Bathsheba

[Vega]

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.

Sniffed: Carnation dominates, supported by Arabian musk. No sign of plum.

On skin: Carnation is the dominant note, a light yet full-bodied floral that smells "yellow" to my nose (that's just my way of categorizing florals). Arabian musk, soft and warm, plays second fiddle. The notes mix better after drydown: carnation softens and dark juicy plum finally emerges, although the latter is quite faint and never really raises its voice above a whisper. Overall, Bathsheba is predominantly carnation contrasted with musk. She is rich, voluptuous, soft and sensual, wholly feminine. Colour impression is rosy orange blushing with plum-purple. I smell some resemblance to Three Brides, a similar musky fruit-floral scent, although it could just be due to the prominent carnation.

Verdict: Bathsheba is soft and sensual and beautifully feminine. While a wonderful Ars Amatoria blend, it's not quite a keeper for me.

[becca_s]

I can smell all the notes in this - carnation, plum and musk. They are blended together really well to create a smooth, sophisticated scent. Bathsheba has depth, and smells quite similar to how Morgause smells on me. The musk in this is nice, it doesn't overpower the other notes.

[frecklestars]

In the bottle: if those are carnations, they smell like baby powder. I suppose there's a little green in them, but it's mostly powdery and not at all like flowers (except fake plastic ones). yech! the plums do come through the more deeply you inhale, and this in combination with that powdery aspect remind me a bit of Bensiabel, only less spice. the deep inhale also helps the scent smell a bit wetter, but my first impression is still very powdery. this does not bode well...maybe the powder is also due to the musk?

 

On my skin: at least on my skin it becomes a musky plum. whew! it's surprisingly subtle, especially given what it smells like in the bottle. I put a good bit of it on and I'm still having to inhale very deeply to catch it at all. the plums aren't juicy, but nearly dried (though not prunes, if that makes any sense). the musk is front and center in this one, but it's a surprisingly tolerable musk (given that musks and I usually do NOT get along). I appreciate the spicy smokiness of it while also staying subtle and surprisingly light.

 

Last thoughts: probably another one of those scents that is good for dark corners in clubs, but not much else. as I'm in a summery mood at the moment, this definitely doesn't suit. but I can see how it would, with the smoky spice of a musk that's subtle enough for my tastes, combined with those strangely dry plums (think like a good, dry wine). I do grow to like it more as it ages and the carnation comes out more.

Edited June 18, 2012 by frecklestars

[madscientistdh]

Purchased from Babypopje

 

In Bottle: A familiar floral (must be carnation), with a spicy scent

 

On skin: More of that spice! It seems like clove. Very spicy, warm, and a tad earthy.

 

Drydown: Mellows to a more complex spiced musk, and the bit I dabbed on my chest went juicy somehow?? Must be the plum. Oh- and here's the carnation sweetening the deal.

 

Verdict: It doesn't scream LOVE ME but I do rather enjoy it.

 

ETA: I SMELL YUMMY

Edited November 4, 2012 by madscientistdh

[Withjoy]

I love Bathsheba! This was a surprise, because for some reason I was expecting a ho-hum floral. (No clue why!) But Bathsheba is a beautiful surprise. This scent is floral without being soapy or grandma-like. It's warm and slightly spicy in a lovely way. The scent has presence, but is still subtle and not in-your-face. Bottle worthy!

[Caper]

Something in here smells a touch off. I much prefer my carnation sn for a spicy floral.

 

Maybe it is the musk? I'm not sure, but something wafts in and out as a yucky note. Though I kind of feel like if I sniff it enough it is good?

 

Hmmm... I think if there was a touch more plum then it would be good, but I don't get much of the fruitiness I associate with plum.

[fufu_berry]

Wet: Juicy tart plum. A good start!

 

Drydown: Still plum.

 

Dry: Ack, something is getting really perfume-y and headache-y. I haven't had any problems with musk, and the plum seemed fine, so it must be the combination of fruitiness and carnation. Gonna have to scrub. :/

[darkeyedfran]

This smells very perfumey but also exotic; on the skin it smells thick and heady with a nice blend of musk, sweetness, and floral. This is not an everyday scent, this is a dinner date scent to me. This scent doesn't "wow" me but it's nice because it has a good presence and I like the plum within it. This absolutely reminds me of a princess in an exotic land.

[Deliciousness]

In the imp: Lilies? No, it's a floral with a background of spices. Hummm, this is promising!

 

Wet on skin: The floral comes forward more,followed by a soft spice in the background.

 

Drydown: The musk makes an appearance and this blend is now a musky floral with a very delicate spice, although I cannot tell which type of spice.

