Queen of Sheba

[sophia_p]

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

 

This was part of my first (and so far only) batch of imps from the Lab, and I think it's my favorite. It does make me feel glorious, sexy and like I imagine the Queen of Sheba to be.

To my nose, I mainly just smell the almond oil, with a little of the honey note. If I really try to find it, I can detect some spice notes, but I couldn't tell you what they were. Mostly they just add a little more complexity to the scent, but I was really hoping for this to be more of a spice scent. I still enjoy it, and I'm debating on getting a bottle-- I'd especially love to see what Queen of Sheba is like when its aged.

The main downside for me, besides the fact that there is very little spice, is that it doesn't last very long on me. I put it on in the late morning, and by early evening, I could barely smell it on my wrist.

[sth0]

Almonds...why'd it have to be almonds?

 

I hoped, beyond hope, that almond would play a smaller role in this scent. Out of the bottle, the almond makes itself known as the star of the show. Everything else is an accessory (it does say that in the description). I do enjoy the honey in this scent as I think it takes some of the bitterness out of the almond. The spices are also nice and add a "glowy" and warm feeling to the scent. I do wish it were a bit more complex, though, as I shy away from smelling like baked goods. It might be very nice with a touch of incense or resin.

 

It did get better as it aged on my skin. The almond mellowed into a less-sweet version and the honey and spices matured nicely.

 

I am keeping this for my husband's sake because I am not sure I like how gourmand it is on its own.

Edited December 14, 2012 by sth0

[tealight]

UGGGH ALMOND, why won't you love me? This smells exactly like Eden to me, except it's gone in twenty minutes with a residue of Morocco left behind. I love almond, but it's turned into an odd, creamy single note both times I've tried it. Smells exactly like this nutty Asian leaf vegetable. I love a big plate of steaming veggies, smelling like one - not so much.

 

Edit: Tried it again after a long shower and it is much better. I still don't get honey, but the almond has more dimension to it now. I am never going to be able to wear it without thinking of vegetables though, so off to the eventual swap/sale pile it goes.

Edited March 30, 2013 by tealight

[Dani87]

Imp: almonds

wet: almonds and honey

dry: almonds, honey, and a sharp clean note that is kind of soapy, and almost floral.

Overall: not my favorite, but I kind of like it.

[MiasmaResonance]

Almond, honey, and vanilla, with a hint of spice. That is Queen of Sheba. It stays beautiful and sweetly fragrant for a little while, but soon becomes a sweet, barely-there powdery almond note, and lingers close to the skin. I do like this, but it's not the best.

[bubastis]

I had high hopes for queen of sheba, it being a blend that contains honey and no florals...as I first put it on, it was wonderful,a very good mix between sweet and spicy and the almonds smelled of marzipan to my nose. Five minutes later however it acquired a nasty bitter smell I don't know if it's the spices that did it or if I just can't wear a blend with almonds in it, but it's off to the swap box with this one.

[ideasoflight]

Sweet and almondy in the vial. Marzipan baby diaper on my skin within an hour. WHOOF. I had such high hopes for this one, too.

[anaengel]

For me, this scent is purely almond and spices from first application to finish. I want to say this is like Silk Road and Athens mixed together. I know that the honey stays in the background but lends a sweetness to the creamy spice.

[GuardianOfTheMoon]

Imp: Sharp almond, but its medicinal in smell. I would have never picked up this scent if I had smelled it before buying.

 

Wet: Same as the imp, but there is a powdery-ness to it that dull its sharpness.

Dry (10 minutes): No almond, no spice; just florals. I asked my mother and sister what notes they were getting. My sister said she could get a hint of almond, but both agreed that it smelled like a light floral. Not a spring floral though, its still very warm. Its not very strong on me.

Dry (3 hours): I can only smell it if my nose is right next to my wrist. So this is either a very weak scent on me, of I put too little on. Still very floral, but another warm note has appeared. Kinda like honey, but could also be an amber scent. I imagine I won't be able to smell anything in a another few hours.

