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


Expectations: Snake Oil already has vanilla, so additional vanilla makes me suspect (and hope!) that it's really strong in this blend. Coconut sounds nice, but the rest is a bit iffy.

In vial: Oooh, yes, lots of vanilla. The other strong note is vetiver.

On skin, wet: Mostly this smells like regular Snake Oil, but if I sniff too long I get burnt nuts on top of it.

On skin, dry: Same as wet, only slightly less overpowering with the burnt nuts. Unfortunately, if I inhale deeply I can taste them.

After time: After 35 minutes, this is a slightly smoky Snake Oil. It might also be a tiny bit sweeter than regular Snake Oil, but I'm not sure as I haven't worn it in a while.

Conclusion: I do like this, but it's so similar to the original on me and I love the original, so I don't need both. Edited by Alsatia

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wow...so far the snake pits hate me. three out of three have been total misses.

 

out of king cobra, asp viper, and death adder, DA is so far the only one that i even get a hint of snake oil from, and it's the only one my skin hasn't sucked right up. not that this is a GOOD thing. the predominant scent is of grass that is both burnt and rotten...it must be the effect of the bitter smelling black coconut on the vetiver, which usually works well on my skin.

 

my husband might fare better with this, but for me, it's a definate PASS. thankfully, i only have a decant to worry about.

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In spite of the dreaded vetiver, I had to try Death Adder for the coconut. And as I type this now, that's pretty much what I smell. Slightly spicy coconut. I picked up the vetiver a lot when it was still wet on my skin, and its still there, but as an earthy (and wonderful) base note.

 

Oh my goodness. Do I truly like a vetiver blend?

 

I really think I need to buy a bottle of this to see how it ages. There is potential for greatness.

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This is probably the heaviest of the snakes to my nose. It's very dark and masculine with the vetiver being dominant, but the black coconut is no wimp here, either. I don't get very much vanilla at all, which might soften it up to me, if I did.

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I haven't reviewed this yet? Bad me.

 

Side note: my decant is well aged (at least a year, probably more like two), and my bottle is about two months old and untouched and aging)

 

Fresh in the bottle: Fresh, and almost grassy (not trying on the fresh though, as I vastly prefer it when it's aged).

Aged in the decant: Kind of a sultry vanilla

 

Wet: Smooth and creamy with a bit of peanut (which is the vetiver - I don't know why vetiver always goes on peanut, but once it settles? :P )

 

And once the vetiver settles, it's this gorgeous scent of sexy - I can't describe it but I can always pick it out of blends from it.

 

At any rate, once the vetiver de-peanuts, this is a deep but creamy, sexy scent. I can pick out the coconut, and now that I've retried Snake Oil I can pick that out too.

 

I love it, my husband loves it, and it is a totally sexy blend on my weird ass skin.

Edited by crazyredhead17

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I am not a fan of Snake Oil. (At least not now...maybe after it ages) But I find Death Adder somewhat intoxicating. It has a dark,smoky scent to it and it reminds me of the Congo for some reason. The playdoh smell has been completely neutralized and this scent tells me....I am death within serpent fangs. Its awesome. I am glad I just took the plunge and bought a 5 ml bottle.

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Just got a decant of this and I have to say I love it. Smells a bit like Snake charmer. I am not sure what vetiver smells like, but it has a scent similar to sandlewood. Sort of reminds me of velvet, but instead of the chocolate, there's coconut. Where Velvet is overwhelmingly sandlewood, this is subtle and gets increasingly better and sweeter as it dries down. MMe Moriarty didn't work on me at all and it's suppose to smell like Snake Charmer. That was medicinal like moth balls. This is lovely.

 

Edit 6/9/08- The Vetiver got to me on the second try. Took too long for me to finally like it (vetiver lasted over hour). Not worth the wait. Not sure why the change the second time.

Edited by DeniseScan

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I get nothin' but Snake Oil from this, which makes me sad.

I am hoping that if I let it age more the other notes may come out. I am not sure how *aged* the decant I got was though. :P

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In the bottle:

Rating: 3

Notes: vetiver, opoponax

Comment: Very earthy and musky, not really huge into this.

Wet on skin:

Rating: 3

Notes: vetiver, black coconut, vanilla

Comment: At first, I smell the delicious coconut and vanilla, then vetiver turns into a body odor kind of smell that I find unappealing.

