edenssixthday

Green Tree Viper - I tend to not like any of the notes in this blend, but of course, you never know with BPAL or with Snake Oil. I was actually surprised how nice this blend is. It's not really my cup of tea, but I have a feeling a lot of people who like clean, cool, fresh scents might really like this one. I think it would be nice for a hot summer day. The mint is the strongest note on me, with the green tea not far beneath it. I only very faintly smell the Snake Oil beneath the other notes, lending the slightest hint of creaminess to the mint and tea. The scent is very faint on my skin with virtually no throw on me, and the staying power is well below average, but for me, that's not uncommon with type of blend.

Wulric, The Wolfman - The oil separates and is really hard to blend. It's a gorgeous cocoa and vanilla scent that's musky, slightly floral, and dark. And then I smell the lavender. The lavender in this blend absolutely ruins it for me. I am so bummed out because I love the other notes, but that sneaky bit of lavender just kills it. The lavender does fade after a while, but it's still discernible throughout the entire life of the scent, and it just doesn't work for me. If Beth ever makes a similar scent without the lavender, I will be a very happy girl

Kataniya, The Clockwork Woman - I don't generally like "metal" or "electricity" notes. They're too tangy and sharp on my skin. However, those notes are tempered by the scent of soft, pretty flowers. It's pretty. But still, it's not for me.

Cottonmouth - When I was merely sniffing the various Snakes before actually testing them on my skin, this is the one I thought smelled the prettiest in the vial. It's a beautiful floral-Snake Oil scent. When I apply it, it starts off really strong with the linden and calla lily, but dries to the scent of Snake Oil with ribbon of soft, sweet florals running through it. There's not much throw or staying power, but this is really, really lovely. I tend to wear florals more in late-Spring and early-Summer and think I'll be getting some more use out of this at that time of year.

Death Adder - Holy carp, that's a load of vetiver! When I first apply this, it smells like a vetiver single note. It's strong, and dark, and very, very scary! Fortunately, the vetiver calms down after drydown. The other notes are very soft and I can barely identify them, and probably couldn't at all if I weren't aware of what was already in this blend. Vetiver always clings to my skin and overwhelms any other notes, so I'm not surprised how this is working out. It's mostly a vetiver and Snake Oil scent on me. Four hours after I applied this, I took a shower. Eight hours after that, I rolled over in bed, and caught a huge whiff of vetiver coming from the arm where I first tested it. That's 12+ hours of staying power, including survival through a shower! That's the kickassingest strong BPAL blend I've ever worn! I do like vetiver, so it's really nice after it calms down. I just wish the Snake Oil were more predominant in this one. I may have to layer this blend with my plain Snake Oil and see if it works better that way. ETA: My other review is 2.5 years old. At this point, after 2.5 years of aging, Death Adder is significantly mellower. It opens up with a gorgeous snake oil/coconut scent that instead of being overpowered by the vetiver, is simply backed-up and deepend by the vetiver, which is so subtle now that it could probably be loved even by vetiver-haters. I actually wish the vetiver were stronger upon drydown now! It's a gorgeous scent, and much more wearable than it was when it was fresh/new. I'm excited to see what more aging does to this blend. It's really lovely and I will certainly not be getting rid of this one...ever.

Habu - Of all the Snakes, this was one of the two biggest surprises for me. I don't normally like Asian-inspired scents, but I like this one a lot! After Boomslang, it's the only one I've so far that I've slathered myself in. This is the scent of Snake Oil and soft, Asian woods, including the sweet, reedy scent of bamboo. It reminds me a lot of what you might get if you layer SO and Holiday Moon, minus the lunar oils. It is soft and sweet, light enough to wear in the summer, and heavy enough for winter wear. It has a lovely level of throw and gets prettier and prettier the longer it's on. It has the perfect level of throw for me, and although I smell no SO when I'm sniffing my wrist up close, I do catch SO-like wafts around me when I'm wearing this blend. The staying power is above average. I want a bottle of this one!

Hope - I love rose, so I was really hoping I'd love this scent...and I DO! Other reviewers noted tea rose, and while I smell tea rose, I am positive there are other roses in this. I smell a hint of the soft, round rose used in Venus. I also smell the deep, bright rose of Rose Red. Likewise, I'm almost positive that I smell the sweet, white rose from Havisham. I love the way the rose and sugar interact. The sugar gives the rose a beautiful, soft creaminess that I've never encountered with rose before. It does feel like the rose overpowers the sugar more than I'd like, but it's still just gorgeous. It lasts for a nice long time on my skin, and the level of sillage is absolutely impeccable. This smells beyond amazing when layered with her lovely sister, Faith.

