Coral Snake (2006)

[juniperus]

Snake Oil with blood orange, red apple, lemon peel, plumeria, and gardenia.

Bottle: mmm, fresh macintosh apple
Wet: I can catch hints of floral behind the apple, but only very faintly
Dry: lemon peel in da house, florals working in concert in da house, not so much of the orange, but the apple is still very present.
Later: fruity, and that bit of floral in the background, and I can't really pick out the snake oil behind the fruit. they are lovely fruit for a while, and then not so much, sort of air-freshener-esque...which I rather what I feared given my history of wonky skin chem, but it was worth a shot!

[supremegoddessofall]

The only bit of the snake oil I get is a touch of vanilla. Mostly this is sweet apples on me, with a touch of other fruity smells behind it. I like this a lot.

[SultryWolf]

in the decant: Crisp, bright fruit - smells like pear to me, but it must be apple plus orange.

on: The florals emerge to the fore, making this feminine and sophisticated. I do not get any Snake Oil from this one.

[Alchemy21599]

In the vial: MacIntosh apples plus lemon zest.

 

Wet: Fruit salad made with apples, honeydew melon and citrus fruit.

 

Dry: Very fruity. Pleasant, but not reminiscent of Snake Oil.

[emzebel]

Mmmm - fresh apple, with a spicy vanilla Snake Oil bite. This is just luscious.

[slave1]

CORAL SNAKE

 

In Bottle: Apple

 

On Skin: Apple is dominant in this right away. Pure juicy apple. There is a light floral in the background… I can smell the slight creaminess of the gardenia. I don’t really smell the orange or lemon though. The Snake Oil spices shine through just enough to give some nice spice and depth but still it doesn’t really smell like a Snake Oil blend to me. It’s very pretty and quite tasty smelling but very, very apple. I can feel the apple skin just through the scent and even imagine biting into it and smelling the juice. It has a light thorw and short wearlength.

[bombus]

The apple is very strong on me, maybe too strong. I can’t actually smell anything else. It is a nice orchard apple smell, but I wanted a little more from it.

 

ADDED 6/7/08:

 

OMG, this love. When I first got the imp many months ago I wasn’t that impressed but that has all changed. I mostly get the snake oil and apple with touches of orange and lemon, I can tell that the plumeria and gardenia are there but they are in the background. I will need to get a bottle of this before it goes away.

[yeahbutnobut]

Coral Snake

 

In the imp: crisp sweet apple, a hint of citrus, and gardenia.

Wet on skin: why do I smell banana? I know, it’s odd, but I get apples and bananas now.

Dry: apples and bananas! Now this smells remarkably like those fruit smoothies I used to make with apples, bananas and orange juice. I smell the sharpness of orange (it’s not as strong as blood orange tends to be) and lemon, crisp apple, and something like banana. There’s a faint twinge of sharp gardenia and some sweet plumeria, but I don’t get the spices and autumnal mulled cider scents mentioned previously (the apple does verge on cider-like at times though, but no spices)-in fact, this smells like the tropical fruit cocktail I expected, and reminds me of Shango. No Snake Oil yet.

After a while: oh darn it, now I smell Evil Gardenia. Not the nice gardenia that’s in Faiza, but the one that ruined the likes of Has No Hanna and Lady of Shalott. It’s not as bad as those two scents, but I smell that dry, greenish, harshly acrid flower with cloying, overripe bananas. No more apple, no citrus, and certainly no Snake Oil.

The gardenia does go away but the overripe, fermenting bananas scent is still there…there’s a bitter background to it, but I’m really not keen on the sickly fruit scent. Where’s the apple I really enjoyed at first? The fruit smoothie scent? Why on earth am I getting rotting banana?

Then, the scent goes back to bitter gardenia again. There’s still a hint of sweetness, thankfully the banana’s gone, but the scent doesn’t smell very nice on me either, sort of like wilted pickled flowers.

It’s only after a couple of hours that the scent becomes more acceptable, a soft sweet dry flower scent with vanilla and a hint of banana, the Snake Oil has come out a little now. The apple makes a comeback after about 5 hours, when it becomes a tart cider fringed by dry petals and a hint of sweetness…but I don’t get as much SO as I hoped. After about 6 hours it is nice, musky floral sweetness with a little vanilla.

Verdict: this is the only Snake in the Pit that disappointed me. It had a promising start, with a scent of home made fruit smoothies, like the apple-orange-banana smoothies I used to make for breakfast. I smelt banana in here, no idea why, but didn’t think much of it as it fitted with the tropical vibe this scent had…but then the banana turned evil. It took over the entire scent and turned cloying and overripe. And to add insult to injury…the gardenia in here is of the ‘evil’ variety, my nemesis, it added a sharp, acrid, vicious sourness to the scent, pushing the lovely apple scent out of the way. So for a long time the scent was overripe fermenting banana with Evil Gardenia, no apple or Snake Oil, and certainly none of the spices and mulled cider mentioned in other reviews. The scent only becomes agreeable after 5-6 hours, when the banana and gardenia finally depart and the apple returns, and the scent is a pretty floral-fruit-vanilla. However, I really don’t like the stages before this-smelling of almost rotting banana and mutant burning pickled petals isn’t my thing at all. Oh well, at least I have much love for all the other snakes...maybe this might need a little aging?

