Serpent's Kiss

[sirensongsouth]

Seething with passion, yet utterly cold-blooded. Dragon's blood, vetivert and spice.

In the imp's ear: smells bitter and sharply herbal almost like juniper.

Wearing: Hmm, I am not particularly fond of herbal smells, it must be the vetivert (I have no idea what this is or what it smells like). Despite my preferences, I can see where the name came from, this smells green and slithery with somthing sort of warm sweet/spicy behind it (like a kiss ). Beyond that, its tough to describe this, I smell like a warmed herb that once crushed has a sweet spicy flavor. Not my cuppa tea, but I am sure others will adore it.

[jj_j]

Definitely vetiver, and lots of spice. They blend in a very interesting cinnamon-stored-in-a-root-cellar sort of way, and I'm surprised at the heat in this one. The vetiver fades into the background within the first five minutes, but this retains an earthy feel nonetheless.

 

Beth's right that it's cold-blooded, but it's in the sense of a very distant, harsh personality for me, rather than an animal's physical nature.

 

Dry-down really softens the intensity of this scent, but without losing the sense of spice and earth. Not something I'd wear or purchase, but I wouldn't mind being trapped in an elevator with this one.

[bloodlotus]

Ah....Serpent's Kiss is a favorite for me. It has real bite and it also has my BF making lovely "mmmmm-ing" noises around me when in the vicinity of my neck. It also induced him to bite it, I am quite positive. Sure, he's usually amorous but not that...feral....which suited me JUST FINE.

 

 

Anyway...I am a fan of vetiver and this scent, to me, is very RED. I think it's lustful and earthy and fierce. I am still waiting for my 5ml bottle--which I am hoping comes soon.

 

Anyway...just wanted a post from a fan of this one....

[ebonykawai]

Another fan here! I got a ton of compliments on this today and it's really growing on me. The spice and the dragon's blood are an awesome and extremely interesting combination. It's one of those scents that makes people say "Wow, what is that smell? That smells great!"

 

I wore it because I wanted to feel cold-blooded today. I'm going through some crap at work with another person whom I need to pretty much ignore (read: "pretend he doesn't exist"). I always choose my scent of the day based on what I want to project.

 

Needless to say, this is definitely working for me. I feel very confident wearing this.

[heartbeast]

Wet, I got a nasty, cloying sweetness--I wonder if that's the Dragon's Blood? Whatever it was, when it dried down it was just fine! It may have been smoothing things over, but there was nothing remotely sweet about the scent for the rest of its long life. The spice took over, and wrapped around the vetiver in a beautiful way. I've tried two vetiver fragrances recently, and though I loved the smell I found them a bit too masculine on me. The spices in Serpent's Kiss smooth over the boyish edges and make a scent that's truly unisex and stays powerful all day!

 

I wouldn't describe it as cold-blooded but seething with passion; I would describe it as the eruption of emotional turmoil when a person who tries to "play it cool" finally falls in love or is otherwise forced into feeling something. I tried to think of an example, and it came right to me: This is the fragrance that Faith wore when she and Buffy went out clubbing together in "Bad Girls".

 

Ultimately, though, for me it sheds all those psycho-emotional, metaphorical trappings and just hangs around as a damn fine spicy scent, that cheers me up, is great for belly dancing, and makes me want to eat red meat!

[hypothermya]

This was something that briefly caught my eye, due to the dragon's blood and cinnamon...but then I noticed the vetiver, and never added it to my wishlist. But the delightful folks down at the Lab sent me this anyway... I guess they just know how to read minds and pick out the scents that you're too afraid to try.

 

First Impression

 

Cinnamon and Vetiver. It's that spicey, red hot cinnamon, though, and not the gentle cinnamon straight out of the spice jar. The vetiver...well, it had that same rotten, decaying wood smell that it always does in the vial... I didn't read the description while I was smelling this, and had no clue that there was dragon's blood in it... But the imp's ear *looks* venomous, with this deep, smoldering red oil inside...

 

Wearing It

 

Of course, my skin realized there was dragon's blood, because right away the vetiver and cinnamon take a break and let the dragon's blood resin do its thing. It starts to warm up, almost like cherries, but more like the cherry cough syrup that they give you when you're sick...but without the nasty aftertaste. And the cinnamon kicks in, and it starts to smell spicey and sweet, like those cinnamon candies, only less artificial and not quite so sweet. This is quite a surprise! I was expecting something really icky from the vetiver, but right now it's only giving me the slightest of earthy smells, kinda like the scent of a snake slithering along on rich, black soil.

