Western Diamondback

[Delirium1009]

Snake Oil with leather, tonka bean, red sandalwood, and sage.

In bottle/imp: Snake oil and mildewy leather.

Immediately on skin: This is a drier, manlier snake oil scent. The snake oil sits in the background while the leather and sandalwood linger in the foreground. This is a smooth scent even though it smells very dry to me.

After a little while: This gets a touch sweeter as it dries and becomes a dry leather snake oil concoction with a touch of creamy sweetness from the tonka bean. It’s a very warm scent, but the sandalwood doesn’t really add much to it.

Overall Impressions: This is a more unisex or masculine snake oil, and especially good for someone who prefers a drier scent. The leather and snake oil blend well, and the sandalwood and tonka bean just linger faintly in the background. This scent isn’t very strong and overpowering though… it’s quite understated. Edited May 25, 2009 by Delirium1009

[devilot]

In the Bottle: There's the Snake Oil-- dark and sweet. Hm, smelling something else, not sure what it is.

 

Wet: Whoa, no SO on my skin! Sort of dusty, methinks that's the subtle hint of leather and perhaps the sandalwood (since that can get powdery on me sometimes), and the sage.

 

Drydown: It's official-- I amp leather. I could just barely detect it before, but now it's taking over. It's not as sharp as De Sade (duh) or Le Pere Fouettard's leather, but it's definitely noticeable. Still a very "dusty" feel overall.

 

Verdict: Still undecided. I think a partial bottle should be enough. I wish that it had more SO or that the SO came out more on my skin. I love me my leather blends, but this is so dusty-- I feel parched like I should run off and chug some water.

[Monster]

This is the scent of my sexy, dirty cowboy man-fantasy Sexy Snake Oil spilled over leather. I never get much sandalwood or sage from this blend, it's pretty much all leather and Snake Oil.

 

So far I really love the Snake Pit scents I've tried. I love the smell of Snake Oil but, unfortunatly it goes to play-dough onmy skin. For some reason though, the Snake Pit scents all work out for me. I think Snake Oil makes for a better base than as a perfume on it's own.

[Seismogenic]

Here's the part where I admit that I still haven't tried normal regular Snake Oil, I suppose. But I've heard rave reviews of this one, and the things that got added to the Snake Oil in it are a major draw for me. There is also the factor that this kind of snake supposedly could show up on my street whenever the heck it wanted to, but I fortunately haven't run into one yet.

 

In the imp: Tonka and leather, with things that must be Snake Oil because they're not sage and red sandalwood. Quite smooth.

 

Wet on skin: The whole combination smells a little drier when it hits my skin, which makes sense for a desert snake. I'm suspecting this has a lot to do with the arrival of the red sandalwood, and I think that I'm just maybe starting to get the sage now, too.

 

Drydown: This oil is fairly thick and takes longer to dry than a lot of others I've tried. Just after the glistening wet oil stage, this scent is predominantly soft leather, with some of the sweetness of the tonka and some of the dusty sandalwood. It seems like the sage can't decide how prominent it wants to be, and same goes for the notes that I assume to be the Snake Oil base. For a while, the leather amped up so strong that nothing else was detectable, but it had calmed down again at the one hour mark or shortly thereafter, and what was left was a surprisingly gentle and soft mix of leather, tonka, and a little bit of sage and sandalwood. Very very nice.

 

Five hours later: Warm, dusty, and still gentle, but still definitely there. The tonka is more prominent than the leather now, though both are still involved, and the sage and sandalwood dry it out a little.

 

End of the day: Faint tonkalike sweetness.

 

Overall: So far, I haven't met a desert-themed BPAL that I didn't like. This is another variation on the theme of warm and dusty and arid, but is a distinct variation with its combination of tonka and leather, and I like it very much in its distinctness. I do wish the leather weren't so overwhelmingly strong in the first 45 minutes or so (I worried I'd put on way too much oil due to the strength, but then it all calmed down a lot), but the end result is great, and lasts quite long as well. Definitely keeping the decant - thanks to my Switch Witch for sending it to me!

[donnatron]

Bottle: THAT LEATHER! The one that smells like Lammles Western Store! My exclamation marks are not meant to indicate excitement, they are meant to indicate trepedation. Also: sage. Wee hint o' Snake Oil.

 

Wet: So this is one that you definitely have to roll like crazy. First time I tried it (admittedly fresh outta the mailbox) I rolled it for about ten seconds and wound up smelling like C. Auguste Dupin all over again. Second time I gave it a good long roll between the palms (is it just me or does that last sentence sound abhorrently filthy?) for about 30 seconds. When I applied it was more than just leather. A rounder, fuller Snake Oil base with soft sage and a lot of leather. This is not for the faint of heart.

