Dorian

[miss apple]

Dorian

 

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.

 

In the bottle - this is sweet much; more so than I thought it would be - the vanilla jumps out and masks any other notes.

 

Upon initial application it gets even sweeter and now reminds me of buttercream icing. Not quite the sex fragrance I had in mind

After a bit the vanilla calms down and there's a hint of tea and a tiny little sliver of lemon. This is soft and creamy and has quite a lot of staying power but definitely not what I was expecting. I like it though and will reserve is for occasions when I want to smell sweet and dainty.

Edited September 30, 2005 by Shollin

[Red_Hot_Mama]

Dorian is sharing BPAL spot Numero Uno in my heart.

 

The notes are cosistent with the majority of the descriptions: not exactly sex on a stick, nor cotton candy sweet.

 

It's black tea the way I learned to first drink it. I was 7 & we were living in Quincy, MA. I can still remember my Mom telling me, "This is the way the ladies in Boston drink their tea." I don't know if it was true but it made a big impression on me.

 

Dorian immediately conjures that memory of my first cup of tea, strong & sweet, with cream.

 

[LiberAmoris]

:wades into Dorian review thread:

 

Well, tea is not usually the best note on my skin, but of all the tea blends I've tried, Dorian is the loveliest. Tea with lemon... and a little vanilla cake with clotted cream on the side! This is more foody than sexy on me, but at some point, when you're hungry, you're hungry, right?

 

I now suddenly have a craving for tea and cake.

[ashtonrose]

Dorian smells like southern sweet tea in the summer. Kissed with a lemon. Just a wonderful feeling.

[cricketshay]

I ordered a 5 ml of Dorian unsniffed, based on it's popularity with forum members. Later I had a chance to purchase an imp of it and I'm glad I decided to go ahead and get a bottle. I love it.

 

In the vial, Dorain is very sweet, with the light scent of musk. Nice. It smells very soft and inviting. I can't wait to swab my wrist with it.

 

Wet~I get the scent of sweet tea with lemon. Not bad at all. I don't know if it's an everyday scent, but I like it so far.

 

As it dries, the tea fades and the musks start to surface. Musk agrees with my body chemistry. It reminds me of a cross between O and Bastet. This fragrance has staying power. The last time I tried it(before I decided to write up a review) it lasted for hours.

 

If you like O, Dana O'Shee and Bastet, you will probably love Dorian.

[velvet]

Lemon cookies. its smells exactly like the cookies with the lemon cream in the center between two little lemon waffers.

makes me want to eat my wrist

 

i dont get the sweet tea note, thank god. i HATE it. seriously hate sweet tea.

[tarantulove]

You know what's weird?

 

Dorian smells like pineapple on me. Yes, pineapple. If I sniff hard enough, I can sort of make out lemon and vanilla and tea, but their cumulative effect? Pineapple. Yeah, I don't get it either. It's some weird skin chemistry thing, though.

 

I'm not much for pineapple. It smells lovely and warm and comforting in the vial, though.

[Finny]

Dorian doesn't like me.

 

I had hopes for this vanilla scent, as many people say it is light on the vanilla, but for me. Vanilla. And I don't get mmm, vanilla, I always get screaming, headache inducing VANILLA!

 

It does dry down to a splendid scent on me, but the wait is too much, so off it goes.

 

ETA: Two plus years later I am trying it again. And now? Yummy. the vanilla is not too strong it smells wonderful. Sweet, vanilla-lemon tea, with a fantastic musky base.

Edited November 1, 2007 by Finny

[Tournesol Noir]

The tea and lemon are the most noticeable scents at the beginning. Then the tea mellows and the vanilla and musk come through to make it heady and sensual. To me, it is the olfactory embodiment of The Picture of Dorian Gray -- starting with aching innocence, then gradually darkening to hedonism and corruption. But in a very good way.

 

I'm very glad this works out well on me, as Oscar Wilde is my single favourite English author. A big bottle of Dorian is definitely making its way to me some time soon.

 

An additional bonus: I love this on my boy. But I'm only going to use it on him when we're alone. . .I don't want him anywhere else when he's wearing this scent.

Edited April 26, 2005 by Tournesol Noir

[Femke]

Oh.My.God! Musky vanilla-y greatness. Ordered a cat's ear from ApCat and got it yesterday. Methinks a 5 ml is in order. If this is supposed to be a masculine scent, I don't really see it. I find it very feminine. Gorgeous. It goes lovely sweet on me. Not TOO sweet, just a very comforting sweetness. The musks are light, thank goodness, as musks tend to go a bit crazy one me...

