[darkling]

Sensual, sibilant, sexual and hypnotic: Arabian musk and exotic spices slinking through Egyptian amber, enticing vanilla, and a serpentine blend of black plum, labdanum, ambrette, benzoin and black coconut.

I am pretty sure that this is Snake Charmer rather than the House of Mirrors.

This is a sharp, spicy scent and brings to mind the image of being bit by a serpent. It is spicy and piercing. Snake Charmer is a bit too harsh for my tastes but I can see it being lovely on someone else.

[brownbear]

I first sniffed this from wickedgoddess' bottle at the L.A. meet up. I had already ordered myself a bottle, but wanted a little preview. At first sniff I was a little disappointed. I found it to be a little plain.

I got my bottle and tried it on. wow. I was wrong. It is very warm, and sweet, and vanilla. For some reason this vanilla doesn't get all weird on me. I was feeling hot and sweaty and sexy. I kept getting yummy wafts of this for the rest of the evening. The coconut came out a bit later in the wafts though I couldn't smell it at first and actually so did an incense type note. This is sexy, warm and tasty. :P

[oatmealneko]

I know for sure mine is Snake Charmer (received imp part of decanting circle).

Wet, I can see the definite comparisons to Snake Oil with plum & coconut, because it does smell similar. But I had one of those extremely horrible experiences with Snake Oil (everything smelled burnt), so I was a bit hesitant about the outcome.

Upon drying, it's more musky, incensy, with a slight hint of vanilla. The plum comes out a lot more, while the coconut fades away completely. Snake Charmer smelled like light vanilla Bathsheba. Good, but not great, I don't mind that I didn't order a bottle of this.

[quimerula]

Indeed this is a lighter Snake Oil with a fruity edge. :P

[maewitch]

So. Flippin'. Fabulous.

This is richly ambery and spicy and just vanilla-plum-sweet enough and OMG I am going to stop drooling over my wrist sometime next week.

I was worried about the coconut, but it barely makes a peep, just a little suggestion of possible plastic for about 10 seconds, and then this is pure golden-cream-edged-in-shimmery-brown goodness.

SOOO glad I have a bottle coming to me eventually.

[QueenFae]

Oh yuuum, I am in love already. A beautiful, sweet, decadent vanilla scent. It's like a glorious mix of Snake Oil and Sugar Skull, absolutely gorgeous. The vanilla is the top note, and it's undershadowed by a wonderful, spicey plum, with just a hint of black coconut on the bottom. I can't say enough good things about this one, I wish I had ordered two bottles! :P

[Firewaver]

Soo... this is an f***ing great scent.

I'm trying to push back the tide of panic at the fact that all I have is a lowly imp.

It's similar to Snake Oil, I suppose; but far superior. It's much warmer and far more smooth. It goes down easier than Snake Oil does, it's a delicious cup of vanilla spice.

It smells the same wet to dry on me, it's mellow but spicy at the same time. I smell the amber and vanilla, but they're well blended, none of the notes really stand out and scream at me. It has a good amount of throw, i only put a tiny dab on my hand and I keep getting strong wafts as I type this.


Really a beautiful scent, get your hands on some of this if you're able.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Exotic spices, which I can't even pick out the specifics of, are layered over amber and vanilla in this scintillating, slithering blend. The sweetness of the plum is a complimentto the other notes.

On me: It is like snake oil, but the amber and the multitude of notes expand it greatly. In fact, it is like Snake Oil was the base, and the other notes enhance it. Like when big-name perfumers take, say, 'Burberry Brit' and tweak it a bit, creating 'Burberry Brit Red.' This is just as wonderful as Snake Oil, although different. More complex and I think Snake Oil's a bit slinkier.

[Janie]

A delicious oil - decadent and voluptuous. It has excellent sillage and lasting power.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - spices, possibly cinnamon and nutmeg
Wet on me - exactly the same as in the bottle
Dry on me - Sweeter and creamier, but still spicy, this lasts and lasts and lasts

[Little Bird]

Snake Charmer is the only CN scent that I haven't tried thus far. I held off on buying a bottle because I don't like Snake Oil and that's what everyone compared it to. But I finally got a lovely decant from the even lovelier slugbait (who sends out some of the nicest swap packages that I've ever had the pleasure of receiving :P ).

First on my skin... yep, this smells exactly like Snake Oil. A not quite so heavy version of Snake Oil.

After a few minutes, snake oil and gummi bears? Something about this is making me feel sort of dizzy, like I'm about to get an awful nosebleed. It's almost like I accidentally breathed some pepper up my nose.