 

Lasting Power

 

While this goes on strong, it dies down pretty quickly. What's left is just the heated scent of soil and dark cherry, with the occasional sparks of cinnamon. Mostly this is a scent that stays really close to my body, and actually takes some effort to smell from far away.

 

 

Wow, do I like Beth's cinnamon scents! This smells a lot like Dragon's Heart, but not as musky and not as thick. This is a more volatile, striking combination. And aptly named, at that. Still not an oil that would get onto my top ten list, but it's close up there. This would smell wonderful on a guy, and just as good on a firey, dangerous woman. Pity my boyfriend hates the smell of cinnamon....

[ChupaChup]

First of all, I have to say this is a lovely oil. But I had to swap it away. I felt I should write a review as it leaves me.

 

The first time I tried Serpent's Kiss, I only put a dot on the back of my wrist. The aroma that wafted up was lovely, that sweet, spicy kick of dragon's blood with a touch of cinnamon. But as I leaned in to inhale more deeply, something about it struck real terror in me. My heart seemed to stop and I got that clutching sensation at the base of my throat. I had to wash it off. It was the weirdest thing, I've never had a reaction to a BPAL scent like this before. It could be the power of suggestion, I definitely have a phobia of snakes, but I had no problem with Snake Oil. There is some note in this, that when combined with the dragon's blood and cinnamon, really smells like what I imagine a snake's breath must smell like, just before he bites you. Elizabeth really got what she was going after in this blend!

 

It took me three weeks before I could bring myself to try this oil again. First, I went to Whole Foods and tried to identify the note that bothered me. I tried vetiver but actually cassia came closer to what this smells like to me. By itself, it didn't bother me. Anyway, I tried to wear Serpent's Kiss another time, I made it through the day and I loved it, except when I inhaled deeply and that was so disturbing I decided I couldn't wear it any more. Leaving it on longer, I did notice the cinnamon coming out more and it is a "volatile" blend, as hypothermya says.

 

This oil had great staying power on me and if you're not a wimp like me and love dragon's blood, I seriously recommend giving it a try. The color is gorgeous, a fiery red like the eyes of the Basilisk in Harry Potter!

[fairywingmaker]

This scent is really interesting to me. Sweet, but spicey in an intense sort of way. This is my first time trying Serpents Kiss. I'm not sure what it is about this oil, it reminds me of someone.....I just can't place it. I like the imp, but not sure if I want an larger bottle.

[Northernminx]

Cinnamon spiced and dangerous in the bottle. This didn't knock my nose off like Inferno so I felt better about trying it and lo no red welts (yaaay!)

 

A strong cinnamon and spiced scent on first application. The dragon's blood gives this some backbone, but overall it's the sweet decay of vertiver under the cinnamon that really balances this out and makes it less a cooking smell and more poisonous. Very well balanced and lovely and I think my cinnamon scent that I was so desperately seeking. Another few tests will solidify that.

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Strong vetiver straight out of the vial.

 

Second Impression: I didn't apply it as vetiver smells terrible on me.

 

Final Analysis: I love dragon's blood, but it couldn't save this from vile vetiver.

[Eris]

Hmm, the jury's still out on this one. I got this as a freebie and was pleasantly surprised at the difference from the imp to my skin. In the imp, it was kind of sweet and herbaly, but once on, it morphed into a creamy dragon's blood smell akin to Dragon's Milk. As the drydown set in, the creaminess faded and instead of rounding out into thick vanilla like Dragon's Milk, Serpent's Kiss gave way to a spicy, gingery, and cinnamony smell. Almost like Red Hots, but note quite. I'm still undecided about whether I'll keep this one or not, but it definitely has my attention for the time being.

[LiberAmoris]

There are very few BPAL oils I've tried that I actually wouldn't try again, but Serpent's Kiss is one of them. I'm sure this is heavenly on the right people (like the lovely people above) but I am not one of the lucky ones. I don't have that much experience with vetiver, so I'm not sure if that's the note that's the culprit, but on me this smells like a bathroom spray my ex-boyfriend used to have in his college apartment. It's not bringing back any good memories. I believe this is one I will give to a friend in the hopes of a better match.

Edited November 26, 2004 by LiberAmoris

[teza]

Clever me, I wasn't sure what was in this when I put it on this morning. I wondered at the reddish hue, thinking, 'Dragon's blood? Naaah.'

 

Wet: In the vial and wet on my skin, it is sharp, bitter, spicy. I can't smell anything sweet; that's why I decided it probably wasn't dragon's blood. Also, it didn't immediately transform into candy on my skin like most other blends with DB have. But lo -- I check on the reviews and I find I was tricked.

