Snake Oil

[maika]

By far, our most popular scent! Magnetic, mysterious, and exceedingly sexual in nature. A blend of exotic Indonesian oils sugared with vanilla.

In the imp, vanilla...all vanilla (and I love vanilla - to the point that one of my very first perfume oil purchase was a vanilla and something or other else mixture, at the Body Shop, when I was 11 or 12)!

Wet, vanilla with a twist of something spicy and incensy...but all good.

Dry, the vanilla is taking a back seat to the spices, but I can still smell it, so all is well! I love that the spices are there though, and in the forefront, because it all blends into this deep sweet and almost almondy mixture that makes me want to nibble my own wrist...so I'm looking forward to discovering the reaction it has on other people.

Definitely hitting the big bottle list!

[MaidMirawyn]

Months of BPAL hoarding, and I've never gotten any Snake Oil. Never bought it, and never received it as a frimp. I never even smelled it straight; listening to the way people talked about it, I assumed I knew what it was, and wasn't interested.

 

I should have known better. Someone waved Anaconda under my nose at a Meet n Sniff, and I loved it!

 

Tried it tonight at the Whole Food in Duluth.

 

Sweet, rich, full vanilla. Not straight foody, though it has a touch of the foodiness people usually think of.

 

But I have decided not to buy any yet; instead, I ordered Boomslang tonight! After all, Snake Oil will be around, but the Snake Pit won't be there forever!

[quigza]

I have tried Snake oil once before. My skin hated it. My skin has hated the snake pit. Yet, I keep trying. I have acquired a 5ml bottle with approx an imp's worth of aged snake oil in it. From what I understand, aged snake oil is to snake oil what 72% cocoa is to chocolate. So, despite common sense, I have put aged snake oil on one wrist & boomslang on the other. These are the results for the aged snake oil.

 

In the bottle: Less sharp than a fresh imp/bottle. The vanilla is more evident than the exotic oils. But, I can still smell the oils loud & clear.

 

Wet: More of the same, with a note of powder to it.

 

Dry down: The vanilla is fuller now, and the powder (thank goodness) is toning down the exotic oils. I'm hoping the powder will fade off & leave the oils tamed.

 

After an hour or two: Slightly powdered exotic oils. The vanilla fades to a kind of faint backnote.

 

Sadly, Snake Oil remains "Not for me."

to the swap pile it goes.

[NixieCakes]

Yum. Sexy, spicy goodness that lasts and lasts. I get a TON of compliments on this.

[kjirstiben]

I'm afraid I fall into the group who can't worship Snake Oil with the reverence it normally gets from BPAL-ers...

 

It went on nicely, and the vanilla started to show up as a pretty, sweet scent, but over time I got an ever-increasing dose of incense. Heavy-duty incense. Headache-inducing incense. If I even wave my hand in the general direction of my nose, a cloud of what smells like vanilla incense flows over me...

 

It smells like a heavy, "Oriental", commercial perfume to me. The kind of thing that you wince away from when the woman in front of you is trailing it down the hall and into the elevator.

 

I'm sorry, Snake Oil. I think you're too much for me!

[anguissette]

My first review and where better to start then Snake Oil. I'll start off by saying I haven't tried this fresh, I've tried it from two different imps at various degrees of aging.

 

I put on probably too much before leaving work in the morning. I could tell people were uncomfortable by what was a strong powdery incense kind of smell. Too bad for them because the aged stuff I have dries down beautifully. I think I just need to put it on a good hour or maybe even two before I want anyone to smell me. Then it becomes a gorgeous spicy vanilla, not really sweet but deep and rich.

 

I'm kinda hoarding it. The aged stuff anyway.

Considering buying a bottle and sticking it in a drawer for two years.

And thanks to filigree_shadow for sending me a tester of aged snake oil with my very first BPAL purchase!

[OhioSky]

I do love this scent, but I wish it was a bit longer lasting. It's one of the best smells ever.

 

I have found that if I put a little bit in a spray bottle with some oil and aloe and use it in my hair, it lasts forever. So that's my preferred use for Snake Oil.

