Bess

[Voleuse]

I grieve and dare not show my discontent,
I love and yet am forced to seem to hate,
I do, yet dare not say I ever meant,
I seem stark mute but inwardly do prate.
I am and not, I freeze and yet am burned,
Since from myself another self I turned.
My care is like my shadow in the sun,
Follows me flying, flies when I pursue it,
Stands and lies by me, doth what I have done.
His too familiar care doth make me rue it.
No means I find to rid him from my breast,
Till by the end of things it be supprest.
Some gentler passion slide into my mind,
For I am soft and made of melting snow;
Or be more cruel, love, and so be kind.
Let me or float or sink, be high or low.
Or let me live with some more sweet content,
Or die and so forget what love ere meant.

Inspired by the tragic, ill-fated love of Queen Elizabeth I and the Earl of Leicester. This is our modernization of a 17th-century perfume blend favored by British aristocracy: rosemary, orange flower, grape spirit, five rose variants, lemon peel, and mint.

Eep! I guess I'm the first review. I'll try to be a little more structured than usual, then.

In the bottle: This is all rosemary to my nose, with the barest tinge of mint. Wow!

Wet: The rosemary is still dominant, but I also get a whiff of grape oil, which I didn't expect to be so strong. I think I detect the mint as well, but none of the other notes yet.

Dry: After a while, the rosemary fades a little, so that it's still evident, but not overpowering. It's at this point the roses start to bloom in the scent--not strongly, but just floral enough to balance out the rosemary. There's a warm feeling to the scent that might be the citrus, but it's not very strong at all. Over time, the grape returns, though it's never very strong on me.

In Conclusion: This is a wonderful scent if you really, really like rosemary. Personally, I would have preferred the rose notes to be a little stronger, but overall, I do like this scent a lot. Edited September 13, 2007 by clover

[Imbrium]

This is such a curious scent.

 

Wet, Bess is predominately orange flower and rosemary; I'm reminded of Catherine, which is fine with me. Dry, I smell of light, warm grape, with even lighter rose, when I put my nose to my arm. This grape is incredibly light, and not at all artificial. It almost smells as though I swiped my arm with white grape juice. Interestingly, as I type, I catch wafts of a sweet, herbaceous scent - from a distance, I smell the rosemary and orange flower, but were I to get up close and personal with my arm, I'd still smell only grape and the barest hint of rose.

Pretty, very pretty, though I do wish the rose were a bit stronger.

[ChupaChup]

Bess is not what I was expecting at all. I thought it would be more floral, with some crisp, cool herbiness but except for a single minute of rosemary when first applied, it's all grape, all the time. At first, it's very sweet like Welch's purple grape juice. Eventually the other notes tone it down a tad and it's more like the grape in Cairo, minus the honey and myrrh of that blend. I was hoping to get more of the roses, lemon peel and mint but they are pretty much absent.

[Little Bird]

EDIT:

This smells NOTHING like it did in 2005. This is an incredibly sharp, herbal blend now with almost no sweetness on my skin. The mint is sharp, cold, and mentholic, and the rosemary comes in savory and herbal. As it dries down, there's sour lemon and a sharp, nondescript white floral smell. No sweetness, no grape, no orange flower, no rose... Menthol-minty herbs and sour lemons with a hint of powdery, musky white floral.

I wish that bpal would just discontinue blends when they have to be reformulated this heavily, because Bess 2016 smells absolutely nothing like Bess 2005, and it's really confusing when you go to repurchase old favorites and get stuff like this happening to you.


My 2005 review:
I've been having quite a love affair with Bess ever since my imp arrived. It's not something that I expected to like at all (I'm not particularly fond of any of the listed notes), but I am really enjoying it.

The grape is the first thing that I notice, but it is a very lovely grape. It's not artificial or sweet to me at all, it's more of an herbal-grape. The rosemary lingers in the background and, after a few minutes, the sweet orange flower comes out. I normally hate orange anything, but this is soo lovely. It's sweet and soft, not at all sharp or really that fruity.