Consensus: Not at all what I expected, but I think its still a scent that works well for me. It faint and light, making it a good everyday scent. Though I am disappointed I'm not getting any almond or spice. I intend to stubbornly try it on different parts of my body until I get that almond! I want an almond scent sooo bad!

 

 

 

UPDATE: Alas, no almond anywhere. I passed this imp to my sister, but she hated it so much that she gave it back. I guess this one is off to the swap pile.

Edited January 25, 2014 by GuardianOfTheMoon

[chocobox]

Incredible morpher!! I reapplied this several times because I couldn't believe that it changed so quickly.

In Imp: Strong, scary almond, definitely spicy marzipan. First sniff hurts my nose. I actually avoided putting it on several times... thankfully I eventually gathered the courage to try it. Now I love it.

Wet: Sweet almond, no more harshness.

Dry: Faint florals. Nondescript. It actually blends into a lull that mimics my natural body scent. This is surprisingly a fit for me.

[keileya]

This is a friend's beloved go-to scent, so I gave it a try.

 

In the bottle: almond and ... something spice-ish I can't quite ID.

 

Wet on skin: more almond, and ... christmas cookies? No, BUBBLE GUM. That cheap awful bubble gum tape where you can get it in 6' lengths and it rolls up into the little plastic tin. Very artificial-smelling on me, plasticky and spoiled.

 

Do not want! Oh well, at least it means more for her.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Strong, rounded almond. Almost alcoholic.

 

Drydown: Sweet and spicy with a dry, smoldering heat. The honey dribbles in as the almond calms down a bit. The spices are smooth yet fiery (cardamom, allspice, turmeric???). There's a toasted quality to the almond that becomes the blend’s grounding element.

 

Dry: Earthy, sensual, and untamed. Over time it fades into a slightly nutty, but decidedly dry spice-musk.

 

7 out of 10 bones

[mymymai]

• ITI: It's rather sweet, but in a baklava kind of way. To that extent, it smells like honey, almonds, dates, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

Wet: On my skin, the scent takes on a slightly papery quality, which strikes me as odd. It still is very sweet, and a bit too heavy on the honey in my opinion, but then again, honey tens to turn on me. It still has elements of the sweet treat I sensed from the bottle state, but it does change based on skin chemistry.

Dry: The honey dies down considerably, leaving a more perfume-y and slightly older smelling spice blend with a touch of aged almonds in the background. Again, I don't think this one is for me.

[batsy]

In the vial: honey roasted almonds. SUPER STRONG.

 

On the skin: Yeah, spicy, strong almonds. A little tiny bit of this throws a heck of a lot. On the dry down, it's just ALMOND all over my wrist. No thanks.

[Veronica]

This is lovely--all sweet almonds with musk. Not overly sweet marzipan but lovely amaretto. Not sure if it's bottle-worthy but it is lovely.

[Jeni Mullen]

My scent palette: I'm a foodie that doesn't tend to like the lab's vanilla scent unless there's something sugary in it. Eat Me is one of my favorite scents along with Captain Lilith (more boozy but still sweet). I love FOREST smells (like pine needles, juniper, leaves, moss and grass) but sandlewoods, rosewoods, and things like cedar or oak just don't do nice things on me. I love Magnificent Autumn and Druid on the dry down but they do nasty things to me when wet. I like spices too as long as they aren't kitchen spices (like mint and sage). Frankincense smells a little like sage so I haven't been too happy with that in my blends either. Scherezade and Sapphics are my go to spice oils. My biggest no-no are florals. Lavender and Jasmine, ylang ylang and peony run rampant. That said, carnation and sometimes rose can be quite nice on me if they're toned down. I also am not sure about my take on citrus. Lime is overwhelming (but I liked it in Lily Witch right up until the leather note hit). As an aside, leather, vetiver and hemp tend to give me headaches. I have not found a single scent I like those notes in.

In the bottle: It smells like cherry almond! I didn't even see cherry in the description!
On my wrist, wet: Still cherries and almonds and it's beautiful. What's causing the cherries?
Fifteen minutes later: Hm. There's under all of that. Something sort of FLAT. I think that's the honey? I miss my wet scent.
Thirty minutes later: I'm not sure what that afterthought scent is still. It feels musty in my nose, though honestly, the rest of it smells so good. I think the honey is souring it. Maybe it's just a very bitter almond pulling up the rear?

