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Bodegón Con Cesto de Frutas, Melocotones, Granadas Y Bernegal
artisjok replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Limited Editions
Seconding the “smells like the painting looks.” The earthy notes and fruits all have a muted feel, yet maintain a sense of intrigue in their depth and complexity. There’s a definite warmth, both from the spice and just the overall composition of notes. The sun going down, the final hour working a market stall, just gradually tidying, but in no hurry yet, mind full with the interactions of the day. Looking forward to entwining into a lover’s arms. It is heartening, and I’m really just having a delightful experience over here. -
I reviewed the 2016 version shortly after it came out but earlier this year I won a bottle of the 2007 version from the Lab in one of their eBay auctions, so I feel like there's reason enough to do a second, separate review. I'll start off by saying I am absolutely one of the BPAListas that favors well-aged Snake Oil over the fresh stuff. And I truly mean the older, the better: I've got several bottles that have been quietly aging for years while I verrrrry slowly make my way through my precious 2006 10mL bottle - at this point, closing in on 20 years? It's like liquid GOLD. So it should be unsurprising that I am quite enthusiastic about having snagged this 2007 bottle of Saw Scaled Viper, because of COURSE, the SO is a big part of the equation. As with the 2016 iteration, the dominate of the other notes is cassia here, too- and I'm just as pleased about it. I sometimes feel like cassia is an unsung hero of spice notes, sometimes overshadowed by the familiarity we all have with clove and cinnamon. But whereas those notes can often be so strong as to have a ring of acridity in them, cassia is all smooth, rounded edges, and it's really beautiful. If you've ever spent anytime in the deep South (of the US) and had the pleasure of smelling the pods of white magnolia trees in autumn, you'll be familiar with the scent, as the two are incredibly similar, even though they come from completely different plant species. There is cinnamon here, too- sure- and wisps of the ginger as well, in the deep, deep background. But the dance between that cassia and the Snake really are the main love story of this scent, no matter what year / formula you're talking about. I keep both the 2007 and 2016 versions side by side as I find they have qualities different enough that I prefer one over the other during any given mood. What they have in common though, is being favorites of the Snake Pit for me. ❤️
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I never tried the original except for the hair gloss. I still have a small decant of that. I put that on my arms first and then put the perfume my wrist. Next to each other, they smell fairly different. The hair gloss has more of a chocolaty patchouli note to me and is more earthy, whereas the 2025 perfume is sweeter and fruitier, and definitely reminds me of Angel by Mugler. I do like both, but they do seem a bit different to me. also the HG seems to have more staying power on my skin.
- Yesterday
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Treat this as more of an impression than a review since I'm reviewing the scent and not the intent. The Burning Light is mostly about the orange, apricot, and ginger on me, backed by the incense. The ginger with the other notes is making this veer medicinal on me, sadly. I'm going to stick with Holiday Survival Juice for a joyful, uplifting TAL blend.
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I received a tester of this in a decant order. This is mostly about the leather on me, and it's a strong black leather. I also get some rubberiness from it, which I agree is probably from the leather combining with the ink. The dusty pages are present, but I'm not getting any beeswax or any sweetness from this whatsoever. And that strong leather really could have used some beeswax goodness along with it! Maybe it's just my skin running away with the leather? I'm glad that I was able to try it, but I wouldn't reach for this over sweet book scents like Jólabókaflóð or Picture Books in Winter.
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I almost didn’t do a full wear of Bear Moon, since the little test was all honey on me, but that would have been a shame. This is one cozy experience! I’m also getting primarily musk and honey with touches of berry, which fades out in the wear, and it’s just hitting the spot on this cold, drizzly day. I think the wood is there supporting, but not super evident. I did want more leaves, and maybe sometime I’ll try layering with another scent for that. The recent Yule release has the 100 Acre Woods collection, and I’ve also been reading Winnie the Pooh stories with my children recently. This scent could easily bee (lol) Pooh’s, a snuggly sticky experience in a warm tree home, surrounded by good friends and memories.
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I was unsure if Qui Aime Bien would work for me after reading the reviews of floral soapiness. It is a rather cleean, sharp floral brightness to start with, haughty florals that look appealing, but have a punishing bite in their sap. The drydown is completely different. A warm pollen, musky and smooth. A very yellow perfume. I think it’ll embodies the name “who loves well chastises well,” both sides aptly represented. I love wearing it to bed, my favorites to bundle down with- clean and cozy!
