Snake Charmer

[storme]

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.

In the imp: not much at all. Faint powdery honey?

On me, wet: powdery honey and spicy musk, but it's still really faint on me.

On me, dry: BO and baby powder. Snake Oil did this too, so I'm not actually surprised, just faintly sad.

Verdict: This sniffie can get passed on to someone with nicer skin chemistry, I think.

[noumenon]

Sweet mother of god! It's Mme Moriarty without the harsh, itchy patchouli note.

 

And it's got that coconut note marinating in red oils that reminds me so much of Red Lantern.

 

It's what I wish Moriarty smelled like whenever I wear it, which is often, because even with the patch it smells awesome. And it's what I wish Red Lantern was like if only I could just dial down that wonderful opium a teeensy bit.

 

WHY wasn't I around when Carnaval Noir was out? Life is so unfair.

[ForeverLastcXs]

Yeah, I knew I shouldn't have tried this one, being late for the Snake Charmer party and all. I love this, unfortunately. It's definitely the sister to Mme Moriarity, only a bit less musky to my nose. I suppose I'll have to covet this dear little half-imp as long as I can.

[n3m3sis42]

In the imp:

Very herbal and spicy.

 

Wet:

A musky incensey note which I assume is the Arabian musk and amber. And something spicy and almost woody. As it dries down, I can definitely smell hints of the foodier notes in this, the black plum and vanilla.

 

Dry:

On the drydown, this has stayed amber with foody notes. I love it. Alas! Yet another LE bottle I'll have to hunt for.

[squirrelmonkey]

In the bottle: faint snake oil with something extra. I just got a bottle and prepared for a major disappointment.

 

Wet: Snake oil with a bit of musk and strong vanilla.

 

Dry: oh, this is so glorious! Not a strong scent, but a very complex one. Among the snaky spiciness, there are wiffs of vanilla and coconut, and amber gives this blend such a smooth and deep character. It lasts hours.

 

I'm always a bit worried that a popular scent won't live up to the hype, but this one certainly did. The only scent so far I feel comfortable slathering.

[stasha]

YUM. Someone was amazing enough to send me this as a 1/2 full frimp! This is Snake Oil's sweeter sister. The musky, incense-y sexy of Snake Oil combined with a smooth vanilla to tame it. It makes me still feel sexy while not was RAWR.

[500ml]

Snake Charmer is a much softer version of Snake Oil to my nose. It lacks the sharpness that Snake Oil tends to have (and which I really dislike), but I have to say that even though it is a nice blend, it doesn't work for me. There's still something in there that puts me on edge.

[cinderfallen]

I get plum and coconut with the backlay of the Egyptian amber that I recognize from Pumpkin Queen. I notice that with aged Snake Charmer, the coconut fades out, and becomes more resinous than fruity. But either way, I think this is a really lovely blend, smooth and softly spiced and rounded scent. No sharpness at all.

[khiseer]

I am lucky enough to have picked up a bottle of this and i have to say it has done the impossible and knocked faiza to 2nd spot....

 

Oh wow creamy more vanilla snake oil is pretty much exactly what i get from this. Smells divine in the bottle but once it gets on my skin it's like heaven. The staying power and throw of this are perfect. Its a crime that we can't get more of this.. Its going to be very hard making my bottle last..

 

/sniffs wrist /contented sigh...

[zankoku_zen]

In the imp: Snake Oil and some other spices

 

On Skin: Very light Snake Oil, vanilla very prominent. But really close to the skin. For a couple minutes after I applied it, I could barely smell it

 

On Drydown: I really think this is a scent that develops. Warm, vanilla Snake Oilish - muskier and spicier. Very smooth and rounded.

 

Verdict: This is like sexed up Snake Oil. I can see why so many people are crazy about it. Neither a fan of vanilla or Snake Oil, I'm still glad I got to try this fabulous scent!

[bombus]

It is a dark sexy smell with the musk, spices and vanilla notes coming out the most. I don’t think I would wear this to work but definitely on a date night.

[Narya]

how very interesting snake charmer turned out to be. i belong in the very rare type who doesn't like snake oil i can stand it, but i won't wear it.

and then i got an imp of snake charmer from a friend. instantly i though omg, *the* snake charmer? but what is it to me? i tried some of the snake oil variants, but not a single one worked on me.

