Bathsheba

[SophieCedar]

The Seventh Daughter, Daughter of the Oath. She was King David’s lover, and the mother of King Solomon. Her scent is breathtakingly lovely, exotic and powerfully sensual in its innocence: carnation, sensual plum, and Arabian musk.

I tried this on, drank some strong coffee, ran around the house, and forgot what my initial impression was... start over!

In imp and first wet: spicy plum!
Further into wet and drydown: the musk comes out however still holds the sweet spicy mix of plum and carnations.
Drydown: holds the same for me. this does well with layering and multiple applications.

[moon_lemming]

There's definitely carnation in Bathsheba; it's the first thing I notice in the imp and definitely the most powerful note on my skin until the oil's dry. I don't really smell the plum as plum -- more like it gives the blend a fuller feel, making it a nice, spicy, well-rounded carnation-heavy blend. I swear I smell another floral in there while it's wet. I can't pick out many florals, though.

 

Everything except the carnation and what I suppose is the musk fades away as the oil dries, and I'm left with a ghost of the full-bodied scent I had on earlier, just a light spicy carnation with a powdery background.

[Dharklady]

In bottle: Plum and musk with a touch of spicy floral.

Wet: Plum with that hint of floral I spelled in the bottle. The musk is pretty subdued.

Dry: Soft plum and a floral musk.

Notes: Pretty, especially if you like plum, but this blend has helped me realize that plum is just not a good note for me.

 

[ajansuz]

I bought this one primarily because I love carnation, and ever since somebody gave me a bottle of carnation perfume when I was a child, can't remember the brand for the life of me, I've been trying to find another that would be similar, because I used that bottle to the last drop.

 

After Bordello and now Bathsheba, I've discovered that plum is a note of doom for me. In the imp, it smelled cloying, candy sweet mixed with gym socks. I'll assume that's the Arabian musk. Wet, even more cloying to the point of putting a weird sort of taste in the back of my mouth, and no, I didn't lick it! I couldn't even stand to let this one dry down. The scent literally nauseated me. If your body chemistry likes plum notes, go for it. On me this was as huge of a disaster as The Chicken Legged Hut.

 

0/5

[INFJ4w3]

Spicy plum with sexy musk. Similar to Mme. Moriarty, Misfortune Teller, but without the vanilla note. I like to layer these two together. But, really, they're almost twins. I love both: 5 stars!

[Anathema]

In the bottle: Old lady perfume, straight up.

 

Wet: Very floral with something sweet underneath, which I'm guessing is the plum note.

 

Dry: Floral with a backdrop of. . . incense. The dreaded evil incense.

 

Verdict: While this might work on some people, I'm currently smelling like a combination of a head shop and a 75-year-old lady. Not too sexy if you ask me.

 

Update: After showering it smelled nice, but I don't want to have to wash my perfume off after putting it on to smell bearable.

Edited September 16, 2010 by Anathema

[ih8perfume]

I got this scent as a frimp with my first order. It was placed for me by my Husband, whose name is... David. I couldn't help but think that it was a subtle wink in my general direction.

 

The other scents that came in the package were very STRONG spicy scents (i.e. Siren, Alice's Evidence, and others) so this didn't stand out to me at first.

 

First try was OVERWHELMINGLY FLORAL. Essence of several thousand florists distilled into 5 drops and inserted directly into my sinuses. I washed it off and tried something else.

 

Later tries - I'm coming to adore this when I don't bathe in it. Just a couple of discreet dabs and I get gorgeous warm carnations. I tried Alice because of the carnation and got none. This is almost perfect and I am incredibley picky about florals. In the flesh, to me, carnations are not only clove-y, but a combination of warm black pepper and cool sweet water. They are one of my favorite flowers to smell in person.

 

I get this lovely carnation with bare hint of a spice-laden sweet musk.

 

The carnation stays pretty strong on me for an hour or two and when it is gone, the musk is faint and non-descript. Although I will admit that I do not have experience sampling different musk blends aside from the Egyptian musk found in Bastet. It just seemed that by the time the carnation was gone everything else was gone, too. I haven't noticed plum, yet. But I'll see if I can whiff it out.

 

 

All in all, I was suprised and pleased to find that I liked this very much. I may buy a bottle, but it isn't #1 on my list.

[JLH]

I ordered an imp of this recently with my very first order.

 

In the vial, the carnation and plum are the strongest, very spicy and juicy. Wet on the skin, however, the plum is less obvious then the warmth of the musk, but the carnation is definitely the star. As it dries, all three ingredients balance out beautifully.