 

Drydown, drying: Why, hello, cinnamon. So when it says 'spices' it means cinnamon, eh? How...

 

nice.

 

Now, I like cinnamon -- I do. On my FOOD. Not on me. Others like the way this smells on me but I'm afraid I'm not a big fan of it. It's a sharp, faintly bitter cinnamon with a softer core of something vaguely sweet. It's almost sour, with that combination of sweet and bitter. I think I can smell the vetiver at first, but it quickly fades under the overwhelming cinnamon.

 

This one will go into my 'foist on the helpless' pile, as it's rather nice -- just not on me, not for me.

[TheDarkMother]

In the Bottle: Dragon's blood, cinnamon, and something a little more dark and sinister in the background. I like already!

 

On Me: Hmmm....I think that there may be some civet in this one. Its just in the background, past the dragon's blood and yummy cloves, but its still there, that gnawing, disgusting, preemie baby diaper scent. Even though its not a really bad baby diaper, nasty bathroom scent yet, it's still there and getting worse all the time.

 

Its drying to a little less diaper scent, but its still there. I think I'm going to swap it with someone that civet likes.

[JazzieCazzie]

Wow ... um, I'm almost wondering if I got a mislabeled imp or something? I hope not, because I am SO planning on ordering a huge bottle of this on my next order(okay, next next because I am waiting on two large outstanding orders and won't place another till March) ...

 

Received this as a generous and clearly well-chosen gift from the labbies on my Yule LE order ... and am once again convinced that they spend more time choosing our gifties to suit our tastes that we didn't even know we had then ... well, fill in our best analogy of things that take a lot of time.

 

This is just so me ...

 

BOTTLE: One of the most deliciously spicy FLORAL scents I have ever sniffed. So beautiful and evocative it literally brought tears of joy to me eyes.

 

But ... but ... NO ONE has mentioned FLORAL on this thread.

 

Anyway, as per one of my New Year's Resolutions (to start living my BPAL/Lush life to its fullest and USE all my goodies instead of hoarding everything salvishly), I put it on my wrists and crooks and then reapply to wrists and crooks for good measure and throw a little behind my ears too.

 

WET: Gardenia. OK, maybe it's just me ... but this is like a spicier, more sophisticated and somehow more "outdoors" version of White Shoulders, which was my FAVORITE scent in junior high school. More specifically, if I took White Shoulders and added in some fresh flowers from a field and then covered them all in cinnamon, this is what I would have.

 

DRYDOWN: Just a lovely spicy fresh floral. Maybe it's just me. Does this make sense at all?????

 

REVISITED AND RE-REVIEWED APRIL 2013:

 

I'm working my way through my entire BPAL collection, revisiting and reviewing everything I have, some for the first time, some years later. It's especially amusing and enlightening to go back to really old reviews such as this one ... I definitely did not have a handle on Dragon's Blood ... YET ... and had not yet made the connection that it is basically a floral or at least a floral-smelling note on me, a la gardenia (I think there were a few scents with DB that I misidentified as gardenia before I learned what DB was ... and of course now it's one of my favorite notes).

 

IN THE IMP: Spicy hot cinnamony Dragon's Blood. What's not to love?

 

Dabbed pretty generously on wrist and in crook of arm.

 

WET: Did get the slight burn of the cinnamon but very briefly and no welts (I think Malkuth may have been the only blend that gave me welts and even then I didn't care because they always went away and I loves me my cinnamon). From the moment it hits my skin it is just mmmmmmmmmmmmm. Slightly medicinal, and even slightly metallic (I think that may be my vague way of explaining the vetiver).

 

DRYDOWN: This lasts and lasts and lasts so it's a good thing I love it. Dries down to cinnamony-sweet on my wrist and slightly more kicky Dragon's Blood in the crook of my arm.

 

OVERALL: I love Dragon's Blood and this is one of my favorite DB scents. Again, because it's strong and unique, I'd have to be careful about when and where I wear it ... it's not for everyone. My hubby would probably hate it in a closed car. But for me and me alone, it's awesome.

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 4.9.

Edited April 8, 2013 by JazzieCazzie

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Lagniappe from the Lab.

 

First sniff:

 

Dragon's blood and vetiver...this is a really odd combination for my nose and I'm not sure I like it. I love dragon's blood and I like vetiver, but I'm not sure I like them together. The vetiver is a little strong for my tastes right at the moment, so I'm hoping it dies down once this is on.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Dragon's blood and spice (cinnamon?) with a background of vetiver. Right at the moment, I don't particularly like this combination, there's something about the vetiver - too strong, I suppose - that's turning my stomach. It may just be that I'm coming down with something and vetiver is just triggering it, but I can't see myself wearing this if I have to wait it out every time.

