Snake Oil

[SmileCat]

By far, our most popular scent! Magnetic, mysterious, and exceedingly sexual in nature. A blend of exotic Indonesian oils sugared with vanilla.

On me, Snake Oil is like the little girl with the curl in the middle of her forehead. When it's good, it's very very good, but when it's bad it's horrible.

Most of the time SO is a dark, golden vanilla 'n spice. Very nice. Snake Oil is the blend that has people tracking me down in the grocery store to wax rapturous about the smell they followed two aisles down. Or makes a postal worker smile. Deep and sultry and sweetly edible.

But sometimes SO just goes wrong. Every once in a while the patchouli decides it's going to act up and overwhelms everything. Not good, rich patchouli, but a dirty, dirty one that leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Thankfully, I can usually tell when those days will be and even then the patch typically dies off after an hour or so.

The difference between new SO and one that's sat around for even a couple of months is more dramatic than any other blend I've tried. It's the difference between candy and something very very good and very very naughty.

[girlygirl]

Defies description. Mysterious, sensual, and an instant favorite, thanks to trying it in its aged form first.

[MaeKitty]

In the bottle: Sweet musk

On me: Oh, I love this. Warm, vanilla, sort of ambery, just gorgeous. Glowing, sexy. Absolutely lovely. <3

[Luxari]

i was excited about this, seeing the reviews it got.

 

*cries* this was too sweet and syrupy on my skin, almost thick and choking. It smells fantastic in the bottle. I'll let it age a few months and try it again- I hope it gets better and I'm able to wear it!

[mazikeen]

After hearing so many people wax rapsodically about Snake Oil, I figured it was about time I tried an imp.

 

It was thick and yellow on my skin-- I was afraid it'd stain my clothes, so I rubbed it in (usually I just let BPALs sink in wet), and then I feared it'd stain my skin an orangey-yellow. Whew-- it didn't. So far, this stuff seems dangerously messy.

 

Ok, this smells like syrup. Oh god, I smell like waffles. I smell like one of the Waffle People! Anyone who spends time dealing with the public has met a Waffle Person-- they are often overweight, a bit dirty around the edges, poorly dressed, and for some reason, they reek of waffles... it's as if they eat so much sugary garbage that their skin excretes pure syrup. So far, Snake Oil is thoroughly unappealing.

 

Later on, the overwhelming sugariness settled down to a tolerable level. Still, it's very foody. I don't smell vanilla, really... just sugar. A warm candied sugar.

 

As it is now, I'd put Snake Oil into a little category of imps I've collected which are ones that I only wear when I'm alone. When I'm in front of the computer, instead of snacking I can just smell my wrists. I would definitely not want to smell like this around anyone-- I think I'd gross them out.

 

 

Snake Oil is thick, sugary, gooey syrup. I don't see how this can be "sensual" or "sexy" at all. However, this many BPALers can't be wrong-- there's gotta be something more to this when aged. I'm not ready to write off Snake Oil yet.

 

I'll let it age and try it again in 6 months to a year.

[djsiberia]

absolutely love this scent.

 

i just got an imp and i can smell the amber when first applied. the dry down is even more wonderful. and most importantly - the boy likes it and can also smell the amber. i didn't smell the vanilla like veryone else, but i love the spices.

 

need more than one bottle i think.

[crazyredhead17]

So, a long time ago when I was new to Bpal, I tried Snake Oil, wasn't impressed, and swapped it away. Since then, I've been hearing good things about aged Snake Oil, so I've picked up an imp from the Lab.

 

I am also hooked on Death Adder.

 

Lab Fresh:

 

Wet, this is a spicy but smooth scent that's so slinky it's hard to put your finger on it. As it dries, it loses the spiciness, and stays a sweet creamy scent. It's also fading fast. It's been on.. 15 minutes and I have to really press my nose to the spot I put it on to get anything.

 

But, instead of swapping it away this time, I'll be stashing it in my keepers box and not trying it again until August. I'll be back with an edit then.

[butcherbaby]

i was very interested in trying this oil, after reading so many good reviews, so when a friend offered me an imp, i jumped at the chance.

in the bottle it is very thick and syrupy, and a beautiful deep orange red. i get a very spicy scent, with a touch of sweetness. the vanilla is subtle, and it smells very incensey, which is awesome- those are my favorite types of scents!

 

on my skin it's still a bit spicy, but the vanilla is coming out very strongly. it's almost too sweet now, and the other scents temper the vanilla, not the other way around. it's vanilla incense, not insence with a touch of vanilla. foo. if this was body wash i'd be thrilled, but as perfume....mmm not so sure.