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? No. I’m getting a Snake Pit, but this may be the only bottle I sell or swap off.

If you like this, try: Shango, Manila, Hesperides, Punkie Night, Australian Copperhead, Snake Oil

[roxyhead]

I'm not really smelling apples here, but maybe what I think of as "apple" and what others smell apple as is a bit different. No citrus/orange here, either. I'm smelling...Tintagel! Or something else I've tried that I've filed in the "Yummy like Tintagel" pile. But starting from the moment I put it on, all day I've smelled Tintagel. Good thing I like it. It seems to have slightly fewer herby/spicey things in it, though. And I'm not smelling any Snake Oil at all. I opened the bottle of Tintagel that came in the same order to see if *that* smelled snakey at all, but it doesn't seem to. So while I like the scent, I can't really smell anything in it that I'm supposed to be smelling in it!

[mtlaise]

I love apples and lemon, but those notes just don't seem to do so well for me in perfumes. And I rarely can stomach flowers, so I had little hope for this snake. It came as part of my set, though, so I dutifully dabbed some on my wrist.

 

First whiff was nothing spectacular - it seemed to be a slightly fruity, slightly floral scent, without being able to identify any particular fruit or flower. I was getting ready to write this one off, when I caught a whiff of my wrist again a half hour later. What a difference! I really don't like flowers, so this was a total surprise. As it dried, it seemed a fair bit fruitier, and the florals didn't so much recede as soften, and something just beyond them was adding a little zing, which I'm guessing is the lemon peel.

 

Although I don't think I'd wear it very often, as I tend more toward the spicy scents, I've already swapped for an extra imp, because I think this will be lovely for summer.

[filigree_shadow]

Eeeeew, apple, lemon, and gardenia. I usually really dislike those notes. And yet... for some reason I like this a lot. It mainly smells like apple and Snake Oil to me, with a little bit of flowers. Maybe it's because it's spring right now (or at least it was spring, until we got this current bizarre cold weather), and this scent just seems so fitting. It smells light and bright -- it almost twinkles.

 

ETA:

I'm editing this, 3.5 years later, to note that this smells AMAZING when it's aged. I used to like it okay, but now it's fantastic.

Edited December 18, 2010 by filigree_shadow

[Naamah_Darling]

Mmm! Fruity numminess! This is apple, with a bit of citrus zest layered over some breezy florals that are not overwhelming but are definitely present. The Snake Oil scent is in the backseat here.

 

On, it's apple, apple, apple! With a hint of juicy flowers and just a little cinnamon. This smells like homemade apple pie before it's been baked. The apple scent is really raw, smells like a fresh, sweet Gala apple picked at the height of ripeness.

 

It gets sweeter as it dries, becoming sugary flower-petals and subtle spices. The finish is almost completely spiced apple. Beautiful!

 

Like the coral snake itself, this is a sweet and good-natured scent without a lot of bite. Like Les Bijoux with a little more spice, or a heavier Beltane.

[neuilly]

Well, there goes my wonky skin chemistry again. I get almost single note plumeria!! And I like plumeria but it's not that spectacular to me...especially single note. Alas, what I wouldn't give for the apple that everyone else is getting! Oh well, off to someone who can love it like it should be loved.

[phedre]

In bottle: Orange, sharp, tart apple peel, and lemon.

 

On skin: There's a sharpness to this, something almost herbal but not quite. There's the smell of fresh red delicious apple, a bit of lemon, and tons of orange.

 

Drydown: lemon and blood orange. I get no snake oil from this at all. Definitely interesting, though. It's growing on me as it dries.

[vylit]

I absolutely love this scent.

 

When it's wet, the red apple is strong and crisp, but after about fifteen minutes, the apple smell fades back a bit and the plumeria and gardenia are more obvious. It's a sweet floral, but not overly sweet, and the base of Snake Oil grounds the scent.

 

It stays on me FOREVER, though it smells like pure Snake Oil after about 10 hours.

[zankoku_zen]

In the imp: apple and plumeria

 

On Skin: Apple and plumeria, but it's a bit soapy

 

On Drydown: Very much still apple with a warm base. It kinda reminds me to Punkie Night.

 

After an hour: GONE

 

Verdict: I didn't get any real Snake Oil from this. It was very apple-heavy at the beginning and kinda heady... but it didn't last at all. Sad, really.

[steffanina]

Coral Snake-

 

In Bottle: Wow, the apple is huge! In the bottle it's the nicest apple scent I've smelled.

 

Wet: Apple, and something flowery, and something candy-like. Candied apple with flowers!

 

Dry: This is beautiful, fruit-flowery without ever becoming sour floral on me. Rich and spicy with apple dominating.

