Death Adder

[Aldercy]

Snake Oil with vetiver, black coconut, vanilla, and opoponax.

At first I was sure this would need more than six months' aging for me to dig the vetiver, but it is not so! I think perhaps it's the vanilla that mellows it more than usual and takes that "raw" edge off. The combination is-- and I know this sounds like it should be awful-- like vetiver frosting. Rich, slightly sweet, frothy icing... that's also dark and ashy, mixed with loamy, musky earth. It's shockingly not gross. It's awesome.

The black coconut is, as usual, made of win. I fell in love with it in Red Lantern, and it's no different here. It has so much more body and depth than "regular" coconut, and it's not the least bit tropical.

The Snake Oil is certainly there amid all this, but it take a back seat. I think Death Adder has surpassed Australian Copperhead as my favorite of the Pits, and I'm definitely getting a 5ml with my next order. Edited January 26, 2010 by Aldercy

[voorishsign]

In the bottle: A golden oil. Light coconut and vetiver.

 

On wet: Strangely sweet vetiver, smoky resins.

 

Dry: Oh no, I love you, vetiver, where have you gone? There's still a little of it, but basically this is just darkly sweet and a little dry. Maybe not a favourite but a nice smell. Thankfully the coconut has gone. As far as Snake Pit scents go, King Cobra remains my favourite, but this is also quite nice.

[DeltaCat]

Wet this is one dark coconut! Wow. It isn't a suntan coconut smell. It is more a coconut you've hidden in a dark corner because it's been very very bad I find this scent very sexy smelling. Dry it still is dark coconut but a little more of the Snake Oil comes out which just amps the sexiness of it all.

[CitizenBree]

In the bottle, this is very strong vetiver, which I don't like. But I wanted to give it a try on the skin. The vetiver calms downa bit, but starts to smell dusty. The coconut comes out in a bit with a little smokey vanilla in the background. My husband absolutely loves it. I just get it as too dusty.

[Evilynn]

In the vial: Vetiver.

 

Wet on the skin: Mostly vetiver. I didn't think anything could drown out Snake Oil, but the vetiver seems to be doing the trick.

 

Drydown: Once it's dry the Snake Oil manages to drag itself out from under the wet blanket of vetiver. This is a very dark and heavy scent, and if that's your bag you should definitely try this! I'm not crazy about anything quite this heavy, but I like it well enough to hold onto my vial. To use on one of those days when you feel deadly and dangerous.

[gingiemay]

At first, the coconut is quite strong, enough that this smells like Snake Oil sunscreen (which, actually would be awesome). My imp is quite aged, I was frimped it so I don't know how long, but the vetiver has reached that yummy smoky stage and isn't all sharp and disgusting. As it warms and drys, this becomes a beautiful vanilla and Snake Oil scent that is dark and sweet. I love it and will definitely be getting a bottle.

[puddingirl]

In the bottle I think it's the vertiver that's coming through. When on and wet I can smell a nutty smell which I don'tthink it's the coconut as it's too green. The coconut comes through as it dries down on me. It starting to smell like The Body Shop coconut body lotion. It's not a scent that I've ever had before so I may wear it a coupleof times to get used to the smell. I certainly don't dislike it, I'm just unsure of the smell.

[lahdeedah]

Holy vetiver gorgeousness! Vetiver can be hit or miss for me, but in this blend, it's serious love, and I couldn't be happier with it. The vetiver blends with that dry black coconut to create some kind of sexy wonderful exotica. Add in some smokey, incensey goodness, and we are go for absolute WIN. This would probably be better on a man, but good luck getting it out of my hands. I think this one will be bottle-worthy-- so far Snake Pits are ruling my wallet.

 

 

 

[fictiontragedy]

I ordered a bottle of this unsniffed because dark coconut just sounds like the type of thing that is definitely me. I'm thinking I was right.

 

In the bottle: VETIVER the capital letters are so you know it's screaming at me. Really screaming which makes me a little scared. Is Death Adder going to break my heart?

 

Wet: VETIVER but VETIVER after it's been on a very long sugar binge. My skin tends to amp up anything sweet and this is no exception. For a good five minutes it's like a very intense WWE death match between VETIVER and the coconut and vanilla.

