Dorian

[Legerdermain]

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.

 

When I first put some on, I thought it was just okay. The second time I put it on, however, I fell in love. It starts off with a strong candy-like lemon note, then deepens later into warm sugary vanilla tea. The drydown smells deliciously of musk. I ordered a 10ml bottle immediately and am stamping my feet impatiently because I want to wear it NOW, every day. The strange thing is that I usually don't like lemon in my scents, and I definitely don't wear unisex scents; I usually go for something very feminine and romantic. But this is wonderful.

[imaginepageant]

In the vial: Ohhhhh. The first time I breathed it in, it put me into a bit of a trance. My head lolled back a bit and I held my breath so that the scent lingered with me as long as possible. I can't describe why, but it's intoxicating. It's dark and watery, sweet and tangy. The musks are prominent, but I can't trace the vanilla, except to assume that's what's sweetening it.

 

Wet: Less strong than it is in the imp, but still dizzying. Exotic musk, with a shy zing of sweetened lemon.

 

Dry: The lemon is losing its shyness and is peeking its head out to play with the musk. The tea scent is hard to find at first, but as the drydown continues, it starts to peek out as well. The scent really rounds out and starts to blend seamlessly together.

 

An hour later: It's become sweeter, though strangely enough, not in a foody way, although I can most definitely pick out the lemon and the vanilla very easily, and now the tea as well. This scent is a presence in and of itself; it's an atmosphere and an aura with a personality of its own. It's a complete contradiction. It's full of sunlight, but it's dark and chilling at the same time. It's fresh and innocent, but undeniably sensual, provocative, and seductive. It's still putting me into a trance. It's like a drug that clouds the mind. It's exactly like the utter languor that overwhelms me after sex. This scent is, very simply, Dorian Gray in all his elegant charm and animalistic sexuality. You're in a beautiful parlor, warm glowing sunlight pouring through the tall windows, the most seductive man you've ever met sitting in a wing-tipped chair in front of you, sipping lemon tea, offering you a plate of cookies with the utmost of manners while smiling devilishly at you and undressing you with his eyes.

 

Overall: This is, seriously, my favorite BPAL scent thus far. As in love as I am with Jack, I can't deny the power that Dorian has over me. I lose myself in this scent. It reminds me of something from my past, from my days of wistful longing for something that was always just out of my reach. Love, sex, seduction... this is Dorian. I'm ordering a 5ml of it right now.

Edited August 20, 2005 by decemberine

[Duck Mountain]

Dorian was one of the imps I got almost on the basis of the name alone, and it has not disappointed me. I wanted to like it and I'm glad that I do.

 

In the imp's ear, it's strong and I really can't tell much about it; then again, almost nothing smells good to me straight out of the container... Once I put it on, though, it immediately becomes lemony and musky (I think that's the musk, anyway). Like some of the other reviewers, I'm having trouble finding the tea, but I still love it.

 

Now that it's dry, it's very warm and mellow, calming but fun/mischievious at the same time. Slightly spicy. It's a shade masculine, but not so much that I can't wear it without feeling silly.

 

I have a feeling this will remain one of my favourites. I think I'm going to have to order a bottle.

 

ETA: A good hour or so past application and this one just keeps changing. A little while ago it was mainly musk and tea--now it's got this bite to it and my co-workers once again agree that it smells nice. Two for two so far.

 

I really like the hint of lemon that shows up at the beginning and I just wish it would stay--but even without it, Dorian is fantastic.

Edited August 22, 2005 by Duck Mountain

[emisi]

On the wand: Pine. Like walking in a pine forest on a hot day. Very piney. Not like Pine-Sol though, a good pine. Seems awfully masculine for me, though. Dunno why I smell pine... I just do.

 

On me, wet: Still piney, but I can get a hint of the vanilla. I smell like I've been hugged by a man wearing cologne, a good looking man, probably dark and elegant. It actually smells better on me than I thought it would, but it's still a bit masculine. If I had a guy, I'd give it to him. Then he'd smell hot.

 

Dry-down: Musky now, with a sweetness that offsets it, but I'm not sure I like it. It's perhaps a tad too sweet for my taste, but it's nice otherwise.

[Em-]

I figured I would have to like Dorian. The notes are all favorites of mine, the name is fabulous and, well, doesn't everybody like Dorian?

 

And I do like Dorian. I am not madly in love with Dorian. I don't want to order a 10 ml this very minute and bathe in it all day long.

 

But I like it. I really like the way the lemon and the musk blend with the sweet milky tea, and I like the way it is a sweet sexy scent that is still light enough for everyday wear, but I don't see myself grabbing this on a regular basis.

