Snake Oil

[ariosa]

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

I cannot stop smelling the crook of my arm. There's something that unsettles me during this initial application phase (and not in a bad way!) -- I can't put my finger on it. And yet I can't. Stop. Sniffing! It's something that wakes up my nose in the spices, and then the vanilla kicks in and it's all soft and warm and lovely. Definitely very sexy, and I can't wait to wear this out and see if it causes a fuss!

[cherry crush]

On a whim, I ordered a big bottle of this without knowing what it smelled like. I was a little disappointed when I first applied it, all I could smell were strong insence-like oils (no vanilla!). After wearing it for about a 1/2 hour or so, the very sexy, dark vanilla came out. Wonderful scent, I love vanilla! It's not a sugary vanilla at all. Very beautiful.

[n1k1ta]

I will first say that Snake Oil is some powerful s#@t. A little goes a long way and that makes me very, very happy. Unfortunately, if I put too much on, I get a raging headache.

 

Now, at first Snake Oil was soapy and just plain strong spices. I didn't get all the commotion surrounding this perfume. It was kinda 'eh' for me. It lingered in my sinuses and made me want to blow my nose.

 

After developing on me, the most gorgeous vanilla oozed out. Guh! I'm in heaven. No, really, I am. I love true vanilla. Snake Oil is vanilla with a kick. Double yum!

 

I can see this perfume being paired with a single floral note and it enhancing the floral. This would be lovely with sandalwood too. I understand now why folks are crazy over Snake Oil!

[urbanruralferal]

I have tried and tried this oil, to no avail. I have a lovely aged imp that is nice and thick, and dear flyingpizza came over yesterday and put some of it on. It smelled so nice on her, I had to give it another try, but sadly, it just lays there on me rather flat and plasticky. It is such a tease! I know how good it can smell, and I love to sit next to someone who is wearing this oil, just basking in it's warm sweet spicy vanilla glow, but on my skin it is just off.

 

I much prefer Snake Charmer. sigh. I will try Death Adder and see how that goes.

[isis33]

A long time ago I had a prefumed called Savage Vanilla, now sadly discontinued. To my absolute delight I find that Snake Oil smells the same as that one, on me! Mmmmmmmm!

[mspixieears]

One of the most sophisticated vanilla scents I've had the pleasure to try. I detect the sandalwood but it is very smoothly integrated into the fragrance oil as a whole. I also detect what could be a hint of warm, soft musk that rounds out the composition as a whole and for me this fragrance had excellent staying power.

[lightgatherer]

This starts off as a faint sexy scent. I wore this a few days ago and can't recall any specific notes, but it was subtle and warm and sexy. At one point I think I smell patchouli trying to poke out, but the scent goes plastic before the patchouli can really take hold. I end up smelling like dirty plastic. This ends up drying down to a nice vanilla, but for a vanilla drydown I can wear scents that don't smell like dirty plastic.

[brit_brat100]

I don't understand. Vanilla is my signature note. It has been my entire life. I was so excited about Snake Oil, especially since the one Snake Pit scent I had turned out SO GOOD.

 

Imp: No vanilla, but maybe something spicy. I don't know if that is the right term for it. Not like cinnamon, but heavy and tingley.

 

Wet: First off, this is a REALLY thick oil. Thicker than anything else I've tried, so it took a long time to dry. I got some incense sort of thing in this phase.

 

Dry: A dark powder. Similar, but not exactly like Dragon's Milk (which also turned to powder on me). Very odd.

 

Final Thoughts: I tried this scent several times because I KNEW it had to be me, but I guess not. I'm so sad about it. I know there is more vanilla to find, but I so wanted this to be it for me. There are a ton of people who love it, so it'll be okay to let go of.

[acaciasears]

I was hesitant to try it. The idea of something being "the most popular" makes me uneasy. I don't want to smell like everyone else, I want to smell different and beautiful. But I give up. You win, Snake Oil, you win.

 

In Bottle: Incense and sweet perfume. I was uneasy when I first opened it, but I have loved it on so many of my friends that I wasn't about to give up without trying.

 

On Skin: At first, it's a mysterious exotic blast. Sure, there's vanilla in there somewhere, but the throw is only giving me the sultry, unusual, and a bit heady waft of the far east. As it fades, the exotic edge comes off a bit, and after a while it's just a very pretty vanilla with a bit of incense and spice to keep you interested.