 

Dry: After the five minute death match it seems the coconut and vanilla ended up whipping vetiver into shape so now he no longer needs all capital letters. Don't get my wrong the vetiver but it decided to sit down and shut up thankfully and after about 10 minutes it's all but gone leaving only a hint here or there of it's existence. The end result is lovely, it's sweet, slight spicy and just a little dark.

 

Verdict: Yes Death Adder I think I love you. However that opening stage is a bit terrifying so I'm hoping if I age you, you'll behave just a little better and our relationship will be all the better.

Edited April 30, 2010 by fiction tragedy

[MCS4096]

Oooooh BABY

 

Yes, the vetiver is strong in the bottle, but when this hits the skin it is fabulous! It's Snake Oil amped and smoked. It's Snake Charmer without the fruity red musk. It's deep, husky, just sweet enough and NOM NOM NOM

[RhinestoneHousewife]

In the bottle: Vetiver!

 

Wet on skin: Dry, dusty coconut, incense and vetiver.

 

Dry on skin: Oh my, this has dried down into a beautiful, sexy scent. I can now smell the Snake Oil and the rest of the elements have melded into a beautiful, dark and sexy thing. Applied lightly it might be a summer/spring time scent but definitely good for fall and wintery days. I can't wait to slather it!

 

Verdict: Bottle worthy for sure.

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Vetiver and a touch of Snake Oil

 

On Application

Strong vetiver with the smooth spiciness of snake oil.

 

Dry Down

Pretty much all vetiver supported by spiced vanilla. I like vetiver but this is strong and unsettling. I am so not sure about this one. I love vetiver but this does nothing for me.

 

Rating (0-5)

3

 

ETA: On final drydown this smells like strong coffee and smoke so now I love it

Edited August 7, 2010 by galahad

[talula_fairie]

This is gorgeous. Immediately I smell the black coconut, slightly sweet without being syrupy, and smoky velvetier, topped off with a hint of Snake Oil. It actually reminds me a lot of Snake Charmer without the plum. It's sexy, it's smoky, it's dark, it's mysterious, it's fantastic

 

Instant favorite.

[impolight]

[u]DEATH ADDER[/u]

 

This one came thisaway in the form of a gift! (Thank you, Chicken Lips!)

Snake Oil and Vetiver? Really? What could go wrong?

Howbout... Nothing?

So far, anything from the Snake Pit kicks proverbial fundament. The opportunity to experience the much beloved Snake Oil in the company of Vetiver

is truly remarkable.

From the Bottle: Wooo! The Vetiver is punchy!

Though frequently assertive by nature, the Vetiver attacks in this formula. Imagine a double-carbonated Vetiver beverage. Snorted.

After blinking away tears, one leans in for another snort. Sure enough, the effect is much the same; though, this time, there are hints of some of the

other elements...

Ah, Snake Oil. How awesome is this, er, note?

The toasty, brown, tropical sugar-bomb of this stuff is a delight in and of itself. Snake Oil acts as a perversion of some exclusive, gourmet tanning oil.

Wet on the Epidermis: Oh, snap! This is almost... Chocolatey! The Vanilla and Coconut merge and join forces with the Snake Oil to generate a smooth, gliding brownness. When Vetiver and Myrrh come together, bringing their narcotic bitterant like a velvet hammer, the sfumato effect carries the wearer on an unctious and aithochrous current... Perfection.

On the dry-down, Death Adder's Vetiver comes more to the fore, making this particular blend lean closer to masculine sensibilities. The longer it coiled itself around the pulse-points, the more the mind was flooded with imageries of a brooding, affluent, and agreeably coiffed hooligan fingering a wickedly pointed blade almost absent-mindedly while his nose is buried in some worn, machavellian text.

Death adder is very, very nice. This is a fragrance for him. Ideally suited for formal dining, worship, or swaggering about campus.

Death Adder has a decent throw and an abundance of staying power.

This could be heartily recommended to any aspiring rogue with a benchant for salivary applause.

Gleefully good.

 

Effortlessly 5 out of 5.

[revinn]

This was such an impulse purchase for me, and could have gone so badly..but it didn't!

 

It doesn't smell like Snake Oil. It smells a lot like one of my favorite conventional perfumes, MAC's MV3 (which has vetiver and vanilla as well, imagine that!), but a bit drier and smokier. My friend can smell cocunut, but I'm not picking up any.