I expected Bess to be really sharp because rose, orange, lemon, and mint are generally sharp and bitter on me... but this is all so amazingly soft and sweet. After about an hour the rose and lemon come out and join the grape. I never smell any mint at all.

This is like being in a rocky garden on a slightly cool day as the sun sets, leaning up against a fence where bunches of grapes are hanging down around you. It's very refreshing and pleasant to me. I like the mental images that Bess conjures up for me.

I can see myself getting a 10 ml of this one in the future

Edited August 23, 2016 by Little Bird

[LiberAmoris]

Bess was a complete surprise for me. I was expecting a primarily rose/floral blend with rosemary and grape. But on my skin it is strong orange flower/blossom and grape with rosemary. I don't smell any rose, mint, or lemon.

 

This doesn't happen to me very often at all, but something in the combination of these notes on my skin is making me feel...ill. I want to wait for the drydown, but I don't think I can do it. This will be one of the rare blends that I scrub off.

[hangingfire]

In the imp: Grape and orangeblossom, with a touch of rose.

 

On, wet: The grape fades off, leaving mostly orangeblossom and rose. A slight "coolness" that might be mint.

 

Drydown: A soft, slightly fruity rose.

 

A very light, pretty scent. I'm not sure if it's for me, but it's nice.

 

Edit: Hmmph. It gets more noticeably grape-y as it dries down further. This I'm not so crazy about. I liked the orangeblossom and rose, though.

Edited December 12, 2005 by hangingfire

[k00kaburra]

My, there's a lot in this complicated little blend.

In bottle: Sharp and dominated by orange flower. Mint and lemon peel are apparent in this blend; I can't single them out specifically but they make their presence known by their influence on everything else. I would even suspect that blood orange could be here a minute amount - something is setting off that buzzer in my nose. No sign of the rose.

On me: Oooo, the neroli comes wafting up. It didn't even give me a chance to prepare myself. After a few minutes it mellows down so I can continue with the review.

It's a soft blend, but not particularly feminine. At least it isn't by today's standards; perhaps orange flower and rose was the height of feminine fragrance during Elizabeth's reign. It is fruity and floral, but not an extreme of either. I haven't been able to detect any grape, but I can definitely sense that there's fruit in the blend.

[Macha]

First, let me comment that Bess is a wee bit strong if you accidentally spill it on yourself (not that _I_ would know anything about that) and under those circumstances, has extraordinary throw and longevity.

 

Like K00kaburra, I must say this is a complicated blend, and not precisely what I was expecting (which was a lot of rose). I can smell rose, too, but it is changed and modified into something "other" by the rosemary, neroli and lemon peel (on me, there's no mint I'm aware of.) This is floral without being either "girly" or "old fashioned" -- herbal without screaming "kitchen" or "medicine." And honestly, it doesn't smell like any perfume I'm familiar with. It's quite remarkable and so unique — distinctive — that I have no trouble at all imagining the Queen of England wearing this. It's soft and refined, yet powerful, very powerful.

 

This is gorgeous, and I'm very happy to have it in my collection.

[Em-]

I decided to get an imp of this on a whim, as I tend to like a lot of the notes, though I was a little afraid that it would be very OMG floral. While I like roses, I tend to like them either very pure or very tempered with other things. It turns out that Bess is very much the latter.

 

Mostly, I smell the rosemary and some of the mint in this, with an undercurrent of the rose and the other notes. It is the teensiest bit kitcheny to my nose, but I'm not terribly bothered by that, as I like the smell of herbs and lemon, although this would not be my choice for a perfume when I wanted to smell particularly sexy or professional, necessarily.

 

I cannot really see myself buying a big bottle of this, unless I was planning to scent a lotion or something, but I can definitely see keeping an imp on retainer...