 

This is such a lovely balance between the three simple elements that there's not much else to say. This is one of those perfumes that makes you smell your wrist over and over. It may be my favorite out of the scents I've tried so far, because it is so simple but has so much depth. It's very sophisticated, flirtatious, and unusual. This is going on the bottle list!

[Gin]

Bathsheba is amazing. Plum and what almost smells like patchouli but must be the musk. Very sexy.

[mxtine]

I've recently discovered that I just don't care for plum scents. Bathsheba would be lovely with the carnation and Arabian musk solo, because plum turns grapey on me.

[Ella LaRose]

very girly, smells like a vanilla in the jar then on the body the carnation comes out to play and spices things up, after a bit it smells sweet and soft, a gentle kind carnation scent

[asciident]

Wet: Plum! Barely musky, and a little spicy.

 

First on: Carnation starts amping! It's taking over, really.

 

Dry: Musky and spicy, but like nothing in particular. Anticlimactic.

 

 

[Honey]

Generic or sexy?

 

 

Imp: Fruity, peppery, floral (somehow I get violet?) and.. like cheap perfume.

 

Wet: Soapy plum. Very fruity and sweet but.. still, gives me a tiny headache because it smells kinda artificial. Very spicy but way too old-lady for me.

 

Dry: Plum soap. Have to agree: the musk turns into patchouli on me, too. Alas, too generic for my taste.

Edited July 28, 2011 by Honey

[Betula]

Bathsheba is utterly gorgeous. Wet, it's all carnation on me, but since I love carnation, that's not a problem. The plum comes in as the oil dries to sweeten things up, and it's just lovely. The musk keeps everything grounded. This scent keeps flipping back and forth between cool and warm. It's musky but somehow clean at the same time. This is the perfect scent to put on after you've just had a soothing shower- it's evocative of warm, soft, clean skin, with a hint of spice.

 

Unfortunately, it reminds me a lot of a perfume my mother uses, and I just cannot use this perfume and its sexiness around my boyfriend when it reminds me of my mother. At all. So, off to swaps with this. Seriously, though, carnation lovers everywhere should give this a try. If not for the scent association problem, I'd probably be getting a bottle of this.

[yakiguri]

Yummy spicy plum musk. I agree that Bathsheba's like Mme. Moriarty's cousin, just with the vanilla removed. Stays close to the skin, but it's not a loud blend so slathering is not overkill. Had a bottle but sold it due to financial issues, and of course now I wish I didn't. >_> Will be repurchasing!

[Lethran]

In bottle: Fairly evenly balanced and well blended. I think the carnation is marginally stronger, but really the plum and musk are not far behind. Wet: I actually like this even better the musk and plum really pop on the skin while the spiciness of the carnation adds a special something to the warmer plum. Dry: fast fading. What little is left is vaguely musky plum.

[KittyHawk]

I've been on a carnation kick lately, so I was really excited to receive this as a frimp from a recent Ebay win. Well, it's lovely. The carnation is prominent, definitely, but the plum and amber don't want to play second fiddle.

 

It's a beautiful and unusual blend, but it fades very quickly on me, even after having applied it in a generally long-wearing spot. As far as carnations go, I think I prefer Queen Alice, but Bathsheba certainly gives her a run for her money!

[Klolly]

Very excited to try this one, which I received in a swap.

 

In imp: smells like dr pepper to me.

 

On wet: Still smells basically like dr pepper but also kind of like a bathroom cleaner. I smell the plum but the red musk is strangling it and the carnation is giving it spice, which, if it lacked I would wash off immediately.

 

Dry: It's really smoothed out now. The carnation is very strong in this, very spicy with a hot feel to it. The musk is really warm and soft and the plum blends so well with it it's hard to differentiate. I actually think this smells very perfumey. I don't know if I like it or not but I respect it's beautiful uniqueness. One second I think I love it, the next I'm not sure. Hmm.. I'll have to wear this awhile and update later.

[AnyseLawsBray]

In vial: Soft, tangy.

Wet: Mouth-puckeringly tart plums. The initial twang is padded by delicately delicious carnations. It reminds me a little bit of Frumious Bandersnatch, which also features plums & carnations.

Dry: The musk feels luxurious & simple at the same time- like bathing on a rooftop would, I imagine.

 

Verdict: I have been hanging onto Frumious Bandersnatch imps, debating whether to get a bottle. It was, to date, the only plum I'd found that wasn't reminiscent of craft store candles on me. But I waited because I thought there may be something else waiting out there... and I was right! I will still keep a bit of FB around for my rampantly carefree summer days (I love the bite of 'mum, truly!), but Bathsheba will be my go-to blend for quieter, more pleasantly introspective days.

