Snake Charmer

[Pookstrell]

Sensual, sibilant, sexual and hypnotic: Arabian musk and exotic spices slinking through Egyptian amber, enticing vanilla, and a serpentine blend of black plum, labdanum, ambrette, benzoin and black coconut.

I got a sniffy of Snake Charmer from a very generous forumite. It is such a happy, warm scent. It has all elements of Snake Oil, Mme. Moriarty but is softer and more discrete. This is a real comfort scent, and totally up my street. I will be looking around for a bottle of this, but won't hold my breath! This is such a gentle, muted patchouli, and the notes are seamlessly blended together. Musk, a suggestion of incense and a whisp of patchouli- the sort of blend that BPAL does best!

Edit: Wait, this doesn't have patchouli in it?! Then what is that lovely smell? Edited June 18, 2008 by Shollin

[Scanmike]

Indulged and spent a fortune to get a half bottle of this infamous scent. It is absolutely uncharacteristic of me to spend so much on such a small thing. Well, it was worth it, and I don't feel guilty.

 

Why, Oh why, don't they bring this scent back so we don't have to sell our first born just to try it. Those lucky few who have known BPAL for years are making fortunes off of us newbies. Please bring it back, please!!!!!!!!!!!

[heathercaley]

I swapped for an imp about a year back but have never done a review cause I'm HORDING THIS THING! my husband set up an alarm system that puts fort knox to shame! I Kid I Kid! It's just in my impy box (but in a special part of my impy box)

 

anyway.. alls I can say is HOLYCRAP! WTF?? I want more?? now I KNOW why people sell their eye teeth to have some of this crap. It's.. umm.. whats the word for it?? duh.. yep. I tried to find a great word to describe it and can only come up with AMAZING. vanilla - spice - and of course a snake oil feel (just like everyone else) But soooo much more lovelier. Just sooo much more to it than yer traditional snake oil. I could go on and on if I could come up with a description to fit what it comes out as.. but just to simplify.. it's very exotic and lovely. I should've boughten a bottle on ebay back before inflation took over...

[akiko]

I received a decant of this as a frimp in a swap! Oh, bless you, forumite.

 

Imp: Smells like Snake Oil.

 

Wet: Gets that ambery-musky-patchouli smell snake oil does, but it's not quite the same.

 

Dry: Vanilla & amber & musk, maybe? I'm no good at note-picking. The first time I tried it I got some coconut, but not today. I hope it's not just a hormonal thing.

[PinkoCommie]

I think it's the red musk that turns most snake oil derivatives into vaseline and bandaids on me. Unfortunately, the Charmer is no exception. I was very, very deeply sad about that. Oh well -- more for those who can wear her, yes?

[milo]

Hmm, this kind of reminds me of Death Adder with the coconut, and a milder version of snake oil. I do really like this, but unsure why it is so popular when snake oil is almost identical to it to my nose anyways. *Very glad that snake oil is a gc*. A definite win, but fades pretty fast on my skin.

[AEris]

I got a half-decant of Snake Charmer in a swap, Thanks Lindsay!!!

 

This smells like Snake Oil, with coconut and a little more incense. However, it does not have the lasting power of Snake Oil, and it also is similar enough that I don't feel the need to blow money on a full bottle. I might just be trying to justify not jumping in the SC-fan conga line because it's so hard (or expensive) to acquire, but for now I think I can be happy with my little decant.

 

Mmmm I do like the scent, though....

 

4.8 out of 5

[VioletChaos]

in the vial: strong, heady blend- i can't pull out any individual notes on this one.

 

wet on skin: sweet, musky- but still have a hard time defining it!

 

dry down: damn. this is the sexiest thing i've ever smelled. ok now i know what all the fuss is about- sweet, resinous musky. it hints at Smut, and at Vanilla Bean, but it's totally different from either. whoa. this is special stuff, alright.

 

in all: well, if i have to pay $100 on e-bay, then i guess that's what i have to do.

 

 

 

 

[LunaLovegood]

Oh wow, this stuff is good!

Its a lovely, rich scent, that its definitely worth having in your collection, although I still dont understand what the big hype is.

If Death Adder and Schwazers Mond had a love child, Snake Charmer would be it.

Definitely a keeper.

[gchris]

In Vial: kind of perfumey

 

Wet: vanilla, complex and dark but not as dark as snake oil

 

Dry: Difficult to explain. Vanilla, a tiny bit soapy and perfumey.

 

I was really glad I got the chance to try this but I don't understand what all the hype is about. I guess we are different.

[ami226]

So since I had heard so much about this scent and everyone seemed to want it so much, I had to find a sample for myself! I have to say, it wasn't what I was expecting. Actually, now that I think about it, I am not really sure what I was expecting.