 

I had preconceived ideas about this blend and it sadly fell a little short. I actually liked the carnation aspect of this fragrance, it's a little sweet and spicy. But I had hoped the plum would make more of an appearance and I wished the spices were a little more pronounced. I think this perfume is pretty, but it is understated and wears very close to skin.

[dementia_divine]

In the imp: I can smell all of the notes, but the carnation seems to be the strongest. I tend to amp carnation, and plum doesn't always work for me, so I won't be surprised if this doesn't work on my skin.

Wet: A blast of carnation, plum, and musk. This is a spicy carnation, and the musk isn't a light one. If I had to compare it to another musk, I would say that it kind of reminds me of the musk in Orc without the vetiver. As expected, the carnation has declared dominion over the other notes. The plum note that I smelled when I first applied this to my skin was quickly forced into the background, making this a musky carnation scent.

Dry: Musky carnation with just the lightest hint of plum if I inhale really deeply. I don't really get much plum at all (and that is probably because I amp carnation like whoa).

Verdict: Definitely not for me, but if you are fond of musk and carnation, give this a try.

[KakashiMorph]

In the bottle: Lovely carnation and a bit of musk.

On my skin: I don't remember if I have tried any carnation BPAL scents before but this one smells great. The carnation is at the front, accompanied sweetly by the mask and a hint of plum far behind. It takes about 10 minutes or so for the plum to blossom and become the dominant note, almost cloying in its intensity since it is heavy by nature. It is about 15 after that when it settles down, becoming mellow and agreeable and starting to blend in better with the musk.

Drydown: Soft musk with hints of plum.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: really sweet. Overly sweet, in fact. Like overripe fruit.

 

Dry: still intensely sweet fake plum, unfortunately. The other notes are drowned out. This is a really aged imp (8-10 years). I would be interested to try a lab fresh one sometime.

[lady_pandora]

Tested this last night. Initially, Bathsheba is spiced plum plus an undertone that reminds me of green tea and soap at the same time.

 

When it settles down, it's got all three notes working at once: the plum taking center stage, the carnation providing the spice, and the musk grounding it firmly in Perfumeland rather than Roomscentia (I'm burning Alice's Evidence as a room scent this morning, and reflecting on how that spicy plummy scent comes off way more potpourri-ish than Bathsheba). It's...kinda sexy, actually. Womanly, in the same way Mme Moriarty is, though this is a simpler composition.

 

Also this morning, Bathsheba is still going pretty strong. A little of the soapiness from the early stage has crept back in, but it's still nice.

[EricthoDesalamander]

If there's one thing I adore about getting a giant order, it's all the samples that come with it. Granted, everything that I get is great, but there's always at least one or two standouts that I end up blowing me away - and definitely whet my appetite to purchase more products from Bpal.

 

The standout this time was Bathsheba.

 

I've never really been a big fan of floral scents, but bpal always manages to put some sort of exciting - and usually exotic - twist on flowers. Bathsheba is one of those amazing floral blends that I probably wouldn't have given a second thought about. Carnations are pretty common, and if you've ever smelled one in person, they're not exactly the most pleasant smelling flower; as the scent is rather pungent and not altogether pleasant.

 

Nor would I associate someone/something like Bathsheba with carnation, as I said given the kind of scent -- which I don't find pleasant in real life.

 

In the vial, it's nothing but carnation straight through, but even in the vial there's this warm undercurrent of spice. I'm a big fan of spice and/or incense, so I decide to swipe some on my wrist.

It is all those lovely, spicy things that I hoped it would be. Granted, the carnation is there, but it only enhances the warmth of the spices. There is a fruity sweetness there, but not enough to make it candy sweet.

 

The longer it stays on my skin, the warmer and spicier it gets. The carnation is still there, it's only enhancing the spice and the sweet - not overtaking it.

 

I'm definitely considering getting a full sized vial, as this is much too pretty to pass up.

[Kmye Chan]

In the imp: the cinnamony spice of carnation mostly.

 

Wet: Uuuuurgh. Something... something smells awful in this. I think it must be the musk - it smells like it might be nice and intriguing and then... it veers into full diaper territory... comes back... goes back again... Yuck yuck yuck!

 

Dry: fortunately I gave this one a chance... after a few minutes, the diaper stink goes away and I'm left with a lovely, warm, spicy carnation and musk blend, with a sweet undercurrent that I don't quite identify as plum. It smells more perfumey than most BPAL blends, but it's definitely lovely.

 

Throw: average.

 

I really liked this, once it got out of that awful musky stage. Not enough to get a bottle, but it's definitely nice.