[crebbsgirl]

Well, I can definitely see why this is one of the most popular scents. All I smell is spicy vanilla-ness. Now normally, I don't enjoy vanilla in perfume, but this is quite nice. I think I like it because it reminds me of O. It offers the same slightly powdery, spicy vibe. Thoroughly enjoyable!

 

ETA: Alright so I ended up swapping this shortly after I got it. I wasn't reaching for it nearly enough. But that was before I knew about aging. I finally managed to get my hands on a decant of SO that had been aged a year. The difference is astounding. This is a much more complex and smokey scent than the fresh version. Amazing.

Edited November 28, 2008 by crebbsgirl

[Schmoozy]

First Sniff: Exotic, spicy Vanilla.

 

On Skin: Starts off earthy with a touch of herbal spice. It is dark and mysterious.

 

Drydown: Vanilla and spice, with a herbal, medicinal vibe.

 

Final thoughts: Absolutely beautiful.

[Citrongirl]

This is my first review so i apologize if it is a bit inadequate I got my first order this afternoon and Snake Oil was the first i chose to try on my wrist.

 

In the imp and wet on my wrist i could hardly smell the vanilla mostly just a slightly sharp but sweet incense/spicy smell. It was a bit like standing between an occult shop and a spicey indian grocery store at a market. A bit more in your face than what i would usually wear!

 

The drydown was much better. The spices softened and the vanilla made itself known but wasn't overpowering.

 

Overall this is such a different take on vanilla and is a bit full on but absolutely worth trying!

[athirat]

Wet, I got very little vanilla, but it was there just enough to smooth out the incense (although it was still rather sharp and powdery). As it first dried down, the vanilla came out a little more, cutting down on the powder and leaving it mostly incense with an amazing background. I absolutely loved this. It smells like I've been steeped in my favorite new age/occult store for DAYS and then smeared with a few vanilla beans. I huffed my cleavage all day (thankfully no one else was at work ), so I can say with a fair bit of certainly that it fades slowly and lingers for quite some time. It's worth noting that this is from a 2-month old imp and not a more aged specimen (which I am now dying to try).

[sparkybish]

A haiku for Snake Oil:

 

I put you on then

regret it for the next hour

then love you again

[hespera4523]

Snake Oil.

 

Hmmmm, Snake Oil, I says to myself. Someone is selling a half bottle of Snake Oil, something that on my mad tear through Ebay and swaps I have not yet bothered to try. What the hell, says I. Its aged and everything. And the consensus is, aged is better.

 

So I buy. And it shows up. Now mind you, I have the mindset of, "Oh, everyone loves it. I want something different...maybe with apple. And anyway, how good can it be?"

 

Oh, foolish foolish Hes.

 

I open the bottle. Sniff. Sniff again. Hold bottle out for Mom to sniff. Mom's second comment (the first being, "You got more of that perfume stuff?!?") is "It smells just like Shalimar!" This is high praise indeed from my mom, who wore Shalimar the whole time I was growing up. It was mom-smell, and I even bought a bottle when I was living in Minnesota and homesick.

 

Anyway, I don't know that I agree with her. It has some notes in common, but Snake Oil is like...well, like the darker, wickeder, more modern daughter of Shalimar. I love everything about it, from the vanilla to the spices to the heady richness that just sort of wraps around you. I want to roll around in it like a cat with catnip, then stare off into infinity with unfocused eyes and purr.

 

This is a keeper. There will be bottles ordered and stuck into drawer to mellow. I have seen the mountain, and it is good.

[Caerphilly]

In the imp:Very spicy. No vanilla, just a sharp bite to my nose. It also has a stale scent in the background. But this could just be that I tried it from my roommate, and it could be an old imp. Not my taste, but I'll try it.

 

10 minutes later: Vanilla and cinnamon cake. Very foody. I'm glad the vanilla came out so quickly. I love vanilla! It still smells stale, but it doesn't bother me, because the vanilla and spice is so strong that it almost covers up the smell of anything else!

