefer the latter. A bit too sweet for me.

[KissleMeNow]

Wow, I thought I had reviewed this before? Anyway, Dorian is one of my go-to scents. It's very vanilla-y on me, but the musk cuts it so that it's not too sweet or overpowering. (I speak as someone who usually doesn't like vanilla-flavored things). The tea doesn't come out very much at all, nor do I get the lemon that some people do... I'm hoping they'll come out with age, because that would make it even better. At least for me, this isn't a complex blend. It's simple and pleasant, and my "I'd like to smell nice today but don't have anything specific in mind" default.

[karykeion]

Thanks for the frimp, Azurephoenix!

I'm not going into this with very high hopes, because musk is really terrible and loud on me and there's three of them in here. However, I really love tea, and I really really love the late 1800s, so...I can't not. I'm sorry, skin, I'm going to put musk on you and you're just going to have to deal with it.

 

In the imp: ...It's like soft, comfy pine-sol and tea. Huh. Interesting.

 

On me, wet: Only using a little; I am treading so, so cautiously around the three musks. Huh. This is so much sexier than I expected. It's like...drinking lemon vanilla tea served by the most irresistably attractive 1890s butler they could find to give it to you. Oh jeez, I wish it would stay this way, but I can already hear the musk starting to yell. I'm not sure I'd wear this anyway, at least not in female clothing, but if I felt like putting a suit on for a formal event at a convention or something? Sure. This is the first thing I've ever sniffed and thought "A little too pretty for me, but if a guy wore this, I'd be all over that".

 

On me, dry: Sexy man. A tiny bit pine sol but the musk seems to be...behaving?! All three of them?! What beautiful witchcraft is going on here? Maybe the secret to making musk behave is to put just a tiny, tiny bit on. I'm fully expecting to return to this in three hours and have it smell like body odor, but for now? Not sure it's bottle-worthy quite yet, but I'll definitely use up the imp.

 

 

Edit: Two more "...really?!" tests later, one for a full night, and I will confirm it--Dorian and its three musks are fucking beautiful on me. I do not understand, but I'm off to re-test a bunch of the scents I wrote off because of musk. Maybe all I had to do was put less on!

Edited February 13, 2012 by karykeion

[Edeniade]

I finally got my hands on an imp of this to try and, can I say, this is THE scent I want to smell like forever and ever! In fact, I want everything around me to smell like this all the time, I am so in love with Dorian

 

When I first smelled it in the bottle, it was divine but that fougere was so strong that I worried it ran the risk of turning astringent on me. However, when it was on my skin, it became the most divinely soothing scent I have ever had the pleasure of wearing. It was mildly vanilla, with the undertones of the fougere that made it delightfully musky which I adore. It's not complex, but it's everything I adore and it feels so comfortably self-assured.

 

I need a bottle of this as soon as I can possibly afford it, because I'm not quite certain I can live without Dorian!

[sessile]

opens up with the "fougere" part of the fragrance with a nice strong lavender.

 

develops to allow the vanilla sugar and white musk to come out.

 

finalizes to vanilla and a slight herb-y note.

 

nice, but too femme-y and confectionery for me.

[jkfagtongpun]

This. Is. Delicious.

 

I can't believe I never thought to order this before.

 

In the imp I couldn't really discern much, a faint whiff of vanilla and ... lemon?

 

On wet, oh good gracious, this is so tasty, so lovely, so... amazingly amazing. I could not stop pulling my sleeves up to smell my arms! I get musky vanilla tempered by what I imagine is the fougere with faint lemon, violet(?) and black tea.

 

I've never been a huge fan of vanilla scents though I love vanilla flavour, but the way in which the vanilla combines with the other notes it is absolutely gorgeous.

 

This on a man... whoa, I'll have to douse the hubby later.

 

I only wish there was more throw and that it lasted longer on me - and I really slathered it on. My skin seems to be eating it up.

[Smaragdina]

Preconceived notions: This sounds like Heaven. All the reviews about being ravished by a proper Victorian gentleman didn’t help. Easily the most-anticipated scent that I ordered.

 

In the imp – Vanilla tea with something deeper underneath, maybe the lavender? Love. Can’t wait to try this.

