Snake Oil

[shayelea]

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

As soon as I opened the bottle I had a bad feeling that Snake Oil wasn't going to work on me. It smelled too heavy for me.

When I put it on, the vanilla came through for a few seconds, but then the spices took over. I do like smelling spicy, but all I got out of this one was a patchouli-type scent, which I just can't handle at all. No vanilla once it started to dry down, which is odd, because vanillas are usually very strong on me.

I guess this is what I get for wanting to be one of the popular kids. (Heh.)

[termite_of_justice]

Ugh.

I was really hoping to like this.

It's a beautiful, sweet, creamy, thick scent, that's waaaaaaay too foody for me. I'm more of a fan of the spicy, sharp vanilla (that I thought Snake Oil would be on me ).

It's really a wonderfully blended note; I can't distinguish the vanilla above everything else, but it smells too..."glazed". It's too sugary for my tastes. (Watch this be the one I get all the compliments on. Go figure.)

 

[Edit: This is a very dusty sweet scent, like old candy. I'm not swapping it, because I rather like all my imps (except Satyr, which just smells like goat pee)]

Edited August 23, 2005 by termite_of_justice

[sookster]

huge,HUGE, copious amounts of amber inside snake oil......not that it is a bad thing....my chemistry gobbles it up and loves it.....

 

gotta give it time...i mean DAYS or WEEKS.......

 

will edit as i see fit...for now;....i sorta dig it...

[daybreaksdisdain]

Another one for me and not my hubby. I smelled way to fem on him but was quite nice on me.

 

Not much of the vanilla came through but the spices did and were polite and stayed subtle.

 

Sadly it faded fast

Edited July 24, 2005 by daybreaksdisdain

[porcelain_doll]

Hmmmmm--Snake Oil--

 

This one came as an Imp with my first order, and in the imp, I was a wee bit worried. Smelled spicy but just. . . too. . . SWEET. . . but then I calmed down, and wrote a friend, and decided to mellow it out until after my anniversary, when ONLY Hell's Belle would do--this is my second day wearing it.

 

Something's powdery, spicy, and sweet in there, and as it warms on my skin, the vanilla comes through. Then the spice comes through, and I'm wondering if there's some carnation in here, somewhere? It's also my understanding that as this one ages, it turns itself into a kind of fine wine--better with age, better with time, better with patience. Going to try this one in the fall, too, as well as winter, to see what it turns into. On me, it keeps turning and turning and turning. But this isn't a bad thing. In fact, it's quite mysterious and intriguing, and rather sexy, I think. But yeah--try before ya buy. . .

[magdalene]

in the bottle: spicey vanilla Coke (hey, this is not a bad thing to smell like!)

 

wet on skin: so much glorious sugared vanilla, I could roll around in it. However, since I only have an imp, I'll attempt to refrain.

 

dry: the spiciness has come back to me, after a couple of hours. But, it is largely a musky type of vanilla. Very nice. A big bottle purchase, definitely.

[LadyWilde]

I don't know where on the forum I picked up the phrase "incensy cherry," but that is my impression of Snake Oil in a nutshell. Incensy cherry, with a hint of something darkly exotic, sweet, and compelling. Very nice.

 

I died my hair bright red last night, decided to wear all black to work today, and figured it would be a good day to take my lovely little giftimp of Snake Oil for a test drive. The other night, during a little imp-sniffing session with a friend, I had gotten a bit on my skin and she declared that it smelled, "Snuggly, like something you'd wear when you were having a boy over." I think she meant "having a boy over" in the "snuggling on the couch watching movies sense," and not the "throwing him on the bed and ravaging him" sense. Leave it to my skin to take "SEX" and turn it into "snuggle." It did that with O, too. Also, as it did with O, my skin ate Snake Oil's vanilla. I get no vanilla at all from this.

 

Anyway, I was hoping I could coax some sexiness out of it with the black clothes and cherry-red hair, but nope, still smells sweet and sensual and, well, snuggly on me. It's very warm and inviting, and, although not my usual sort of scent, I like it quite a bit.

 

Besides, I am a huge fan of snuggling.

 

EDIT: Oh, wait. . .hours later, the vanilla makes an appearence. Neat.

 

ADDITIONAL EDIT: Dude, this is so cool. I applied Snake Oil this morning to my left wrist and the crook of my right arm (I wear my watch on my right wrist), and now it is nearly 6pm, and my left wrist is nearly pure vanilla and my right arm smells of impossibly sexy spicy goodness. It's on my neck, too. I wish I could smell my own neck. How d'ya suppose the same oil can smell totally different not just on different days, but on different body parts on the same day?

