Juliamon

Aging seems to have treated this decant well. There's no back-and-forth between the Snake Oil and the pumpkin, it's one seamless blend of buttery, spicy, sweet pumpkin Snake Oil. It's a bit more powdery than Snake Oil usually is, but I don't know if that's me or the scent association I get from this that brings me back to my grandparents' apartment, baked goods and old-fashioned cosmetics and the Tabu perfume that was my nana's signature scent. There's less vanilla in here than with regular Snake Oil, probably because the pumpkin does the job just as well. Very yummy and long-lasting, a decant I will treasure.

Short & sweet review for this one. This is horribly sour in the imp, but on my skin it's Embalming Fluid 2.0--new and improved, now with less cleaning product smell! Lasts a teeny bit longer too, maybe due to the honeysuckle. A bottle of this may be in my future!

2017 version. If ever there were a perfume that my skin betrayed me with, it is Eusapia. It opens with the most beautiful, pure lilac that is spot-on to the blooming bushes so prevalent around here in the spring. The white tea offers a burst of freshness to balance the floral sweetness, and the candle wax is just a faint, soft waxy base note anchoring it. It's perfect... ...except that it changes when dry. The candle wax reveals itself to have some sort of vanilla component, and an hour after applying that's all I can smell. Vanilla often does this to me, but usually it's more of a gradual shift from blend to single-note vanilla (Gobo is a great example of this, it takes me hours to realize the citrus is gone). The lilac and tea just can't stick around very long, I guess. And it breaks my heart because it started off so, so so so good. Keeping my decant for locket use for sure, if I can find a bottle at a time where I can afford it I'll be tempted to grab it so I can reapply as often as I want for that lilac goodness.

Also haven't tried the original. It wasn't even on my radar, but I've been giving jasmine more of a shot lately and I didn't want my Dragon's Eye imp to travel alone. This is, without a doubt, the one BPAL that most accurately evokes its name. Sweet and intoxicating, but also bitter and deadly. The berries and opoponax would be overpoweringly sweet if they weren't cut by the lime and galbanum, and the jasmine is so entwined with the rest of the blend that I wouldn't have been able to identify it if I hadn't read the notes. Throw is insane for the first few minutes, but calms down to a more subtle, sinister level and stays there for quite some time. I don't think I could wear this often, but it's gonna be my go-to when I need to feel powerful.

I haven't tried the original, but had my 'eye' on it because of the lilac, so I was very excited to see it included in the resurrection! Unfortunately the lily of the valley dominates on me, much like on the previous reviewer. It's primarily lily, then some dragon's blood, and then a hint of galbanum. The lilac is nowhere to be found. I mean, at least it's not like most of the other Ars Draconis blends where I get nothing but dragon's blood... but it's still not what I was hoping for. It's definitely piercing though! If I hadn't already taken my migraine medication for an unrelated reason, I'm sure I would need it now. The lily is THAT aggressive.

This reminds me of a beachside motel I stayed in on an overnight trip to Maine. The freshly-laundered sheets, the flowering bushes outside, the salty breeze coming in off the ocean. This is the sort of thing that comes to mind when I think 'vacation.' There's a dark, bitter--no, biting--undercurrent that I think is from the lavender, but as I'm very much not a lavender fan I don't mind it being so suppressed by the rest of the blend. I expected it to be a bit sweeter than it is, and I think that's what's keeping me from really being head-over-heels for it. Maybe layering it with some myrrh will help? Keeping my decant, though I don't know that I can justify the full bottle purchase.

This blend reminds me strongly of LUSH: it's sort of like if their Coconut deodorant powder and Fairy Ring soap had a baby. Very earthy and dry and warm, dirt-forward with the coconut and vetiver supporting it, and a liberal sprinkling of mushroom. The benzoin sweetens things up ever so gently over time. I usually prefer a more moist dirt note but it would probably not work as well in this blend. Unisex, but a bit masculine-leaning as it feels kinda 'rugged.' Like a pile of sturdy clothes and gloves that have been used for farming root veggies, sun-baked and dusty. Not something I would wear often, but I want to keep it on hand for those early autumn days when I start to miss childhood trips to a particularly rural part of Vermont where everyone was a farmer or otherwise at least had attended a barn raising or two.

