Le Serpent Qui Danse

[Morganza]

A sinister, darkly seductive scent inspired by poetry of Charles Baudelaire. Violet entwined with vanilla and gardenia.

Wet, this was as advertised - all violets & vanilla. It reminded me of old-fashioned violet candy.

After it dried it got a little baby-powdery on me.

I think I'd prefer Le Serpent qui Danse in the diffuser than on my skin.

[grashopper8]

Le Serpent Qui Danse

 

A round floral, with depth and substance. As it wears, it somewhat reminds me of a candy, or a cloying wine. The vanilla has an unusual interaction with the florals, leaving it a scent that's a bit hard to describe.

 

[3 - Like] What a unique mixture of notes.

 

Wow, took the words right out of my mouth, MaidenGenevive: "A round floral." It's creamy and floral at the same time, and I'm totally liking it!

 

I love gardenia, and this scent added a nice little twist - I really like BPAL's violet, it's green and purple and girly. And this vanilla is clean on me.

It lasted about 4-5 hours on my skin, but in my scent locket, it lasted alllll day, and didn't morph. I could smell pretty violet-vanilla-gardenia goodness all day, and it was good : -)

 

Thanks to miss apple for the frimp!

 

I give this a 4 out of 5, and like it enough to keep the imp forever. I'm not sure if I'm obsessed enough for a bottle, but I'll come back to it eventually and may decide to in the future.

[JennyGardener]

This scent smelled a little too foody for me when I sniffed it in the bottle, but I tried it anyway. I'm so glad I did! The dancing snake is sweet, indeed, but not overpoweringly. I think the violet must be what tempers the vanilla. In this blend, vanilla is warm and light on me. I do like it, which surprises me!

 

Now, on Faerygirl, Le Serpent Qui Danse smells like a cough drop. Too sweet. Isn't body chemistry funny sometimes!

[YoakeNoKami]

Imp: Hmm.. A hint of vanilla and floral.

 

On: glah. So... I love violets. I love vanilla. I love gardenia.

I don't love them together. Unfortunately, the blend of them together is apparently instantly headache-inducing for me--and my skin amps the hell out of it

[erraticprophet]

Initial Impression: vanilla and gardenia

 

On Wet: sweet floral that eventually turned to powder

 

On Dry: powder

 

Final Impression: I'm sad it turned on me because it was really nice.

 

Rating (on a scale of 1-5): 2

[maribouquet]

Initial thoughts: I'm prepared to dislike this, because of the violet.

 

imp: slick floral

wet: the vanilla and gardenia are strong, but I'm getting that bubbly prickle of violet

dry: soft, vanilla floral

 

You know, I think I'm liking this! The vanilla is a touch doughy on me, and I'm still not a violet fan, but it's pleasant nonetheless.

[nightchild80]

In the Imp (wet): There's a bit of a freshness to this one. It's still a sweet floral, but nowhere as sickly.

 

On me: The vanilla doesn't hit as strongly and lasts a fair bit longer than the other floral scents.

[megank4]

Way violety. Kind of a sugary sweet violet, hint of vanilla, and no gardenia at all. I want to like this, but my headache is saying no.

[suki]

in the bottle: pure, strong violet. no chaser, straight up.

 

wet on skin: a strong mix of violet and gardenia, with violet in the lead. it becomes so strong that it smells like soap

 

dry down: the violet mellows and softens as does the gardenia. i get NO vanilla in the mix at all.

 

in all: after a time it morphs and on me smells *just* like Love's Baby Soft. this reminds me of my junior high school prom, and i don't mind that in the least, actually.

[Lethran]

LE SERPENT QUI DANSE (Ars Amatoria)

 

Just looking at the ingredients, I was expecting this to be too sweet on me. I love violet in food, but not on skin. In bottle: OMG violet and gardenia. As vanilla needs aging, I expect this is part of the problem. Wet: Mostly violet, with a hint of gardenia spice. This doesn’t strike me as darkly seductive so much as young teen trying to smell like older sister. Dry: My skin really doesn’t deal well with this. It does give the very Baudelairian impression of a flower with decay at it’s center. This clearly isn’t meant for my skin chemistry. Still no vanilla.

