Beth's Experimental Blends

[pekeana]

I swapped with diabolique for this bottle...

 

This is Snake Oil, but it's not your little sister's wussy Snake Oil as a first BPAL experience. This is kick in your teeth with the base notes, and forget the vanilla, sister, because it's almost non-existant in this Snake Oil. Add to that a twist of freshly ground lemon peel that comes up once in a while to shock your nose and make it scream "wowie!"

 

The base notes seem to be aged, and they aren't bringing up a very doughy scent like they do in regular Snake Oil on me. So, between that and the tang of lemon, it's really a deeper, darker Snake Oil.

 

 

 

 

And we all must explore our dark side. I'll be keeping this and hoarding it.

[pkwench]

Pekeana kindly decanted me an imp of the blend she got from Diabolique. This is fabulous. It's like aged Snake Oil and maybe that light citrus that you get from a chypre. It's very dark and thick, this oil and the smell is so damned rich. There's a bit of resiny powder in there too and I'm thinking maybe there's some amber in the blend. It's really a rich and sexy scent. This imp won't last me long - the temptation to cover myself in it is too strong!

[joseybird]

I've never smelled Snake Oil, but I'm certain this blend uses the Snake Oil base. It's vanilla, spices, amber...

 

and a note I JUST NOW identified...

 

SWEET LICORiCE!! HOLY HERA!

 

 

I love thee, I love thee, I love the...

[shelldoo]

ok i got mine in a swap, it is very pine (juniper maybe) in the imp and wet but as it dries lo and behold it becomes snake oil w/ just a very very light touch of evergreen lingering way in the background, hmmm i actually think i may like the evergreen element better then the original snake oil smell

[tempete]

Red_Hot_Mama generously sent me an imp of one of Beth's Experimental Blends that she got from kimmer ( to kimmer!) Wet, this blend seems to be muskier and less spicy than straight Snake Oil, which I think is because it doesn't contain patchouli. I can catch faint whiffs of something fresh smelling (mint?) as it dries down. The finish is slightly powdery which makes me think that there's a bit of amber or some similar resin in this blend. I find this blend to be a little less "in your face" than straight Snake Oil (probably because of the lack of patchouli), so it'll be great to wear around my mother who hates Snake Oil .

 

[i see from kimmer's reviews that she has a lemony Snake Oil blend, but no minty one. My nose sucks... ]

Edited May 13, 2005 by tempete

[UltraViolet]

~Beth's experimental blend "C"

(Thank you Holeysox...and I think by way VioletBlue too )

 

In the bottle

Orangey and honeyish

 

On

orange/lemon/vanilla/ for sure maybe some bergamot, amber

 

30 minutes

Oh this is a great lasting blend. It's smell is still here hours later. And it hasn't changed much. It's still a thick lushious sweet orange primary note with vanilla and lemon underneath.

 

Throw:

Light Medium

 

Scent category:

Citrus/Foody

 

Summary

This is a "Wow".

 

Purchase again?

Oy. Yes! If I could.

 

1-5 rating, (5 being best)

4.5

[yellowrose]

Experimental Blend III

from the Chaos Run Amok circle

 

In the Bottle: jasmine. My skin does funky thinks to/with jasmine, which makes me apprehensive about smelling and applying this.

 

Wet: All jasmine, but wait ... there’s something else in there. Hello lavender. Wow. Pretty astringent, crisp.

 

As it dries, I’m having some problems breathing, so it’s probably best to scrub this off. Even so, this has staying power. The scent – especially the jasmine -- continues to be assertive. The overall impact is very in line with what you might expect from an aromatherapy scent – assertive and bold -- rather than a perfume

[k00kaburra]

This came in an amber bottle - I don't know if it's been reviewed before or not. The oil is a medium brown, almost as amber as the bottle itself.

In bottle: Slightly smoky with hints of berry, but mostly this seems like jasmine to me.

On me: Gardenia - that simply must be here in vast quantities. This is very heavily floral, heavy white blossoms like gardenia. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some magnolia here, too. This is slightly astringent, as though there was some low wood note here - but by and large heavily floral.

[Penance]

I don't think this has been reviewed yet, but this one is in a standard Lab-sized and shaped amber bottle.

 

Origin:

 

5mL from the wonderful Pranashakti.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

Pranashakti informs me that this smells like molasses which sounds wonderful. Molasses is quite possibly my strongest foody scent weakness (and one of the only foody scents I'll wear and genuinely love), so I'm really looking forward to trying this - plus it's experimental! How fun is that?

