Dorian

[Gregory]

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.

Don't know why people keep saying this is a masculine scent -- it's soooooo sweet. Sorry, but vanilla is just not a good scent on guys (girls might think it is, but it makes my nosehairs curl). Even the slightest hint of vanilla spoils it for me (Tombstone, Snake Oil, Sailor's Den, Golden Priapus). Sorry. Ick, ick, double ick.

[devilot]

Dorian. Oh, my dear, dear, precious Dorian.

 

I've purposefully kept from reviewing this blend because I just can't do it justice. From the super fresh, to the lovely cobalt 10ml dating to 2006 I acquired on eBay, I love all the Dorian I've come across. I agree that Dorian is sweet. And he's creamy. I understand that there is musk in it, but to my nose, it's not the kind of musk that really presents itself as "*slap* Say my name, bitch! Call me Mr. Musk!" It's not like the musk in Creature Feature, Ivanushka, Hunter Moon '07. It is, to my nose, similar to the musk present in The Girl. Likewise, the tea in Dorian figures more prominently fresh, and as it ages, it definitely mellows out.

 

The other thing I love about Dorian is it's staying power. My skin (and hair) swallows up nearly every scent. I really really have to slather and/ or layer (shower gel, lotion, perfume) to get any given scent to stick around. But Dorian does so without all the added drama. He just lingers and lingers and lingers, but in the most awesome way. Dorian is also one of the v few BPALs I've ever worn and gotten an unsolicited compliment from a stranger. This employee at a museum couldn't stop raving and she wouldn't let me walk away without writing down the exact name and website to buy a bottle for herself!

 

Dorian is magic. And sex. And the most magical, sexy, cuddly blanket evar.

 

With all the discontinuations (of GCs and others), it's really gotten me in a panic. Dorian must NEVER be disonned. Or the skies will turn black and the sun will cease to shine.

[Ashmedai]

This is the first oil I've reviewed I'm kind of "meh" about. I love BPAL's tea notes, but after the sharp ginger bitchslap that's Kumiho, and the sophisticated, sleek sparkle that's Satan and Death With Sin Intervening, Dorian seems so...TAME! It is a nice scent, don't get me wrong, but very subtle, understated and reserved - like a nice cup of tea, but not 100% mine.

 

[jayne]

Smells of sugary lemon at first, quickly turns into an aerosol-like scent. It reminds me of the cheap toiletry kits they give you on long international flights. No thanks.

[ModderRhu]

Out of the imp, this smells just like Lemon Sugar by Fresh. Smells the same on my wrist when wet. After drydown, it turns creamy to the extreme. The tea is never strong at any point but still there. I can't detect the musk but I wish I could. This smells very foody and lemony to me, though lemon isn't listed in the notes. Kinda reminds me of a lemon poppy muffin. The throw is very very VERY light, but it does have good staying power. I do not agree that this is a unisex scent. It's way too sweet for that. I think everybody should wear whatever smell they like, but I just can't see this appealing to men.

Edited September 3, 2010 by ModderRhu

[mymymai]

Honestly, I thought Dorian was "O" when I put it on at 5am this morning. In the bottle, it does smell like Fresh's Lemon Sugar, but as soon as it hit my skin, out came the musky vanilla. I don't remember the lemon lasting very long, but after nearly 14 hours of wear, I still smell vanilla, some tea, and just a hint of bitter if I concentrate. I am rather impressed at Dorian's staying power.

[RhinestoneHousewife]

I had a really hard time picking out individual notes in Dorian. What I do know is that I love it! It had great staying power, too. I applied it at 6am and it was still going strong when I got home from work at 4pm. And I work at a dog kennel so I really put it to the test! This is definitely bottle worth and will be purchasing a bottle soon!

[skyelyric]

When first applied, Dorian is sweet, rather foody. I get granuated sugar, a tiny whiff of lemon, creamy tea, and something faintly cake-ish. However, as I feared, pale musk=white musk. Half an hour in and all I can smell is the foul, cloyingly sweet haze that is white musk on skyelyric. I could even catch hints of the musk haze after several hours and a shower. Le sigh. It *was* a pretty, edible scent...

[cyanidenoir]

Oh Wow! I received a decant of this from Ralenth (yer the greatest!) and was totally delighted once I caught a wiff of it.

 

In the bottle and wet on my skin, Dorian is purely vanilla. A very comforting vanilla with hints of tea and musk. Once it dried down, the scent because very subtle and the vanilla and musk were equally present. This is absolutely a comfort scent. Like wrapping up in a blanket and having a cup of tea. The only problem I have is the scent doesn't last long on my skin.