Edited August 9, 2005 by LadyWilde

[Lycanthrope]

Probably no new stunning revelations, but how can I get away without reviewing this?

 

In the Bottle or Imp:

Vanilla, with a hint of peppery spices.

Wet, on Skin:

Vanilla... maybe a little ginger, cardamom, pepper.

Drying/Drydown:

A warm, ambery vanilla... creamy and sweet.

Over Time/Longterm:

Doesn't change much.

Final Verdict?

Fairly one-dimensional for a BPAL scent, but it's nice. I can see why it's wildly popular... I've never really been a vanilla guy myself. Keeping the imp for tradition's sake.

[Scarlettfish]

I really wanted to love Snake Oil. I really, really did. But it was just sickly sweet vanilla on me from start till finish. Very foody, and much too sweet. Not my thing at all. Back to the florals for me!

[theshapeshifter]

Wow, why have I never tried Snake Oil before?

 

I sniffed the imp last night and just about fell over. Long story, but there's a guy from long in my past... one of those ones where you don't necessarily regret that they got away, but you treasure the memory. And he wore this wonderful scent, that's still emblazoned on my mind as "sex, distilled". (I never knew what it actually was). Well. I sniffed the imp and my first thought was that this was THAT scent, plus the most incredible vanilla.

 

On skin, the sexy-boy scent is much more in the background, just a whisper under this mysterious, sultry vanilla-plus-spice smell. Not foody spice, and not QUITE incensey spice, but somewhere in between. This is the PERFECT sexy vanilla I've been looking for my whole adult life! Now I totally understand its popularity.

 

Must. Buy. Bottle.

[BlueStar]

There is definitely a reason this is the most popular scent. I really love this on the wife because on her the sugar and vanilla smell edible and make my mouth water. The spiciness of the Indonesian oils makes it a warm decadent experience.

 

Alas it works pretty well on me but I do not get the same "Wow"! on my skin as she gets.

 

Wet in The Bottle: Hmmm Vanilla Syrupy spicy sexy, sexy, sexy. Can;t wait to try it on...

 

Wet on MY Skin: Woooops why does thsi have to turn into International House Of Pancakes' Vanilla Syrup. You know you have tried it. Admit it. I used to work at "IHOP" and I think the constant mutation caused by syrup exposure has made my skin averse to any vanilla or sugar.

 

Drydown: Get it off! Get it off!

[ephemera]

This blend is... *guh*

 

I don't think I could possibly get down to notes and all of that - I smell vanilla and amber in it, but just those two can't possibly be the sum of this Sex In A Bottle.

 

I put this on and immediately feel (and smell) like some kind of ancient goddess who lords it over all manner of sexual things, and who is honored by the deflowering of virgins in ecstatic rites.

 

*ahem* I should go take a cold shower, mmkay?

[zankoku_zen]

I feel I should preface this with the disclaimer that I have never been attracted to vanillas as a smell. For a few months, Snake Oil, despite its popularity was not a scent I would have considered.

In the Bottle: I smell the vanilla and something spicy.

 

On Skin: This is more spicy than vanilla on my skin. Very warm. Its slightly more masculine than I expected.

On Drydown: Still warm, still spicy, slightly sweeter. Sensual.

 

Verdict: This is a beautiful scent. Just not me.

[jewelbug]

Bottle: Initially I think of powdered sugar. The vanilla is creamy and rich. Then the spices hit me. They aren't what I normally think of as spices, but they are musky and dark and earthy. At the very end, almost a lemony or bergamot tea tinge. Very pretty and interesting, I think I can see why this is a best seller.

 

On: Wet: Sweet, sweet vanilla syrup. There is a hint of the spiciness, but much weaker than in the bottle. This is mostly sweet vanilla on me.

Dry: This is like sugar that's had a vanilla bean in it. Stays vanilla sugar for a long time. After 6-7 hours, the vanilla is mellowing a bit. I went to sleep in this, and when I woke up it had mellowed into a spicy musk with only a hint of the vanilla sugar (this was about 12 hours I'd say). I like this last bit the best, actually. This certainly had great staying power on me, but i think the vanilla was too heavy/sweet, and I was hoping my skin would amp the spice rather than the vanilla.

Overall: Very pretty, but I think its too vanilla-sweet on my skin. Kinda like a nice vanilla candle--my husband says cake. I think I will try Snake Charmer, since I've read it’s a lot like snake oil with less sugar, more amber. That sounds like the modification this needs to work on my skin…I'm gonna hold onto this imp til I get the snake charmer so I can compare. Even though I don’t' think this is for me, it was a wonderful blend, and the vanilla was gorgeous. Glad I tried it.

