Boomslang

[Quiara]

Snake Oil with cocoa, teakwood, and rice milk.

When I sniffed this in the imp, I thought it was . . . nice. Kinda cocoa, nothing special. I'm one who tried fresh snake oil and couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. But this. . . when I put it on, the cocoa disappeared almost totally and left a truly delicious scent -- and I don't mean that in a foody way at all. Just an amazing, gorgeous, creamy scent. I can't wait to see what this does aged.

[schackjj]

I've sampled the whole Snake Pit and this was the one that impressed me the most, by a wide margin. And I've always been kinda 'eh' over Snake Oil. Boomslang has a twist to it that makes it really special, maybe what Macha mentioned, cocoa absolute oil?

 

I expect to tack a bottle (or two) on every order until CD comes down

[kat15lee]

I write with hesistancy... since Beth did say this was her favorite snake pit oil. *doh*

 

Ya... its chocolatey, I'll give it that.

In the bottle: fudgey brownies. Chocolatey goodness

Wet: the sweet milk come out, OMG... I'm Cuckoo for Coco Puffs.

Srly, that's EXACTLY what it smells like on me.

Not bad... but meh... not what I want to wear to impress a date.

Dry: the coco and milk have almost disappeared and I'm left with very faint Snake Oil with a touch of cocoa. Okay. The throw is very short and very short wear length.

I'm giving it 3.5/5

[any_old_actress]

This is the daughter of Snake Oil and Velvet! It has a soft, cocoa deliciousness that I can't get enough of!

[sookster]

what could i possibly add that has not already been said?

 

not a thing except this is sssexy, ssslithery, sssnake oil with thick rich cocoa and

it is beyond d-i-v-i-n-e...

 

if you are on a limited budget and can only purchase one of the snakes

from the pit this IS the one to purchase....

[maijasu]

This blend is definitely mostly Snake Oil. Some of the Snake Pit blends are so different that I can barely smell the SO in them, but that is not the case here. Add rich cocoa and something creamy and smooth and you have Boomslang. The cocoa is more apparent at first and the Snake Oil dominates once it's dry.

 

I'm not so keen on fresh Snake Oil, but this is , and I know that it will only get better with age. Sadly, I have none left, as I tested only the very last drop in my decanting pipette, but happily, another bottle will be on its way with my 1/31 order. I truly cannot wait.

[miss_rynn]

MmmmmMMmmmm, good!

 

In the bottle, it smells very much like a meeting of velvet and Snake Oil - cocoa with a woody note melded with that sugary vanilla-spice. On the skin, it starts out smelling like a decadent chocolate treat, or like an iced chocolate milk-shake kind of thing. After a while the cocoa settles down into the background and what is left behind is something very akin to year-old Snake Oil to me; thick with vanilla and mellow spices.

 

I never buy multiple bottles, but I'll make an exception for Boomslang. Lovely.

[euterpe414]

I have to agree with sookster here- if you are going to buy one of the Snake Pits, this has to be it. it is seriously orgasmic. This is the most SO out of all the pit blends I have tried so far. However I can detect the woodiness and of course the cocoa. The rice milk, I think, just adds to the SO vanilla to make it richer. In short, I think I could do with, oh 39472347 bottles of this. It is THAT good. I must note- the wood keeps this from being overly foody, so even you folks that don't like foody blends should give it a try.

 

This one's going to have to duke it out with Smut as my favorite LE so far...

 

[smallvoice]

This scent is a roller-coaster ride for me. It does indeed smell like chocolate covered snake oil, and also like Riesen candies and just plain delicious. This should be edible!

 

Immediately on my skin, however, it reverts to straight Snake Oil, and then sweaty patchouli. I had my mom try a bit on her skin, and it smells gorgeous on her. It is just how Snake Oil is purported to smell, by all accounts, and with the jolt of chocolate! So depressingly good.

 

However! I wore it a bit longer, and while it never quite reaches the levels of loveliness on my skin that it does on hers, it is still wearable. I will have to update when I do a full application instead of a test drop. My fingers are crossed!

 

UPDATE! 2/14/07: I take back anything bad I may've said about Boomslang, because I have received SO many compliments on it, and even my husband says he likes it! Score!

Edited February 14, 2007 by cordia

[mountainwitch]

Tapped a bit of this one out of the cap, and suddenly it looked like I'd sprouted an extra mole. Seriously, when people say this one is thick and dark, they are not kidding.

