Dorian

[hannahl1982]

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.

Initially: this smells like lemon sugar cookies and a hot cup of tea.

Dry Down: the lemon sugar cookies remain but the tea is gone.

Two Hours Later: the lemon fades, the vanilla and sugar amp up and the musks show up. This turns very powdery on my skin.

I so wanted to love this, but alas the dry down gives me a bit of a headache.
Overall I give it 2.5/5

[stasha]

Mmmm Normally lemon turns to Lemon Fresh Pine Sol on my skin, but Dorian is just as beautiful as people say it is. The lemon is very prevalent in the bottle, wet on skin, and on dry down but the vanilla makes it creamy as opposed to full on citrus. The tea is such a subtle background note that gives brings an air of sophistication and cuts down any chance of Dorian entering overly sweet foody territory.

 

As light as it is there's a real staying power here, too. I usually like to try imps a few times before I buy a big bottle but this is an ASAP purchase.

 

Delicious, sexy, and innocent. A triple threat.

[heartlilly]

This is just fantastic. Lemon is really iffy on me, but here the vanilla makes it creamy and light rather than sharp. It is sweet, but the musk keeps it from going too sweet. I can smell the tea, but just barely, almost as though it is grounding everything else together. It lasts all day too, hours later I could still smell it.

[Paige]

From the imp, I can smell a sweetness of sorts. On me, I get wafts of vanilla and sugar. I think I can smell the tea, it must be the scent that sorta holds them together.

It lasts a fair while on me as well, I can smell it the next day.

 

You might see me down the streets sniffing my wrists looking rather suspicious... but I'm just getting really happy off Dorian.

 

It's my new love! (I've got a bottle making it's way across the world to me right now)

[Dark Sparkle]

I have nothing new to add to the praise of Dorian except from more praise: Freshly applied, this is tea with a twist of lemon and vanilla biscuits on the side, like Danish butter cookies! On the drydown I get more of the musk mixing with the vanilla, very sexy and comforting - I love Dorian

[djnevermore]

GCs are not my friends. I always (what?!) smell something fake or off or weird or irritating in them. Great, that makes this habit even more spendy. Dorian is the first GC I've tried repeatedly that I haven't ended up hating. I LOVE it! SO yum! Sweet, spicy, heady without being nausea-inducing, strong, gentle. It is a number of enigmas and all of them most lovely!

[hushmesilent]

In the Imp: Strong, dark tea with a hint of cream and lemon.

 

On Katie's Skin: Turns sugary and creamier.. absolutely lush and beautiful.

 

On Mike's Skin: The lemon pops out immediately! It smells like lemon poppyseed muffins.

 

Dry: SO LOVELY! And it lasts, which is saying something on me. Mine morphed into something so sweet and lovely, and Mike's kept clean and strong. Zesty. Absolutely LOVELY!

 

We're going to need two big bottles!

 

PS. I was actually going to give this to my cousin, but once I smelled Dorian I couldn't give it away for the life of me.

 

ADDED Aug. 18:

 

Ahh, I've had the imp for a good week or so, and I HAD to come back and re-review.

 

I carry Dorian EVERYWHERE with me. Dorian is the one imp that I can't do without. This is going to be like TEN big bottles.

 

This settles on my skin with a nice throw, and instantly smells like sweet, creamy, RICH, tea. The flowers are there, but in the background making the tea even more sweeter. However, this at no time becomes cloying or overpowering.. and actually, throughout, a bit of lemon (creamy, of course) pops in and out, making it a scent that when I smell, I become happy. It's so comforting, but at the same time, uplifting and lovely. It makes me feel lovely, and when it finally does begin to fade, it doesn't disappear altogether (i.e. the unicorn), but it fades gradually on my skin so that my skin smells like lovely, creamy goodness.

 

ACK! I LOVE THIS ONE.

[jsn]

A little to sweet and girly for me but my wife likes it and it smells great on her. Smells alot like cotton candy.

[ClareN]

How can I do justice to Dorian? I don't think that describing my impressions of the scent will add anything to this comprehensive collection of reviews. I'll just say that it's in my top five BPAL scents and although I haven't yet used up the two imps I own, I'm pretty sure I will eventually need many bottles.

 

A few random thoughts: the lemon seemed much more prominent to me when I first wore it, but since my nose has gotten a little more refined I smell more of the vanilla, white musk and tea instead. Batch differences: Of my two imps, one seems very slightly more musky than the other, but both are equally wonderful. If you love the tea note, you should also try Kumiho, which is similar to Dorian without the vanilla. I'm looking forward to trying Theodosius, the Legerdemain, which is also said to be similar to Dorian.

 

Everyone who's into BPAL needs to try Dorian at least once, and it should DEFINITELY be a part of any newbie-enabling set.

[Ceasg]

Where Snake Oil by itself did not work for me, Dorian works wonderfully. I think it may become my primary vanilla scent.

