Snake Oil Help! Layering it, Snake Pit scents, blends with Snake Oil

[Carolyn]

Ooo, so many oils to try! Thanks again for all the great recs!!

[klavierbarrette]

Oh, and when I first tried Chimera, I thought it had a similar "undersmell"... I don't any more, though...but they are still 2 of my favorites!

ohh i didn't think it smelled like that but that is a lovely oil!! i just got cinnamon and myrrh.

[euterpe414]

Nahemoth! It's like Snake Charmer with a little more woodsyness and less vanilla. It is seriously yum on me and I love it!

 

I also third, fourth, whatever the Dragon's Heart recommendation. good stuff.

[Fyre_in_Winter]

I'll second (third?) the Tombstone recommendation. It's a little drier and less fruity than SO.

 

Yes, you do need to go try Snake Charmer again!

 

Also, give Scherezade and Fenris Wolf a shot for the red musk action.

 

And maybe try Loviatar, which to me has a similar spice as Snake Oil.

[whitemyrrh]

Sadly, according to my current budget realities, There Can Be Only One. Later, I'll be able to try some of the others, but for the time being, I'd like to see which of my not-very-narrow narrowing down the folks who've tried them would direct me to if they could only direct me to one.

 

So about me: I'm generally a resin and woods kind of girl. I love vanilla when it is thick and not particularly sweet. I adore amber, the vanilla crusted amber Snake Oil dries to on me is one of my favorite aspects of that blend. I don't generally work well with fruits, especially not citrus; nor very sweet, nor aquatic. My favorites lately have been Snake Oil, Tombstone, Urd, and Alice. I've also been a big fan of Hecate, Magus, and Black Rose.

 

So far, I'm leaning towards:

 

Boomslang

Death Adder

Saw-Scaled Viper

Temple Viper

 

'Course, I'd probably be open to most of the other snakes in the pit. Unfortunately.

 

In my chemistry, the frankincense notes (I'm fairly sure frankincense is the culprit) in Cathedral, Anne Bonny, and to a slightly lesser extent, Midnight Mass, get a real sharp salty twinge that moves to the front of the blend and has, so far, made all three of them smell very similar--this gives me some reservations about Temple Viper, because that salty twinge gives me an awful headache. Death Adder has vetiver, which could go either way--just like Temple Viper, though, other than that one potential problem, the other notes sound heavenly. Boomslang and Saw-Scaled Viper might be my most likely contenders, but.. but... ahhhhgh! I can't decide!! Help!!

Edited December 18, 2007 by ivyandpeony
Tweaked title and subtitle after merging three threads

[ivyandpeony]

I haven't been able to try them all yet, although I've sniffed quite a few.

 

Boomslang I have tried and I adore - it's very rich and spicy, even at this "fresh from the lab" stage. I think I would love Saw-Scaled Viper, but I am afraid to apply it to my skin after reading Andrabell's review - the girl claims she's made of asbestos and she got spice-burn from it. I love the Lab's red ginger note as well as all things spicy, but I'm sorta like the tender underbelly of a toad and I can only imagine what might happen if I slather this one. I might try diluting it (which worked for me with Bengal and Al Sharain).

 

I haven't sniffed Temple Viper yet - but to my nose, Death Adder is hard-core vetiver in the bottle! Then again, my nose is very sensitive to vetiver (and doesn't care for it) and my skin amps it.

 

My rec, if you are going to splurge for a bottle unsniffed, would definitely be Boomslang. It's the most like Snake Oil of the four you are considering, at least to my nose!

[Blood onmy hands]

I would recommend Boomslang... but I might have a slight bias, because that is my current favorite (I'm rather fanatical about it, actually, lol). Even though it is the chocolate blend, it's not really a sweet blend to me. The vanilla is more pronounced in that Snake than any of the others that I've tried yet, and it has the teakwood in it. If you already like Snake Oil, Boomslang to me was Snake Oil with a more pronounced vanilla, rolled in cocoa powder. Sooo good.

[whitemyrrh]

I haven't been able to try them all yet, although I've sniffed quite a few.