 

30 minutes later: I'm starting to itch! And I have red splotches on my wrist and arm! But no on my neck! I'll give it another minute to calm down...but it's strange that it took so long for it to bother my skin!

 

An hour later: Stopped itching after a few minutes, and the spiciness suddenly went away. I smell strong foody vanilla and a hint of some exotic spice. I can't put my finger on it. It's sweet and spicy at the same time.

 

Overall:It's beautiful! Despite the allergic reaction (it only lasted a minute or two) I would say that I would love my own imp of this. I love vanilla, and this is a beautiful vanilla.

[gingiemay]

Wet in bottle - Spices, vanilla... could be sandalwood in there and a tiny bit of frankincense.

 

Mmmm it smells delicious. Wet on skin - Spicy and evocative. My skin does not amp the vanilla as much. I could huff this all day.

 

Dry on skin - This smells like the incense you smell at buddhist temples, with vanilla and sweet market spices. Yummy! I can’t wait for it to age!

[livingdead71]

I ordered an imp of this about a year ago, after reading it was a favorite, and also I love vanilla! I tried it back then and wasn't overly impressed. I just figured maybe it was a skin chemistry thing. Then I started coming across information that indicated Snake Oil is so much better aged. I tried it again about six months ago. I thought it was pretty, but still didn't do great things for me. Well, I tried it again last night...and let me just start by saying "wow!" and "unbelievable!" A year later, it is now an amazingly gorgeous scent on me. The vanilla blends beautifully with the spices. It has a really nice amount of throw and lasted all evening on me. I could smell that beautiful spicy vanilla all night and someone asked what I was wearing. I am now one of those who is very tempted to buy a bottle and squirrel it away for a couple of years. It's not as though I don't have enough other scents to keep me occupied meanwhile.

[rayvn1]

I had heard so much about Snake Oil from other BPAL forumites but since I was starting out looking for the perfect rain/earth/wood/ scents I figured I wouldn't ever try this one. Then I started thinking "but what if I'm missing something good?" So onto the Wishlist it went. Two days later I was frimped an aged Snake Oil. I gingerly slathered it on.

 

Oh. My god. This is all that is good and should be worn often. It's going straight to my "specials" box! The indonesian spices and vanilla mix together beautifully. I kinda smelled like a head shop for the first half hour or so, but after that it is a gorgeous cloud of perfection! This is probably TMI but abut 10 minutes after I put it on my mood swung to "...I need sex. Now!" And holy crap does it ever LAST! I woke up this morning and I still smell it clearly. The vanilla is most prominent at this point and is sweet and comforting. I probably won't be able to wear this to class as voice majors tend to get snippy about perfume wearers (I personally sing better with perfume on because the scents inspire different and stronger characterizations). But this is so wonderful I don't think I will be able to resist!

[femmefatale]

Yay! I was so excited to try this (I love Death Adder & Coral Snake). When I opened up the imp though my first thought was "Ew! What the hell? Are you kidding? This is what people rave about? It smells like bad, cheap perfume".

 

On my skin....well, it's no longer bad cheap perfume. Instead, it's baby powder. When it dries, baby powder. All baby powder, all the time. And it's got a hell of a throw.

 

In my locket, it seems to be a bit better. I get a bit more of the vanilla and spices, though there is still a hint of that perfume and powder. But better. I can see how this would be better aged. I'm interested to see if the bottle I swapped for (which is about 6 months old) is any different than the new imp I have.

[Methos]

I quite liked it, when I opened up the imp: spicy, vanilla, and generally exotic-smelling. Then, I put it on. It burned. Okay, no. I liked it but not well enough to tolerate the burning sensation upon first application. ;_; I think this one goes into the "share" pile.

[teacrumb]

Holy god. I grabbed this as an imp to see what all the hullabaloo was about along with about 7 other imps. My first whiff out of the bottle left me thinking "okay, pretty good, not spectacular" and I set it aside to try the rest of the stuff. But later I tried it on and JUST...JUST...

 

I've been trying to inhale my arm for the past twenty minutes. This is such a gorgeous scent. Warm and spicy and a bit like ancient wood--but it casts a shadow of sweetness that barely, just barely hovers. It's bottle time.