[persephanise]

I would never have thought this on my own, but after my friend said it, I can't get it out of my mind.

 

MR BUBBLE!!!

 

She's right. It smells exactly liek Mr Bubble.

 

Which is to say, it's quite pleasant if you like florals. Alas, florals aren't really my thing.

 

Heehee....Mr Bubble....

[anshara]

This one's been in the catalogue a while, but, I've never reviewed it, so, here goes nothing.In the imp: Gardenia and Vanilla, very powerful Gardenia and Vanilla. Actually stinging my nose a little, hope it calms down on the skin. The scent in the imp is heavily reminscent of "Veil", must be the undertone of violets that I didn't really pick up on first sniff.On Skin Wet: Interesting, all violets and vanilla now with a heady strength in the backround that must be the gardenia, but, it isn't an outright gardenia note. The throw from this (off of neck and wrist) is mildly fruity, very unexpected from a heady floral.Drydown: I don't know if it's the heat of my apartment, or, the oil itself, but, this blend dried very quickly and has settled into a talcy violet vanilla blend close to the skin, with, a mildly fruity throw. I can't percisely name the fruit I'm getting, somewhere between mangosteen, and, cherimoya. Very interesting blend, but, one with very strong throw. Not a blend for slathering or warm days. An excellent blend for the colder months though. I might buy a bottle in the future, but, this blend being as potent as it is, I'm sure the imp will last me the rest of the winter.This one's been in the catalogue a while, but, I've never reviewed it, so, here goes nothing.In the imp: Gardenia and Vanilla, very powerful Gardenia and Vanilla. Actually stinging my nose a little, hope it calms down on the skin. The scent in the imp is heavily reminscent of "Veil", must be the undertone of violets that I didn't really pick up on first sniff.On Skin Wet: Interesting, all violets and vanilla now with a heady strength in the backround that must be the gardenia, but, it isn't an outright gardenia note. The throw from this (off of neck and wrist) is mildly fruity, very unexpected from a heady floral.Drydown: I don't know if it's the heat of my apartment, or, the oil itself, but, this blend dried very quickly and has settled into a talcy violet vanilla blend close to the skin, with, a mildly fruity throw. I can't percisely name the fruit I'm getting, somewhere between mangosteen, and, cherimoya. Very interesting blend, but, one with very strong throw. Not a blend for slathering or warm days. An excellent blend for the colder months though. I might buy a bottle in the future, but, this blend being as potent as it is, I'm sure the imp will last me the rest of the winter.

[hkhm]

imp: a nice, sweet violet.

 

wet: i'm getting the rich sweetness of the vanilla, the prickliness of gardenia (it always feels prickly in my nose) and the syrupiness of violet. this mostly just smells like violet ice crem garnished with gardenias.

 

dry: the gardenia is far more pronounced and along with the vanilla, the violet gets a little smothered. this is an incredibly beautiful perfume, i just don't think its quite right for me. i would love to sniff the person that it is right on though.

[ElinaMakropulos]

As so many others have said, this reminds me of violet candies I used to eat. All I smell is the violet, which is a good thing - on my skin it's a lovely, round, mellow violet. I usually cannot wear florals as they become too sharp and headache-inducing, but Le Serpent Qui Danse was a wonderful surprise when I got it as a frimp. It has decent throw on me, every now and then I get a nice whiff of it without having to sniff my wrist. It's not at the top of my list for a 5ml, but it's definitely on the list nonetheless.

 

I'm just happy to have found a pure floral I can wear!

[ImperatrixMundi]

Smells almost like Monoi oil. Mainly gardenia and vanilla, the violet lends a little duskyness, like a shadow.

Dries down to a vanilla dominated scent that reminds me of incense, for some weird reason.

Not a gardenia fan here, so not a favourite. The gardenia has a weird sharpness under that sweet scent that I dont like. Was surprised this did not turn into more violet.

[laforetnoire]

In the bottle, it's violet and gardenias. I think the gardenias gives a sweet/sugary smell to the violets. When dried, it stays exactly the same.

 

This scent make me think of a darker version of Marie.

[lainevierge]

I'm a huge fan of violet, but this is a pretty boring blend. I'd rather have something with a bit of a kick like Ultraviolet or Saturnalia. I'll be staying away from the flowery violets from now on.

