Dorian

[d0gbones]

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 imp: sweet tea and rose? Wet: The same, but even sweeter. Dry: Hmm. Sweet lemons and something musky. It was gorgeous wet, but I don't think this is working on me. Gonna keep hold of it and try it in the oil burner instead.

[Candice Chen]

Creamy, sweet, delicately aromatic. Like lavender earl grey tea folded into cream and poured slowly over ice. It's silky and cool and yummy all at the same time. Very inviting and comforting but also quite unique. I occasionally layer this with TKO to bring out the fougere a little more.

Not the biggest projection with this one - it stays close to the skin but lasts quite well, which makes it nice for most occasions where you will be in close quarters with others and don't want to assault their noses.

Edited June 22, 2016 by Nightphlox

[Casablanca]

Black tea with vanilla sugar dominates, with a twist of unlisted lemon -- well supported by soft musks and a balanced and slightly perfumey accord from which I can pull no individual notes (presumably the fougere).

Some have said they love this as a relaxing bedtime scent, but since I associate the black tea note with caffeine, it's better for me as a congenial afternoon pick-me-up. A favorite scent for an afternoon out.

[Convallaria]

The opening is very sweet. Too sugary for my taste. It goes mellower later on, but the musks feed the sweetness rather than balance it. Overall it's nothing special on me.

Edited June 27, 2016 by Convallaria

[porcelaincrypt]

In the imp: First time I smelled it..sweet, something a tad salty maybe, like caramel? The second time I sniffed it in the imp...lemon, absolutely! But there is this plastic-y, synthetic aspect that is turning me off. Not sure what it is, the musks? I read through about 7 pages and didn't see anyone else mention this but I could have missed it in all the posts I skipped, or maybe it's just me.

 

On my skin, it is much better, which is unusual since it can often be the other way around. That plastic-y smell dissipates, thankfully, leaving me with something nice but overall eh..nothing outstanding.

 

Dorian is one of those scents that I really, really want to love, as someone who adores vanilla but I just don't love it like I should. That said I definitely don't dislike it but I'm not wowed, unfortunately.

[Antaria]

It just seems that most of the popular scents are nothing for me. So this is ... sexy? On me it's a cup of black tea with some lemon. In fact not even that, my husband has one black tea (forgot the name) which smells just like Dorian.

 

I wanted to write an extensive review. But through all the stages it is and stays: a cup of tea. Something I don't aim for, when wearing a perfume. I so wanted to get what Ina Garten Davita wrote in the very first review, cause it sounds so great. But I'm just sitting in the parlor with my tea and the Victorian gentleman stood me up. Damn

[freyasfae]

I have been involved with BPAL for over a year now and this is my first time trying Dorian. It only seems fitting since I recently ordered Serpentine from this year's Fatherhood. I could immediately tell what was Dorian based on this scent, and I love it. Serpentine is softer with Lilith's lavendar, which I tend to prefer, but I could see myself investing in a bottle of Dorian still. This is wicked and lovely. It's mainly fougere and musks, but I can smell the tea as it dries down more.

[Missa_Moth]

I'm somewhat new to BPAL, I had a couple bottles years ago, but never got into having a variety of perfumes until this year. Since I am a huge fan of The Serpentine, I had to try Dorian. Again, it's instant love! Dorian smells just as cozy like musky soft citrus vanilla black tea. My skin amps the sugary vanilla tea aspect, and I just love it! It's more unisex than The Serpentine. I love it and hop it's in the GC for years to come.

[Beary Strange]

In the bottle: powdery musk

Wet: also powdery musk with the barest whisper of vanilla, which was a bit concerning

Dry: It smells like Lush's Pink Fun and I mean exactly like it. Which is incidentally my favorite Lush smell and I've long wished it came in perfume form (for those who don't know, it's a soap in play-doh form basically) --well, wish granted. As far as actual notes, it's a sort of powdery vanilla sugar scent with a mild tea background.

 

This was a blind buy based solely on reputation and honestly, I would have been happy with a straight up tea scent, which is what I was expecting, but the way it actually smells on me makes me so so happy.

[KezzieZ]

Whoo! Got a frimp of Dorian in my latest BPAL order (full-size of The Waltz, imp of Mage, frimps of Dorian and 51). This is one I've been curious of for a while since it's so beloved, sounds really good in the description, and was recommended to me in the forum thread for recs based on personality.

 

In Bottle: This one smells like some vanilla verbena lotion I have, but with some tea and a little more of a citrusy bite to it. I really like it.

