Australian Copperhead (2006)

[brit_brat100]

Snake Oil with acai berry, amber, cardamom, neroli, and smoked vanilla.

Imp: Sweet berries.

Wet: A moment of pine-sol, but then right back to berry sweetness.

Dry: Still berries, but creamier. Maybe a hint of spice, but it's hard to tell.

Final Thoughts: This is really really pretty. I like it. My first attempts with Snake Oil were a bust, but thus far the Snake Pit has been nothing but yummy delights. Mmm.

[lookingglass]

I got this for the acai berry ( I love berries...I wonder what this one smells like?)and smoked vanilla. I HATE neroli, so I was a bit out on a limb.

 

This really smells...like air freshener, gummy candy, or apple/berry dishsoap.

 

Up for swaps.

[The_Merf]

In the bottle: A very strong, very red berry. This is not candy like, but it is bright and juicy. It's a bit lighter than raspberry, but not as sweet as a strawberry. I can't detect any of the Snake Oil, and the other notes in this blend don't really stand out either.

 

Wet: This is overwhelming berry. After a few minutes I can detect some amber, but no real SO.

 

Drydown and wear: This is berry and amber, with the slightest hint of vanilla. I wonder if the amber is black amber--this gets the somewhat 'off' smell that I get with a lot of black amber scents. I still can't really detect the richness of SO, but when I imagine SO blended with this, I don't really like the idea all that much.

[Belladonnastrap]

Let it be known that orginial snake oil? Not so much a fan. It's way too incensey for me. So I was leery about the Snake Pit but OMG! I totally shouldn't have been Austrailan Copperhead was my first try because I was hoping the amber and berry would amp down the incensey smell I get and I was completely right!

 

The berry really comes out for me (I amp berry like whoa though) and makes the snake oil scent more..lively and rich.

[PurringPulsar]

Australian Copperhead

 

In the imp: a very sharp fresh berry, somewhere between pomegranate, apple and cranberry.

Wet on skin: crisp, wet, fresh and sharp berry…and smoke?

Dry: mmm, this is interesting. This acai berry smells very much like a cross between an apple and a redcurrant now, it even does the strange ‘foamy cider/appletiser with a hint of sweet potato and floral’ reaction I get with many apple scents (that’s no bad thing though-I like it here), it reminds me of the Hesperides or Punkie Night. I get some smoke, presumably from the smoked vanilla…I wasn’t expecting it to be smoky like that though. I don’t smell the neroli or cardamom (which I was really hoping for) or the amber, but I really like this for now, it’s an unusual apple-berry scent which seems to be sweetening…

After a while: oh, now I really like this. The tartness of the berry has toned down dramatically and the scent is like a sweet apple mush-you know when you mash up apples, or grate them? That’s what I smell here, with a hint of vanilla and maybe some amber and the tiniest hint of spice. It’s very nice and soft, almost fluffy, like a mousse, but also fresh and light-this is definitely one for the warmer months.

I then get the same fluffy ‘apple-berry mousse’ scent but even sweeter, deliciously vanilla infused, warmed by amber and with a little neroli, perhaps the barest hint of cardamom. This cardamom isn’t the strong spice from Enraged Groundhog, Phantom Calliope or Alone, but a much softer cardamom.

The drydown is pretty much the same gorgeous fluffy white fruit scent with a gorgeous hint of amber/vanilla. I don’t get much Snake Oil here but it’s very pretty nonetheless.

But then, about five hours into wear, the most beautiful, beautiful amber surfaces. Sweet, rich, and juicy, this is a sugared fruity amber which just glows with sweet radiance. And it smells really strong at this point, emitting a scent of golden amber beauty. I was huffing my wrist like a mad thing when I was in bed and the scent had reached this stage, that’s how good it was!

Verdict: I’ve never eaten or smelt acai but this scent is really interesting…it’s a very tart, sharp berry but on me it smells very apple-like, crossed with pomegranates or cranberries or currants, it’s different to apple but it has similar qualities on my skin. It smells like tart fruit juice which then turns to a fluffy ‘fruit mousse’ scent with a bit of vanilla for sweetness. Very pleasant and summery, I like the way the vanilla counteracts the biting tartness of the berry. But this is nothing compared to the drydown. It’s all well and good smelling like fluffy berries, but after a few hours of wear, the amber turns up and steals the show magnificently. And what an amazing amber note this is. Glorious and golden, it has the fruity qualities that came before but with a glistening golden sweet resinous scent which is breathtaking-and also surprisingly strong. I adore this amber drydown so much, but the berry scent, with it’s tangy, almost playful scent is perfect for warmer weather, so this is another snake scent that I have fallen for. My paypal fears the prospect of me buying a Snake Pit. I think I need to stock up on this…I bet a bit of aging will make that amber note even more spectacular.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Yes! This is a lovely, fresh yet sweet summer scent with a magnificent finale, I need a bottle or two. These Snakes are really wowing me!

