Beth's Experimental Blends

[supremegoddessofall]

Don't know which blend this one is.

 

Dragon's blood with a slight soapy quality. Definitely spicy. I like it a lot.

[wikkidraven]

i got this in a lovely swap, and immediately picked up on the coconut from obatala in the blend. obatala is one of my favourite GC scents, so paired with snake oil this is a stunner.

 

i'm off to see if i can recreate it, using my new 10ml of aged snake oil!

[edenssixthday]

I got my decant from Wikkidraven, so it was labeled "feathered snake oil" even though according to her review, it was listed on the forum as Beth's Exp. #1.

 

When I first applied it, I thought it smelled exactly like Snake Oil. So I tried it again the next day with the Exp Blend on one wrist and regular Snake Oil (aged about a year) on the other wrist. That's when I could tell the difference. I was surprised at how "dry" the regular Snake Oil smelled, and for the first time, when comparing it with the Experimental Blend, I could distinctly smell patchouli in the original Snake Oil. The Experimental Blend is definitely sweeter and creamier, as if it has an extra dose of vanilla. The other reviewers have noted fruit/berry in Experiment #1, but I don't smell that. I just smell a non-floral, non-woody sweetness...so I guess it could be fruit, but it's not distinct in the least.

 

It's definitely my favorite of all the experimentals I've tried so far. I would love to have a vat of this. Although I believe in letting many people try the different hard-to-find blends, so I won't even keep my little imp, as gorgeous as it is. It would just make me cry when I run out.

[wikkidraven]

i got a new bottle of experimental blend from the lovely blackrayne and it's fricken amazing. i was intrigued when she described it as rum soaked cinnamon, but on my skin the fiery cinnamon gives way to a sweet anise. i KNOW the cinnamon is there cause my wrists are tingling, but the anise has come out and it's not at all unpleasant.

 

wow. good stuff, i can't wait to try some more!

 

ETA:

 

i got two new experimental blends today in the mail. one is an amber lovers dream; very resinous. the oil is a deep reddish orange. this snake oil variant reminds me a lot of mme. moriarty. in some ways.

 

my other EB was labelled 'lemon snake oil' and is similar in colour but perhaps a bit more on the brown side. i was expecting that oh so familiar furniture polish lemon bpal scent, and was pleasantly surprised to get something altogether more smooth, along the vein of snow angel. a sweet breath of lemon nestled into a creamy snake oil. beautiful!

 

edit 2:

 

today i received an experimental blend bottle from the lovely the_witching_hour...and i fully admit i was questioning whether this would work for me since i agreed to the swap! violet and snake oil simply doesn't sound like it would work, but it's surprisingly nice. also, i had stripped off for a nap midday, and later on when i woke up i grabbed my shirt, making a mental note that it smelled amazing. it was only after awhile that i realized the violetty experimental blend was still clinging to the material hours later!

 

edit 3:

 

i received this bottle from blaqpearl, it leaked in transit and the smell of the oil permeated the whole package. this blend is strong, thick and syrupy. it's the first experimental blend i've ever seen in an amber bottle too. the snake oil scent is definitely there, but sweetened with something i simply can't identify, especially in the drydown. blaqpearl described it to me as reminiscent of chaste moon, and i may try the two together but i don't think the notes are at all similar.

 

i may have to call in some help with this one.

Edited October 31, 2007 by wikkidraven

[Gemini noir]

Beth's Experimental Blend #1 (Fruity)

 

Beautiful! It's a red-orange blend that lasts for ages, without using much. On first applying it, I mostly noticed cinnamon and the rather-Snake-Oil-like-patchouli. It's around the time of drydown that a fruity quality emerges. That part reminded me of blackberries. There's a berry/purple quality to it. For a moment "grape" peeked out then went away. It's a spicy, warm, (and to my nose) somewhat berryish take on Snake Oil.