Verdict: I really liked it up until about the 15 minute mark. Still not sure where the scent is coming from that I don't like so I'm hoping it's just a wierd reaction to some lotion I had on earlier. Will be testing again before I decide if this is a swap or a keep.

[SweetEpiphanies]

In the imp- all almonds all the time with maybe a hint of spice underneath.

On wet- its still very almondish but the spiciness comes out a lot more and then...

Dry- literally like a minute after its dry the almond disappears completely and I'm left with dry, bitter spices. Eh...

1/2 hour later- yeah still bitter and dry. It smells almost like a really cheap hotel soap that's trying to be high end.

 

This one hated me.

[unxolve]

Definitely almonds.

Something about this reminds me vaguely of a cherry-vanilla-almond cookie, but if someone had melted it down into a syrup.
Big, crispy, reddish almonds. Okay, but a little sharp.

[DiesMali]

Initial application was blind tested, checked notes after applying.

 

In the imp: Very sweet, lightly floral. I could swear this has cherries in it.

 

Wet on my skin: A perfect mix of sweet almonds and wildflower honey, with a cherry on top. What do you mean there's no cherry in it...?

 

Dry: Whatever was reading as cherry fades almost as soon as this dries. Thankfully, the honey in this doesn't do the screechingly sharp/sour thing it tends to do on me in many honey blends, probably because it's not the primary note in this. This is primarily sweet almond and gentle spices as it dries, with the honey warming it into something that almost smells like a Middle Eastern dessert. Actually, now that I think about it, this smells very much like a delicious honey cake I tried not too long ago, and the recipe was inspired by something the chef had tried during his travels through the Abrahamic faiths' Holy Land. It's a warm, pleasant, and golden scent with a "homey" feel to it. Fairly light

[lucycat]

This was a frimp from the Lab.

 

In the imp: Cherry almond, like Jergens lotion.

 

As I expected, that very sweet almond note, which I love, doesn’t last, but develops into a deeper, less sweet nutty scent. The honey also comes forward, making this a nice spiced honey-almond.

[Poenari]

Freshly applied to wrist, I get BLASTED with super-sweet cherry almond scent. This reminds me of the pink Breck Crème Rinse that my mother used to use on my hair as a child of the 60's. You had to mix it with water before pouring it over your hair. So pink! So sweet! And no tangles!

 

And then the sweet almond disappears and this turns into cumin. Not soft spices, but bitter and nose-wrinkly.

 

Oh, my Queen, you stink.

[Soupy Twist]

Marzipan in the bottle, but not in a good way. Goes on as physically sticky and a bit cloying. Turns into Jordan almonds, which isn't too bad, and some generic spices come in. There's a raw almond note — I really feel like this is the olfactory equivalent of eating Jordan almonds — but then a weird sourness enters. Then I get cumin? And at that point I just had to wash it off. Disappointing.

[marilyn eyre]

Yummy spiced almond cookies.

A dry sexy scent.

I want more.

[d0gbones]

In the imp: Marzipan

Wet: Delicious, just like opening a packet of marzipan.

Dry: Honeyed almonds and very VERY light spices, which stops it from being particularly sweet. Not my favourite almond scent, but it smells so gooood.

[agirlnamedfury]

Testing location: left inner elbow

 

In imp: rich, woody almonds.

 

Wet on skin: very similar to in imp, but with a touch of sweetness added.

 

After about twenty minutes, this is starting to tingle a bit on my inner elbow, but I don't detect any cinnamon which is the usual culprit for my sensitive skin. Will have to wait and see if a rash develops... I hope not because I LOVE this. Almond scents have a tendency to be full-on marzipan on me, but this is all nutty and natural. It would be a beautiful, subtle everyday scent for me... I just want to slather myself in it.

 

Dry: Hmmm, after a couple hours there's some new herbal note in this that I don't love. Wish it had stayed all sweet nuttiness...

 

 

Will have to try this one again, as I was totally in love with it but now I'm not so sure.