The Serpentine

[writergal969]

Photographs, videos they dont do justice to the love that I feel for my girl. The quiet of this moment was special. We werent speaking; it was just a dad and his daughter together, enjoying the fleeting time of youth, and all was right in the world. I hope she remembers these special times when she looks back on her childhood. I know that I will never forget them.

Dorian, Lilith's lavender, snowdrops, and soft vanilla.

Oh my gosh, I'm first!

In the bottle: Definitely lavender, Dorian, and something slightly citrus. I don't smell the vanilla in the bottle. It smells lovely though! I'd call it clean and fresh in the bottle.

Wet: Ok, there's the vanilla. It's indeed soft--and sweet--and I think the snowdrops are giving this a slight lemon-y smell. Lavender and Dorian together are pretty much amazing, though, and this smells pretty damn good when applied.

Drydown: This now smells a little powder-y on me but NOT in a bad way. Almost a lemon-vanilla powder dusting over Dorian musks and the lavender just a the very edge of my peripheral. I would like more lavender, but it doesn't need it to be a beautiful scent. It's almost foodie at times, but then gets anchored back just this side of floral/musky.

Throw: this came out swinging, but has faded unfortunately quickly on me. As it fades, I'm mostly left with a kinder, gentler Dorian with hints of lavender.

Synopsis: This is, as everyone expected, a keeper!

[Dark Alice]

Of all the scents that spoke to me, this was it. Not only were the notes gorgeous, but the image of Puddin and Lilith reminded me of my own dad and I when we would sit on the bench and watch the clouds go by. That comfortable loving silence is something I truly miss and I was grateful to be able to obtain a scent to remind me of that.

 

Wet: Dorian, daemondrops and lavender. It smells like Lilith Victoria without the Snake Oil to balance it out. Dry...same. Aged Dorian is wonderful on me. Fresh tends to run sour on my skin.

 

Final Dry down: The soft Vanilla helps this scent immensely. Sadly, this will need aging before it becomes gorgeous on me. But it's definitely worth the wait and I am glad that I bought the bottle.

[Lorelai1945]

This has quickly jumped the ranks as one of my favorite Bpals of all time. Immediately upon opening and smelling it, I was reminded of both Lilith Victoria (because...duh) and TKO. Anddd..on the skin, it totally stays that way. It's sweet, airy lavender with just a hint of creaminess from the vanilla. It's a beautiful, cool, feminine scent, perfect for bedtime or a lovely blustery day. Because it seemed so similar to Lilith Victoria, I did a test of each on either arm, and to my surprise, I like this one better. LV comes across much more herbal and earthy when I smell it next to this, which makes sense from the Snake Oil. This is more marshmallow-y in its sweetness, which is so very similar to the amazing drydown of TKO that I love. I was worried about the Snowdrops giving it a snow vibe, which I can't usually wear, but I can't pick out anything other than lavender, Dorian, and vanilla here. The more it dries down, the more Dorian-y it seems to me. Which is another all-time favorite. It's simply amazing.

[verystarry]

Wow wow woooie. So I should start to say I am not a fan of Dorian. I know, I know. (Well maybe I am?). In the bottle all I could smell was that lavender I love so much and Dorian. Put on my skin the Dorian and lavender was such a beautiful blend together and then it got super sweet (not cloying just lovely) I had forgotten about the vanilla note until I looked it up and thought possibly it was cotton candy? But that might just be how the Dorian mixes with the vanilla and 'snow' on my skin. I LOVE this one. Initially my son had asked for all the scents Ted came up with but I'm testing them first. I think this will be great on him but I'm going to be snatching it a lot.

[mollison]

So I really enjoy Dorian, but it's not in my top ten. Something about my skin chemistry makes it turn just a bit cloying and shallow on me--not enough to not want to ever wear it, but enough that I don't reach for it when I am feeling my best (or wanting to feel my best). I love lavender in many BPAL blends, but in some it is too harsh for me (can't remember specific names, because I didn't keep those! ). Some of my BPAL faves are lavender blends are TKO, Under the Harvest Moon, and Lilith Victoria.

 

I *love* The Serpentine. More than I love Dorian. When I first put it on, I instantly smelled both TKO and Dorian (and Lilith Victoria, for obvious reasons). It could almost be simply Dorian + lavender, but there is an extra depth to it that keeps it smelling fresh and a little more complicated (I'm assuming it's the snowdrops, though my nose can't specifically identify them), so it doesn't go too cloying or harsh. I felt so pretty today wearing it. I didn't get a ton of morphing--it was pretty consistent to the freshly-applied scent, just fainter as the day went on.

 

It has mostly faded, almost 12 hours later, but I can still smell a hint of it. I actually slathered it just a bit, and it had great throw- I wouldn't say it's as light as some BPAL blends, but it's not as powerful as some, either.

 

If you like Dorian and lavender, this is a must-own. And I think it's the only lavender blend I own that doesn't make me feel sleepy, so I can wear it in the morning instead of waiting until the evening to put it on.