Dry on skin:

Rating: 4

Notes: black coconut, vanilla, opoponax, vetiver

Scent Intensity: 4

Comment: The vetiver calms down allowing for occasional wafts of black coconut and vanilla.

Misc:

Duration: +4 Hrs

Keyword(s): earthy, musky

Color: Brown

Smells like: N/A

Edited by Akasha Tsang

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In the bottle, it smelled very similar to Snake Oil.

 

On wet, mostly it is the spices and patchouli of the snake oil, and then...MMmmm. Apparently Opoponax is a resin. My skin just looooves most resins. I can smell the coconut, and I've gotten to the point of almost being able to identify vetiver when I encounter it, but the resin is what will make this scent for me, I think.

 

Dry, everything blends together much faster and much, much smoother than just snake oil does. The spices don't stand out from the blend, and I suspect the opoponax may be the cause. It isn't as intense a scent as snake oil, but, there is this scent just wafting around...I lose it if I sniff to closely, but the wafting scent on me is gorgeous.

 

This isn't a coconut blend on me. It also isn't a vanilla scent, though the vanilla and coconut are needed to sweeten it. It isn't any one scent, actually, but more of a well blended whole. Dark, resinous, spicy and very slightly sweet. I'm happy that I have a bottle.

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Right off I'll admit that I have yet to smell Snake Oil by itself . But if it's anything like Death Adder , I can safely say I'll be addicted . This is simply put the best bottle I've gotten at this date from the lab . It is the kind of scent that makes me want to do dirty . nasty things . In the bottle I mainly get the coconut & a little of the vanilla . On my skin however , the vetiver comes out to play . And it is amazing in this blend . There is also a musky background scent , the Snake Oil mayhaps ? Colors coming to mind ? A dark , rich smooth velvet . Possibly maroon . It really is quite amazing . It's like smelling a dark rum & coconut drink that has then been warmed , no toasted . I'd rate this a 5 out of 5 , easily .

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This is my favourite snake so far, very much like my beloved snake oil, only smoother (is that possible?) with the vanilla and coconut coming out to play. I'll bet this one will be to die for in a years time. Multiple bottles fer sure..

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I'm kind of torn on this one. I can really smell the vetiver, both in the bottle and on the skin, but I don't mind vetiver, so that's not my problem with it. It's a dark scent.. something you'd find in a back alley somewhere and be afraid of, but also smooth.

 

*huffs her wrist again* Hm. Now the vanilla has come to the fore. I'm not getting much coconut out of this, which I think is a good thing. It's probably giving that dark depth to the oil, along with the vetiver.

 

I might actually be tempted to buy and cellar the oil, to see how it ages.

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The real spirit of fresh coconut, not the fake and sickly one, dance immediately with a milder and perfect snake oil, yes, at the same time! on the dry phase it`s even lighter and get better and better, oh, don`t let this gem miss fror your collection!

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Arghhh. I was so excited for snake oil with coconut....so excited I just decided to overlook the vetiver in this blend. But vetiver truly is my scent nemesis, so I will be surprised if this works on me. Especially considering that when I sniff it in the imp, I get 99% vetiver and a leeeetle teensy whiff of coconut. :P

 

BLEH. On my skin is definitely vetiver doom. Argh, I feel like I would LOVE this if it was just snake oil and rich meaty coconut, but the vetiver just kills it for me! I am going to let it dry down and hope maybe the coconut and vanilla come out, but I'm not optimistic...

 

Ugh, ok, yeah, I still freakin hate vetiver and need to wash this off. Throwin this to the swaps and will continue the search for a snake that works on me!!!

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Me: Vetiver, hey Vetiver, can we talk?

Vetiver: SURE ANN, WHAT'S UP?!

Me: Could you umm... could you not yell? You know I hate that.

Vetiver: WHAT? OH Sure. Sorry.

Me: I just don't think this is working out. You know? Our relationship.

Vetiver: But what... what did I do?

Me: It's not you, it's me. The chemistry just isn't there... hey is that coconut? And vanilla? *sniffs*

Vetiver: Yeah, they came over to hang out.

Me: I... you know what Veti? Nevermind. I think I can give this another chance.