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I'm also getting An Evening With the Spirits vibe from this one. It has the same sort of eerie coolness as some of those scents. I decided to try it because I wanted to try at least one scent from The Yellow Wallpaper collection, and this one seemed like it would be the most accessible (plus, y'know, it contains lavender ). This is indeed accessible, with the plaster dust being pretty tame and kind of lending a powdery make-up or classic perfume vibe in the background. However, the standout notes to me are the iris (which is somehow not as sharp and screechy as usual) and the musky ambergris. I've tried this a few times now, and the lavender and vanilla husk aren't really distinct on me, and I'm not getting anything rose-y from this, either. While this isn't something I need a bottle of, I'm glad the iris wasn't extremely rude to me (despite being a main player), and that this wasn't heavy on the plaster. If you like iris and are looking for a scent with An Evening With the Spirits sort of feel, though, this might be up your alley.
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do you remember Bronze Dildo? I know that one was a bit divisive, but dang, I am always impressed by a perfume oil that smells like bronze. and this also smells like bronze!! Statue of Freedom strikes me as much less bombastic than BD, thanks in part to the luscious amber smoothing over the edges. It's a stunning yet subtle scent.
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I looooove BPAL's big, booming, bourbon cream, but I'm glad this collaboration incorporates skin musk to tone it down slightly. The outcome is incredibly accessible, wearable, and yes, layerable! Wear your DILF to the office by day and then add a dab of snake oil for a night out.
- Last week
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i had a very “this hole was made for me!” junji ito moment but with the notes list for this one. it’s perfect and i love it! i saw another reviewer on the forum mention there being a citrusy bite coming from somewhere in the blend and i can definitely see what they’re talking about. this one really morphed in my hair over night, when applied fresh it was all wood and hay and beeswax and to be honest i was a little miffed lol, but this morning— i keep catching whiffs of something deliciously figgy and i can say for certain it’s a yellow smell! man, the waxy texture of the beeswax and the figs translate SO well in scent! this one is quite lovely actually, and i love the smell of the figs in this one!! i wanted some more chamomile (because i love smelling my huge bag of loose leaf chamomile from time to time) so hopefully with a little more time it’ll come out! even with just a little more rest over night, this has completely changed from the first time i tried it! my first try was all wood and beeswax and the fig and honey goodness came out after a good night's sleep-- but today, right off the bat it's sweet summery goodness! i spitzed 3 pumps into my hands and rubbed it a bit between my palms and it was like summer blossomed between them. it's magical, the fig and the honey and the chamomile coming out in full force. the honey in here has slight floral nuances and it's not heavy and overbearing at all like other honey scents i dislike. the figs feel fresh and so ripe they're about to split open, the chamomile is more like a brewed tisane with copious amounts of honey swirled into it. the beeswax and the wood recede into the background, noticeable but they support the main stars of the show-- the fig, honey and chamomile. i knew that i would love this one and i was right! this was the only one i really REALLY wanted from this year's weenies and i'm so happy this little ray of sunshine is in my collection now!
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ok this one is an interesting one for sure! it starts off very boozey. i definitely feel like i get the lab's whiskey note right off the bat. also kind of mixed in with a sweaty/BO scent. strongly reminds me of a slightly less sweaty banned in boston when first applied. the boozy sweaty aspects fade away pretty fast for me, leaving a creamy, woody, coffee scent in the dry down. it's not a foody coffee, more like a piece of coffee scented wood. love it. i feel like i get whiffs of cedar as the scent wears on but overall it's a very cozy well-blended scent. like drinking a coffee in an old wooden room under a blanket.
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2018 version: cinnamon plum forward, with soft, chilly florals in the background (not indolic or powdery). It is prettier on my hair and fabrics instead of on the skin, though it's still a keeper. A splendid Winter blend, and it would work well in Autumn and early Spring.
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Ceaselessly By My Side the Demon Stirs
Joyleaf_ replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Limited Editions
Like the other reviewers have mentioned this is warm and dry on my skin. I get kind of an oddly muted green note, which I think might be the way I'm interpreting the oolong tea. I really like it, it sort of evokes the sense of warming cold extremities in the winter time, kind of biting and harsh but welcoming all the same. -
I prefer this to a pure chocolate scent, though I understand why wood might be jarring to some people. It does blend well enough. That's a really nice dark cocoa. My only complaint is that it goes very faint on the drydown for me. I'll use it for layering with Misketonic U and other scents that could use a splash of warm cocoa and sandalwood.
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i received this as a frimp and as far as i can tell, i have never tried it. i love trying new to me GCs! anyhoo, it opens kind of sweet and tart at the same time-i get berries and tomato leaf with a tiny hint of cedar. the pine comes out more later, and then unfortunately the berries get kind of plasticky. it has that doll's head smell...while i like it as an idea, i dont' really like to smell like it, if that makes sense. still i find this scent to be very joyous and uplifting.
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This sounds beautiful but I can't find it anywhere. Would anyone have the link to it on Century Guild?
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A 2023 Halloween concoction which maybe should’ve been a Yule all along! Wooly and witchy, fuzzy and scuzzy, long green fingers tipped with ruby-red nails: raw wool, sweet oakmoss, and cranberry brandy.