 

Definitely want a bottle of this!

[Juushika]

In the vial: Sugared darkness, perhaps a hint of tea.

 

On me: This is the second time I've tested and tried to review this scent, and I'm running into the same problem I had before: I can't pick out notes and can barely describe my impressions. Not that it's faint or nondescript, just that the words fail me. Sweetish (but toned down from the bottle scent) by way of white sugar; a touch of lemon that gives a bit of etheral haze over the scent; the heart of the scent is what I find hardest to describe: something dark, a bit aged, but (because of the other notes) never heavy. That mystery heart is probably a combination of tea and musk, but honestly I don't get either note distinctly. Scent-color is brown, throw is moderate to low.

 

Verdict: I wish I were able to give a more precise description of this scent, but that escapes me. My inabilities aside, Dorian just doesn't grab me. It's pleasant enough and I wouldn't mind it on someone else, but it isn't to my taste—it leaves me with a distinct "meh" impression, and I wouldn't be drawn to wear it again. I'll give away my bottle.

[SophieCedar]

I've avoided getting many of the smash hits from the lab at once. Dorian just came with Monday's order. Wow.

 

This morphs each time I wear it. Yesterday it smelled mostly vanilla and floral (a la Black Lace). Today, I can smell a bit more of a cologne and floral mixture, obviously giving it a more masculine spin to the sweetness..

 

I love it however need to weigh it out before ordering a bottle. After all, gomorrah came as a frimp and my sweetheart totally flipped over it. hmmm...

[BuxomM]

I get sugared vanilla tea. It's sweet and floral tea ... no lemon. I love it. There is a musk scent that makes it masculine. Nothing is harsh or strong, they blend evenly. I don't normally like the floral vanilla's or musk but this is nice.

Edited May 7, 2010 by BuxomM

[heywilma]

I got a bottle of this unsniffed, because I thought, hey, if I don't like it, it's so popular it shouldn't be hard to hock, right? There was no need for my fear, because I love it. It's currently on a couple of different parts of my body at the moment, because it's just really interesting to see how it morphs. It's unassuming in the bottle, but on skin it's incredibly potent. There's a kick to the sweetness that's so nommy it makes me want to be sniffing my wrists all the time.

[sunlitgarden]

Dorian

 

Lemony tea with a sweet musky base... This smells like lemony cake... Going on the bottle list for sure, it's SO yummy and yet sexy at the same time. O_O

Edited May 28, 2010 by sunlitgarden

[reconditarmonia]

Not getting the fougere, not getting the tea - just an almost sickly sweet vanilla-musk-sugar. Almost like cotton candy.

 

Not for me. (Which is good, since it's, er, not for me - this is a sneak test of an imp I bought for a friend.)

[damonkitty]

I think I own three bottles at varying age levels of this wonderful blend. If this is what Puddin wears then no wonder Beth married him . I get a blend of tea, sugar, lemon, and cake from this. It is just so delicious. It is one of my go to scents when I want a relaxing almost aromatherapy blend (aromatherapy to me is cake and sugar). It is a blend that can be layered well with other blends (no wonder there were Dorain Chaos blends). It is a yummy and delicious blend that I truly adore

[animalcule]

In imp: Sweet vanilla and musk.

 

On, wet: so yummy. I can make out a lot of the listed notes: lemon, musks, and vanilla with a bit of a tang (must be the tea - I can't usually make out the 'tea' in a scent but I love every one I try). It smells like food, but there's more and more of a delicious cologne undertone.

 

Dry: Dorian stays pretty consistent over time for me. A sweet yet tangy musk. I can understand why it's considered unisex even though it is so sweet. It's nice to have a scent that has that masculine edge, without smelling like I am wearing straight men's cologne (which I won't - I generally only like super-femme BPAL).

 

Lasts very well, too! I am not sure if I am going to get a bottle or another imp, but I have to decide because I'm almost out and I need Dorian in my collection. I can totally understand why this one is a fan favorite, so happy it works for me!

 

ETA: Definitely a bottle. I have discovered the amazing-ness that is Dorian layered with just about anything else in my collection.

 

I find that the fougere (lavender?) note does not last for more than an hour or two on me, which I like. Dorian after it's been on my skin for a while is sweet without a hint of powder, so foody it makes my mouth water, very feminine to me. I love it.

Edited July 11, 2010 by animalcule

[reynardine]

I’ve been curious about this one for quite a while (thanks to the kind person who frimped me some!). A lot of people rave about it. As for me, I’m not sure what the fuss is about. I’m mainly getting musk, with no tea whatsoever, and it is so light as to not be distinguishable from my natural skin scent. Maybe a little sweeter, but not much difference. Pass.