Edited October 12, 2016 by mollison

[brineydeep]

This one is growing on me. It's sweet vanilla lavender with a hint of bright floral which I'm assuming is the snowdrops. The snowdrops are almost aquatic in their freshness and they add a nice light touch on top of the blend; it's a great balance.

 

I can't actually remember what Dorian smells like (it turns almost straight to sugar on my skin) but it's definitely adding depth to this perfume. I smell the sugar component but there's definitely more there that I can't describe. I'm chalking that up to the Dorian portion.

 

The Serpentine is a surprise winner for me.

[Missa_Moth]

I haven't smelled Dorian yet, but this is so lovely! Sweet, snuggly, lavender bliss! This makes me feel so happy and calm which is good for my almost daily anxiety attacks. I only just received my decant today, and I just went and bought a full sized bottle!

 

I love this so much, I'm going to need a backup bottle (or two!)

Edited November 10, 2016 by Missa_Moth

[Blood onmy hands]

I love Dorian, so I like this blend (though I do prefer Dorian on its own, I think). It's the smooth, cool vanilla musk of Dorian with a calming, cool lavender and a touch of a sharper, white floral that goes a bit soapy on my skin (the snowdrops?). Pretty, clean, floral, lavender touched Dorian. Delicately vanilla sweet.

[catwoman30]

On me this smells like a man wearing old-fashioned Brut cologne, sitting in the garden next to a lavender bush while drinking a cup of black tea (that is a lot more cream and sugar than tea ). I find it to be green, herbal and creamy in a soft, comforting way.

 

While that description may sound unappealing to some it reminds me of my Daddy,gone 27 years now. He wore Brut cologne when I was very young so it brings back a lot of memories. The idea of the scent is to convey a father and daughter enjoying quiet time together and for me it captures that feeling brilliantly.

 

ETA I actually ended up washing this off as it evoked TOO many memories...I had a very complicated relationship with my father and I guess it's just too much. Off to the swap pile sadly.😖

Edited October 18, 2016 by catwoman30

[zankoku_zen]

Take Dorian. Slosh some TKO in there, and throw in a light green floral (I am assuming snow drops), and you get the Serpentine.

 

It is calm, cool, and peaceful. I can see why this is so popular. Good throw and wear length.

[freyasfae]

This has a lovely clean quality, almost soapy, but in a way I do not mind because this scent has a lot of layers to it. Also, the soapy pretty much goes away after it completely dries. Wow, I keep huffing at it, different components coming to light at different times. When I wear this with Lilith's hair gloss, I am in a haze of these loving scents.

 

I bought a bottle.

[Balame]

Dorian + Go to Sleep Darlings/Snow White + I Am Tired of Tears and Laughter. Much love. Very sugar. So fluffy. Wow.

 

This has rocketed to my favorites list. The Serpentine has a candied sweetness to it, but it's not overbearing or synthetic-smelling.

Count me among the people who like Dorian but aren't crazy about it. Here... it's just fantastic.

There's bright tea with a soft, sugared lavender and the ethereal/cool/almost tropical vanilla of Snow White and GtSD.

 

It kept reminding me of a princess, and I thought and thought about it and realized - it makes me think of Usagi from Sailor Moon.

 

This is pretty and sweet and innocent, but somehow so relatable.

It's the beautiful, nice, popular girl in high school who you're so in love with but instead of being arrogant she's down to earth and loves playing video games with you and talking about how you're both going to become pop stars in college.

 

And to top it off she's a g-damn princess y'all!!

Even if you typically go for the fierce blends you can literally hate nothing about her; you can hate nothing about this blend. Gimme more.

Edited November 8, 2016 by Balame

[Lunameth]

This on me is Snow White and lavender, and a little something extra that must be Dorian (never had the pleasure, unfortunately!). Utterly beautiful.

[Minh Scent]

I just "rescued" Serperntine from the Vietnamese Post, where it has been held hostage for more than a month. I am so glad I did, as this is a beautiful scent on me...exactly as described...lavender, vanilla and Dorian. The vanilla is so pretty, with just a whisper of sweetness.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: mmm, this is pretty. I have been on the fence about Dorian for ages, some days I love it, some days not so much. But THIS. Dorian with lavender in it is perfect. That extra shot of vanilla (and actually smells like extra white musk too) is to die for. Loving this. I thought it would be a bedtime scent, but instead I think I will wear this a ton in the spring.

 

 

Dry: Yep, gorgeous! I can get off the fence about Dorian and just wear this instead. On me it's a glorious vanilla white musk with hints of lavender, and I adore it.

[fundercat55]

This is so, so nice. A sweet, innocent, cuddly scent. Dorian, with a touch of lavender and an extra breath of sweet, white flowers. It's so calming, so lovely- elegant, but innocent. This and Baby's First Krampuslauf are not only my favorite of the Liliths this year, but are maybe two of my favorite BPTP/BPAL scents of all time.

