Queen of Sheba

[starrykitten]

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

I agree with many reviews of this. In the imp and when it was very wet on me, there was a pink spiciness, like Snake Oil, but bubble-gummier. As it dried, it became very almond/milk/honey a la Dana O'Shee. If you lke a subtle kick to your honey scents, this is a good bet. Otherwise, I suggest sticking with Dana O' for sweetness and Snake OIl for vanilla-y spice.

ADDED May 17:

Like a lot of people have said, it goes on as a spicier version of Dana O'Shee. There are the almonds and the creamyness, but a kick of something else too that's a little sharper. The spice fades and settles in and it becomes much more subdued and gentle, similar to Bastet but maybe even quieter than that.

It's a nice almond scent and has some shapeshifting to it, but I think I prefer Dana O or Hecate for really yummy almondness.

[kimmer]

Right off, Queen of Sheba reminds me of Morocco, but with a little bit of almond. I set her aside for awhile and I'm glad I thought to try this scent on, rather than just sniffing the bottle.

 

This scent strikes me as being warmly spiced almonds. Not sweet--just barely foody; warm and rich. If I had to choose between Queen of Sheba and Morocco, I would choose Morocco simply because my body chemistry turns almond into marzipan (overly sweet marzipan) when I'm active.

 

Queen of Sheba will be a nice "at home" or comfort scent.

 

A 5ml is on order.

[Splendid Molerat]

I've been enjoying the 10 mL Queen of Sheba for a while now.

 

This scent is warm, elegant and inviting, and creates an envelope of home and comfort that hovers softly for hours. All the elements are there of butter, almonds, sugar and spice.

 

It's like remembering the day that you first met the person who was going to become your lifelong friend, both in how captivated you were by the other person, and in how you watched your own depths unfold.

 

While Queen of Sheba is lovely on me, we've discovered it's mouth-wateringly luscious on the husband. I was biting his shoulders at odd intervals throughout the day.

[etherealchild]

In The Bottle Honeyed almonds and saffron.

 

Wet Smells delicious. The almonds, honey, saffron, and spices are exquisite. I don't know what it is about saffron, but one drop on my skin, and it's like magic.... The scent is growing more complex, and more delicious.

 

Drydown It is warm and dreamy. The saffron has gotten musky, and ties down the sweetness with a smokey heat. It's sexy, in a pulsating animalistic way. I want to eat my damn arm.

 

Two Hours Later It's fading rather quickly now, but is still wonderful. I got a bath with Kneipp almond bath oil, and applied it when I got out, and god damn I smell good. Ha!

 

Verdict I love this one. If only it didn't fade out. I don't mind reapplying something that smells so good though.....

[alston78]

In the bottle: This smells sharp and spicy- pine and sandalwood is what comes to my mind, though I know that's not the case. I don't smell almonds or honey at all- perhaps a very faint sweetness in the background, but nothing else.

 

On my wrist: For the first 15 minutes or so, I get the same smell that I got in the imp, softened slightly. Then it changes into a gorgeous warm, sweet, honey-spicy smell that is at once intoxicating and steadying. I experience few changes after the first change, just a continued softening and fading, though Queen of Sheba lasts for at least 8 hours on me.

 

This is a wonderful scent. I had tried it once before and liked it, but I really appreciated it today. Today was a terrible, no-good, awful day, and my temper was calmed and mind restored every time I sniffed my wrist. I will definitely be keeping this around!

[Scylla]

The first few minutes this was on Queen of Sheba was VERY strong and didn't smell very good. I resisted washing it off, and it did get better. BUT, it reminded me of a middle eastern grocery store, as someone else had mentioned. I smelled mostly of honey and saffron. Must be my body chemistry because so many others really love it!

