arabella

First Impression: Chocolate Ganache. Dries down to: No change. Additional Comments: This is richly decadent. I don'tk now if I'd wear this but whenever I get a chocolate craving, I'll go straight for this. I get the slightest hint of the teakwood and I think it's what keeps the cocoa from being too cloying. This may be Beth's best chocolate scent yet. Lasted: Sadly, just an hour. Rating: 4.5 out of 5

First Impression: Vanilla Mint. Dries down to: Doesn't change at all on me. Additional Comments: I never get the green tea or bergamot notes specifically. I'm not a big fan of mint but there are times when nothing else will do. This blend is made for those times. It's like an olfactory grasshopper cocktail. I think it will make a great room scent - especially, in summer. Lasted: About an hour or so. Rating: 3.5 out of 5. Comment on the Snake Pit series as a whole. For some reason, unlike Snake Oil itself, none of the series had much staying power on me. If it had, each one would have been rated at least one point higher.

First Impression: Juicy melons. Dries down to: A complex, melony blend - more honeydew than cantaloupe or watermelon. Additional Comments: None of the other notes in this blend make a solo appearance at any time. There's a floral veil over the fruits and the whole is very misty. It's a beautifully balanced scent - perfect for late spring and early summer. Lasted: A couple of hours. Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

First Impression: Smoky herbal - cold and forbidding. Dries down to: Stays green, but not a bright fresh green; rather more of a 'dying stems with dirt still on them' green - there's nothing floral about this blend at all. I also don't get any ozone or aquatic feel from it. Additional Comments: This particular combination is not for me. It does get tamer but stays forbidding; then, ultimately, it turns muddy on me. I've found that earthy blends don't usually do anything for me. Lasted: Only about an hour. Rating: 2 out of 5

First Impression: Very dry musk. Dries down to: The musk settles down a bit and the tea and tobacco start to emerge but it's still dry and there's no florals or fruit at all. Then, it settles into something dry, dark and musty before totally fading away. Additional comments: If any of the fruits or florals had made an appearance, I'd probably give this a chance but, alas, this is not a match for me, especially since it fades so quickly. It was gone within the hour. Hopefully, aging will help this blend. Lasted: Less than an hour. Rating: 1 out of 5

First Impression: An airy, floral oriental. Dries down to: Becomes more markedly floral - definitely oriental in tone. Additional Comments: Cherry Blossom becomes the dominant note but it blends together beautifully with the plum blossom and wisteria. This is a nice scent for spring. It has a touch of sophistication to it and I can imagine a young woman wearing it to her prom. Lasted: A few hours. Rating: 4 out of 5

First Impression: Burnt Sugar. Dries down to: The musk and woods emerge and tone the sweetness down. I get no florals or berries at all. Additional Comments: I'm confused by this one. Normally, any type of sugar turns burnt and amps like crazy on me. This time it amped for about 30 seconds when I first applied it and then totally disappeared. It stays slightly woody after that - no orchid, violet or rose (which also amps like crazy on me) or any of the berries. Finally, after an hour or so, a tiny hint of rose appeared. The good thing is that this blend doesn't make me gag; the bad thing is that it's a totally wussy bore on me. Oh well, you can't win them all. Lasted: Most of the day. Rating: 2.5 out of 5

First Impression: A non-floral oriental blend. Dries down to: No change. Additional Comments: This is very much tea on me with a very slight bit of the green sandalwood. It's nice but there's no "wow" to it for me. I have enough other oriental blends that I like better. Lasted: 1-2 hours. Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

First Impression: Floral tea. Dries down to: Settles down a bit but stays much the same. Additional Comments: The red currant is the key to this blend. It lends a brightness to the florals. Unfortunately, it really fades quite quickly leaving a subtle, fruity floral that will be very pretty in the spring. Lasted: A couple of hours. Rating: 3 out of 5

Tangerine, pikaki, tonka, ti leaf, jasmine, opoponax, and benzoin. First Impression: Tangerine. Dries down to: The tangerine disappears and a minty note with an underlying hint of tobacco creeps in. Additional comments: This one totally confounds me. I know there's no mint or tobacco but I smell both notes. The tangerine is very fleeting and the rest of the notes just seem to muddle together into a pipe tobacco scent. Lasted: A few hours. Rating: 2 out of 5

First Impression: A very light, soft floral. Dries down to: Stays much the same. Additional Comments: This one is a surprise because honey usually amps greatly on me and I can barely detect it here. The blend has an oriental feel, probably due to the osmanthus and ginger, but it's very light and subtle. It's pretty but I don't like it enough to get a bottle; especially, since it doesn't last long. Lasted: An hour or so. Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

First Impression: I'm not really sure how to describe this. There's a hint of nectarine but that's all I can identify. Dries down to: This one doesn't change much. Additional Comments: This is very well blended but too slight for my taste. It would suit a young girl much better. Lasted: 2-3 hours. Rating: 3.5 out of 5

First Impression: Diluted honey. Dries down to: Watery, minty honey. Additional Comments: Honey doesn't usually work well with my skin but it's nicely controlled in this blend. The seaweed adds an interesting dimension here. I wouldn't get a bottle but I'll definitely keep the imp. Lasted: Most of the day. Rating: 2.5 out of 5