 

Very strong cocoa, and very sweet. It's a sort of muzzy scent, as if the cocoa were intoxicated by the Snake Oil (or perhaps the other way around!). All of the other notes, for me, were fuzzed up by all that cocoa. I don't think this is the snake for me, but I can definitely see the appeal!

[HennaFairy]

i decanted all the snakes last night, and boomslang stole my heart. yup, wet it's a non-foody/non-sweet cocoa, which is yummy. but dry, i barely smell any cocoa, it's all glorious teakwood! it reminds me of something in kathmandu (my fav) and tombstone, but spicier, warmer, creamier..... i was testing a ton of scents so i look forward to wearing this on its own, drowning myself in it.

 

*off to order my own bottle or three*

[black_and_bloom]

Out of the Snakes I've tried, this one is most recognizably a part of the Snake Oil family - the creamy balance of vanilla, patchouli and spices is layered perfectly with the smooth cocoa.

 

I'm not much of a foody scent fan, and the other cocoa-based BPAL scents that I've tried have felt "off" to me, but this one is a real winner. Unlikely as it seems, to me at least, the cocoa is a perfect counterpoint to the love that is Snake Oil.

[cuervosueno]

I'm decanting snakes, but I decided to review this one right away, because it smelled so good I wanted to try it out immediately. I put just a tiny bit on, and yes, it is gorgeous cocoa and snake oil--chocolate and spice all at once. I immediately thought, oh my god, aged Velvet!

 

But you know, it goes a bit soapy on me. I'll have to let it settle, but right now I think I prefer Velvet.

 

ETA: most of the cocoa went away and it is very like snake oil now. I put some Tell-Tale heart on near it to see how close they were, and I find them fairly similiar. Guess I don't need a bottle of Boomslang.

Edited February 15, 2007 by cuervosueno

[PirateMaggie]

Dear Beth,

Please make this scent available by the gallon so that I can bathe in it.

 

Okay, so maybe that's an unreasonable request given the price of the ultra-high quality cocoa absolute that slithers from this scent (not to mention that it would bankrupt me), but receiving Boomslang in the mail was a perfect Valentine's Day chocolate treat.

 

This is not a terribly foody chocolate smell--it really is cocoa, not terribly sweetened, that first hits the nose. The Snake Oil base is familiar, spicy-sweet and comforting beneath that glorious cocoa, while the teak wood adds a lovely earthy almost resinous note, tempered by creamy gentle rice milk. Throw and staying power are about the same as Snake Oil, which is to say that a little goes a long way (but I slathered anyway). Just be sure to shake your bottle well before applying, as the mixture does separate. It doesn't morph so much as it dries as much as it gets deeper, sweeterer, and more sensual. The vanilla in the Snake Oil comes out more, deepening the blend. It's rich, warm, and round, the olfactory version of how a cello sounds.

 

This is a chocolate fix in a bottle, a favourite sweater, a PMS cure, a massage, and a kiss poured into a perfume bottle. It's wonderful now, and if it's true to its Snake Oil roots, will get even better with age. Next paycheck I will certainly be stockpiling several bottles of Boomslang for aging purposes. I really can't say enough good things about Boomslang. I'm in love.

 

edited to fix a typo

Edited February 15, 2007 by PirateMaggie

[melia]

I bought an imp of this off tramp, because everyone was just gushing about it...

 

okay, I like boomslang. BUT the cocoa in it goes away very quickly on me and leaves just snake oil behind. that's fine, 'cuz I love me some snake oil, but then why would I pay extra for this? maybe just for the label art? the cocoa scent, when wet, is lovely. to me, it's definitely dry sweet cocoa and not thick chocolate like with candy butcher or lump of coal. but after 15 - 20 minutes that scent disappears. oh well.

 

I like it but I prefer the snakes with more variation on the oil theme (australian, death adder, temple).

[blu°]

What everybody says: Cocoa covered Snake Oil. And very deep Snake Oil. Like it was aged already.

On me, the cocoa stays almost throughout till the end, and it's a gorgeous dark, sweet, languid embrace around me. I ordered a bottle because it's so delicious, but I fear, I might not really wear it that much, because it might feel like a bit much on most days.

[kakiphony]

In the imp: Unsweetened cocoa powder.

 

Appearance: This is the most separation prone oil I've ever seen from the lab. It's very viscous and separates into a dark, chocolate colored oil which is heavier and sinks to the bottom, and a golden oil which floats to the top. Rolling the imp gently seems to work well to mix them, but shaking resulted in odd bubbles and the darker oil almost looked like sediment floating in the lighter oil.

 

Wet on skin: Cocoa powder with a hint of something spicy in it. Almost like a dark hot chocolate mix with cinnamon.

