Serpent's Kiss

[impadua@aol.com]

Seething with passion, yet utterly cold-blooded. Dragon’s blood, vetivert and spice.

I love nearly anything with Dragon's Blood that BPAL makes, so I am anticipating a good experience with this.

WET: Spicy, sweet, but not really a warm scent. Very interesting.

ON: There is the Dragon's Blood, sweet, dark, and the spice again (cinnamon?), and what is making this a little....distant? Not warm and enveloping like most Dragony scents...

After A While: This is not the average Dragon's Blood mix scent, it does make me feel a little detatched, kind of like a lover who leaves and doesn't care how you feel about it, who will call again, knowing you will say yes, and then doesn't show up, but knows you will let them in again another time.

I like this scent. Cold blooded lust.

[The_Merf]

In the imp: Wow, this smells like straight vetivert. I think I can only smell a whiff of dragon's blood because I know I'm supposed to be looking for it. This is very earthy vetivert, and I assume that some of the earthiness is coming from the spice mix.

 

Wet: This does not change much from the imp.

 

Drydown and wear: My skin likes spices, and true to form, warms this scent up considerably. This smells like warm earthy vetivert, with almost no dragon's blood at all. Vetiver/t is one of those notes that I have started to like less and less, and it needs to be blended with something for me to find it appealing. The DB might have worked, but it is washed out on my skin.

[forspecial_plate]

This is quite wonderful....I get along just fine with vetiver, and although I'm not crazy about dragon's blood, this is one of the rare blends where it works for me. For the first half hour/45 minutes, the dragon's blood predictably tries to take over, although I can smell the vetiver and definitely spices (cinnamon, mostly) patiently biding their time. Then, for a long while, Serpent's Kiss becomes a swirling, slithering dance of notes, seeming to show off each one at intervals. I know we talk a lot about scents smelling like incense. This is one scent that really tricked me a couple times into thinking I had lit some incense and forgot.

 

Much later, like 3 hours or more, the scent is still going strong. It's mostly spices now, and cassia is really strong. I don't know if it has both cinnamon and cassia, but now I'm getting mostly cassia with, I swear, a smidge of ginger. I can still sense the vetiver providing a solid base for the other notes.

 

I definitely agree with the Blood Moon comparisons, although this scent seems to last longer, and Blood Moon loses a lot of spice as it dries/fades (the musk comes out stronger), whereas Serpent's Kiss stays very spicy for a long time.

[QueenFae]

Whoa! This is a really REALLY strong blend!! It is very red indeed, very spicy, and very in your face.

 

This smells mainly of dragon's blood with a very strong black pepper base. There is a bit of the vetiver that shows itself as well, but this is mainly a pepper blend. The combination of the pepper and dragon's blood smells a bit like cinnamon.

 

Unfortunately, pepper and vetiver are two of my biggest fragrance enemies. But, I have a feeling the boy will love this.

[Trish]

Vetivert is definitely the dominant note in this on me, which is rather surprising since usually dragon's blood would emerge the victor. After a while the dragon's blood and spice do emerge, but the dirtiness of the vetivert remains the most apparent note. In some ways this reminds me of the early stages of Bloodlust but minus the patchouli.

 

I don't mind vetivert, but this is a bit too much for me. I don't mind it, but I must prefer Bloodlust.

[LadyCrow]

In the imp: Dirt. In a nice way.

 

Wet: Slightly citric dirt. Ooh, there's dragon's blood on the ground.

 

Drydown: There's a brief bloom of dragon's blood through the vetivert, creating a sensual, feral combination. This serpent's tongue isn't just for show, apparently! Then, as the scent warms on my wrist, the cinnamon takes over and sort of brackets the vetivert (and gets a little bit warm on my skin -- this is a definite keeper, but not a slatherer). Cloves are in here, maybe -- I agree with whoever mentioned a root cellar. This is autumnal to me, but like an autumn bonfire in full roar.

[Musamea]

in imp and wet: vetivert, vetivert, vetivert. With a bit of the peppery dragon's blood in the background.

 

dry: Oh damn, I smell like dirt. *goes off to scrub arm*

[modernsaints]

Predominantly dragon's blood, with a touch of spice - mmm - and then something still spicy, but sour, in a dirty sort of way. (Spoiler alert: VETIVER) Sort of reminds me of Wrath, but heavier.

