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When this was live, I wavered for a while and decided to just get a decant after someone guessed that it would be a dry scent. Then I tested it at the C13 booth (about a week before my decant came in) and omg. Hours later I kept sniffing my hand and thinking "I absolutely NEED to go back and get a bottle of Tamamo-no-mae!" In the bottle: Ginger, vaguely fruity, somewhat tea like. On: Strong ginger, a little sharp, almost in cleaning products territory for a few minutes, but that settles and it does take on a fruitiness. Not quite peach but I can see why people would say that. At the booth, I tested this again on my arm while I was carrying my jacket with me, and where it rubbed off on my coat smells a bit like peaches that are not entirely ripe (so they smell peachy but with a little bit of greenness to it). It doesn't really do this on my skin though. Dry: Dry it becomes very creamy (not what I expected from the notes listed!), over a whisper of tea and fruit - not as fruity as HGM is. Someone said "golden fruits" and I agree! It's a very golden and cream colored scent. This is such a lush and rich scent that's absolutely beautiful - I am so glad I was able to get a bottle!

I had been craving a creamy scent, so I bought a decant of this. In the decant: Oof - sour milk in the bottle. But that can be deceptive, so I plow on ahead! On: I get.. pineapples, even though there aren't any in here (but I see other people have said that too!) on top of sour milk. Doesn't seem like my skin wants to accept it - I was really hoping this would be the creamy scent of my dreams but my skin chemistry isn't right for it. Dry: Now that's odd - from a distance (arm's length), this smells really nice - I can pick out the figs and I love the scent of figs - it's a warm, fruity scent. But if I put my hand to my nose and sniff, it's pretty awful and spoiled. Don't think this one works for me.

In the bottle: Frankincense, patchouli On: Wood & patchouli, definite leafy quality. Ginger there but barely. Not sweet at all. The musk reminds me of Haunted, actually. Dry: There's a minty quality that I'm not sure I like - herbal (reminds me of my acupuncturist's shelves of Traditional Chinese Medicine ingredients). Overall it's not bad, but not me at all. A while later, it turns almost salty-herbal. Not me at all! I wonder if opoponax is partially to blame, I don't think it's ever been in something that's worked for me.

In the bottle: Oh yum, apples! On: Where'd my apples go?! They fade in a hurry and what's left behind kind of smells like potpourri. When it dries, it's just a floral potpourri. Too bad my skin at the apples, as it was lovely in the bottle, not so much on me!

Oops, thought I already reviewed this one! In the bottle: This is one of those scents that triggers a memory for me, and I don't know what in particular does it. But it's a very nostalgic, happy kind of memory when I used to wake up before dawn in college to watch the sun rise from rooftops. I wish I knew what's in the blend that triggers that memory for me! Since that's completely unhelpful in describing the blend for anyone else, what it smells like is fruit - the sweet and sourness of grapefruit in particular, but also a "clean" scent. Because of the nostalgia trigger for me, it just makes me happy! On: There's a commercial perfume called Sake that I tried once (didn't work on me though - went sickly sweet). I liked it before it turned though, and HGM has some of the same notes in it that I liked - the ginger, grapefruit, musk, vanilla, and sandalwood. This wears much better on me than Sake did! This smells clean, with a touch of sweetness, but doesn't get cloying or overbearing. Dry: It's very well blending and no one thing dominates - there's a warm vanilla, the ginger adds spice. Also the sandalwood, and aloe are noticeable, and there's something smelling of melons. Overall, it's just gorgeous.

To preface, before C13 I owned no Salon bottles, but I really wanted one because the paintings are fascinating and I love the concept. This was the one I ended up selecting - it was one I knew I wanted to try because I like everything I can identify in it (not familiar with hachiya). In the bottle: Salty aquatic, a bit like Lightning but a little bit sweeter On: Still very watery and salty. None of the fruits or matcha coming forward yet - a hint of sweetness underneath the aquatic, but barely. Dry: As it dries, the matcha is the first thing to surface from the watery impression on me, followed by the lychee and what I'm guessing is green musk. When dried, it is a lovely sweet, clean, soft scent with just the slightest trace of aquatic underneath. *That's* what did it for me -- how this literally changed on my skin from salty aquatic to a light, sweet perfume, evoking Kiyohime's transformation from a serpent to a woman. To me, this is the most "accurate" of the Salons. Many others in the series are beautiful, but this one more than any of the others evoked the painting for me - it really does undergo a transformation from a salty ocean scent to a beautiful perfumed scent that only hints at the watery start it had, which is exactly the story that the painting tells. I've had a lot of other blends shift on my skin (some become better, some become worse), but I love how this blend literally undergoes Kiyohime's transformation!