[VorpalBunny]

I was a little afraid of the spice, thinking it would be an intense Middle Eastern fragrance. When I tried it, it smells like honey and almonds (like a sweeter, honeyed Dana O'Shee), with a nice subtle spiciness to it. This is no Marrakesh spice market, but rather just a hint of spice, just enough to give it a light kick. It is a pleasant sweet scent, with a touch of foodiness (but not screaming it), and no sharpness or bitterness or sourness to it. I could see giving this one to a relative who likes subtler scents, I might give it to my mom if I hadn't just given her a huge pile of imps to try.

[leapylees]

In the bottle, I smell something very sharp and green (cue moment of confusion - I didn't order a green scent) but boyfriend smells marzipan. Only once I reread the description am I able to smell the almonds. On, the greenness stays for a few minutes while it dries. Once dry, this changes into a lovely rounded, warm, sweet almondy scent. It's a comforting smell. Unfortunately I do't think this is giong to last very long on my skin. I only applied it an hour or so ago and I can barely detect it any more. I'll probably update later, but at the moment my verdict is 'great while it lasts.'

 

Added: Several hours later and it hasn't really faded any more but it has changed to a faint generic perfumeness. It's still nice, just not anything special now. Overall I like this, I just wish it was stronger in the initial dry phase when it smells so warm and yummy.

 

edited 20th January to say that I must remember not to apply this before I go to bed as I've done so on two separate occasions and both times woken up having had vivid nightmares.

Edited January 20, 2005 by leapylees

[surf-tormented]

This is a femme Djinn!

 

Smoky darkness gives in to a strong spice...what you would get if you mixed Morocco and Djinn. I detect no almonds or honey in this at all. Just darkness, smoke, spice and commanding grace.

 

Still going strong after 3+ hours.

 

I would recommend this to anyone who wants something like Djinn, but doesn't want to smell like they are on fire. The spices really take the edge off the smoke.

Edited January 23, 2005 by Madame Nyx

[stardreamer]

Got this one from SoapyRN in a swap for Cordelia.

 

In the bottle and fresh on, this is PEPPER. White pepper, I think, although there's some black in there as well. After a half hour or so, some sweet starts peeking out; after another hour, I'm finally getting some of those Middle Eastern spices, and the pepper is only strong when I sniff my wrist. It's a relatively light fragrance, without the staying power of the heavier scents; 12 hours and it's effectively gone. R. found it "inoffensive but not at all attractive" when fresh; oddly, as it aged he said it became more of a "sneezer". I never caught any honey or almond at all.

 

I'm disappointed, because I really wanted to like this one. But the strong peppery opening and the lack of the spicy richness I was looking for are discouraging. It might be worth keeping and using up the imp, but certainly not getting more.

 

EDIT, several months later. On further use, the peppery opening becomes significanly less noticeable, and it turns into more of a "milk and honey" scent; I can see why some people found a resemblance to Dana O'Shee. I still don't get much in the way of almond, but that's a good thing -- almond tends to become overwhelming on me. It doesn't have much throw, but that's also useful when I don't want to be Perfume Woman! This scent has upgraded itself to "definite keeper".

Edited May 31, 2005 by stardreamer

[Lucretia]

I'm sort of undecided on this one.

Ordered an imp based on the almond note, and I was very happy for the first hour as I smelled of marzipan. But the spices.hmmm... it smells like some sort of a grass or peppery herb. I like it, but it's sort of a complex smell. Oddly, I found myself smelling like an almond spice cake (really!) for the next 8 hours. I like the almond, I like how it lasted all day, but really, I may prefer bastet just because I can identify the scent better, plus the spicy sort of makes my nose tingle.

All around very pretty though! Will finish the imp for sure.

[dreamingjune]

I hesitated trying this one everytime I sniffed it in the bottle. It smelled to me like some unpleasant green almond concoction. Finally one night I got up the courage and dabbed the tiniest bit onto my wrist. After about 10 minutes I think I started just about salivating.

 

This is an uber sexy almond spice. It's not too almondy, not too sweet. Just perfect. I've never had this reaction before to almond, but this one has totally become my sex blend. I'm almost afraid of what might happen if I wear this one to work .