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(2018 ver) (arrived today, will update if there' a big change) i agree with others when they say there's a hint of something lemon-y in here! and i also agree with others who mention that this is a rather light and delicate scent, completely the opposite of the notes list and frankly the label art (although i'm a fan of it of course). i don't get any of the honey i think, but i really don't mind as honey notes tend to go grossly, overwhelmingly sweet on my skin. i think it's mainly the snake oil and the sugar that's coming through for me. really, really love it as it is now, i hope they bring it back for this year's lupers! edit (12/03( man… i hate to say it but i think i like snake’s kiss better than regular ol snake oil… snake’s kiss, for all it’s heavy sounding notes— is actually quite a delicate and airy scent. it’s less of a passionate french kiss and more of a chaste butterfly kiss on the cheek. some other reviewers on the forum mention a sort of lemon-y aspect to the sugar and i get that as well. reading that initially threw me off of the blend and i dismissed it as something i wouldn’t like (before i had it in hand), but hoo whee was i completely wrong. there’s a lovely combo in here, i suspect that lemon sugar and a hint of the snake oil itself that combine to form a sort of… bright lemony tea scent. i’ve also seen someone mention that it’s dorian adjacent, although i haven’t tried the notorious dorian itself— i can definitely imagine it smelling like this. not to mention this is the only honey scent that has worked on me, and worked AMAZINGLY well no less. it’s straight up honey from my huge kirkland bottle in the kitchen, it’s rich and floral and golden without being syrupy and overbearing like other honey notes i’ve tried. THIS, is what honey smells like. the honeyed aspect wasn’t very strong at first, and i thought it wouldn’t show up at all, but it just needed a little time to come out. but when it did, i felt like i was instantly transported to my kitchen. standing in front of a perfect cup of lemon’d ceylon tea and stirring in my usual frankly, irresponsible amount of desired honey. the vanilla cream aspect of it is a little shy (in snake’s kiss at least) doesn’t really smell very lactonic or creamy to my nose, but i do quite like BPAL’s vanilla cream note regardless. it worked really well for me in their just before penetration as well [Pink fig and guava soaked in vanilla cream.] overall, snake’s kiss is a resounding smash hit for me, and i really REALLY hope they bring it back for this year’s lupers!!!
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The whistle cries. Cheek pressed to the cool glass, breath fogging faintly as orchards and riverbanks blur past in watercolor hues. The air fills with rose creme and warm pastries from the dining car. Night falls. The train glides along the darkened coast, and lights shimmer in the distance like earthbound stars. Burnt sugar amber, polished French oakwood, cacao fleur, blushing peony, and cashmere musk.
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The intoxicating perfume of exotic incenses wafting on warm desert breezes. Arabian spices wind through a blend of warm musk, carnation, red sandalwood and cassia. [frimp from destash that arrived today, age unknown-- however the packaging is unlike other imps. it doesn't have a white flag label with just the name, it's wrapped around the imp and it matches the label on the website instead] this one was a little odd fresh, although that odd scent completely dissipates within a few minutes. it's very different from what i usually wear, it's a very dry scent-- and slightly sweet. to me it's sort of like going over to your spice cabinet and giving it a biiiiiig inhale while the remnants of last night's floral perfume clings to your skin. it also reminds me of bpal's bengal but slightly sweeter and without the slight sour smell i got from the skin musk. i'm not sure how i feel about it right now. i like my spiced scents to be a little more in your face, this one (right now at least) is quite subdued. the more i smell it the more i'm warming up to it, it's unassuming at first but it really curls around you... intoxicating.. will have to update after a week or so, my only hopes are that this gets stronger!! otherwise it's quite nice already.
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A bitterly cold, bone-white chypre; austere polar musk, vegan ambergris, and white tea combine to make a genteel, frigid perfume as bright and sharp as the first crack of glacial ice.
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A fatal temptation: vanilla bean paste, allspice, ground almond accord, cinnamon sugar, golden caster sugar, and a dusting of icing sugar.
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A bloodless scent stitched together like delicate antique lace, with a hint of powdered violet, plum brandy, and gleaming aldehydes.
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Testing the 2025 edition of Batty Lace: This is only the second lace scent I’ve tried, and I was expecting a version of the “cloud of french vanilla ice cream” that is the 2017 resurrected version of Antique Lace on me, but this is gentle and subdued. It reminds me of a softer and more feminine version of The Bow and Crown of Conquest (which also has vanilla and leather). The leather is a warm brown suede that stays firmly in the background and there’s a toasty brown sugar note that must be the caramel musk. That said, all the above is how it smells on my skin. On my hair, the soft brown sugar/suede is just a supporting player and the dominant note is a kind of dusty attic scent that must the “dried flowers and aged linens.”
