Temple Viper

[Tramp]

Snake Oil with sugar cane, frankincense, champaca, opoponax, labdanum, and hyssop.

Wet: Herbal and resinous

On: Don't know how but I get a distinct grape note in this when dry. It isn't in your face by any means but it is there. Mostly though it is sweet incense and spices. This one probably reminds me most of Snake oil out of all of the Pit.

[Eros]

Pretty much what Tramp says but I'll add my two cents.

Snake Oil... and then nag champa emerges- YUM. There's also something in the background that I could almost swear is honey, but I guess it's sugar cane? All in all this is drop dead beautiful! Call it Snake Oil meets Hellion. I believe I just might have to get another bottle of this one

[sarada]

My standard disclaimer, as always, is that Snake Oil normally does not work on me. Play-doh city. With that in mind, Temple Viper is phenomenal. There is none of the plasticky clay scent that regular SO inspires on my flesh, it's just pure, gorgeous, sweet resins. Glittering globs of amber- and tea-colored incense crystals, dusted with sugar and glistening by candlelight.

 

I can smell frankincense and champaca right off the bat, with a marvellous crystalline sugar coating. The shadows of Snake Oil in the background are all of the elements that DO work on me and none of the ones that don't. It's not hippie store incense, it's not new age store, it's...a tent in a marketplace shrouded in smoke pouring out of bronze censers, piles of golden silks and goblets of rich, thick spicy amber liquid.

 

I wish this was in incense form actually but I think that on my skin it will have the same effect, without the smoke. This is what I always wished Snake Oil could be on me and now I have it!

[tinyvulture]

this is snake oil + gorgeous powdery, spicy resins. amber and frankincense, such lovely complements to the spicy woodsy vanilla of the original snake oil. it’s like all my favorite notes rolled into one bottle. and it has tons of throw and lasts a long time. my skin loves it, and it smells totally sexy on my husband as well. now i must try the other snake oil blends!

[nineveh]

During the long wet stage of this, I kept thinking that it was too sweet. I'm pretty sure, based on my experiences with John Seward and Khajuraho, that champaca really goes sweet and amps up on me.

 

When it finally dries, that sweetness tones down somewhat and the smokiness of the incense comes through. Like Tramp, I get a grape note, but it's not like Kool Aid or anything; it's too complex and sophisticated for that. Instead it smells like someone's been burning a dark, fruit-tinged incense.

 

It is a cousin of Hellion, but whereas Hellion seemed brash, this is more smooth and calculating. It's really starting to grow on me.

[The_Witching_Hour]

This is a favorite already out of the Pit right along with King Cobra.

 

Right out of the bottle and in the first 30 minutes, I smell the dry, golden beauty of frankincense. As it settles in and melds with my skin, a subtle sweetness drenches the pale petals of champaca which keeps this blend from becoming overly 'dry'.

 

The overall effect is that of an exotic marketplace where scents of richness and treasures from afar await you. This one SENDS me!!!!

Edited January 11, 2008 by The_Witching_Hour

[ChupaChup]

I just got a lovely fresh decant of Temple Viper, it's my first oil of the Snake Pit so I was really excited to try it. Right out of the imp, there is a gorgeous waft of really rich Snake Oil, much stronger and heavier on the vanilla than a typical new batch of Snake Oil so I am greatly encouraged about all the other Snake Pit blends. This one, however, has some note or combination of notes that go off on me, giving the dreaded dirty diaper effect. I think it may be the champaca but I'm not sure. I try to filter that out and yes, I can pick up some lovely spices underneath, but that darn note keeps coming back over the top of them. I'll be swapping this one and hope to try more of these wonderful new blends.

[forspecial_plate]

*sigh*

 

Reading all of the other reviews of Temple Viper makes me sad. I wish I was getting all of the delicious sounding notes out of this that everyone else does! I already knew that champaca flower takes over most scents on my skin, and this is no different. On my skin Dr. John Seward, Two Monsters, and now Temple Viper all smell nearly the same. The champaca note is a sweet, fruity, clean smelling floral that reminds me slightly of bananas. In this scent, I can smell the frankincense and/or resins also, as a background note. After a while, I think some more of the notes are almost coming out, but it's hard to tell. I might be smelling the sugar cane slightly. I will let it age and try again, but really, if this is what it smells like, I don't need a bottle of this and Dr. John Seward. They smell so much alike I would only really need one or the other.

