King Cobra (2006)

[sedona]

Snake Oil with orris, frankincense, and copal.

In the imp - Snake Oil with a hint of fruit?

Wet - The Snake Oil is quite mild and that tang of fruit is actually sweet resin. This one is hard to pin down, it's very quiet for a snake and is slightly sweet, slightly soft and slightly creamy with a grounding of resin/wood.

Drydown - Some smoky dustiness as it wears due to the frankincense but still very unassuming and it fades out quite quickly.

Lovely in its own right but too light for me, although I will keep and use my imp

Edited to add lab description. Edited May 28, 2008 by Shollin

[500ml]

It's nice, but I'm not overly fond of Snake Oil. Thankfully King Cobra doesn't have the same sharp note I get from Snake Oil, but there's nothing really exciting me about this. I do like the mix of spices and incense, but it just doesn't jump out at me.

[Tess]

I usually have problems with frankincense going overly powdery, but I hear tell the orris in here keeps it in check.

 

In the vial - Ooo! I'm getting a lot of copal in here, although the orris is making itself known. The franky is there in the background making it smoke.

 

Wet - Deep resins and incense with a sweet punch and spice.

 

Drying - This is quite, quite nice. Snake Oil dancing in the smoke. The orris isn't overly strong (never is on my skin), but the copal and franky are playing nice, one on top of the other, giving the Snake Oil's vanilla a nice backdrop. The spices of the Snake Oil aren't as "wham!" as they normally are on my skin, so that's great, to.

 

Dry (1.25 hours) - It's stayed very true to the scent previously, only it's gotten dry. Very dry and dusty.

 

Overall - Do I like it? Yes. Do I like it enough to buy a bottle? Probably not. I've never been one for heavy resin scents, which is what this is, and the dustiness just put me off.

[taramarie]

Wearing King Cobra, I get an image of a cobra slithering on the stone floor of a temple after dark, with burning incense and an offering of flowers on a nearby altar.

 

On me, this Snake Pit denizen has bite, but only slight compared to Boomslang and Coral Snake. If I didn't put on my usual amount (close to slathering), it probably wouldn't burn at all.

 

This one's definitely a keeper.

[Athenae]

Oh, lovely and rich. The frankincense goes a little powdery and sharp, but the snake oil and vanilla underneath keep it from being too bitter. I adore this one and will slather it.

 

A.

[Phaedra]

Wet this is Snake Oil with a hint of sweet frankincense. It's not vastly different from plain Snake Oil. When first on it smells the same but with a hint of something like root beer. This one doesn't really change much. It's like a lighter version of Snake Oil but isn't much different than the original. It is very long lasting like Snake Oil is. Since I adore Snake Oil I love this one too! I'll be curious to see how it ages.

[naeelah]

I thought that I would love this one, but apparently I'm in the minority for not liking dry, earthy scents.

 

Wet, this almost chokes me with a very strong, dry, almost musty earthy element. I assume that's the frankincense and/or coppal. On the drydown, the orris comes out, adding powderiness and smoothing the whole thing out. Here, the scent is quite nice.

 

Dry, the orris and frankincense/copal strike a better balance. It's smooth, but still very dry and earthy. I can just smell a hint of the snake oil in the background.

 

The throw is decent. Not quite as strong as snake oil is by itself, it seems. Wear life was comparable to plain snake oil.

 

 

--

 

I tried this again after aging it for about 6 months. It's still has a slightly musty resinous quality, but now, it's much smoother. The resins are blending with the Snake Oil much better, and are no longer oppressively strong. It gets a little bit sharper and drier as it dries, with a slight bitter quality that's balanced out by the Snake Oil. The throw seems a little weaker.

 

I like it much, much better now, but for resin Snake Oil blends, I still prefer Temple Viper. Definitely give this a try if you're a big frankincense fan, though.

Edited January 7, 2008 by naeelah

[alicia_stardust]

King Cobra almost won my heart until the copal came in and ruined it. Oddly enough, I love copal itself. But in this it sort of mixes strangely with the Snake Oil and the orris. This is a big, kingly scent with a large aura to it. Average wearlength and throw.

[Dinerdulcinea]

Kinda like spicier baby powder. Damn the Snake Oil! *shakes fist!* I was hoping it woudn't morph on me with the extra ingredients, but it kind of does. A sexier baby powder than Snake Oil, but baby powder still.

