Theodosius, The Legerdemain

[eternalargus]

Earl Grey tea leaves, a white fougere, jasmine leaf, pearlescent white musk, and vanilla bean.

Put simple: Dorian and The Mad Hatter get together for tea.


I love it!

[Browneyes]

This is in the same family as Dorian, but it doesn't actually remind me that much of Dorian.

Imp: Very citrus. And there is no citrus in the note description oh well

Wet: Mmm a smooth gentleman's blend. I don't detect much jasmine, but definately some fougere, tea and white musk. The jasmine is maybe combining with the vanilla to sweeten it all up?

Dry: This is definately smooth, sweet, and elegant... Exuding a sense of luxury. The tea becomes bolder once dry. Without actually smelling that much of Dorian, this could be Dorian's older brother or something. Distinct but sharing the same sexiness. Ultimately, I like this, but I think it might be a bit too much like a gentlemen's perfume for me to wear it often. Even though I like masculine perfumes, this one is kind of different. It's not that it roars "MAN", it's just a bit too "Prince Andrei" or something. I have to enable a guy friend of mine, so this might do

[everanything]

In the imp: cologne. Just an unidentifiable, spicyish musk. I'm guessing it's the jasmine and the vanilla I smell the most.

 

Wet-EWWWW what is that scent? Where is the lime note coming from? The vanilla floral that was almost nice is gone. The throw on this is driving me nuts. Just citrus wafting right up to my sinuses.

 

After it dries, all I get now is this leafy citrus that burns my nose.

 

After two hours, it really died down to a weird powdery scent, like powdered tea mix. I have no idea what a fougere is, but I'm blaming it for the weird dry citrus note.

[Carmencita]

In the bottle: Lemony men's cologne with smoky orange vanilla coming through

 

On my skin: Orange sugar cologne, with the orange popping out like a candy.

 

Later: Still very masculine and getting more lemony

 

I like the smell, but I don't want to smell like it.

[arsenic]

In bottle: Smells of soft musk, with a slice of lemon.

 

Wet: Less of the musk, more of tea. Something smoky starts to emerge and still a hint of citrus. Reminiscent of Dorian, but definitely a less floral fellow.

 

Dry: After a few hours on, it becomes a smoky musk. Slightly vanilla, slightly masculine, very sexual.

 

It makes me feel languid, of all things, and I love that. I'm reserving this scent for nights out in dark and cozy places.

[funkmoppet]

*moan*

 

 

*drags self across the floor to hump the decant*

 

This...this is like Dorian...but BETTER. Dorian isn't sexy like Theodosius is. Theodosius is sexed up lemon tea, with subdued vanilla and oh-so warm come-hither musk.

 

The dry down is SOOOOO GOOOOOD - he gets muskier. I want to bury myself in his chest and graze on his chest-hair.

 

Oh-ho-ho I am getting a bottle of this with my next order - then shall begin the hoarding.

 

I don't need Dorian now. Yes, I'm that fickle.

[alicia_stardust]

Theodosius is a sexy, rich men's scent that I just love. I am buying a full bottle for my husband, stat! There is a gentleman's air to this, with a beautiful white musk. I love the way the musk plays off of the vanilla and the tea leaves. It gives it the right amount of calm, the right amount of sweet. This is both sexy and gentle.

[Styx]

Theodosius, The Legerdemain (pale orange oil)

 

Decant: Sweet, lemon-fresh Citrus.

 

Skin: While wet, the citrus is strong. But once it dries, it goes milder and out comes the vanilla. I really like the vanilla in this, its warm, gentle and the sweetness is just right, not cloying, and just plain yummy! I keep sniffing my arm during this vanilla stage, and I'm tempted to lick it off. After a while, the scent stabilizes and I smell the musk and something manly- I'm guessing its the jasmine leaf and fougre noted. However Theodosius isn't a "Look at me, I'm flexing my muscles" kind of obnoxious male scent. Half gentleman, half naughty, smells like a good-looking, witty guy that makes you laugh easily. In other words, GAH!

Did I mention this is sexy? Excuse me while I hump my decant too.

 

I haven't tried Dorian yet, so I can't compare them, but if Dorian is anything like Theodosius I am definitely getting an imp real soon. Now I wish I was a man so I could wear this myself. And No, I don't even want to give the decant to my man even if he can wear it appropriately. Its that good.

Edited August 20, 2007 by Styx

[CrazyPretzel]

This is a review of how Theodosius smells on my boyfriend...