Wow that's complex I bought a bottle earlier this month and got it last week, so I wanted to get my review up now that it's back for people who are undecided. In the bottle - It's light, but I can pick out juniper, green tea, cucumber, and something else that's light, perhaps the wood aloes. I kind of wish I knew what buttercup smells like. Wet - Green herbs, very light sweet florals (comes across more clean than flowery) I wonder if ho wood or teak is among the woods because there's a quality about it that reminds me of Habu (no complaints, that's one of my favorites from the Snake Pit), but this is a little more subtle. I've had very good luck with the Asian blends I've tried so I'm fine with the appearance of those woods! Dry - As it dries something becomes..hmm.. "spicy" isn't quite the right word, but a faint spicy-like quality, like a similarity to ginger or carnation, but just a shadow of it underneath the cool blue floral impression. This is an extremely calming blend - like the kind you'd apply after a day that just sucked to feel better about life. It's neither just green nor aquatic nor floral but it has attributes of all of them, which make for a very lovely blend. So, if you're still undecided, I suggest getting it The light quality of it make it very wearable - it's fresh and sweet and not overpowering.

In the imp - Almost reminds me of Pumpkin Queen + this caramel rooibos tea I have at home. Wet - Not getting any Snake Oil - either the incense or the vanilla. Actually, this really reminds me of Cockaigne. Dry - Gets a little bit smokier over time - so there's the Snake Oil coming out! The end result - both my husband & I agree that it smells like pancakes & syrup on me Though I'm not sure how much I want to smell like breakfast, so it's probably for the best that it's pretty much impossible for me to get more of this!

Snake Oil with leather, tonka bean, red sandalwood, and sage. In the imp: Mmmm... leather and something sweet, almost like almond or cherry. *looks up tonka* - ah, wikipedia says the frangrance is similar to almonds. Wet: Leather comes out a bit more to the forefront, with the sweet tonka close behind. I don't really notice sandalwood very much, and I can't pick out the sage at all. Dry: Up until it started to dry & the Snake Oil showed up, I didn't think this was too masculine (thought it was rather gender-neutral, actually). The Snake Oil incense makes the leather aspect have a darker quality which comes across as more masculine on me. I'm not sure it's a "me" scent, but it's pretty cool The leather & tonka are very interesting counterparts. (edited to add description)

In the imp: Frankincense, general "perfume" scent - sugary sweetness underneath - I like that part! Wet: Resins - I smell frankincense & what I think is the champaca mainly, but the sugarcane sweetness is more noticeable on me than it was in the imp. Something's not quite right on me - an alcohol scent, like freshly sprayed department store perfume. Dry: Yeah, this one didn't work with my skin chemistry - the sugarcane sweetness goes away, and this is just sort of herbal. Husband said it smells like soap to him. Oh well, not one for me.

In the imp: I winced! Bitter spicy! I almost didn't even want to touch it. Wet: Still kind of bitter at first, almost like bitter almond-type bitter, with a whallop of candy cinnamon (the red hots!) Ginger is noticeable, but it's in the background. I would not have guessed there is Snake Oil in this. Dry: Bitterness goes away and the smokiness of the Snake Oil incense is there now, plus a sweet cinnamon. But this is definitely more spice than sweet! VERY strong throw (was messing with the Australian Copperhead I was testing on my other arm at the time!) It's interesting and is done really well, but it makes me crave something sweet to counterbalance how hot and spicy this is. Too bold for me! I was also pleased to note that it didn't have any effect on my skin at all. This surprised me since I'm allergic to darn near everything & was expecting this to give me a reaction, but it was all clear.

In the imp: Woody incense Wet: Resin sweetness, but still mostly just a woody incense Dry: It's a nice woody incense, but that's the problem for me. It's just "nice". This one's just not my style - it's pleasant but not mind-blowingly fabulous, and it's not one I can see myself reaching for (especially when some other snakes have rocked my socks!)