[Ohmaude]

Snake Oil, do you really need another review? Fresh, you're great.

 

But! the thick, dripping, red oil at the bottom of my nearly four year-old imp? Good god.

 

Same with the two-year aged bottle I try to parse but end up slathering.

 

You are spice and love.

(also, my boyfriend gives the BEST *ahem* when I wear you)

Edited October 6, 2008 by Ohmaude

[Ravenclaw79]

I finally got to try Snake Oil yesterday, after all of this time.

 

Funny, I thought there was supposed to be patchoulli in this. I'd swear I remember hearing that. But I don't see it in the description here.

 

I don't smell it on me, either. Huzzah!

 

What I do smell is ... vanilla, and something, and powdery. It goes from "hm?" to a sort of old-lady smell. I might give this a second chance, just 'cause it's so beloved that I want to make sure I'm being fair to it. But so far, eh.

[sleepflower]

I ordered an imp and it came broken, actually. Full, but the top popped right off and it will not go back on.

 

I think this worked out because when I first smelled it, I was underwhelmed. I could see it being a popular scent, I liked it, but nothing for me personally to write home about. So many other GC scents make me rabid. It smelled like a lighter version of its colour, so I imagine vanilla is there.

 

I have not had it long, but it has been very much exposed to air, on my bookshelf that must get some sunlight (but not much) because it was the only place I knew I could set it without any fear of it being knocked over. I imagine smelling the entire imp at once would not be pleasant.

 

Just tonight I was compelled to try it again so I dabbed a little on my finger. Heaven. Just heaven. There is a strong vanilla scent, but whatever else is in it beats down the 'foody' vanilla that would usually make me frown. Shortly after that there is spices. Wonderful, wonderful spices. I cannot stop smelling myself, and I have a cold so inhaling is an annoying uphill battle of sorts! Now there are dots all over my skin of Snake Oil mixed with various other scents.

 

I cannot imagine how great this smells after months or years of aging. I am going to need many bottles of this.

[Vespar]

I got a 5 ml. of this,without ever having tried it.In the bottle it smells sharp of baby powder.

 

The weirdest thing about this oil is that it smells different on differents part of my body.

For example,when I put some on my neck it smelled more like vanilla and subtle powder,but on the back of my arms it smelled sharp powder and on the crooks of my elbows it smelled more incense-y.When I first put it on without rubbing my wrists together,it was so strong that it stang my nose.So,I decided to try it again and this time rub my wrists together.Well,I didn't expect it to work,but it did and I got a full vanilla scent without the sharpness!

 

I'm not sure whether I love it or not.I certainly do not hate it,actually,it starts to grow in me.It's sexy,yet innocent and playful.For all I know,I'll be keeping my bottle and let it age and I'll be getting a couple of imps with my next order to fullfill my cravings for SO till my bottle is aged and gorgeous.

[brettashley]

I put on a bit of SO yesterday, when my O dried/faded to baby powder. It definitely made a difference - I smiled right when I smelled it and I didn't even mind the disappointment of O afterwards.

 

I just put some on today.

 

Wet: Delicious, spicy vanilla

 

Dry: Still delicious, more mellow than spicy.

 

I first ordered from BPAL about... four years ago. At the time, I got an imp of SO and wasn't impressed. I put it away in my drawer at home and promptly forgot about both it and BPAL. I recently rediscovered BPAL and since I live across the state now, I can't get to that drawer... but I'm going crazy trying to find out if it's still there! (If so, I have unwittingly aged SO for my future self! Trippy! )

 

Anyway, really want to get a bottle of this and start aging it, but my wishlist is way too nuts right now and I can't justify buying GC bottles. Yet.

 

*edit* My boyfriend smelled me today and said, "You still smell like baby powder." I really didn't think so - we'll have to see. =T I was getting more vanilla & spice, but I guess his nose didn't differentiate from yesterday's scent. -__- I'd be devastated if Snake Oil of all scents didn't work on me!

Edited October 17, 2008 by brettashley