 

Dry: More leather. But it's sweetened by the Snake Oil and calmed down a bit. Getting hints of the sage and a dryness that is probably the sandalwood and tonka. This smells like Man. But I like smelling powerful and manly (oddly) every once in awhile and I think this fulfills a strange niche in my scent preferences. A bit soft and feminine from the Snake Oil and tonka but also dry and masculine from the leather. I don't think this is a sexy scent. It's more of a powerful and commanding scent--you might be sexy because of what it compells you to do but not necessarily smell sexy. If that makes sense. Probably doesn't.

 

Throw: Pretty strong.

 

Overall: I don't know if I need more than the bottle but at least I've figured out what to layer my unloved C. Auguste Dupin with.

[Andrea912]

This is all snake oil and leather on me, which isn't a bad thing it starts out sweet with the snake oil but dries down with a more subtle and subdued leather touch.

[aquazoo]

A pretty musk with an overtone of cinnamon to start. The added scents are a nice accent to already wonderful snake oil. Maybe that's the leather that really makes it.

 

[angelicruin]

This is spicy leather, sandalwood, sage & snake oil all rolled into one on my skin. Slightly powdery after application, but settles down as it dries.

 

Good throw and lasts on my skin for hours.

[topazphoenix]

In the bottle this is pretty herbal. Once it hits my skin though, it goes this weird almost mildewy smell...like the sweetness of the Snake Oil decided to make a waft for freedom but the leather was trying to do the exact same thing so they collide..overall it smells kind of wet mildewy leather rolled in sweet tonka and sprinkled with sage....odd and vaguely unpleasant. I thought leather played nicely with my skin but somehow this combination isn't really working for my chemistry.

[levelek]

Disclaimer: I have never smelt Snake Oil or any of the other Snake Pit oils, and am not too certain of patchouli either. Or bpal's leather notes in fact

 

In the vial: mainly medicinal/herbal, with what I am assuming is the SO/patchouli in the background, and some vanilla/tonka firmly surrounding the whole scent.

 

On wet: I am surprised how little throw this has. I have to struggle to make out the notes.

 

Drydown: still medicinal with perfumey vanilla.

 

Dry: AMPING the vanilla! The herbal note is there, but behaving much better. It was on the verge of threatening with a headache. I have a bottle of Boomslang on order and I am starting to get worried if all I'll get from it will be vanilla and cocoa. I get quite a lot of creaminess from this, probably the tonka bean.

It's basically a complex vanilla (but still firmly a vanilla) on my left wrist, with a herbal core, while on the right it's somehow better blended but much fainter. Pity, because as usual, I'd much rather have the smell on my right wrist!

Edited October 26, 2009 by levelek

[GeorgeJr]

When I first got my bottle of W.D. , I wasn't really blown away by it . It was ok , and at least it go all play dough on me ( a couple of the other snakes did ) . So I've had this for about 1 1/2 years now . And I have to say I appreciate it much more now than I did then . I love how the Snake Oil blends with the sage , tonka & sandalwood . I still really do not notice the leather note much at all . Funny how much others have . I can assume it's the labs more subdued , worn leather as opposed to the serious , shiny black leather . But having gotten into really liking the smell of sage , this bottle is pure win for me .

[stellans]

In the bottle, I smell a rich creamy sweetness, some green, and a bit of leather, but once the oil settles in on my skin, the snake oil blossoms and adds an interesting base to the above. When the oil dries down, what is left is the most wonderfully smooth leather I believe I've ever smelled. It reminds me of the first leather purse planner I bought for my first 'real' job (at a bank): deep, rich, and extravagant. That purse organizer was a total splurge for me, and it's really nice having an olfactory memory of it.

 

My bottle is not Lab-fresh -- I bought it not long after the Snake Pit arrived in town. This oil definitely pays to age a bit before wearing, as I thought I'd made a mistake when I first opened this bottle for a quick sniff and got a nose full of men's cologne. Now? I love it, and have another bottle aging as back up. It's one of my favorite leather blends, and I hope to get another bottle before the Carnaval leaves town. 4 of 5 stars.

Edited April 27, 2011 by stellans

[DeltaCat]

This smells like I spilled Snake Oil on a leather couch and let it dry there. Very rich, clean, and bold. Sandalwood sneaks in every now and then to say "hai" but only in little peeks. Def. full bottle worthy.

[CitizenBree]

This smells like a spice shop that also sells incense. In another sniff, it's a brand new leather jacket that was stored in a box for a few months.

 

It's a little too much like a head shop for me. I like the smell and I wouldn't mind a room that smelled this way, but not a perfume I would wear.