 

Anyways, in the bottle it smelled slightly sweet with a hint of something brown sugarish. Also, there is a little bit of a bite in the background. Not exactly sure what it is.

 

On: mmmmmmm! Smells so good! I don't usually like coconut, but in this scent it works perfectly with the other notes! Not as sweet anymore as it was in the bottle, but it is still so lovely! Also, this is the first scent with amber in it that I like! Whoooo! Mmmmm. Now I am getting a bit more of the vanilla.

 

Verdict: So good!! I wasn't expecting to like it this much. Darn.

 

--------

 

ETA: Okay, I ended up getting rid of my bottle (swapping for the AMAZING Glowing Vulva), so reading this review again, I wonder why I remember not liking this scent. So, reviewing my Snake Charmer Res. decant....

 

On the skin: Snake Oil. Huh. Not as strong as regular Snake Oil. Softer. With a slight hint of added sweet fruitiness. Must be the plum.

 

This scent is quite faint. Huh.

 

Retesting my tester of original Snake Charmer:

So faint and powdery. I can barely smell a thing. Mostly a slight vanilla amber.

Edited April 12, 2010 by Catseyes

[crebbsgirl]

Alright, I've worn this twice now before reviewing because I thought for sure I was missing something here. I mean *this* is one of the most sought after scents of the forum, but I was left feeling rather... indifferent. Don't get me wrong, this is sexy as hell. It smells to me like the offspring of Scherezade and aged Snake Oil. I get just a hint of coconut, but I can't detect any black plum at all. This is all amber-y vanilla-y musky goodness. I just don't get all the hype.

[Schmoozy]

I wasn't going to get drawn into the lure of Snake Charmer, but after rifling through one of my imp cases, I discovered that someone had frimped me with it. On me Snake Charmer is a beautiful blend of resiny spices, musk, vanilla and amber. It starts of very subtle, but after minutes of drying down, it morphs into a sexy, slightly fuity, exotic spicy vanilla amber. It really is gorgeous. I can detect just a quick whiff of black coconut which lends a playful vibe to an extremely sexy scent.

I can totally see the comparisons to Snake Oil, however, Snake Oil is a little more darker and medicinal, while Snake Charmer is more sexy and vibrant.

Since I snagged a bottle off ebay, I can now slather with abandon and cheerfully stock up while the getting is good!

[GalaxyLei]

Tried some thanks to Catseyes, and I get a musty vanilla-coconut, and not much else comes out when it's dry. Not for me.

[hlinspjalda]

Someone frimped me a testable sniffie of Snake Charmer a while back, and I knew just enough to stash it away and not even think about it. When I saw the scent had been resurrected, I tested the sniffie the very next day.

 

In the vial: It smells a lot like a cross between Faiza and Mme Moriarty: smoky, resinous, vanilla, spicy. Very yum indeed.

 

Wet: The impression is sustained. I have a feeling I am going to love this; it's a good thing they just resurrected it!

 

Twenty minutes: Oh, yes, definitely a relative of both Faiza and Mme Moriarty. Sweeter than both by a bit, but just as nommable. Closer to La Madame, I think, lacking the intense bergamot and floral notes that make Faiza so remarkable on me. But I think I will need a bottle of this if it doesn't change radically.

 

Hour and a half: Smoky, a bit tart, almost a little bit like Priala. Definitely related to a number of Carnaval Diabolique scents. I think I will have to test this one again, side by side with Mme Moriarty, Faiza, and Priala. Luckily, I think there's one more test in that sniffie!

 

Three hours: Mostly smoky vanilla now, very Mme Moriarty.

 

Four hours: There's a little more coconut in the mix now; I think the smoky vanilla has faded some. I still really enjoy sniffing this one.

 

Twelve hours: Long since faded back to vanilla, which is surprisingly persistent.

 

I bought a bottle of this and, pending re-testing, may have to get more.

[ouch!]

Ok....so I'm finally getting to try one of the coveted "Gucci" of BPAL perfumes...SNAKE CHARMER!!! And this is the original version that I got in a swap a month or so ago. So here we go.....

 

At first sniff i'm thinking...is this Snake Oil?? Yup...pretty much on the same vibe as snake oil

 

After 10 minutes or so, I'm still thinking Snake Oil...but it's a lighter less vanillary version of it's popular desired sister. I reckon this would be the blend that all of the people who had a dissapointing Snake Oil experinece would prefer. Although I'm an SO lover, this would probably be the most popular blend if SO wasn't around.

 

To my nose, there IS a difference but it's not a huge difference, it's just as musky, a little less spicy, a little less vanilla. It's less "Thick" less "Overbearing" as SO can be.... ever so slightly cleaner smelling and doesn't surround you in a cloud of serpentine yumminess as much!!