[workedtodeath]

I have liked every snake pit oil so far and I was hoping i would really like this one.

 

In the bottle it smells a lot like snake oil, only a little stronger.

Wet it almost seemed to have a fruit smell to it.

Once it dried i could really smell the frankincense a lot more. I don't like the smell of it dry as much as when it is wet.

 

Overall, it was OK. It was not as good as I hoped, but I would still wear it from time to time.

[cranberry]

This is a higher, sweeter version of Snake Oil on me. I can smell the frankincense but I’m not sure that I know what copal smells like. It reminds me a lot of Ravenous and is also making me think of Lyonesse. Ravenous has a brightness to it that I find similar here, and there’s a prominent amber scent that is making me think of Lyonesse.

 

I just looked up copal and that’s got to be it. I’m smelling a brighter amber and that has to be the copal. Now the frankincense is gone and I’m left with the copal. I can’t really describe how it smells to me other than it’s too much. There’s an aspect on the sweetness that pushes this scent to a place that I don’t care to go. I don’t associate incense or darkness with this scent at all. This is the bright sun of midday – glaring and strong.

 

After about ½ an hour, this really faded. Now I can barely smell it. Maybe if I slathered. Regardless, it was good to try this and I’m glad that I finally figured out what copal is. Regarding the scent, I’ll content myself with the imp.

[Dark Angel]

I got an imp of this from a decant circle back in spring, so it has aged a few months.

 

It is a lot like a lighter version of Snake Oil; I love Snake Oil but find it pretty intense for day wear, even if I just touch a bit on from the tip of the wand. This is much less strong. In the beginning there is a hint of something rather sharp and yet somehow fruity, too, but that seems to fade quickly, leaving behind the Snake Oil's spices and a bit of sweet smokiness. I don't get as much vanilla from this as I get from Snake oil, it's a bit 'dryer' scent.

 

I do like it but it's not different enough from Snake Oil to make me feel I must rush out and buy a bottle.

[AmyAngel]

In the imp, I can pick out some vanilla, but there's something familiar about this. It's making me think of camping – sunscreen? Bugspray? Something that's a pleasant memory.

 

On my skin it becomes almost fruity, with Snake Oil's musk and vanilla behind it, and a touch of something herbal. It's still familiar, but something I just can't place. As it's drying, it's becoming very sweet, which I think maybe is what copal does on my skin? It may be whatever was in Xiuhtecuhtli and possibly Midnight on the Midway that went so tooth-achingly sweet. There's an incensyness to it over some vanilla. I'm finding it very hard to describe, but I like it much more than plain Snake Oil. After a while, it's continuing to get sweeter and sweeter, and I'm wondering if it'll end up TOO sweet for me. I'm thinking this is one that will age very well, as red musk seems to best be wearable to me after many months of aging. I'll keep the imp and see how it does before I consider a bottle – this may be too sweet for me.

[khiseer]

Thick, Dark snake oil!!

 

snake oils is lovely on me but my skin eats it and it doesnt last as long as i would like. This is the remedy! It is so thick it's almost creamy. This may have taken second place in the whole snake pit for me. I tried it on my man as well as i knew it would smell fantasic on him and it really does. It is much less sweet on his chemistry. I'm not getting any amber (thankfully) or fruit from this at all. I get so much more wear out of this than i do snake oil and i will definatley be grabbing extra's of this one to age.

[AEris]

I like this, but I don't think it behaves differently enough from Snake Oil on my skin. If I hadn't tried Snake Oil yet, I'd flip out over King Cobra, but after the first half hour I can't tell the difference.

 

Looks like the limitations of my nose are saving me a few bucks this time.

 

This time.

[hologhost]

I'm not sure what I'm smelling, but it smells sort of like ginger, but not quite. And that's all I'm getting. Hmmmm.

[Medox]

Cherry-sweet, deep incense; spice rising from below.

[aleciarivas]

This is my third snake oil scent (although I haven't actually tried Snake Oil yet) and this is the only one I have liked so far!!! But I do like it!! Slight soapy smell, but it's a high-quality soap that you don't mind smelling like after a shower. Sweet undertone but not too sweet. I think it's the incense smell that anchors it all into a smell that I like!

[theseagrows]

this is resiny-musky and the orris adds a powderiness, but i like it. the copal is way in the background and i have to breathe deep to smell it. luckily this frankincense works with my skin chemistry and does not turn to pencil shavings. this is warm and sensuous, definitely a keeper!