 

and snake charmer turned out to be something completely different.

i would dare say that this is spellbound cut in half, dismissing the rose and some amber, and stuck together on 1/4 O and 1/4 original snake oil. thank god, the snake oil residue never gets out. and one of my favorites and first bpal lovelys is spellbound

it's the same musk and amber as in spellbound, i swear, alltogether it is a darker scent. and i can wear the thing

 

from a wider point of view, snake charmer is ambery and musky, warm with just a gentle touch of spices rounding it up.

too bad a bottle of this now costs more than equal weight in gold

 

i think it's time on this forum to bring out a petition to bring back rose red and snake charmer

[tartchef]

I finagled a half an imp of the elusive Snake Charmer from a fellow forumite as part of a swap - honestly, I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about...

 

Ooo, yeah. I can see why this inspires folks to feats of eBay madness. It's rich, but not cloying, sweet & smoky & pretty darn tasty. The plum & coconut are distinct at first, but once it dries down, they meld into a delicious haze of ambery sweetness. I'm getting almost caramel popcorn, here... not a bad thing!

 

It's missing the OMFGmusthavemoarnow that I got from Mum Moon & Mme Moriarty, but it's in that same camp of rich, seductive, gourmand musk. I'll be happy with my little sniffie, thank heavens, but it's one I think should be tried by all...

[greymatter]

I have the same problem with red musk that others have noticed. It turns plasticy and greasy on me. I wind up smelling like vasoline dipped band-aids. Only this time with a hint of plum.

[amyw]

It's difficult to believe that I haven't reviewed this yet since it's one of my absolute favorites, but then again, I've been frolicking about with Mme Moriarty and had almost forgotten about lovely lovely Snake Charmer. I put it on today for the first time in months and a bit of aging has suited it well. Everything blends better now even though it was already gorgeous when I got it. I can smell a bit of plum, a bit of coconut, a fair amount of vanilla, and a bit of what is probably musk preventing it from being too sweet. I can see the comparisons to Snake Oil, but I like it better. No playdoh, no plastic smell, both of which are a problem for me with Snake Oil less than a year old. This is Mme Moriarty's sweeter sister; Mme is darker, this is definitely lighter and sweeter (with less plum) but just as beautiful in a slightly different way. Now I'm sad I have only one bottle, so I'm hoping Beth will do what she did with Midway and resurrect it for an update. If she does, I will hoard.

 

LOVE. And I'm picky, by the way.

 

 

ETA: as this ages, it gets better and better, and stronger. At this point I've been wearing the Resurrected (this bottle is about 8 months old, I think) a few times a week and it has become a deeply resinous vanilla scent with just a touch of plum and musk. The coconut has faded a lot yet it adds a tiny bit of creaminess. I think this is essentially how I wished aged Snake Oil would smell on me but sadly does not. Right now I can't really overstate my love for this oil, and it's remained as my favorite ever since I tried it 3 or so years ago. So my love for Snake Charmer, she is persistent. :D

Edited July 20, 2009 by amyw

[chrisann]

I thought for sure I had reviewed this smellie a while back... since I'm wearing it today, this is a perfect time to do just that!

 

When I first tried my bottle of Snake Charmer about a year ago, I liked it enough and was happy to find a "Snake" I could wear (Snake Oil, unless REALLY aged, is icky on me) I promptly put it into my bpal storage box and perioically would tap into it. I pulled my Snake Charmer out today (this one is the original release) and further aging of it has done wonders for it!!

 

Abby had never commented before when I would wear it, but today, she grabbed me (literally) by the shoulders to do these deep whiffs off my neck. She made ga ga faces at me too.

 

I liked Snake Charmer before. Now? I LOVE Snake Charmer. Esp. richly aged Snake Charmer Snake Charmer 2005... come to me... (working universal magic)

 

A+ with undulating hips

[dixiehellcat]

( at growwild's review)

 

I was beginning to despair--snakes and I just have not gotten along. I haven't found 1 in the Snake Pit that works for me. But I wangled an imp of SC to check out the fuss, and is it yummy. Dark and sexy, the fruit and musk notes blend so well. It's what I wished several other scents I've tried before would have been on me. Now I guess I will hoard my 2 teeny imps and pray for a resurrection.

[hkhm]

imp: this reminds me a great deal of imp, except minus the peach and add a bit of coconut. very pleasing amber and musk scent.

 

wet: this reminds me even more of imp (which is my absolute favourite general catalog scent). this is a very beautiful musky amber scent and i can understand why it's so sought after but i still prefer imp.

 

dry: this is more musky and less sweet than imp, if this were still available i would be buying a few bottles.

[prunesnprisms]

In the vial, this smells of wonderful, sweet spicy vanilla, but on me, it's baby powder, all the way.

[suileach]

Guh. Amber, spices, and vanilla, oh my! I'm not even sure how to describe this one, since it smells exactly like I imagined it would from the notes, and the words from the description - slinking, serpentine, enticing - fit perfectly as well.

