Snake Charmer

[Vega]

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.

Reviewing the original Carnaval Noir blend.

Sniffed: Warm incense/musk/spices with a layer of fluffy coconut.

On skin: Snake Charmer is a gorgeous, dark incense-musk-spice blend. Warm Arabian musk (which must be similar to red musk) forms the rich, dark base, over which the other notes blend and combine. I can pick out bright spices, discreet vanilla, fluffy-sweet coconut, dry amber, and a syrupy, dark yet glowing note that must be from ambrette and/or plum. However, it the is definitely more than the sum of its individual notes: overall a dark, smooth, complex scent, sensuous, mysterious and enticing.
Snake Charmer falls somewhere between Snake Oil (spiced vanilla and musk) and Mme. Moriarty (lighter plum and red musk), but nothing is quite like it. WILF gets the closest: it is a more "fun and snuggly" Snake Charmer with chocolate and peppermint, without glowing ambrette. Even so, Snake Charmer stands on its own.

Verdict: I like deep, incense-musk-spice blends, so Snake Charmer is a firm keepsake. If I hadn't found WILF (which I'm completely head-over-heels in love with) this would be hoard-worthy -- but I'm keeping my decant for the days when I don't want to wear a snuggly werewolf!

[aleciarivas]

This is a gorgeous scent, but not on me. My skin amps SOMETHING weird in here, although two friends, my DH and my DD who tried it smelled LOVELY and dark and sexy!

[ziggystardust13]

In my opinion Snake Charmer has a Snake Oil vibe (not a bad thing!) But I find it to be sweeter and more innocent than snake oil. Quite simply, I would say this smells like vanilla incense with a sharp note somewhere beneath all that warm, vanilla resin.

If you are a fan of vanilla and snake oil, you will LOVE this

Edited May 20, 2015 by ziggystardust13

[subtlesiren]

I've been debating buying a bottle of Snake Charmer for a while now and finally took the plunge. For some reason, I have my doubts it will work, that it will go powdery on my skin. In the bottle, I get mostly musk, amber and benzoin. On second sniff, I get some of the plum and coconut. The scent warms up on my wrist, and the amber is surfacing, dragging the scent into a powdery mess. It's disappearing as I'm writing this, leaving behind a whisper of powder.

Edited January 31, 2012 by subtlesiren

[ReallyZeb]

I finally found myself a bottle to see what all the fuss is about - and it was so worth it. This is a snugglier, foodier version of Snake Oil, warmer and darker and I absolutely adore it.

 

Wet, it seemed very coconutty, along with a blast of vanilla and I worried that would overtake everything.

 

Once it dried it all blends beautifully together, a back note of fruity coconut with this wonderful triad of musk, amber and vanilla and I can't stop sniffing my wrist. I swear if I layer this over my Butterfly Nectar bath oil then the entire world will fall adoringly at my feet.

[Ella LaRose]

The 2008 version.

Holy goddess!

Sweet mysterious sugared incense!

I smell the sweet amber the bright dark red plum, and then it is just scent! Sweet, dark, TOTALY sexy! Deep dark, this is a velvet black dress, stunning cleavage, exotic dominatrix!

Bottle coming home:D it is worth the price<3<3<3

 

On my quest for a sugar incense, I tried the snake charmer res.

Perfect!!

Sweet sugar cane, a dark touch of plum, and heavy dark resin incense notes!

It lasted on me for some hours, wafting a cloud of magic and mystery!

Bottles have been hunted down and are in their way!

[cherrycherry]

This review is for the 2008 version.

 

Uh oh, I have another scent I need to hoard. This is absolutely lush! I would say more sensual than sexy... mmh, this is GOOD. I get everything I get from Snake Oil, but this is better somehow. My all-time favourite BPAL is the heavy red musk version of The Infernal Lover, but for the time being I think it's safe to say that Snake Charmer will be getting more love. Much more love. Passionately obsessively love, at least three or four times a day. This stuff is just delicious. THUD.

[joyfulgirl]

wow, this really feels to me like snake oil and mme. moriarty had a love child. and it is quite a sexy, delicious, amazing love child. beth's incredible plum note just absolutely hits a home run in this one...dark, sensual and blending oh-so-well with the other notes. i was lucky enough to get a little decant of the original and it is unbelievably beautiful...i will totally cherish this tiny vial.

[Juushika]

Resurrected/2008 version.

 

In the vial: Snake oil's vanilla and spices in an astoundingly thick out.

 

On me: It goes slightly dirty as it hits the skin, cigarette smoke/bourbon vanilla-esque, atop vanilla and spices. Once it dries down, however, this is pretty much what Snake Oil ought to have been, except that Snake Oil disappears on my skin: it's a dark spicy vanilla and a touch of amber, a subtle and deep and sensual scent, sweet but smooth, spicy and dark, warm and brown. I get plenty of resins a little dark fruit, especially in the throw, differentiating the scent from virgin Snake Oil. Throw is low, but the scent shows no shyness at skin-level; wear length is very long.

