SmellsPrettyGood2Me

Very floral orange blossom dominates in the bottle and on skin. The honey is thick and sweet, not at all dry or dusty. After about an hour, the Snake Oil really started to push forward. I think there is a sneaky extra vanilla in here, too! Lasted a good 6.5 hours of pleasant, wafting sweetness and warmth. Adding this to my list of Snake Oil variants that I really enjoy!

He dank, yo. Krampuslaufen is your Old World alcoholic great uncle with the tobacco stained beard and herbal breath mints that don't do much of anything to improve his general scent bubble. Literally smells of unwashed old mountain man to me and will not have a spot in my rotation.

Quite lovely! Very orange blossom forward in the open, with a delicate honey that is sweetly pleasant but not cloying. If the pepper is there, I can't detect it when first applied. The amber and incense lurk in the background until about a half hour in, and then step forward. Low but wafting sillage that lasted about four hours for me. This is a much daintier, floral scent than I would normally reach for, but I like it quite a bit. Very pleasant, work safe, and wearable.

Knowing that there is at least one variety of sandalwood that reads as pickle to my nose, I was a bit worried I'd find it in this blend. No danger here! Sweet sandalwood dominates on the bottle and on skin, slowly trading places with the tobacco as time and body heat play their part. I also detect a bit of cassia and/or cinnamon here, kicking the spiciness up a notch. This is men's deodorant and/or body wash adjacent, and incredibly strong. One small dab fills whatever room you are in, and sticks around for 12+ hours. A scent impression remained even when I woke up the next day. I have to put it aside for a bit and come back to it. I like it, but the potency is overwhelming and I need to figure out what the right occasion is for wearing it. To be continued!

2019 Version Creamy, almost pastille-like rose and jasmine in the bottle. The jasmine definitely slides into the drivers seat when applied, but the vanilla foam floats in to keep it from becoming too much. Mallow is a weird note for me; sometimes it goes woody, but here it almost has a kettle corn quality to it. I do not get much, if any, rose once applied. By the time it dries down, a general powdery sweetness is all that really remains. As often happens, aging has smoothed out the hard floral edges and left behind something prettier and better balanced than how it originally started. Low sillage in the end, with 5 hours of good wear. Although this is a Yule, it feels like an honorary Luper and a perfect fit for Valentine's Day.

In the bottle, Snake Oil, kraft envelopes and, impressively, a slight note of adhesive. I do not get any of the wooden crates until it hits my skin; some have said it's cedar but my mind agrees to call it pine instead. There is also now a much more easily identifiable paper note that must be the cardboard. Now I think I can smell a rubber band?! I don't know how the Lab did it, but I swear it's there. I'm laughing as I write this because the first and best word I can use to describe this is FUN. It's fun! The scent notes and description perfectly match to form a mental scene and physical experience. If the Lab ever did a Golden Ticket style giveaway for a tour of their maker space, this is definitely what the shipping room closet smells like. Paper and patchouli rule this scent from start to finish for me; although I don't like the paper note in Miskatonic University at all, I really like these cardboard and label notes here a lot. I do get some red musk, but it isn't overpowering. I suspect the Snake Oil will outlast most of the top notes as the bottle as it continues to age. This has strong projection for 6 hours, then dials back to moderate for awhile longer. I can smell it on my wrist the next morning and it's still terrific. I hope this comes back someday as part of a Carved Wooden Reunion Tour.

This tickles my nose brain in all the right ways. Deep sniffs from the bottle bring up all three notes, with the frankincense taking the lead. There's no booziness here, just a dark sweetness. I dabbed some on, sniffed again, then dabbed MORE on (not because I had to, but because I am a sniffy piggy when it comes to tobacco and can never get enough). The warmth of my skin blooms all of the notes, and they waft up in delicious three part harmony. Others who have called the frankincense golden are spot on - there is a mild acidity here that really conveys brightness rather than smokiness. Now I am starting to get a touch of the bourbon, and the tonka bean comes in alongside it. The tobacco is toasty and caramelized in a very photorealistic way. Despite a double dose of how much I would normally apply, the projection does fall off a cliff at about the 1 hour mark, and sillage remains low for another two hours or so before it mostly fades away. If she lasted at least 6 hours, I would have zero notes. This triad is perfection in tone, balance and enjoyability for me; I would take it in hair gloss, lotion, bath salts, beard oil, really any format offered. I just wish she wasn't in such a hurry to move on when we only just met.

Time has made this blend gentle and accommodating, like the final faint strains of music that you hear as the carriage pulls away from the palace after a long night of fervent glances, swishing skirts and hopes both met and dashed. The iris is present, but faint. The black tea has been lost to the years. Largely, what remains are pretty, powdery resins sitting alongside a dry, light patchouli and amber duo. Whether it was despite the age of the fragrance, or because of it, I got 7+ lovely hours of wear with low-to-moderate sillage. There is absolutely something romantic here, appropriate for soft, quiet nights, with or without company.

