lizardqueen

This is interesting! I expected it to remind me of Bastet for obvious reasons, but I'm finding it more reminiscent of Bilquis--I assume they must have the same honey note. Bast is a bit cooler than either of the other scents named, and as it dries down something (I assume it's the honey, which doesn't always work on me, but it could also perhaps be the amber) is wanting to go just a bit powdery on me. Mostly, though, I'm just getting a nice myrrh/amber scent that stays fairly close to the skin.

Reviewing the original version; bought a bottle from the Etsy trunk show a couple of years ago. In the bottle, this seems to my nose like a boozy, woody vanilla, but it's on my skin where it really sings. Spicy vanilla, black coconut (which I read as more dry and toasted, as opposed to soft and creamy), and vetiver. Odds are good that if you're not a fan of vetiver, this won't be your thing, but I quite like vetiver, so this is a favorite of mine. It may be the closest to unisex a vanilla-coconut scent can get; also, there's something about it that's always seemed kind of pirate-y to me, which I dig.

In the bottle and on me, wet: juicy red apple with the tropical flowers hanging out way in the background, just enough to complexify things. (Yes, I know "complexify" isn't a word!) This sweetens as it dries, and the citrus comes out just a bit at the top. Creamy gardenia is at the core, and my brain wants to read coconut into things, but I think it's just misinterpreting a generally tropical vibe as coconut. This is really interesting. I'm not getting any Snake Oil out of it at all at the moment, but I bet it'll age beautifully. In the meantime, this will be another nice summer snake, I'm thinking.

2016 version: Hello gorgeous! Wet, this is very reminiscent of Velvet without the sandalwood: strong vanilla cocoa with just a hint of spice. Once it dries down, it's the closest to Snake Oil Plus of any of the snakes I've tried so far this go-around: creamy Snake Oil with a hint of cocoa. I don't think I'm getting the teakwood at all, but I don't mind; this is really lovely.

In the bottle: huh--what I believe is the olive leaf stands out the most On me, wet: soapy, green, fresh--so much so that as Little Bird mentioned, it almost seems like mint. As it dries down, it starts to mellow out, and I think the Snake Oil starts to peek out at the bottom. Dry: my skin seems to swallow a lot of it up (though it's also possible my nose is getting tired), but overall it seems to stay put in the mossy aquatic zone with just a hint of snakiness--so, basically, does what it says on the label. It's not really my jam, but I didn't buy it for me, so that's okay.

Looks like I never reviewed the previous version of Australian Copperhead, which I'm not terribly surprised by: I tried it, registered "cat pee," and ran away. Upon re-release, though, the notes still appealed to me so much that I decided to try again. The acai berry really stands out in the bottle and fresh on my skin. As it begins to dry, something started registering to my nose as "dryer sheets"--could be the neroli or the amber. And then... oh... oh, no... It's not cat pee--it's scented cat litter. I don't actually buy scented cat litter, but I've used it on occasion when cat-sitting, so take it with a grain of salt, but that's where my mind is going. If I press my nose up to the spot on my hand where I applied the oil, I can separate the scents out somewhat: a powdery sort of floral over a vanilla base. (I'm not getting the acai at all anymore.) But if I just wave my hand vaguely toward my face? Cat litter. Stupid body chemistry. There are plenty of other snakes in the pit, of course, but I'm still bummed.

This is a hell of a morpher on me! First on, I get a fizzy mandarin with a hint of almond/marzipan underneath. As it dries down, the myrrh comes out more, and then it goes through this weird interim phase where it's like Smarties over a myrrh base. Once that settles down--basically, once drydown is complete--it does feel somewhat like a lovely creamy mandarin note over a light Snake Oil. Seems like it will be a nice snake for the summer!

Okay, so, I've been paying at least vague attention to every Lupercalia since 2008. How in the world has it taken me this long to try Red Lantern? Testing the 2015 version here. Wet, I get caramel with spice and something that reads as incense. As it dries down, the coconut comes out more, but beyond that, there's warmth, and the slightest tinge of smokiness. This is an incredibly well-blended scent; if I really try I can maybe pick out the first four notes (though who knows to what extent that's just me telling myself I can), but mostly it's just warm, spicy, and sensual. I keep huffing my wrist.

I was concerned about the lemongrass in this one, and my initial sniff confirmed my fears--I mostly just got lemongrass layered over something warm. Upon application, I got lemongrass over patchouli, both of which are fine scents, but not entirely what I was hoping for. As it dried down, though, the other notes began to bloom: in particular, the coconut came out to balance out the lemongrass, and the amber base just sort of warmed everything up. I don't get the other three notes directly, but they're clearly there, adding sweetness and spice and more warmth. On dry-down, I actually think I'm liking this more than I expected to!

Initially this is primarily black amber on me--not that I necessarily know that note specifically, but it's amber-ish with a hint of something that reminds me of black musk. The jasmine floats over that, and then the vanilla is underneath, not really obvious, just enough to sweeten the package. As it dries down, everything starts to blend together even more, and what I'm left with is a lovely, close-to-the-skin scent that evokes a warm spring breeze ruffling delicate petals. This is arguably a light spring companion to the summertime deliciousness that is Lilith and the Jarocho (one of my all-time favorites), which I suppose makes sense, given that the first two notes of that one are jasmine and vanilla. (I had to look that up.) The more I think about this, the more it's growing on me; when it was wet, I wasn't so sure. The only problem now is that I can't get my decant back open to try it again.

Oh... oh my. Oh MY. I thought there was no way this would work on me, given that honey sometimes goes plasticky on my skin, and cinnamon can sometimes go in the direction of generic Christmas Spice. But early reviews were so good that I thought I'd give it a shot. On me, wet and dry, this is just a lovely, sweet patchouli, and it is just perfect--the patch I didn't know I was looking for but am so glad to have found. Very, very nice!

Huh. This is definitely a morpher. Wet, I get the leaves, with perhaps a bit of sharpness, maybe tinged with a bit of sweet red (currant?). Then dry-down begins, and the ambergris comes out, quite strong at first, then fading into a soft perfume-y skin scent. Lovely on the right person, I'm sure, but not, I think, for me.

Sweet berry-misted Christmas trees! I can't pick out any particular notes beyond that: evergreen woods with a hint of berries. It's warm and sweet and green and just lovely.

Oh, this is fun! I had no idea what to expect--Smut has lots of musks and went straight-up feral on me, but somehow I still thought Chaotic might be okay. And my optimism has been rewarded! This doesn't actually strike me as particularly musky; it seems green and herbal, something plucked out of a kitchen herb garden just a couple of minutes ago. There's something up high that my brain keeps trying to call mint but that must be the mastic. This is much more smooth and green than I'd have expected from a scent called Chaotic, but I'm okay with that!

Hmmm... "shimmering" is a good word, especially in the imp. On my skin, it makes me think pearly clouds (or gates?): it's a clean scent, a bit soapy, perhaps. If I try, I can make out the honey (thin and pale) and what I might have called lily but which actually must be the acacia. Honey often goes plasticky on me, and that's true here, but only while the spot on my skin is still wet. Once it dries down, though, I just get that pale, clean, not-quite-soapy scent. Maybe a bit too "goody-two-shoes" for my tastes, but I look forward to seeing how it blends with the other scents in this series!