Saw-Scaled Viper - When I first apply this, it's almost entirely red ginger -- enough that it feels like a single note of it. As it dries down, the ginger mellows significantly and becomes a gorgeous blend of cinnamon and cassia, with the spicy ginger and creamy SO backing it all up. Now, I don't normally like cinnamon or cassia, but wow, they blend so gorgeously with the rest of the notes. It's still not a blend I'd find myself reaching for often because of just *how* spicy it is, but I think I'll grab it on occasion because it really is a fabulous spicy scent. The staying power is really strong and the throw is absolutely perfect.

Meskhenet, The Vulture Maiden - This opens up with a really strong blast of frankincense and since I normally love frankincense, I'm surprised that I don't like this at all. Once the blend dries down and the frankincense fades a bit, it's still predominantly a frankincense blend, but the hyssop and hibiscus move to the forefront and it starts to smell beautifully floral and sweet. It's got really great throw and staying power, but the scent is really dry, which may be the reeds and palm, and overall, it's just not for me. But it's still nice.

Asp Viper - This is gorgeous. It is one of the best Snake Oil blends. It is also the first perfume blend (not just by BPAL, but by anyone!) where the almond doesn't disappear upon drydown. While it fades and isn't as bright as it is upon application, the almond scent stays on my skin for the entire wear length of the perfume oil. Upon drydown, I also smell the myrrh in this blend and it adds a lovely, resinous huskiness to the overall blend. I definitely need a full bottle of this!

Faith - I adore violet, so I had high hopes for this one and yet I was completely unprepared for just how stunning and amazing it turned out to be. It's such an incredibly pretty violet and the sugar notes blend beautifully with it, just like it's a violet pastille, or C. Howard's Violet Mints. I am in love with this! It's so incredibly simple and yet so very pretty. It lasts for a long time and the level of throw is really nice. Even better is the result when I layer Faith with her sister, Hope. I love these twins!

Zarita, The Doll Girl - This opens up strongly with the sugared cream note. It's very sweet and creamy. The orange blossom lends a soft, powdery floral aspect to the blend. Unfortunately, the iris clashes with the other notes. It smells really bitter and sweet and definitely doesn't work on me.

Boomslang - My first reaction this was *SWOON*FAINT*KATHUNK*. This is amazing! It's gorgeous! It's a stunning and stellar scent. On my skin, it's basically Snake Oil with lots of bitter cocoa and the occasional surprise waft of teak. I don't smell the rice milk as a distinct note at all. This fades more quickly on me than regular Snake Oil, but most cocoa/chocolate scents don't stick to my skin, so that's normal. I am very surprised by this blend and I absolutely adore it.

Banded Sea Snake - This is stunning! Based on the description alone, I would have never expected I'd love this one. It's like all the parts I loved about Cthulhu -- and none of the parts I disliked -- were blended with Snake Oil to create a lovely, unique, and pretty scent that is really versatile. I could see being able to wear this in almost any context. Sadly, the wear length on this one was brief when it was on my skin. But some of it got on the collar of my coat, and three days later, I can still smell it when I put my coat on.

Temple Viper - This is wonderful! It's incredibly difficult to describe. It's resinous, floral, slightly husky and G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S! It is really faint on my skin, but gorgeous in my hair, with a nice level of throw and really impressive staying power. This is definitely bottle-worthy.

Australian Copperhead - Even before I applied it, I kept catching wafts of the scent from the imp that was tucked in my pocket -- that's how strong it is! When I first apply this, it's a very bright fruit scent that is very fresh -- like apple. It's also slightly spicy and creamy, and upon drydown, the smoked vanilla comes out to play and is one of the stronger notes. After about 45 minutes, the fruitiness fades and it's less bright and more mellow and creamy. At this point, it's a nice blend, but nothing really special. I can definitely smell the Snake Oil in this blend, which I couldn't in some of the others. It's a nice scent, evocative of late-Spring, but not really unique enough for me to seek out more.

Coral Snake - This scent opens up with lots of apple. Apple, apple, apple. Interestingly, the apple doesn't turn rancid or sour on me as it will usually do. Upon drydown, I can smell the sweetness of the blood orange and the plumeria comes out also. I wish the plumeria was more evident, as it's one of the most beautiful floral scents in the world, and it's rarely used in BPAL blends. But I digress... There is a hint of spice in this blend -- a red-hot spice -- and I am really perplexed as to where it's coming from since none of the notes in the scent description are spicy. There must be a little somethin' somethin' in this blend that Beth didn't tell us about! The Snake Oil in this scent is faint and barely there. Overall, this is a skin scent as there's barely any throw and the wear length is about average.

