Queen of Sheba

[twilighteyes]

... Her scent is a bounty of golden honeyed almonds and a whisper of African and Middle Eastern spices.

I was really pretty excited about this one. Honey! Spices! Nuts! teh win!

In the imp, pure almond. The kind that smells like cherries.

On my skin, still lots and lots of cherry almonds. A little honey. Not much spice.

Which is weird because I touched my lip to my wrist by accident and now my lip is burning.

[iiinterstate]

I don't want to say it, but this is the first blend I have absolutely hated.

 

I must amp honey or almond or SOMETHING, because this was just overpoweringly sweet on me. I put a tiny dab on and my whole apartment was all honey/miscellaneous sweetness and I couldn't wait to get it off. I'm disappointed... this sounded like a combination I might like.

[taramarie]

I love the way Queen of Sheba smells. Honey, almonds, and spice, so good. Unfortunately, it burned, so someone else can enjoy it.

[CordeliaSeduced]

This was the first 'odd duck' scent I've really tried...

 

In the imp, all I could smell was candied almonds--very similar to the honey almonds I used to buy off street vendors when I wasn't so averted to junk food. I'd give my right arm to smell like that. This was also the first oil I tried that wasn't clear or yellowish in tone--this has an interesting pink tint to it, which gave me the impression that there was some spice I wasn't getting on the initial sniff. That's what came out when I put this on.

It was very light, but my skin seemed to suck in all the honey-almond and leave a strange combination of foody spices that remind me of a dessert I order at a local Indian restaurant. It's not bad, but it's not something I'm used to catching whiffs of on myself. It lasted about an hour and then completely faded.

 

I actually really like this scent, but I think it might not agree with my skin...? I'd love to try it in a locket, however.

Also, it didn't 'react' with my skin, but the crooks of my arms itched a little bit after applying. But no reaction with my neck, wrists, or cleavage (where I normally apply perfume)...

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Sweet and nutty - almonds.

 

Wet: Honey and almonds. Yummy, and very strong. It's like almond extract.

 

Dry: Something floral has emerged; it's really light and delicate. The almond has calmed down immensely; it's nuttier and less benzaldehyde-y now. There's a sort of buttery-spicy smell, I'm thinking cardamom? It's quite nice. A very warm scent.

 

Summary: In the final drydown this is predominately a light jasmine-y floral on me, with hints of honey, almonds, and cardamom. A strange evolution, but enjoyable.

 

It's not a keeper, but I was pleasantly surprised.

[mudspinr]

I thought I would love this scent based on the notes--honey, almond, and spice, what's not to love, right?

 

In imp: light and sweet, but not really identifiable.

 

Wet on skin: Yow! Marzipan almonds! Almond extract and cherry. It smells exactly like a shampoo I used to use. Not what I was expecting. Luckily this phase fades fairly quickly.

 

Drydown: a much drier scent. The cherry has left the building, unfortunately taking the honey with it. I'm left with an odd, dry kind of embalmed almonds scent. It isn't---bad---particularly, but it also isn't what I want to smell like. There is also a sort of lingering soapyness in the background.

 

Dry on skin: I seem to have struck out with this scent. No honey, no really identifiable spice, and (maybe luckily) very little throw. All I am getting is dessicated almonds and a little soapiness.

 

Later: The faint soapiness hangs around for a fair amount of time, but the rest of the scent faded quickly on me. Also, it seems to have given me a slight headache. Imp off to the swap box, too bad.

[DARKBEAUTY28]

Okay WEIRDNESS. I have an imp of this and a 5 ml and they smell somewhat different from each other. My imp is more like an overly peppery peppercorn scent and I didn't care for it. The bottle's scent has a sweeter spicy scent more similar to a peppery Dana O'Shee. I prefer the bottle scent but find it strange that the imp is different. Hmmm, now I wonder if other imps I own smell different than the full sizes! Oh well, this scent is decent but isn't the best BPAL I've tried. I'll have to think about whether or not I want to keep the imp and the bottle. I think it might be the peppercorn and saffron that are making me not like it.