 

It smells different on every person I've smelled it on. I've come to recognize it on one friend, but I know all of the scents she has, so it's easy to pick out. My other friend has many many more imps than I do, so every time I see her she smells different. I saw her last week, and she stuck out her wrist for me to smell - "what is that?" I asked. Snake Oil. You sneaky, sneaky little imp, I didn't even recognize you.

[sunny_atlantis]

I was very hesitant to try Snake Oil at first, spicy scents usually don't work on me at all. But I finally got over my nervousness and gave it a shot, and I'm so glad I did!

 

Wet: It's very strong and spicy in the imp. I kinda shied away from it when I took the cap off, because it was almost overpowering. I couldn't smell any vanilla at all. Very exotic, though.

 

Drydown: At first, it was still too spicy for my tastes, but after about 15 minutes, the vanilla came out to play! And it's soft, sensual, bedroom-vanilla, not cookies and ice cream-vanilla. This one is definitely gonna need a couple of bottles!

 

Also, I've never been able to find an oil that really lasts on my skin. I have a tendency to suck up fragrances after a few minutes, but Snake Oil is a laster. I've had it on for about 4 hours, and I can still smell it. Yay!!

[modernsaints]

BWUH WHA. What the hell are these spices and where can I get them so I can bathe in them. :[

 

In the imp, it was sort of a vague spicy perfume... nice but nothing special.

 

Wet, though! It is a creamy spicy good magic thing! Not spicy in the 'hot' way, or in the 'cinnamon' way, but in the subtle best way. Everything just kept mellowing throughout the day and melted into my skin and made me feel wonderful.

 

Amazing throw, too, and lasted very nicely - especially for someone whose skin sucks oil like crazy.

[stellans]

Oh. My. Goddess. I have been SO wrong about this blend! I don't like vanilla, and so far even my experiences with BPAL vanilla has not been great. So when my 'random shake' brought this imp to my hand, I figured I'd sniff it, dab it, and wash it, and quickly pick another imp du jour.

 

Whoa Nelly! This oil is absolutely freaking luscious, and Mr. Stellans...ahem. Well, let's just leave it at he definitely agrees. Yes.

 

In the imp: I think this must be what's known as 'aged' because it's very viscous in the imp, and the label itself has seen much better days. I think this came as a frimp in a swap, but since I didn't keep up with my earliest transactions (as I do now), I don't know who was kind enough to proselytize me to this oil. This is such slinky sex in the bottle I almost couldn't believe it. I know I've read reviews of this oil or that blend being exactly that description, but never really experienced it myself until now. Until Snake Oil.

 

Wet on skin: I don't know what's in snake oil beyond the description, so vanilla was my bugaboo. Well, it's not readily noticeable in the blend, but you can tell it's there. Like when you make a cake or cookies and vanilla is always an ingredient (which you miss if it's not added, trust me when I tell you this) but not always in the taste.

 

Dry: This dries down on me much the same as it was both in the imp and wet: it's a indescribable blend of sweet sultry sex without being either too sweet or too hot. I can't believe I'm fumbling around with words like this, because wearing this oil today literally rocked my BPAL world. All the blends I've rather avoided? I want to try them now! Just in case. Oh, and the throw? Perfect! I didn't advertise my presence, but it was there. And it lasted!!!

 

Verdict: I'm going to order a bottle in my next order, and even if it's not as wonderful as this imp is, I don't care. I'll put it away in my box, with a little dated sticker, and try to be patient. OK, maybe I'll buy TWO bottles. Maybe I'll just scour the forum, eBay, etc., for an aged bottle for sale.

 

Mwah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah.... it will be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine!

 

/evil, maniacal laughter

Edited March 20, 2009 by stellans

[sfo4]

My first post for my first scent! Someone somewhere recommended that I, a BPAL newbie, should try out Snake Oil first. It came yesterday. I had my doubts when I first sniffed the bottle-- I smelled a thick, heady, sickly sweet combination of medicine, anise and even rubber-- and didn't particularly like it for the rest of the first day I had it on my skin. However, when I tried it again today, it bloomed as the warm, lovely, golden, spicy, dry vanilla that's been described a million times over here. And now, when I pick up my vanilla Bath and Body Works perfume, it smells like the cheapest bottle of junk I've ever encountered. I guess my nose just had to adjust to (infinitely) better perfume!