 

it lasts a good while, but what i smell most strongly is the vanilla, all day. it's a smells quite pretty but doesn't make me jump up and shout.

 

until......i tried putting just a *drop* on after whatever scent i tried that day had started to fade. it was like magic! it recharged the older fragrance while adding it's own twist, and the vanilla is kept under control. i keep experimenting- snake oil over "wicked", snake oil over "sugar skull" (pure heaven). i've found it's place! for me, this is a 'blending' scent....not spectacular on it's own but adding a delicious extra warmth, sweetness, spice, and depth to whatever else i am wearing.

 

i'll probably get a 5 ml after i use up my imp.

 

EDITED TO ADD: i tried it again tonight- 2 1/2 weeks later. the scent is not quite so overpowering and super vanilla this time. i think i can wear it on it's own now! big bottle to be bought shortly, and i'm dying to try some of the 'snake pits' now.

 

it's interesting that this has patchouli in it and i LIKE it....patchouli usually smells like funky BO to me, and reminds me of all the unwashed hippies i met in olympia, WA who were using it to cover up their weeks old stinky bodies. many KUDOS to beth for that one!

Edited March 4, 2008 by butcherbaby

[GingerGunlock]

My Snake Oil is only a couple months old, but even that couple months has banished the Eau du Play-Doh that was my initial, immediate problem. I still don't think it's at its full appeal for me, but I can see how perhaps in two more months, or more than that, it can be. I got the imp from the lab, and already it's kind of viscous, and leaves more of an initial color on my skin than other oils I've tried. It's hard for me to recognize the real vanilla, after my months of drinking Vanilla Coke Zero, but once I realized that's what was there, it was excellent. Overall, I can't really pick out any other notes (vanilla? some kind of patchouli? something similar to what's in Czernobog?), but it's to a good effect, not a muddy mess. It's a skin hugging scent, and one that draws me to sniff the "testing ground" (the back of my left wrist) at odd times. I've heard it described as "sex in a bottle", and if it keeps going the way it's going.....well....

[InvinciChicken]

Yay - my first review!

 

When I got the cap off this overwhelming rush of incense came out of the bottle.

 

It smelled a lot like pressing my nose against a fresh box of incense, sniffed through the plastic and unsullied by smoke. It's a nice smell but very overpowering, and not something that I particularly enjoy as a perfume.

 

This scent is STRONG - a teeny bit got on my fingers from the cap and it was enough to scent both wrists and my neck. My mom immediately complained that she could smell me from across the room. And it still smelled like overpowering incense. Bummer.

 

A couple hours later I could detect a little hint of something else... maybe the vanilla? but the incense is still too strong.

 

Now it's been around 6 or 7 hours. I woke up from a nap, sniffed my wrists, and was pleasantly surprised. The incense has really mellowed out and it's now just this perfumey, exotic scent. It screams SULTRY. It's like... darkly elegant. I'm really starting to like it, but having to wait 6-7 hours for this smell is not cool

 

I'm gonna age mine and see if it's any different a few months from now.

 

---edit---

 

Way too lazy to wait a few months, but already the oil is changing. Or maybe I'm just weird

 

Anyway, whereas before it was incense/patchouli/perfume-y simplicity, now I can smell the vanilla. And it's rich vanilla, with a hint of slightly burnt sugar. YUM.

 

I'm a big vanilla lover. I hope that in time this smell will become even stronger. The incense/spice gives it just the right kick to make this not another boring vanilla scent. I shall now put this imp to age and await the results eagerly, and perhaps make a 5ml purchase if my parents will let me.

Edited March 5, 2008 by InvinciChicken

[nageira]

In the bottle: pure cough syrup. I nearly cried. I was hoping for so much more.

Wet on the skin: no change. Still cough syrup... fancy expensive cough syrup but cough syrup none the less.

On Dry down: The spiciness is starting to come out but I had to wash it off.

 

I'm going to leave this to age and hope that it turns out to be what I hoped for.

[TPOD]

**pouts**

 

I put off ordering Snake Oil, because the description was just too vague, but since everyone loves it, I decided to give it a chance.

 

In the bottle SO smells of nice spicy vanilla. mmmm. As soon as it touches my skin, it turns to a gigantic pile of clean disposable diapers. Since diapers aren't really that sexy IMO I'm going to age it for a year, and it if doesn't shape up, SO will be up for adoption.

