Bathsheba

[femmefatale]

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.

mmmm.....this is wonderful! I can't believe I waited so long to try it.
This is a wonderful slightly sweet, slightly spicy musk with just a hint of plum. It morphs gently back and forth between being sweeter or spicier, but it's definitely a musk scent, not a fruity one. And it's definitely exotic and flirty and sexy. I love it and might need a bottle. Edited April 11, 2009 by Shollin

[crebbsgirl]

The plum was pretty predominant on me throughout the entire wear. Sweet, and a little juicy. The musk came out later in the drydown and grounded the plum quite nicely. This was sweet, but it wasn't cloying. The carnation added a bit of floral spice, but never really came out in force. Overall, this was sweet and fruity, with a bit of an edge. I liked it, but I think I tend to wear scents a little darker.

[diamondstars]

I was hoping the plum would be more dominant here; but sadly it's just a very faint and slightly spicy musk on me.

[melrose]

A lovely, mysterious incense with a top note of banana - I do believe I love it, which surprises me, as I am NOT into fruity scents. This one may even be in my top 10.

[Veronica]

Wet, this had a very young, green floral, which I'm assuming is the carnation. As it dried, the plum came out more, but not a ripe, juicy plum, just a slight accent to the musk, which is what really came out on me. This scent was warm and calming, almost a little incense-y (but not really). It's mostly musk with accents of plum and spice, the carnations don't really seem to be coming out at all. It's a beautiful, mature scent and very calming, I put this on before bed and immediately felt more restful, but for day-wear I think it's just a little too mature for me. I could definitely see myself wearing this in the future as a more mature, confident woman.

 

I don't find this particularly floral or fruity, mostly musky and resinous. It's a deep, simple and subtly sexy scent, not in-your-face, but rather lazily drifting by to catch your attention. Definitely growing on me, and very different from my usual light florals!

 

EDIT: On second test, this is pretty much the same as above, mostly incense with a plummy carnation top note, the plum is almost a dried plub and the carnation only a little spicy. It's very pretty and a lovely scent, but just not something I'd wear.

Edited November 17, 2009 by delighted

[catattack]

Imp: Fruity

Wet: Fruity and spicy

Drydown: I smell carnation. None of the other notes stand out distinctly on my skin. It's very nicely blended.

Overall: I could take it or leave it. It's a bit too subtle for my tastes. I think carnation lovers will enjoy this.

[liquidtrance]

Imp sniff: Smells primarily musky.

Wet, this smells like a musky floral. Not quite carnation. I think it must be the plum and musk because there isn't yet any of the spiciness of carnation. This goes VERY plummy on me. Still no carnation (which I normally amp to high heaven) after about 10 minutes. Much less musky which is good. This plum also seems just a hint greener than some of the other plum scents I've worn. I think I can almost smell the carnation in the distance. Nice scent, but would have hoped for a little more carnation.

[tragedy]

Peppery, musky, flowery!

I was talking to another forumite about my love for bathsheba and going back to my list realized I hadn't reveiwed it yet.

So I slathered a bit on and am hit with the plum at first, its an overripe juicy (sexy) plum with a peppery bite. The musk comes in later to round it out and make it even sexier.

It has decent throw and good staying power, a rarity with me.

Yes, I do love Bathsheba!

Edited June 2, 2009 by tragedy

[Evengloam]

Bottle: Juicy plum and musk.

 

Wet: The carnation that I previously couldn't detect comes out. All three notes blend together beautifully.

 

Dry: The carnation occasionally rises above the plum and musk, but it's mostly the same.

 

1 hour in: Same as it was dry. No morphing at all with this blend.

 

I actually find absolutely nothing wrong with this scent, but I can't see myself ordering a bottle. Not sure why; it's a pretty scent.

 

If you're looking for a plum and/or carnation blend that you could wear absolutely anywhere, I would check Bathsheba out.

[JLostein]

In imp: Musky, almost very slightly smoky, but not quite. Also a hint of something sweet in the background. We're off to a good start!

 

Wet on skin: Aha! There's the plum leaping out! The musk is swirling around but the plum still dominates.

 

Drying: The plum and musk have mingled together beautifully. I think the carnation is hanging around in the background, but very slightly.

 

Dry: Ok, wait... there's the carnation after all. Strange how these three notes blend together so incredibly beautifully! I would never have expected to like this but I DO and I'm so glad I got a tiny bit as a frimp It's sensual and very slightly fruity but there's also a strange (yet beautiful) smokey quality around it on my skin.

 

Oh yum

[topazphoenix]

The carnation lends a sharpness and the plum gives a slightly woody (for some reason I associate this with rice flower lol) sweetness. The musk kind of intertwines the two in the background. This scent is so pretty and feminine, I'd wear it when I want my day to feel exotic and oriental.

[devilot]

In the Vial: Weird, it smells more like rose to me. And a green sort of plum.

 

Wet: Still not getting the classically spicy carnation, still sort of a fresh rosey scent. And now the plum shifts from green to the purpley plum we're all so familiar with.

 

Drydown: Soooo faint. WTF is up with my skin chemistry today? Either that, or Bathsheba really does NOT want to be detectable on me.

 

Verdict: Well, what I am able to smell, smells great. For you know, all of twenty seconds. I'm really not sure if my skin chemistry is acting up, or if this blend just won't work with me. A real pity as I really really like the way this smells. If I ever wanted to wear this, I think I'd have to dump an entire imp on each wrist. Sigh.

 

ETA: Woohoo! The musk has come out finally! The musk decided to appear and it's gorgeous. It also helps to make this blend a bit more noticeable, but ultimately, I wanna be able to smell a perfume on me without having to walk around w/ my nose glued to my wrist.