In the imp: Industrial bathroom cleaner! Where's the limes I was promised? Wet: There they are! The lime and citron come out swinging, juicy and zesty. The lilacs drift in lazily, and then are suddenly pushed aside as the musk announces its presence. And, unfortunately, that's where this goes wrong. I don't usually have a problem with white musk but in this case it seems to be fighting with the citrus and starts smelling unusually dirty. I guess that's the 'corrupted' bit, and I am unfortunately not a fan. The lilac struggles to remind me that it's there, but it's not strong enough to break up the fight. Dry: I think the citrus and the musk fought to a stalemate, both exhausted but unwilling to admit defeat: they cling weakly to my skin, barely noticeable. The lilac is still kicking around a bit, yet still manages to get overshadowed. Poor lilac! The only really positive thing I have to say is that this is much more gender-neutral than the description implies. I had such high hopes for this blend, enough that I tested and retested half a dozen times before reviewing to make sure it REALLY didn't work and it wasn't just hormones/weather/whatever messing with it. Alas!

I wanted to love this! In the imp it's bright, clean, sweet, happy floral. The cedar is light enough not to bother me. But my skin is having none of it. It vanishes instantly on my wrists and turns into run-of-the-mill cherry blossom in the crook of my arm, making me feel like I'm a young teen at B&BW. I already have too many locket-only scents, so this one's headed to the destash box.

In the imp: this wobbles back and forth between lemon-lime soda and Purell. Yikes. Wet: Thankfully it settles onto the former! The mint pops up first, trying to push the scent into mojito territory, but can't quite overcome the fruity sweetness as it starts to shift into melon soda territory. There's a soft herbal note in the background that's quite relaxing. Dry: The soda's gone flat (that is to say, the champagne note has faded) and what remains is a sugary fruit cocktail that's quite nice, if light. The green tea note finally has a moment in the spotlight. Honestly though, at this point it's pretty much Embalming Fluid with a scoop of sugar in it. This is perfect for a cool summer night, but the sweetness might be too cloying in the heat of day. But then, you don't see bats during the day all that much anyway...

I tried Psalm 82:2-4 yesterday and I'm in the mood to keep testing skin musks. Maybe it's the heat. In the imp: ...really, nose? Neutral again? Well... a less-sweet Neutral, anyway. Wet: Ooooh. Very sandalwood-forward for a minute, then settles into sandalwood-touched skin musk. Not a lot of frank, if I hadn't read the notes I don't think I'd notice it was in here at all. Oddly delicate for something roller derby-related. Dry: Yet another BPAL sandalwood falls victim to my hungry skin! Between that vanishing and the vanilla amping, this one actually DID turn into Neutral on me, albeit less sweet. On deep sniff I can still pick up a little bit of the sandalwood so it's at least more tenacious than the white variety, but none of it makes it into the throw. It's absolutely lovely, but dries so similar to Neutral on me that I can't justify a bottle.

This was frimped to me in a swap, definitely not something I would have picked myself because of the lavender. And in the imp, I was almost convinced that I'd made a mistake and should have had this on my wishlist all along. Then I put a bit on and it turned straight into generic restroom soap scent. Welp.

In the decant: Huh. RPG Neutral, is that you? Wet: Nope, there's more going on here. Neutral is very simple, this is less sweet, more resinous and a little bit dusty (vanilla husk?), and it has a bit of a crisp feeling to it like it wants to be aquatic but can't quite get there. Clean, gently sweet, dry, fairly feminine. The musk is a little bit sharper on one wrist for some reason, I gave it a roll just in case it separated like Lucchesa's did so it's possible I didn't roll it enough. Dry: This doesn't change too much, which judging by other reviews is possibly because of my tendency to amp vanilla so it's keeping in step with the benzoin. The cleanness backs off a bit in favor of being resinous. The dustiness pushes a bit towards baby powder, but I don't hate it. I gave Neutral a sniff after wearing this for a bit and they really aren't that similar, I don't know what my nose was telling me. Perhaps it was trying to convince me that I don't NEED to buy an LE when there's a perfectly good, cheaper GC option. But this is warmer, richer, more comforting. Neutral feels like an overly chipper hostess in comparison, and I think Psalm 82:2-4 suits my general anxiety-riddled emotional state better. I have my fingers crossed this will still be around when I can afford to place another order!