 

Wet – Wow, vanilla! Sweet, rich, and very strong. Very foody.

 

Drydown – I want to eat me. I smell like chai. The vanilla mellows out a little after 10-15 minutes or so (thankfully – I like vanilla, but I don’t want to smell like I bathed in vanilla extract). It’s richer, less knock-you-over sweet, and it’s letting in some nice, grounding black tea with occasional flashes of lemon. I still haven’t found the “corrupted core” in the description; this is just sweet, lovely, comforting vanilla tea, getting deeper and mellower as the day goes on. It’s got amazing throw and it lasts forever – eight hours later and it’s still going strong.

 

Verdict - I didn’t adore this – it’s too sweet and foody to really be “me,” and I’m sad I’m not getting the sex-on-a-silver-chased-walking-stick that some people report. But I like it a lot and I anticipate burning through my imp pretty quick.

[whitsunweddings]

In the imp: Sweet musk with a hint of lemon.

Wet: SWEET SWEET SWEET mixed with LEMONY LEMONY LEMON.

Dry: Very sweet musky lemon. It's nice (though a tad too sweet for my liking), but certainly not the ORGY OF LUSTFUL NOSTRIL SEX that others have described. Meh!

[bellumed]

Musk and tea and a frosted lemon cake-- but all very subtle and well-behaved. This doesn’t read as masculine at all, maybe unisex at most. Dorian is going into heavy rotation. Fabulous!

Edited June 28, 2012 by bellumed

[Suffragette]

So, I finally ordered an imp of Dorian since it seems to be such a BPAL favorite. Wet in the imp I caught a bit of a sharp cologne smell and was worried that I would have to pass this one on to my husband. My nose isn't very good at picking out out individual notes, but on my skin it is sweet, creamy, lightly musky wonderfulness! I can't stop huffing my wrist! Love it and will definitely be getting a big bottle.

[sargeismydog]

Dorian is my boyfriend

[icarus suraki]

So I received a frimp of Dorian from the Lab with my last order--Dorian has always sort of been on my radar because so many people have said how wonderful it is, but the description never seemed to be quite what I was looking for and the reviews were appealing but not so much that I wanted to try it.

 

I take it all back.

 

I tested a bit of this last night and probably fell asleep with my wrist against my nose (I'm writing this the morning after--which seems appropriate).

 

It smelled pleasant in the imp--sweet, slightly like citrus, certainly like lavender. I'm terrible about judging scents in the imp, so let's move on to how it smelled on my skin:

 

What's interesting is that, to me, it smells much more like orange than lemon (I see a lot of reviews identifying lemon). It's not quite as "orange" as fresh orange juice or fresh orange fruit would smell, but maybe the same kind of scent as orange rind or orange oil or orange wood or orange blossoms. Or, rather, think of holding an orange and smelling the skin--that's how it smells to me. It's more "woody" (I use the term incorrectly there, but it's all I can think of) and subdued than fresh orange fruit smells.

 

Beside that or below that there's a measure of creamy sweetness--that must be the vanilla.

 

And all around it is a kind of masculine lavender cologne scent. But "masculine" is too strong a word. I kept thinking of the word "boyish" but that's too young. The closest likening is "youthful"--which, of course, makes sense given the inspiration for this scent. It did smell "male" or like traditional men's colognes, as would be expected, but not so masculine or male as some "masculine" scents can (Dee can smell very masculine on me, for example). I'm a woman and I know I could wear this with a kind of wink and nod towards androgyny (a wonderful thing), but it did smell like I should be catching this scent from someone else, in a way.

 

The whole effect is akin to what some people have described here, but not quite: this makes me think of meeting a very charming young man at a ball sometime in the 1880s and finding oneself in entirely too intimate a conversation with him in some cooler drawing room and catching this scent from his skin or his hair as he draws far too close for propriety. It's not flirty, but it is enticing. And it's amazing.

 

I honestly did not expect to like this scent so much as I do. I take back all my previous notions. I would wear this one quite a lot.

