Australian Copperhead (2006)

[torischroeder9]

Conveniently enough, this is the bottle I just received in a swap with the donkehpoo of the above review. 

 

In the bottle: On top, it's lots of acai graced with neroli (the neroli is providing an accent to the acai rather than being a main player itself). Underneath, I can catch the tingle of Snake Oil spices. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, acai and neroli are at the forefront, but Snake Oil spice and what I'm guessing is the "smoked vanilla" come out as well. It definitely smells like vanilla, but it has the feel of other notes described as "toasted," like toasted sandalwood or toasted coconut, smooth and aromatic without necessarily being sweet. As it dries, the smoked vanilla really comes out on me, which is fairly unusual as my skin tends to eat vanilla right up (hence me perceiving regular Snake Oil as "patchouli and spice"). I'm wondering if the smoked vanilla has attached itself to the amber (amber on me tends to help amp up other notes, though I can never really predict which note) for a signal boost. If it is, this is fine by me since the smoked vanilla is a spectacular note. The acai and neroli are still detectable if I stick my nose near my skin, and they're quite pretty, but they're no longer the notes in charge of the scent. 

 

Finally, about an hour after applying, it settles down, and the Snake Oil starts to come out though the smoked vanilla remains a strong player. The acai and neroli are present only in slight whiffs and memories, but the smoked vanilla is so fabulous that I don't mind at all. 

 

Australian Copperhead's throw on me is a fair bit lower than I get from other Snake Oil blends, but that's probably to be expected since it's full of what are for me close-skin notes. The lower throw also makes it a very wearable snake for me, suitable for indoor locations like work. 

[artisjok]

Australian Copperhead is heavy on the smoked vanilla, wrapped around a sweet açaí berry. After a little while the Recognizable Snake Oil spice come through and a bare touch of neroli.

Intimate throw, this scent hugs close to me like a sweet blanket, and becomes a little powdery with longer wear, vanilla gently pushing the the fruity notes away and embracing (smothering) Snake Oil for the remainder of the wear. 

[doomsday_disco]

While I swapped for a decant of this, I was also gifted an aged bottle (thanks to the lovely BPALista that sent this to me!  ). So now I am comparing the two!

 

There's not a big difference between the aged decant and the aged bottle, so they must have aged similarly. This smells like aged Snake Oil infused with a tart berry on a bed of amber. Neroli is usually my nemesis, but the aged Snake Oil has really smoothed it over. It isn't super bitter or headache-inducing in this, and it remains behind the acai berry throughout wear. The cardamom and smoked vanilla are not distinct on me, but I'm sure they're adding some warmth to the scent.

 

I was not sure how this one would go due to the neroli and acai berry notes, but this is nice, thanks to the magic of aged Snake Oil.  

Edited September 9, 2020 by doomsday_disco