King Cobra (2006)

[arabella]

Snake Oil with orris, frankincense, and copal.

First Impression: Woody Snake Oil. Dries down to: Soft wood.

Additional Comments: There's no obvious wood in this so I guess it's the copal or orris that's giving me that impression. The frankincense is softly floating on the snake oil. Quite nice.

Lasted: 1-2 hours.

Rating: 3 out of 5. Edited May 28, 2008 by Shollin

[alsatia]

Expectations: I don't know what orris and copal are, and I wasn't crazy about my last experience with frankincense. Maybe I should do some Googling before I try this. Ok, not excited by the descriptions on Wikipedia. Let's hope it's better than I imagine.

 

In vial: Sweet floral. Must be the orris. I'm getting none of the original Snake Oil scent.

 

On skin, wet: Orris and warm, soft incense.

 

On skin, dry: Hmm, it now smells very much like Snake Oil with just a hint of other notes added. The orris is the strongest of the additional notes.

 

After time: The scent keeps wavering between pure Snake Oil and a hint of Snake Oil topped with orris. It's been 35 minutes so far, and at the moment it's mostly orris.

 

Conclusion: I think I do like this, but the floral aspect makes it very different from the rich warmth of Snake Oil. So that makes this one a little harder to decide on.

[CreamyJade]

In the imp: A spicier, drier version of Snake Oil.

Wet on skin: It's sweeter than in the bottle, "incensy", I can notice the vanilla in the Snake Oil.

Dry on skin: It's really delicious on my skin, as it morphed the same way that Snake Oil usually does, vanilla notes, spices..

Final thoughts: I really like both frankincense and Snake Oil, so this one's a keeper!

ETA: I had to come back to praise this one (and to correct a spelling mistake), who has a place in my top 5 of favorites! King Cobra is already in hoarding process in my perfume box and I have bottles who have been aging since last summer. It is that good of an oil and my favorite snake of the Pit! Aged, I find it drier & smokier and it clings closer to the skin than a fresh version.

Edited May 1, 2009 by CreamyJade

[jentifer]

This is very light to me. Perhaps I have some blind spots with it. I get a slight masculine feel from it, but not so much that I'd call it masculine. More uni-sex. It's not really spicy, maybe slightly woody (not green), and a little incensy. It's definitely a "background" scent in my book. Like the music at the grocery store or dentist.

[donnatron]

Imp via HephaestosChick.

 

Imp: Mainly frankincense with a touch of sweetness and the violet-tinge of orris.

 

Wet: Rootbeer. Up close and in the throw, this is rootbeer through and through. I love the scent of rootbeer so I am rocking out to King Cobra right now.

 

Dry: This calms down into the standard Snake Oil scent with a dusty church incense scent floating overtop. It's very weird, because the SO is super sexy, but the additions are not sexy scents. It's confusing, but interesting. Very well named, at least.

 

Throw: A few feet from the skin.

 

Overall: I like my decant and I'll use it up, but I don't think I'm in need of a bottle.

[greenranger]

In the bottle, I can smell the resins....mmmmmmm.

 

 

Wet on me, the frankincense is the first note up.

 

Drying, the frankincense fades slightly, but, skin really likes resins, so it may be a while before the resins let the rest of the scent through.

 

Dry, ah, there's the Snake Oil. It makes an interesting blend, and different from the other frankincense scents that I have been collecting. =)

[tinyvulture]

the syrupy, resinous sweetness of Snake Oil is complemented here by a couple more sweet resins: copal and frankincense. i love the golden warmth of copal. it’s one of my favorite incenses, and i certainly wish i had an incense or room spray that smelled like this. it’s intoxicating, with tons of spices and rich vanilla. it’s hard to say, since they are all so awesome, but i THINK this is my favorite member of the Snake Pit. it’s gorgeous and has excellent throw.

[nekogrrl]

This is a very interesting version of Snake Oil. Usually I don't get a spicy morph of regular Snake Oil, and I've wondered how it might smell if it did. I don't have to wonder any more. In the imp, I definitely got a big whiff of frankincense, which made me a little leery. Usually if it's that strong, I think it would work better on a guy than on me.