[LittleGreyKitten]

Hrm. I forgot to add that I ended up with the mate to my original Snake Oil Experimental Blend #1... it is from the same person, who must be a forum member but I dunno who; the second one is Snake Oil Experimental Blend #2. My original impression was "wow, Snake Oil smoothed out with something fruity". Then Madame Moriarty came out. My SN#2 is so much like it, I would say it was a prototype or something. It is like Mme Moriarty mixed with Snake Oil, and I love it. I would say the fruitiness therefore must be plum. I've been jealously hoarding both bottles but yum. I love them both.

[500ml]

I got a sniffie with a few drops remaining from the lovely wikkidraven and it's quite a lovely blend. In the vial I get fruity spice, on my skin it turns into cinnamon cake with vanilla. The vanilla stays, but it doesn't get too strong and I definitely get some woodsy notes coming and going. The oil is quite pale, a slight yellow.

 

I really like it, but I'm going to send it on to someone else so they can also experience it

Edited July 7, 2007 by porcelain

[hackess]

One of two experimental blends from wikkidraven!

 

Based on previous reviews, I'm going to guess this first one is Cinnamon Snake Oil. The color of a nice Pinot Grigio or maybe Chardonnay, it starts out beautifully spiced but heavily syruped. Not a maple syrup - just pure cane sugar molten goodness laced heavily with cinnamon and just a touch of something more pungent - clove? anise seed? Upon application, I immediately get a waft of red berries and cider. For about two minutes, it's one of my perfect scents. For those two minutes, it's everything I love about fall - dry leaves, bonfires, warm baked goods and hot apple cider. Then I start amping vanilla like whoa (not even good pure boozy vanilla extract, but boring ivory candle vanilla) and everything I love about this scent is trampled by it. If this were just slightly more sharp, I might still love it. If I could still smell cinnamon and cider and deep red berries along with the vanilla, I might still be in heaven.

 

 

Edit to add...

 

 

Second blend...dark in color, much like Smut or Snake Oil. In the imp, it's got a cherry cola vibe. It even sort of tickles my nose as though there's fizz. Wet, it's all boozy, swarthy musks...yup. It's Smut's younger sister. It's just a tiny bit softer, like she's still wearing black ballet flats instead of 5 inch heeled, knee-high, fuck-me boots.

 

Even better? I was wearing it while brushing my teeth, and the resulting scent was Green Tree Viper.

 

This one stays!

Edited July 4, 2007 by hackess

[cuervosueno]

Huh. guess I never reviewed my experimental blend. I've had for a couple of years (not long after the LUSH swap), and unfortunately, I cannot recall who I swapped with to get it.

 

But it is gorgeous! It is basically Mme. Moriarity, though perhaps a bit heavier on the patchouli, a bit more caramely too. And unlike Mme. Moriarity, it lasts forever, and such good throw that I have to be really careful how much I put it on. It is also the most complimented of all the BPAL blends I have. Once, a drunk man in a bar asked me what I was wearing, and of course I had no idea, so I described it a custom blend from a very talented perfumer in LA. He said, my god, every woman in the world should wear that!

 

anyway, I'm crazy about it, and it just gets better as it ages. I was so worried about running out that I bought a bottle of Mme. Moriarity as well, though I haven't much worn that one yet.

 

This is one of my all time favorite BPAL scents.

[ShadowMaat]

I got my decant from Wikkidraven, so it was labeled "feathered snake oil" even though according to her review, it was listed on the forum as Beth's Exp. #1.

Oopsies, that's my fault.

 

When I tried out Experimental Blend # 1 (which I eventually sold to Wikkid) it smelled a lot like Snake Oil, only richer. Kinda sweet, kinda warm& spicy, it reminded me of a lush jungle setting... with snakes. Being a fan of the Aztec pantheon, I figured "Feathered Snake Oil" was a good identifier, so I made up a cheesy label and slapped it on... and forgot to remove it when I shipped it on to Wikkidraven. Sorry for causing any confusion.

[edenssixthday]

Experimental Blend: “Coconut Snake Oil” – This is the experimental blend that’s been referred to as “Coconut Snake Oil.” This is such an awesome blend and if Beth ever sold something like this, I’d buy it by the 55-gallon drum. It smells exactly what it sounds like – sweet, coconut milk and gorgeous, aged Snake Oil. I can’t keep my wrist away from my nose. I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that this is The World’s Best Snake Oil Blend EVAR! I have to figure out a way to mimic it by layering SO with some other blend. Yum!