 

edit: You know, after just a few days, the scent has settled down a little, and I really can smell the other notes! I'm getting more Snake Oil and resins this time. Will definitely let it do some aging and this might work after all. Actually I thought I was putting on King Cobra and I grabbed this instead. You'd think I would realize my mistake right away but it took me a few minutes to realize what I had done. So there are definitely more resins coming out in this scent now. And it smells wonderful!

 

Edit: After about a year, this is way different. Now the frankincense is the star of the show, with a big shot of Snake Oil backing it up. The champaca and sugar cane are just supporting now. Which is just how I wanted it.

Edited February 10, 2008 by Forspecial Plate

[zenvodunista]

I absolutely ADORE this in the bottle. Just stunning sweetness and incense and mystery.

 

On me though, the sugar and the champaca pretty much overwhelm the blend, becoming very similar to Sugar Skull on me.

 

Ah well. The rest of my sample will go in the oil burner or up for swaps... Or I will just hold on to it and keep hoping for a miracle.

[myoubi]

in the bottle: quite sugary.

Wet on my skin it smells abruptly of champaca, then morphs within minutes to something strangely medicinal. For the next few minutes this smells reminiscent of cough syrup.

 

This dries down to -- Snake Charmer. Darker, less sweet, and slightly stronger/heavier Snake Charmer. I've already got two bottles of that, so I don't need Temple Viper too.

[CapricornSister]

I this!! Most of the blends I get with frankincense in it don't work on me, even though I love frankincense. This one is fantastic though!

Wet, I get a slightly sweeter version of Snake Oil. As it dries, the frankincense comes out and stays out. It has a sweet underbelly that lingers and I've gotten quite a few compliments on it! It has great throw and lasts forever, not subtle at all

 

Great work Beth!!

[LiberAmoris]

Temple Viper is making it difficult for me to concentrate at work today. It's like all the lovely churchy resins from blends I love like Cathedral and Jacob's Ladder mixed with Snake Oil, and the combo is so good. The vaulted and spiritual feel of religious incense is held in tension with the sexy earthiness of SO, and the result is a resiny cloud of happiness! Good stuff.

[Bagfish]

In the bottle: really quite Snake Oil-y with overtones of Champaca and Frankincense.

 

On wet: Snake Oil for literally 30 seconds and then the champaca blooms on my skin in the same way it does in Khajuraho.

 

For the rest of the day: sweet, fragrant champaca wafts from my wrists with a slight frankincense overtone which is yummy. No Snake Oil spiciness though.

 

I'm slightly disappointed that the Snake Oil scent disappears so fast, but I am reckoning that this will age and improve and improve and improve and that the hidden Snakeyness of it will appear at some point This is a definite keeper though, as I always knew it would be as champaca is my friend and is the only floral that I know is consistently good on my skin.

[Ina Garten Davita]

Champaca is not one of my favorite notes and, unfortunately, it overwhelms this blend. It's a thick smell, that's almost fruity. I can't find the glory that is Snake Oil here, this blend isn't for me.

[edenssixthday]

Temple Viper - This is wonderful! It's incredibly difficult to describe. It's resinous, floral, slightly husky and G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S! It is really faint on my skin, but gorgeous in my hair, with a nice level of throw and really impressive staying power. This is definitely bottle-worthy.

[twistygirl]

This is one of those I-can't-stop-smelling-myself oils. It's absolutely gorgeous. Snake Oil and Snake Charmer are my two favorite BPALS (funny since the only thing I fear in life are snakes!) and the frankinscence and YUMMY Nag Champa blend so beautifully with the original notes. This is seductive and mysterious, but with a spiritual side to it (must be the frankinscence). Good throw and staying power. It's very warm and cozy and yet sexy as hell. Just a hint of sweetness. Gotta get more of this. I LOVE IT.

[Blood onmy hands]

Temple Viper is such an interesting scent. It's one of those blends that I keep going back to, and it's so hard to describe or get a full impression of. It smells like some sort of green, tropical sugar - wonderfully exotic and sweet. I can't pick out any one note from this, but it all melds together into something delicious and unusual. I think the sugar cane really shines and pulls everything together. In the drydown, I get an almost fruity grape smell, but it's not overwhelming or grossly artificial.

 

So... yeah. The best way I could describe how this smells on me is tropical, green sugar with a hint of grape in the drydown . I like it, a lot.