 

It actually reminded me quite a bit of Titus Andronicus, only a bit more feminine. Like pink diapers instead of blue. I have a mostly unfounded and untested suspicion that benzoin is the culprit in my diaper/play-doh/band-aid problems and that aging really smooths it out and 'cures' it. We'll see.

 

ETA: Fast Forward to June 19 2008 - OMG! Snake Oil from the Cellar has absolutely done wonderful delicious things during its banishment. Luckily, I am too lazy to swap or sell things. I wore it today and NOW I see what all the fuss is about. No diapers, it's just deliciously spiced sugary vanilla. I hope my other cellared oils turn out this good! I want to age it forever, but I'm afraid I'll use it all up so I can see I'll have to order some more.

Edited June 20, 2008 by Hoyden

[iheartbooks]

First review! My sense of smell isn't as refined as most people's here so this review probably won't be very descriptive....

 

I know the general consensus is that aged snake oil is preferable to fresh snake oil, but that didn't stop me from trying out the imp I got from the Lab today!

 

In the imp: Spicy. Very very sharp spicy.

 

Wet: Still spicy, but it mellows out somewhat.

 

Dry: Wow, talk about throw! I put a dab on the inside of my elbow and I could smell it for at least an hour without having to stick my nose in my arm. And... the smell reminds me of my grandma's bedroom. Huh. Not in a bad way, it just reminds me of my grandma, but it's not exactly a scent I would associate with an older lady.

 

I let my mom smell my elbow and she said it smelled like powder. Not really the answer I was looking for...

 

I think I'll let my snake oil age for a month then I'll try it again.

 

Edit: March 7th - I tried the Snake Oil again and at first it has a really sharp smell that I can't really identify... but after it sits in my skin for several hours it smells WONDERFUL. Rich, spicy vanilla.

Edited March 7, 2008 by iheartbooks

[KyrieArashi]

Having gone through so many reviews, I was getting really excited about trying Snake Oil. I got an imp of it from another member and decided to try it today.

 

Sadly, my results were horrendous...

 

In the bottle, it smells like syrup and vanilla, but as soon as I put it on I reeked of motor oil. The scent is still there four hours later and is still as strongly motor oil as when I put it on. I put on a bit of De Sade and it dulled the motor oil scent, but I honestly don't think even De Sade is strong enough.

 

Edit: After seven hours the vanilla was finally peaking out a bit and the motor oil lessening. I fell asleep before I could smell any other changes, but since both scents were on their way out, I doubt it was anything fantastic.

 

I'll try it again in a couple weeks. Until then, I'm staying away.

Edited March 1, 2008 by KyrieArashi

[nali]

[Note: First-time reviewer here; apologies in advance for my faltering early steps into the world of perfume and its unique vocabulary.]

 

In the gleeful and eager chortling that immediately followed the arrival of my very first imps, Snake Oil became my first tested scent by accident. There is an art to popping the top off the tiny vial that I had obviously not yet mastered, so a little of the thick, dark stuff dripped on my wrist as I tried to open it to take a sniff of BPAL's most popular blend.

 

In the imp, I got a big ol' whiff of incense of the kind found in shops that cater to a hippy-chic clientèle. Whoa, strong stuff.

 

Wet on my skin, that patchouli-incense smell continued to dominate. I learned that a little bit really does go a long way, which makes me think that these sample-sized vials are generous indeed.

 

As it dried, perhaps a hint of vanilla developed, but I sure wasn't getting the spicy vanilla goodness that so many people rave about. It wasn't unpleasant, but it didn't bowl me over as perhaps I expected the Lab's most popular scent to do. Still, it was unlike anything I'd ever worn before, so I kept sniffing my wrists more out of fascination with the novel sensory experience than anything else. I don't think I care to smell like sweet incense akin to the kind sold at novelty shops like Spencer's.

 

Of course, it's possible that I have a defective nose, because my husband's first words upon sniffing my proffered wrist were, "Whoa! Vanilla." After a time, though, he started to catch a lot more of the incense/patchouli. I don't think he was too sad when I scrubbed it off before bed. Maybe I'll try it again in a few months to see if that smooth, exotic vanilla makes its way to the forefront.

[binaryfaerie]

Finally I got to try the famous Snake Oil!

 

In the imp: spicy and a little creamy! There's something sharp underneath, though..

 

Wet: A sharp sort of incense smell. After a few minutes, I can smell the vanilla coming out more.

 

Later: The vanilla eventually surpasses the incense, creating a very sweet scent. I wish I could smell the spices that I smelled in the bottle! I'm not going to give up on this one though, since nearly everyone says it's better aged. I'll tuck it away for a few months and try again later.

