Comments on: Jean Desprez Bal a Versailles

by: Scentzilla!

Tue, 20 Dec 2005 18:32:53 +0000

Andy, winter shouldn’t be too tough, I hope. The icy roads with the high winds are a bit scary, but they won’t stay that way all week - I hope! I suppose mentioning Euphoria is a bit of a cheap shot, but it is getting so much hype lately that it’s on the top of my head, and really it simply doesn’t compare.

Anya, oooh, yes, BaV is definitely iconic. That’s too bad it overwhelms you… BaV is so smooth (even though complex) that I never feel overwhelmed by it. I hope perhaps one day it will suddenly fit just right for you.

by: Anya

Tue, 20 Dec 2005 11:50:21 +0000

Bal a Versaille always made me feel like I was in a satin gown, perhaps with a fur wrap, totally elegant, which confused me no end, since I first discovered it during the hippie days of jeans and T-shirts. It is transformative on me, obviously, taking me to a more exalted place. The fragrance so overwhelms me, I couldn’t clear my head enought to notice the circularity, the evolution of the scent, anything. I haven’t had any for a few years now, and it may be some time more — it’s so overwhelming to me!

Must add — I adore it, and can conjure up the scent memory easily, the bottle, the entire tactile and olfactory experience. It is an iconic perfume, epic in its reach. (and I don’t mean just sillage ;-)

by: Andy

Tue, 20 Dec 2005 05:50:56 +0000

Wonderful review, thank you for juxtapositioning Bal a Versaille with Ephoria…. and for bringing the circularity up again, which I think is a very interesting and aspect. I hope the winter is not going to be too tough on you over christmas!

by: Scentzilla!

Tue, 20 Dec 2005 04:10:24 +0000

No “cozy” for you either? My husband is not so fond of this scent when I wear it - he says it’s too musky and masculine!! whenever I spray it on. And you know, BaV is a frag I could see making a drop-dead sexy male scent, too. But sheesh, too musky? That man! He has lost his senses!

Opulence is certainly part of its character, I really agree. If BaV were a place it would be a grand opera hall. Ornate and gorgeous, and filled with the most impressive and athletic form of music.

by: BoisdeJasmin

Tue, 20 Dec 2005 00:19:13 +0000

Like R, I do not get the cozy effect from Bal a Versailles either. It is more about elegance, darkness and certain opulence for me. Of course, this is so highly personal anyway. It is a beautiful fragrance, especially in the parfum concentration.

by: Scentzilla!

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 23:35:25 +0000

Hey R, if you can’t seem to locate it, let me know please :)

I think it’s quite elegant, but the overall warmth, especially that animalic edge to it, really gives it that cozy feel both M and I discern.

by: Robin

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 22:56:11 +0000

Ok, whatever you guys are smelling in Bal a Versailles, I must have missed. I thought it was lovely, but “cozy” is the last word I would have used. Hmmm. Off to see if I still have a sample.

by: Scentzilla!

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 22:32:12 +0000

Very cozy indeed, like pulling up to a roaring fireplace that’s using good hardwoods. I know what you mean about reading favorable passages on beloved perfumes - it’s like hearing high praise for a good friend.

by: Marina

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 22:18:08 +0000

Yes, yes and yes! Circular. Such a great word to describe it. And that circular nature is the reason why, despite the fact that it is so rich , dark, etc., etc., it is also so very cozy somehow. Thank you for the review, K, funny how when one loves a perfume, one is so pleased when it is mentioned/reviewed, as if one created it herself :-D (one should be so lucky)