And that's the cycle that it goes in for me: Snake Oil light to Snake Oil with gummi bears to Snake Oil with pepper.

All in all I'm glad that I took everyone's advice and didn't get a bottle. I think that I'm in the minority with not liking Snake Oil or Snake Charmer though.

[laochodia]

Amber, vanilla and spices. Unfortunately, it goes through the same 'guh' amber phase that Snake Oil does on me. Sweet and spicy with amber sliding through the background, not whomping me. A lovely scent, but I'm gonna have to think about keeping the bottle thats coming to me.

[Monster]

:P Snake Charmer..whare have you been all my life?! Wow. this is truly the most amazing BPAL scent I've tried so far. Urd is going to have to share the number one position with Snake Charmer :D

My first impression was amber, very similar to the amber in Sin. Second whiff I get a warm and slightly sweet vanilla with a dash of what I beleive is coconut.

On my skin this turns into a warm, spicy and sweet amber. It almost reminds me of Fred Solls Honey Amber incense (which I'm also in love with).

This is certainly a fall/winter scent. It's warm and comforting. All of the notes are really well balanced and the lasting power is incredible. I put this on before I went to work and at the end of the day I can still smell this.

I've never tried Snake Oil...but if it smells anything like Snake Charmer, I must buy a 10ml.

Final verdict, Snake Charmer is up there as one of the most gorgeous things I've ever smelled. I'm so happy I own a bottle of this :D

**EDIT**
Received an imp of snake oil from a friendly Ebay seller.

Snake Chamer is like the amped up, spicer, more heady version of Snake Oil.
Snake Oil is a bit sweeter and lighter on the spice, but overall, they smell nearly the same.
I like Snake Charmer better...the spice and amber are a bit more strong in this blend.

This post has been edited by CourtneyLynne: 25 September 2005 - 07:37 PM

[modesty_blaise]

Oh yes. This is very similar to Snake Oil, only not so sweet? At least that´s what I get from it. I like the spices, but it´s not really a "me scent"... :P
I wish I could detect the coconut...

[Nepthys]

I'm afraid this doesn't work for me. First off it smells like regular Snake Oil laced heavily with dragon's blood, of all things - then as it dries down, the coconut comes through, and finally the plum. A more exotic spicy note comes through after about twenty minutes, but it doesn't save it; that heavy dragon's blood scent overrides it and weighs this down. I can see where other people would love this but somehow on me it's musty and heavy.

[empi girl]

Very much like Snake Oil, but lighter on the vanilla. I don't really ever get the plum or coconut. Amber definitly is in there, and becomes the base on me, since the vanilla fades to the background fairly quickly. The Snake Oil spices remain strong, but not as overpowering as in Snake Oil itself. After several hours a whisper of vanilla returns, when I sniff my wrist closely.

This has good staying power, is very nice, I like it, but I am not in love with it (just like Snake Oil for me, actually). I know that I would wear the Lion before this, as my warm, spicy, amber-y fragrance.

[ladymissspyder]

It was very strong and perfume-y on me. Amber with plum and spices, from application to when I washed it off. Remarkably stable, actually.

I'll need to make a cologne of the imp if I decide to keep it, though. It's that strong.

[Cleolinda]

Wow, I am really having a lot of luck with my testing today. On me, Snake Charmer's this light vanilla-coconut with a swirl of something mysterious and sweet--I think that's the plum; it's slightly fruity. There is something that's making my eyes water, but I think that's the amber; that element has mostly died down, now that I've been wearing this for several hours.

[Loligo]

When I first apply it, I get a whole herd of separate notes: powdery vanilla, smoky incense, boozy plum, a hint of coconut, and some sharp medicinal note that's almost like rubbing alcohol. They eventually meld into a dry, spicy vanilla that's not sweet at all. There's always a sharp, nose-tickly element to it -- I'll have to try this again after my cold goes away, because pretty much everything is making me sneeze right now.

ETA: well, my cold is gone, and the lingering spices in this blend are still quite sharp and harsh, kind of the way that smoke is harsh. They just don't feel as rounded as the spices in Scherezade, for example. I'm not sure whether to experiment with layering, or sell this to someone who will love this wholeheartedly.

This post has been edited by Loligo: 07 October 2005 - 07:17 PM

[jewelbug]

http://www.potatohed.com/bpal/snakecharmer.jpg
In the bottle this is a very lovely dark vanilla with amazing complexity.