 

But I like it.

[Aharona]

I had heard nothing but amazing this about Dorian and was delighted to find it in a swap. I must say that I was not disappointed at all!

 

In the imp I got faint hints of lemon and a bit of something floral. Lavendar maybe?

 

On me it started to morph in to a sweetness that wraped up around me and hugged until I felt calm and (hungry) A warm cup of heavily sugared tea with lots of pure fresh cream.

 

About 15 minutes later the vanilla begain to come out and all I could think was that I wanted a cup of sweet tea with a big piece of vanilla cake.

[gangstaknitta]

In bottle: smells a little like Snake Oil, but not as sweet or strong. I can smell the tea scent, but it's not at all like it is in White Rabbit.

 

Wet: this is like the "daytime" version of snake oil...a little less intoxicating, but still all the yummy spiciness.

 

Dry: Very little morphing from the bottle scent. I had to slather it on a bit heavy, but it kept on going for nine hours. It's really really good.

[sophia_helix]

In the bottle:

 

Vanilla, hint of tea.

 

Wet:

 

Lots of vanilla, slightly more tea.

 

Drydown:

 

Nnnrggh. There was a period of about an hour during which this was My New Favorite Scent. I could actually smell the tea! The sweetness was lovely! Hooray!

 

But over time, the vanilla took over, and I eventually got sort of sick from it. Much, much too candle-like. The tea disappeared, although there was just enough of a musky cologne-like base to give it a try on my husband.

 

On him:

 

Damn and blast, it's even sweeter on him. I kept grabbing his wrist to smell it, and it kept being even more vanilla. He eventually washed it off because it was getting kind of embarrassing, hee. He smelled like he'd used my bubblebath or something.

 

Still, yet another BPAL casualty. I've got to stop getting my hopes up so high in those first few minutes. Sigh.

[WidgetAlley]

I'd heard the stories about Dorian, but nothing could have prepared me for this. *cue the Monkee's "I'm a Believer"*

 

This scent is everything I want in a man, in a bottle. Wit (lemon), generousity (vanilla), sex appeal (musk), intelligence (tea) and grace (that honey note I keep thinking is back there somewhere.) I have fallen, and I have fallen hard.

 

It starts off all lemon-drops and mellows down to mostly sweet, mouth-watering vanilla with an anchoring background of musk and tea and just a smidge of lemony goodness. This is white cake and tea with milk, in a breezy room, on a cool fall day, and all the windows open; this is a guy you can trust and still find sexy; this is laughing in the morning sunshine; this is, weird as it sounds, love in an incredibly delicious oil form. And I bet it layers beautifully.

 

Sinfully sweet and surprisingly complex and wonderfully comforting and still so very hot. This hits every perfume button I've got. I need more of this. Need, I say! I'm ordering a 5mL tomorrow.

 

[edit] Wow, seven hours (and a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class involving a whole lot of sweat) later, and it's still there. It went through a brief, extremely pleasant musky-green-citrus phase, and is now back to mostly vanilla... although it's even more rounded with the other notes than before. One of those not-overwhelming but some serious staying-power ones. Could this get any better? I think not.

Edited September 2, 2005 by WidgetAlley

[aidenraine]

Oh this is just great! I am immediately getting wafts of tea mixed with sugar and vanilla- I never invisioned being able to smell the tea so clearly. What a lovely smell. It makes me feel coy, romantic, mischevious. I want a bottle of this instantly. My imp seems so small!

 

As it sits it becomes slowly sweeter, so the tea fades a bit and I smell sugary goodness, a warm smell, the smell of a sugar cookie dunked in tea.

[lookingglass]

OK...so I reviewed this back in the day, and it was a no-go. But I received just a dab the other day (over a year from my first try) and I am newly in love. It is funny how the pallette develops.

 

Wet this quite lemony, but clean. As it warms on my skin, the tea warms as well, sweet and fresh, and the lemon combines with it seamlessly. The musk and sugar smell so sweet and sexy. This IS divine!

 

Must have more!

 

This is light enough to wear in the summer, but warms enough to be comforting on a cool night as well. I love it.

Edited September 26, 2006 by lookingglass

[darklorelei]

This reminds me a lot of Villainess' Gingersnapped and Pyromania smooches.

 

When I first applied it, there was that very sweet foody scent with a slight hint of soapiness behind it.

 

Now the soap is completely gone, though. This actually reminds me a lot of how My Little Ponies and sugar cookies smell.

 

I can almost smell a hint of citrus behind the foody scent, but only just.

 

I think this would be great for anyone who likes Gingersnapped.

