Snake Charmer

[gingiemay]

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.

I picked up a bottle of Snake Charmer: Resurrected unsniffed at Will Call because I had too much to sniff anyway, and I had heard so much about it as the Holy Grail of BPAL. When I sniffed it in the bottle and tried it out fresh, it came up a little funny, similar to the fresh patchouli leaf scent that I got from fresh Mme Moriarty. I decided to let it sit and age for a while (6 weeks in fact). Boy, am I glad I did! I now get a sexy, sultry scent that is similar to the Snake Oil/Mme Moriarty blend that others have mentioned. I get spices, coconut, vanilla and a very faint fruity undertone that keeps things interesting. It's musky and mysterious and exotic. I'm wearing it out tonight, so watch out, boys! Edited January 31, 2009 by gingiemay

[mooncityminx]

In the bottle: earthy incense that I bought from the medieval fair when I was 12 plus musk. Niiiice!

 

Wet: da-ang! A little of this goes a lo-ong way apparently. I think I just made my whole apartment smell fabulous. Mmmmm, it's like the dark devil cola-ish note I get from Swarzer Mond, plus something more femininely seductive. If I hard heard a SM comparison before I ordered this, I would have ordered more bottles. Incense is a comparison I use a lot when describing bpal, which isn't fair because it's like saying "floral" or "fruity." This one is reminding me of Dragon's Bone meets SM in the wet stage.

 

Drydown: Now I get the Mme Moriarty comparison. It's just like the Madame but without the spilled wine. Spicy and seductive musk, but sophisticated. You know what else this reminds me of? Coco by Chanel. It's not the same, not by a longshot but it has the same mood. Like expensive and confident, but more unique and seductive. Why did I only buy three bottles of this? It is more than worth all of the fuss. Strangely it doesn't remind me of Snake Oil at all, except that they belong to the same 'incensey' family.

[Electric Maenad]

I must have the weirdest skin chemistry ever. I can hardly smell this, even with my wrist right up to my nose. There's a little vanilla, a little spice, and maybe a hint of plum, but apart from that I got nothing. After an hour, I can't smell anything at all. Fortunately, I suspect I will have little difficulty finding a good home for my decant.

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Snake oil and coconut

 

On Application

Snake oil, plum and coconut

 

Dry Down

As it dries down the spices and musk emerge through the snake oil. Just beautiful. Surprisingly soft but with good throw. Lasts for ages. I was going to get 2 or 3 bottles of this since it seemed to be so popular but eneded up only getting one. Darn.

Rating (0-5)

4.5

 

[serafina pekkala]

This is like Snake Oil entwined with Rakshasa, except the vanilla keeps peeking up.

[eoifemacbeth]

oddly, though i don't love it, i still just get the urge to wear it sometimes.

 

THIS! I'm not in love with the Charmer, but for some reason his hold on me isn't lessened by that fact.

 

In the bottle he smells amazing, like Snake Oil with plum and delicate amber.

 

On me, wet, it's all weird slightly fake plum... it might be the plum + Arabian musk, which may smell a bit weird to my nose.

 

Eventually, it dried down to something pretty nice, but overall the bottle needs aging. Weirdly, though, as veronicafranco said, I get the urge to put Snake Charmer on all the time... and when I do, I'm kind of like, "Oh, okay... gross."

 

Last night for Valentine's Day, though, I wore a couple of dabs of Snake Charmer layered with slatherings of Snake Oil... the Charmer seemed to really enhance Snake Oil, amped up the vanilla, and sweetened the musk, and it was really just gorgeous. I'll keep my bottle just for layering purposes if necessary.

[jwhxtna]

This is for the Resurrected version.

 

IN THE IMP: Thick, heady, dark, sweet, and exotic. Resins, spices, and a lot of musk, with a tiny hint of fruit.

 

WET: Not quite as heavy as before, and the plum starts to come out.

 

DRY: A spicy, resin-y, sweet vanilla with plum and coconut. Exotic and sexy, and not too musky like it was before. It reminds me a bit of Mme. Moriarty, but the red musk in Mme. Moriarty was wayyyy too much for me.

 

oddly, though i don't love it, i still just get the urge to wear it sometimes.

 

THIS! I'm not in love with the Charmer, but for some reason his hold on me isn't lessened by that fact.

Actually, that's strange, I feel this way too.

[LadyLuckless]

Oh GOD this is gorgeous! Mmm, it's dark, incensy, spicy, fruity and sweet. It's deliciously decadent and drop dead sexy. It's making me really wish that this bottle didn't get to me on day 1 of my guy's week-long business trip.

[MCS4096]

So I'm doing a test with Snake Oil on one wrist and this on the other

 

In the bottle: Smells like Snake Oil except that Snake Oil has a dry sweet vanilla bent, and this is a juicy sweetness, more moist. I get the coconut, but it's VERY subtle.

 

Wet: Snake oil is more vanilla creaminess, this is more resinous. Snake oil is golden, Snake Charmer is reds and purples-- it's much deeper and plusher, although the same patchouli/musk base is obvious in each.