[empi girl]

A very interesting scent, that I can't quite decide on. The first time I tried it, I got rosemary and mint, with a little rose and grape in the back. It was very nice, not too grape-y, with rosemary standing out most.

Then the 2nd time I tried it, it became reminsicent of Haunted, which turns into a lemon/amber gummy bear scent on me. This did too, like lemon-grape gummy bears. Not my cuppa.

I'll try a third time to decide. I want to love this, as I love the idea behind it.

[Thursdae]

First, I can't write a real review of Bess. The imp broke in transit from the lab to me. The debris smelled beautiful, though, mostly floral with a sprig of sweet herbalness. I almost didn't want to clean up the mess because I enjoyed the smell so much. (Of course, I did have to clean up because I wanted to get at all the other treasures.) To me, Bess didn't seem like a white floral or a rosy floral or a spicy floral like carnation. It smelled like a meadow as it warms in the morning sun, making me want to romp and chase butterflies and make dandelion chains.

 

Despite the fact that I didn't get to try it on my skin, Bess is going on my bottle list.

[Guest Titania]

I just received a bottle of this scent from Heartbeast as a Yule gift. I also play Queen Elizabeth at the Northern California Renaissance Faire. Since she is the Theatrical Director, she thought I would enjoy this.

 

It is a lovely scent.

 

In the bottle the smell of rosemary is a bit strong. Very green, woody and earthy. Once it is on, the rosemary still dominates. It smells like my herb gardens after a good rain. Now on dry down the rosemary retreats and the rose and mint start to come forward.

 

I can hardly wait until I wear it at the Faire. Hope the bottle lasts until then.

[Splendid Molerat]

Bess is stately and pretty.

 

On me it has a soft, cool green background (the rosemary, mint and lemon), topped with very liquid rose notes. Part of the liquidity is the grape spirit, which isn't registering as "grape" so much as grappa -- very high and volatile.

 

The grape is under-represented when I put it on, so I've tried layering Bess with Puck (grape & civet), and also with Urd (muscadine & patchouli).

 

With Puck I got a young and mischievous Queen, and with Urd I got an Iron Queen. Try it out, the two moods are very different and interesting.

[Sycorax]

I bought a bottle of this unsniffed. I've written enough papers on Queen Elizabeth and her subjects to fuel a small camp-fire, so as soon as I saw a recreation of her perfume on BPAL I knew that I had to have it! When my order finally arrived, my hopes were high.

 

In the bottle, Bess smelled highly astringent. The romsemary and lemon were in ascendancy, along with a sharp note that I assumed must be the grape spirit. That said, I have a harder time than usual picking the notes out of this. They blend very well.

 

Wet, on my skin, the rose and the grape spirits amped up considerably, for a sharp, sweet smell.

 

After a few minutes the rosemary, mint, and citrus came out to play. Especially the rosemary and the mint. What a unique scent! It's herbal, first and foremost, but the floral and citrus notes give it a bit of kick. I think that this will be my go-to scent for work, where I want to feel powerful and feminine, but not sexy or seductive. It's a very fitting perfume for the Virgin Queen.

 

So. Hooray for the lab! I love this just as much as I wanted to when I ordered it. Thank goodness I have a bottle - I wouldn't last with just an imp. : )

 

My only complaint is that this doesn't have the throw of many of the other BPAL oils I've tried. I suppose that's a good excuse to slather, at least.

Edited January 4, 2006 by Sycorax

[moon_lemming]

Roses and lemons. Mmm. It sounds bizarre, but it really works. At first all I smell is lemon drops, but then the rose shows up, and if I concentrate, I can find a grape note. I love this one; I'm thinking about ordering a bottle for spring. It's bright and happy and makes me want to play outside.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Sharper and stronger than I expected, the citrus dominates.

Wet on me - Rich and fruity, with a tiny edge of mint cutting through.