 

eta: I'm notorious for my loathing of anything with musk in it. I can't detect the musk at all, just adds a bit of warmth, not even that slightly sweaty scent in Bathsheba.

I'm also convinced that there /must/ be some heliotrope in here somewhere.

 

eta2: Ooook. Several hours later, all it is is musk. bubblegum sweat. urk. Even through my stuffy nose.

Edited September 11, 2005 by darklorelei

[aedes]

Ohh.... oh my! hummina hummina hummina.

 

At first, there's this wonderfully sweet, yet sophisticated smell. Clever, not stuffy. After my misadventures with Sudha Segara, I was afraid the milk would turn to soap on me, but I don't think it did! Smells enough like vanilla to get the "ohhhh!" but not so much that it would be identified as such.

 

And then, after tea, comes the musk! A very smooth, sexy, creamy musk smell. Reminds me of Werewolves of London. This is definitely a keeper!

[zenvodunista]

i swapped a fellow forumite for this imp. it's for the BF. but before i test it on him, i had to test it myself.

 

in the vial: vanilla, with lemon verbena. intruguing, because i love verbena.

 

on me, wet: vanilla!

 

on me, dry: vanilla!

 

no musk, no tea, no lemon, no "fougere", nothing but pure vanilla on me.

 

the BF has this incredible skin chemistry for BPAL, so i'll be interested in smelling it on him as he loved Antique Lace.

 

for me, it's all vanilla.

 

i *will* say though, that i have had a real aversion to vanilla based scents, but after reading "The Emperor of Scent" i have been realizing that what i probably have an aversion to is artificial vanilla. this is real vanilla -- like the vanilla paste i got at Trader Joe's.

 

not for me, but definitely i can see why this is so very popular. and it's breaking me of my dislike, which i know will open new doors for me BPAL wise.

 

i'll add more after i smell it on the the Boy.

 

{edited to add the BF Review}

wet: vanilla!

 

dry: vanilla! and tea...

 

drydown: vanilla stays in the throw, most strongly, but the lavender begins to play too. i get whiffs of vanilla coating the lavender -- against his skin i smell a spicy tea scent, with a lovely skin musk.

 

now, over 10 hours after application, it's all gone on his neck and arms, but there is still some on his chest, gentle, sexy, vanilla skin musk.

 

i ordered 5 ml for xmas for him tonight

 

n.

Edited September 18, 2005 by zenvodunista

[hangingfire]

It dawned on me yesterday that with the exception of Yog-Sothoth and Brisingamen, all of my BPAL has some kind of food or fruit notes in it. How did that happen?

 

Dorian in the imp: Really nice balance of musks and vanilla -- primarily it's the musk, with the vanilla sneaking around the edges.

 

On, wet: hooboy, my skin loves the vanilla. Nice warm creamy smell. Not sure where the musk went, though.

 

Early drydown: The musk is still AWOL, and the vanilla is going strong. Now I'm hungry. Teach me to put this stuff on before breakfast.

 

Six (!) hours later: I can still smell it on my wrist; the vanilla has long since mellowed out, and it's back to the nice vanilla-musk that I found on first opening the imp.

 

This is delicious and decadent. I'm going to add this to my next bottle order, along with Brisingamen.

[jewelbug]

I was so excited when I first tried this blend that I went straight to purchasing a bottle and must've forgot to review it. So, now I've used an imp, and have my bottle, and I guess I really should review it, eh?

 

Bottle: First, tart lemon, then vanilla, then musk.

 

Wet: Musky, tart, citrusy vanilla. So indescribably wonderful, and perfectly balanced. This isn't a sweet foody vanilla. This is vanilla combined expertly and perfectly with pale musks and gorgeous light earl grey. The throw is amazing.

 

Dry: This stays as it was wet. Delicious. I don't get the tea, but I get this incredible musk with dark sugary vanilla and a bright true-lemon smell. Its musky (not dark musk, but pale and wonderful), its sweet, its bright. It's perfect.

 

Overall: Perfection. I could wear this everyday, but then I wouldn't get to enjoy my other bottles…. This has one of the best throws of any BPAL I've tried AND its lasts for a very long time on my normally scent-chugging skin. Like so many others, I this!

Edited January 1, 2006 by jewelbug

[Dark Angel]

I got this as a freebie from the lab.

 

I had not really had much interest in trying it, despite the rave reviews, because I read somewhere that "Victorian fougere' meant lavender, and I am not fond of lavender AT ALL. I don't even like the way the actual flowers smell.

 

Luckily for me, though, I get hardly any lavender out of this. I can just detect it faintly underneath the smooth, rich musk, but oddly, it isn't objectionable.