 

First sniff:

 

Ooooh, that is molasses and maybe ginger, too. It smells like the Gingeroo (I think that's how it's spelled) cookies from Trader Joe's that taste so good. It's sweet and dark and heavy and indulgent smelling but not too foody for me. I'd compare it to Snake Oil in that it has that same heavy sweetness to it without being truly foody foody.

 

Wet on skin:

 

The oil is a light amber color and very thin, which I found out when I dumped far more than I'd planned on onto my wrists (I hate reducers).

 

Pure molasses, I swear I don't smell anything else. This is that pure, heavy scent that seems to be either a "love it" or "hate it" note. Since I love it, I couldn't be happier.

 

This reminds me of a cross between that raw sugar you find in organic food stores (which is basically dehydrated molasses) and the thick molasses syrup I use when I make gingerbread cookies. Dark and heavy and sticky smelling and delicious!

 

Dry down:

 

::Insert drumroll here::

 

Molasses! This is extremely stable in terms of scent. There really hasn't been any change at all in this one. I'd love to know if there's anything in here aside from molasses (or something that smells exactly like molasses) because that's all I can smell. I've been trying to figure out if this was perhaps a prototype for something but I can't think of anything that even remotely fits the bill, so I guess this is pretty unique.

 

The bottom line:

 

I'd definitely buy this if it were a catalogue scent. I can see it not being for everyone (molasses seems to be an aquired taste - no pun intended), but I love it.

 

EDIT: Grammar SNAFU.

 

Edited to add the world's most belated update on a scent review:

 

It's been over 5 years since I got this beauty and I've just rediscovered it. It's changed completely from what it once was into something equally spectacular, if not more awesome.

 

When I pulled this out of my armoire (and figured out what it was, after having a breakdown trying to figure out which of my two unlabeled bottles was the experimental blend and which was the Chaos that lost its label; knowing that this had a reducer would have saved me a lot of trouble since the other bottle doesn't, but I didn't think to dredge up my review at the time) and sniffed it, I had a moment of "What is that?! It smells so familiar, but I just can't figure out what it is."

 

Then it hit me. LUSH (ironically enough). Ruby Red Slippers/Potion. It's almost a dead ringer for it now! This is full on, super spicy carnation. I don't normally do carnation (or florals in general), but this is really, really good. It's sexy and unusual and really bold. Love it!

Edited October 18, 2010 by Penance

[dawndie]

I got this in a swap with friendthegirl. Thanks babe!

 

In the bottle: sharp astringent that tingles in my nose. Something sweet and soft in the background, very faint berries.

 

Initially on skin: it's a dark brown/red oil. There's a medicinal smell, almost plastic. The sweetness comes to the foreground, and it's so hard to place -- fruit? floral? It must be a combination, I get berries and maybe lilies.

 

Half-hour later: ah, this is better. It's like Hollywood Babylon with some dusty resin mixed in.

 

I think this would be more of a ritual oil than a perfume oil, it seems to have something foreboding lurking in the background, looming and dark. Very unusual and interesting!

[Shollin]

I got a decant labeled “Experimental Blend (minty),” a dark brownish-red in the vial, from... someone. I got experimental blends in swaps with three different people and didn't keep track of which came from whom, but none of them has posted in this thread, so I can't really check.

 

First sniff: There is a little bit of mint in here, but mostly… and I’m drooling as I type this… it smells like dragon’s blood, musk and vanilla.

 

Wearing: On my skin it smells like Snake Oil lightened with a hint of mint… and as it dries, it smells like Snake Oil plus a heaping helping of The World’s Best Vanilla. Wowie wow. I shall treasure this.

[Shollin]

Another decant, this one labeled "Exp Blend (?)" and the oil is deep red.

 

First sniff: Someone has clearly made a liqueur out of caramel apples and put it in this vial. It’s so intensely sweet as to border on boozey.

 

Wearing: Caramel apple liqueur. That’s the only way I can describe it. And maybe a teeny hint of cinnamon – I’m not sure if that’s actually there or if I just expect to smell it because I associate apples so strongly with cinnamon. It goes cinnamon-ier as it dries, and the final result is something like a very very sweet Three Witches.

[Shollin]

Should be the last of my back-to-back posts for the moment. A decant labeled "Exp Blend (I)", orangey-red in the vial.

 

First sniff: Berries! Berries and honey? But darker than you’d think. Grapes, maybe – the kind that are so purple they’re almost black.