[starwild]

I like to eat Honey Bunches of Oats for breakfast. I do not like to SMELL like it. XP

 

That's exactly what this smells like on me, and it's very, VERY strong. Almond, honey, grain...don't get any of the spices, which is a pity. I am henceforth warned off all BPAL almond notes. Way too foody for me. Might use it as a room scent in my oil burner, though.

[coldandsleepy]

Once, I almost ordered an imp of Queen of Sheba from the Lab. But I read a bunch of reviews that said it was more honey than anything else, and I don't really do honey, so I turned my back on it and thought nothing more of it.

 

Then someone offered me it in a swap, and I looked at the notes list again and said mmm, almonds and spices, and went ahead and accepted the offer.

 

And then I just kept randomly reading posts about how much a bunch of people seem to hate QoS! Yikes! I started to be very worried.

 

But you know what? I shouldn't have worried. Turns out I'm one of the lucky few that Queen of Sheba smells good on!

 

In the imp and on me wet, it's like oh hi, i hope you like sweet almond oil and would you like a whopping side of honey. But this phase lasts literally like 60 seconds on me. Then most of the bigness burns right off and I'm left with a beautiful gentle almond and spice scent that lingers for hours and hours and hours. It's one of those scents that I forget that I'm wearing until I get a whiff of it suddenly, at which point I'm like What could possibly smell so good? Oh! That's me!

 

So yeah, Queen of Sheba smells really awesome on me. I'll be hanging onto my imp of it for sure, and maybe someday when the magic BPAL fairy grants all of my wishes, I'll get a bottle of it.

Edited April 23, 2008 by coldandsleepy

[Aldercy]

I thought surely I'd like Queen of Sheba (I adore almond) and on receiving it I found its pale pink color so benign and inviting... but on sniffing the imp, I actually recoiled and cried out in horrified disappointment. It is weird and bitter as all hell, with a slight hint of almond extract. It smells... burnt. Yes, there's definitely a "burnt food" thing going on here.

 

It was tough for me to put this one on, but I did and it settled down a little on my skin. There's still a bitter quality to it, and it smells nothing like what I hoped, but it's not gagging me anymore. There's actually a little hint of rose now, and I'm not sure where that's coming from. It's decidedly different from in the imp, but this is hardly a love potion on me, and gives me a little headache.

 

From the other reviews, this seems to be a hit or miss scent. Alas.

[faded_stranger]

I got this courtesy of the lovely Aldercy, and my experience with it couldn't have been more different. When I first put it on, I got harsh cherry/almond, like that awful Jergen's skin lotion. I thought for sure that I was going to end up washing this one off, but I left it on. About five minutes later, the almonds had really faded, and this fell to a beautiful spice blend with just a hint of honey. Sometimes I lifted my wrist to my nose and didn't smell anything, other times this just wafted up out of nowhere. It's absolutely beautiful, and the first true skin-scent I've ever found.

 

Queen of Sheba =

[Lamia]

I LOVE this scent - honeyed marzipan? Where do I sign up!

 

I can't stop sniffing myself when I wear this.

[suki]

in the imp: heavy almond, backed with a lovely array of exotic spices.

 

wet on skin: the almond settles down and warms up- it reminds me of Tell Tale Heart without the chocolate undernote.

 

dry down: wow. this has TOTALLY morphed. being part arabic and having my best friend me arabic a well, it reminds me most of being in the kitchen when one of us is cooking some wonderful food thing to share.

 

in all: total keeper!

 

 

 

[stillalive]

It smelled decisively nutty in the bottle, then like... wtf, doritos??? but the almondy smell came back, so I put it on.

 

Wet, it still smelled very nutty but a lot sweeter. It reminds me of the toasted almond syrup we put in coffee at Dunkin' Donuts, minus the coffee.

 

Drying, I start to smell a little bit of incense. Still very almondy.

 

Dry: still awesomely almondy but fading quickly. Yum.

[Raqassah]

Wet: Toasted hazelnuts and almonds. Honey. Spices.Dry down: Toasted nuts and perfume.Final impressions: Try again. The toasty notes dominate when wet. Still uncertain if this works on my skin.Wet: Toasted hazelnuts and almonds. Honey. Spices.Dry down: Toasted nuts and perfume.Final impressions: Try again. The toasty notes dominate when wet. Still uncertain if this works on my skin.