If you like this, try: Snake Oil, Hesperides, Punkie Night, Rosalind, Jester, Ladon, Hymn to Proserpine

[indicolite]

I am very much surprised how much I like this (thank you Noumenon!) since by all rational measures, it should have gone above my sweetness safe zone. However, I cannot explain how I like the sweet berry that is, as I wear this in my locket, slowly morphing to an amberish neroli-ish scent. Keep in mind that I have still not tried the original Snake Oil, so I am reverse-engineering from King Cobra and Australian Copperhead so far, what it must smell like. However, so far I love both King Cobra and Copperhead, although in different ways. Yay that I have a bottle!

[sarada]

Australian Copperhead hasn't really established itself in my mind yet, despite several tests...it is surprisingly juicy, considering that I keep forgetting acai berry is an ingredient. I don't know what that smells like on its own, but it seems like a juicy, sweet and slightly sour berry. The amber takes it almost into citrusy/orange territory, but maybe that's just because the color impression I have of this scent is a golden throbbing orange.

 

Oh wait, it has neroli in it as well...that would explain the flash of oranginess. Snake Oil itself again plays it quiet in this blend. It is simlar in feel to Coral Snake, but not quite as fruity. This is the only Snake blend in which the sort of doughy clay-like scent comes out on me -- regular Snake Oil always inspires people around me to exclaim "play-doh!", making me wince.

 

This has just enough warm, ambery berry juice in it to appeal to me, but it never quite kicks my ass in the way I like to have it kicked. I don't think I'll want a bottle, but I don't mind sniffing it now and then.

[filigree_shadow]

The cardamom is really light in this, which is amazing since I generally avoid it because it's overwhelmingly strong on my skin. It seems like it's mostly a combination of neroli and berry. It's a little bitter or maybe tart, which I wasn't expecting. It reminds me a lot of a toned-down apple. It doesn't smell like juicy berries or anything like that... more like the sort of berry you're not supposed to eat.

 

As it dries the Snake Oil part of it becomes more prominent, which is good because I'm knda iffy on that strange berry scent. The amber starts to come out more, too.

 

Right now this scent smells a little off on me. Like maybe I need to let it age for a while. I'm not giving up on it, but I doubt I'll be wearing it soon.

[Naamah_Darling]

This is tart with a sharp berry topnote. The neroli and cardamom are underneath, but the berry is very powerful. It's not a sweet smell, it's a tart smell. Delicious and mouthwatering.

 

The vanilla blooms under this, smoothing it and creaming it together. And, ah, the amber!

 

This is nothing like Snake Oil. It is a totally different scent. Totally different. This is fresh, berrylike, sharply spicy. Once it settles a bit the throw is very Snake Oil, but up close, nope, still tart berries.

 

This is quite unusual. I've never smelled acai, so I don't know how much of what I'm smelling is the fruit, and how much it's been influenced by the heavy spices here. The more this dries, the more Snake Oily it is, but it still has a very strong berry note right up until weardown.

 

Very pretty!

[Phaedra]

Wet this is sweet berry, fruit and the Snake Oil spices. When first on it's warm, sweet berry mixed with something fresh and floral in the background. After a couple of minutes, the berry/fruit notes fade and the amber develops. After a couple of hours this has become a sweeter and slightly floral Snake Oil blend. On the drydown the vanilla really comes out. Overall this has a bright springtime happy feeling to it. This is beautiful and I am really curious to see how it will age. Well done indeed!

[AlectoNox]

This feels like Snake Oil, poured over diamonds and left in the moonlight, then blanketed by a gentle fog carrying light touches of forest and rain. Then perfume, diamonds, moonlight and fog are all bottled up by the lab and delivered to our door.

 

I need a big bottle of this, asap.

[supremegoddessofall]

In bottle: Smells sort of like snake oil with Nyquil.

 

On me: Snake oil and amber. Very nice. Also a touch of berry.

[phedre]

In bottle: Wet berries. Definitely the acai, that stereotypical cocoa and fresh fruit smell. neroli.

 

On skin: oh this is pretty. Warm amber and berry tones, with that deep cocoa undertone that's just barely discernible.

 

Drydown: This is snake oil with just a hint of acai, and fresh clean neroli. Juicy! This is a bright and lighthearted snake oil. It fades quickly, but it's nice! Definitely a great spring scent.

Edited April 24, 2007 by phedre

[steffanina]

Australian Copperhead-

 

In Bottle: Ooh, a huge delicious berry scent on this.

 

Wet: Berry, flowers, and something almost mentholated.

 

Dry: I hardly smell Snake Oil at all in this! This is just remarkable--the dry-down is all rich berries, and I wouldn't even know there's Snake Oil here; it's like a canvas, where there's this gorgeous picture and you can't see any white in it, except that you had to start with a bare white canvas to get this gorgeous picture. That's the richness of the Snake Oil making it a rich scent.

 

Overall: Remarkable!

