The_Witching_Hour

Brilliant! I *second* that BRILLIANT! There are a few blends that my body chemistry wreaks havoc on but smell beautiful when I apply them in my hair just shy of my scalp. This is a great way to do that!!

In the bottle: This smells like spice to me - the cinnamon and clove were more prominent, with a little musk and resin backing it up, and a faint sharp green note, probably from the vetiver. Wet: The 'cinnamon' of the amber is just a component instead of saying "Here I am!!!"........I like it, but I have to give it a chance to dry and let it waft on me a little longer before forning my final opinion. Drydown: He finally settled down and reminded me so much of the Savannah, or dry heat of the desert area of Arizona I've come to love and crave so much daily. I vacation there once a year and thankfully, The Lion will give me the opportunity to reminesce of my favorite place the remaining 50 weeks out of the year.

In the imp: cloyingly sweet apricots. Wet on skin: Almost pure apricot. There's a sharp note which may be what others are calling brandy but it isn't a hot, alcoholic smell in my opionion. Drydown: It's almost grassy, with hints of a white floral wafting in ever so randomly. This may be the 'brandy' mixing with my chemistry. The apricot is heavy and certainly dead on, though.

In the bottle: What I recognize to be Iris (baby soft smell), beautiful iris with a faint smell of sage and something else (orris? civet? I'm not familiar with either of those, so I can't say). Wet: Smells much the same as it did in the vial, but I have lost the sage all together. Dry: Still smells the same. A beautiful, light, floral, green smell. Very nice. This reminds me so much of Serge Luten's Silver Iris, which I adore.

I agree pretty much with Shelldo---Antique Lace, Snake Oil and in addition, Sleepy Moon. The Snake Pits are starting to become regulars in the round-up and have moods for each of them but as you can see.....that's another can of 'snakes' all to itself!

This is the *shee-yut*!!!! Oh, man....this is the most incredibly scented, luxurious and decadent of them all so far. It lathers and bubbly-blooms into the most fragrantly aged Snake Oil in the bath. Puddin'? You wouldn't happen to be selling these in cases, would you? SIGN ME UP!!!!!

This is also the strongest in the wrapper soap I ordered (Snake Oil and Misk U, as well) and I can hardly wait to get this one in the tub! I agree with everyone on Macha's artwork on the wrappers. STUNNING!

Tiresias opens up as a very foody, caramel-oozing scent. It stays almost all caramel until about 20 minutes into the blend tobacco just plain ole' takes over. Man, I didn't get any of the black currant or sandalwood I was looking for unfortunately----this one sure was pretty for 20 minutes, though!!!!

I have to agree with Embezel on her like or 'eh' feel on violets. The sugared part somehow makes the violet note somewhat easier for me to wear and I may end up trying to layer this with another blend.

This is a beautiful, light rose.....not in its throw but the 'sugared' part somehow tempers and rounds the rose so its smoother. It never wavers from its scent and carries ALL DAY.

When I first sniffed Dunwich in the imp, I figured it would fall into the same category as most of the aquatics I've tried. This one had a bit of interest to it before it went into the stage of just 'meh'. I wish this one would have worked for me. I was hoping one of the aquatics out of the SiA would...........

This has been a hard blend for me to put my finger on as to what notes are in it but it has such a masculine feel to it and somewhat in the ozone category. I can't pull this one off but maybe my man can.

In the bottle: Uber mint. Wet on skin: Mint and cucumbers. The mint gets tempered very lightly but the cucumber but its still UBER mint. Drydown: What lingers in this blend is the cucumber. I'm actually shocked as from the bottle and wet stage if seemed the mint would never quiet down!

WOW! A true opium scent! This is a healthy 'aldehyde' that reminds me of Chanel #5 just as another reviewer up-thread mentioned. It stays true even on the drydown! Just a smoky-patchouli, aldehyde scent that is about as robust as they come!!!

This one never changed from smelling in the bottle to application and drydown. Lots of red wine....LOTS. There were hints of honey and some myrrh. It almost has a sharp feel to it-----like a dry, red wine.

