The Serpent in the Lilacs

[doomsday_disco]

Spring’s first lilac branches dunked in 3-year aged Snake Oil.

[patina]

In the bottle I can smell a pollen rich floral mingling with the snake oil. Already this is a beautiful spring scent.  I imagine this will make a lot of people happy. 

 

On, the lilac comes out strong and the SO is making it even louder. I'd compare it to the world's most amped up spring floral drier sheets, except the lilac is way better than that.

 

The closest comparison I can make is Cottonmouth, but they're not that close. Verdict so far: lovely but my skin amps it and turns it into something nearly medicinal.

Edited March 11 by patina

[OxfordComma]

Dear God this is so pretty. I knew I was gonna love it, being an unrepentant hoe for lilac, but holy crapola is it good. It does remind me of Cottonmouth! Like Cottonmouth but stuffed with big glorious lilacs. It has that same kind of smoothness. Between this and L'Homme Fut Solitaire BPAL has been killing it with the lilac scents this year. Stunning. I'll be thinking very hard about a backup. Great throw! 

[VioletChaos]

I love the Lab's lilac note, but it's also very much its own, singular thing, and so I wasn't sure what to expect in how it would play with Snake Oil. 

But I needn't have feared.

In the bottle and through to initial drydown, the two elements blend and support each other without much in the way of morphing. I am a little shocked and how well-balanced this is through the whole application process, actually, because florals can be quite high-pitched and SO is very deep, but there's something symbiotic about this blend where the strength is greater than the individual components. It's *so* well-blended, that I almost immediately cannot pull apart the individual notes, which is its own special pleasure for me and my (overly?) discerning nose.

In all, the scent could be a good gateway for both those that sometimes find florals too intense or Snake Oil too intense, as the notes help tamp each other down. It has a solidly medium throw, so test lightly before you see how much you'll amp it.

I am very enthused about this scent and it's only a matter of just how many extra bottles I'll need! 

[Lucchesa]

The Serpent in the Lilacs is mostly lilac on me. Beautiful, stick your head in your neighbor’s bushes and inhale lilac. I love this note. The SO is very much a backing note, at least now, though I suspect aging will make it more prominent. It’s mainly making the innocent springtime note feel a little deeper and sexier. I knew this would be magic and I think it’s only going to get better.  

[Little Bird]

I didn't expect to love The Serpent In The Lilacs as much as I do.  In fact, I didn't think I would like this at all, because I tend to prefer lilac as a single note, which I already own plenty of, and I couldn't imagine lilacs mixed with Snake Oil because lilac is so innocent and sweet smelling to me where Snake Oil is dark and sensual.  I should never doubt a Snake Oil flanker.

Lilac can either have a baby blue hued purple and honey feel to it or it can smell dark purple and a little sharper while still being honeyed and noticeably lilac, and this one reads as the dark purple to me.  I think the slightly sharper lilac works better for this blend anyhow because it feels more grownup to me.

The first time that I wore this one, I got some of Snake Oil's patchouli, but the second wear had more Snake Oil vanilla and didn't notice any earthiness.  Deep purple lilac, just a little sharp, but softened by the natural sweetness of lilac and a vanilla that's slinky, smooth, shadowy, and sensual rather than super sweet.  Grownup vanilla, not cake or frosting or sugar.  A snake lounging happily in the center of a lilac bush in full bloom.

[gentle-twig]

The serpent in the lilacs is true to its name. The lilacs here are soft and hazy, lacking the tactile quality of some other ljlac blends like Eusapia. But they are definitely lilac! Among them slithers patchouli, acting just how I like it. Nothing gnarly or husky here, just a little bit of shimmering green sharpness, which in a snake context I might describe as “hissy,” which I get more often with the lab’s “green patchouli” or “patchouli leaf” blends. Vanilla and musk soon join the cloudy lilac and feel like very natural companions. I agree w one of the above reviewers that the vanilla feels slinky, and the musk is silvery, cool, and clean without going soapy. The sleek musk, silky vanilla, and flickering patchouli make this feel very modern and chic rather than blousy and romantic, as I expected. I can basically get the patchouli, lilac, vanilla, and musk in turns throughout the wear. 

 

I ordered this decant as a concession to my twin, but it turns out I like it much better than they do. It’s just so easy, breezy, and undeniable to me. Pure lilac bliss w just a whisper of danger. This and The Serpent in the Carnations were my first encounters with the legendary Snake Oil and while TSitC didn’t work on me, this makes me excited to try more snakey blends !