[skyelyric]

Let me preface this by saying this is the first thing I've tried with a leather note because, frankly, the idea scared me.

 

Wow. It actually does smell like leather, I get pure well-worn but clean leather almost exclusively while it's wet. What amazes me is that I like this! As it dries, it turns a little sweeter, with hints of vanilla and something else swirling around, but it stays very elegant and understated, and very unisex...I might have to soul (and wallet) search on getting this one now

[puddingirl]

In the bottle I can smell spice but can't recall which ones are supposed to be in here. On and wet I can smell the sandalwood coming through the snake oil, heavenly! This smells pretty awesome now it's dried as the leather has also creeped out to play. Oh man, I am going to have to tie my wrist to my nose! heaven.

[lahdeedah]

OK, this is going to perhaps be an odd review.

 

I got a decant of WD from a lovely forumite and was instantly intrigued by it's scent. Just opening the imp in my car got it wafting around me beautifully. I must have got a bit of oil on my fingers from opening it, because it continued to develop as I drove home. I hoped it would finally be the leather scent that doesn't go wrong (plasticky and overpowering everything else) on me. I have recently discovered that sage and I are very compatible, and I think that's the note that keeps my nose focused and tempers the leather and vanilla. I've skin tested it a couple of times, and the leather note is definitely drier than some of the others I've tested, but still a little wet and plasticky for my taste. I felt compelled to buy a bottle anyway for the main purpose of scenting my car. Really. It's like new (leather-seated) car scent plus extra awesome. I told you this review might be weird. And I may try slathering my man in it, though I think Bow and Crown of Conquest wins perfect man-scent for me, followed closely by Dee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KesHiro]

Disclaimer: I've never smelled Snake Oil and cannot relate how this compares to that scent.

 

I must make a confession. I wanted something that would smell the way Southwestern music sounds. Yep, I'm a nut case like that. Since Coyote did not work for me, I figured I would give Western Diamondback a try. Well, this slippery little snake likes to throw me some loops, doesn't it?

 

In the bottle, I get a spicy vanilla incense. Oh my, this is nice! Wet, it's spicy vanilla/tonka bean, incense smoke, and sage. During the drydown, weird things start happening. Sometimes I get the wet stage, with the addition of leather and sometimes I get a leather single note. It veers back and forth several times. Dry, it continues with this jumping pattern, shifting from leather with a sugary tonka to wafts of vanilla incense to flat out incense smoke. If I press my nose to my skin, I get nothing but leather and sage.

 

I am intrigued, to say the least. I love that leather and sugary tonka bean element but I only like the other stages I'm getting. I do like this scent and since it seems to age well, I have a feeling I will eventually love it. In the meantime, this makes for a nice non-floral or citrus summer perfume. It's lighter than I would have thought, which is a good thing. And it does indeed partly live up to my musical/scent fantasies, so all in all, I'm happy with this purchase and would recommend it.

 

Edit: 10/5/10

 

Right. So, I've finally had a chance to try Snake Oil and I prefer this. Also, now that the oil has had time to age it's a bit more settled. I usually get a creamy, sugary leather (yum) but every once and a while, it'll turn into straight up medicinal sage or incense or the leather single note. I think this one is very sensitive to my skin chemistry issues and a bit more aging should take care of it.

Edited October 6, 2010 by Kejiaron

[sarielswish]

In the vial, it smells clean. Like leather polish. I think that's the sage and the tonka. Color, butter yellow, like leather.

 

Wet on my skin, it's *very* sweet. Gotta be the tonka. This reminds me of yellow tanned leather - that sweet, slightly acrid leathery smell.

 

10-15 minute drydown - This smells EXACTLY like brand new yellow leather work boots on me, right down to the slight oily acridity of the rubber lug soles. Crazy.

[voorishsign]

I bought a bottle of this blindly. I'm genuinely worried if this was a good idea Snake Oil hasn't worked that well on me in the past, but I was pulled in by promises of leather, tonka, sandalwood and sage, notes I love dearly.

 

In the bottle, Snake Oil's spices and sage are prominent.

 

On wet, sage and spices, faint leather . . . barest hints of sandalwood and leather, but no tonka. I have high hopes for the drydown.