 

Wearing: Oh yeah. This, I like. There seems to be a little bit of cinnamon in this one too, but mostly it’s grapes and honey. Which sounds pretty darn good, come to think of it… *wanders off to the kitchen*

[joseybird]

I got an imp from a bottle originally belonging to lorajc =)

 

This is incredible stuff...INCREDIBLE....sweet cloves and tobacco with a soft cherry-like sweetness to it. Even though I had sniffed F54 previously, I seriously suspected that this imp was F54 until I was told that it was an experimental blend that had been aging with the cap loose for months. But really, this smells BETTER than F54...absolutely astonishingly good...and all that's left in the world of it is this lone lil imp!

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): This is labeled Experimental Blend #1, and if I can figure out from my notes where it came from, I'll list that too. In the imp, it smells sweet and kind of dark.

 

Just On: Beautifully smoky, sweet, and seductive.

 

An hour or two later: OH gods, this is loverly. Smoky, incense, with a hint of sweet twirling around in there.

 

Around 6 hours: I just love this. It's so flippin gorgeous, and smells wonderful on my skin.

 

12 hours: It's almost gone, just a bare hint of sweet smoke, almost like the scent after you light a marshmallow on fire and blow it out.

 

Overall: I would fall all over myself to buy this if I could.

 

After reading other reviews: I don't know which this follows, so no real reaction from reading other reviews.

 

(Sorry for double posting, but I figured they needed their own slots.)

 

Bottle (Imp): This is labeled Experimental Blend #2. I don't have further info on it as of right now, but if I can find my records, I'll update with that. In the imp, this smells sweet, and a bit spicy.

 

Just On: I think I'm getting bits of cinnamon interlaced with something sweet (but I'm not certain what). I'm adoring this one.

 

An hour or two later: Holy shit, this is freaking gorgeous. Sweet and spicy all mingled together.

 

Around 6 hours: Fading cinnamon, some other spices, and sweet, almost sugary. I'm loving on it.

 

12 hours: It's pretty much gone.

 

Overall: Another that I absolutely adore. This is so awesome.

 

After reading other reviews: Again, I don't know which this follows, so no real reaction from reading other reviews.

[Shollin]

The oil is red-gold, the label says “E.B.: B,” and this was a lovely gift from danuv. I had the immense pleasure of trying her experimentals at the Atlanta meet’n’sniff back in April, and because she’s such a love, she sent me an imp of the one I swooned over. Her take on it is here - this is blend B.

 

First sniff: Ohhh yeah, this is the teeny-bit-spicy, teeny-bit-incensey, honey vanilla wonderfulness I met many months ago.

 

Wearing: Oh MAN. It’s even better on me. It’s honey and vanilla and something that reminds me of Al Azif. It’s sweet and spicy and a tiny bit nutty and utterly droolworthy. Much with the love.

[yeahbutnobut]

Experimental Blend

 

I got this in a decant from SevenSins.

In the imp: musk! This smells like a rich musk scent, maybe with patchouli and vanilla. Yup, it's a Snake Oil variant.

Wet on skin: I'm getting a deep, rich, dark musk scent, with a slightly creamy/buttery vanilla, something spicy, and possibly some patchouli. I think this is like Snake Oil with black musk instead of red musk.

Dry on skin: whoa…this is deep, intense stuff! This is stronger than Snake Oil. I'm convinced that there's black musk here, maybe combined with red, as it reminds me of the musk in Dragon's Heart and Hell's Belle. I'm also getting the vanilla, maybe some tonka or amber too, possibly spices and patchouli, and a tiny bit of floral. But mainly musk. Maybe some leather as well.

After a while: as with Snake Oil, now the vanilla comes out more and threatens to take over the scent-but the musk won't let it. Only time will tell which note will succeed at being the dominant note in this scent.

After a few hours I get a Snake oil/Snake Charmer like blend of deep vanilla and intense musk. sweet, rich, sensual, and quite sexy! I like it, and it's not cloying or over-sweet.

Verdict: this is an interesting variant on the Snake Oil theme. This is very similar to said blend, with a bit of vanilla at first, but this version has a much more musky scent to it. I think there's black musk as well as maybe red musk here, as it reminds me of Dragon's Heart. It's a deep, potent, powerful scent. after a while the vanilla comes out and equalises the scent, and the drydown is a balance of dark vanilla and rich musk. It's a nice scent, quite sexy, I think…but I much prefer Snake Charmer and it's a bit too intense for me.

[AngelFireHeart]

OK here goes,

 

I got this experimental blend in a swap from Seven Sins (Thank you Teri )

 

OK, this oil is very dark in colour & quite thick in texture, upon swiping my wrist with the wand the colour reminded me somewhat of fake tan!