 

One bit of advice, if anyone reads posts this far in the thread: though this has already been said, PLEASE don't disregard this if you don't immediately like how it smells on your skin. Set it aside and try it again a few days later. You may be wonderfully surprised!

Edited April 1, 2007 by lianri

[bulletslc]

Hmmmm....thought I'd reviewed this before now!

 

Let me just say, while Snake Oil is not always my #1 swoon scent, it IS the scent I end up applying when I'm not sure how I feel and I just want to smell good!

 

Its got a sharp spice/vanilla to it that I didn't think I'd like. The spice was too sharp....too odd. But the more I tried it, the more it grew on me until I was forced to buy a big bottle. I love Smut, but sometimes it is just too heavy....so Snake Oil it is!

 

I don't know why I like it so much, but I do! I can see why some people smell plastic.

 

Its hard for me do truly describe Snake Oil. It reminds me of snakes, actually. A sharp bite and a warm slithery undertone. Can't wait to try the Pit!!

 

ETA.....aged....two years or more ...Snake Oil becomes a patchouli/ vanilla heavenly scent. If you find it too medicinal or sharp fresh toss i in a dark box and forget about it for three or more years

Edited April 26, 2015 by Bulletslc

[filigree_shadow]

Apparently I have not yet written a review for Snake Oil. Egad!

 

I ordered an imp of Snake Oil in my first imp pack ever from the Lab because I was taken in by the part of the Lab's description where it says it's by far their most popular scent. I thought it must be spectacular. I got my imp pack, eagerly put on Snake Oil, and... powder? Baby powder is their most popular scent? How strange, I thought. I wore it to work one day, and a friend of mine told me I smelled exactly like baby powder, and he ought to know (he was a new father who'd been spending a lot of time diapering). I realized it wasn't just my nose smelling powder, other people smelled it too.

 

So I didn't wear Snake Oil for a long time. I'd heard about how great it is when it's aged though, so I bought a bottle to age. Skeptically. When I found out the 10mls were being discontinued, I bought a 10ml of Snake Oil, also to age.

 

Earlier this year I swapped for a bottle of Snake Oil with someone who really wanted a bottle I had and Snake Oil was all she had to swap. I figured I'd go ahead and let her have the one she was looking for because I could always swap the Snake Oil with someone else. Imagine my surprise when it arrived in a blue bottle with a white label. This was not the Carnaval Noir style of label like on my Snake Oil bottles. This was an old bottle of Snake Oil.

 

I opened it up and sniffed. It smelled so good. I put some on, and it was wonderful. No longer baby powder, this was a rich, deep, warm, exotic scent.

 

My oldest bottle is starting to smell this good, but it's not quite there yet. The oil from the blue bottle is still the best. It's positively enchanting. I get all kinds of compliments when I wear it.

 

Needless to say, I now adore Snake Oil, even though the first time I tried it I didn't like it.

[Megara]

I also was hesitant to try this. I'm more of a green note kinda gal, but this really is lovely.

 

At first it's very amber and inscensy, but the vanilla comes out as it dries, and it's absolutely gorgeous.

I love the little undertone of patchouli too. It's really the perfect spicy vanilla.

[CrazyPretzel]

This was one of the scents I ordered in my first batch of imps a few months ago. When I tried it then, my initial reaction was : '*cough* Well, that's interesting....really a bit much though; I wonder why everyone's crazy about it?'

 

And then I had lots of other imps to deal with and so I forgot about it.

 

This morning I picked it out of my BPAL box after having ignored it for two months. What an incredible difference aging makes! It's still smoky and sultry, but so much creamier and calming at the same time. After being really stressed out all morning, my day took a turn for the better as soon as I put this on. I've been staying in and working on my thesis and find that it's really put me in a relaxed, chilled-out mood and it's easier to concentrate. For this reason it would probably make a good aphrodisiac as well

 

Moral of the story: age your Snake Oil!

[Cariad]

I got an aged (2 year old!) imp of Snake Oil from a very generous swapper

I was really curious to try it after all I've read.