 

Happily, that wasn't the case. The orris and copal are keeping the frankincense in check, while the Snake Oil base gives a nice sweetness overall. The throw and last is kind of weak, though.

 

I like this.

[nightbiscuit]

In the bottle, I thought King Cobra smelled exactly like plain Snake Oil. This feeling persisted even after I put some on. Then I decided I would apply a dab of Snake Oil to the crook of my arm to compare....WHOA! Now I smell the difference! Snake Oil is thin and whiny in comparison to the King Cobra. Don't get me wrong, I love SO! But this blend is so much deeper, richer, sweeter, darker... I die from it! Also try layering this one with Rose Cross. OMG! Sexy incense heaven.

[innocent]

I got a decant of King Cobra for two reasons 1) I felt like I had to try more of the snake pit than Boomslang and 2) I had to add some imps to go along with the Boomslang to meet the lovely seller's imp minimum. So I stuck the King and Habu onto my order.

 

I didn't expect to like King Cobra. Usually any scent with reviews that mention "dry," "acrid," or "powder" is a disaster on my skin.

 

But apparently the King <3's me, and I'm starting to get a crush on him as well.

 

King Cobra does a very strange thing on my skin. Half the time it will be a smoky, somewhat dry but still sweet incense smell - like a whiff of incense caught in a temple. And sometimes the SO vanilla and the resins will mix... and I get this lovely sweet scent, almost like amber. Both stages are fantastic.

 

I was expecting Boomslang to be the only snake I got a bottle of, but I actually like the King better!

 

Maybe Death Adder (with the Death Vetiver) will surprise me too! I hope so, the rest of the notes are so glorious...

Edited August 4, 2008 by innocent

[ouch!]

I LOVE THIS!!

 

This is my second favourite of all the snake pit that I've tried..(Second to Temple Viper).

 

It starts out very dark, incensey...and gorgeous. The snake oil is apparent but it's being beaten into submission by a gorgeous resinous smell. The frankincense & Copal are very noticable. This packs quite a punch when it's wet. Truly gorgeous!

 

Only on drydown does it sweeten up alot more with the vanilla from the Snake Oil. I reaaaaly amp vanilla anyway, and especially the vanilla that's in Snake Oil.

 

It comes together to be such a beautiful blend worthy of hoarding for me. I'll be ok with my bottle for now but I think when the Carnaval is due to leave town I might have to nab another one...

Edited August 15, 2008 by ouch!

[milo]

I can't say enought good things about the snakes. King Cobra is very slinky, sexy and reminicious of an aged snake oil to me. There is more of an edge, however which may be the copal and frankinscence? Quite similar to Temple Viper to me, but somewhate darker. This would be phenomenal on a guy, and I can't even imagine what it will be like aged. I'm considering another pit, I've yet to meet a snake I didn't like.

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Cool resin; this one smells more like vanilla extract than any other BPAL vanilla note I've smelled.

 

Wet: Vanilla and a thin resin, like myrrh only not so bitter.

 

Twenty minutes: This has an odd, cutting aroma I associated earlier with vanilla extract. It's almost like high-proof alcohol. There's still vanilla and resin, but the sharpness dominates; it's almost citrusy, acidic.

 

One hour: Much less sharp, but still there's that bite. I just don't think the Snake Pit is for me.

 

Two hours: The sharpness is finally gone, and it's quite warm and sweet now. This is how I expected it to smell: vanilla and resin. There's a trace of some spice in it, too, something I associate with coffee, maybe cinnamon or nutmeg?

 

Three and a half hours: Mostly vanilla now, with an impression of tired baked goods. I think this is over now.

 

Seven hours: Smells like an empty cookie wrapper now.

[zankoku_zen]

This one is a sweet, coppery Snake Oil. Definitely frankincense. If that is your thing, this snake is for you. It's vanilla resin on the drydown on me.

[Imptress]

I love, love, LOVE this! Snake Oil is so sexy, and frankincense is one of my very favorite scents so I had to get this. I've worn it several times and every single time I do, one of my coworkers comments on how nice it is. I wore it again yesterday and she said she had to find out more about it, so I brought my bottle in to work today so she could dab some on. About an hour later she came by my desk and said "I have to have some of this!!" Another one enabled! I'm actually ordering myself a second bottle and am getting one for her, too. She also fell in love with the BPAL site and I believe she'll be spending hours there in the very near future, like we all have, lusting over all of the Precious.