[Orodemniades]

Alas, Dorian turned to Lemon Pledge on me.

 

 

Weeks later: I got another imp of this, and it was completely different on my skin. Instead of creamy lemony goodness, it turned into Snake Oil! With stuff! Omgwtfbbq? Seriously, what is my skin doing to this oil?? I can see myself wearing this to work, so I'll keep the imp, but I won't be ordering a bottle.

 

I don't think.

 

Oro, still keeping it short and sweet.

Edited June 16, 2005 by Orodemniades

[Nadirah]

Dorian DOES smell a bit like a foody version of Ice Queen. Theres a bit of Russian tea cake, a touch of lemon and a day at a tea shop. It is lovely and I keep getting wonderful complements from how yummy I smell and "what is that wonderful smell!?" unfortunatly it is soo strong that I love smelling it out of the bottle but on my skin it just amplifies and can become overpowering. I can see why this is loved by many, it is yummy, It just doesnt work for me!

[slave1]

In Bottle: Vanilla musk.

 

On Skin: The vanilla is sweet but the musk is pretty overpowering and smells VERY masculine. The tea scent is strong… this is like the male companion scent to White Rabbit which I think is more feminine. I really like this but wish it wasn’t so masculine, maybe I can talk my hubby into wearing it.

[amberlox]

I have highly anticipated trying "Dorian". This smelled yummy in the imp... cookies & tea.... but like raw sewage on my skin. There were still the cookies and tea but with a hint of fart. No one around me had passed it or anything. It was the perfume, sadly. Maybe it's the 'black tea'-ish smell (which I think stinks a bit) I don't really know... maybe a bit too crazy on the musk here.

[sarada]

Haven't I reviewed this yet? Oh my...

 

I wasn't racing to try Dorian at first since it mentioned vanilla, and if there is one note that hates me, it's vanilla. But I was intrigued. I am very fond of black tea, and even my dislike for vanilla wasn't enough to turn me off from at least trying Dorian.

 

Digression: there's a type of tea that I dearly love, called Victorian Garden. And while I ~overwhelmingly~ dislike even a hint of vanilla in tea normally, I like it in this tea. It is a black tea...with lavender, vanilla, and possibly some other flowers, I'm not sure. But it has the slightest hint of natural sweetness (I take my tea black, I cannot stand sweet tea), a wonderful faintly purple floral bouquet and a gritty, smokiness underlying it. It's one of my very favorite teas. Dorian....smells like this tea. Whenever I wear it, I feel compelled to drink this tea. And vice versa.

 

I know that it has vanilla in it...but it doesn't bother me. The lavender tea scent keeps it from seeming foody to me, and it makes me think of holding a pale silken eyemask stuffed with lavender over my eyes to relax, while a cup of my favorite tea brews nearby. The musky undertones are the scent of a mysterious masked man beside me...I can't see him, but I can smell him.

 

This floats into my top ten from time to time, depending on my mood, and it is the only scent containing vanilla that I can wear regularly. I don't detect any lemon smell, incidentally. This is also a favorite of mine to wear to bed -- it is very comforting, and it makes me feel as though I'm snuggling up with someone, even if I'm not!

[Digital_Hypoxia]

Oh Dorian! How I love thee!

 

Sweet iced tea without being heavy or syrupy. You’re feminine and yet wonderfully ambiguous at the same time.

 

 

I had two girls in my Tuesday morning class ask what I was wearing. The vanilla not is soft and sweet; the lemon wisp is perfection.

 

I feel the need to upsize

[Tesseljoan]

When wet, lemony tea and sugar. The vanilla is more prominent after an hour, and blends beautifully with the tea. Outrageously beautiful.

 

*sigh* How does Beth do it?

[summer]

The Lab's description of Dorian is dead-on. It is absolutely black tea, lemon, and sugar at first. But there's a very solidly masculine, musky anchor to this scent. Normally I can't wear overly musky scents, but the sugared lemon in this blend is strong enough and bright enough that it's not overpowered by the musk -- rather, the soft, sweet aspects of this blend really hold their own, and are supported by the solid, masculine, musky base and the astringent tea. It's a really lovely balance.

 

Overall, I think if this as a scent that is soft, but not at all light. It's got a very strong presence, but it's kind of fuzzy around the edges. It's most definitely, as the Lab says, refined, noble, gentle, and corrupted.

 

I don't associate this blend with any particular mood, but whenever I wear it, it's a wrist-sniffing day all day long. Fantastic lasting power, and, again, a strong presence.