When I first applied it, there was something sharp, almost astringent-smelling about it - it reminds me of the initial smell I get from Hamadryad. But that's only the tip of the iceberg... This scent has *depth*. At first I thought it was far too sultry for me, but as it dries down it mellows into the loveliest, most intriguing, enticing vanilla - and I don't even like vanilla! It also has a gorgeous throw, almost like a veil of perfume.

 

I've been trying to cull my imp collection (semi-seriously) by getting my boyfriend to grade the different perfumes out of 10. Snake Oil started off with a 7.5 but eventually got bumped up to a 9, after he kept sniffing my arms and asking, "my god, what IS that perfume?! grrr..."

[Mimicake]

Thanks to Spacekitty I finally got to try this one. I was hesitant to order it because it just seemed a little too dark for me. I was happily surprised! It is a little dark, but powdery and soft at the same time. I really love this one and could imagine wearing it daily. To me it is the most unique out of the ones I've tried. I love it, and crave a big bottle and a bar of soap of it.

[MurderOfCrows]

In the Vial: Musky, spicy. I'm not getting vanilla in this at all.

 

On Wet: There's only the barest hint of vanilla -- like roasted vanilla beans -- among all the spices. There's more heat here then anything else, spicy and warm... Something to heat the senses.

 

Dry: The scent stays true -- very little changes, beyond it has a slightly smokey tone to it. Not foody in the slightest, not like cooking, but-- something burned; maybe incense, perhaps? The smoke of those Indonesian oils being burned in praise of some God somewhere...

 

 

This and Blood Kiss are very similar, but I think I like Blood Kiss better. However, Snake Oil is a far less aggressive scent. I may get bottles of both.

[RemAkimichi]

I can see why this impresses, since in the bottle it smelled so enticing, but on me it smells like vegtable oil and sickly sweet vanilla. Too cloying. Swap box time

Edited June 4, 2007 by Cour des Miracles

[arcticwolf]

Imp: When I opened this, I was not expecting to smell bubblegum and vanilla, but that's what I smelt.

 

Wet: Not bubblegum anymore, that's for sure. About 30 seconds after I applied this, it started to smell the way it was supposed to: spicy, resin-y and sweet vanilla. For a few seconds, it reminds me a little of YSL's Opium, but that changes once it dries.

 

Dry: This is a sweet, spicy vanilla, with a little musk on me. I think I detect amber and patchouli, but I'm not that good with individual notes. Maybe descriptions are getting to me, but it smells dry and warm, the way a nice snake terrarium does, almost. Very faint on me, even after a second application, but it lingers a long time.

 

I do like this, very much so, but it isn't my favorite. Perhaps I'll adore it more when it's aged. This is definitely a 5 mL scent though.

[LadyCrow]

In the imp: Spicy.

 

Wet: Dry, dry amber; creamy sandalwood; slithery vanilla. Is there tonka bean in here, or have I gone mad from huffing little vials?

 

Drydown: The amber stays on top of the vanilla -- which is interesting because I've seen pictures of leucistic snakes that were like that: sort of creamy white with yellow markings on top. The spice is subtler with longer wear, and something musky comes up behind the vanilla. Very gentle and subtle, but at the same time very sexy. I don't really put this in the "foody" category because of all the resins -- I don't eat anything with even a hint of patchouli in it -- but it's appealing, that vanilla. Tricky!

[naiade]

Smoky sweet and deeply glamorous! This is my first BPAL and I'm hooked!

 

In the bottle it smells darker and deeper, but on my skin it lightened up with some creamy vanilla. It's a bit storng on thee patchouli, still. Hopefully aging will solve that, though.

[LunaClaire]

Name: Snake Oil

 

Imp: Sweet dark exotic scents. Yummy.

 

Wet: This scent leaps off my skin multi dimensionally; I want to say I detect amber, or maybe oude in addition to the sweet exotic vanilla. I also detect a slight scent of decay or rot that doesn't work for me.

 

Dry: Turns to baby powder on my skin, and that decay scent is there as well.

 

Furthermore: Disappointed that it doesn't work on me as I was really looking forward to this one. However, I can see how it would work with others' chemistry judging from imp.

 

ETA: As many have mentioned, some of the scents age very well. I put snake oil in that category. The decay & baby powder scents are gone and its pure beauty! I'm delighted, as I'm born in the year of the snake, and most definitely resonate with its symbology.

Edited December 30, 2007 by Shollin