 

Drying down: I finally get more a fruity, almost floral aspect here. Mmmm so good though, and very distinct (like Snake Oil) Dry the two smells nearly indistinguishable on me, with Snake Charmer retaining the slightly drier sweetness from the, I assume, coconut. This has fairly good throw on me, and I'm glad I picked up a bottle Now I just need to pick up a bottle of Snake Oil and get that baby aging! This imp I have is a couple months old and it's mm mm good!

[tajana]

I got a bottle fresh from the lab on the same day I as I got a bottle secondhand from the forums! I tested the older bottle first. Yes, I bought this unsniffed: the hype was just too massive to let me ignore it!

 

When I first dab it on, it is a whole lot like Snake Oil! A dark, resinous musky spice. As it dries down, though, it becomes its own thing. The vanilla smells a little less "burnt" than it does in Snake Oil on me, and the Egyptian amber comes out in a big way. I also get a pleasant whiff of creamy coconut. Plums have tended to take over other scents for me, but the spices, amber, and musk keep it in check here, so it adds a pleasant, plush tinge of fruitiness that makes Snake Charmer smell special. It has an "incense" feel to it which is rather appealing. So, in the end... it's nice. But I feel underwhelmed. It's a nice smell, but why settle for "nice"? With the talk of how wonderfully this ages, I'm still tempted to hold on to it and check back after another year or two to see if a switch flips and I become more completely smitten.

Edited December 1, 2009 by tajana

[AnArtfuldodger]

 

I smell nothin'.

 

Seriously. I slathered some on my wrist this morning, all excited to finally try this holy grail of scents....and I got a hint of something that I can't even place....and then nothing. A faint after-smell still lingers on my wrist about four hours later, but it's not even recognizable; it's like some cologne touched my wrist early this morning, and that's it.

 

I suppose I should be thankful that I didn't buy a gazillion bottles, and I should be glad that I'm not going to go crazy for more, but I'm disappointed that I don't know what all the hub-bub it about it either! I really wanted to be all about it..... What am I missing??!!??!!

 

*sigh*

 

I'm going to let it age and see if that does anything.

[unlaced]

Alrighty... testing my bottle of Snake Charmer Res. I was a little hesitant to buy this one because so many people likened it to Snake Oil, and Snake Oil just doesn't really do it for me.

 

In the bottle: Yep, just like Snake Oil. Same spices-and-incense scent which is the only thing SO ever did on my skin.

 

On my skin: no change really, smells just like SO.

 

Dry: okay maybe this is a little different. A teensy bit sweeter perhaps? I'm willing to let this age and see how it changes. I know this is one of those that definitely gets better with age. Maybe it will turn into something I'll use on a regular basis but right now, I doubt I'll be reaching for it a lot.

[TheOneTheyCallLuna]

I am one of those people who cannot wear snake oil...Well, I will wear it on occasion (at least I did before I had this), but while there are many things that I like about it, there are at least as many that I find disconcerting (plastick-y vanilla, I'm lookin' in your direction!) This is my holy grail! It has all of the positive elements of snake oil, none of the negatives, and a light toasted coconut and plum base that is driving me (and my boyfriend) wild!

 

I am so ecstatic that this got resurrected. I could never afford to get my hands on even a decant of it before! I only wish I had taken a leap of faith and bought a backup bottle in addition to this one, unsniffed, because this is magnificent. It's everything I ever hoped it would be in my wildest dreams and more! I just got my bottle tonight and I'm already frightened at the prospect of running out! It's so exotic, and sexy, spicy, warm, and imminently wearable. I adore this!

 

[cinderfallen]

I have one bottle in use and it's noticably aged and changed more than my backup bottle: the coconut and fruity notes has gotten very prominent, and the smooth red musk bulges near the edges of the scent, which resembles the way the patchouli works in Mme. Moriarty. It's brighter. It's got more "texture" but it's gotten even more similar to Mme. Moriarty. I have an original release Snake Charmer, and I'm hoping that the amber will mature and come into its own, and the fruit/coconut notes tapers off, because at its heart, Snake Charmer is a slinky scent, not a boisterous sex bomb.

[missrini]

Oh this is wonderful Exactly what I thought this would smell like! I ordered a bottle of this unsmelled and I'm so glad I took the gamble.

 

It's pretty much all amber on me, but I LOVE amber to death!! It's a perfume that makes me want to smell myself constantly. LOVE IT!!!

[aquazoo]

Oh yum! This is lovely. I think I get the vanilla most of all. It's that warm baking scent (I seem to like those quite a lot). It really does draw you in.

 

 

[Dinerdulcinea]

I have two different releases of this scent and this is my 3rd version.

 

They gradually seem to get less sharp and perfume-y and more warm, comforting, and vanilla-creamy over time.

 

This newest release has more of the plum and spice components than the others, and less "perfume" than the 2nd.

 

I am so glad I bought several bottles of this!! It remains my A#1 favorite of all.