 

First, there's a strong lime note, which lasts throughout the wearlength. No idea where it's coming from! I got a whiff of earl grey tea within the first few minutes as well. Unfortunately it seems that he's amping musk to an unreasonable degree () and all I can smell on him is musk and lime. Peculiar.

 

I'll try this one on myself and add some notes on how I fare with it.

 

ETA: OK, on me, it's initially weak tea with a thin slice of lemon on top. Musk -- very light, close-to-the-skin -- and fougere (gentleman's cologne) come wafting up shortly after. This really doesn't have much throw and I need to put my nose right close to my wrist to smell it -- on my boyfriend it's vanished already.

 

I like the combination of delicate musk and light lemon, but this smells like it might disappear soon without doing anything more. I probably don't need a bottle of this.

Edited August 24, 2007 by Baitu

[Torrain]

In the bottle, it smells almost like alcohol--it took me a second to break that down into lemon and musk. Also, it's the colour of slightly brewed white pomengranate tea, which is quite pretty.

 

On my skin, it turns into something sharp, smelling almost like Embalming Fluid. I have no idea exactly what goes into a fougere (I think oakmoss?), but I'm guessing this is it--oakmoss, or maybe the jasmine leaf?

 

At 25 minutes, the sharpness faded, and what I've got is the musk with a hint of vanilla. The tea isn't really coming out... maybe a hint of it somewhere in the back at most.

 

At 3 hours: musk and a hint of tea.

 

Also? From about half an hour on, this is the second sexiest scent I have *ever* found in BPAL--only Old Morocco{1} beats it, and they work in entirely different ways. Morocco's sultry and warm. Theodosius is more... arch. But oh god, he's gorgeous in all the bad ways.

---

{1} Not Morocco, though I understand the formulation's the same. I have a very old imp.

[Rouge]

First off, what lovely artwork on the pitch card and the label! I'm slowly building up a Carnaval Diabolique-themed collage, and Theodosius is taking pride of place there in all his saturnine glory.

 

In the bottle - Very highly reminiscent of Dorian, which isn't surprising given the dedication of both scents to our beloved Puddin'! Theodosius has less of the youthful lemon/bergamot note of the GC scent, however, and more of the glimmering white musk.

 

Wet on the skin - Elegant beyond words, and more than a little androgynous. The vanilla is warm and sensual, but it's kept from being an edible scent by the dryness of the tea note.

 

Dry down - Is it strange to describe a scent as being almost luminous? I get a feeling of shimmering pale greys and whites from the later notes of this perfume; it's the olfactory equivlent of silver watered silk or a black pearl necklace. The musks are soft and smooth, never animalistic, while the tea note and the fougere combine to create an almost ghostly overlay of notes.

 

Theodosius is a soft and urbane scent, and although it fades quickly and has very little throw, it's certainly going to become a favourite.

[n3m3sis42]

In the bottle:

Men's aftershave (sorry!).

 

Wet:

Oh mannnn, if this doesn't go wonky on the drydown, I am sensing it will be a new favorite. Yummy musks with an undertone that I'm perceiving as "lemony" (which I'm assuming is the Earl Grey - one of my most favoritest teas EVAR).

 

Dry:

Hmmm, this is one of the ones that I can't get an accurate bead on by wrist-testing, because my wrist is drinking it. I think I'm going to love it because it smells like musky, tea-y yumminess, but I'm going to have to slather it on and wear it for a day to be sure. I'll try to remember to let you all know how it turns out!

Edited September 20, 2007 by n3m3sis42

[cranberry]

What a fantastic tea – lemon – musk scent. It’s slightly sweet. The tea is subdued so it’s mainly lemon, white musk, and a sweetness. On the skin, it’s almost identical to Dorian, perhaps with not quite as much vanilla, touch of bergamot and a bit more lemon. I loved the original, and I adore this one too.

[ralenth]

Citrusy, followed by a vanilla-y musk. Theodosius is an olfactory delight. I would think dear Theo is a unisex scent, but he is just a touch on the masculine side. Nevertheless, I adore him.

[303marlena]

Yet another so-called masculine scent that I think works well on me and I have already gotten a compliment on wearing.

This starts off as Earl Gray tea, the bergamot smells almost lemony but never soapy. I detect a smoky tea note as well. On the dry down it smells like smokey vanilla musky goodness. Throw is pretty good, wearlength is medium.

 

I am really enjoying this, sometimes I reapply to get the citrus and astringent notes that evaporate quickly. I like this even better than Dorian, and thats saying a lot!