In the imp: Green, fruity Wet: Husband - "That smells like Christmas!" I see other people have said Holiday Moon, but I never tried that one, but it does give the impression of winter holidays. Without being a pine/evergreen blend, it has similar features. This is sweeter though, not as sharp as pine. Definitely very green - there's a grassy component which I guess is the bamboo. Dry: Doesn't change much when dry - still a very pleasant, fresh green scent. The Snake Oil lends vanilla to the blend, but not really any of the Snake Oil incense. Really like this one!

I'll admit, I didn't think I'd like this one, but I got the full Snake Pit from a decant circle so I could try them all, and I was pleasantly surprised with Green Tree Viper! In the imp: Mint, but not too strong (nothing like Lick It Again, which is like sniffing a bottle of peppermint oil!) Behind that, there's vanilla and something else that's sweet. Wet: The minty quality isn't as strong as I had assumed it would be for having 4 mints. It gives the blend a refreshing edge without actually coming across as "minty" Very summery-feeling. Reminds me of F5 without the citrus (I would've loved F5 had it not beaten me about the head and shoulders with lime!) Dry: I find that I compare it to Lick It Again as that's the only mint BPAL I own now. This is not as sweet - this is a refreshing blend. Once again, the Snake Oil incense comes out more when dry. A surprise hit - I didn't think I'd care for this at all and I really like it a lot!

In the imp: It smells damp, cool, green. I really love the way the decant smells in the imp! Wet: Coconut & vetivert, right off the bat. But then it starts smelling like "wood" - not fragrant wood, but like a pile of lumber on my skin. Hmmm.. not crazy about this phase of it, and my husband gave it a thumbs-down, too. Dry: Like the other Snake Pits, the Snake Oil comes out more as it dries. Hours later, when completely dry and after it's had time to develop, it's actually a really nice coconut blend, and I like it. Unfortunately I'm not sure it's worth waiting through the weirdness of the wet phase on my skin. Other people might have better luck!

In the imp: A "cool" floral - fresh. Not overly sweet or heavy. Wet: Yep, definitely a clean floral - one of the flowers in this blend has a bit of a sharp edge, but on the whole Cottonmouth gives the impression of a clean & sweet blend. There's almost a fruity quality to it, somewhat reminiscent of cherries without actually crossing the line and smelling like a fruit blend. Dry: The Snake Oil incense comes out more, and I think that's what's interacting with the florals to give this that cherrylike quality. It's still a very clean, cool scent. Why am I oddly drawn to this one? I thought I didn't like floral blends! I like what the Snake Oil does to them, I think!

In the imp: Fruit salad! Specifically, when you make a fruit salad with apples in it, and then the apples at the bottom soak up all the juices from the other fruits - that's exactly how this smells. Wet: Apple, predominantly, but within a few minutes the floral from plumeria & gardenia becomes apparent. So far, no citrus from lemon peel or orange coming through, or for that matter, the Snake Oil. Dry: As it dries, it becomes more of a summery type of fruity-floral. Over time, the fruity aspect fades, and it comes across as a tropical floral. The Snake Oil is pretty much invisible here, but I think it's adding enough of an edge to the flowers, because I like this and I'm usually not a floral girl!

In the imp: Woah, this dark like ink! No light passes through the decant Scentwise, it's cocoa! Wet: Mmmm... sweet Snake Oil (not heavy on the incense like regular Snake Oil is on my skin). The chocolate is surprisingly light on me, which is nice because I can't wear chocolate blends well. It does, however, stain me since I'm about as pale as a person can be, and I'm not too crazy about this aspect of it. Dry: Probably the most well-behaved of all the BPAL chocolates I've tried, but it does start to smell a little bit off, like a chocolate-flavored scratch & sniff sticker on my skin for a brief period of time. Once that fades, the sweet Snake Oil is what's left, but not very strong. On the whole, it's a bit faint - maybe because I was very tentative in testing it! Unfortunately I don't think I'd get a bottle of this, as I don't think I can wear it without staining myself!