[DarkClarissa]

In Imp: Mainly gardenia with a hint of violet.

 

Wet: The vanilla is making this more creamy.

 

Dry: I'm unsure about this. I'm not good with violets, they go weird and cloying on me sometimes, so I'll see how this goes. I really don't know. The violet is not very powerful, although I can smell it. The gardenia is very strong.

 

Verdict: I have a feeling that this may not be a good smell for me. I don't think I'll be trying this again. Its beginning to give me a headache. I really have a problem with the violets, I think.

 

If you like heavy floral smells, this may be the one for you.

 

Marks out of 10: 1

[voodoocatwoman]

In the imp: VIOLETS!!! By the bouquet-full

 

Wet: Violets and vanilla

 

Dry: Beautiful lovely violets with just a hint of vanilla chaser. I am not picking up gardenia at all, which is sad because I LOVE gardenia!! However, if you were/are a fan of that God-awful candy that smelled heavenly and tasted like soap (appropriately named Violets), you will LOVE this scent. I would buy the candy to sniff, not to eat. Now I don't ever have to obuy it again. I have Le Serpent Qui Danse instead!!!

Edited April 7, 2008 by voodoocatwoman

[donnatron]

Imp: Bright, biting violets tinged with sweet gardenia.

 

Wet: As violets tend to do, they go absolutely nuts upon first application. Violet is running around screaming "Look at me, guys! Look at me! Guess what I can do!" Vanilla and gardenia are reading their magazines and absentmindedly saying, "That's impressive, Violet," while signalling the waiter for another round of drinks.

 

Dry: Violet has calmed down some and all three notes mingle together beautifully. The violet still dominates, but it's over a gorgeous, creamy base of vanilla and gardenia adding a really complex softness and sweetness to the scent. This does have a candy-like aroma, but it's also very classic and a really beautiful, feminine scent. In a perfect world I would be wearing this with a haute couture dress and ridiculously expensive diamonds to the Metropolitan Opera.

 

Throw: Expansive without being overpowering. It's strong enough for people to notice you, not so strong that they'd rather take the stairs than get in the elevator with you.

 

Overall: It's beautiful. It walks the very fine line between sexy/funky/fresh (which sounds like a TLC album but I don't think it is) and very classical and refined lady. I can put this on with a cocktail dress and feel ready for a night out pretending to be a responsible adult, I can wear it with a fun shirt and jeans to a house party, or I can slather it on while wearing my pajamas and fall to sleep in a comforting floral/vanilla haze. It's versatile, beautiful, and one of my favourites.

[jwhxtna]

IN THE IMP: Slightly vanilla-sweetened floral. It somehow smells both fresh and a little powdery/dusty at the same time? And uh, slightly grapey.

 

WET: The vanilla starts to come out, and the blend becomes creamier.

 

DRY: A soft, powdery, sweet floral with creamy vanilla. A bit soapy at first, but it goes away. Very pretty, but a bit... tame? Kind of reminds me of Regan in that sense.

[lmaunu]

Source: Frimp from the Lab

 

On first applying, it's all violet, violet, violet! After dry down, the vanilla comes out more on my skin, but, sadly, I'm not picking up very much (if any) gardenia. This reminds me, too, of those violet pastille candies I used to buy as a kid, and it's a lush, gorgeous scent with nice thrown and staying power. I'm definitely going to be buying a bottle!

[rusty]

a somewhat boring sweet floral blend. the violet is rather dark and strong, or the vanilla is just boosting it too much--sweet foody notes are usually overpowering on me.

 

ehhh

[Suu4LC]

Oh wow, this is so pretty in the imp! A beautiful unique violet-I think the gardenia really works well in this! If this smells as pretty on my skin as it does in the imp, I'm sold!

 

This is a nice violet, but kind of loses it's uniqueness on the skin-the other notes seem to disappear. I like it, but I don't love it, and I definitely don't need it. I would suggest this blend to violet lovers though!

Edited May 16, 2008 by Suu4LC

[diamondstars]

This is weird. All I'm smelling is BANANA! Maybe I'm going bananas myself..