 

[wickedgoddess]

Origins - I broke down and bought a bottle of this unsniffed, based on forum reviews.

 

Preconceived notions - I love tea scents, and musk, lavendar and vanilla all sound delicious. I was hoping this would be White Rabbit without the ginger.

 

Wet - Sweet tea, absolutely delicious.

 

Dry - On the initial dry-down it smells very cologny. After a while though it comes back as vanilla, with a tea undertone. Because of the cologne-like scent, I didn't think I was going to like this, but once it fades I can see what the appeal is. I just can't see myself wearing this.

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 3.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 5/5

Summarised in a word or two: Addicting!

 

In the imp/bottle: Vanilla tea and sugary lemon!

 

On skin, wet: Black tea, sugar and musky vanilla. Absolutely divine.

 

On skin, dry: Musky, sugary vanilla tea. Musky and sweet at the same time? Strange, but lovely.

 

Conclusion: I absolutely understand why Dorian is called "BPAL's crack." It's gorgeous and addicting.

Edited December 19, 2005 by Aredhel

[green_tara76]

I can't quit smelling my wrist!

Dorian was sweet from the get-go, but has warmed and mellowed on my skin.

I definitely get vanilla and musk, but I think it's the aromatic tea note that keeps me sniffing.

I don't generally go for the sweet stuff, but this is intriguing without being cloying. I got my imp from the lovely and generous Orodemniades, and am having to physically restrain myself from ordering a 10 ml right now. (not until next paycheck, not until next paycheck....)

[Imbrium]

In the bottle: Vanilla and something light - possibly the citrus note a few others have mentioned, though it does smell a bit like the single note white musk to me.

 

On: This doesn't change much from wet to dry, which makes me happy, because it's delicious. It's straight vanilla tea on me, with a ton of throw - my boyfriend kept asking what smelled so damn good. It has lots of staying power, too.

 

Overall: Dorian has been one of my favorite blends for months now; for me, it's a nighttime version of White Rabbit: sweet, but not sickeningly so, a bit sharp, with the tea, and the initial citrus/musk note, and really, really sexy.

[lizling]

Another one I was determined to like by virtue of name alone, and it did not disappoint. In the bottle, it smells indefinably classic. It smells positively innocent upon application, like the most high-quality honey I’ve ever smelled. As it sits, though, there’s a note that emerges – kind of floral, but it somehow brings through and works with the natural scent of my own skin to smell very sexy. Also, this never smelled strong, but it resisted my skin’s natural tendency to Hoover up the oil, and it stayed with me for a long time.

(As a sidenote, I read in a book that the reason why we find reading “The Picture of Dorian Gray” to be such an disconcerting experience is because of the story’s emphasis on the sense of smell; as this is not a sense that is usually emphasized in literature, it leaves us with a slightly confused, vaguely unsettled feeling. I guess The Oscar was a scent man – and I can imagine him approving of this one.)

[Essay 28]

In the bottle: ginger snap cookies.

 

On skin initially: a beautiful sugared vanilla note dominates, with a hint of musk.

 

After an hour: I felt like I was wearing either the yummiest sugar cookie dough around, or had spilled a wonderful vanilla tea on my wrists. The musk note faded, still there, but definately buried under the sweet vanilla tea. A firm favorite for me.

[LunaSea]

My first thought upon applying Dorian was, "Why the HELL did I wait so long to order this?!" When my imp arrived, I sniffed it and was rather disappointed, because it is rather sharp smelling in the vial to me. But as soon as I apply it to my skin, it becomes a lovely sweet scent of sugar and tea and vanilla. There is a faint hint of lemon behind it, but that only comes out occasionally. And while it is sweet, it is also a light scent - it seems so perfect for a summer afternoon. I have images of refined Victorian ladies and gentlemen playing lawn tennis and sipping tea in their crisp, white linen outfits.

 

Upon drydown, maybe after an hour, I detected a note that I could only name as tobacco. I guess it must be the fougere. And the musks had also come out a bit. The tobacco-ey note doesn't stick around long, which made me happy because while it wasn't unpleasant, it wasn't quite what I wanted to smell like.

 

Now after a few hours, there isn't much throw left, but when I sniff my wrist I can still smell that lovely vanilla, and some of the musk. Dorian definitely lives up to the hype of being fabulous, although I have to agree with Electra that it isn't quite sex on a stick for me either. But I can't WAIT to put some of this on the hubby - I may change my mind about my previous statement!