 

This is mysterious and SEXY, and I can't believe it works on me!

[imaginepageant]

In the Vial: I wasn't expecting much variety from the Snake Pit since I get a Snake Oil vibe from so many different blends. But, judging by Death Adder, I was wrong. I do smell the Snake Oil, but WOW is the vetiver ever strong! You know what this is? This is the secret lovechild of Snake Oil and Brimstone. There's a strong saltiness about it, too, though I have no idea what note could be causing that - vetiver's never smelled salty to me, and I highly doubt vanilla, coconut, or opoponax would be.

 

Wet: The vetiver calms down right away, letting the sweetness of the Snake Oil and vanilla come out. But, the phantom salt note keeps rising and falling. I'm still not getting the black coconut at all, and this isn't the first blend it's been absent from; I'm starting to think my nose is immune to that note.

 

Dry: I hate to say it, but... this reminds me a lot of how Gore-Shock smelled on me: warm, smoky, sweet, almost good, except for inch-thick layer of salt lying on top of it all. About ten minutes in, the salt finally starts to die down, but it doesn't entirely fade. It stays there just enough to get stuck in my throat and choke me every time I inhale - because this has one hell of a throw.

 

An Hour Later: Yeah, I didn't last the hour before I washed it off.

 

Overall: I've only ever washed off two, maybe three blends - so that should tell you how strongly I disliked Death Adder. I really don't know where this blend went wrong - I love Snake Oil, vanilla, coconut, and incense, and while I'd never join a vetiver fan club, we've gotten along fine in the past. But Death Adder... wow. I will be glad when this decant is out of my house.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

5mL from the Lab.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

When I came back from my BPAL hiatus and discovered Death Adder, I knew I had to try it. I love snakes and the notes sounded awesome. Vetiver and I have a turbulent relationship at times, thanks to its ability to completely take over a blend and stomp all over the other notes like Godzilla flattening Tokyo, but I do like it. I also like everything else listed here, so I was hopeful that this one would be a winner.

 

First sniff:

 

Interesting. It has the sweet resinousness of Snake Oil plus the vanilla and opoponax, but there's also a noticeable vetiver note and creamy coconut. It's sort of a strange combination, but I like it. I think that this is one of those blends that will improve with age, though, because at this point it feels like the notes haven't completely melded yet.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Tropical Snake Oil (the coconut is giving this a sort of beachy vibe) + smoky, slightly ashy, dark green vetiver. It's an interesting combination. Again, I think that Death Adder will be more cohesive once it's had time to mature, but I like it at this point.

 

Dry down:

 

Same as the wet stage. I can smell every one of the listed notes in this. I've been finding that's the case when the Snake Pit blends are fresh, though. As they age, they tend to blend together and meld. I think that once Death Adder has some age to it, it's going to turn into a delicious, dark vetiver blend with a backing of thick vanillic resins and a touch of coconut.

 

The bottom line:

 

The Snake Oil is definitely putting in a noticeable appearance in Death Adder, unlike in some of the Snake Pit blends. I wouldn't have thought to combine vetiver and coconut, myself, but the end result is surprisingly nice. I'd lay money on this being one of those scents that vastly improve with age, although it's nice right out of the gate.

[mxtine]

I remember I avoided this initially because it had vetiver. As I discovered later on, vetiver works in certain blends, especially those with Snake Oil (Tombeur).

 

This is a darker, more venomous Snake Charmer; or like Goblin and Snake Oil together. The gorgeous, sinuous black coconut, vetiver and opoponax notes take the already sexy Snake Oil to another level. I's so in love with this, and I'll definitely be stocking up on backups!

[calivianya]

Wet on my skin, Death Adder is all coconut with a hint of Snake Oil. I thought for a second something was wrong; where is the vetiver? That usually is extremely strong on my skin. After about five minutes, the vetiver appears, and it continues to amp until this blend is 80% vetiver, 15% coconut and 5% Snake Oil. I am going to let it age some before wearing it again to see if the vetiver backs off a bit.

[mistressfizz]

Sniff: Spicy patchouli, something sharp and almost herbal, like sage. Not what I was expecting!

 

Wet: The sharpness wears off. Now I'm getting a dusty resin with bursts of sweetness. I also get smoke and darkness lurking underneath, probably the vetiver. The coconut is faint; I think it is softening the blend as a whole. Overall, I'm getting a dry, desert vibe here, musty and shadowy.