On me, wet, I can smell a dark coconut (not suntan lotion at all) with strong deep vanilla and pungent amber. There is a tinge of something I can't identify, but its lovely (i guess its either the labdanum or benzoin, but I don't know what either smells like). It does smell of the spices in Snake Oil, but this isn't syrupy like snake oil was.
This is a gorgeous scent. I feel like I can just toss O away for good--this is so much more complex and wonderful.

Later drydown, it does that wonderful powdery amber smell (the only kind of powder i've found i like), with vanilla--so the combo is much like O--but then there is something dark, something intriguing. I even think there is some earthy sweetness from the plum coming through.

This is still faintly detectible about 12 hours later, which is REALLY impressive for me. Workday bliss.

Yup. I am now ready to part with my O imp. Snake charmer is my new vanilla love. Snake charmer vanilla for fall/winter, Dorian vanilla for spring/summer. Mmmmmm....

Now I kinda wish I'd bought more than one bottle. Why do so many of the ones I love have to be LE's?

This post has been edited by jewelbug: 01 January 2006 - 07:31 PM

[wolfie13]

In the bottle: Smells nearly identical to Snake Oil.

Upon initial application and wear: A fruitier (plums), sweeter (again, likely due to the plums - and the coconut, though I never get the scent of coconut, per se), and muskier Snake Oil.

It has taken all that I love about Snake Oil and made it into something I can't wear at all! It's become one of those fragrances like Scherezade that just screams "too everything" on me!

Late, late drydown: A sweeter Snake Oil.

As you can imagine from this review, I'll be keeping my Snake Oil and swapping this one.

This post has been edited by wolfie13: 08 October 2005 - 09:13 PM

[twistygirl]

Somebody pick me up off the floor and call 911, I think my heart just stopped.

This is *maybe* the BEST fragrance I have ever smelled. Ever.

Reading the ingredients, it doesn't surprise me that I love it like I do... amber, vanilla, coconut, Arabian musk, and spices are all things I adore. What blows me away, though, is the way that Beth has taken these oils and made an incredible, perfect, sexy yet creamy-smooth fragrance.

On first application, there was just a hint of something sharp in there... not sure what it is, although I think it might be the way the plum smells on me before it mellows. And mellow it does, rather quickly, too. On my skin, it dries down rather quickly to an absolutely heavenly blend that's powdery and creamy and spicy and warm all at the same time.

Yes, there is a similarity to Snake Oil, but on my skin, not so much as most people seem to have experienced. The amber is definitely reminiscent of O, but this is a fragrance that deserves to be known as much, much more than just a cross between Snake Oil and O.

Absolute exquisite perfection.

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: Coconut, amber, and a hint of something sweet.

First on: This reminds me of Black Pearl. It's like a tropical island. I definitely see the Snake Oil comparison, but add coconut to that.

Drydown: It hasn't changed at all. I like it, but I already have a bottle of Snake Oil that I wear very sparingly, so I don't think I need this as well.

[AlaskaSnows]

In the Bottle: Amber and soft, sweet spice. Smells like a deeper Snake Oil to me.

Dry: A very spicy warm cinnamony amber. A golden brown scent. It's very low key though, I get little throw. It's a wonderful scent.

[faerywolfe]

In the bottle: Sweet and heady. The vanilla, benzoin, and amber are the first notes I notice, with the rest forming a dark unfathomable background. There's something slinky hiding in there that I can't place.

Wet: Deep and sweet and decidedly wicked. Reminds me of cotton candy and blood with a hint of leather. (Don't take that too literally! I meant it in imagery, not scent. :P ) The labdanum and plum combine to form a dark venomous scent. There is only the slightest tinge of the coconut, thank goodness, but it really does add a beautiful touch to the scent. I'm generally not a fan of coconut, but this isn't so bad. There's more leather now - the snake is making her appearance. I didn't read leather in the description, but it's definitely there on me. Now it's more mellow and content with the slightest little touch of spice, the musk is making more of an entrance. This really is divine and smooth in this stage. I haven't tried Snake Oil yet, but, if it smells similar to this, I may need to soon.

Drydown: Creamy and rich with a darker edge slithering beneath. The drydown is just as beautiful and exotic as the rest rest of Snake Charmer.

Final thought: Mmmm, yummy. This is such a wild and complex and sexy scent. I can't get enough of it! I begin to think I should have gotten two bottles. This is a very strong oil, a drop or two will be more than enough. It also has a tremendous throw - my mom can smell when I've put it on from the other end of the house! It lasts for hours upon hours.

This post has been edited by Shollin: 12 April 2006 - 07:12 PM