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top1 – :
I remember this fragrance from times gone by. A few years back I got what was probably a reformulation then, it was awful, synthetic-like. I wanted to almost cry when I opened the box and did the first spray. Sprayed later (months ago) still synthetic.
Saw another chance to purchase a vintage one. Hoping and praying this was not watered down or enhanced. To me it calms down as time goes and mellows, not screaming out at people, unless you douse it on. It is a cologne but it just ask ambery sweet like I remembered it many, many years ago. I have always loved this classic scent. This a must for your collection!
theos92 – :
I have a vintage decant of this from a generous perfume lover.
So I have now smelled the famous Bal a Versailles. And it is… what I expected. To be fair this isn’t my kind of scent. I don’t like powdery fragrances and BaV is definitely powdery.
But I can certainly appreciate why it is so popular. Does this smell like a ballroom in Paris filled with white wigged courtesans in elaborate ball gowns? Yes it does. Complete with beauty patches and fan and bejeweled shoes. Somewhere Marie is carrying on with a group of male admirers. You can almost smell the gossip.
Because of the weight of the powder I get a bit of a Shalimar vibe, I suppose because that leading lady is ALL powder on me. This is actually far more wearable. Will I wear this? I don’t know, maybe in the winter when I’m not leaving the house and want something cozy and intimate.
It’s the first powder forward cologne I haven’t hated on first sniff so that’s saying something, but it isn’t “me” at all. Definitely test this before investing.
(The vintage cologne lasts about 3 hours on my skin.)
mbw949InsuffBooni – :
BaV is my latest obsession, I really really like it. I seem to love vintage incense/aldehyde/animal/vanilla goodness.
And I have the cologne now.
I like it. But it’s basically a less-potent EDT, however, I do get more vintage skank/animal/aldehydes with the cologne. And that works for me!
But on skin, this disappeared in 2 hours or so, and it was very light.
While the vintage has the older formula/notes that I like and want, I do prefer the EDT I have. (Harp-plastic clear cap).
I love that BaV combines all my vintage faves plus the kitchen sink.
It has parts of Shalimar, Habanita, Poison, Opium.
pobiditel – :
Finally got my hands on the Bal
The cologne splash bottle as pictured on this page is very hard to find. I went hunting for it on eBay. What you find on there is the reformulation in the harp shaped stopper and the old vintage mini dab on bottles. The minis are very similar to the splash cologne. This bottle reminds me of a European 18th century bottle of booze or cologne as would have been found in the palace of Versailles or the chateau of a French aristocrat, or nobleman, a Comte or Vicomte. As such it is unisex because this fragrance clearly comes through as terribly musky, spicy, and the florals are taking a backseat. It’s not a pretty feminine floral or fruity floral, not a modern gourmand, nothing at all like today’s fragrances. It’s a ’62 vintage classic of the Golden Age. For me it’s as precious as an expensive classic car.
Bal A Versailles opens with an explosion of fresh notes. Aldehydes, citruses, cassis, rosemary. There’s definitely aldehyde in this fragrance. The initial spray is quite potent and very old-school, quite mature. This reminds me of older Church ladies whose perfume leaves a scented trail that not everyone is quick to follow. In fact someone at the Protestant church my parents went to when I was a kid wore the hell out of this. But if you apply with a light touch the aldehydes don’t really project. The scent of lemon and mandarin orange, along with neroli. It’s a shower of zesty citruses and smells good as it opens, like after a shower good.
Eventually the fragrance, which I find to be linear, and not multifaceted, delves into a slightly floral heart and into that musky civet dry down. The cologne’s heart notes feature an epic jasmine, greenish and whitish with patchouli and woodsy notes. The jasmine is accompanied with rosemary, ylang ylang, and iris. The iris note becomes bigger and bigger and turns to powder. This is powdery up to a point. Then the scent of civet emerges. This might come as a surprise to anyone who is not familiar with civet and it might turn you off to the fragrance. Civet is a note that no longer exists in today’s fragrances because IFRA banned the note and PETA has made it illegal to capture and trap any animal for secretions to make into perfume. So while that is a good thing we are also far from the natural and less chemical perfume world of yesteryear.
