Bathsheba

[Khaman]

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.

This was a giftie imp when I was sent a sample of Bengal from another forumite, and I wore it today as a what the hell.

I've read the reviews and descriptions and as a floral I said "Oh, hell. Soap." Because that's what happens to florals on me.

I sniffed the imp. Yep, soapy to me nose.

I put it on. Got my nose down there to give it a whiff while wet and I say to m'self "Yep soa-- wait."

I gave it a few. Sniffed again. Sure enough, while there was still a bit of soapiness to this blend on my skin, I have to say, it was a damn nice soap and I got many whiffs of actual floral smell on me. The most successful floral on me so far. And I definitely got a whiff of the plum, which was surprisingly delightful.

It smells clean and almost sweet. I think that's definitely the carnation coming out on me. But something, perhaps the musk, stabilizes it and keeps it from going pure soap on me. Drydown was more musky/powdery than anything else, much to my surprise.

I don't know about a bottle, I have to give it some more wear, but it definitely had more success on me than anything else of this nature.


Very nicely blended. If you like florals and they work for you, definitely give this a shot.

[quimerula]

What a pretty perfume!

 

I think as Bathsheba as a part of the plum gang, along with Kitsune Tsuki and Bordello.

Bordello likes to stand tall and it's a bit tart.

Kitsune is tricky and has oriental eyes.

And Bathsheba is the silent and elegant beauty. Just delicious.

[eclecticaurora]

I just got this as a frimp in my latest order and it HAD to go on. I was kind of nervous because musks don't seem to fare well on me (they seem to go bitter), but this time it fared well! Maybe because of the other two ingredients listed? Anyways, it turned into this sweet and sexy second skin type of smell and I am considering ordering a bottle of this because it's so intoxicating. This is the female version of Laudanum (even though this scent is labeled "gender neutral" it turns into a more feminine scent on me...hmm, wonder what the Boy would smell like with this...**goes into mad scientist mode**) Anyways, I would highly recommend this scent if you like sweet, sexy, second skin type of scents.

[lohengrin]

In the imp: Perfume.

 

On, wet: Carnation, a little musk. No plum.

 

Later: Alas, the plum never does show up. And for carnation, I have a few I like already. Phooey. I really wanted that carnation/plum mix.

[allelujiah]

This scent is sexy as hell!

 

It is slightly sweet (because of the plum, I reckon) - like honeyed carnations. It is what I thought Alice would be like, only grown up and more intense.

 

The musk just makes is all carnal and yummy, a little darker/smokier. The plum isn't like Bordello, which on me was just sickly sweet, it is a subtle, kind of spicy sweetness that doesn't smell too fruity.

 

Damn, this is would be good with Fallen.

[Freyja Lux]

Too much carnation for me. I'm not a huge fan of heavy floral scents; they hurt my nose. If there was more of the musk or plum it might have worked for me. I tend to associate obvious floral notes (a lot of them anyway) to soap and cheap perfume. Which is a real pity but scent is always tied to memory.

Edited October 17, 2005 by Freyja Lux

[zenvodunista]

gorgeous in description, and … that kind of scent that slips beneath my radar in the bottle. On me? It was reminicent of a wealthy woman's perfume -- but not very me. I want to say Coco Chanel for some reason, but I don't think I've smelled it in years. the point being: very much a "perfume". meh. i'll try it again to be sure, but most likely this one is not for me.

 

n.

[carolinachiquita]

I wasn't keen on this when I first applied it - I think it was the plum that I didn't like as I know I like musks and Carnation. As it dried down it went better but it was a take it or leave it scent with me.

[herongale]

pre-conceived notion: I am as burdened with high expectations (and therefore as keen to like this) as I was with Scherezade. The K.D. Lang song "Hallelujah" makes reference to her ("Your faith was strong but you needed proof/ you saw her bathing on the roof/ her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you"), and as this is a favourite song of mine, I really want to like this scent bad. Badly.

 

in the imp: Carnation seems to turn into a kind of clove in my nose, but here it's just the faintest hint of spice. Strongest by far is the scent of plum; this is a purple, ripe plum with a dusting of white powder on the skin. There is no kind of musk that I recognize in here, but that's quite alright because the plum is so juicy and alive that I can almost believe I recently just ate a plum, with the residue of the nectar dripping down my chin and making my fingers sticky (no plum worth eating is going to reach my mouth in a dainty fashion, I assure you).

 

wet: more plum! You know, it occurs to me that this has got to be the perfect fruit to represent this mysteriously seductive old-testament woman. It's sweet and lush and tempting. King David watching her bathing on the roof from his palace tower and thinking unlawful thoughts in the silence of his own mind.