Edited June 26, 2008 by Tania

[schackjj]

I had high hopes for this blend, but they didn't pan out. There's something in it that comes out as sickly-sweet. I wish I could describe it better than that. If I inhale too deeply, I get headachey. This one is off to the swaps or I'm imping it out. It's a lovely combo, though, & I'm sure lots of people would be happy to give it a good home.

[kmasden]

it's funny how this blend really seems to be very different on different people. My skin is weird and it's weird with all perfume for the most part. I remember being at will calls and smelling something on someone and it was heaven, then i let them smell it on me and we both were thinking "ummm....is that the same lovely we just smelled on someone else?"...just doesn't smell as good on me and thus far, Temple Viper is one of those...

 

I will say that the snake oil back is beautiful and noticeable IMHO and the frankincense as well, not overpowering but adding a little darkness to the blend...I am thinking what didn't work on me was the champaca - on my skin it morphed into something that smelled like pez or those old fashioned orange chewable aspirin...and you know, once you get your head stuck on it, it isn't going to go away LOL....I can absolutely see how this will age beautify and on people who don't morph the champaca (or whatever the note is) into something "shallow and sweet/tart" this is going to be a knockout.

Edited February 5, 2007 by kmasden

[Nidaba]

Ok, everyone is going to think I am crazy, but I am not familiar with any of the individual elements in Temple Viper, and the thing it most reminds me of on my skin is root beer. Which is awesome. It reminds me a lot of Tombstone, but without the cedar. It's a sweet scent, but not candy sweet. I love it and I am so glad I have a big bottle of it.

 

ADDED March 15:

 

Does anyone else get a rootbeer scent from this one? I love it! It reminds me a bit of Tombstone which was too dry for me.

[portalkat]

This is the first of the snakes that I tried and the one that I knew I was sure to love. The Temple Viper is true to its name. This is the snake that slithered into the temple and caught wisps of nag champa incense on its skin. It is sweet, but there is something dry, like very dry wood. I'm not sure what it is, but it adds an earthiness to this snake. I will be needing multiple bottles of this beauty.

[blu°]

This is primarily a softened and sugared Snake Oil on me. The Snake Oil is still fresh and light.

Champaca is sort of iffy on my skin, and at first it turns incredibly sharp, metallic and sweet. The sharpness fades after a few minutes, thank goodness, and only the sweetness with a vague incensey feel stays. The frankincense in Temple Viper is hardly noticeable on me, it just lends a sort of powdery finish to the blend and softens the edges. Sugar cane is noticeable as a sugar coating to the blend.

 

It's not bad, but I don't love it yet. Will let this one age a little and see how well we get along then. I guess it all depends on how the champaca develops with age, as I'm sure to love all the other notes when they'll have had time to settle and ripen a bit.

[Ohmaude]

This was so light in the bottle and on my wrist when I first applied it that I applied way more than I usually do... but BAM a few moments after applying I realized I shouldn't have slathered quite so much. It is a creeper and it really becomes active as it warms up on the skin. (Just like a snake!!) It becomes glorious, but for the safety of others I will apply a little more sparingly next time.

 

Funny, I also smell the slight root beer scent that Nidaba picked up.

 

Most of all this is Champaca, Champaca and Frankincense and of course keeping it all steady is Snake oil. Not to sweet, and very balanced. It is beautiful.

 

I keep saying this, but I can't wait to smell the snake pit aged. I wasn't a huge fan of snake oil until my imp was about a year old. My point is, the Temple Viper smells fantastic now, I can only imagine what a few months aged in the bottle will do! It's going to be really interesting to experience the aging with other notes.

[shelldoo]

in the bottle: champanca, and hyssop

 

 

wet: frankincense, and champa...slight breath of snake oil in the back ground,

 

 

as it dries, it softens, sweetens, and yet retains the previously stated qualities.

Edited February 12, 2007 by shelldoo

[wolfie13]

In the bottle: Snake Oil and Champaca

 

Wearing: Champaca. Oh dear, my skin amps Champaca - and it's sweet and gardenia-like on me, meaning heady and strong.

 

After about an hour: Champaca becomes more manageable, smell a little frankincense and snake oil.

 

Conclusion: It's okay on me, but not what I was hoping for. I was really hoping for a more incense-y blend. This is a little incense-y, but also sweet and floral. These notes actually blend really well with Snake Oil (better than some of the other snakes, for me) and I think that many people will love this.