 

Overall: I love.

[asciident]

Wet: Apples! And florals.

 

First on: Kinda like walking through a blooming orchard. It's very strong at this point, with no hint of Snake Oil.

 

Dry: Strong red delicious apples, and a nice light floral in the background. I think I'm picking up more plumeria than gardenia. Strangely, not getting any lemon or blood orange scent, or even any snake oil; this is a great springtime scent though! I smell fabulous.

[ariosa]

In the bottle, all I smell initially is apple. And when I put it on, for a moment, it has that air-freshener kind of smell. A larger than life red apple, with a bit of flowers behind. But as it settles, the apple still stays to the fore, but the plumeria and gardenia creep forward and assert themselves a little more strongly. I'm kind of disappointed that the citrus notes aren't poking forward a bit more, as they really pipe up when I wear Pumpkin Queen; but honestly, the apple and the florals are so lovely, I can live without the citrus bite. This is is nice and feminine, and perfect for spring.

 

I don't get much Snake Oil from this, though. But I loves it!

 

ETA: this has an incredibly short wearlength on me I may feel compelled to order a scent locket, just to try and get this one to last longer!

Edited May 5, 2007 by ariosa

[deleahrium]

It's apple-o-yay! I'm just getting apple, with spice, on my skin. And I think I can sort of smell the plumeria, as there is a little floral tinge in there keeping it from getting sweet. It's lovely! On my skin, I'm not getting lemon or orange at all. It's still apple going strong. I think this will be a good daytime autumn or evening summer scent. It makes me think of Ladon, but it hasn't gone all sickly florally soapy like Ladon did.

[Jilara]

In the decant, it's fruity, hinting of apples.

Wet, I get fruit with a hint of lemony something. No flowers, no Snake Oil, just fruit. Can't ID the apple as apple, either. Not even definable fruit, at this stage, just a kind of mixed fruit basket.

Drydown, it starts to go to fruit and flowers, and becomes very sweet. I think it's the plumeria note coming up. It's very tropical at this stage. Hard to believe the fruit is apple, with the orange/lemon blending in.

Dry, it smells like a high-end commercial perfume. I could see this being sold at Macy's. It's very sophisticated, with none of the components being really identifiable. Knowing what's in it, I can say "Oh yeah, spicy fruity plumeria," but if I didn't know that, I probably wouldn't have a clue. Gardenia is usually a disaster note on me (alas and alack, Highwayman!), but here it just gives floral depth.

 

I like it. It makes me feel rich and sophisticated.

[taramarie]

In the bottle: Mostly apple, a little bit of flowers, and maybe some spices. Very nice!

 

On my skin: Same as above. I've never tried Snake Oil on its own or any of the SO blends before. Unfortunately for me, there must be clove and/or cinnamon in it, since Coral Snake really irritated my skin. It's a real shame, since it smelled so good in the bottle.

 

Oh well, I should be able to enable someone good and proper with this.

Edited May 23, 2007 by whiterosepetals

[Meg]

In the bottle: Apple, yum yum yum!

 

Wet: Still red apple, blood orange and some lemon peel

 

Drydown: Spicy apple and orange, not so far from a christmassy scent. And then *something* pierces through, and it goes strangely powdery - I'm guessing this is the Snake Oil. The drydown is not so nice, all the powdery vanilla of Snake Oil, with hints of apple and lemon peel.

 

Overall: Too Snake Oil for me, and it's a shame because I loved the spicy apple/orange vibe I got out of it in the beginning. But Snake Oil doesn't like my skin so much, so this one ended up a dud. Oh well. (I had a horrible experience with this one earlier this week: to my nose, it smelled like acid reflux - gyarrrgh)

[cranberry]

This starts out as spiced fruit. It smells edible. As it dries, I can smell a bit what’s like apple, but it’s not as true as what I remember as when it were fresh (this was a from an imp from around when the update first shipped, so it has a bit of age on it). There’s that spice again, must be the Snake Oil peeking though. This smells like a dessert – fruity, spicy, similar to some kind of cobbler or pie. This doesn’t last long on me – and after about an hour its gone. It was lovely while it lasted though.

[Tess]

Apple, so it could be tricky. Come on blood orange and lemon peel! At least the florals are ones that usually work on me.

 

In the vial - Apples, plumeria, a little Snake Oil and a whole lotta soap.

 

Wet - It's heavy on the spiced apple, really. It's a dark scent though.

 

Drying - The apples really plump up after awhile, becoming overly tart to my nose. The plumeria is there, not as soapy as in the vial, but the whole scent smells disjointed to me and does flow at all. It's lightening up as time goes one, the apple and the plumeria really taking over. The two really don't work together right in here...

 

Dry (2 hours) - The Snake Oil is just not there, but it's faded down to a soft musky floral with a touch of apple to it. Very feminine and better than the previous stages.

 

Overall - Even if the beginning stages didn't smell to the point of hurt, the dry down is just too subtle and girly for me. It'd be very nice on someone who likes purple florals, though.