This is a very natural smelling fragrance. Everything is aromatic, green, oily and realistic. Real lemon, real bergamot, mandarin, patchouli, musk, sandalwood, amber, and jasmine. It’s long lasting and powerful so use it with discretion and don’t overdo it. This is so harsh when you spray in the air you’re bound to start coughing. As for comparing it to any modern scents I would say that it is the inspiration for such frags as La Nuit Paco Rabane Magie Noire Lancome Passion Elizabeth Taylor, and Salome Papillon Artisan. These are Oriental and greens very strong and makes a statement. So the wearer has to be confident, intellectual, and with an assertive personality. This is a worldly professor’s cologne, a writer, an artist, or an older thespian/actor/actress.
I really do like the cologne and find it fascinating. I believe it’s best worn in autumn and winter. The dry down is a warm boozy musk with just the right amount of vanilla and amber. Bal is a lot of things. It’s indolic jasmine, feral civet, and Oriental craziness. A fragrance like this one only comes once in a lifetime. It has stood the test of time and has been a beloved fragrance, embraced by celebrities such as Jackie Kennedy, Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Jackson. And though I’m no celebrity it’s good to know that when I wear this it’s a cologne that has charmed the stars and comes from a more glamorous and romantic era.
77770 – :
I have a newer bottle of this cologne (white glass with gold leaves stamping).
Depending on your point of view, BaV is either Old Skool Cool or hopelessly dated. I fall into the first group. It’s decidedly retro and un-updated. That’s what I like about it.
Versus other formulations of BaV, the cologne has a more prominent cassia note and a less dominant civet. Don’t mistake this for a light, airy little cologne. It’s still wonderfully animalic, but it is more subtle about it. There’s also a heavy dose of amber and balsam.
This is one you might love or might hate. If you’re used to putting sugar bombs on your décolletage, then this might require an adjustment. BaV would be oppressive if you sprayed it there. This is one you might spray on the small of your back and let it gently work its way up.
Megol831Bessinepome – :
I received a vintage BaV cologne as a surprise in a swap… Fragranticans continue to blow me away with their generosity!
It smells VERY old-fashioned, a powdery balsamic, heavy on the balsamic, and quite sweet. I don’t get much of the civet, which is a shame. I do see how it was an inspiration for Passion, but I much prefer that; and actually, BaV cologne reminds me a LOT of a recent (though possibly not 100% current) bottle of Toujours Moi that I had and swapped away. One of the reviewers on the BaV main page described it as a rustic scent, and I do think that is an apt description, and I must say that that aspect of it was quite unexpected. How often will I wear this? Not very… somehow, despite the notes, it’s just not my thing… but it is in a lovely, clearly aged bottle (just like the picture) which is a treasure to own.
RusichROLF2008 – :
What’s the best way to remove the cork?!!
Nevermind, It just popped .. but wouldn’t budge for months .. guess I had to ask first.
Bal a Versailles is one of my preferred civets and civet is my preffered note above all the rest in the land. I selected as many as I could and only a few seem to be true true civet based creations. Automatically another leaps to mind, JOY by jean patou. Now that the bottle is open I have the splash and also a can of the Bal a Versailles spray. Both may be old but thankfully they smell similar. It is an animal attraction which draws me into this. My hope is that civets have a long shelf life due to their nature.
I’m keeping this review to serious civet lovers. It may be a bit risky for someone who is not and I don’t want to be liable! However these two are the ones that are a cut above in my collection. Oleg Cassini is nice but something about it I find bothersome because Civet can be hard to refine. Likewise, for example, I just had a bad experience with Joop! Femme where I went nauseaus for the first time off a fragrance.
Others are nice but just don’t make that Civet statement .. or do but don’t make a lasting impression on my memory. Others like a Chanel No. 5 may contain civet but there it is part of an overall harmony not a central focus.
Elizabeth Taylor’s Passion is always up there with Bal a Versailles and Joy but it is also much more affordable. I Did find a very reasonable deal on the others. Even in Passion there is some having to share the spotlight with incense. I don’t buy niche perfumes but would be hard pressed to imagine anything being anything but Maybe as good as Bal a Versailles or Joy. If so, these are still uncomon enough that you aren’t going to smell it on someone else. Also, my guess is both of these are more affordable than niche.
My final sell is this. If you love Civet? This really and truly truly Must be among your collection. I you like that heavy animal sexy scent and are able to appreciate the beauty of it without overdoing it and creating a mess? This really is something quite special. I haven’t decided yet whether I prefer Joy or Bal a Versailles. Maybe I’ll have to spend the rest of my life deciding! Fine by me!!
Ekibas-kz – :
Everything thats old is new again.