Dry on me - The scent quickly settles into a sort of rotting roses, over lush scent. Fortunately that doesn't last long and my lasting impression is one of something sweet and spicy and warming that I can't quite place.

[gingersnapp]

rosemary, orange flower, grape spirit, five rose variants, lemon peel, and mint.

 

When I first put this on, I was surprised by how strong the grape spirit was. It was like I had just spilled a little bit of Dimetapp on my skin.

 

As it dried, the rosemary became the most dominant note, but I can still smell quite a bit of the grape. It's soft and powdery and sweet. Unfortunately, I can't identify many of the other notes. It's still very nice, though!

[malanna]

I expected Bess to be a very floral scent, but it wasn't. It starts out strong on the rosemary and I can definitely detect the orange flower. However, the orange flower doesn't actually smell like the flower itself, but like orange flower extract--highly concentrated and slightly bitter. Or maybe the rosemary makes it so. In any case, I was starting to wonder if what I was smelling was grape, as I had expected a lot of grape because of the previous reviewers. Anyway, grape came out then, letting me know that what I had been smelling wasn't grape. It was, like another reviewer said, a white grape sort of scent. Maybe a white grape sort of liquor--there was a sort of alcoholic note to it. After several hours, it smells slightly floral and skin musky.

[kmasden]

I have to do a mini review because i think it is just hilarious...not bess, but what it smelled like to me. First off, I am usually sniffing without looking at the ingredients...it's led to some amazing interpretations....like I loved Versailles and slathered and slathered and then i read that it had rose and in my head i can't do rose, and then all i could smell was rose (the powers of the mind, i tell ya)

 

Anyway, don't hate me, but i put bess on and took a whiff and well, my brain went "Nachos!" Yes, you heard me right, it smelled like Nacho cheese to me. I have no idea how, but without reading the ingredients, that was the smell to my nose.

 

Now that i read what is in it, i can definately pick out the orange flower, the rose, the grapeish smells...but together, they said "Nacho!"

 

I would love to smell this on someone else. I love rosemary and so many of the notes in here. My skin is well known for taking lovliness and trashing it however, so alas, I can't wear bess...but I had to share the nacho cheese story.

Edited January 15, 2006 by kmasden

[hypatia]

Oh, I really wanted to like this one, because I dig historical scents. Based on the notes, I thought Bess might turn out to be like a more complex version of Catherine (which I love) or like Hungary water (rosemary and herbs steeped in alcohol, one of the earliest alcohol-based perfumes).

 

But on me the note that predominates is...grape. I get an initial whoosh of rosemary, a very fresh-smelling rosemary that made me think of roasting things on a spit -- not that it smells like cooked meat, but definitely a kitchen-herb rosemary. Maybe a breath of mint, as well. And then, grape. And it stays grape for the duration, with some florals peeking through.

 

Darn pesky grape note. If it weren't for that, I'm sure I'd be able to smell all kinds of wonderful things, but my skin apparently really likes grape. One learns something new every day!

[shelldoo]

in the vial:hmm, i smell cumin? a hint of something sweet

 

wet: the same, i am wondering if somehow i am getting "cumin" when it is rosemary, but indeed i smell cumin like substance. which could be what karin interprets as nachos. nachos are cumin laden usually

 

dry: this is an intresting blend, from farther away i smell something faintly floral citrus and slightly dried herbs, but if i sniff up against my wrist i get the "cumin" smell. i will be trying this a few times to see if it changes. i actually like the wafting smell, the up close smell i am iffy about.

 

after a good 1/2 hour there is no trace of the note i am calling cumin (but really it must be rosemary) now i have a sweet, soft, fruity floral there is definitely grape, but also a rosey aspect. it is light and sweet

Edited January 17, 2006 by shelldoo

[SnornL]

This was a frimp, and I love the lab for sending me such a complex and interesting scent!