 

This to me is just like Snake Charmer but not quite so sweet, very vanilla-y judging by the colour I'd say it had Benzoin (vanilla scented) in it. Also it has something smokey behind it, perhaps Sandalwood?

 

I've not tried Snake Oil so I don't know how closely it resembles that, but my Snake Charmer 1/2 imp is very precious to me & it's soft vanillaryness without out & out sugar is what I love & it's definitly in this blend.

 

The Vanilla isn't a pure vanilla, if you've ever heated milk or cream together with vanilla essence & Saffron that's what the top 'layer' of this scent is like, honeyed vanilla but not sugary sweet I really want to make that clear!

 

The undertone is a smokey soft woody scent, that isn't at all harsh & it blends with the vanilla in such a way as to create the illusion of perfect sensuous harmony.

 

I am in love with this imp! I don't know what I'll do if I ever run out I really don't.

 

After having worn the scent for a day I can detect just the faintest hint of the smokey sandalwood, but the vanilla is still very soft but prominent on my skin - It's a VERY sexy scent & ....well maybe we shouldn't go to where my mind just drifted off to

 

I could easily have a love affair with this scent God help me I'm hopelessly addicted!

[LittleGreyKitten]

When someone listed a horrifically tempting bottle of Storyville on eBay, the only way I could restrain myself from bidding was to make a deal with myself. I could bid $50 on one other hard to find thing, and thus ignore Storyville. I got myself a lovely Snake Oil variant, labeled Experimental Blend #1 on the cap by the previous owner. Basic brown lab bottle with reducer cap, no label.

 

It smells amazing. Divine. Gorgeous. Like the best Snake Oil ever. It's even smoother than aged SN. It lacks that... edge that SN has. It's deeper and more divine. I still smell the basic notes though- vanilla, spices... it's just better somehow. Deeper, less shrill. Though I do love the basic formula, this happens to be better. It's like it mated with Snake Charmer and the result is better than both. No plummy notes like Charmer.

 

Oh yeah. Will definitely cherish this bottle. Glad I got it rather than wasting too much on Storyville, frankly.

[edenssixthday]

Once upon a time, I knew who this experimental blend originated from, but now, I can't remember. It was passed on to me with the name "Cinnamon Snake Oil".

 

This is one of Beth's experimental blends, and I was fortunate to get just enough to lightly test a few times. When I first apply it, it's entirely cinnamon -- the bright, red, fiery cinnamon of a red hot candy. I can smell nothing else in the blend, and I'm surrounded by wafts of sweet, hot cinnamon. Once the blend dries down, the familiar warm and creamy scent of Snake Oil becomes detectable behind the cinnamon, and upon full dry-down, the cinnamon and the usual scent of Snake Oil blend in perfect balance and harmony, and I can't stop sniffing my skin. It's a gorgeous scent, and has me thinking that I might have to buy an extra bottle of Snake Oil and put a few pieces of cinnamon stick in it and see if I can't possibly achieve a similar effect. I'm so glad I got to try this experimental blend!

[absinthetics]

BEB#2

 

 

The oil is quite dark and there's an interesting tartness to it that becomes at the same time rich and earthy. However, the tartness is mixed with a sweet note that I can't put my fingers on. It reminds me like a mix of Corazon, Mabon and something bubbly like that note in Whippoorwhill.

[cinderfallen]

Mystery Blend #4

 

I got this when I was *new.* A very very generous forumite sent this in a lovely purple sachet filled with many other frimps while I was waiting for my first lab order. I so wish I had a record so that I could thank her properly! I had no idea what this Mystery Blend business was.

 

It's *sweet.* The oil is *thick* and the scent just envelops the entire room with one swipe of the imp wand. There's definitely some kind of fruit in this blend--berry, I think, with amped up vanilla.

 

I *wish* Snake Oil smelled like this on me!

 

ETA: I'm wearing it now and it's swoon-worthy. Usually, Snake Oil blends don't work, but having this has convinced me that I just need to buy and hoard some of the bottles from the Snake Pit for 3+ years.

Edited February 6, 2007 by cinderfallen

[supremegoddessofall]

Don't know which blend I have (maybe #1 or #4?), but...

 

Very foody! Color is kind of a straw golden-rod sort of thing. I'm also getting a bit of a dust note. Lots of butter, maybe some rum. I like it.

[wikkidraven]

my bottle was labelled 'feathered snake oil' (my seller had it listed on the forum as beth's experimental #1 though) and to my nose this is a creamier snake oil (more vanilla, less patchouli) with some hints of berry in with the spices. colour is dark, blood orange in hue. it's absolutely lovely, has lots of throw, and lasts all day. great stuff...if it's any clue as to what the snake pit is all about, i'm all for it.