 

ETA: tried this on hubby just to see: wet: very weird, but our first impression was a fluroide treatment at the dentist. Very sharp and minty with that fluoride smell just overpowering. As it dried, that strangeness left, and he was left with teh sweeter vanilla tones and spices. More spices/musk than there was when I tried it. Further into the drydown, it develops and interesting musty/smokey note, and gets very dry (dries the back of my throat like a powder). Overall, I wish it had smelled on me like it does on him. But its just not for him. Too overpowering, and still too sweet, despite the nice spice and smoke.

 

Tried this on me, again-- now I know what is was I wasn't liking--playdoh! playdoh and spiced vanilla candle. Its not bad, but its not what I wanna smell like.

Edited August 19, 2005 by jewelbug

[Silverstrike]

Is it possible that Snake Oil has an ingredient similar to Scherezade? Because they both have the same, incensey note (although the one in Snake Oil is softer than the one in Scherezade, again, at least on me). So I think that accounts for the Indonesian oils, but I didn't really notice sugared vanilla-- no sugar, no vanilla. After perusing through others' reviews, I think my skin is atypical; of the three scents I've tried that are supposed to have vanilla (Dorian, O and Snake Oil), I haven't smelled very much. I suppose it could be tempering the other notes and I'm sure that without the vanilla, the scent would smell different, but I can't pick out the vanilla note.

 

This one I would almost wear again, but my search is going to continue.

[wtchmel]

YEa!!!!!!!! So far this is THE ONE!!!( out of four imps, this is the only one I like)

In the vial it was tangy,

drying down it was semi-powdery, yet as the time passed it was very amber on me, yet I could detect sandlewood as well(not sure if there is any in there,lol) it smelled heavenly on me, I looooved it, i will immediatly order the largest size available. The smell was very exotic and sexy, it felt like i was transported to a tent on the sahara with slaves doting on my every whim, I can't get enough of it!!!!

[Stumbeline]

I just got an imp of this in a swap today, and I can't believe I waited this long. Initially I was really scared to try Snake Oil, because it sounded too heavy for me. Not to mention amber doesn't usually take to my skin and I end up smelling too powdery. I was so wrong. SO WRONG.

 

When I opened the imp it was very spicy smelling, very incense-y, with some creamy vanilla behind it. I got scared again thinking, 'Shit, I love it already...' because I was afraid it wouldn't work on me and at the best I'd be able to use it as a room scent. Wrong again.

 

On me it absolutely blossoms. It's spicy and rich when it's wet, but it melts into my skin and becomes this creamy, decadent, absolutely amazing vanilla scent. It's definitely foody, but I find that the spice tempers it a lot and it's much lighter than I anticipated. And it lasts for hours and hours. I even washed my hands twice and did the dishes and it's still there. I feel like it's a sin that I don't have some more suggestive plans other than household chores!

 

It's repetitive but I feel SO sexy wearing it, that I've already put the imp away for special occasions until I can order a big bottle. This is the first time a scent has really meshed so well with my skin, made me feel so confident and seductive. I seriously can not WAIT to order a 10 ml.

 

EDIT: I just recently recieved a frimp of Snake Oil from the Lab with my Halloween order and compared it to the imp I got in a swap. I'm backing everyone up on Snake Oil's improvement with age. Fresh Snake Oil is a bit sharper on me, almost powdery and perfumey, while the aged imp is rich, creamy, and much more sexual. Not a problem, but I will let the bottle I have coming my way sit for a couple months.

Edited October 30, 2005 by Stumbeline

[sophia_helix]

I've already tried O and La Petit Mort -- just needed this one to complete the BPAL Sex Trilogy. *g* I also gave it two go-rounds (applied more later in the day) because it did some weird stuff.

 

In the bottle:

 

Sweet...spicy...a touch of amber but not much. More the vanilla-spice, which is, um, a sweet spice? Not cinammon, but not pepper.

 

Wet:

 

Oh, dear, there's that sour note from La Petit Mort again. I know it's meant to be a skin musk, but it just smells unpleasant to me. Still vanilla beneath.

 

(When I applied more the second time, I didn't get any of the sourness; just exactly what it smelled like on the final drydown.)

 

Drydown:

 

Well, on the first drydown it was very strange. The spicy vanilla faded, turning into something more like powdered sugar, with a weird hint of anise. None of the amber I loved so much in O.

 

It got a little spicy later on, but I felt very odd wearing it. I couldn't quite decide if I liked it or not, since it wasn't a scent that stood up and screamed THIS IS YOU!, but it wasn't unpleasant either. I just felt...odd.