In the imp: Reminds me of Lyonesse and LUSH's Olive Branch, with a touch of Dorian (but then, something in Lyonesse reminds me of Dorian on its own) Wet: Unusual for blends to do this, but it actually goes *less* sweet when it hits my skin. It has all the same qualities as I could detect in the bottle, but there's a hint of a darker bitterness underneath. Dry: As I've noticed with the rest of the Snake Pit, the Snake Oil comes out more as it dries - the dark quality I noticed when wet turned out to be the incense from Snake Oil. It seems like if I layered Lyonesse and Snake Oil, I'd make a Banded Sea Snake, but I don't have an imp of Lyonesse anymore to test that Long lasting, very strong throw.

In the imp: Fruity, sweet, almost bubble-gummy kind of fruitiness Wet: BERRY. Not noticing the Snake Oil very much, or the smoked vanilla, either. But I'm getting hit upside the head with the acai berry! Dry: Still smells very strongly of berries on me. Husband sniffs, says the vanilla is what he can detect the most, with the berries secondary. Strange. After a while, the Snake Oil comes out more, and the berries chill out, but it's very heavy berry for a while. Though I like the smell of berries, not sure I want to feel as if I'm smelling strongly of them! I think I'm going to hang on to my decant -- when the Snake Oil becomes more prominent I do like it - I wonder how it'll come across in a few months.

In the imp: Foody - cakelike, but not very sweet. Maybe like a cereal, almost. Reminds me of Queen of Sheba. Wet: Vague bitterness of Queen of Sheba, which unfortunately wears a bit "chemical" on me. I can't detect any citrus. Dry: Ah, that's better - becomes more cookie-like. Husband agreed, said it smelled like baked goods. The wet phase of this was a bit off for me, but the end result when dry is rather pleasant.

The sugared cream in the description is what tempted me on this one! In the imp: This is.. cake? Yes, definitely cake! Wet: Still rather foody - I can smell the spice of carnations here. Dry: Reminds me of Alice briefly, but my skin chemistry really messed with this one and it ended up smelling like a lemon peel on me. Love the concept & I wished the sugared cream came through, but this just turned to lemons on me.

I don't like jasmine at all, and bitter almond can be iffy on me, but the ocean spray was tempting, so this is from a decant circle. In the imp: Very aquatic! Well, yeah, obviously, but it does remind me of the sea. Wet: No jasmine noticeable (yay!) Very salty and oceanic - brings to mind both Sea of Glass and Tempest. Dry: Just a gorgeous ocean scent - I don't notice the jasmine or almond at all, and even the frankincense is well blended - it doesn't make me think "oh there's frankincense in here", but rather it gives the scent depth. Super long lasting - 12 hours later I could still easily smell it on the back of my hand!

In the imp: Incense, like the kind they use in churches, and resin. Wet: Slightly sweeter than incense, but very herbal. Strong resin, probably more than my skin chemistry can get away with. Reminds me a bit of Lycaon in that sense. Dry: Takes on almost a grassy note. Love the concept (and the artwork!) but this wasn't a good match for my skin.

Yay, just got the mail today & my bottle of this! In the bottle - It's pretty light - sandalwood & vanilla, and something slightly bitter Wet - Oooh, very nice! Something actually reminds me of Snow-Flakes, but since that one had no notes listed I don't know what they have in common. Vanilla & musk (but not as sweet as Antique Lace) are what I can smell the most on me, with the sandalwood underneath. Dry - Despite how light this is in the bottle, it does have pretty decent throw. Still something that makes it feel like a combo of Snow-Flakes, with a little Antique Lace & maybe even a touch of ML&ST with my skin chemistry, but this one has an added dimension of a very slight bitterness in the background (the aloe ferox?) - not at all unpleasant! Just not one-dimensionally sweet - would work better on a man than I think those other ones would, but women can definitely wear this. Definitely agree that it's a calming scent, which is great for me because I don't feel like I can pull off most of the headier ones. Really, really beautiful! Unless it does something weird on my skin over the next few hours, it's most definitely a keeper! Edit to add - a few hours later - primarily musk (not sure if it's the Egyptian or African or both since I'm not super-familiar with either) with a touch of "green" and still beautiful. I find that I keep sniffing the back of my hand. I love Mr. Ibis - so glad it's not a limited blend!