Edited January 12, 2007 by wikkidraven

[yeahbutnobut]

Experimental blend ('coconut Snake Oil')

 

Both of these are sniffies received in a swap with edenssixthday (as freebies! Thanks!)

 

In the imp: holy crap, this smells like kulfi. Yup, that Indian ice cream made with condensed milk, saffron, cardamom, almond and sometimes mango. That, and Snake Oil. This is creamy Snake Oil with a bit of mango and something nutty. Yum.

Wet on skin: this definitely has the Snake Oil base, but there’s an unusual dry sweetness on top which, despite being dry, is also creamy.

Dry: mmm, this is dried but creamy Snake Oil. It smells like the deep incense-vanilla-musk of SO, but on top is a dry, nutty scent, like powdered almonds and…coconut! Now I recognise what the familiar creamy but dry nutty scent is, its coconut. So this is ‘coconut Snake Oil’. And it’s good stuff. I think there’s also some saffron here that makes it even drier in scent, and maybe some amber and cardamom too. This still smells like an exotic Indian dessert but now it’s topped with coconut shreds.

After a while: now the coconut and Snake Oil are very distinct layers of scent-the dry, light, toasted and shredded coconut on top, the deep vanilla and spice tones of the SO on the bottom. I recently tried the coconut SN, it smells just like that layered with SO, and it’s starting to develop a creamy sweetness. Eventually the SO seems to win and dominates over the coconut, but also mingles with it. so now it’s truly an almost even mix of Snaky vanilla-musk and coconut, and it also reminds me of a plum-less Snake Charmer at this point.

After a few hours the coconut fades completely and the scent becomes pure Snake Oil.

Verdict: this is the coconut variety of Snake Oil. It’s just like the coconut SN layered over Snake Oil. At the beginning, the scent has a hint of what could be cardamom or saffron, and it resembles a favourite Indian dessert of mine. Then the coconut comes into it’s own and it truly becomes a toasted coconut topping over the beloved Snake Oil base. The coconut, like the single note, is not the creamy milky type, but the desiccated scent of coconut shavings, but a creamy scent does appear upon drydown, and then the scent ends off as pure Snake Oil. It’s a delicious scent, an exotic coconut take on SO with foody dimensions. I like!

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Yes! I wonder if Death Adder might smell a little bit like this (though it might have less coconut and added vetiver.)

 

 

Experimental blend (labelled ‘Cinnamon Snake Oil’)

 

In the imp: it’s cinnamon alright. I can smell a hint of the SO base but it also reminds me of Chimera.

Wet on skin: a gorgeous cinnamon-resin scent, like Chimera, but also reminiscent of Love Me.

Dry: this is beautiful! It’s a cinnamon dominated, rich spicy resinous-incense scent with a hint of something fruity to it, like berries or mulled wine. It’s like Chimera meets Snake Oil meets Love Me meets Malkuth, with a hint of Three Witches. This is so good, and has a lovely warming and comforting scent to it, like the smell of Christmas baking, but it’s also very exotic, like a cinnamon incense blend, and the spice notes add a hot dryness to it.

After a while: now it actually smells less like cinnamon Snake Oil, and more like spicy berries and mulled wine! It smells very fruity and ‘crimson’ now. It reminds me of Tintagel, only this is a lot nicer (on my skin) and is a lot richer. I get the impression of deep red holly berries here, mulled wine and red berries mixed with spices, it smells like Christmas to me. At the end, I smell dried cranberries and juniper berries coming through and it really does smell like super-charged Tintagel.

But after a few hours, the berry scent recedes and reveals the Snake Oil base. It still smells of juniper berries and cinnamon, but now I get the deep, intense vanilla of SO coming through.

Verdict: this is cinnamon, that’s for sure, but it’s not as Snake-Oily as I hoped it would be. However, it is very fruity, surprisingly so. It’s mulled wine and berries sprinkled in cinnamon. It’s the highest quality festive potpourri. It’s like sticky red berries soaked in mulled wine, it’s a true ‘winter holiday’ scent, warm, approachable and cosy. Perfect for the December festivities. However, there’s something deep and exotic to it…maybe some resins, extra spices, possibly even some Snake Oil hidden under the cinnamon berries. It’s like Tintagel with added oomph, the same juniper-mulled wine-berry scent, but sweeter, deeper and spicier. I’m glad to have tried this, a blend which I have dubbed ‘Santa’s Little Serpent’ (I’d love to see something like this come out next Yule!)

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Of course! I’m saving this one for next December.

Edited January 17, 2007 by yeahbutnobut