[grashopper8]

The first time I tried this scent, I got as far as opening up the imp and couldn't put it on my skin. It was cloying almond-hell, and I hated it.

 

This time around, I figured I should give it a go on my skin, just to be fair.

 

I think I was being too nice. This scent just hates me as much as I hate almond. Not my bag.

 

1 out of 5

[Iceblink]

That description of "a whisper of spices" is so perfect; Queen of Sheba is very strong almond but those spices are there to keep her from being too sweet and sticky. When wet this is great on me but the drydown...I have problems with the almond note turning funky on me after a while with several blends and it smells like this one's headed the same way. Rats. But it was fun while it lasted!

[alicia_stardust]

This is very almondy. This is more of a nutty bark and almond rather than the sweet or bitter almond I am used to. It gives this blend a glowing and brown vibe to it and has just the barest hint of smooth spices behind it. I think it is too nutty for my tastes but anyone that likes exotic spices and blends should definitely check this out.

[filigree_shadow]

At first it smells like mostly almonds, but after about 10 minutes that changes to a predominantly honey scent. Just a little hint of almond, and the spices are heavier. I think this is the sort of scent that would smell very good on someone else, but due to my skin chemistry problem with honey, it’s not a winner for me. The honey in this seems to be better than usual, but it still smells a bit off to me.

[brsis]

Initial thoughts: Huh. This isn't a scent I would have picked for myself, based on the concept... I don't know that it's something I would have picked for myself on the notes either. Almonds fade very fast on me, so I'm actually looking at honeyed spices and that... sounds so good...

 

In the imp: Spicy toasted almonds. I can never smell anything but almond in an almond blend until it's on my skin.

 

On the wrist, wet: Ach, that's potent, bitter almonds. Not best pleased so far... but lets see what happens when the almonds go away in about fifteen minutes.

 

Twenty minutes later: This is a bit heavy and bitter for my liking - it just isn't sweet or what I consider 'spicy' (Which basically means nutmeg, clove, cinnamon and ginger to me) enough. Don't think I like it enough to keep.

 

Verdict: Swap

 

Tl;Dr: Bitter toasted almonds and woody spices.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Almonds, black musk, and dry spices.

 

Immediately on skin: This is a sweet almond scent, but it has a very musky dry feel and some darker spices as well. The two sides of it kind of balance out, and when I’m not trying to pick apart the scent it smells sweet and spiced. There does seem to be something a little powdery about this though in the far background.

 

After a little while: This has softened and smoothed out, but it’s unfortunately gotten a bit powdery as well. The almond peeks out, soft and sweet, and the spices give this a nice base. I think that the problem note in this for me is the honey. I recently tried O and that honey went powdery on me, and this powder note smells the same.

 

Overall Impressions: This started out balanced well but not very well blended, and dried to something blended, but with an unfortunate amount of honey powder. I was hoping the honey would stay out of this one but it came out enough to ruin the blend for me.

[Heeroluva]

In the bottle it's almonds and spices. Wet I get a lot of saffron. Dry the almond is back and there is a honey note there, and maybe even a small amount of floral in the background. I like it.

[diamondstars]

Amaretto!

 

[kjirstiben]

This one is interesting: I really enjoy the eventual scent, but I have to go through a peanut-butter stage to get to it. (And I really don't care to smell like peanut butter, all things considered!)

 

In the bottle, I get that almond/cherry candy smell, but it goes away quickly. Then for the first 5-10 minutes, I get heavy-duty peanut butter... maybe a peanut butter and honey sandwich... But after that, it's a sweet and slightly exotic scent, which fades away pretty quickly.

 

This a light and sweet but exotic scent... might need multiple applications daily!

[cam]

Wow. In the bottle, this smells exactly as described: honeyed almonds and spices. It's very complex. On, it's fabulous! Honeyed almonds, saffron, cadamom, maybe a touch of cumin and more that are too subtle to identify. Pure awesomeness.