 

Drydown - uhm. Skin, please stop eating my oil. Please? Vanilla, faint leather and sandalwood and spices . . . I was hoping this would be more intense, it stays mostly close to the skin . . . but it smells very nice! It's definitely my favourite of the Snake Oils so far and the only one that remotely works. I'm going to age this a bit more and see how it turns out - besides wanting it to be a bit more dramatic this is actually very nice

 

ETA: I noticed that when I apply a bit more it doesn't get eaten as quickly, and dries even more nicely. vanilla, tonka + leather, with sage drying it down. Yummy! I'm really starting to love this now <3

Edited July 9, 2010 by voorishsign

[Amaranthus]

This smells so cuddly and warm! It smells like a smoother, softer version of Inez. It is warm sweet vanilla sandalwood incense, and soft worn leather.

 

My boyfriend wears Western Diamondback, and it smells great on him. The smell makes me think of hugging him. I tried some on myself today and it smells great on me too! It made me think of...hugging....myself?

[gingiemay]

I get snake oil mixed with leather and sage and just a hint of tonka. The snake oil seems faded, and is not as potent and strong as the real thing. This fades quickly.

[whisperstilled]

In decant: I got a tester of this a while back and I really loved it, so I'm so happy to have a full decant! In the decant I get Sweet snake oil and tonka with a touch of herby sage and some really sexy leather backing things up.

 

Wet: Ummm. Can I pause a moment to say how amazingly sexy this is? I don't usually like herbal scents, but the sage works so incredibly well with the leather and the sexy snake oil smuttiness. Snake oil/leather is officially a new match made in heaven. This reminds me a touch of VILF but without the chemical nature of the leather, less musk, with a softer effect.

 

Dry: This has swiftly rocketed up to the top of my list for leather scents, which is a distinction for me absolutely. It's amazing. This is a wear-every-day kind of scent for me. 5/5!

[Penance]

Origin:

 

5mL from the Lab.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I ordered this on the spur of the moment, after waffling over whether I'd like it or not. Leather is a love it or hate it thing for me. I don't like the smell of real leather, but I do enjoy it in some perfumes (Hellfire, for example) if it's blended with the right notes. Western Diamondback has the potential to be a winner, though, I think. I have a feeling the sweetness/spiciness/muskiness of the Snake Oil will temper the leather note and make it more wearable for me. I'm a little concerned about the sage, though, since it sometimes reminds me of poultry stuffing.

 

First sniff:

 

Snake Oil (quite distinctly, unlike with Temple Viper and King Cobra) and a touch of very soft, dry leather (it reminds me more of Dead Man's Hand than Spanked at this point, if that helps you figure out what kind of leather note this is). No stuffing sage to be smelled yet. I really like this right now. Oddly enough, the Snake Oil smells more aged than fresh. I'm not sure if that's the leather note tricking my nose or if, perhaps, aged Snake Oil was used in this (which wouldn't make much sense, because I don't think Beth has vats of aged Snake Oil sitting around to blend into other scents...I could be wrong, though).

 

Wet on skin:

 

Initially, Western Diamondback is the same on my skin as it is in the bottle, but then it starts to develop a soft, worn-in leather smell (now it's more like Spanked than Dead Man's Hand) within maybe 30 seconds of hitting my skin. Still no sage. I really like it at this point because the leather is definitely there, but it's covered with a soft, smooth layer of Snake Oil. The sweetness/spiciness/muskiness of Snake Oil takes the edge off the leather and makes it much more subtle than it would be on its own.

 

Dry down:

 

The leather develops more and more as this dries, until I'm left with something that's definitely leather with a background of Snake Oil (red musk, vanilla and spice, maybe a touch of patchouli hiding somewhere deep down). It's still softer and less in-your-face-OMG-leather than it would be alone, but it's definitely more leathery than it was in the bottle and in the wet stage. The sage never does make an appearance here, which I'm happy about.

 

The bottom line:

 

I like this quite a bit, although it's not my favorite of the Snake Pit scents. I think I'd put it behind Boomslang, King Cobra and Temple Viper but in front of Saw-Scaled Viper and Death Adder. I'm curious to see how this one is going to change as it ages. I have a feeling it's going to get deeper, richer and better, but I'm hoping the leather continues to behave itself and that the sage keeps its distance.

[calivianya]

My initial impression of Western Diamondback was Snake Oil plus generic men's cologne. I think the sage was what was giving me that impression. As it dried down, the sage became less obvious and the leather started to come out for me. At this point, it was totally a delicious, manly Snake Oil. I was visiting with my parents when I tried this, and I told my mother I thought it smelled like a sexy cowboy. She replied, "Cowboys don't smell that good." What we finally agreed on is that this smells like a very sexy cowboy who has somehow become covered in vanilla frosting. Hmmm, I wonder how that would happen?

 

It's not super foody, as that description would suggest, but the vanilla is very prominent. You can definitely tell this is a Snake Oil derivative. I can't wait to try it on my boyfriend; this may be my favorite BPAL on him, ever.