 

It starts out a light, incensy vanilla in the imp. Upon first application, I get the tea and vanilla, and I also get the citrus note that a lot of other people have detected. That dies down fairly quickly and leaves a rich and milky vanilla with an undertone of tea and hints of musk. It smells quite a bit like vanilla-flavored rooibos tea (one of my favorite teas): a warm, sugary, winding-down-at-the-end-of-a-long-day caffeine-free scent.

[Tulliver]

First ever BPAL scent tried, first ever review. Bear with me if my words get all twisted.

 

In Vial: Light and lemony and something else I couldn't quite get until I checked back here and thought "OF COURSE! IT'S TEA!!!" Dorian has taken my BPAL virginity, see, so I'm definitely not used to smelling tea in my perfumes.

 

Wet: Pretty much as it was in the vial. I was initially a little upset since I think I expected something a little stronger. It was very light, certainly detectable, but very much a background scent even if extremely pleasant.

 

Dry: Hmmm. Gone a LITTLE bit lemon sherbetty. Not that that's a BAD thing, but I think I expected more... I don't know... more OOMPH, maybe. This is Dorian Gray after all.

 

2 Hours Later: OH! THERE it is. He's a sneaky boy! NOW I get the musk, and the vanilla - and it's utterly GORGEOUS. The scent itself seems stronger, too. The lemon's still there, but very faintly, I can smell it on me without having to attach my wrist to my nose, but it's not invasive. It's cuddly and gorgeous and wonderful and it makes me want to go and watch League of Extraordinary Gentlemen because THAT Dorian does things for me as well.

 

I like this. I like this a LOT. If this is the sign of things to come then I'll be colouring myself addicted before very much longer at all.

Edited August 25, 2007 by Tulliver

[Phantasmagoria]

Dorian makes #3 so far on my list of favorites, after Wanda and Snake Oil.

He's a nice milky vanilla, and faintly tainted.

Very much like Snake Oil, only no herb-y aroma. I would like Dorian better than Snake Oil if only he was more potent, had more throw, and if he would just stick around longer

[zeebrat]

Imp: Sweet tea

 

Wet: Lemony tea

 

Dry down: Still lemony tea and gaining in sweetness and started making me see stars.. My head is starting to pound

 

1hr later: OMG this is GOING TO THE SWAP SECTION.. My head is pounding and i'm actually feeling nauseous! It smells absolutely sickeningly sweet and dare I say.. revolting..

 

Sorry for the horrid review but I am seeing stars so badly with this one.. It's so strong and scent is just not very nice.. I don't get sexy, I get lots of crazy honeyed lemon with a background of something really yuck (i'm assuming the fougere)

 

 

*gone to scrub it off*

 

[steelxrose]

Dorian was one of my "shits and giggles" purchases - mainly purchased because my beloved's name is Dorian.

 

In the bottle: Very sugary, slightly floral. I think it smells different from the imp to the 5mL. The imp smelled more floral to me.

 

On my skin: The musks really come out over the tea and foody scents, which I'm extremely glad for. I'd hate to have to give up this one.

 

Dorian is definitely one of my Top 5. Love at first sniff.

[filigree_shadow]

I waited far too long to write this review. I should have written it last February or March. But now, after I've gone through nearly an entire 5ml of Dorian (the only 5ml I've come close to using up), when I sniff it to write a review, all I smell is... Dorian.

 

It smells like extremely creamy, sugary tea. The tea is not strong at all. It's heavy on the sugar, with a gorgeous creamy undertone and a hint of a cirtusy overtone. It's delectable. Delicious. Dreamy. It's also my default scent. Like, if I'm trying to pick something to wear for the day and I can't decide, this is the one I choose. I'm always in the mood for it. It's perfect for work, for school, for bedtime, everything. I travel with it, I keep some in my purse... I never want to be without this perfume. To say that I love it would be something of an understatement.

 

This is the one that made my very proper, extremely gentlemanly former boss stop in his tracks. He's the type of guy who would never ask a woman something as personal as what perfume she was wearing because it might possibly be interpreted as inappropriate, but he looked like he couldn't help himself. There was a lot of stuttering and blushing involved, and he had a halfway unfocused, incredulous look on his face. It was one of the cutest things I've ever seen.

 

And I adore the fact that Beth made this beautiful scent for her beloved. What a magnificent gift.

[Cheri]

I tried Dorian for the first time yesterday. I got a bottle of it un-sniffed and it is positviely love at first sniff. It's like the best parts of Antique Lace and Embalming Fluid, but even better. After drydown all I smell is a soft musk that is so gorgeous. This is going to be a wear anywhere scent for sure! Triple love and already in the top five!

[sfo4]

Initial impression: Fresh hot tea, a hint of sugar and lemon. Smells more masculine than what I usually wear. But that wouldn't bother me.

Wet: Hot tea with a bit of vanilla and lemon. Still not feminine, per se.