 

Wet on Skin: There's a little bit of a cologne-ish slant to it now (probably the musks or overall fougere) that it's on my skin and the citrus seems to have disappeared. There's a little more cream in the vanilla, too. It still smells nice to me and it's still sweet.

 

Approx. 1 Hour Later: I'm not sure if this is exactly morphing, but some of the scents have been switching to the forefront. Sometimes it's the musk and maybe some lavender, while it's the vanilla cream at other times. I think there's something in the musk/lavender phase that's supposed to represent Dorian's "rotten core" and I'm not as big of a fan of when that's in the forefront.

 

------

 

Overall, I think this perfume has been one of my favorites. It's sweet, but tempered with that slight cologne slant I mentioned and, despite that vanilla cream scent, I don't find it too foody. It's very unisex, in my opinion. The tea isn't that strong on me (I feel that was more detectable in The Dormouse), but it's still hidden in there.

 

While I'm not 100% absolutely in love with it, I think I'll be cozying up a lot to this sample. It's not too heavy on me like some of the frimps I've tried and I'm properly getting the vanilla from it, unlike with the Snake Oil sample (which I still plan on trying again once it's settled a month or so from the first test).

 

I really want to try the hair gloss of this now, as well as The Serpentine perfume!

Edited November 27, 2016 by KezzieZ

[WinterSong]

Oh goodness, Dorian is beautiful! In the imp, I get lemon vanilla tea and it dries down to a gorgeous sugary vanilla on me, with a lingering hint of tea. I purchased an imp because I'd heard good things about this particular scent, and I am not disappointed. This gets more wonderful with age; I can't stop sniffing my wrist. This is easily one of my favourite GC blends.

 

Medium throw. Lasts all day on me. I highly recommend this to fans of tea and vanilla scents!

[mermaidjeans]

Expectation: I was into an audio series called The Confessions of Dorian Gray at the time of my order, so this had to be on the list. Beauty and debauchery.

First Impression: rich, sweet

In the imp this smells slightly alcoholic. It has the faintest hint of herb flower which could be the fougère - if it is lavender then that's amazing because usually I can't stand it in anything. On the skin the sugar, vanilla and what must be tea comes out. However, what the scent really reminds me of is having lemon drizzle cake nearby. Not near enough to get a citrus sharpness, but that yummy sugar nonetheless. For a scent with three musks, these don't dominate - they just bring the other notes into a harmonious and enticing scent.

Verdict: a definite keeper. I've started wearing it more. Wouldn't mind smelling it on a guy, either!

[Soupy Twist]

Positively weird. Lavender? I think? in the bottle. Goes on as a vanilla...ish sugar? with a sort of cookie note? which eventually dries to a kind of lavender...ish... thing. Really hard to describe. Very much a "Victorian gentleman," I'll say that.

[Anne Taylor]

This is one of my all time favourite BPALs and I always have some on hand. It's just the right amount of sexy in a comforting scent that sets it far away from the rest. Maybe it's the sugared vanilla tea? Whatever it is, it's absolutely stunning.

[lizabelle]

I'm finally getting to smell this and I'm blown away. It deserves all the praise people give it! I was slightly worried about the "fougere" aspect of this on me, because it never seems to go well with my chemistry, but I get none of it. Instead there's warm, rich, boozy vanilla with some musky powder and maybe a teensy whiff of tea. It borders on a vanilla SN on me and I'm not complaining--it's like if someone made a liqueur out of vanilla beans. (Which...does that exist somewhere? I want in on it.) There's something kind of spicy in the background, I can't tell if it's actual spice or wood but it lends a lovely depth to the whole thing. As it dries down over time it gets even more boozy and slightly less sweet, turning almost into some kind of vanilla syrup resin. There is a tiny touch of bitter greenery in the drydown, but it's not overpowering and it actually goes quite well with the vanilla. This scent is incredible and I will be getting a bottle, or several.

[renfair]

I was able to track down an imp of this to purchase from another member during "The Great Dorian Shortage of Early 2017." I'd always been curious about it, since I knew it was one of BPAL's absolutely most popular scents, but then of course when I finally wanted to try it, it's all out of stock on me! So I was super excited to get this imp!

First Sniff Impression: Oh wow. YUSSS. THIS IS THE STUFF.