[milo]

I LOVE this! When I seen the notes, I blind bottled ordered, as it looked kind of similar to my beloved Lilith Victoria. Icy lavender at first, then dries to a soft, comforting sweet vanilla lavender with a touch of floral. It doesn't replace Wulric or LV as my top lavender (well top everything) scents, but it is lovely in it's own right. It is different enough from TKO, too, that this warrants another bottle. I rarely do backups, but this one is climbing the ladder into my top 10.

[KezzieZ]

I hade no idea where to post a review for this. Glad I finally found the topic.

 

This was one of the main items in a Trading Post order I made. In a previous Black Phoenix order, I was given a frimp of Dorian, which I reviewed previously in the forums and really liked (there's some note I feel keeps me from loving it, but it's one of my faves so far anyway). Needless to say, when I found this in the Lilith 2016 lineup, I had to try it.

 

In Bottle: It smells like Dorian, but more floral and with a tad more vanilla. Basically, exactly what it should smell like (granted, I have no clue what snowdrops actually smell like other than floral).

 

Wet on Skin: It's sort of the same on my skin. The scent is a more floral version of Dorian, maybe a little sharper (in an almost citrus way) and less musky in general. I'd say the additions of the flowers and extra vanilla makes this more on the feminine side than regular Dorian is. I'm enjoying it so far.

 

Approx. 1 Hour Later: It's pretty much the same right now. I genuinely enjoy this scent.

 

------

 

I think I'm going to be heartbroken when this one discontinues (I may try to get an extra bottle before it does). The Serpentine smells amazing and I think it's my favorite perfume so far. The florals and extra vanilla cut Dorian in just the right way to my nose.

 

Considering the timing of the month, this may smell different on me later, but I'll be more than glad to try it out pretty often in between new stuff.

 

Additional: Since I got this review up late, I did order an additional bottle of The Serpentine before the Lilith orders closed.

[thegadaboutgirl]

This went from a shoulder-shrugging "why not" blind buy to hoard-worthy "I NEED MORE" all in one application.

 

This is a lavender Dorian, make no mistake. I love Dorian on its own, and am only just getting into the world of lavender, but it plays so beautifully here that I've been seeking out more blends like it. It was my favorite scent to sleep in, and I always had really wonderful dreams when I wore it.

 

It's soothing, not overly sweet, and incredibly calming to me. The vanilla pulls the lavender and Dorian together in a soft, pillowy hug. I haven't found anything like it.

 

As someone who cannot really commit to perfume monogamy, I did not understand the term holy grail. I'm not really a loyalist even to the scents I love and am always open to trying other things. The Serpentine is my holy grail, and now that my bottle is empty I am so sad that it's hard to come by secondhand. I would have purchased backups galore had I known I would love it so much.

Edited April 2, 2017 by thegadaboutgirl

[renfair]

This is my absolute favorite scent now, so of course I'm kicking myself for not discovering it just a few months sooner than I did when I could have ordered ALL THE SERPENTINE from the lab. Oh well. This was a review for a tester I'd been frimped from a perfectly lovely, amazing, wonderful BPALer.

First Sniff Impression: OMG YES.This is why this is so hard to find!! Amazing!

Wet in Vial: Since I haven't smelled Dorian yet, I can't tell how much is "him," but I get a wonderful black tea smell, lavender, vanilla. It's a little bit alcohol in the bottle, since it's so concentrated. [Note: I have Dorian now since writing this review, so it's obviously very heavily Dorian, which is why I love both scents almost equally.]

Drying Down on Skin: OOOOMMMMGGG This is OSSUM. It's like this amazing fruity, lavender, vanilla, tea-ish conglomeration of utter yumness. I already want a whole bottle, and it's SO HARD TO FIND.

Dry on Skin: So far this has lasted pretty well for a few hours. It's just this constant warm, lavender, vanilla amaze-bomb that keeps on giving.

Conclusion: I need to set 100 traps and hunt this sucker down. It's absolutely stunning and perfect. MUST OWN.

[dementia_divine]

In the bottle, Lilith's lavender and Dorian are very prominent.

 

On my skin, I get a blast of the most gorgeous lavender, Dorian, and a bright, chilly floral, which must be the snowdrops. After a few minutes, the vanilla begins to emerge as well, and the snowdrops note is becoming stronger.

 

During the dry stage, the vanilla increases in strength. The vanilla, snowdrops, and Dorian's musk make me think of a lavender-infused Dorian and Snow White having a baby. Both scents are favorites of mine.

 

The sweet lavender and vanilla aspect is also reminiscent of, but different from, TKO (which is another favorite of mine).

 

So it's a good thing I saw the notes, knew it would be a love, and ordered three bottles while I was studying abroad in Germany. I'm in love.

[wendyb1063]

The Serpentine is one of my all-time favorite BPALs, I think.

 

It's Dorian, amped up on the lavender and vanilla. I find it so comforting and beautiful. It's a soft, lovely lavender that is never harsh or weedy. The vanilla is marshmallow-ey, giving the entire scent the vibe of TKO mixed with Dorian.

 

I do love this and am so glad to have a bottle.