 

Long live the King!

[auburnette]

King Cobra

 

In the bottle: Mulled wine!!

 

Wet, on skin: Mulled wine simmering gently in a saucepan over a fire. Smoke. Incense. It smells vast, like the sky. There's throw, and lots of it. It is taking a while to settle down.

 

Dry, on skin: This amps on me, but it appears to be as a whole rather than one note coming through. Sweet and spicy incense. This is a very evocative scent. After a while, the sweet vanilla of Snake Oil starts to peek through. I'm definitely keeping this imp (no bottle) although sometimes it threatens to go plasticky like Belle Epoque does - doesn't actually happen though, the scent manages to stay balanced.

 

Lovely mulled wine goodness. Yum.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: An airy floral with a very light finish of snake oil.

 

Immediately on skin: This smells of bitter resins, soft powdery violet, and the tiniest amount of snake oil.

 

After a little while: The floral tones of the orris have come out quite a bit and this is like a dry, violet snake oil. It’s very powdery however and bothers my nose quite a bit.

 

Overall Impressions: This is much more floral and powdery than I was expecting. It smells like violet and dry resin with the tiniest bit of snake oil. It’s nice, but not for me.

[femmefatale]

Oh I LOOOOOVE this. I wasn't even going to try it, but I decided to on a whim because it was such a good price.

 

It is gorgeous. Seriously. Somehow on me it smells like a sweeter version of Hellhound. I have no idea why or how, but it does and I smell gooood.

 

This is definitely in my top 10 and I need more. Oh so much more.

[marared]

Testing a fresh decant. Oof. I've heard of scents turning to soap on people, and I've occasionally gotten a vague soapy whiff from other scents, but this is the first time I've had an oil go straight to Ivory soap on my skin. I put it on, and it was initially a nice woody Snake Oil with a tiny bit of floral in the background. Mild and hangs close to the skin, but very nice. Within five minutes, SOAP. Wow.

[Dark Alice]

I love frankincense and I love copal. But together with snake oil, I get an overly fragant incensy bathroom soap!!! Really sweet light incensy bath soap!!Yeesh! I am going to keep this and see if aging this fresh decant helps it smell any better.

[Iceblink]

Incensey Snake Oil! The frankincense is very strong here and getting stronger the longer this dries. Overall this is a much less sweet SO blend that a lot of the Snake Pits are. Strong and long-lasting.

[Schmoozy]

Oh wow. Resiny, frankincense snake oil. It is deliecious.

Dark, mysterious, sexy. Frankincense, copal and orris really bring out the best of snake oil.

This is heaven.

[Saya]

In the Bottle

I can smell the snake oil, but I don’t know what orris or copal so this might make things a little difficult. All I know is, this smells wonderful!

 

On My Skin

Smells like snake oil with a bit of floral coming through. I think I liked it better in the imp then I do actually on. Maybe I should put this in a scent locket too.

 

After a Bit

Three hours later and it’s faded but still a lovely scent. It still smells like a floral snake oil – very feminine, very delicate. Yum!

 

Rating 1-5

Scent - 4 Throw - 3 Longevity – 2.5

Overall (not an average) – 3.5

 

Final thoughts

This is pretty awesome, I really like that this is a softer version of Snake Oil. I think I may have to get a bottle.

[acidrica]

I got mostly frankincense and snake oil with this. The orris stayed almost completely in the background. When I first put this on, I could barely smell it, but within twenty minutes, it quite literally bloomed. Gorgeous! Incense, snake oil, and...something else? I couldn't really tell, but the whole blend was nice. It lasted a full 24 hours too! It smells strong and confidant, but might be a bit too masculine for some people (I like masculine scents, and I loved this, so...). I love this at least twice as much as snake oil. Brb, stocking up.

[rayvn1]

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this yet! This one my one of my few successes with the Snake Pit Most of the others couldn't hold their own against the glory of Snake Oil. King Cobra was just what I was hoping for - an amped up Snake Oil with different spices predominating. Decadent and nigh perfect. Not letting this one get away and I may need a bottle - I'm seriously tempted.