 

Dry: The coconut is stronger now, but has turned sour and gummy on me. Unfortunately it's gone to plastic and play-doh. I love the wet phase, but the drydown is a total bummer

[ami226]

Vetiver just doesn't work on me normally, so we'll see how this goes.

 

On the skin: Oh, that is some earthy vetiver. It fades a tiny bit after application and allows me to smell a bit of the snake oil, but not much. I was really hoping the vetiver wouldn't be quite so pronounced.

[Monday]

I'm guessing that this is quite a 'new' bottle of Death Adder that I'm reviewing here.

The vetiver is prominent but behind that there is a sugary almost rum-like coconut and a hint of Snake Oil. I'm not really into vetiver scents but the vetiver in this makes it so much better. You first have to go through the iffy vetiver stage but it's so worth it as after that you get an amazing coconutty snake oil! Without darkness there can be no light right?

Death Adder has a huge throw.

[symbiosis]

Death Adder

 

The imp I have was frimped on an order long ago, and it's been aged for probably over a year now. At least. It's also a bit dried up so I hope there is enough left for me to sample on my skin.

 

In the imp: dark coconut that isn't sweet, vanilla. The vetiver doesn't come out strongly at all. It fades into the background and lingers there.

 

On my skin: this stuff flowed out of the imp like molasses, thick and creamy, and it smells that way on my skin. The vetiver pops out now and to coconut fades to backup, completely reversing the roles they took in the imp. The opoponax incense-y smell adds a touch of spice, and the snake oil is like no other Snake Oil I've tried. If aged snaked oil smells like this, count me in! The vanilla adds warm and cream hues, all in all a very balanced and even presentation. No note dominates and this is a very complex, lovely scent. It approaches coconut sunscreen without actually crossing the line. Now I wish that I had more!

Edited June 16, 2012 by symbiosis

[Gateau]

Well, by now any Death Adder is by definition aged Death Adder. I got a hold of a decant to test before the return of the CD, to prepare myself for the buying frenzy.

 

Wet--Snake Oil with a very pronounced dry coconut note. I love the black coconut, it's not as sweet and fruity and suntan lotiony as regular coconut, but it's not as dry and woody as the husk. This evokes Caribbean to me, but not a Caribbean vacation on the beach. It's more like going into the backstreets with someone who knows the neighborhood and getting taken to a really sexy club. I seem to have avoided that initial blast of vetiver so many reviewers talked about.

 

Drydown--The drier it gets the more pronounced the vetiver, starting with a whiff of throw that could be nothing else. Up close it still smells like coconutty Snake Oil. I really can't pick out vanilla or opoponax from the Snake Oil.

 

Dry--Now the vetiver is amped up, and has made this distinctly masculine. I'm not a big vetiver fan, it's kind of a sweaty scent to me. I think it's very good for a man, but it makes me feel like he's rubbed his sweat on me, and not in a good way.

 

Ultimately, I'll have to pass. That wetter phase was great, but I don't like it dry. I might do better layering something like Obatala with Snake Oil to get a similar impression without the vetiver.

[mermaidsdream]

Over in the CD thread, people are raving about Death Adder, so I thought I'd pull out the bottle I managed to grab in the "Great Etsy Rush of 2013" to see what the fuss was about. The only note in this that gave me pause was the coconut, since I seem to be overly sensitive to the smell.

 

In the bottle: rolled the bottle in my hands several times to mix, as we're talking some good, aged Snake Oil here. I open the lid and I get ... coconut. Not a promising first impression.

 

Wet, applied: Woodsy coconut. Yeah, not going well.

 

Drying: After about 10 minutes, I'm fighting the "get it off" urge. It's not quite as strong as some other scents that have caused that urge ("Butterscotch & Black Beetles," and "Death Embraces a Young Woman" are the 2 that come to mind). The woodsy coconut smell reminds me of ... suntan lotion.

 

A couple hours later: The coconut is finally disappating enough that I'm getting more woodsy than suntan lotion; I'm pretty sure it's the vetiver. It's not terrible.

 

Overall ... ugh. Too much coconut. I think I want to give this one more try before giving it up, but I'm not hopeful.