 

I bought a bottle immedicately after smelling my decant

[dirtytrip]

Dagnabbit, Theodosius, faithless coward, why can't it be? Why can't we stay together longer than 30 minutes? You always have to pull this disappearing act every time we visit, leaving me sitting in your slightly smoky, vanilla-laced wake. Me all alone with my weak mug of bergamot. And no lemon. Sheesh.

[Trish]

This is nearly all tea on me - Earl Grey tea to be precise with it's distinctive citrus note. There's also a little vanilla and musk, but the tea is very much the most dominant note. Luckily I rather like tea a lot! However I would like more of the vanilla and musk also, but I'm hoping a touch of aging will help.

 

It is rather like Dorian, but less creamy, less lemony and more masculine. It's also stronger, although it only has average throw on me. I do like it a lot, but at this stage I prefer Dorian still.

[mspixieears]

I firstly detect something quite citrusy in this blend and none of the notes that it purports to have! Perhaps I need to wait for it to dry down to detect the other notes. At the moment it reminds me of unsweetened homemade lemonade with a touch of something extra. As it starts to dry I can detect the fougere but am hoping for more of the white musk and jasmine. I’m a bit surprised I’m not loving this as much as other people seem to love it. I think it deserves another chance so will be retested. Much later, its true beauty seems more apparent but will definitely retest.

[PinkoCommie]

People have compared this to Dorian and I can see that - with one gigantic (to me) difference: I can WEAR Theo!

 

I tried Dorian because so many people rave about it, but on me, it was cloyingly, sickeningly sweet. It literally nauseated me. I wore it once and that was all. But Theo... ah, my Theo!

 

Slightly less sweet than Dorian, which is, in this case, a blessing. Initially, it's even a little harsh and masculine. But five minutes later it settles into the most gorgeous, vanilla tea with SOMETHING else. I have no idea what it is, but it's gorgeous and I love it and I need a hojillion bottles. I believe it's a unisex scent, although on me, it's sexy and decidedly femme. <3

[taramarie]

On me, Theodosius is tea, vanilla, and white musk. It's very nice, I only wish it were stronger.

[twilighteyes]

In the bottle:

bergamot tea.

 

Wet on skin:

Still top note of bergamot. A little sweet.

 

Dry on skin:

Obtaining depth. Musky bergamot with a hint of jasmine. Sweetened by vanilla.

[UploadedLobster]

*blink*

 

*blinkblink*

 

WTF?

 

From smelling Theodosius on my skin I'd figure there was bitter orange peel and pine tar and lavender. Vanilla? Fougere? Tea?

 

I love me some Theo, but apparently somehow I'm wearing his evil twin. I love the sharp elegance of the scent, regardless of what actually turns out to be in it. It's fairly masculine. Quite dark and fresh at the same time, which is a great combination. I'll be wearing this when I want to feel sophisticated and intimidating.

 

 

Lobster Rating

better than: crudites

[YoakeNoKami]

In the bottle: Tea and something citrus... Bergamot, perhaps? I had the opportunity to meet a freshly cut bergamot at a tea shop, and there's something in it which makes me think of that, peel and all.

 

On/wet: o.0 Hello, my citrus friend. Look, you've brought your friends, Earl Grey and vanilla, though vanilla seems to be a bit more shy.

 

Drydown: Well, as it dries the citrus seems to mellow out a bit, and the Earl Grey becomes very, very deep. There might be just the teensiest waft of something floral (jasmine?) mixed in with a sort of dry vanilla in the background, but mostly it's evilly bright, somehow. It does remind me a bit of some aged Dorian I've tried, only without that sugary note throughout--and I am waaay thankful that the white musk doesn't pop up at all for me in this one, as any readily detectable amount of the stuff sends me into sneezing fits.

[strangemodegirl]

I was looking for the perfect earl grey tea scent, and yes, this is it.

But, after wearing it I realized that as much as I love eral grey and love to sniff it in my cup, I don't like smelling like it.

But, if you want to smell like earl grey, buy this one, it really is a nice blend, just not for me.

[scarletgenesis]

Interesting. Theodosius is a steampunk Dorian. It's Dorian and Mechanical Phoenix blended to me.

 

I get the tea, the fougere, and the white musk. There is a tiny hint of vanilla, but it's way in the background. Over all that is a sort of citrus-metallic scent that really reminds me of Mechanical Phoenix.

 

I like this. I also think it would be fantastic on a guy. Definitely going on my 'possible bottle' list. I'm not going to buy alot of CD bottles until I've tried most of the blends I want from that category, but this will surely be under deliberation.