 

Dorian starts out rather masculine on me, but mellows into a lovely unisex scent. It's a beautiful musk, smoothed and refined by the tea and sweetened and supported by that gorgeous BPAL vanilla. I don't get any lemon or florals out of it, which is just fine by me.

 

Now I understand what all the fuss is about. I might have to purchase a bottle of this someday. And I haven't even tried it on my husband yet.

[Momijizukamori]

On me, this almost instantly turned into a vanilla-scented beeswax candle. Which isn't bad, per se, but it did start to grate after a while. There was a hint of something lemony that tried to come out in the begining, but not for long.

 

I was really hoping for more out of this, as it seems to be a big favorite - I may have to try it another time of the month if I can steal my friend's imp again.

[rainbow]

In the bottle and wet on the skin- wow, this does smell just like sugary, milky black tea. I love that.

 

Unfortunately, as I'm wearing this, it starts to smell really masculine on me. Really masculine. Ultimately it was just a bit too masculine for me. It's a shame, because I loved the wet phase, but I prefer to smell feminine. The masculine cologne doesn't smell quite right on me.

[The_Merf]

In the imp: I don't get much of anything--a little whiff of tea (or maybe some bergamot?)

 

Wet: I really get something that smells like bergamot. Is this perhaps the vanilla? (I should not have had a cup of Earl Grey before trying this on!) It is quite weak on me.

 

Drydown and wear: The musks come out very strong for awhile, but as the wear increases, it balances out with the tea scents. This still remains quite weak on me, and I don't think I'd wear it as a fragrance, but it would be lovely mixed in with some lotion or hair shampoo.

[Eros]

Finally, the pleasure of Dorian.

 

What can I say that hasn't already been said about this amazingly beautiful blend...

Smoky, spicy, musky, creamy vanilla with a touch of honey...Thick, languid, delicious sex. Heavy lidded..."do with me as you please", this is. Helpless panting/whimpering sex.

 

There's a very slight resemblance to Milk Moon, but Dorian...for consenting adults only.

 

Swoon worthy. And it's reason for being only adds to it's beauty. Beth, I hear ya & I know the feeling...

Edited September 23, 2005 by Eros

[Firewaver]

Damn.. i was really hoping to dislike this and prove that everyone is wrong in loving it so much! I've managed to go this long without developing a need for Dorian.. sigh.

 

I wish I had developed it sooner; maybe by now i'd have a bottle rather than an imp!

 

Anyhow, of course it's just wonderful.

What it reminds me of most is these yummy cough drops I used to get when I was little. Sleepytime cough drops that were flavored in chamomike and honey, like a tea. This smells just like that, but maybe with a bit of vanilla.

 

I really love this, the sweet honeyed notes are just sweet enough to balance out the spicy tea and vanilla. It's sexy, but sophisticated and elegant, almost aristocratic. Not many perfumes can pull that off. It's usually either sexy or civilized, not both.

 

I love this, it's really got flair, and it's different that what I would normally choose.

Contemplating a 10ml as we speak.

[CLFilm]

Wow. Dorian. My first BPAL. So not only am I impressed by this blend, I'm impressed by the way it's totally different on me on two consecutive days.

 

Got it yesterday. Tried it immediately. I smell almost nothing when I open the imp. I put it on and it is vanilla, vanilla, vanilla (and smattering of tea). Sweet, warm, heady vanilla. With a touch of musk. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I had Jezebel on the other wrist, which might have affected it.) I liked it, but thought it might be just a touch too sweet. Very soft smell on me, little throw. Have to put my nose right up to my wrist to smell it at all after a while.

 

Tonight I open the imp again. Lemony! Put it on. Lemony musk. With a hint of sweet. Like it even more now. Drying, now the vanilla starts to come out again, but the lemon is hanging on.

 

This is apparently changeable on me, but I have to say, so far I like both versions. It's kind of masculine, but I've always liked men's colognes. It's like a man I know is bad for me. A bit too heady, but I can't stop smelling it. Possibly a bottle purchase.

 

I can see myself loving to wear this when I'm just sitting at home. Which is a lot of the time.

[quimerula]

Now I can see why everyone is raving about this one! It's soooo sexy!

 

A masculine fougere made of fresh with a sweet and dark bottom line.

The dark sugared vanilla tea note is just perfect.

 

Go and try an imp, you won't regret it.

[cranberry]

Damn. Dorian is oh so sexy.

 

Dorian smells like lemon sugar on me. As it dries, the lemon fades a bit. The sweetness remains and the tea and musk comes out. The tea is very faint and the musks add a creamy velvety smoothness. Beautiful! I'm so glad that I have a 10 ml on the way!