 

[EDIT] Well, snap. I retested it today, and this time the poopy smell never went away, kept wafting in and out. Urgh. Had to wash it off after a while.

Edited April 22, 2016 by Kmye

[marilyn eyre]

This smells like church perfume to me. Easter Sunday, new purple dress, flowers everywhere kind of perfumed occasion.

 

It's very pretty, but too churchy for everyday wear for me.

[Casablanca]

Wand: Purple fruit juice (which doesn't quite smell plummy to me), spicy floral and musk. Smells a little strange on the wand, but...

Wet: This comes together on my skin. Plum at the top, and then the faintly spicy carnation and musk, all blending well.

Dry: Most of the plum bows out once this dries, leaving the pretty, spicy carnation musk reminiscent of Morocco.

This is mostly Morocco plus plum. Purple scents aren't the most me-like things ever, but I still enjoy some quite a bit, and I like most spicy florals. I'll enjoy this imp.

[roseus]

This is gorgeous and very alluring to me. The carnation, plum, and musk are well balanced. Very warm, and little spicy-sweet. The throw is pretty good on me, but the scent profile is low if that makes sense. People around me can smell it, but it's not an intense scent.

[Beary Strange]

In the imp: a scent I don't recognize; I get bitter with a vague fruit smell, I'm guessing it's the plum

Wet:plum and the musk has made an appearance; it's reading slightly sweet on my skin and a tad powdery

Dry: while drying, my skin started amping the musk and then fully dry, there's a lovely spice smell (it's a bit clovey, a bit cinnamony, a bit peppery) which is apparently the carnation

 

At first sniff I could not fathom why people like this so much, but dry, oh my word, dry it's so amazing. I'm really glad I received this as a frimp because it's proven an excellent way to discover things about my taste in scents. I'm guessing the smell that offends me so much in the imp and wet is plum, so I'll be avoiding that; but, now I know I absolutely love carnation in all it's spicy glory.

[Mermaid-on-Land]

Ok so I loved carnation and plum in two different scents separately so I wanted to try this to see how they are together. On application I mostly get a smooth but somewhat spicy floral. The musk is a pretty accent and I can actually sort of detect it here, whereas I usually can't pick it out. The plum is extremely subtle on me tho. It's not juicy and sweet, it's almost a dried plum. It's close to a straightforward floral on me. Until I looked up the notes I had thought there might even be rose. I like it but I'm not crazy about it so I think I'm good with an imp. The throw started off well and dropped off steadily over about 4 hours. What is left is a rather non-sweet plum with a bit of musk. It would be great for someone who wants a plum scent that's not foody or fruity at all!

[ramblingrambler]

Wet, I wouldn't want to wear this—it is both innocent and seductive, with its plum and carnation in play, underscored by the musk. But when it dries down, I'm taken with it. Dry, it becomes luxurious, striking. It is drama and pure confidence.

 

This probably very odd, but... Though it doesn't *smell* like Caesar's Palace's/Luxor's/MGM namesake scents, it reminds me instead of the bold, lush interiors of these hotel-casinos and the women who likely find themselves standing next to men throwing gobs of money at the games. I have no idea why it calls forth this association for me, but it does.

[DiZZysTARdust]

I purchased this mostly for the name. It seemed like a nice reliable floral blend. In the bottle i smell flowers. On my skin i still smell them. They are kind of softened by the musk, which is not overly dominant. I can't really differentiate between the carnation and plu but on my skin it is not overly sweet. Almost as soon as it dried on me and began to waft around i was strongly reminded of my high school guidance counselor, who always wore the same very strong perfume. At first i was like OMG old lady perfume! But as i was wearing it i actually really came to love it. I actually feel very glamorous and sensual wearing it. This has a strong throw and is very lasting.

[Lucchesa]

I love carnation -- my all time fave is Alice where I get lots of spicy carnation deliciousness. But Bathsheba's carnation is very understated for me, gradually emerging in drydown. It is a beautiful mix of all three notes, but it is too quiet to be spectacular. I think it would be a very nice skin scent in situations where it would give me confidence and pleasure to sniff it on my wrist and know it was there, but unlike for DiZZySTARdust it has no throw on me at all.

[WinterSong]

I adore plum notes and had really high hopes for this one. In the imp, I smell mostly plum with a hint of florals, which seemed promising. Unfortunately for me, the florals amp right up once applied, and it gives me a killer headache. It's a real pity because it smells gorgeous in the imp. Definitely not for me. I'll be passing this one on to someone else.

[milo]

Kind of musky and fruity. Plum, but not a rich plum, a sickly sweet one, reminiscent of Hollywood Babylon, an utterly terrible scent on me. It almost smells like peach to me. Not great, but nice to try.