 

I definitely need a ton of this.

[shelldoo]

in the vial: almonds

 

on: ok the hit ya in the face almonds have faded and become a strng honey almonds, more honey then almonds, very very faintly spicy, gorgeous, it *does* remind me of a richer deeper danaoshee but i love them both. definitely a keeper for me

[anshara]

In the bottle: Saffron, Almonds, and, orange blossom. The scent of royal surrender.

 

On me swiped on hand: Saffron, and, orange blossom with a trace of sweetened almonds a beautiful scent

 

drydown three to five minutes honeyed almonds and incense... Orange blossom coming on really strong, mild, sweet throw in this blend Saffron calming down a little. I really love this. New signature scent here. If she was as beautiful as the scent named for her, then, she was a very lucky woman.

[sarahjay]

this is very strongly almonds at first, in a harsh way on me. in fact I thought I smelt of pistachio ice cream and so did my daughter (this wasn't good!)

 

the almond did mellow after a while and the spices came out very nicely, but on the whole I prefer (old) morocco - which is just lovely on me.

 

I've given this to a friend and I hope she enjoys it - she likes honey so I'm hopeful.

[Finny]

In the imp this is spicy, sweet and I smell my arch nemesis... vanilla.

 

On it is so nice, for almost 1/2 an hour, then the vanilla (or it may be honey in this one) goes crazy and takes over.

Bad vanilla (or honey).

 

I am going to try this out again, when it has aged a bit, because I love it at first. All spicy and rich, making me think of warm desert caravans.

[ivyandpeony]

This little imp had been patiently waiting for me to try it for... I don't know how long. And I don't know what finally led me to grab Queen of Sheba and think, Hmm, let's give it a go! But... I am smitten, head-over-heels. The Queen and I have no unpleasant moments together. From the start, when I am immersed in a cloud of sweetness and spice which mellows to honeyed, spicy almonds over the course of many hours, I am completely blissful. Comparisons to O, Dana O'Shee and Snake Oil are accurate, but Queen of Sheba's spices are unique and when I am craving this blend, nothing else will do. The Queen also gives Snake Oil a run for the money as far as staying power - those two are among the few that I can still sniff on my wrists "the morning after."

[Falathwen]

When I first applied this it was quite bitter. The almond was apparent along with a green scent that was almost minty. I have a hard time picking out individual spice scents. The honey note came forward as it dried down, smoothing out the bitterness. This blend was quite complex but not heavy. As someone mentioned, it reminded me of a spice store…the notes do not sit easily together, but the combination is strangely pleasant. I like how this blend was felt both fresh and warm at the same time. The last stage remained consistent and lasted for hours and hours.

[luxuria]

There is something distinctly unpleasant about this blend wet. I suppose bitter would be the word, or acrid- for a moment, I was almost horrified that I'd bought a 5ml of this unsniffed.

 

However, as it fades, I definitely pick up something similar to Dana O'Shee (almonds + the wet smell of my single note Vanilla Bean) but with a creamy, slightly waxy honey and just barely sprinkled with spice. The spices are vaguely reminiscent of the spices in Snake Oil- I swear I get the same distant whiff from the two every so often. This smells a lot fresher than I expected it to, rather than lush, but it's still very warm and nice. A good summer scent but of the more exotic variety.

 

A shorter description of this would be: Dana O'Shee has a lovechild with Snake Oil who is drizzled with honey on a breezy, fresh summer's day.

 

I am glad I have this one but I think i'll be saving it for warmer weather. It just definitely does not seem appropriate for cold weather of any kind, despite being a warm scent overall.

[warmfuzzies]

i found the queen to be much like aqua-net, and even alot like POTL, which i adore, but also think it smells like aqua-net! also, i couldn't even smell it after 1-2 hours. why me???

Edited February 15, 2005 by warmfuzzies

[fragrantgrasse]

I received Q of Sheba as a freebie months ago - and while I try to keep up with reviewing, I have a huge pile of Imps and only so much arm space!