Animalic perfumes fell out of vogue a long time ago. However with the resurgence of this genre, with the niche zoologist range such as its latest star-“Civet” (with synthetic civet notes) In the same vein vintage Weil (Zibeline/Antelope), Vintage Chanel (no5 Cologne), Lanvin (My Sin) houses share the animalic genre with Bal. Perfumes such as Bal are back on the radar.
The cologne is the most animalic of Bal a Versailles. The golden civet and musks are straight from the beginning with minimal florals. A powdery rose, and jasmine rise up to round out the musky civet. Its much simpler in construction than the PDT, Parfum or EDT.
Its used liberally and boosts depth to the edt/parfum/edp formulations. I use it to boost the later years edt that dropped the animalics to restore the old beauty, or add some depth and warmth of an animalic presence in perfumes of today.
It is found in splash bottles up to 16oz. There are also white spray cans from 1oz-3oz. Sometimes the propellent can go off in the spray cans.
why isnt there a note list for this fragrance??!
mobilnii – :
Let Me Take You Back In Time Via My Memories
1965
I was a happily married lady with one child my 1st daughter Karen. I was fond of French perfumes: the Chanel frags of No. 5, No. 22 and No. 19, as well as the Guerlains: L’Heure, Shalimar, Mitsouko, Habit, and the Cotys La Rose Jacqueminot Emeraude L’Origan and Chypre. But when Bal a Versailles was launched, it blew my mind. There had never been a fragrance quite like it. This is an incredible Oriental amber and musk.
I walked into the Jean Desprez salon where they had an event and the designer was selling the fragrance in silk fitted boxes and fashion models in furs were sporting the scent. On another person the tiniest amount of the scent is like floral powder. I detected rose, lavender, rosemary, and jasmine. There was also the typical citruses like bergamot and lemon. The dry down was woodsy and patchouli with a civet bite. On other women when they pass you by it’s powdery. Up close and on your skin is where all the action takes place. I was impressed by the fragrance and by the models and thought it would be great to smell like them. So I purchased the scent when it was very expensive compared to today’s more affordable priced Bals.
The fragrance is composed of fleeting florals and it settles down to musk. The cologne is a musk and leather in the form of liquid. It has such an aromatic punch of musk and civet, the secretion of the actual animal is in there. The scent mingles with spices, resins, patchouli and incense. The animalic skin merges with yours and it’s honeyed and syrupy. It embraces you like a fur. Suddenly you’re no longer human but a civet. The civet has made it’s home on your skin.
This scent really does match up with warm fur coats made of bear, fox, leopard, leather or any other animalic skin. In the 1960’s women were still sporting real fur and PETA had not arrived and it was politically correct to wear animal skin just as it was permissible to smoke cigarettes in public places including bathrooms restaurants and airplanes. The scent is a reminder of those “stinky” days when the cigarette smoke was everywhere and when people who you knew had to have a backstory smelled of marijuana and unwashed skin. The patchouli in this scent is pure patchouli and not patchouli oil used to mask marijuana. It’s a green herbal and smoky patchouli that swims with resins and ambers, spices and musk.
The whole thing is a heavy Oriental animal.
The aroma is quite strong so it’s best to dab on a little bit where your pulse points will emanate a bit of the scent. I always splashed it gently on my bosom and neck and behind my ears. Being such a heavy enough scent, I never wore this to an event where too many people would gather. I wore this to intimate dinners with my husband in private booths in restaurants. And it is such a warm honeyed resinous civet that it can only smell good in the winter time. In the summer time this is a foul odor. In winter time the leather is warm and the spices are savory.
It is a winter fragrance.
Elizabeth Taylor was reportedly fond of this fragrance and it was such a signature of hers that she wore it with actual furs. The scent was also a favorite of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy who most likely wore it to dinners and state affairs with her husband JFK in the early 60’s. But it’s possible that the original scent in the EDP eau de parfum was a tad more floral and powdery. The cologne is what stuck around and the EDT or toilette de parfum which has the same scent.
Bal is not known as a floral scent for ladies. It’s a skanky animalic cologne of a French prostitute. It smells exactly like the muskiness and sexiness of a courtesan whose perfume has worn off and now she smells of skin and sex. In this way it’s not too far from earlier fragrances that tried to go there but never reached the heights of dirtiness that Bal does. I am referring to the following fragrances:
My Sin by Lanvin
Tabu by Dana
Shocking by Schiapprelli
These fragrances were my friends for the longest time. They were seductive, exotic, dark and adult, as in pornographic! Bal is in the same category. This is a pornographic perfume for nude flesh. It is outdated by today’s standards but if you wear it you’ll leave a trail of scent that will never be forgotten. It’s good to stand out among crowds and smell of Bal in this world of timid scents like Pink Sugar or Pink or Fancy or the sugary garbage created by pop singers and celebrities.