[sarielswish]

In the vial, I get lavender, vanilla, and tea... This is promising. VERY promising. Color - cream.

 

Wet on my skin, Oh my. I am in love. Vanilla and tea and lavender and I think white musk.... If this stays like this, it's certainly in bottle territory.

 

10-15 minute drydown - Hrm... At first, I adored it. Then something struck me as unpleasant. I realized it was the same note that ruined Needlework for me. The lilac. I like lilac in some things, but not in this, apparently. Oh well.

[Sultaana]

Dorian is a staple of my collection! This is one of the scents described as unisex that I can absolutely agree on. I would be in heaven if someday I could convince a man to let me smelly him up with this. He'd have to endure me sneaking sniffs frequently. I have a hard time going long enough without it on to move on to imps I've been wanting to try for a while this stuff is so good. Vanilla usually hates me terribly, but the tea and the musk keep the vanilla from being from turning into diaper cream on me, and oooh the sweet sweet lemon.

Edited July 13, 2010 by Sultaana

[AuraWilkes]

Oh, Dorian. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...I lost count.

 

This has been my favorite from BPAL thus far. On opening the bottle, I was in love. Creamy, creamy vanilla tea, with lemon and an afterthought of moss. Oh, yes. Mmph. I love it.

 

Immediately on, I feel tucked away comfortably in the most luxurious spa ever. The vanilla comforts with a sort of creamy kiss that perfectly compliments the acidity that's most assuredly due to the tea. The lemon is barely there, but is there, dancing on the sugar so delicately it's as if it's floating. And oh, that beautiful fade to something like a beautiful Victorian parlor, like watching the rain fall outside on the rolling hills while sipping tea, comfortable and cozy and warm...

 

 

Drydown catches me by surprise every time I turn my head. It's so delightfully wonderful. I can't say enough about this. I keep rolling around on my bed to smell myself. Dorian, o how I adore thee!

[thnbry]

Just got Dorian as a frimp and tried it last night.

 

As soon as I put it on, I was back in grade school. It was a warm Fall day. We had lunch then went outside to play. Once back at our little individual desks, the teacher is reading us "Old Yeller". The sun is streaming in the half-open windows. Some kids are sleeping; some have their heads down on their desks. One girl gets out her eraser and starts cleaning the Formica desktop. Monkey see; monkey do. A couple other girls clean theirs, and I get my eraser out. I start at the upper left corner and work across then back, like you were unwriting the years from the desk top. As the little crumbs of eraser accumulate, I scoop them up and dump them in my pencil tray inside the desk. It's fun to pinch up little piles and feel them in your fingers like micro bits of Play-Doh. A breeze blows through the windows, over the transom into the hallway. I smell the fall air, the freshly varnished wood floor, kid sweat, spray starch, and the sweet eraser crumbs.

 

Later it mellowed to a gentle sweetness and stayed a good 12 hours wafting up my shirt from my breast bone. The clothes I had on that day still small like Dorian. I like the final hours better than the start, but it was an interesting flood of memories.

[Siberia]

Dear Dorian,

 

I didn't like you at all when we first met. You were too forward, and your cologne was offensively strong.

My, but you've gotten a bit more mature - and you've changed. Or perhaps you've seduced me. I love your lemony sugared fougere, the way you blend with the scent of my skin, and the fact that you stick around all day. I don't think I can live without you.

 

Siberia

[mxtine]

I don't know why I've waited so long to try Dorian. I think the "fougere" scared me off. This is the most beautiful sugared lemon vanilla but the tea keeps it from being too sweet. I don't smell any fougere...perhaps my decant is aged? Either way, I want a bottle of this.

[harmonictremors]

Dorian was the first BPAL I tried. I learned pretty early on that I have to be careful with Dorian, because I can't think straight for the first hour or so after put it on. That's how amazing it is.

 

In the bottle I get sweet vanilla tea with a tiny bite of lemon and lavender in the background. It's nearly the same on my skin, but I definitely amp the tea notes. 5 to 6 hours after first application, it fades out to a light vanilla. The notes in Dorian seem so simple, but the perfume perfectly evokes the kind of gorgeous debauchery and indulgence embodied by Dorian Gray. Wearing it makes me feel haughty and sexy and a little wicked.

 

I've tried around 300 BPAL perfumes since my first romp with Dorian (that's a lot for me considering I rarely wore perfume before), but it's still my number one favorite, hands down.