[sirsaber]

Well at first when it went on it came across as a vanilla scent with a smell of freshly turned soil but as it sat on the skin it grew less vanilla and more......unexplainable. It made me imagine what it would smell like from a snake's perspective. very earthy smelling and almost green at times,with the vanillas slithering in between notes.

Overall its pretty good but I think I will see how this turns out after I let it sit a while.

[galleywest]

**pouts**

 

I put off ordering Snake Oil, because the description was just too vague, but since everyone loves it, I decided to give it a chance.

Me too. I did an order of imps with the things that seemed to be most popular, and this, of course, was in it. My first instinct was that I would not like it, based on the description.

 

Wet, in the imp: Wow, it's really syrupy. It smells EXACTLY like this shop I used to go to to buy tarot cards (when I was in high school and thought that was the coolest. thing. ever.). Very incense-y, with maybe vanilla behind it? Very spicy, but not entirely unpleasant.

 

Wet, on my skin: Pretty much the same. A kind of smokiness is coming out now, and the incense is amping up a little.

 

Dry, on my skin: Hmm. Meh. It still smells about the same, incense and spice and vanilla. I'm not a fan of vanilla or incense, and this is drying down too cloying for me. Not a winner. I suppose I could age it, but unless it changes fundamentally, I probably won't like it any more later than I do now. Swap!

 

The moral of the story is, go with your first instinct!

[seashell]

Well after reading the reviews, and hearing it was a must-have...oh wellllll.

On me, it is nothing special at all and disappears quickly.

 

In fact, I don't even like it much. I'll try it again and see if it's just my mood or something.

Probably my weird chemistry.

 

But I have found lots of scents I do llove, so I'm not bothered

[passionsast]

I can't really pick out any individual notes. I tried it both on and in a scent locket and all I get is church. It smells just like church. But it seems to mix very well with Drink Me. I also noticed that it lasted for-e-ver. One application lasted two days; even through a shower.

[Suu4LC]

This is a decant I received from someone that I have let age even longer, since I hear that is how best to enjoy this oil.

 

Mmmm, in the imp this is both spicy and sweet and sexy. The aging seems to have made it very thick.

 

Hmm. I think I like this. I'm just not sure I love it. This is going to sound bizarre, but there's sort of a woody undertone to this that is putting me off...I have no clue what is up with my nose...how am I getting wood in this blend?

 

Booo. No. This definitely isn't for me, especially on full drydown. I think I would like it better if it was sweeter. I barely get the vanilla in there at all. Just that woody smell (maybe incense??) and spices *pout* I wanted to love this! I think I am going to just keep holding on to my imp and see how I like it in a few more months.

[ladybird]

I too have been hearing everyone rave about Snake Oil, and thought that it was time to see what everyone was talking about. raspberryswirlgirl was kind enough to frimp me a bit of well-aged Snake Oil (from 2005), and so I tried it...

 

 

...and oh my gosh, this is what all the fuss is about. Oh my gosh. Deep dark warm complex smoky vanilla sexiness.

 

I don't have a Significant Other right now, but I'm going to save this for when I do

[strangemodegirl]

I NEVER want to be without a bottle or two, or ten, of this. It's the most perfect sexy mix of incense and vanilla. I reach for this at least 2-3 times a week. I could slather myself in this and then stay in bed huffing myself all day. Umm..yeah, that sounded a bit dirtier than I meant it.

 

Snake Oil is

'nuff said.

[twilighteyes]

I got tired of waiting to be frimped with Snake Oil and finally just ordered a bottle.

 

WHAT COULD GO WRONG? It's spice and vanilla!

 

And of course I love it. But I am going to let it age as per everyone's recommendations.

[penemuel]

OMG Snake Oil, where have you been all my life? Why did I not order this before? I should have, because I have decants of the entire Snake Pit and love them, but for some strange reason I held off on Snake Oil.

 

Well, along with my Frederic order, I got an imp pack, and ordered an imp of Snake Oil. I just tried it last night, and it is LOVELY! It's dark and sweet and sexy, the vanilla sweetens up the spices nicely and it lasts and lasts. On me it's all sweet incense, dark and sultry. On my partner, the patchouli comes out more than the sweetness, but it's not an overpowering patchouli, it's still sexy and sultry and very, very nice.

 

It lasts a long time, too -- some scents fade away in a few hours or even less, but this actually lasted all night. I woke up in the middle of the night and was wondering what that lovely scent was in the sheets, then I realized it was the Snake Oil! This may become a multiple bottle purchase...