Every note is amazing and throws out it’s aroma with unashamed brilliance:
Rosemary,
Lavender,
Jasmine,
Rose,
Leather,
Civet,
Musk,
Patchouli
Incense
Amber
Bal is a masterpiece.
Rikky – :
A Peasant’s Party In A Farm At Versailles
Review of the Vintage Bal A Versailles Cologne
I purchased the vintage cologne spray in a white bottle. Jean Desprez released Bal a Versailles to the public in 1962, in Paris, France. It was presented beautifully in a plush fitted silky fabric inside a case adorned with flowers and miniature Jean Honore Fragonard paintings. The idea was you’re wearing a perfume that could have been worn by Marie Antoinette, Madame Dubarry, King Louis the 16th, and other courtiers at the palace Versailles. It must have been truly something to smell – in 1962 and 1963. It was worn by Jackie Kennedy who had an interst in French fashions and French history and culture. I could definitely see her wearing this, but not as her signature scent. This is one of those special ocassion fragrances and very formal, and worn in cold weather during the winter months. Elizabeth Taylor was fond of Bal, and it even inspired her to create her first fragrance Passion in 1987. The civet in both perfumes are very similar. Michael Jackson loved Bal and wore it all the time. There is considerable differences in all the versions of Bal. You have the original pure parfum or perfume extrait, which goes straight into the base notes, and it’s mostly an incense-like civet. You have the eau de parfum or parfum de toilette which has more of the flowers: jasmine, rose, lily, lily of the valley. But you also get the woody notes of cedar, moss and vetiver. And something warm like honey but which is actually amber. Then there si the cologne which comes in splash bottles and spray. The spray has a similar effect to an eau de toilette. I got mostly civet but it’s wearabl and warm. It feels like putting on a coat of fur. I would have to try the other versions to analyze the composition and make comparisons/contrasts in my reviews. The fragrance which is currently sold is the reformulation which is an eau de toilete that comes in a gorgeous rounded glass bottle about 3.3 or 3.4 ounces. The stopper is designed to resemble a harp. But it’s been described as mostly synthetic flowers and a lot of powder. That makes me think this is what peoople believe smells like the court balls and masquerades at Versailles. Visions of women in colorful silky gowns, perfumed of floral scents and with their hair piled high in pompadours, flirting with their eyes behind their fans. Dancing and candlelight, chandeliers and brocades of drapes and the air f decadence, luxury and sex. But I’m not getting that with the vintage cologne. This is definitely the farms outside of the chateau. This has nothing to do with luxury other than the fact that the civet was used to make it. To have to catch the animal, trap it and keep it around for it to secrete the scent that is used in perfumery takes time and money and is seen as a luxury. Or was during the Golden Age of Perfumery. My imagination was not afire with images of courtesans and cavaliers, kings, queens and the gardens at Versailles with their fragrant flowers and statues of gods goddesses and nymphs. Wearing Bal a Versailles felt like I was a peasant who had been partying all night, not at the palace, but within his own farm, a farm where his or her family dwell but where they labor for the true owners and proprietors, the nobility in the chateaux. If you have ever been to the actual Versailles, some 8 to 10 miles west of Paris, you find yourself in the woods, in a rural and quiet area that has a lot of farms, grass, barnyards and small houses. This is Bal a Versailles to me. It’s name and the Fragonard paintings are deceptive. You’re only a peasant that is fantasizing and imagining what it would be like to dress up in beautiful expensive clothing that would keep you really warm (the civet note) and where you can eat all the rich food you want, and won’t have a care in the world, luxuriating in furs and living in a castle. But you’re drunk, very drunk. This felt like having been drinking a lot of warm alcohol and fallen into a deep sleep. Bal a Versaillse is a dream of the good life, an impossibility for a mere rustic , and the fist seeds of the Revolution in which for the first time, people represeting the government were on your side and you coudl be heard and honored for your rights as an individual. Down with the aristocracy! Set fire to the palace of Versailles! Off with the head of the king and the queen! It’s interesting how in 1989, many years after the release of Bal a Versalles, to commemorate the bicentennial or 200th anniversary of the French Revolution, Jean Desprez released a sequel fragrance to Bal, called Revolution a Versailles. I have yet to try that one but I hope it feels more intense and anxious anxious, full of notes that evoke spilled blood! But I don’t believe that’s probably wishful thinking.