[mspixieears]

I quite like the frankincense blends so was looking forward to trying this one. The frankincense is very heavy and none of the Snake Oil seems apparent initially. I fancy the floral I can smell is the orris but that might be wishful thinking? This is another I like because it’s so different to Snake Oil – there is virtually no similarity.

[hkhm]

bottle: i don't smell the orris but i smell the frankincense, copal and snake oil. wow!

 

wet: the frankincense is heady and strong as soon as i apply this oil, while the copal and snake oil stay just behind. so beautiful.

 

dry: the snake oil comes through a bit more once this blend dries but the frankincense and copal are still around. wonder what happened to the orris?

 

(edited for spelling idiocy)

Edited February 23, 2008 by hkhm

[SarahScent44]

In the imp, this is rich, spicy - the frankincense is very much up front.

 

On my skin, it's mostly frankincense - there's barely any Snake Oil.

 

When it's dry, it's sweetened up and is more well-balanced, but not for me.

[samarablackcat]

Oh, I am in love! Just when I think I can't possibly have another favorite, BAM! here comes King Cobra, wafting seductiveness, exuding the come-hither, boy toy cloud of pure sex. Gotta know why...

 

Orris Root

Iris florentina

 

A Moon plant, orris root is good for digging deep into the Moon-ruled subconscious and uprooting what is hidden. Like any Moon herb, it can also be used in divination and dreamwork. The iris is also called the fleur-de-lis, so this Moon plant has often been associated with dominion and war, which gives it a nice protective aspect. Some consider orris root a Venus herb. It is definitely widely used for love magick, and in Hoodoo is known as Love Drawing Herb (and Queen Elizabeth root). The powder form is blown onto clothes, sheets, and so forth to make sure that the owner returns one's love. Florentine orris root, which I have, is more sweetly scented than germanic orris root, which is commonly available. ~from Alchemy Works~

 

Copal resin

A generous plant ruled by Jupiter, the copaifera tree gives its oleoresin, (liquid copal), very freely. It hardens into the form of copal usually encountered, white or gold, with a stimulating and warming odor. Like many Jupiter scents, this resin is frequently used in ritual purification of both objects and people. It is wonderful for charging objects with Jovian vibrations. It also is a fixative in perfume, where it tends to mellow harsh scents. It plays a role in traditional medicine; the Guarani people of the Amazon use it to heal wounds after battle (which indicates a strong protective ability), and it has a long history of use for various health problems in the West. Copal has a light resinous scent that mixes nicely with similarly subtle red sandalwood.~from Alchemy Works~

 

Frankincense

Boswellia spp.

The dried gummy resin of these trees is probably the most famous incense in the Western world. A Fire and Sun associated scent, it is good for spiritual development, centering oneself for meditation or other spiritural work, purifying areas of negative energy, and for finding the spiritual side of what appears to be a material matter. Some use it to clean chakras, especially the Third Eye. It is fabulous for smudging yourself, your animals, and your home when you are the target of negative magick. The fragrance is very relaxing and gives one a feeling of wholeness and wellness. The scent of this resin changes as it ages (and the water in the resin evaporates) and with the temperature. Resin just unpacked from a cold box is going to smell different than it will after it has warmed up. Some people prefer their frankincense fresh; others would rather let it age. Put some aside to let it age and see which you like better..~from Alchemy Works~

 

The Moon, Jupiter, Fire/Sun mixed with my wonderful Snake Oil. I believe I have found my signature scent. Many thanks to yokaitenchi for this imp in a swap. I see a 5ml or two in my next order. I you Beth. Could not have made a more perfect scent had it been custom designed.

[poisons_sanity]

King Cobra smells exactly like it's description. Snake Oil with incense. It also smells kind of like aged Snake Oil.

[scarletgenesis]

I'm working my way through the Snake Pit, to decide which blends I want to order full bottles of before CD goes away. Today's contender is King Cobra.

 

King Cobra didn't smell like anything but Snake Oil in the decant.

 

Once on, and after drying, it is basically a softer, more resinous version of Snake Oil. It's also a bit musty (which I'm assuming is also the incense making itself known).

 

It doesn't have as much throw as regular Snake Oil on me, which is fine. While it's nice, I don't see enough of a difference between King Cobra and regular Snake Oil to warrant an entire bottle.