 

Verdict: Considering my tumultuous relationship with Snake Oil, I'm pleasantly surprised how much I like Snake Charmer (Resurrected); it's not love, but this is what I'd always hoped Snake Oil would be, in spirit if not in every letter, and so I appreciate and will keep my decant.

[lady_pandora]

This is an old, old decant that I'm finally getting around to reviewing.

 

This is amazing. It smells like someone took aged Snake Oil and dumped Smut on top of it. It reminds me of both of those oils but is better than either one. It smells like this gorgeously blended mix of vanilla, spices, musk, booze, and sugar. If any one note predominates, it's the vanilla, but overall it's really well balanced and nothing is drowning out the rest of the notes. It also has reasonable throw and a ton of staying power, and on me is not much of a morpher--it was amazing at 9am this morning, and it's amazing now at 8pm and smells just about the same.

[OctoberGwen]

Snake Charmer Resurrected

 

I really dig this type of blend. I'm not a plum fan but I don't smell it here, just a gorgeous sweetly spiced vanilla (the kind that works on me), and incensey deliciousness.

 

Fades really fast from my wrists but sticks around pretty nicely in the cleavage. Weird.

 

I can see why this one is so coveted. Thank you, arlith, for gifting me a decant!!

[ObliqueRed]

My notes from a decant of the original Snake Charmer:

 

I didn't think I'd like this one, because usually the resinous scents hate me, but I love it so much I cannot speak coherently. Creamy and spicy and warm and slightly sweet. I smell like -if people were food and spice cake was a femme fatale, that is how I smell. YUM.

 

I will note that this has aged really really well and still smells amazing.

[Dedee]

One of the best Snake Oil offspring ever!!!

 

Deep and dark like the lovely S.O., but with a foody, smooth quality that lets the S.O. speak in hushed whispers rather than the normal "Look at me!" tones you expect. Its absolutely wonderful!!! I hope it is one of the CDs re-releases that Beth's been hinting at!!

[Yanagoya]

Oh, so disappointing - Snake Charmer smells terrible on me. It dries to all the yummy Snake Oil spices - and a yucky sharp note that's ridiculously strong and overpowers everything else.

[brilliantcat]

Similar to SO in the decant but I get a bit more vanilla than with SO. On me, I definitely get incense-y and a lighter, less in-your-face SO. The blast of vanilla I got in the decant is sadly gone. It dries down to a lighter, plummier, fruitier version of SO. This is SO's little sister, more flirty and less sexual.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Sweet, creamy, and complex.

 

Drydown (early): Smoky cream with dusky resins and a bit of fruit. More resins and spices as it dries. Soft, but robust and tingly. Very similar to Snake Oil, but this works much better on my skin. The coconut and benzoin amplify the vanilla’s creaminess, while the vanilla itself stays subdued.

 

Drydown (later): The amber and musk float to the top, with the plum occasionally joining them. Everything else melds together in a spicy, hazy, smoky cloud of resinous goodness. There’s a moment of plastic, but it doesn’t last long.

 

Dry: A lightly smoky, golden, creamy, spicy, plummy musk.

 

 

7.5 out of 10 bones

[ModderRhu]

this is one of those perfumes that kinda smells like the listed notes, but way better. it's better than the sum of its parts. to me, it's almost like less sweet red musk with little tiny amounts of the rest of the ingredients added. you just have to try this one. if any of these notes are death notes, try it anyway. unless you don't like musk. this is one of my most complimented perfumes. great throw and very long lasting.

[Poenari]

I am sure that I reviewed Snake Charmer ages ago, but this thread indicates that I didn't, so in honor of the hair gloss coming out, I decided to wear and review my bottle. Actually, I have bottles of the original as well as the resurrected Snake Charmer, so I retested both of them. In actuality, they smell and wear the same on my skin.

 

I adore Snake Oil and this is my favorite variant on it. Snake Oil is a heavily vanillic incense on me, and the plum and coconut in Snake Charmer add more sweetness to that vanilla incense. I can smell the plum, but the coconut has never stood out as a distinct note. However, together, this is just heavenly. It is also extremely long-wearing on my skin. I would love it if this reappeared as part of the new Carnival Diabolique, whenever that returns.