 

When I reapplied it a few hours later, the drydown was better. Still no better way to describe it than the lab (spices sugared with vanilla), but it was richer and deeper. It reminded me more of department store perfume (my dad asked me if I was wearing some perfume I've never heard of), but only in its complexity.

 

I still liked it. What it felt like, I think, was wearing someone else's perfume. A scent that seemed really nice, but when it went on me, it wasn't my skin. I'll probably hang onto this imp, because it's interesting, but it doesn't have signature sexy-scent potential like O did. Too bad!

[Xiabelle]

OK, now I see why everyone loves this one. Yummy!

 

This came in my first order yesterday, so of course it was the first thing I tried on.

 

In the imp, I believe the first words out of my mouth were 'Oh my god!' Sweet, spicy vanilla with amber undeneath it. Mmmm.

 

Fresh on, I was initially surprised at just how viscous thick this one was. Wow. I only swabbed it once, yet it stood on my skin, putting off soft vanilla smells. Very orangy. This would definitely stain light clothes. Smells yummy though, and I'm getting a strong amber from it. I let the oil sit there a while (10 minutes later, it STILL wasn't dry!) while I sniffed at my other new impies, then rubbed it gently in.

 

OK, I admit it: I was still drugged from benadryl, so about a half-hour into this one, I fell asleep for several hours. By that point, it was still spicy vanilla, with a hint of powder coming through. Amber seems to powder on my a bit, but in a good way.

 

Final drydown: rich, lucious vanilla, witha hint of spice. I'm not precisely sure what sort of spices, but it's definitely very sugary and vanilla. The amber's warming it.

 

I really, really like this. It's got that fabulous warm quality I look for in the commercial perfumes I buy, and that has to be the amber. But.. there's still something missing a bit in it for me, maybe I need another kick, or to layer it with something. I don't know if it's a wear all the time scent yet. However, it's definitely something I'd wear when I want to feel vanilla warm and sexy.

[tinyvulture]

This reminds me a lot of O, but it’s more resinous and not as overtly sexy. Spicy, warm vanilla. Seems to last a long time. I can see why this appeals to everyone, it's just gorgeous.

[blaqpearl]

Well I have finally gotten around to trying snake oil. I have had an imp forever but didnt try it. I acquired a bottle in a swap and still didnt try it. But tonight I felt like I should finally take the plunge. I knew I would like it, but I was just waiting for the right time.

 

Took a nice shower this evening with Lush's Honey I washed the Kids soap. So maybe that is what moved me to Snake Oil's direction.

 

This oil is so thick and sticky. As I dabbed I smelled a bit of patchouli, which I adore. But after a while that was gone. I smell vanilla and amber now with spices. I love the way this is blended. As soon as I walked in the room, my husband says, damn you smell good. Usually I have to wait about five or ten minutes or longer before he notices how good I usually smell. But this was an immediate reaction. He then proceeds to tell me that he should wear that to work to see if his sales increase. I was like...you wanna wear BPAL. So this is definitely a keeper. Probably a 10 ml purchase if my hubby gets his hands on this. Good thing Snake Charmer is on the way, could it possibly be better than this?

[LiberAmoris]

I can't believe I never reviewed this!

 

Count me in as one of those 'boomerang' Snake Oil reviewers. Meaning, I tried it, it reminded me of the perfume Emeraude which I used to douse myself in as a teen, I 'flung' it away from me...and it came back and hit me upside the head.

 

After much time and many, many other scents in between, I have definitely arrived in a place where I not only enjoy Snake Oil, but feel like I need to have a bottle in my possession.

 

The waft from Snake Oil is just divine, I get compliments on it every time I wear it out, it makes a terrific blender, and it is Classic BPAL that carries lots of nostalgia for that very first Lab box I ever got in the mail.

 

And aged Snake Oil kicks all kinds of ass. My imp that's at least 14-15 months old is only getting better.

[WidgetAlley]

The lovely Lab included this as a freebie in my last order, because they rule.

 

The first thing thought that struck me upon opening the little vial was: "Weirdly thick, incensey... baby powder? Oh noes!" I didn't like this in the Imp at all, but O has some of the same powdery feel (I swear Snake Oil has amber in it too), and I adore that, so I decided to give this a shot.

 

Swiping it on was... interesting. It's really viscous and sticky and thick, and strongly coloured. Definitely a bold one. Wet, it was mostly baby powder. Blech. But the vanilla came out as it dried, and it turned into a spicy-green smell strongly fronted by the heavy, not-very-sweet vanilla. This stuff takes forever to dry; I'd go to rub my wrists together and they'd stick to each other!