 

NOT THAT I AM COMPLAINING, mind you!! No way!!

 

It is also February in Toronto and I would love nothing more that to be transported to the desert, any desert to feel it's hot, dry fragrant wind on my face....

 

It also took me awhile to decide about this one. While I love Dana O'Shee - it doesn't last long on me at all - so I was hoping after reading some of the comparisons with it - that Queen of Sheba would be a similar scent, yet longer lasting. What I ultimately discovered is that Q of S is much more sophisticated than Dana, which on me, is warm, soft & cuddly.

 

Initially I smell strong, very astringent bitter almonds, a wee bit of honey and something else? Saffron? It is a dry scent and tends to go too green and almost metallic on my skin. I really want to love this scent, and yet I can't quite get passed the green metal part of it, so far anyway...

 

However, I notice I keep smelling my wrist.... this is an intriguing scent for sure. I have now applied it twice and may even keep applying...

----------

It has been about 45 minutes now and it is softening and becoming a whisper of almonds and dry honey'd spices... which now I absolutely adore - this is so unusual.

 

Love it. Need more.

 

Huzzah!!

 

Go Beth!

[MilkAndSugar]

I can't believe it's taken me this long to review this.

 

I got a bottle of Queen of Sheba in a swap, quite awhile ago, as I was almost certain I'd like it. The sweet, foody blends are my favourites.

 

The first sniff from the bottle was a bit strange and sharp, but then again, I think it's rare that BPAL blends smell good straight from the bottle anyways, because of the incredible intensity of the oils. So I always ignore the first sniff anyway, and hold off from any judgement at all until I've applied it on skin and let it settle for a while.

 

On skin Queen of Sheba mellows fast into a gorgeous, slightly sticky but dry (huh?) almond+spice+honey. It's a skin scent, but it also has a nice stealthy kind of throw. Not as much so as Snake Oil, but definately more than Dana O'Shee.

 

The spices here aren't christmassy or cookie like, they are quite mellow, middle eastern. It has a regal, lazy feel to it. I can easily imagine this scent wafting around the mythic character of Bilquis/Makeda as she walks around in her palace with devoted servants close at heel. I definately get a "golden/desert sand" colour when I think of this blend.

 

The drydown smells like sunkissed skin with a very light spicy musk on it. I don't get much honey at any point. If it's here it's more of a "dry" honey than that sticky sweet honey you find in, say, (Old) Athens.

 

I agree with those who say this is a lot like Dana O'Shee. It is, but where Dana has vanilla in it, there's none (at least to my nose) in Queen of Sheba. Also, Queen last much, much longer and in general is more womanly and not too sweet.

 

One of my absolute favourites. Very yummy, but not necessarily too foody for those who don't appreciate smelling like a bakery exploded on them

 

 

-Milk

[regyt]

This is mostly pink peppercorns and dark almonds on me. I caught a whiff of honey early on, but then it faded. Very dry, and I rather prefer the buttery creaminess of Old Morocco. But still, it's growing on me... I'll have to give it another try before deciding whether to keep it or not.

[requieminblack]

First sniff from the bottle- Honey.

 

After 10 minutes- This smells just like 'Dana O' Shee' to me but with Indian food spices mixed in.

 

After 30 minutes- The Spices have kicked in and are much stronger now. The spices in this smell very similar to those in Old Kathmandu.

 

Summery- Queen of Sheba smells like a cross between Dana O' Shee and Old Kathmandu.

[Pixie-elf]

Queen Of Sheba

 

In the Vial: Mostly I can just smell the spices....

 

Wet: I can smell a bit of the Almond, and some of the Spices...I could swear I smell Sandalwood in here, too...

 

Dry: As it dries, I can smell the almonds much better, and less Spices.

 

Conclusion: I like it, I'll use up the imp, and possibly get another one, but I dunno about a bottle.