This is a floral that I can get behind! Very fresh, green, grassy, clean, and a bit soapy in the bottle, with no distinctive floral note that I can discern even with a couple of deep sniffs. Most definitely NOT indolic. I've never smelled the released version (that I can recall) but this variant is really nice. Stays cheerful and bright on skin with a barely-there hint of vanilla in the drydown. There is also that whiff of lemonbalm that seems to mingle really nicely with the other notes. Really pleasant with medium sillage for about 6 hours before it starts to fade. At age 14, this bottle has lost no glory; the only note that seems much more subdued than others have reported is the honeysuckle. I love this for a day when your mood needs a little lift and your mind a reminder that spring always comes again.

Whomever said this smells more like fresh apple than citrus in the open was exactly right, according to my nose! There is an orange-y sweetness from the yuzu that reads more orange blossom than fruit pulp to me. I generally can't do citrus notes, but this one is ok when balanced out by the astringency of the tea. The cherry blossom is there with a slight powdery touch that adds some texture to the scent. While none of these notes appealed to me on paper, the combination and ratio of them are not unpleasant, especially after drydown. Overall, though, I get strong enough Bath and Body Works spray mist vibes from this that I am unlikely to wear it again.

In the imp, I get an overwhelming waft of artificially flavored marzipan. Blerg! No! I can't even force myself to put it on. If, like me, sweet almond tends to read pseudo cherry-like to you in an off-putting way, do not try Hecate. If you're into that, get right in there! With gratitude but strong aversion, this goes directly into the destash pile to find a more appreciative home than I can give it.

The imp I kindly received as a gift to test has a deep burgundy liquid and moderately crimped label, indicating it has had a comparatively long life prior to getting into my (metaphorically) grubby hands. I mention this upfront for comparison purposes as many of us have experienced the largely positive benefits of aged BPAL scents and understand that our mileage may vary based on the factor of time on top of everything else! Wet in the imp, there is a sweet, slightly chewy patchouli that doesn't come across as heavy or overbearing. I get none of the clove or cinnamon here that others have mentioned, and I'm not mad about it. Applied to skin, the scent swells into an incense-y red musk with just a touch of pleasant soapiness underneath. Gorgeous! Not masculine at all to my nose and skin, this gets even nicer the longer it sits and mingles with my skin. After 30 min the patchouli really starts to emerge and I am wondering what percentage of DNA this must share with Snake Oil as there are definitely some overlapping vibes. Goes strong for 7+ hours and I can still smell the delicious remnants of it on my skin when I wake up the next morning. I wish I had a time machine to get 5 bottles of this a decade ago and let them sit, because aging has transformed this into something deeply satisfying to wear. If you have the opportunity to get your hands on an aged imp or bottle I highly recommend it!

A scent as heavy as thunder from the Vatican, with notes that inspire every sin and excess. Black opium, with vetivert and honeysuckle. Immediately, wet in the imp, I get the sense of a commercial European men's fragrance that I've smelled in the past, but can't quite place. Despite that, it doesn't read exclusively "masculine" when applied to skin. The honeysuckle here really creates a nice balance with the darker notes, which are thankfully non-indolic in their florality. On drydown there is a sweet and steady thrum that sort of just wafts up at you from time to time. Low to moderate sillage and about 5 hours of wear before it largely fades away. Very workplace safe to my nose and, applied with discretion, also unlikely to cause offense in closed public spaces. I enjoyed the experience of wearing it and would probably appreciate it even more if I was just starting my BPAL journey. This is perfect for a man or masculine leaning person who wants to begin dabbling in indies but isn't quite sure where to start - not to say it is simple, but it has familiar elements in tone and wear to classic fragrances that will feel familiar but also a bit special.

The notes order listed here is like a set of ingredients, in that they display their strength in successively decreasing potency as written. I can detect each and every one of them both in the bottle, and on skin. Although it's not listed, I could swear that there is also a touch of cinnamon and/or cassia as there is a powdery heat that also emerges during the dry down. There is definitely a "mystical" aura here, something magical and ancient. The green cardamom is bright and snappy, largely front and center for the duration of wear, whereas the honeyed fig barely registers. I was incredibly impressed at how the overall scent bubble grew over time, giving a strong projection for 8+ hours. Beautiful, balanced, wearable. I foresee reaching for this a lot in colder months when I want to take an olfactory trip back in time.

2025 version Having just smelled the Clove and Sweet Incense duet a few days ago, I definitely smell those exact same two notes here in the bottle almost immediately. This bat is punchy, screechy, LOUD and ready to take a bite out of anyone who gets too close. I put a wand size dab onto my skin and Holy Toledo, Batman - it fills the room. Are we sure there is no red musk in there? I could swear it is lurking in the background. The drydown is a bit of a rough ride for me, with the anise undertones of the clove really making it hard to smell much else. But patience is a virtue!! The sugared patchouli was waiting for me on the other side of it. Very assertive projection and 8+ strong hours of presence on skin. My shirt sleeve absorbed quite a bit of scent so it will be interesting to see if it all comes out in the wash or not! I think I like Snootier Bat better for regular wear, with more leather and less clove in that variation, but this is a total banger in it's own right, time and place. Not work safe or small enclosed space safe; you'll want to wear this to a club, festival or show where you want every nose turning in your direction.