Drying: Getting sweeter as time goes on. Delicious yummy tea- but not too sweet! Mostly just hot musky tea. A delicious spike of pure lemon in the background. Again, this is totally refreshing! But still delicious! Delicious and refreshing- by god, it's possible. My only problem is that this isn't nearly as sweet as others describe- it's mostly just lemon and musk. Must be because I ordered it fresh from the lab. Maybe it'll improve with age. Still, I do like it and it's great.

 

P.S. Looking through this thread it seems that at least a few people who ordered fresh bottles of Dorian from the lab were surprised by its lack of vanilla sugary sweetness hailed by other reviewers, and its rather masculine smell. I myself got a bit of this on first application. Might I suggest layering O on top? Just a teensy bit sweetens Dorian right up and it becomes a sweet lovely honey tea. *licks lips*

Edited September 10, 2007 by lianri

[Analise]

Just saying: I didn't get any lemon out of this, thank God.

 

That said:

 

In the bottle: it's tea. Lovely tea. I couldn't wait to try it.

 

On the skin: Warm, sweet (but not too much so), still tea-y and makes me very happy. Also gave me a craving for tea so I had to swing by McD's on my way to work and get some of theirs.

 

Several hours later: Not getting as many wafts of it as I did earlier, but it's still there and fabulous. As this is only an imp, I think I'm going to have to look into getting a bottle of it. Hee. I should've tried Dorian sooner.

[Christine Daae]

In the imp, this is a sugary, lemony vanilla. :cries: I so want to love this, but I'm sure the lemon will ruin it for me.

 

On my skin...the lemon disappears. Hooray! It smells a bit musky and a bit sweet, and altogether lovely.

 

This is just stunningly pretty. A bit of tea, a bit of vanilla, a ton of sugar and musk, and it's sweet and...is that a hint of lemon creeping back out? I think it is. And yet, it plays nicely on my skin (shock, horror!) and it's just a bit of brightness lightening this blend a bit. It's sweet and sugary and oh-so-pretty, and I want more!!

[TereFaerie]

It's easy to see (smell?) why so many people like this scent!

I get a very herby tea and hint of lemon smell from Dorian. After a minute, it gets a little sweeter, but cloyingly so. Not much else I can say to describe this scent that hasn't already been said, but it is a winner!

[Honeygirl]

Dorian is my favorite BPAL ever.

 

First sniff in bottle: Zesty herbal lemon.

 

Wet: An airy note comes out, that I suppose is tea, as others have said. I don't really know what tea smells like. I do know that it goes very well with the herbal lemon I smelled in the bottle.

 

Dry: I see the color gold. To me, Dorian is a comforting blanket that I wrap myself in, after a difficult day. It's so comforting and yummy. On the drydown, the scents mute a bit, but not too much.

5 out of 5, will be the first big bottle I buy.

[smilezlie]

Dorian was my first sniff of bpal and the first scent i ever tried. So far (out of the 6 scents ive tried) it holds the number 1 spot.

 

imp: lemon tea with the faintest touch of vanilla

 

wet: lemon starts to fade but is still the most wonderful sweet tea smell.

 

dry down: it gets this warmth to it. just like a warm cup of tea, with sweet lemon, like lemon icing as opposed to lemon zest. I can really smell the vanilla! Basically it smells like you would think an english teahouse would smell.

 

5-6hrs later: scent has faded a bit but is far from gone. I swear this stuff sticks to me until i scrub it off. It does turn a bit powdery on me after about 20mins but i think all musk scents do. At least with dorian i smell powdery+dorian as opposed to just powdery like my other bpal scents.

 

This is a winner for sure! I need to order a bottle of it asap.

[n3m3sis42]

In the imp:

Aftershave and cookies.

 

Wet:

Yum, musk and vanilla and tea! I need this.

 

Dry:

This one doesn't have a huge amount of throw on me, but it's sweet and yummy and wow. And I think I am going to need to get my husband to try it on, too.

 

WINNER!

[BohemianWeasel]

I reeeeeeeeally wanted this scent to be a love affair: I'm English, I drink more tea than water, adore Oscar Wilde and all pale musks...

 

But on me this smelled of lemon meringue pie. Really good, expensive lemon meringue pie; but I wanted to smell like a Victorian wit, not his dessert trolley.

To add to the tantalising-ness of the experience, after about 12 hours the most heavenly musks then peeked out very faintly, and waved at me before disappearing.

 

On the right person this would just be utter yumminess; but sadly I'm cursed to amplify lemons as though I were campaigning for their re-election.

Phoo.

[Elizabethm]

I like Dorian lots! I even ordered a .5 after I got to sample an imp.

 

It's different from my usual likes (which are mostly creamy florals). Dorian starts out spicy to my nose.. I can smell the rich tea and the lemon but it's swirled with exotic spices that tickle my nose.

 

Lasting power has been pretty decent at about 3 hours or so (and for me with these oils that's pretty long).

 

My good natured boyfriend let me put some on him last night and I think I like it more on him then me. Very sexy!

 

Smooth and Spicy is the best way I can think of to describe it.

 

Winner!