Bal a Versailles is lovely. A lot of people complain about the civet and the “barnyard” quality, as if they’re spraying horse manure on their face, or complain about the fragrance’s rancidity or loudness. I did not get anything like that. This is not dirty at all. It’ a quiet skin scent that feels like you’ve put on a fur coat. It just doesn’t truly charm you with the idea that you’re at the palace because you’re really not at the palace nor ever will be. But you do get the joy and pleasure of wearing one of the most beloved classic fragrances of all time akin to Jicky, La Rose Jacquemot, Chypre, Emeraude, Shalimar, Arpege and others. This is a masterpiece that has so many facets and moods that it truly does feel like history unfoding itself before you or like a painting with so many details that you have to look at each one before taking it all in. I would not recommend Bal as your first fragrance nor a blind buy. You need to be aware that there are old and new versions and that the vintage/older formula has civet. You have to be a fan of civet. I was originally not a fan of civet notes in perfumes but I’m comfortable with it now. And Bal is one perfume I will wear very infrequently when it’s cold outside and I need to be somewhere warm, as warm as the dream of luxury.
AdelaUsan – :
Hi Lilah Veil-Given the “round” and very pretty bottle design, I would say my bottle is the “new” version of this perfume!
Thanks for the encouragement ’cause I would never want to offend anyone!
I positively adore Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur, Frederic Malle Potrait of a Lady, Creed Jasmin Imperiatrice Eugenie By Kilian Incense Oud and By Kilian Rose Oud, to name a few. I recognize MANY MANY people TRULY dislike most of these fragrances, especially JIE and Musc Ravageur…and I get it, I really do!
Thank you!
niki746 – :
tonileefiore,
Is your review for the vintage cologne, or BaV in general? They do not smell the same. Siblings or cousins but cologne smells different than the vintage edp and current edt. (And don’t worry about offending anyone on here. Every scent smells different on another and we all have varying tastes, which should be respected.) Negative reviews have helped me make decisions on blind buys. If I see the same icky whatever mentioned numerous times… I will not purchase blindly. Negs can be very helpful! 🙂
loobakker – :
Oh my, sadly this one was a scrubber along with Guerlain’s Jicky…and I don’t scrub perfume off too often (coming from a woman who loves Musc Ravageur). I have to agree with a few others who cite this fragrance as old school and dated, reminiscent of glory days way gone by. The only image I would add is intense silage one smells from the elderly woman who passes by seeking a seat on the public bus or in church :0(
I love “vintage” and timeless fragrances. I love Creed Jasmine Imperiatrice Imperial, one of the most important creations of Henry Creed II. Emperor Napoleon III commissioned Creed in 1854 to create a signature fragrance for Napoleon’s wife, Empress Eugenie. So, JIE is an OLD fragrance…but it doesn’t stink! Creed “publically released” the fragrance in 1989 but the formula is essentially identical.
So, Bal a Versailles started to give me a headache. Yes, it does remind me of Shalimar and all of that…enough said. After the initial cheap floral bite, I waited for the spicy incense dry down…nothing. Bal a Versailles started to smell like rancid “bad” perfume on me that has “turned” because it has been in the bottle too long.
Reminds me of something I would pick up on my grandmother or aunt’s dresser as a kid and quickly put back down…and I’m over a half-century old…blechhhh.
Yes, I can see this at the counter of some old department store in any town USA. Sorry to offend anyone but this is a no-go
Braickinc – :
I own this exact vintage bottle of cologne. I also love Bal a Versailles and believe the cologne smells more masculine than the current edt. It still has the same skin, bones and muscle as the current and vintage edt/edp without the dress in my opinion. There is a very sexy underlying old style barbershop quality to it I love and find more suited to men. Longevity is so-so depending on skin type, but Bal a Versailles was never intended to be a screamer… as far as scent goes. *ahem* In every other way sex and beauty is all I can smell or think of with Bal a Versailles. I am quite partial to Jean Duprez Bal a Versailles. Can ya tell? 😉
I have tried all new and vintage. New has much greater longevity, is gorgeous but not as lovely as the vintage (to me). New/current version smells same from start to middle but with a tweak of a different dry down; surprisingly more “French” and old school than the vintage on my skin. I currently have this exact bottle 4oz vintage cologne for sale. Contact if interested, or will Ebay it soon.