For as many things are in this, I have a frustratingly simple review that echoes previous ones: cinnamon incense. The incense is stronger in the imp, but on my skin the cinnamon and cassia quickly come to the forefront and overpower it. It's nice, but I wish the resins came out more on me. I'll be keeping this decant for now, but if it shows up on a swap partner's wishlist they can look forward to it getting thrown in.

In the decant: dirt, grass, dandelions. The platonic ideal of a grassy field... and something sharp lurking beneath. Wet: The resins quickly make themselves known, but also hold themselves back from the grassy opening notes. The fresh air of a late spring backyard barbecue, a plastic cup of cola in your hands, grass between your toes, angry older conservative family members going off on a rant because your cousin posted a photo of a rainbow on Facebook. That last bit might be the tar. It's easy to tune out though. Dry: The opoponax gets a little bit sweeter, but stabilizes. Dandelions transition into damp moss. The dirt peeks through a bit more. It is that quiet moment, after the guests have left and you've cleaned up from the party and suddenly feel how moist your butt is from sitting on grass all afternoon because you were short on chairs, but the sun's going down and hopefully the shadows will conceal the wet spot on your pants until you can grab a minute to change. A feeling of, if not happiness, at least contentment. You made it through the day without committing murder even once. Low throw on me, but solid wear length. Very unisex, fairly inoffensive. I can see myself reaching for this on gloomy days where I need a smile. It's not sunshine in a bottle, but it sure is some good vibes of karmic retribution.

I opened an imp of Snakes in the Pumpkin Patch this morning, decided I didn't want to wear it today after all, and picked up my half-decant of Drag on a Slime instead. Seemed like more of a fruity kind of day. Two hours later, the traces of Snakes on my fingers were stronger than the Slime I'd slathered. It opens LOUD, a big sugary punch of guava with a bite of lime, but the only part of it that lasted on me was soft pink orchid. Disappointing, but I'm glad it works for other folks!

This is a dark oil, along the lines of Snake Oil. Be wary of staining. In the imp: I think the reason this originally flew under my radar is because of the poplar tar note, and just based on sniff alone my wariness was justified. This is all grimy, dusty old wood, like a consignment antique shop. Not something I want to put on myself, but imps have deceived me before... Wet: OH GOD. This is FUCKING AMAZING. BPAL's amber hides on me when wet, so right now this is all opoponax and labdanum, and sometimes I ask myself "do I really love resins as much as I claim to?" which this is replying with OH HELL YES. There's a faint smokiness/woodiness, probably from the poplar tar, but mostly just an incredible resin incense. Dry: The amber finally warms up a bit, pushing away some of that woodsmoke and letting the resins sweeten up a tad. It is still by no means a sweet blend though! Light throw, great longevity--I could still smell it the next day. This came out of nowhere and slammed itself into my top 10, but it's so rich and warm I want to save it for colder months when I need a mood lifter. That is, unless I can track down a bottle...

In the imp: honey, nectarine, and a whole lot of fresh greenness. Wet: The fruity sweetness of the honey and nectarine vanishes into my skin on contact and I'm left with a clean, fresh, upbeat green scent with a trace of aquatic. Kind of aggressively gender-neutral, which I dig. Love me some oakmoss. But something feels... off. Dry: I used to stock shelves in the health & beauty department at a supermarket and while I couldn't tell you the brand there's definitely at least one commercial soap product out there that smells like this. That's what feels off to me: it's gone too soapy, like body wash that wasn't properly rinsed off. I have to assume it's the green musk as it's one I'm not familiar with yet. (I'm not familiar with sea buckthorn either, but researching seems to indicate it isn't the culprit.) If you like clean bright Irish Spring-y scents Alcie is definitely worth a try. It's really a shame it went so soapy on me, it has great longevity and moderate throw.

In the imp: Oh geez that's some red wine. Is this gonna be a repeat of Lady Macbeth on me? I'm gonna start with only the lightest dab... Wet: Whew, nope. This wine is a different one, and apparently much more to my body's tastes... it drinks it right up and leaves nothing for me to sniff but a trace of dirt! I tried again the next day with a more generous amount, and nope--still vanishes utterly the minute it hits my skin. Argh! Of all the BPALs I've tried, this is the most heartbreaking--for that first half-minute this is utterly gorgeous, wistful and delicate.