[evilbee]

This was a frimp, and nothing I would have ordered for myself. It was interesting to try.

 

It starts tarry and sharp and sticky, the vetiver. However, it turns into something smoky and spicy and sexily comforting. Unfortunately, this is another of those spices that is short lived on me and it vanishes quickly.

[enderfem]

Bottle--there's something sharp and dark here....the serpent's bite, perhaps? Dark spices and the vetivert.

 

Wet--It smells like...some spice in my grandmother's kitchen. something that smells the way "coriander" sounds. Yeah, I know, not a good description. Kind of dirty, in the dirt way, not the naughty way. It kind of smells like dirty cloves...like the dirt mutes the sweet part of cloves so all you get is the strength.

 

Drydown--Now its an almost wood-pulp scent. Like what I think Ventriloquist's Dummy was supposed to do and never did for me. I think I'll keep the imp and give it another wear.

[aquazoo]

That's the spicy dusty dirt that I come here for! A trace of butterscotch is coming up, just a hint of it. Now it has some cinnamon. It changes a lot, and yet all the changes are good!

[KassiK]

This is a burning red colored cinnamon candy smelling scent. I can definitely smell the vetivert and spice, but it's over all too much spicy redness for me. I prefer more subtle scents than abrasive ones. This one definitely delivers on the notes, though, so if you like the notes listed, you should love this scent. For me it was a frimp that is going to the swap pile.

[taramarie]

On me, Serpent's Kiss is dragon's blood (plumeria on my skin), cinnamon, and a whiff of vetiver. I love the scent but it started to burn so I had to wash it off. Someone else can enjoy it.

[purplemoonshoes]

Honestly smells like toothpaste in the imp. Cinnamon toothpaste, but still. Very fresh with spicy undertones on the skin. Still getting toothpaste and now I can taste it if I put my nose close enough. Swap pile.

Edited because I put tube instead of imp

Edited December 21, 2007 by purplemoonshoes

[VioletChaos]

in the bottle: sweet, and strongly of vetiver, with a cinnamon under note

 

wet on skin: the spicy cinnamon comes out in front, with the earthy vetiver a close second

 

dry down: the dragon's blood fruitiness becomes obvious, with the earth and spice taking a well-mixed secondary quality.

 

overall, this is rich and a bit sweet, but a mite too overwhelming for the likes of me. those that like strong spicy notes will likely love this.

[Limelight]

This is sweet and earthy at the same time, with that dragon's blood and whatever the spices are predominating, yet colored by the vetiver in a way that I don't find pleasant. It's ok, but I don't think I'd ever buy this. Doesn't last too long, thankfully.

[starwild]

Imp: Uh-oh. Pepper is clawing at me.

 

Wet: Slightly cherry-ish dragon's blood. Not as harsh as it seemed in the imp. Similar to Wrath and Rage, but gentler.

 

Drydown: Cinnamon and fiery smoke with cherry-like dragon's blood. It smells like Big Red to me. A tinge of dry vertiver.

 

...I apparently amp cinnamon.

 

I like this quite a bit, though I'm not sure I'll wear it often.

[Luxari]

oh. Oh. OH.

 

I cannot begin to describe how much I love this.

 

Warm, musky, bold, sexy. The warm musk is sensual yet diabolical with the vetiver, and teasing with dragon's blood and cinnamon. I can practically imagine a python slinking around my shoulders whispering illicit promises in my ear, it's warm body and cold smooth skin on my bare shoulders.

 

This is like Blood out for power or out for a night of evil doing. It's tantalizing and it makes me feel like a succubus- I had all KINDS of looks from the boys when I went out shopping wearing this- and I was wearing jeans and a gaming shirt!!

 

this is my top choice for my next 5ml.

[djsiberia]

a bit disappointing. its already starting to disappear after 20 mins and it smells like something i've already tried or possibly ordered.

[suileach]

I was very, very wary of this scent. Despite the appeal of its name - serpents are important figures in parts of my life - I avoided it due to the notes.

 

When I smelled the vial, I was certain I was right about it. It had that weird, celery-like smell to it that I associate with vetivert.