 

drydown: This smells like a private garden of fruit-bearing trees, and reminds me somewhat of the flowers blooming in the courtyards and moat surrounding the city of Mdina in Malta. The feel of this is exquisitely Mediterranean and ripe, a faint gloss of spiritual incense and sexuality over the persistent plum note. There is something faintly honeyish and something even a tiny bit bitter in here. It's feminine, but unlike Scherezade I do not feel blown away by waves of inadequacy… this definitely evokes the sympathetic image of a woman, careless, naked and vulnerable, as she goes about her routine daily rituals with a totally unstudied air stripped of all artifice.

 

verdict: I like this so so much. I think I want more… this really seems to fit into a unique scent niche unlike any of my previously tried BPAL fragrances, and the character it represents holds so much resonance for me. A definite win.

 

post-conceived notion: I'm finding that scents that are inspired by things I care for do tend to work better for me, even if the notes included are not ones I would have previously thought myself drawn to.

[polydactyl]

This scent is very womanly and sensual, very good for wearing at night or somewhere swank and classy, very "perfumey". Bathsheba starts out sparkling sweet with hint of tartness underneath. It's not as fruity as I'd expect it to be, and I don't sense the carnation's clove until the oil has faded a bit. It might be the Arabian musk that is dominant in this scent, though it isn't "musky" at all, but as smooth as satin sheets (purple ones, of course). As sexy as an ideal plum, ripe and juicy sweet.

[Victory]

Bathsheba is unspeakably beautiful. It's a perfume you smell, close your eyes and think that you couldn't tell someone how lovely it is even if you had all the time in the world. So gorgeous.

 

I never get much carnation, and only a hint of plum when I first apply, but the Arabian musk is spectacular. The scent is never very strong, and is completely gone in about two and a half hours, but I find it so exquisite I ordered a 5 mL and will carry it with me.

[Kaerusatori]

I like this. Sweet, fruity plum and a generous amount of carnation. Despite the carnation and musk, it’s still nice, light, softly-sexy scent. The plum doesn’t last as long as I wish it would (only a few hours), but while it’s there, Bathsheba is a lovely scent.

 

Might eventually be a 5 mL when I run out of my other plummy love—Snake Charmer

 

ETA: Herongale mentioned "Hallelujah"; I think of that song, too, but the Rufus Wainwright version

Edited November 22, 2005 by Kaerusatori

[wingedcorset]

In the imp this is a gorgeous juicy plum-thing, with the carnation lurking in the background. On my skin, it is all spicy musk...weird. I think this one might have to go back into the imp box and get tried again...I'm not sure how I feel about the spicyness...it doesn't immediately turn me off.

[merebrillante]

nul

Edited January 31, 2006 by merebrillante

[purplegirl]

hi all *waves*

 

i'm new to posting here on the forum, but i just wanted to add my two bits in! i received my first order of imps a couple weeks back and i've had a chance to wear all of them for the last two weeks, and while 90% of them were amazing (two didn't sit right on me, so if anything, the scents were amazing.. me, not so much!) Bathsheba stood out from the gang for me.

 

in the vial, it smelled completely of plum to my nose. as carnations are my favourite flowers (with lilacs a close second) my heart dropped a little bit when i didn't pick up on the carnation on first whiff. but once on the skin, the plum did a quick solo and took a back seat to a ridiculously sexy tango of carnation and the sweet, sweet musk. it lasted for the entire day and there was a sexy yet cheeky vibe to the scent. as it sat on the skin, it morphed into a much more intimate scent, one of those scents that would whisper to you, then when you leaned in for a closer listen, it just grabbed you!

 

thank you Lab!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[maewitch]

I didn't quite like this at first. Something in it reminded me of the unpleasant aspects of both lotus and ylang-yland - perhaps the plum? I never thought I had an issue with plum, but recalling my impression of a plum-based moisturizer as smelling 'chemically', it's entirely possible that this is that high-pitched, sweet note I'm detecting.

 

However, this note fades after a little while, and I get the warmth and spiciness of the carnation, feminine and a touch powdery. The musk is there, and compared to Egyptian musk which tends to be too sharp and almost sharp on me, it is softer and darker.

 

I like it.

 

EDIT: On a second try, I don't get that high note at all, just spicy-warm muskiness, with a heavy and almost juicy sweetness. Lovely.

Edited January 24, 2006 by maewitch

[melange]

Imp: Perfume! Intense!

 

Wet: one note? How?

 

Drydown: this is in the family of the more traditional floral-musky perfumes that identify as "exotic," the heavy kind whose color is crimson or, why not, a dark plum. Unlike department store perfumes, this one doesn't give me a headache; I still don't know quite how Beth does it, beyond not using synthetics, but I certainly appreciate it. Bathsheba is intense, a bit heavy, worn to remind everyone you're a woman with a capital W. I don't know that I'd describe it as having "innocence"; I'd call it "operatic."