[AlectoFurious]

So I have this policy of not ordering imps of BPAL signature scents (Dorian, Snake Oil, etc.). I like to wait until the lab throws in a frimp with one of my other orders, I like the anticipation. Today Dorian arrived at long last. So happy he did. This is really a lovely scent. I can see why it was created for a man but works so well on a woman. In the imp I get a strong impression of lemon and lavender with something else. I don't think it is the musk. Something else more green, more astringent. Wet on my skin, the lemon really comes into its own and the lavender beats a hasty retreat. The musk seems to come to the fore more as well. As it dries I am finally getting the tea note that everyone is in love with....but it is not a sweet vanilla tea. Dorian is a strong citrusy tea on me. Not sweet at all and very refined.

[rinster]

Another holdout, here. I didn't try this until just recently thinking it couldn't possibly live up to the hype and I would be disappointed. Well, consider me one of the fawning fandom.

 

He's an impeccably turned out gentleman dandy, but when you get close you realize there's something a bit off, like he has two different colored eyes. The scent stays very true and lasts for ages. Yes, it's worthy of the hype!

[Scorianelle]

No tea. No tea for me. Such a pity, but I've not once in all the scents I've tried had a tea note manifest itself, and Dorian was no different. As usual I seem to have a different experience from the masses, which is not bad in and of itself but makes others' reviews pretty useless to me.

 

First Sniff: Toffee, vanilla and apple. Definitely a foody scent.

 

Second Sniff: Amber, a white flower and sugar. Well.... this is odd.

 

Wet: Light fruits and flowers doused in sugared vanilla sauce.

 

Dry (30 mins): Sugar (this is absolutely a sweet scent), vanilla, juicy citrus and a ripe green apple. There is nothing sinister about this scent, nor is it masculine in the least.

 

Dry (1.5 hours): The mild sweet vanilla starts to dominate. It's like I'm at a tea party and I'm having vanilla cakes for desert.

 

Dry (3 hours): Faded. Now just a soft sugared musk.

 

Throw: None.

 

Colour association: Caramel.

 

Well, it certainly wasn't bad, but neither was it a rave-worthy scent on me. I half expected it, seeing as it included musk and vanilla, which are both notes I feel rather 'meh' about. I'll keep the imp, pass on the bottle, and fly off to try my next tea-scent.

[Poenari]

For some reason I never got around to trying Dorian before,and finally the lab insisted that I must, by throwing in a frimp in my last order. Wowie woo hoo what took me so long?! I should have known this would be beautiful, but I had. no. idea. I think the tea note is what always threw me off and made me pass it by. But this is an amazing lavendar vanilla musk and it wears like forever. I love Snake Oil, and Lilith Victoria is one of my top favorites, and I finally "get" the blending of the two since now I actually smell the Dorian in it! I never realized it before. Thankfully I don't get lemon or citrus, just am amazing blend that I can see is easily worn by either gender. I would love to try this on my husband but he's a hopeless case. However, I am definitely adding this to my next bottle order!

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Light lemon and sugar. It reminds me of the sludge that you get at the bottom of a cup a tea if you had added too much sugar and most of it didn’t dissolve.

 

Drydown: The lemon takes on a slightly herbal quality. It’s a subtle, gentle lemon, not in your face. Same with the sugar (which is impressive because on my skin sugar usually smells like SUGAR!). There’s a soft musk in there too, which, when combined with the lemon and sugar results in a vague overall impression of lemon cookies or lemon meringue pie.

 

Dry: Oh! It’s tea! and vanilla too! The lemon is pretty much gone or has morphed into a tangy herbal undercurrent rather. This is primarily a perfect cup of tea with vanilla creamer and two cubes of sugar. It’s gentle and sweet and has a nice throw. As the day wear on the lemon returns and it ends as a light vanilla-lemon musk.

 

 

 

On me this is too sweet to be considered masculine, or even gender-neutral, but not so sweet that I can’t bear to wear it. The foody elements are all behaving, which is quite impressive given my skin chemistry. I can see why so many people like this so much.

[loubric]

A lovely blend of strong tea, vanilla and hints of lemon. I like the vanilla/green tea mixture. It reminds me of one of my fav .. Shanghai being mixed with vanilla. I like it.