Priala, The Human Phoenix - OMG! THIS IS GORGEOUS! I am absolutely head-over-heels crazy about this scent. I don't normally like cinnamon notes, but the fact that it's cinnamon bark and not straight cinnamon is what I'm guessing makes this something that's really stunning on me. The cinnamon and myrrh notes are perfectly blended and balanced. As the blend dries down, the smoke note really starts to come out more, and while I don't normally like smoke, I am nuts about it in this blend. This just gets better and better the longer it stays on my skin. I can't get enough of it's resinous, woody spiciness. I definitely want a bottle of this as my main myrrh scent. This is my favorite of the Freaks. My favorite from the CD line so far, in fact.

Tiresias, The Androgyne - This opens up as a very promising, sweet, foody scent. For a minute I'm positive that caramel might finally work on me. Then, almost instantly, the red sandalwood and patchouli blast out above the sweet caramel scent, and it's pungent and piercing. The throw is incredibly strong, harsh, and bitter. This is a really weird scent: it's bitter and woody, yet there's a strong current of sweetness swirling among the dark scents. There's the slight scent of cinnamon spice in this blend. I'm sure this may work on the right person, but it's really wonky on me.

The Parliament of Monsters - This is incredibly dusty and perfumey. I wish I got more of the opium smoke, but sadly, it's mostly dust and incense and doesn't work on me. The level of throw is moderate and the staying power is average

King Cobra - This is the one I was most excited for, and sure enough, it's a winner. It's probably my favorite among the Snakes and is definitely the most classic, beautiful and versatile of the scents. It's earthy and incensy. It's gorgeous! It's sort of like a cross between SO and Xiuhtecuhtli with its resinous and incensey dry sweetness. The level of throw is just perfect, but when it fades, it disappears almost instantaneously and leaves behind a very, very faint trace of plastic, but it's so faint I just really don't care, especially considering how amazing the rest of the scent is. The wear length is about average. I don't normally like incense scents, but this one is simply exquisite. I've said this a few times about BPAL, so take it with a grain of salt, but right now, I think this may be the best BPAL scent EVAR!!! It's definitely my favorite of the Snakes and before it goes away, I am stocking up on bottles!

Eshe, A Vision of Life-In-Death - The "tomb dust" in this scent definitely scared me -- made me think of The Rat King. And sure enough, it opens up with a strong dusty scent, but very quickly turns into a gorgeous, deep floral. The jasmine is barely there, so people who are afraid of jasmine (like me!) don't be afraid of this one! This scent reminds me a lot of Shroud and would fit beautifully into the GC as a Funereal Oil. The staying power is very impressive, and the sillage is impeccable -- I catch lovely, soft wafts of it, but it's never overwhelming or strong. It's just so beautiful. Yes, I like this one a lot!

Faiza, The Black Mamba - Oh wow, this is sooo pretty! It's predominantly a honey blend on me, and thankfully, it's white honey, which is the only honey note that works on my skin. It's a really difficult blend to describe, but it's sweet, slightly fruity, very clean, fresh, and simultaneously sultry. I can't stop smelling my wrist! I don't smell the jasmine, bergamot, or gardenia at all (which makes me very happy!) I love this blend. I just wish it threw a little stronger, and had better staying power. Still, I'll wear it and very much enjoy it.

Thalassa, The Galapagos Mermaid - This is a gorgeous aquatic scent. The ocean notes are the dominant notes and they smell lovely as they're boosted and deepened by the frankincense. There's a sense of "perfuminess" to this blend that I don't normally like, but it works with this blend to make it smell very ocean-like. The benzoin adds a very slight hint of sweetness, but it's faint and doesn't take over the ocean scent at all. This is beautiful and I imagine that people who love aquatics will really enjoy this blend. I really love this scent and hope that a lot of other people do, too.

Anaconda - This is a very nice scent, but not for me. I would definitely recommend it, however, to the sweet/foody lovers out there. I don't smell much of the Snake Oil in it. Rather, it reminds me a lot of some of the heavier foody scents like Gluttony and Cockaigne. It's very buttery/butterscotchy, chocolatey, caramely, and ultra-rich. I tend to not like any of the forementioned scents in my perfumes, so it wasn't a surprise that it didn't work on me, but I wish I liked foody scents more because it seems like a spectacular foody scent. Then again, since I can't buy a 55 gallon drum of it, I'm glad I didn't fall head-over-heels for it. It also faded on me rather quickly (as most foody/gourmand scents do).