 

Boomslang I have tried and I adore - it's very rich and spicy, even at this "fresh from the lab" stage. I think I would love Saw-Scaled Viper, but I am afraid to apply it to my skin after reading Andrabell's review - the girl claims she's made of asbestos and she got spice-burn from it. I love the Lab's red ginger note as well as all things spicy, but I'm sorta like the tender underbelly of a toad and I can only imagine what might happen if I slather this one. I might try diluting it (which worked for me with Bengal and Al Sharain).

 

I haven't sniffed Temple Viper yet - but to my nose, Death Adder is hard-core vetiver in the bottle! Then again, my nose is very sensitive to vetiver (and doesn't care for it) and my skin amps it.

 

My rec, if you are going to splurge for a bottle unsniffed, would definitely be Boomslang. It's the most like Snake Oil of the four you are considering, at least to my nose!

 

Yeah, me too with vetiver. I can love it in incense and on others, but on me it must get bored and resentful. Death on a Pale Horse is quite nice, but I've never smelled the note with that quality elsewhere.

 

Andrabell's post is pretty scary, though I'm pretty good as far as sensitivity goes. Sometimes Magus and rarely Tombstone will cause a little pinkening (perhaps it is the cedar?); otherwise I haven't run into any problems. I haven't tried a lot of cinnamon-heavy fragrances, though, because I amp them up into drugstore candy, pretty much. Thus my caution about Saw-Scale, though all the reviews did promise me no red hot candies.

 

I DO hear Boomslang is extremely dark and prone to staining the skin. My complexion is pretty pale, i'm just barely not in the "Maris jokes" range. Am I going to have to figure out alternate application points?

 

 

I would recommend Boomslang... but I might have a slight bias, because that is my current favorite (I'm rather fanatical about it, actually, lol). Even though it is the chocolate blend, it's not really a sweet blend to me. The vanilla is more pronounced in that Snake than any of the others that I've tried yet, and it has the teakwood in it. If you already like Snake Oil, Boomslang to me was Snake Oil with a more pronounced vanilla, rolled in cocoa powder. Sooo good.

 

That's what I've heard. Excellent, I think I have my first choice. Thank you so much!

[parrot_suspect]

Given your preferences, I'd suggest Western Diamondback (it's woodsy, mellow and resinous), Temple Viper or maybe Boomslang. Boomslang is very chocolatey at first then dries down to a regular Snake Oil scent. Temple Viper is soft and resinous but very sweet. You may also want to give King Cobra a try. Habu is also nice.

 

Saw Scaled Viper is, as the name would imply, a sharp scent. Death Adder would be perfect if it didn't have so much vetiver -- all the vetiver gives it, to my taste, a too-masculine scent.

[forspecial_plate]

I was going to suggest Western Diamondback, too, if you like thick vanilla....I think it's the tonka that gives me a warm vanilla feeling in this scent, but not totally sweet. Might be worth trying a decant if ya can find one!

[emzebel]

Thirding Western Diamondback, although I haven't tried the ones on your top 4 yet - but Western Diamondback has a very earthy, herbal, shot through with extra creamyness vibe going for it (the tonka) that sounds like it might be right up your Tombstone loving ally.

[olympia301]

I'm voting Boomslang. I love the cocoa and it does oddly morph into a minty range which lifts it up before that goes away and you get a pure Snake Oil thing with accoutrements. I am perishing to try King Cobra.Mmmm that sounds great.

[zenvodunista]

Given what you wrote above, I'd go for Boomslang myself.

 

I think Temple Viper will be too frankincense-y. Saw Scaled Viper is VERY cinnamony. I can't really smell anything but that in it. Death Adder has a serious hit of vertiver, which if it's iffy on your skin, and you can get only one, then go for something that doesn't have the iffy note.

 

I also love Western Diamondback, but if I could get ONLY ONE of the Snake Pit, it would be Boomslang.

 

N.

[Quiara]

Boomslang is pretty awesome. On me, the cocoa disappears almost immediately and I'm left with an indescribable-yet-nasally-addictive scent that I think I lurve. Boomslang rocks.

[HennaFairy]

i'd say boomslang or temple! i love both, and they are both woody. i barely tried boomslang on, so i didn't see a stain but it is quite dark! maybe a scent locket is in your future? (if not the trading post, then a more affordable one!)

[ceej]

When I read your list of liked scents, I thought Western Diamondback for you, for the mellow woody vanilla/tonka thing. But if you've already eliminated it for other reasons, then Boomslang all the way. Amazing scent.