 

Good throw, though. I had my wrists down near the keyboard and was leaning back in my chair, so my nose was several feet away, and I could still smell it quite strongly. Not quite as subliminally omnipresent as O, though (I know, I know, I just can't help comparing the two), and doesn't make me feel as sexy either.

 

An hour later: Starting to fade already? What?

Hour and a half mark: ...I'll be damned if there isn't something just a teensy bit fruity in there now. I have to stick my snout right into my arm to pick it up, but... what is that? *eyes her Imp suspiciously* Are you insane, or am I?

Two hours: Wait, wait... you crazy girl, Snake Oil, you're not as gone as I thought! Same baby-powder-vanilla-green-spice smell, but it seems to have experienced a revival.

Three hours: Hey, still there! Unfortunately I'm about to have to take a shower, but I have to admit, she did better than I expected. Still no match for my lovely O, and I'll probably turn to Dorian when I'm in a tamer-vanilla mood, but the Imp is definitely a keeper. Good, but doesn't smack me over the head screaming, "I am the best!" like some others do.

 

[edit] I didn't take that shower after all... just hit the six hour mark and she's still going strong. This one keeps growing on me... still not a big-bottle, but I'm starting to really dig it.

 

 

[edit the second] Six months later, and I am on the Snake Oil bandwagon. The spices have smoothed, the vanilla has come out to play, and this stuff is SEX-AY. Not my #1, but definite 5mL material.... unusual and delicious.

Edited January 22, 2006 by WidgetAlley

[lookingglass]

Oh, snake oil. I really wanted to love it, I did!

 

Wet it was spicy, but not like any I have ever used in cooking...I couldn't identify it...some patchouli...some almond (one of my faves). Dark and sexy.

 

On the drydown, it smells kind of familiar...like some man's cologne...I don't know. It is very exotic, murky, dusty, and sweet. My son smells the vanilla and likes it very much. I really want to like this but there is something...odd about it.

 

It lasted a really long time...all evening. In the morning, DH said he smelled play dough! Ugh! I thought that was just a forum myth, because I had heard it was the almond and Hecate and Bordello (both almondy) are BEAUTIFUL on me and smell nothing like playdough!

 

Oh, snake oil...why?? WHY???

 

Edit 1 month later:

So I swapped him away...there. Gone.

 

Except...

 

I couldn't stop thinking about it...it was the strangest thing...I WANTED MY SNAKE OIL BACK!!!!

 

So now I have some (slather, slather). My nose is older, wiser, more distinguished...

 

I LOVE this! Of course I do~the perfume fates have brought us together again!

 

While is still quite mysterious and odd, like my own dark side, she is a part of me. I will not be without my beloved...

 

ETA: 2008 Nearly 3 years and 3 bottles of Snake Oil later...still my favorite perfume of all time. Several times I have been asked if I am wearing Shalimar. It is that sophisticated and sexy. I feel just as comfortable in it in jeans as I do in fur. It now "smells like me" to those who know and love me. There are other scents in my life, but Snake Oil is the standard. Oh...Never leave me...

 

ETA: 2011 Countless bottles later, she's still my favorite; I may wear others (BPAL addict that I am) but there is always this lingering aroma of Snake Oil all around me. I had to come back just to read the reviews, my initial impressions, and add the following:

 

Because of Snake Oil: People have thanked me for walking into their office to leave a scent trial. Mother's thank me for holding their babies and making them smell good. My children's friends tell their mother's they want their house to smell like mine. People ask to hug me to get closer to the scent. Clients say the scent in my office reduces their anxiety. Strangers comment to the air that something smells so good, but strange...what is it...DH asks if I need another bottle of Snake Oil in my BPAL orders because it's my staple...more like food than a perfumed luxury item. No lie. Magic in a bottle.

Edited June 29, 2011 by lookingglass

[BlueStar]

Mmmm Snake Oil

 

This smells so so on me. Funny chemistry. I will write the following about how it smells on the wifeypoo.

 

In The Bottle: Vanilla skies wide open. There is something just positively divine about this stuff

 

Wet On Skin: Wow who knew Vanilla Extract could smell so good? Well at least it is the expensive bourbony vanilla extract anyway.

 

Drydown: OK here is where the spices come through in a very sly and husky sexuality. The sensual blend makes my mouth water when my lover wears it. Whatever spices those are, I can't really pick any out in particular, (almond maybe?) but the vanilla is definitely much tastier and natural smelling once it warms up.

 

Verdict: To quote Bad Company "Feel Like Making Love"