Nineveh was right on when she referred to this one in the same category as Port Royal. This is so reminiscent of PR when first applied that I would have a hard time telling the difference! When Banded Sea Snake starts to dry, a touch of mint makes itself known making this blend much lighter in feel than Port Royal. This is really beautiful! Overall, its not heavy but maintains its presence with the feeling of green marshes and somehow dries with a touch of a floral feel which I suspect is the olive leaf. Not floral per se but in this blend of marsh plants/notes it manages a balance. OUTSTANDING!!!

Oh, this is *heady*! In the vial and on I get such a beautiful bloom of caramel pipe tobacco. Rich, not overly sweet but........oh, so fragrant!! On the drydown this one just doesn't change or morph which is a plus for me! I was so hoping it wouldn't change as some of the other Snake Pits had done as I SO LOVED the opening on this one. In my personal opinion, this guy is the *perfect mate* for Miss Formula 54. I sense the pipe tobacco and cognac in this blend but without the smeared lipstick or black rose that Formula 54 touts. I will call Anaconda.....MR. F-54!

This is one of the *thickest* oils I seem to have tried to date. I, too was surprised at how little light passes through this blend. I really like Beth's cocoa blends and was excited to try it as a great addition the Pit. The cocoa is *stunning* in Boomslang. Bone-shaking, teeth-rattling, chillingly divine! I wish it would have lasted longer than 30 minutes on me. But what I'm left with is a richer feeling Snake Oil after the cocoa departs so I'm a happy camper in the drydown, as well.

WOW! This is fresh right out of the bottle and in the first 30 minutes. Fresh cut apples, a feel of mulling spices and a sense of something blooming (but not really floral----almost as if the blend will burst into juicy, ripe goodness). As it dries down, Coral Snake never shakes its sense of juiciness and continues to give you the mouth-puckering crispness that only a MacIntosh can! With the addition of subtle florals and a spiciness from blood orange and lemon peel this will be a beauty well into the Fall! Extremely WELL DONE!!!!

I kept trying to figure out what note in this reminded me of SMUT and still can't figure it out! In the bottle and the first 30 minutes it has a vanilla feel but somehow its a dry feel. I say that because I usually think of vanilla as sweet. As it begins to dry it develops a sweetness and somewhat bubble-gum feel that I always associate with SMUT. That stages only lasts about 15 minutes and the resemblence to Snake Charmer becomes very apparent! This stays close to the skin but remains stronger than some of the other members of the Pit in drydown. Very beautiful in all of its stages!!

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!!!!

How surprising! I get an 'applejuice' burst right out of the bottle and for the first 30 minutes, as well. Then the spices and amber start to warm it right up. This is another one of the Pit blends that I don't get a Snake Oil feel from but I'm sure that will change upon aging. Until then, I'll enjoy the fruits, amber and vanilla!!

Right out of the bottle and the first 20 minutes are so reminiscent of Andes Mints. At that point it doesn't seem like the Green Tree Viper will be anything BUT mint! Funny how a blend changes so much over just 30 minutes, even. The mint has calmed down and I get whiffs of green tea with a subtle lemon zest. Even on drydown it stayed much the same way and is one of the lightest feeling blends out of the Pit. Well done!

I like cassia, ginger, vanilla and of course Snake Oil. In 'fresh' Saw Scaled Viper though, the only thing I can smell is cinnamon....and man is it RED HOT! As it dries down, the cinnamon seems to temper some and a candy-ish note starts rising to the surface. I suspect that as this blend ages and the Snake Oil notes become more prominent, this will really become quite a beauty!

I usually have a difficult time wearing blends with leather but.......boy, oh boy! Western Diamondback has given me the first BPAL blend with leather that I really like. I'm going to thank the Snake Oil base for tempering the sharpness out of the leather note that ruins every other leather blend I've ever tried....WOW. I'm absolutely stunned! This blend has such a tanned feel to it. Sunny, warm and somehow 'creamy'; not dry at all. Another winner!