[LizziesLuck]

When Carnival Noir first appeared, I did not know I loved Snake Oil. Back then, I thought it didn't work on me (my tastes and chemistry both have changed since then). So I passed this up, because I figured it would be the same. Years later, I am in love with Snake Oil, and set out to hunt me down some Snake Charmer too. This is Snake Charmer Res, from 2011

 

 

Wet: Like Snake Oil, with fruit. Mmm! It reminds me of a cross between Snake Oil and Mme. Moriarty. That's not a bad things at all. I'll be honest, I am a coconut fiend, and was hoping to smell the coconut in this, and I do. It's like the warm, dark, husky coconut from Tiki King. This is dark and sexy, and gorgeously blended (and aged!). I can't stop huffing my arm. Wow this is good.

 

Dry: Amazing. Not a ton of coconut, once dry, but I can live with that, since this is sooo gorgeous. It does remind me of Snake Oil mixed with Mme. Moriarty. There's that sugared vanilla, patch, musk, can't quite put my finger on it vibe, plus the dark fruit of Mme. This is amazing, and I am so happy to have it. If The Lab decides to take pity on all those who love it, and re-release it, say with the Snake Pit scents from CD when they come back around, I would be a happy camper and buy a back-up (and I rarely buy back-ups).

[paperflowers]

This is my all time favorite BPAL scent next to Bordello. It's deep, warm and lovely. It layers nicely with other BPAL scents, too!

[Bassmastadroog]

This is definitely Snake Oil and Madame Moriarty, which causes the red musk to be tempered by the vanilla spices...and add in a little dark plum, and some smoky coconut, and you've got it! It is really beautiful. I've been finding Moriarty to be a bit too hot and dry for my tastes lately...(although I always come back to her) so this is a PERFECT substitute. I wish I had been around when it was live...if it ever comes back I'll hoard it.

[doomsday_disco]

Snake Charmer Resurrected (Official Belated Review/Retest)

 

I bought this from someone on eBay back in 2013, apparently forgot to review it, and haven't really reached for it since that year. (Heresy, I know!)

 

In the bottle: Spiced Egyptian amber, musk and plum.

 

Wet: The spices and Egyptian amber notes are the first notes to emerge, followed by more resins, and then the plum. I remember thinking that this was a relative to Morocco when I first tried it in my early BPAL days, because of the musk, spice, and resins, but it's definitely more like a relative to Snake Oil, with some wonderful amber and some plum. The vanilla note floats over the amber and spices and makes the scent even more enticing.

 

Dry: The vanilla note is even more prominent than it had been, and so is the plum, but it's being kept in check by the resins and spices. The vanilla, Egyptian amber, and spices are a terrific combination.

 

Verdict: Why don't I ever reach for this one!? I'm normally not a fan of plum, and this is the only scent I really enjoy with it in the notes. I think I'd enjoy it even more if it were plum-less, though. I'm going to continue holding on to this bottle. Now that I'm reminded how wonderful it is, maybe I'll reach for it more often!

[ramblingrambler]

Resurrected:

 

Bottled Snake Charmer is what I wish applied Snake Charmer would smell like. It’s like the best components of Snake Oil, Morocco, Scherehezade, and Madame Moriarty. It smells incredible.

 

On, it isn’t bad at all. My boyfriend loves it. Each of the aforementioned fragrances are still profiled in this blend.

 

That said, this does what Crucifixion does on me and turns into baby diapers. If you check out my review of Crucifixian, you’ll see that I low-key love the baby diaper scent though, so it’s NBD.

 

My boyfriend thinks I’m crazy because he doesn’t smell diapers at all, or if he does, he says they’re the most magnificent diapers in the world.

 

It’s okay. I’ll take it. Whatever this blend actually smells like, it doesn’t matter to me. What does matter is that I like it and my boyfriend likes it, and it seems like random passersby also like it. This means it is a TO KEEP bottle.

[oatmealneko]

Reviewing the original Carnaval Noir blend. I bought this bottle back during its original release and haven't opened it in some years.

 

Wet: The oil itself has thickened up a lot, so it comes out in a large droplet that can be smeared on and rubbed into the skin. The oil has gotten somewhat darker as well.

 

When it's dry, it smells musk and spices and vanilla, but a deeper version of that. Like it's been sitting in a basement and plotting together for 10 years. Which is mostly right except for the basement part. Also, I put this on about six hours ago and the scent is still going very strong.

[Lucchesa]

Snake Charmer Resurrected was a frimp from an incredibly generous swapper. Wow. Yet again, I fall for the unattainable. But oh my, this one is marvelous on me. Not surprising as the notes are full of nothing but win, but some of those exotic spice blends go awry on me anyway (Morocco, you break my heart). Gorgeous dark plum, sexy spices and musk, and the lovely nuttiness of ambrette and coconut. Sweet, smooth, spicy, and mostly a skin scent on me (as is most everything on my skin), so for me this one is work appropriate. I don't actually smell Snake Oil here, and I don't get the crazy wear length of SO either, but staying power is decent. Lovely, lovely, lovely. Are scents ever RE-resurrected?