 

 

Vetiver is usually one of my death notes. But it death adder I can tell how it's SUPPOSED to smell. It's not overpowering the blend (like it usually does) and it's actually... pleasant. I don't think I'll be getting a bottle - I like others in the snake pit better and the SO never really emerges in the drydown of this one - but this is the first vetiver blend I've tried where the idea of getting a bottle even crossed my mind.

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Initial impression:

Woah, vetiver – raw, dirty vetiver! There's a sliver of snake oil in the background, and a touch of coconut.

 

Finally:

Based on the sniffie, I can probably live without this one. Had it been patchouli instead of vetiver, though... :P

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Wow, this is stunning! Dry, yet warm coconut tempered with vetiver and the sweetness of Snake Oil. I love coconut, but usually find it either too sweet, too 'beachy' or artificial. Now this is how to do coconut!

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Once upon a time, a Snake Oil and a Brown Jenkins loved each other very much. Both were strongly spicy, incensey blends, but it was their differences that pulled them together--the earthy patchouli in Snake Oil meshed perfectly with the smoky coconut in Brown Jenkins. It was true love.

 

Nature took its course, as nature does, and soon Snake Oil and Brown Jenkins celebrated the arrival of their firstborn: Death Adder. The proud parents looked down upon their child, noticed its rich sweetness, its husky coconut charm, and the spices it had inherited from both of them.

 

And then Snake Oil sniffed again.

 

"Dear?" she said. "I think Death Adder's diaper needs changing."

 

Brown Jenkins also noted the scent, becoming stronger on the air, that was unmistakably the scent of unwashed ass. "Darling," he said, "I think that's vetiver."

 

"No!" Snake Oil gasped. "Our baby? Vetiver!"

 

Death Adder looked up into the worried faces of its parents. It blinked. And with an expression on its face of pure angelic bliss, it released a gurgling fart of such tarry colonic pungency that canaries three counties away began to feel light-headed.

 

"Vetiver," Brown Jenkins confirmed, pinching his nose.

 

Snake Oil did likewise, and sighed. "We're adopting the next one."

 

 

Lobster Rating

better than: car fires

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Ugh. This is the heaviest Snake Pit. The coconut and vetiver have a death match, and at the end, they both lose to the Snake Oil. But that's way way later. After the dust settles. The first few minutes are very intense. And smelly.

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Death Adder

 

In bottle: smells very cologne-y. I get some of the same sense from it that I get from Highwayman - I think this is the vetiver.

 

wet, on skin: Goes through an almost chocolatey stage before the sharpness of the vetiver starts to dissipate (reminds me, oddly, of chilli chocolate peanuts). It mellows very quickly.

 

Dry, on skin: Sugaring up now, and a lovely vanilla Snake Oil. Almost a bit softer and sweeter than regular Snake Oil on me. The coconut is definitely there, and the vetiver has taken a back seat and is now observing from the sidelines instead of prancing around on centre stage.

 

I like this a lot, but I don't think I will order a 5ml. I might get another imp though. There are other snakes that I like more, and my imp is quite full, so I don't think I need a bottle. A very lovely scent though, and one that I will enjoy wearing.

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In bottle/imp: Vetiver with a finish of smooth snake oil.

 

Immediately on skin: The vetiver is the strongest note in this, but I can smell the snake oil blended with a little bit of coconut in the background. This is smooth, but it has the bitterness of vetiver.

 

After a little while: This definitely becomes more creamy as it’s worn. However, I wouldn’t call this a sweet scent at all. It’s very dry and heavy on the vetiver with a very smooth, creamy dose of snake oil following behind. This is quite powdery smelling on me though.

 

Overall Impressions: The vetiver in this is the main note I get, so if you don’t enjoy vetiver you probably won’t like this blend. The snake oil in this is nice and creamy, but this isn’t a sweet blend at all… it’s more dry and powdery with hints of vanilla and coconut all under that veil of vetiver.

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YUM. I can't believe I neglected this one for so long! The vetiver is really only prominent in this when it's wet; once Death Adder is dry it's a sweeeeeet vanilla-y, foody take on Snake Oil. The vetiver remains only to keep this from being too sweet and gloopy. This is great! I might need a bottle of this before it goes away.

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