[valentina]

In the imp, this scent smelled like a citrus and berry blend -- I don't get sweet, syrupy berries or sharp, bright berries, but a soft berry scent with a mild citrus aroma around the edges. When it hit my skin, from initial drydown into a more extended wear, I got the scent of Fruit Loops. It's the first Snake Pit that I've tried where I couldn't detect any Snake Oil, and I'm sure that's because of my body's infernal tendency to amp berry scents and citrus scents. I'm sure that on the right person, this is a lovely scent, but on me, it's just not going to work.

[sofaking6]

I love acai berries. I was very excited to try this...I got the imp from a decant circle and have been waiting...waiting...waiting to try it out.

 

I should never have waited, as I love this blend. At first the acai just POPS, it totally owns the room and works it. I can get whiffs of the amber and vanilla underneath already.

 

The neroli is there to mix it up with the acai, giving it more interest and depth (and making me less hungry, as I have been in the past totally addicted to acai smoothies). It's very strong and fruity, I love that natural sweetness.

 

When I wave my hand around, I can pick up a little more amber, and the cardamom coming up now. That is just so lovely and delicious. I could inhale the scent all day long, it's like joy to me. The most perfect stage for me is right here, when all of the notes are strong and balanced. The throw is awesome, too! Total.love.

 

The fruit fades out as it must, and the leftover blend has more amber and less spice mixing with the vanilla than does the original Snake Oil. Which, me likey. It's comforting, soft and smooth.

[sophrosyne]

I didn't know what acai berries smelled like before I tried this, and I suspect that I still don't know...

 

First sniff: it's the berry version of lemon drops! Acid-sweet candy. Not sickly, but not as sharp or as plainly fruity as I was expecting.

 

Wet: Ooh, smoke! And this is the first sweet scent I've tried that's actually toned down the sugar when it was on me. Hey, this is nice; smoke over fruit and something else I can't put my finger on.

 

Dry: Lots of lovely smoke, and now I have no clue at all what's underneath it, but it's very pleasant. It's a much more interesting scent than it seemed in the bottle, and it's very moreish.

 

It doesn't last long on my skin, but it does fill the whole room and linger for literally days. It was three days before I stopped catching the last traces of it in my bedroom.

 

And then the snake bit. It was okay the first time. but the second time I wore it, it burned my skin.

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Bright berries and something slightly soapy

 

Wet on me – Berries, but with a cut green grass tinge

 

Dry on me – Soft powdery, but occasionally tart berries, with just a hint of creamy vanilla behind them

 

Overall - I like this blend, but it has very little ‘kick’

[n1k1ta]

Spicy berries and amber, oh my! None of the harshness of Snake Oil at all. Delicious, warm with a touch of vanilla. After about two hours, Australian Copperhead turned to plain Snake Oil without any harsh incense-y downtime. Lovely!

[Lunaratu]

First off I have to say I love this snake. I can definitely detect the acai berry in this. It’s berry with spice and resinous vanilla. It’s darkly golden and wonderful. I don’t know if I can describe this better than that.

 

This snake is the perfect blend so as not to be foody but the perfect mix of berry, spices, and resinous vanilla. In fact, the acai berry kind of lightens this blend and makes it more golden pink, like it’s glowing.

 

Rating: 5/5

Throw: Good (as in a bit above skin scent but it doesn't amp like the rest of the snake pit seems to on my skin)

Edited October 9, 2007 by Lunaratu

[cvelis]

Lunaratu described this perfectly especially when I feel the same exact way, but here's my 2 cents: IN PURE LOVE WITH THIS. It's golden berry vanilla snake oil. YUMMMMYYYY. It's light and not overpowering and will definitely become my comforting scent. Lovely, absolutely lovely.

Edited June 9, 2007 by Himsa

[khiseer]

Oh to be in love with a scent named after a snake from my own country

 

This to me is an almost perfect balance of the sweet and tartness of berries, with the vanilla sweetness of snake oil.. It doesn't morph on my skin and will hold the scent well for a few hours. I love the initial 'hit' of the scent so i usually carry some around to reapply whenever i feel the need.

 

I love wearing this one, it's a very pretty scent and i usually wear when im having a more feminine feeling day. Easily my favorite of faiza's companions so far...

[angharad]

I can't decide about this one. At times, it's a lovely berry scent with a hint of dark creaminess lurking underneath. Other times it smells like crayon on my skin. Currently it's at the crayon stage. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get past the crayon.

[Bain]

In the bottle - Berry. Amber. Berry. Berry. Mmmmmmm...

 

Wet: Berries, again.. with some vanilla. Meep. Vanilla does weird things on my skin sometimes..

 

Dry: still berries, maybe a hint of something extra, but no vanilla surprisingly. I expected a little more spice because of the cardamon, but hey, berry is allllll good on me. I need another bottle.

 

5 minutes later: OOO!!!! Neroli!! DEFINITELY need another bottle!!

[windzswept]

imp: reminds me of the smell of very berry lifesavers

 

wet: very berry with a hint of vanilla. Not overpowering, but quite soothing and edible.

 

dry: sweet vanilla, with the berry taking a back seat. There is a slight musky spicyness to the vanilla.

 

It lasts the day on me without reapplication.

 

I love this scent and have convinced my other half to buy me a bottle for my birthday