 

On my skin, however, the weird celery smell vanishes, and it becomes spicy, soapy dragon's blood. I don't typically like dragon's blood, but to be honest, this isn't too bad - it's very true to the resin, rather than having the sickly sweet smell that I've usually found dragon's blood perfume oils to have. This smells quite like a bag of loose incense I made a few years ago that contains hunks of dragon's blood.

 

The longer I have this on, the less I dislike it. I'm finding it to be very grounding and calming. I'm really amazed at the effect this is having on me. I haven't felt this centered in my body in a long time...

 

While not normally something I would choose to wear as a perfume, I do think I'll be reaching for this in the future for the mental calming and centering effects it provides me.

[windbourne]

This is not a scent I think I'm likely to wear when I'm planning to be around other people. I like it rather a lot, but it feels very, very antisocial to me, and a little bit dangerous. Very good for going out with the intention of being left alone to observe and consider.

 

The initial scent on my skin is, hilariously, ketchup. Seriously -- spicy tomatoes and vinegar and such. That lasts about ten seconds, and then the cinnamon slinks in, takes over the world and sits down for a nice game of Parcheesi with the late-coming Dragon's Blood and smoky, husky vetiver.

 

This is not a friendly game, however. They battle it out for several minutes and finally the Dragon's Blood leaves in a huff, surrendering its spot to the other two, who give each other cold glances from over their shoulders for a while before settling down in comfortable chairs to consider their next moves. A final scuffle, after about six hours, results in dead vetiver and lively cinnamon. Eventually, the cinnamon gets bored and vacates, leaving just the ghost of the vetiver to lurk about until it fades away.

 

On me, it has almost no throw at all; it sits very close and very spicy on my skin, and lasts for several hours. I could wear this to work, but I'd be a complete horror to work with, I think. As I said, it strikes me as a very antisocial scent, contemplative and cold.

 

Full marks, though. I love it, and when my imp runs out, I will be buying more.

[hkhm]

imp: i don't smell any dragon's blood just vetiver and spice.

 

wet: whoa... this smells like barbeque sauce on me! seriously, between the smoky scent of vetiver and the spices... i smell like barbeque sauce.

 

dry: there must be some cinnamon in here 'cause i'm getting burned but there is still that strange barbeque scent. interesting.

[MaidMirawyn]

I think dragon's blood likes me! This is my second hit with it.

 

I was lucky enough to get an imp out of someone's "up for grabs" box last night at the Roswell Meet n Sniff. (Was it Myth? Was she the one passing the happy purple-y box?)

 

I didn't know what was in this when I tried it, but it quickly turned warm and sweet yet spicy. I definitely get some of the same cinnamon fire out of this as I do Chimera, so I think that has to be in the spices. There's just a bit of a bite to it (which is appropriate), and I think it's the vertiver. Slightly woodsy.

 

Cinnamon and dragon's blood have been good for me, but vetiver has been hit and miss. I think this is a good one if you like spicy-sweet and vetiver works for you in a supporting role, not front-and-center.

Edited April 24, 2008 by MaidMirawyn

[Ciircee]

Ooooohhh, I love this scent. It came as a frimp from the lab (I <3 the Labbies). Mostly this is a sweet, spicy scent. Normally vetiver gives me a nice, earthy base but here it's very muted (and I tend to amp the vetiver). That said--it is a very SHARP spice for a good, long while. Aside from cinnamon there has got to be pepper in this as it makes my nose twtich if I sniff it too closely.

 

It's got a lovely throw and lasts quite a long while--four hours on and still going strong. So warm and spicy and sweet--it's rather like a sweeter form of my beloved Bloodlust.

[donnatron]

Imp: Sweet and dark and overall delicious. I will note that the imp I am using is so aged that it has the old style of label tied on with ribbon. I have a newer imp and it doesn't have the same depth and complexity this one does.

 

Wet: Almost like a masculine Snake Oil. Weird.

 

Dry: I have fallen in love. This is amazing. Sweet with a bit of edge, spicy, naughty, all around a lovely scent.

 

Throw: Reasonably polite. You can smell it on me but it's not overpowering.

 

Overall: I am going to have to buy a bottle and bury it in the garden or something. This has aged gorgeously.