[hellomoonglow]

I just got a #1 on eBay. It was titled, "Feathered Snake Oil". I know that's not the real name, but it's a lovely concept! Coming from someone who does NOT like Snake Oil, it seems weird to say that I love this! When I first opened the imp, it strongly reminded me of the shore. I get some beachy notes in here, like suntan oil / coconut. On, it's quite potent, with a lot of staying power. I've had it on since 10 am and I can still smell it. It's 1:38 pm right now. That's good for me, since my skin tends to drink all oils until they disappear to nothing. Please, please purty-please make this at least an LE!

[zankoku_zen]

Decant labeled “Experimental Blend (minty)" - dark brownish-red in the vial. Faint trace of mint, especially on wet and it dries to a mix of Snake Oil, a giant hit of vanilla and dragon's blood. There is a weird stage where it smells slighty plasticky, but that could either be the SO or the vanilla on me.

 

Previously reviewed by Shollin

 

Decant labeled "Experimental Blend (unknown)" - again, dark brown in the vial. For me, again Snake Oil, vanilla and some orange blossom/neroli --- definitely citrus--- that was very prominent wet. Dried to a rich, vanilla musk. Unfortunately my skin totally ate it.

[Penance]

I don't see any reviews of this, but it could be that someone else has already reviewed it under a different name.

 

Standard issue amber bottle. This came to me with a label (obviously made by a previous owner) that said "Snake in the Grass." Deep amber oil, fairly thin in spite of its age.

 

Origin:

 

5mL from The_Witching_Hour.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

This was described to me as the lovechild of Snake Oil and Ranger v5, heavy on the Snake Oil and subtle on the other notes (and only on the drydown). I love Snake Oil and I love Ranger v5 (except for its tendency to turn peppery on me late in the drydown), so I'm really looking forward to trying this.

 

First sniff:

 

Unlike my other experimental blend (which I'd be hard pressed to find the Snake Oil in), this smells like pure Snake Oil. Very nicely aged Snake Oil at that, since it's from 2004 at the latest.

 

Wet on skin:

 

I'm starting to get a touch of woodsiness in addition to the Snake Oil now, but only if I apply the oil more heavily than I usually do for an initial test. If I just dab a little on, it smells like regular aged Snake Oil.

 

Dry down:

 

This is definitely a subtly woody version of Snake Oil.

 

I can't quite identify what sort of wood I'm smelling here. It could be oak (only the wood, no leaves; I don't get anything green from this blend in spite of its previous name). It's not pine, cedar or redwood and it's too light to be mahogany or teak. It's a medium to light wood, not a dark hardwood and it's very faint. I think that if you didn't know there was something other than Snake Oil in here, you might miss the other notes because they're blended so seamlessly.

 

I'm not sure if this is a case of different areas of my body having different skin chemistry, a matter of the amount of oil applied or an issue of body temperature (arms vs. wrists), but I swiped my wrist against the opposite arm to get some of the extra oil off before I smeared it all over my keyboard while I wrote the review and the scent on that arm is a creamy vanilla-wood scent, heavy on the vanilla. It doesn't even smell like Snake Oil, but it's beautiful.

 

I'm evidently going to have to experiment with the amount of oil I'm wearing and where I'm applying it.

 

The bottom line:

 

I really like this, although I'm wishing the wood was just a little bit stronger. The difference between this and regular aged Snake Oil is subtle, but it's there. It would fit nicely in with the Snake Pit series.

 

And on that note, I took the old label off and put my own on. Snake in the Grass is now Black Ratsnake. Why? Because I liked the idea of continuing the Lab's example of naming the Snake Pit blends and when I think of snakes that live in the woods, I think of black ratsnakes, which I saw all the time when I was growing up and have a bit of a nostalgic soft spot for. Plus, I don't think Snake in the Grass is all that accurate since there's nothing green about this blend.