This is a review of the EDT: Bal à Versailles is a timeless beauty. It opens with a very thick and heavy dose of civet joined by a sparkly touch of orange blossom, jasmine and rosemary. The civet note almost turns slightly sour as it combines with the resins, balsam and benzoin, giving the heart of the fragrance an almost dusky, powdery character. In the dry down the civet, resins and balsam remain a powerful constant and make up the majority of the scent profile. However a powdery and musky softness is present with leather, orris, ylang and rose. These notes blend beautifully together to create something that is truly stunning, but also quite challenging. This is a fantastic example of classic French perfumery, the pure parfum version is a lot richer and deeper however the EDT is more affordable and easier to wear. Despite being marketed towards women I actually find this scent to be very masculine. If you enjoy ambery animalic fragrances then this takes that to the extreme - the performance is nuclear. Unfortunately I find it’s wearability limited and have a hard time imagining getting compliments with a scent like this, but for those truly passionate about perfumery this is a must try.
After selling my EDT, I recently bought the pure parfum and I’m very glad I did. This is such an opulent, regal perfume which aims to recreate the kind of smells you’d experience at a ball during the 17th century among the richest and highest class of society. There’s so many notes in here that it’s very hard to pick out specifics, but there are a few that stand out from the rest. This without a doubt is an animalic amber fragrance at heart, and a strong one at that. A sharp and slightly sour note of civet is paired with beautifully deep resins, tolu balsam and benzoin which is incredibly warming and luxurious. There’s also heady musk and dark leather which lives throughout the scent - this is all balanced perfectly with an array of soft, powdery florals such as orris, rose and ylang with a touch of creamy sandalwood and earthy patchouli. I much prefer this to the EDT, it’s so much more rounded, refined and the florals seem to be a lot more noticeable instead of simply being a civet bomb. This is one of the most renowned classics in perfumery and is so well respected by perfumers all across the world today for a very good reason. This is the pinnacle of vintage-style perfumery, a true masterpiece and one of the most multi-faceted fragrances I’ve ever smelled. Absolutely wonderful.
Those who think this is like Salome or Tabu, what brand of crack are you smoking? Even when my fragrance collecting pal shared with me her vintage bottle of Bal a Versailles, as part of my intro to classic perfumery (this one is not even that old in the grand scheme but a classic nonetheless) all those years ago, I don't recall it as being as animal and edgey as the slabs of sex which are Dana Tabu or Liz Moores Salome. In any case I felt I needed to review this as it's one of the many classics I've neglected to pop a review on, because well...there's only so many hours in the day, but a sample of a modern bottle was long over due so here goes. The opening is the swirl of notes you'd expect from chypre citruses, to heady labdanum, peru/tolu cinnamon coke quality this is still a really beautiful, complex scent. It then dries to something resembling a sheer, nightie of an amber. It's basically a tarted up Bain de Caron, with a strange almost rubber, herbal, fougere accord. I bought Cologne Intense from Houbigant recently and that has a similar, furrow or nose dive in it. Almost on the edge of unpleasantness but with a creamy clove note to it also and amber being warmed by spices. I think I've touched on almost every perfume genre there, but that's kinda what Bal a Versailles is, even in it's current incarnation. I have to say that I'm not one to bemoan 'performance' this is a beautiful perfume I enjoy wearing but it's just not as bold as the my recollection of the old bottles, so I'm not in a huge hurry to get it, even though it has a great quality to value ratio. I've not really got a bad thing to say about it.