 

Worn: On me, this doesn't change much from drydown; it still manages to be a unified blend, the notes balancing admirably so none really pokes out at me. It has some throw but fades fairly quickly on my skin.

 

Conclusion: I love seeing what the Lab picks out for frimps; they can really have a knack for picking fragrances I'd had my eye on or whose themes fit things in my life, in this case, a book I'd been reading. It's very opulent, and I suspect I'd have to be all dressed up to wear it right.

[Musamea]

I adore the carnation that Beth uses in Maiden, and the Lab has really helped lay my fear of musk to rest, so I expected to love Bathsheba.

 

Unfortunately, the first thing that came to my mind when I put the oil on was... banana? That's right, a nearly overripe banana with the lightest dusting of spice over it. Okay. I let the blend sit for a bit, and the scent eventually morphed into a heavy, heavy plum. And, unfortunately, no hint of the carnation that I'd been looking forward to anywhere.

 

Overall: Bathsheba is a very bold, very womanly scent, and one that I'm not sure if I can carry off. The overwhelming fruitiness of this oil puts it in my swap pile.

[undream]

First review here.

 

I am fortunate enough to know a very generous creature who decided to recently share the BPAL love with me, giving me my first taste! & I have to say, I am deliriously in love with Bathsheba. In the imp, I thought it smelled floral & a little fruity; sweet and light. But once on my skin, it almost immediately became very warm and spicey and just absolutely luscious. I love this one! (Which did surprise me as, going into this & being so new to BPAL scents, I really didn't think I would be very keen on any spicey scents, to wear!)

 

After about an hour, the spice and the warmth are still there but sweeter now. It is just overall a very sweet and lush and warm and sensual and delicious scent, on me. I want a bigger bottle of this one!!

[jazlyn]

My nose doesn't like Bathsheba. I think if I kept smelling, I'd get a headache; I think it's the combination of the strong floral and musk (I can't smell the plum, unfortunately )

[sookster]

straight up from the bottle i can smell that gorgeous plum mixed with

carnation

i never get any of the musk from this blend....

the plum in this reminds

me very much of the plumminess in snake charmer that i just adore

lasting power is so/so with my chemistry .... overall this is a very pretty scent

[dreago]

In the vial: Bathsheba is a sunshine yellow perfume oil. When I smell the bottle, I can detect the spicy sweet carnation and the musk. I imagine when Kind David saw the lovely lady, he was close enough to see she was a beautiful and fertile woman. He had plenty of those. But then he must have heard her laughter. Because when I open the vial and take a whiff, the first thing that greets me is a girlish, ripe, delightful plum. Poor King David. Just out of reach from his balcony, a sweet, juicy, spicy plum that had already been picked by someone else.

 

 

Splashed on the wrist: The plum and the carnation are fighting it out. The combination of their struggle creates an almost soapy smell. Now, usually for most people this is a terrible insult: "ewwww, soap!" But my wrist smells like plumy/carnationy bath oil. I smell clean, fresh and lightly perfumed. Just like Bathsheba exiting her bath.

 

 

Dry down: The plum wins! It sits on top and is what you smell when I wave my wrist in the air. But step closer, move in to caress my skin and the spicy carnation will greet you. The musk ensures that the carnation will have subtle staying power. It also deepens the plum so it stays juicy but not artificially sweet. I would buy a bottle of this. I usually prefer a more intense perfume, but it is nice to find something I like outside of my comfort zone. Not only does it smell delicious but it is light enough for office wear and innocent enough for interactions with my clients. It is not an overpowering scent so it is perfect for mixing with hand lotion.

 

 

Final Verdict: Someone upthread quoted the Simpsons saying, "this is a plum floating in perfume in a man's hat." So true. Except about the man's hat. A perfect blend of sweet and spicy, but still innocent and light.

[Fefferbella]

Frimp from the Lab:

 

Carnations!!! and spicey musk with a hint a sweet plum juice...

 

This is so feminine and lovely. The musk threatens to go powdery on my skin, but quickly fades.

This is absolute floral gorgeousness! I love when the lab sends me frimps I would never try on my own!

[Phaedra]

Wet this is sweet florals, jasmine I think. When first on this smells like bubblegum which is probably lotus. It's a bit powdery and misty. The powdery note becomes slightly spicy and I think it's carnation. This is a light, soft blend. I was hoping to get more of the plum note in it. This is okay but I don't need to keep it.

[kourika]

While Scherezade, a similar blend, is just nice on my skin, Bathsheba is an amazingly sweet and spicy concoction that makes my senses tingle and people around me sniff the air eagerly. I don't know which note works so amazingly well with my body chemistry, but this was the first large bottle I purchased from the lab.