Ysabel Bath Oil

[angelicruin]

Isabella I, Queen of Castile and León, was a proponent of education, establishing lasting institutions of higher learning, a patron of scholars and artists, and an enthusiastic sponsor of exploratory expeditions, including Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the New World. She possessed a great military mind, and was integral in the retaking of Grenada, thus sealing the Reconquista. With her husband, Ferdinand, she ruled with equal authority and power, unifying Spain and laying the foundations of the Spanish Empire.

Frankincense, benzoin, carnation, and balsam of Peru.

Inside the bottle, spicy carnations.

On my skin, initially carnations and spicy benzoin. Very resinous. Average throw on my skin. Frankincense really emerges the more the bath oil dries on my skin.

[oakmoss]

I didn't get much scent at all in the bottle, which surprised me, since the other BPAL bath oils I've tried have been very strong indeed in the bottle. I put in three small squirts (maybe a tablespoon) and it was more than enough, filling the bathroom (and beyond!) with scent. Alas, the only word I could come up with for Ysabel's bath is "perfumey" -- I couldn't differentiate the carnation or the frankincense (who of my fave notes) at all. It wasn't unpleasantly perfumey, but I did spend most of my bath trying to figure out what I was smelling. As always with BPAL baths, it dispersed beautifully and felt great on my skin. I dabbed on Ysabel's perfume when I got out, and they do indeed go well together. I'll certainly use this oil, but may try to combine it with something else to amp the incense or the carnation or.... something other than "perfume."

[anomie]

Mmmmmm, carnation. This is gorgeous, a bit peppery rather than flowery, and with a warmth from the frankincense that just makes a bath even more indulgent. I did feel like I had to add a bunch to the bathwater, but I kept the water relatively cool since it's ridiculously muggy and sticky here so I expect it would have much more scenting capability in more steamy water.

[thekittenkat]

In the bottle: Very sweet, light and airy, but grounded by the frankincense.

 

Wet: The balsam of Peru is very sweet on my skin. The other notes are there, but just as hints, ground notes.

 

The dry-down: This is a nice blending of all the notes, but more sweet than anything else.

 

 

I did finally layer her bath oil with her perfume, and the sweet notes of the bath oil amped up the roses and carnations in the perfume, but the clove and incense still predominate.

 

The bath oil by itself makes a wonderful perfume, if you like balsam of Peru.

[yeahbutnobut]

Ysabel Bath Oil

 

In bottle: CARNATION! Think Lush Potion carnation.

On skin: and now here comes the frankincense! This is magnificent. And then the benzoin kicks in, and this is the sweet benzoin, and it merges so beautifully with the frankincense and adds a stunning sweet resin aspect to the incense scent here. This is a much bolder, spicier carnation than usual from BPAL, and it absolutely kicks ass. It’s one of those red, frilly ‘flamenco skirt’ carnations, the ones with the really clove-y scent, fiery little flowers, and I love that scent. And yes, there is a passing resemblance to Lush Potion, but this has loads of incense too, which makes this different, and I am a compulsive resin-head so that makes me very happy. Frankincense and carnation are a dynamite combination, especially with a little bit of sweetness from the balsam and benzoin. As this dries down the carnation calms a little and develops a gorgeous and slightly creamy undertone and I smell what could be the Peru balsam, an almost vanilla-ish background. At one point, funnily enough, there is a scent to this that reminds me of the wonderful spicy sweet floral fragrance I remember smelling when I visited the gardens of Alhambra…which is where Ysabel changed the course of history! It brings back memories of my visit to Granada anyway. The scent does fade a little fast (which I notice with a few bath oil scents, which doesn’t surprise me because they are less concentrated than perfume oils) but the subtle spiced frankincense/carnation that lingers is so lovely. I am certainly keeping the bottle I have of this, I think this is wonderful as a perfume or as a layering scent (can’t wait to smell this with Pink Moon, and of course Ysabel perfume), it’s too beautiful to waste on a bath!

(btw the backup bottle I have of this smells completely different-it’s more incensey, and there’s something to it that reminds me more of rose than carnation. It's nice but I prefer the carnationy version!)

Edited June 27, 2009 by yeahbutnobut

[marsmomma]

I adore this bath oil! Dry I can smell pure, lovely carnation with frankincense. Just gorgeous and had pretty good staying power, lasting several hours. Ysabel is my favorite among the warrior queens. Gorgeous!!

[Blood onmy hands]

I like the Ysabel bath oil a lot more than her perfume oil, though I have trouble picking out the listed notes for this one.

 

When I wear this, I keep thinking that it smells like bees (I know, I'm strange). Ysabel bath oil smells sort of like honeyed wildflowers, carnation-spiced wood, and a sharp, pleasant little something that I cannot place. Overall it smells dark to me. It has an herbal/incensey quality along with the honeyed something, reminding me of pollen and wildflowers, if that makes sense.

 

I love this bath oil, and would definitely wear it as a perfume.

[hlinspjalda]

Repeated sniffs in the bottle made this seen rather dry and sharp. When I opened it in the steamy bathroom, though, I smelled delicious spicy carnation.

 

On my skin this became sharp resin again. The carnation element went away, as it so often does on my skin.

 

The overall scent is moderately strong and seems very tenacious, reading rather like the smoky incense element of the Ysabel perfume. It has a touch more balsam and less frankincense, though.

 

[Monster]

Ohhh I like how the darker oils settle at the bottom. Purdy! Give this one a good shake before using!

 

I'm testing this directly on my skin...

 

Ohhh boy!

Carnation incense! Carnation incense! This is femenine without being sweet and girly. Gorgeous!

This is softer, gentler than the perfume oil (and of course, without the rose).

As it dries the frankincense goes a bit powdery on my skin...but not in a bad way at all. The carnation is still dominant.

This goes beautifuly with the perfume oil. I'm so happy I own this set.

Ysabel is by FAR the BEST Warrior Queen

 

 

[tartchef]

OH yes. Yes, this will do just fine.

 

I mean really, frankincense & carnation? How could you go wrong with that stunning combination? This is the pale creamy pink carnation of Hod, with the silkiest frankincense. The benzoin adds a vanillic resinous sweetness, and the Balsam of Peru emerges at the end, the grounding force behind the curtain.

 

There is a powdery element to this that I am finding strangely appealing - it is akin to some incredibly expensive dusting powder that our mothers would have had, a treasured cut-glass-&-gold lidded box that was kept tantalizingly out of reach of grubby, inquisitive hands. It is achingly beautiful, elegant & timeless, begging to be smoothed over bare arms like gorgeous silk.

 

I will keep & treasure this, and save it for very, very special occasions when I shed the mantle of mother, accounts manager, reliable go-to-gal & am a Woman.

[Gin]

Ysabel Bath Oil went all wrong on me. It smelled oddly plasticky and then kind of old lady/churchy, which I guess in this instance would = dry, powdery-floral, frankencense-y... not my cup o'tea at all.

[alhbooks]

I went through my first bottle of Ysabel fairly quickly, even though I tried to pace myself...love the spice carnation so muc and i was thrilled to get two more bottles from the Etsy site. thank you, Puddin! Still rich and wonderful, hooray!

[theseagrows]

this is a spicy-resinous carnation, very warm and sensual. i am a lover of carnation scents, so i really love this. as i took a bath, i thought to myself, that lush's potion lotion would go good with this. potion is more soft and floral, and less deep and resiny, but they would definitely compliment each other because of the carnation, which smells similar.

[zankoku_zen]

Frankincense, benzoin, and a touch of carnation.

 

This is deep, resinous with just a touch of spice of carnation to give it a deep feminine tinge.