 

After a few minutes on my skin, it takes on a rubbery/plasticky tone... That seems to happen sometimes on me when vanilla and musk are together in a blend.

 

Plum rears its head as well, and I'm becoming more and more certain that I just don't like plum - I really disliked Mme. Moriarty, which this has been compared to. And...wow. This has morphed quickly into a bold, spicy, vanilla dusted plum with amber in the background.

 

It ends up being too sweet in that sticky way I don't care for, but I can see why people with different taste than I have love this. It's mysterious, sexy, feminine, and kind of...purple...smelling. Ultimately, though, it just isn't for me.

[starwild]

Okay, so...I'm staunchly anti-coconut and vanilla. They just don't work on me. Vanilla turns to dime store french vanilla without fail and my skin amps it until I smell like a puddle of melted ice cream. I refused to try any BPAL with vanilla, excepting Perversion which was a frimp, and which I quickly got rid of anyway. I was content in my vanilla-shunning ways and accepting of the fact that I will never be able to handle a lot of BPAL scents because of the vanilla note.

 

Until a kind soul sent me a sniffie of Snake Charmer.

 

The spices and amber so overwhelm the vanilla that even my horrible chemistry can't amp it. It just adds a touch of soothing warmth to what is otherwise a holy-cow-sexy blend of richness.

 

If I could choose any scent for a revival, I do believe this one would be it. This blend, and this blend alone, is why I'm now dying to try Snake Oil, am giving Blood Kiss a go, and just got an imp of Mme. Moriarty. If Mme. Moriarty is like this but with patchouli, I will go crazy for it, but that's neither here nor there.

 

Snake Charmer: charms even the forum vanilla hater. This is a miracle. Beth, perhaps this can make a guest appearance in the next act of CD?

Edited February 6, 2008 by starwild

[gypsysingleton]

Snake Charmer is

 

It stays fresh and sweet and light! VS. Snake oil which goes smoky incense on me.

 

Me Want more Snake Charmer (which is exactly what I was afraid of )

[hellomoonglow]

Dear, sweet Snake Charmer, how do I love thee?

 

I LOVE the coconut and plum! This is my new fave. I must have more, more more MORE!!! It smells similar to Exp. Blend #1, which is my all time #1 fave. I can't really describe this, except to say it smells kinda like Snake Oil with vanilla and coconut and a splash of plum. This stays on me an incredibly long time, and I can smell it on me, too. I like it when you can do that. Definetly

[butcherbaby]

wow!

 

just got a *full* imp of this from a generous forumite who was willing to sell it!

it's really, really nice. definately has the "snake oil" vibe but softer, smokier, more incense-y. i recognize the black coconut immediately- it's the note in "death adder" that made it go off on my skin (it kind of smells like burnt grass to me), but here it is delicate enough to just add a nice smokiness.

 

i don't know if i'd pay eBay prices for this, but i will wear this for sure and would buy a couple bottles if it were ever ressurected (beth- hint hint) ;-)

[dorothy humbird]

Given that Snake Charmer features Arabian musk, vanilla, amber, and black plum, I was prepared to be seduced by all manner of deliciousness - I expected the other notes to take me into untold realms of glory (spices! labdanum! ambrette! what wonders lie ahead!)

 

When I put it on, I swore to myself it was a dead ringer for Vixen. It reminded me of Snake Oil, too. Both of those scents take a bit of time to develop to full, glowing amazingness on my skin, so I was ready to be patient. Vixen rewards me with amazing vanilla-patchouli sexiness, but Snake Oil goes to powder after a few minutes of incredible beauty on me, so I was hoping Snake Charmer would head the route of lady V. About a minute and a half past the initial dry resinous dusky smell of wet Snake Charmer on my skin, I started to smell the black plum seeping through. Looks like I'm on my way to glory!

 

Mmm. Juicy, dark, sweet, musky deliciousness. I keep smelling references to Bathsheba (plum and musk), Mme. Moriarty, and Vixen (as well as Snake Oil, of course) - but Snake Charmer is the best parts of all of those. The headiness and sweetness of Bathsheba, the overall rich decadence of Mme. Moriarty (without, as someone upthread said, the harshness of patchouli I sometimes get from her), and the similar depth and depravity embodied by Vixen and Snake Oil.

 

I have two qualms with Snake Charmer, though: 1) broken vial cap and 2) not enough throw! I wasn't very shy in my application of it, but whereas I'd be surrounded by cloud of amazing scent if this had been Vixen, with Snake Charmer I have to intentionally huff my decolletage if I want a boost.

 

Still, incredible. I'm not sure I'll be going mad to track down a bottle, because so many scents approximate this well enough for my needs, but I will keep this little decant and cherish it most fervently.