I managed to spill my decant all over myself. Honey and red currant are the prominent notes for me. Sweet, fruity, heady. The blackberry stays in the background. I couldn't detect the amber or the pink pepper, but BPAL's amber usually acts more as an anchor on me than as its own thing and I'm not very familiar with pink pepper. 12 hours later, my arm still smells faintly of honey. It's quite nice, but I'm in no hurry to replace the decant. I have other fruity berry scents I like and I'm not frequently in the mood for a honey scent.

In the imp: Snake oil with chocolate syrup. I've never had an oil as utterly opaque as this before! Usually at least a little light can get through in an imp, not so here. Wet: Snake Oil, cocoa, and just the barest hint of teakwood. I think the rice milk is what's making the cocoa lean more milk chocolate than dark cocoa powder, but it's not specifically distinguishable. It's a very warm and creamy chocolate that brings to mind the river in the Wonka factory. I love how the SO spices play with it. Good throw. Dry: Unfortunately this is a fleeting romance for me. The chocolate does not last very long, and as it fades it steals away most of the spices with it, leaving me with SO that is--for the first time for me--powdery and dull. It lasted barely an hour, and while I'm sure I could get more wear out of it if I slathered I'd also greatly increase my chances of stained skin. Probably my favorite SO blend that's available year-round, it's easy to see why it's a favorite of the Snake Pit. But with it being as ephemeral on me as it is, I don't see myself reaching for it instead of longer-lasting SO blends that I enjoy just as much.

Gave this a blind try before bed. I could smell the anise and cinnamon in the imp, but once on my skin it was pure gorgeous amber-touched myrrh incense. And I could still smell a hint of it on my skin 12 hours later! A bit disappointed in the lack of cinnamon, but this will do wonderfully when I'm really craving resins and don't want anything fancy.

In the imp: Sweet sugared lime Wet: Lime lime lime lime lime lime. A hint of lemongrass, a hint of musk. Manages to avoid smelling like cleaning product to me. Dry: Lime, white amber, a bit of coconut, musk, indistinct faint florals. Not nearly enough florals to put me off, and I pretty notoriously dislike florals in general. They are irritating my sinuses a bit though. The coconut comes out more over time, but never to sunscreen levels. Obnoxious throw when wet, but very much a skin scent after 10 minutes. Combine that with the sinus irritation and, despite liking the scent, I don't think this is a keeper for me. I'll probably give it a couple more tries before adding it to swaps though, I really do want it to work. Might be good in a lotion.

In the imp: Fruit and fresh Snake Oil. Wet: Alright, acai, I get it, you're here, you can stop shouting at me! It's very tart and takes a minute or five to calm down a bit, at which point I can start to pick up the amber and sandalwood. I'm usually anosmic to BPAL's white sandalwood but in this case it's probably what's making the amber a bit more powdery than usual on me. Dry: Having said its piece the acai has left, and this is now almost straight-up SO--no, wait, actually, I think it's a little closer to Snake Charmer. There's still a gentle fruity tang, dusty amber, and a trace of cardamom if I look for it, all over that good good SO base with all the longevity you expect from it. I never got any neroli (hardly the end of the world, I can take or leave it) but I wonder if it was what made the SO smell fresh in the imp. This is leaning towards being a keeper, but that obnoxiously acai opening makes me hesitate. I may swap it if the right trade comes up but I'm in no rush.

In the decant: fruit with a hint of Snake Oil Wet: Apple is dominant, colored lightly by the blood orange. If I didn't know there was Snake Oil in here I wouldn't be able to tell, it's all fruit with a trace of tropical flowers. I was a bit nervous about the lemon peel but there's not enough in here to even suggest cleaning product. Dry: Finally a bit of Snake Oil spices shows up! Still not enough that I would consider this a Snake Oil blend, it feels more like a tropical cocktail that someone spilled a little bit of Snake Oil in. The upside of this is that the SO isn't harsh at all, acting more like mulling spices for the apple. The downside is that it doesn't have SO's lasting power. An unexpectedly gentle snake, perhaps a milk snake just pretending to be venomous, and a good option for someone who thinks they can't do regular SO. I have a binder-tank with a coral snake patterned fabric, and I will probably wear this alongside it this summer.