 

I like everything in the description except rose, and to hear that there are five varieties in this blend vexed me greatly. I can wear rose on very rare occasions, and happily, this is one of them, as the rose is only discernable for a short time.

 

In the imp, Bess is all grape and lemon with a hint of orange, very bright and fresh. When first applied, the grape keeps the spotlight, with other notes dancing around in the background. It reminds me of Titania at this stage; I guess it's the grape and rose combination, though the rose is not so obvious here as to bug me. As it dries, the grape dies down and it's all about the rosemary, which I love. Orange flower and mint are clear in the background, with the rose and grape appearing on and off.

 

The only complaint I have is that it fades too quickly, but everything's been doing that lately, so I think it's just me. Apart from that, I really love this scent, and I'll most likely get a bottle in my next order.

[mayhap]

In the imp: Overwhelms my nose! I can't pick out anything.

 

Drydown: Rosemary comes out strong, followed closely by mint. This is smelling very herbal on me at the moment.

 

Dry: Rosy-grapey-citrusy-sweetness is waking up on my skin to balance the rosemary-mint.

 

One hour later: Wow, this scent has a really unusual aesthetic about it and I can't quite decide what I think. The grape spirits have become stronger, along with the orange blossom, and the effect is a little like a fruity candy, but the rosemary and mint are still there to make it seem more real, if that makes any sense; more like standing in a sunny vineyard (not that I've ever actually done that). The rose is peeking out very occasionally.

 

Overall: This really different from anything I've worn before and I think I dig it. I really appreciate the historical aspect of it and the scent is lovely and it has really grown on me. It makes me sad that it doesn't seem to be a very strong or long-lasting scent on me.

Edited January 18, 2006 by mayhap

[Diana]

I got an imp of this, thinking that I'd like it, but I was worried it would be too similar to Catherine, of which I already have a 10mL bottle.

 

My fears have been assuaged. They are only very remotely similar.

 

Going on, this is very strong rosemary. Not terribly medicinal, but very green and herbal. There is a beautiful rush of fresh, sweet lemon. There's a bit of a hint of grape, but it's mostly lemon & rosemary for the first 20 minutes or so.

 

Sadly, lemon is a very transitive top note, so that is gone after 15-20 minutes. The rosemary seems a bit woodsy and earthy, which made me wonder if it was thyme instead of rosemary. But this stage only lasts a few minutes as well. The orange flower is appearing, but not very strongly.

 

After the lemon departs, the rose comes out. But rose-fearing folk rest assured, it isn't very strong or overpowering. There is a bit of grape, but not juicy, purple, or candy-smelling. I'm not able to detect any mint, but it just might be lurking in the mixture of rose & orange flower.

 

The final drydown seems to be a sweet, soft, barely-there rose, a slight grape note, and just a hint of rosemary. I've had this on all day, and I'm still getting pretty good throw from it.

 

I am in love with this. I want to slather it all over everything and swim in it. It's not overly floral, not overly fruity. It's clean and fresh and amazing, like being outside on a warm spring day where the breeze brings in wafts of various aromas of plants & flowers.

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

Rosemary, if rosemary had a tartly acidic quality to it's smell.

 

On me:

This is still quite strongly rosemary at first, but again - with a very acidic quality. After a few minutes it starts to mellow into something softer and slightly sweeter - that orange smell is there offering a nice base to this, it's sweet but not too sweet. The roses start showing up there too, and for once they don't go completely powdery and wierd on me. They don't overwhelm this scent either, which I find to be a pleasant change, since roses tend to do that. After a while, what I'm left with, is a very mellow rose with a spritz of citrus that is more on the sweet side than the zesty side.

 

Final note:

I'm pleasantly surprised by this one, I believe this is one of the only rose scents I could see myself wearing now and then. I probably WON'T, as I think this perhaps a little too mature for my tastes, but I don't dislike it and that's my point. I think it's an unusual take on a rose scent, and a nice variation of something rather classical smelling.