[Ceri]

In the vial: Fruity snake oil

 

Wet: Fruity scent with snake oil as a base

 

Dry: It's here that I can tell the distinct difference between snake oil and snake charmer. Snake charmer is powdery fruity sweetness without a hint of spice on me.

 

Overall: The throw is weak, I can't smell anything unless my nose is right at my wrist. Other than that, this is just a fruity version of Snake oil. Really, really nice.

[catatonic1242]

In the bottle: A slightly lighter version of Snake Oil. Less dry, if that makes any sense.

 

On, wet: Musk and incense and what I'm interpreting as a faint bit of smoke.

 

On, dry: I finally get the coconut, but just as in the original Snake Oil, I can't smell the vanilla. *cries* I'm going to have to keep this one to age for a while before I try it again.

[lothien]

I got a decant of Rez when it came out, tried it, and put it away. I had guessed I wouldn't like it much right away and stuck it in the Purgatory Bag to sit in the dark and think about what it wanted to do.

Snake Oil, while I like aspects of it, goes from medicinal to cloying play-doh on me, but I thought Snake Charmer might work better for me if I gave it some time.

I've thought about giving it away or swapping it a couple of times, but I keep passing it over to try later.

 

Then this morning, a couple of times - in the shower, and while making coffee - I got an urge to find my imp of it, thought I smelled the edge of it.

Now, I'm girly this week, and that sort of odd thought is sort of ordinary during this time. But more than once I have put on something I love during this time and it sends me off right away to find the Dr Bronner's.

But whatever hunch told me it was a good day for Snake Charmer was correct. The medicinal similarity to SO has mellowed a lot in the 3 or so months, the coconut (and, well, everything) has smoothed out nicely and the vanilla is not-sweet and very pleasant. I like that its smoky quality is more toasted than burnt AND!! no sign of play-doh anywhere!

It really is what I wanted today.

 

But I don't get "dead sexy" from it. It's really nice on me now, comforting, but I don't think I was blessed with the chemistry to make this stop the boy in his tracks or anything.

 

ETA a couple of weeks later:

I liked it well enough to track down two bottles of it that folks weren't asking "swap only" for. ^^ I have found myself wearing this a lot, so it seemed like I should just track down moar.

And people like it. I got a compliment from a (female) stranger later that same day, and I also thought it was cool that she didn't know if it was the DH or myself that smelled good, she just liked it. I think Snake Charmer has some high Charisma or something. =)

It doesn't throw as far as I was afraid it would. It doesn't morph much and the smell of it on my jacket the next day doesn't turn me off. Snake Oil and Antique Lace were both scents I liked the first time I tested them, but were both cloying and yucky when I later ran up against the scent on a sweater or hoodie I'd worn the oils into. SC:R smells just as good to me the next day.

Thinking back to my original comments, it's not so much 'comforting' as it makes me feel good. Morocco is 'comforting.' SC:R makes me feel like I can face a bad day. And that never sucks.

Edited April 8, 2009 by dragonsidhe

[donnatron]

Bottle: Smokey. Very, very smokey. Reminds me a lot of the initial blast of vetiver from Lunar Eclipse and if the list of ingredients didn't lead me to believe otherwise I would believe this is a pretty vetivery blend.

 

Wet: I start to get hints of the vanilla, a touch of coconut and some plum. The general smokey quality continues.

 

Dry: I dunno. I guess I expected Snake Charmer to be a lot more... more on the skin. It's a gorgeous blend but it's more the sort of blend that compels you to smell it than actually appears to be mesmerizing on its own. Very much a blend for a literal snake charmer, then. I get it, I understand why it's beautiful, but it feels more that it has to convince me that it is. From a literal standpoint it's a smokey vanilla/plum. A GC comparison would be Bow and Crown of Conquest. Sort of like a more fruity version of that. It's gorgeous and I love it but there's something about it that makes me wish I didn't.

 

Throw: Very good.

 

Overall: I rarely wear it out because I'm still wrapping my head around it. A few months from now I'll probably be all over it like I was all over Lunar Eclipse six months after release. If you like a combination of smokey darkness with light fruits and musks it is definitely your cup of tea.

[asciident]

(Resurrected version.)

 

Wet: Spicy vanilla.

 

First on: Very sweet vanilla, but not pure.

 

Dry: What I imagined Snake Oil was going to be. Delicious.

[GardenCat]

Since this is such a HG perfume for so many, I just HAD to get some. And it IS all it's cracked up to be! So sultry & sexy - a favorite of mine when I'm bellydacing & now I know why! Arabian musk and exotic spices slinking through Egyptian amber hehee!

 

I do get lots of plum (and it goes through about a 2-4 minute drydown where I do get a bit of cat-pee ) but then it settles down & gets sultry. Me-ow!

[sirensea]

In the imp: Vanilla and spices!

 

On my skin: This is very alluring. Deep, rich vanilla and smoky spice. It's just as sexy as everyone says.

[scrappy]

To my untrained nose, this is a very deep, rich, sweet, incense-y blend. Very strong, so a little goes a long way with this sultry scent.