Wet in Vial: Really sweet in an amazing way. Almost sweet and sour. Reminds me of some kind of candy, maybe a Bubblelicious gum flavor? Maybe the Peaches and Cream one from the early 90's I used to love? It smells like someone maybe mashed up a bunch of super sour blackberries, some vanilla, and tea leaves and stuck it in a jar.

Drying Down on Skin: The sweet sourness (maybe tartness is a better adjective?) is really amazing and unique. I'd tried The Serpentine before this, and LOVED IT, so now smelling Dorian separately I can't definitely tell that it was the main component of The Serpentine that I loved. I feel somehow that this would almost be too sweet on most men, but I'm sure Dorian himself (and Puddin' of course ) could pull it off. I'd love to try it on my husband, though I don't know if he'd let me.

Dry on Skin: This stayed really consistent throughout, which was awesome cause I love it. If I had to say anything changed, the vanilla came out slightly more, making it more on the sweet side and less balances with the sort of tartness it had. It had about a medium lasting strength. Wish it lasted longer, but if I eventually can track down a hair gloss to go with it, that will help.

Conclusion: I absolutely adore this scent and now know why people were panicking when it went out of stock. This could definitely be a signature scent for me. I'm really glad it seems like it will be making a reappearance soon. Hopefully there will be enough for everyone to order several if they need to

[littleflight]

I bought a couple of bottles from a lovely forumite, and she was kind enough to throw a tiny bottle containing a few drops of Dorian into my package. OH. MY. GAWD. THIS STUFF. Now I see what all the fuss is about. This is quite possibly the most beautiful thing I have ever smelled.

 

At first whiff I a strong tea with just a tiny bit of lemon, which is just lovely on its own, but after dabbing a drop onto my wrists, it morphs. The tea is there, but the lemon fades away, and out comes this gorgeous powdery vanilla with just a touch of the softest musk. I usually tend to dislike anything "musky" and/or "powdery", but this is just so perfect and scrumptious and wonderful that I just cannot stop sniffing my wrists.

 

I NEED MORE DORIAN!!

[celestia]

♔ Dorian

 

This, along with Antique Lace, was one of several GC blends I fell really hard for as a BPAL noob.I’ve recommended this to so many people.. I could have sworn I had already reviewed it too. Nevertheless!

 

In the Bottle: Vanilla tea with a squeeze of lemon

 

Wet: On skin, I get a vanillic citrus blended tea note. I love this so much! After all these years, it’s still one of the only blends containing lemon I can actually admit to loving. The lemon itself, and this is important to note, is seamlessly infused with the tea, invigorating, even lifting, the overall profile of the blend. It’s not a sour lemon, it’s a sugared lemon…yes! a sugared lemon tea. If you’ve ever dipped both sides of a lemon slice into a tray of sugar and eaten it, this this smells like how that tastes. I also want to say it’s creamy but it’s the vanilla. Sugared vanillic lemon tea!

 

Drydown: As it settles, the lemon and tea fuse together with the vanilla into a beautifully bright sugary lemon and vanilla musk. For the longest time I couldn’t pinpoint what was actually making this blend so appealing to me. I have concluded though, that it might be because of the way the blend itself (both sugar and tea) transforms the lemon. It’s nothing like candied lemon, lemon sugar, or lemon candy. Nor is it anything like normal lemons or citrus notes hinting the freshness of lemon- but it’s so realistic all the same…the way the sugared slice of lemon interacts with the vanilla and tea is so experiential…such that it goes from something I’d never wear into something I cherish wearing.

 

TL;DR: Sugared vanillic lemon tea

Edited April 24, 2017 by celestia

[achildoftime]

Dorian is a very sweet lemon tea. It reminds me more of an iced tea than a hot tea. It's starts as a very sugared lemon. Not like lemonade, but as if you dipped a lemon slice in sugar. The tea only gets around to the front after it dries completely. It's like the perfect summer scent. It really does feel like there's a good book and a hammock waiting for me in the shade somewhere where I can just enjoy resting with a tall glass of tea. Absolutely wonderful.

[RoseMartyr]

 

I think my first ever review should go to my first ever blind bottle purchase all those years ago! I had convinced myself very strongly that I was going to love Dorian purely based on the fact 1) it's Dorian Gray 2) there's vanilla and 3) there's tea. I had next to no experience of BPAL and my knowledge of perfume was purely in the commercial side of things. And yet I knew I was going to love this. And while I'm on the way to refining my scent profile and new favourites have emerged, there will always be a soft spot for Dorian. I was right. I loved it. And I still do. So onto the utterly redundant review because nearly everyone loves Dorian and or has given him a go (. . .)