 

Glad I got to try it, but..as long as SO is around, I won't be hoarding and I'm glad I never spent alot of money on a bottle because believe me, I was tempted to a couple of times!!!!

[marared]

Resurrected:

 

*huff* oh. *huffs some more* oh man. While this smells nothing like Dionysia, it has the same scent vibe - resiny and spicy with a good dark tart fruit to it, that's so finely blended that neither really takes over. If it's this good now, I can't wait til it ages. I'm so going to buy at least one more bottle, possibly two, before it comes down next month.

Edited December 17, 2008 by marared

[iiinterstate]

Resurrected version:

 

very very excited to try Snake Charmer! It sounds like my dream blend.

 

On me, spicy vanilla amber. It doesn't take long for the benzoin to come out, and it's delicious. Amber always runs a risk of going powdery on me, but not this time. It's a deeper, darker version of snake oil. I really like this a lot and will probably grab another bottle for aging.

 

ETA: I set my bottle aside for aging and came back to it today. Its already soooo much smoother than it was when I originally got it. I'm glad I stocked up!

Edited May 22, 2009 by iiinterstate

[batsy]

I just missed the original Snake Charmer, so here's my chance.

 

Snake Charmer Resurrected 2008:

 

In the bottle: Dark, reminds me of one of my favorites, Czernobog. A whiff of amber and spice.

 

On the skin: Very exotic! All dark spice, makes me wanna go watch belly dancers charming snakes. On the dry down it's all dark. I believe that's the benzoin, all smokey. I can see what the fuss is all about!

[gwynethr]

Right now, the resurrected 2008 is just smelling like Snake Oil to me, which is really disappointing, as I can't stand SO. The original didn't smell that way to me at all. I think the amber is just really amped up here, which comes out as powdery to me and not a note I usually enjoy. Gah.

 

I'm definitely going to let these sit for a while and hope that aging and settling will bring back that Snake Charmery goodness again. If it doesn't, I will be crying copious amounts of tears.

Edited December 18, 2008 by gwynethr

[megank4]

This smells like a cross between Lust and Snake Oil to me- don't get me wrong, I love them both, but individually. Together, ergh.
Perhaps it is just because I am saturated in Gingerbread Poppet right now that I can't appreciate the full Snake Charmy goodness, so will have to try again.
Not giving away my three bottles yet, but so far am glad I didn't spend 50$+ on one bottle.

ETA- I changed my mind, this smells so good.

Aged several years, smells rich and warm and sensual and unique.

Edited December 19, 2014 by Megank4

[Delirium1009]

Snake Charmer is just sexy femininity in a bottle. It's slightly sweet, but dark, musky, and lightly fruity. It's like Snake Oil, but more feminine for sure. The plum adds a brightness, while the coconut and vanilla make this slightly foodie on me. The musk is absolutely smooth and gorgeous. But the wonder of this blend is its seamlessly blended quality; it's a scent all its own, sinuous and dark while still clinging closely to the skin.

 

Both the original (not sure which year my older bottles are from though) and resurrected smell the same on me, except that the aged version has a depth to it that I'm sure the fresh oil will achieve in time.

Edited December 18, 2008 by Delirium1009

[CreamyJade]

This is for the 2008 Ressurected scent.

 

In the bottle: Delicious! Very spicy, very snake oil-ish.

Wet on skin: Still spicy, dark coconut, resins, some incense.

Dry on skin: It has toned down, I smell dark red fruits and incense.

Finals Thoughts: Woah, sexy! I can smell the similarity to Snake Oil, but I think it's definately less bold and overwhelming than SO. I really love it and think I'll hoard one more bottle before it's gone..

[Suu4LC]

I will admit, I'm not the hugest snake oil fan-but I had heard so much raving over this that there was no way I could pass up a chance to own a bottle of SC thanks to the resurrection, even if to just let it age for a couple of years.

 

Definitely can smell the snake oil in the bottle, but I also get the addition of plum, which is one of my favorite lab notes. Yum!

 

Admittedly though, on my skin this feels too incensey to me. Not enough plum or vanilla, too much musk and incense...hmm...gonna let it dry down a bit more...

 

The incense and musk do calm down as it dries...it's still a bit too snake oil-y for me, though it gets better and better as it dries down and mellows and morphs with my skin. Very sexy snake oil. And I get the plum again!

 

Overall, I don't see myself wearing this much now, but I will definitely hold onto it to let the oil age-I can see this being amazing with just a bit of time and patience!

Edited December 19, 2008 by Suu4LC

[hkhm]

bottle: hmmm... amber and coconut. and, yep, this is the resurrected version.

 

wet: ahhhh.... there it is. amber and vanilla and coconut and... mmmm... oh yeah...

 

dry: pretty much the same. the 2006 one i have is much more sexy but i'm certain that this will be the same in a few years.