 

Early dry down: This is a very powdery cocoa scent on me in the early stages. It's not doing the burnt toast thing that chocolate/cocoa often does, but neither is it the rich, creamy scent that others have described. Instead, this has an almost dusty note on my skin. It's like brownie crumbs left in the sun for a really long time and then pulverized.

 

Late dry down: This has gotten sweeter as it has developed on my skin, but it is still a very dry, powdery scent. The cocoa has morphed with what I suspect is the teak, and as I sniff I smell dry woods (almost burnt they're so dry) and cocoa powder. It's a bit like opening a really old, dried out cedar chest and finding that someone spilled unsweetened cocoa powder in the bottom twenty years ago. It's a resin richened by the cocoa. Very nice.

 

My husband's take: "It's nice, but doesn't make me swoon the way Vixen does." He's so darn loyal.

[Em-]

Very very sweet chocolate, with the trademark Snake Oil spicyness...this one may be just a little too chocolatey sweet for me...

[gingersnapp]

Out of the bottle, this was a thick brown oil with little bits of darker brown that I had only to assume was the cocoa.

 

This is definitely Snake Oil, and whoa there is a lot of cocoa in this. But they blend so well together that it's really delicious. The teakwood is more subtle... I can really only tell it's there if I put my wrist to my nose and take a good long drag.

 

I find that I am slathering a lot more with these Snake Oil blends, so they do have a good, long-lasting throw. I really love all these variations.

[Dark Sparkle]

Whoa, cocoa explosion on my wrist! Hmm, I never really get more than cocoa out of this - I'd loved it to be more woody and deep but my skin turns Boomslang into some sort of sweet chocolate drink instead

 

 

After a while it goes poof! on my skin though I am sure it still lingers around me - I think I need to test Boomslang more times in the vain hope it will turn in to the wonderfully complex scent it was really meant to be

[themerrybaker]

Boomslang reminds me of the drink that has Kahlua and cream over ice. Very festive and tasty!!

[Emma2403]

In the bottle : loads and loads and loads of cocoa. And something else, a bit bitter.

 

On my skin: it’s nearly cocoa Single Note. It makes me think of the hot cocoa I drank when I was a kid. There’s not any hint of burnt tyre (cocoa usually does that on me), and it’s actually pretty nice.

 

After a couple of hours: it gets spicier, I can distinctively recognize Snake Oil now. I’m not a real fan of Snake Oil but combined with this cocoa, it gets quite amazing.

 

Verdict: I’m not sure I’d wear it often (I’m no foody girl), but I’m quite impressed, it’s very special.

[Brianne]

In the vial:

smells like regular Snake Oil - I should mention that the oil itself is dark brown and looks just like liquid chocolate though haha

 

On me:

When I put this on my skin the cocoa suddenly becomes apparent. Like all of the chocolate scents from BPAL this is cocoa - NOT chocolate. It's dry and light. And Snake Oil underneath.

 

The cocoa all but disappears on my skin relatively quickly. It's still THERE, I can smell it, but it's not quite as cocoa-y as I expected. THere is a wood note there that is much more present and makes Snake Oil slightly deeper and more perfumey. It's so odd because I was expecting Boomslang to be very foody and instead it's actually more perfumey.

 

Not that I don't like this scent, it's just that my skin eats the cocoa and other than that it's mostly still just like Snake Oil on me. Which I love, but I already have a bottle of

 

Final note:

On my skin, this scent is just not very different from regular Snake Oil. I could probably get the same scent by layering Snake Oil and Bliss unfortunately. I wish I was getting all the cocoa that other people were getting!

[xoe]

OH MY!

First whiff out of the bottle. COCOA!

Wet on me, cocoa and warm spicy-sexiness.

Dry on me, warm spicy sexiness with a touch of dark cocoa.

 

I'm one of the people on whom snake oil turns to Play Doh. Not in Boomslang, though! Oh it's so beautiful! And it lasts and lasts and lasts. I tried this on as soon as I got home from work last night, and could still smell it this morning.

 

LOVE IT!

[Iceblink]

Christ, this is a thick oil. The decant's almost 1/3 gone just after two applications! It's beautiful to look at.

There's a cocoa explosion on first application, but that's fading rather quickly on me (which is odd, since cocoa usually lasts ages on my skin) to leave, as many have said--Snake Oil. Not that there's anything wrong with that (and I will note that SO tends to turn a bit on me after a couple of hours, and this so far has not). But I want that cocoa goodness to last longer! Maybe with a bit of age?