 

It makes me think of an absolute favorite poem of mine by William Carlos Williams, it's as if they were made for each other.

 

To An Old Woman

 

munching a plum on

the street a paper bag

of them in her hand

 

They taste good to her

They taste good

to her. They taste

good to her

 

You can see it by

the way she gives herself

to the one half

sucked out in her hand

 

Comforted

a solace of ripe plums

seeming to fill the air

They taste good to her

 

This blend brings to mind life's simple pleasures. It just makes me feel good- I want to keep some of this around for when I need reminding that the little things can be enough sometimes.

Edited October 24, 2011 by braybrigade

[OctoberGwen]

When I first put this on, I thought, "Nice but not distinctive." Then something begins to emerge...is it the musk? And there's carnation in here, which I thought I hated? Whatever, after a few minutes I was practically swooning over the beauty of this scent. This is actually how I hoped Bastet would smell; it is very sophisticated, gorgeous, and sexy. I will put this on when I dress up for special occasions.

[JunkieCosmonaut]

This is really a lovely scent. It's warm and spicy and smells like an elegant pricey perfume. Unfortunately it also reminds me of a perfume my mother would wear, so yeah... I might have to wear it a few more times, we'll see.

[Morsigne925]

Out of the imp: first impression - Wow. This smells really good. Right in the imp I get a floral/plum scent that's really beautiful. The carnation is big when I smell it right out of the imp.

Wet on skin: Wahhhhh I love this scent so much! As soon as it hits my skin it becomes a sweet, musky, sexy scent - it's quite close to mainstream perfume scents I like, but more exotic. I would *definitely* wear this on a regular basis to feel pretty/sexy/confident, and very feminine/mysterious. I forsee a new addition to the big bottle list.

Drying: The carnation and plum blend together into an almost gardenia/tuberose-like scent to me; when combined with the musk, this to me is a *gorgeous* very feminine-sexy scent. I am loving this!

End of the day: Absolutely getting a big bottle once I finish the imp. Which won't be too long from now. 5 stars.

 

** EDIT AUG 2014: Again, it's been a while. I rediscovered my stash box of imps recently and have decided to try them on one at a time again, to see if I can't get a swap pile going and clear out some more room for new stuff :3

 

Anyway, I do still like this scent, but it is very powerful. I only put a tiny bit on and it was too strong to sniff my wrist directly for most of the day without getting that perfume headache business. I think I may just be particularly sensitive to strong perfumes, and oils especially seem to blow up to my nose. Perhaps sometime I'll try a perfume locket and see if that helps at all. Nevertheless, on its own I do still enjoy this scent, but not quite as much as I seemed to enjoy it previously - I'll amend to 3.5-4ish starts; I like Hell's Belle better ATM, so undecided if this will go in the swaps pile or not.

Edited August 19, 2014 by Morsigne925

[Missy_killer]

In the imp: Smoky/peppery plums.

 

On me: Very sweet, carnation and plums. Nothing smoky/peppery on my skin, which is...good.

 

A few minutes later: Huh. My skin just ate the scent. I have to really press my nose against the skin of my wrist in order to smell anything at all. however, all I can smell is soap.

 

Ten minutes later: Aaah, now I can smell it again. Spicy plums.

 

 

And after that it disappeared again. I want my perfume to stay and not pop around like this one did. I'm not very keen on carnation either :/

[mymymai]

In the Imp (ITI): Oh, what a beautifully feminine scent. It’s the sweet innocence of freshly blooming carnation with the juicy and sensuality of plum and musk. I do hope the scent translates well on my skin.

 

Wet: Ripe plum with the sweet and spicy floral of carnation provide a sweetly sensual base for the musk.

 

Dry: It’s gone slightly soapy, but the plum and the carnation are still fairly discernible. I liked it much better wet, although it’s still a nice, feminine floral.

[jkfagtongpun]

In the imp I get sweetness - I've never tried any scents with plum, so I'm guessing the sweetness is mainly the plum - with a hint of spiciness, but not the carnation I'm used to.

 

On, the musk comes out and the scent becomes more rounded, slightly more complex. My thoughts were 'kind of sexy but innocent'. I re-read the description, ah, yes.

 

Drydown the musk takes centre with the plum backing it up. Something in it reminded me of Morocco so assuming that is the Arabian musk.

 

It's really nice, I like it, but I think I would have preferred more carnation, up front and in my face. I'll use the imp but probably not big bottle purchase.