 

Dry down:

 

Dragon's blood and cinnamon red hots with vetiver in the background. The vetiver has softened, but not nearly enough for me to like this right now. I seem to be developing an intolerance for it and, while I never used to mind it, it's not something I can really wear in anything but small amounts right now, so Serpent's Kiss doesn't appear to be up my alley. I love the dragon's blood and spiced, but the vetiver isn't for me. At least not right now at any rate.

 

The bottom line:

 

Serpent's Kiss is another unfortunate victim of my burgeoning intolerance for vetiver in anything but small doses. This one's going to have to find a new home.

[surf-tormented]

This perfume oil is potent. The vetivert takes over the dragon's blood and overpowers it. I didn't smell much spice in it at all. The loud tone does mix with the dragon's blood after a while, but I think I like Dragon's Bone better than this.

 

I can see this being a man's scent. It's a little too much for me.

 

ADDED 2/24/10:

 

Note: This is now Feb 2010 and I got another frimp of this and I really like it. I might get a bottle of it. If you like strong, this is definitely where to go!

[thespring]

From the vial, so strong that I put it away and didn't come back to it till much later...

When I finally gathered my courage to give it a try, it was not as terrifying as I thought it might be.

 

On me, its mostly cinnamon. I love the Dragon's Blood and even the Vetiver calms it down nicely but the spices are unfortunately too strong for me. But I can see that this can be very nice with other body chemistries

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: In the bottle, all I can smell is vetiver. It does have the tell-tale scarlet coloring of a dragon's blood blend, but I really can't smell anything but the earthiness of the vetiver.

Wearing: Mmmmm... the dragon's blood comes out as this dries, sweetening the vetiver and making it a bit softer around the edges. The cinnamon also makes an appearance, adding a spicy bite to this blend. And the serpent gazes at her unknowing prey, taking her own sweet time to prepare the strike...

Final Impressions: This scent doesn't have a whole lot of rave reviews, but my experience with this oil is entirely positive. It is just beautiful, in a very seductive and lethal way.

[shelldoo]

in the vial: smells like pur vetiver

 

wet: wow that is some vetiver

 

dry: ahhh so this isn't a single note it becomes a very nice, blend of spices and the earthy smell of you guessed it vetiver, but hey i am a vetiver fool. i was just telling a friend saturday how vetiver is a great note i want my dh to try this one for some reason i think it would be yummy on him. it is a good scent for my darker days.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Spice is most prominent in the vial, dusted over a red-resin base of dragon’s blood. I’m worried about the vetiver – it usually goes dark-green and funky on me. Here goes… crossing my fingers…

 

Wearing: Well, so far, so good. Serpent’s Kiss reminds me of the Christmas-spiciness of Tintagel, without the leather undertone. And after about half an hour, the vetiver turns swampy. Meh.

[Gin]

On me, this is cinnamonny, with a hint of sweetness underneath, but not much more. Pretty much straight-up cinnamon.

[phoefromelsewhere]

Sadly this really aggravated my asthma. Which sucks big hairy donkey balls because I LOVE this. It smells rich and warm and red and pulsing with vampiric sensuality. A full blooded and round blend that had big bottle written all over it for me. And then the asthma kicked in… I am guessing it’s the vetivert because it is really really stong and overpowering and I know I love and can wear dragon’s blood and most spices.

 

[dreadeddragon]

I just got this one from Gin, along with 7 others that I havne't fully tried yet.

 

In the bottle: Strong vetivert with a hint of dragon's blood. Damn, I love dragon's blood.

 

Wet: Hmm....not quite sure if I like this one. Definitely enough to finish the imp, but a bottle...dunno.

 

Drydown: Ok, the dragon's blood & spice are most prominent, with a hint of vetivert. I think I like it a lot. I asked a few people to sniff me, and while the gay boy liked it, but it wasn't his fave, the straight boys loved it.

 

15 hours later, and I can still smell the small amount I put on my wrists. And I love it. Mmmm..... Anyone that "got stuck" with this can certainly pass it on to me.

[EvilKitten]

In the bottle: Bitter and sharp. heavy on the vetiver and spice, close to juniper yet not as .. junipy.

 

on me: (wet) It is very middle-easterny spicy on me, and it gives me a bit of a headache. (dry) it turns more sweet spicy, everything seems to mingle and calm down once it is dry on my skin, but the wet phase is hard to live through on my body. Not one for me, but it is a very interesting complex mix of smells.