 

In the bottle: Very sweet vanilla tea with a slice of lemon.

 

Wet: More of the same: sugary black vanilla tea, touch of lemon (no citrus notes but there it is!)

 

Dry: Still sweet but the fougere finally comes into play which is why the perfume oil will always have a slight edge over the hairgloss. The hairgloss always tends to stay in the sugared vanilla stage which is gorgeous. But the final stage as the musks and the typical fougere notes (taking a wild guess it's the old favourites lavender, oakmoss but also some bergamot perhaps?) come into play is when Dorian really shines. Every stage is an absolute pleasure but it's so beautifully blended in the drydown. I'd love to meet the gentlemen who could pull this off . . . for reasons. For 'research'. Ahem. It is a cologne but at the same time completely gender neutral without being neutral. It's sweet and rich and just the loveliest. I do slightly prefer it fresh rather than aged strangely because I feel like the sweetness isn't quite there if aged too long. Truthfully I don't let Dorian age too long before I've doused myself in it all. But the shortage means I'm going to have to age it more than I ever thought I'd allow!

 

What do they say: Some people have picked up lemony vanilla tea but a few people are adamant it smells like lemon meringue on me! It gets a lot of compliments and my more scent sensitive friends push me to wear this one because it doesn't give them any headaches and they love the lemon meringue!

 

Season: Spring and summer

 

Mood: For afternoon tea and I'm 100% in my Victorian dandy mode and bedecked in silks, brocade and lace, cravat on point, cake in one hand and a girls hand in the other. Which is all the time. For future reference.

Edited July 13, 2017 by RoseMartyr

[dramedy65]

Sorting through collection.

 

In bottle: musky sweet, I like it. Very Victorian.

 

Wet: Hm. It's taking a weird turn. Ok let's wait this out.

 

Dry: Is this what people mean by powdered? It smells like rotting Victorian tea service, or eating a doily. My wrist does NOT like this haha. Wow.

 

In conclusion: My body utterly rejects this scent haha. First time I've had a scent go all powder on me. Def into the sell/swap pile with ye!

[jenocyde]

I snapped up a few bottles of the secret Dorian restock a few weeks ago, and was excited to receive my most favorite perfume that this company makes, in the mail. It came in the mail, I let it sit for a day, and I dug it out. I opened the bottle and put it to my nose, and smelled ivory soap. I compared it to my original bottle of Dorian from last fall, my Dorian hair loss that I was restocked with last fall, a Dorian prototype that I have, I Didn’t want to believe that the two bottles that I just bought for myself smell absolutely nothing like the Dorian that I remember. So I waited Another day. I wash off all of my perfume so I had a blank slate so I didn’t have any clouded judgment, and on one wrist put on old Dorian and got the punch of lemony tea, musk and vanilla. On my other wrist I put on new Dorian, and I still got ivory soap. I’m convinced it’s reformulated This is so disappointing. I’ve worn Dorian for years and it never smelled like this. Ever.

[mishi-bear]

Dorian is unfortunately the weakest bpal scent I've ever tried. After putting it on, I couldn't smell it at all for a while. Then, it finally, quietly reared its head.

 

I like it, kind of. It's definitely a sweet vanilla tea scent. And maybe just my nose was being blind to it, because I did get compliments about how I smelled from people that day. But to me it was just barely there unless I was actively huffing my wrist, and that made me sad.

 

I'll likely keep this imp, and use it sometimes, but I have much better vanilla scents and tea scents that are stronger that I prefer.

[Mermaid-on-Land]

Beeeeeergamot when I first apply. Bergamot with the astringency of tea. Sweet lemon cookie. With a tiny bit of the lavender from the fougere. Eventually the tea fades to the background a bit and the vanilla comes out to the forefront. I love vanilla notes, which is very fortunate for me because my skin chemistry also loves vanilla notes and tends to push them front and center on a scent. The musk tempers the sweetness of the vanilla a bit i think, but it's not noticeable so much in its own right, more so as an accent. The fougere was most noticeable upfront with the bergamot, it doesn't stick around on me so much. I like to wear this on days I want a lighter, only slightly sweet perfume. It's a good balance of 'earl grey tea with milk' and a slight bit of vanilla. It's soft and fresh on me and not at all sinister like the description lol.

[Lucchesa]

2017 Dorian, kindly decanted me in a swap (thanks, Cinnabar!!!):

 

A musky cloud of

sweet vanilla tea, all day.

Do believe the hype.