[delicate_fangs]

I love love love Tombstone.

 

I love love love Western Diamondback. And Boomslang, but mostly because Boomslang might be the first chocolate-related scent I can actually wear. Western Diamondback, though, is of the western-y goodness. So there's another data point for you.

 

(Hmm. Maybe if I layer Tombstone and Western Diamondback... nah. I'd faint with pleasure.)

[whitemyrrh]

Ooooh, excellent! Exactly why I asked, to see if anyone had a recommendation I missed.

 

I did order a bottle of Boomslang, but since we've got a bit more time with the Snake Pit, I may well try Western Diamondback next. I seem to jive well with Beth's Western scents. However, I am unsure about tonka. It tends to disappear or go strange in my chemistry (but the blends I've tried it in have all had other contraversial notes in them, whereas WD doesn't seem to, so it could be fine.)

[Beatrice33]

I didn't know if I should piggy back on this topic or start a new one, so I hope this is O.K. I'm still waffling about which Snake Pits to get and would love some more thoughts on each of them. I haven't had funds to purchase any yet, and even now I'm limited, so it will be one or two, so I'd love to have as much advice as possible to narrow down my options.

 

My BPAL loves are Snake Charmer, Kumiho, 13, Obatala, MB Underpants, Smut among others I can't think of at the moment. Snake Oil is hit or miss on me, sometimes I crave it and I do enjoy it on me, but other times it goes all powdery or even the dreaded Play-Doh. I love spices, resins and vanilla, but certain vanillas like Antique Lace don't work on me. I'd love something in the Pit that turned Snake Oil into something a bit more rounded or possibly fruity (a la Snake Charmer's plum), and although I don't often like florals I'm looking for something spring-like and tropical, so I might be open to some of the more floral Pit. Cinnamon is a no-no on me as it takes over the scent, and I have no idea about vetiver. Some fruits are wonderful, but if it veers toward banana or cherry, it overwhelms all other notes. Lastly, aquatic notes tend to go haywire on me as well.

 

Can anyone decipher this well enough to offer any suggestions? Thank you in advance for any help!

Edited April 1, 2007 by Beatrice33

[Heavenlyrabbit]

 

Since funds are limited for you, perhaps track down a sniffie of Cottonmouth. It's one of the most agreeable florals I've ever had the pleasure to wear.

 

Coral Snake is a 'citrus' fruit and also wears very well.

 

I would be somewhat wary of Australian Copperhead. The fruit note in that is very distinctive.

Edited April 1, 2007 by Heavenlyrabbit

[Beatrice33]

Thank you, Heavenlyrabbit! Cottonmouth is sounding better and better and definitely going on my list of to-try.

[Thursdae]

Did I miss a mention of Green Tree Viper? I haven't tried all the snakes, but one drop of the Viper and I ordered a bottle. I kept the imp in the car so I could slap some on my wrists and improve any journey.

[ForeverLastcXs]

I haven't tried death adder yet, but I love Boomslang, Temple Viper and Saw-Scaled Viper. Except for Boomslang, I have bottle of those, as well as Cottonmouth and Asp Viper. Boomslang is the most Snake Oil-y of them, as I've seen many people mention before. I'm afraid that I couldn't pick up much of the chocolate scent on my skin - it was almost straight up Snake Oil for me. I LOVE Temple Viper, but not everyone takes well to sweet, sugary scents like I seem to. Saw-Scaled Viper is one of those blends that doesn't smell too appealing in the bottle, but on my skin it's terrific! Then again, I'm a sucker for cinnamon.

[Mrs.Black]

I confess that I've been dragging my feet on the Snake Pit... I like Snake Oil so much that I'm afraid of the "messing with perfection" effect. I've only got Boomslang so far, which I like on its own right, but haven't tried any of the others. Decant circles are scarce here in Australia, so I need your advice on which Snake Pit bottles I should get. Which of these scents, in your opinion, are better than aged Snake Oil?

Edited October 23, 2007 by Mrs.Black

[khiseer]

I have all the snakes except banded sea snake and my favourites would be Temple Viper, King Cobra and Boomslang. I find king cobra to be better than snake oil on it's own.