[caffinatedangel]

The carnation note fresh on skin reminded me of some spicier versions of rose I've come across, kind of odd. Plum didn't really take a forefront for me. About an hour in, I started noticing more plum, but it just really added a touch of fruit to the gentle floral. It was mostly musk and floral, and soothing in a way, but not one I think I would wear often, despite having high hopes. It had lovely throw, and stayed around a good while too. A lot of these softer, more floral scents just sort of vanish. Nice strong base notes here. nomnom.

[claudia6913]

Ahh plum again. =) Always nice to see. In the imp it's spicy carnation and musk.

 

Wet on my skin its still the spicy carnation + musk, but a hint of soft sweetness. It really is nice and soft, feminine without being the overly flowery kind. Each time I sniff my wrist I get a different scent coming to the fore. This definitely is evoking an "innocent" feel, but not pure. Shy maybe, but with heat and desire underneath.

 

I really really like this for the soft sensual feel of it. It doesn't scream harlot, but it could with the right clothes and look. It's deceptive in that way. On the outside you appear sweetly innocent strolling along, but in the dark and behind closed doors, you could be whatever you wanted while maintaining that blush of innocence.

 

I do believe I want a bottle of this. I really like it and can't stop sniffing my wrist.

[Venneh]

In the frimp, I'm getting a muskish sort of scent first and foremost, with plum and carnation in the background. On my skin, I get the plum and the musk, with a hint of carnation, and it's a really nice scent, but, again, not anything I absolutely need a bottle of.

Edited October 16, 2009 by Venneh

[levelek]

Another one I was really looking forward to try! As soon as it hit my skin, it turned into soap. Just soap. Definitely no.

[sihaya09]

I dug this from my neglected imps pile this afternoon. I vaguely remember it being soft plum and carnation. But after about a years' worth of aging, it was soft plum and soft musk. No carnation in sight. It does smell a little soapy. Boo, I guess this is one that's best fresh.

[Leopard403]

When I first delved into BPAL, "musk" was one of my verboten notes; and anything with it was on the No Way, Don't Even Try It list. In the past years, I've learned the differences among musks and have found that some do work on me.

 

Unfortunately, the "Arabian musk" variety is one that does not work. It is too incense-y and masculine to work with my chemistry; and in this blend, combined with that dark plum, the blend is shockingly sour. Bad-milk-and-really-dirty-feet sour.

 

I don't get any carnation, though even if I did, I don't know that it would temper my strong dislike of the other notes.

[MCS4096]

I was hoping for carnation from this, which is a favorite note of mine. In the imp it's entirely juicy plum. On it just blows up! I get spicy carnation over plum and it's all blended by the musk. Becomes a lot more flowery floral as it dries down.. this is the throw, the carnation is only noticed up close I'm afraid. Still, pretty awesome and I think I may go for a bottle eventually as it's pretty different than anything I have.

[reynardine]

I wanted carnation or plum, but the musk completely overwhelmed this scent. Heavy throw—starts out strong and doesn’t stop! Way too perfumey for my tastes. Off to swaps pile!

[donnatron]

Imp: Plum and a soft, brownish musk. No carnation.

 

Wet: This is very light and mild. Soft, slightly plummy. almost plum blossom-y.

 

Dry: Well this is a wtf? It smells like bananas. Like... well, not so much bananas as fake banana flavoured things. It's utterly bizarre. It's not necessarily unpleasant but kind of... weird. And not what I was expecting. And weird, mostly.

 

Throw: Mild.

 

Overall: I am not a fan of smelling like bananas. Sadly, Bathsheba is not for me.

[hkhm]

imp: sweet, flowery musk.

 

wet: beautiful! the plum is juicy sweet whilethe carnation is creamy sweet. the musk ties it all together. i already think i need a bottle!

 

dry: this is very lovely, the plum is dominant but not overly sweet. the carnation and musk really tie this scent together well.

[lavender84]

Mmm... this is carnation and musk on me mostly with whiffs of plum...

 

Calming scent which clears the mind, quite a lovely blend, I'd be using my imp for sure.

 

 

[FathomBelow]

YES, my spring imps have arrived - a very sweet gift from my brother!

 

In the bottle: Faint sweet, slightly candyish smell, with something airy. Maybe plum and carnation?

Wet on skin: Almost all plum. The fruits from Black Phoenix tend to go a bit too sweet on me (e.g. High John the Conqueror), and this is no exception.

As it dries: The plum mellows out and the candyish quality goes away.

After it dries: My first whiff of this dry reminded me instinctively of Christmas wreaths and craft stores, but on subsequent, more intellectually analyzed sniffs this doesn’t smell anything like either Christmas wreaths or craft stores at all! But it does remind me of pine – maybe my nose is reading the airy sweetness as pine? Overall it’s slightly sweet but not too much, and not in a way that reminds me of plums, oddly enough – it’s not a fruity sweetness. It’s a dry, dusty sweetness (not in an unpleasant way, of course). I have no experience with Arabian musk but I guess it could be what is modifying the sweetness.

 

Final opinion: I'm not blown away as I was hoping to be from reading the other reviews. But still, it’s a nice scent that I'm pleased with and I'll keep the imp.

 

[girasol]

Imp: Sweetly floral and slightly fruity.

 

Wet: Florals front and centre, spicy musk lurking in the background.

 

Dry: The musk (which is a lovely rich spicy musk, mmm) is the stronger note now, but the florals and the fruitiness are blending very nicely with it.

 

Verdict: Oh dear, I like it. I like it a lot. Another one for the will-buy-a-bottle-sometime list. It's such a long list.