First Impression: Citrus Punch. Dries down to: The citrus fades quickly and a scent not unlike shoe polish emerges. After a while, I do pick up on the violet, also. Additional Comments: I'm guessing it's the patchouli that's making this smell like shoe polish. I never get any nectarine, ylang ylang or amber. Ultimately, it turns into a very faint violet and patchouli muddle. Lasted: Several hours. Rating: 2.5 out of 5

First Impression: Soft creamy amber. Dries down to: This one stays soft and slightly powdery with a hint of cream and lotus blossom. The teak anchors this blend and gives it a tiny bit of an edge. Additional Comments: This is the aftermath of love in the afternoon - a very quiet, peaceful scent but one with promise of more to come. Lasted: 1-2 hours. Rating: 4.5 out of 5

First Impression: A cherry tart. Dries down to: The musk becomes more prominent and the cherry fades quite a bit. Additional Comments: This is actually a lot better than I'd expected. I can't pick out the vanilla, cardamom or caramel, specifically, but they seem to give depth to the whole. This is not going to be one of my faves but it'll make a nice change when I'm looking for something different. So far, it's my favourite of all the Enrageds. Lasted: Several hours. Rating: 4 out of 5.

First Impression: Herby floral. Dries down to: The herbs soften a bit while the floral blend becomes more complex. Additional Comments: This is one of the nicer floral blends. It's not "in your face" or sweet and cloying. The musk is a bed for the flowers to rest on while the incense is a soft, wispy cover. This particular combination of flowers works really well as a whole without any one of them taking the spotlight. I can't pinpoint any one of them even after reading the components. On me, however, it is a bit too shortlived - fading away after only a couple of hours. If I had to use only one adjective for this blend it would be "ethereal". Lasted: 1-2 hours. Rating: 3.5 out of 5

First Impression: Fruity - maybe a watery peach. Dries down to: Starts getting more complex, changing every minute. Settles down to a gorgeous, fresh vibrant scent. Additional Comments: I really like this one. None of the individual notes stand out, they just all sing together beautifully. It's rich but not heavy, fruity but very fresh, with just a kiss of sunshower. The mental image I got from this blend was of that first second when the sun emerges from behind the clouds on a gloomy day - very uplifting and a new fave. Lasted: Only an hour or so. Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (Would've been 5 out of 5 if it lasted longer.)

First Impression: Soft Floral. Dries down to: Doesn't change much except for becoming softer. Additional Comments: This is a lovely floral blend. I tend to be leery of gardenia but here it's tempered beautifully by the other florals. The sandalwood gives it an edge and keeps it from becoming a "perfume-y" floral - if that makes sense. Unfortunately, it doesn't have much staying power on me. Lasted: 2-3 hours. Rating: 3.5 out of 5

First Impression: Peppermint. Dries down to: Vanilla starts blossoming and gives the peppermint a richness while taming it down. Additional Comments: I'm not really a big mint fan but every once in a while I get a craving. This will fill that craving quite nicely. Lasted: A couple of hours. Rating: 3 out of 5

First Impression: Very faint, sweet mint with something woody underneath. Dried down to: Did not change at all - just got fainter. Additional Comments: I don't know anything about aconite other than it's poisonous. I have no idea what it smells like. I usually amp cedar so I'm surprised it's barely there in this blend. I do pick up on the balsam but, again, it's very faint. This one's just not for me. It's too insipid on my skin. Lasted: A couple of hours. Rating: 2 out of 5

First Impression: Soft, cool amber. Dries down to: A very faint touch of something sweet emerges, like a quick dusting of powdered sugar. There's also a hint of pine. Additional Comments: This one is more of an image scent rather than one where I can pick out dominant notes. It's liking walking through the park in early November after a rainstorm; it's unseasonably warm and the leaves are thickly underfoot and still brightly colored. Lasted: A few hours. Rating: 3.5 out of 5/

First Impression: Ozone. Dries down to: Just becomes softer and very quiet - like the countryside blanketed by snow. Additional Comments: The visual image I get is of standing in the open doorway on a winter afternoon up at the cottage and looking out at the freshly fallen snow that's sparkling in the weak sunlight. It's very fresh but doesn't really feel cold until you step out into it. Lasted: A few hours. Rating: 3.5 out of 5

First Impression: Chrysanthemums. Dries down to: The plumeria joins the chrysanthemums at center stage and the rest of the notes form the choir. Additional Comments: This is another very pretty floral but it's not quite unique enough nor does it last long enough to warrant a full bottle purchase. I'm pleased that the tuberose doesn't amp up too much on me and I quite like the underlying smoky feel of this blend. If I were just starting out with BPAL, I would get a full bottle but I already have several pretty florals in my repertoire. Lasted: 2-3 hours. Rating: 4 out of 5.

First Impression: Sweet, hot, sugar syrup. Dries down to: A chemical note settles over the syrup and turns it into a rancid "get it off me right now" scent. Additional Comments: I have no idea which note or combination of them is causing this blend to turn horrendous on me since none of them are normally dealbreakers but I definitely won't be wearing this one - ever. Lasted: Way too long. Rating: 1 out of 5