Bat-Sheba Exotic Oriental

One of Sophia Grojsman's earlier accomplishments as a perfumer, Bat-Sheba "Exotic Oriental" exhibits her budding adventurousness in pushing the envelope of classical accords. Here, she pushes frankincense resin more forward in the composition than just about anything else I've encountered in a perfume of the era, or earlier, for that matter. Thus, we feel a uniquely incense quality juxtaposed with a more traditional floral chypre. A musky, dusty rose flanked by spices eventually replaces the prominence of the frankincense, and it soon feels like a rosy cocoa powder with greener, bitter floral overtones. While we are at first teased with an amber nucleus, the later stages of the element are all classic chypre, characteristic of the time period, leathery and mossy, with a subtle civet warmth. As I write this, Buffalo Springfield and the Association are my soundtrack, which seems rather fitting; the tonalities match.

If this remained like it is in the opening the entire time, or got deeper, it would be a true love...but as it is it simply is a like. It opens up as a chypre and stays a chypre, yes, BUT it opens up with the most gorgeous olibamum (frankincense) note without being a full on incense perfume. I have yet to discover an incense frag that's not *just* an incense frag and I was soooooo hoping that this could be the one...unfortunately it isn't because it quickly loses that frankincense note while drying down and turns musty. I don't dislike it, but it does get that stereotypical old musty note, whatever it is, and I'm a vintage FREAK...so I know and love my old fashioned perfumes. It's only exotic and oriental in the opening, it becomes quite typical and common after a few minutes, which is it's downfall. Don't get new wrong, I do enjoy this perfume, it's just that it would've been so much better, remarkable even, with a heavier and more oriental dry down. Oh well, still a fantastic blast to the past!!

In 1968, "Bat-Sheba Exotic Oriental" and "Bat-Sheba Woody Modern" were released. They were flankers to the original Bat-Sheba, which came out in 1964. I acquired a set a few years ago with both flankers. "Exotic Oriental" is a sweet-ish, resinous oriental that smells to me almost cocoa-like. Lurking in the background is rose and musk and I think a dark animalic (castoreum? civet?). There is a slightly dusty or powdery feeling to the whole thing, evoking the sandy Near Eastern deserts and ancient trade-routes. At points in the drydown, it reminds me of a weaker Obsession by Calvin Klein. I find it to be a whispery fragrance, not hard-hitting or strong.

Well,i sure can recognize the hand of Sophia Grojsman here. There are so many notes in this composition,i am not skilled enough to analyze them. All i can say is to me this smells like a true vintage in all its glory. The packaging is stunning. There is this vase formed ,hand painted bottle,and inside the box is a tiny paper roll included,which tells the story of Bat-Sheba (or Betsebaa as i used to know her). To be honest, the scent itself is not a true love to me, but i'm captured by the bottle and storytelling .