Green Tree Viper

[eyeska]

Snake Oil with four mints, bergamot, and green tea.

I really, really, really wanted to love this, but unfortunately it has a medicinal quality on drydown starting about 5 minutes in that reminded me of fresh Mme Moriarty (I'm aging my bottle with high hopes!) and Snake Oil on my skin. It's kind of acrid/sour.

The bottle I was working with was at least 8 months old after my last try. It smelled heavenly in the bottle and when still wet, the bergamot was really intriguing and of course, I loooove mint. Damn my skin chemistry. Thankfully, Electric Maenad was delighted to give it a good home.

[acidrica]

This is very minty when I apply it, but the mint smooths out as it dries down. Then the tea comes out, and I swear, it smells like snake oil, if snake oil was tea. It's very different, and kind of me. Huh, and I thought I'd hate this!

 

The throw is great, but it's not particularly strong.

[milica]

I love this one!!! mint & bergamot & snake oil, I couldn't ask for anything more than this. mint is strong at the begining, but later goes into the background and so does bergamot, and SO comes out with a bit of tea note.

not very long lasting, but I don't care, this is just perfect!!!

Edited January 2, 2009 by milica

[MisterShrapnel]

What? No (likely useless anyway) review from me yet? D: Will rectify.

Strong enough of a mint to make my skin tingle a little when I apply, but I love mint anyway so this was a welcome side effect (especially during that hot spell in September). I have this when the Snake Oil part is still fresh, so it's probably giving the whole thing a bit of a powdery tone that actually works well with the light notes in this (I normally don't enjoy fresh Snake Oil)... I wonder what happens after aging? The green tea and the brightening effect of the bergamot was amazingly refreshing in hot and sweaty weather (hissss!). Sweet vanilla mingles with the mint and the overall effect is something like mint chip ice cream (including that light green color, hee!), smooth and creamy rather than a sharp mint. There's a slight medicinal/bitter undertone to it that comes from the Snake Oil, but I kind of love that part too. GTV also manages to be weirdly pervasive as well; every time I have it on, it lasts all day and I can smell it very well (and my skin often drinks scents up).

This is like a cleaner/fresher scent for people who prefer resins and warmth.

 

[TheOneTheyCallLuna]

This is so amazingly good! Minty-mintness that's sweet and not artificial smelling, snake oil's spices underneath with what I think is chocolate in the imp, but on my skin I get more green tea that's sweet and spicy with mint. This is a great everyday fragrance for me and smells like everything that I love. This has pretty good throw and a slooow dry down. On me it lasts and lasts. I lurves it!

 

 

[Saya]

In the Imp

Lots of mint, so far I'm not a fan.

 

On My Skin

Mint, mint, and more mint. This mint is really strong and there’s no hint of snake oil.

 

After a Bit

After the first hour our so this mint burns off and I’m left with Snake Oil. Lovely Snake oil but nothing else.

 

Rating 1-5 (5 being best)

Scent - 4 Throw - 2 Longevity - 2

Overall (not an average) - 2.3

 

Final Thoughts

I think I’ll pass on a bottle of this, I like what this blend becomes after the first hour, but I can just use Snake Oil.

[awesomeoverlord]

Bottle: Oooo pretty! Lovely fresh mint and citrus and what, I suppose, is the Snake Oil lurking underneath.

 

Wet: holycrap!MINT...if I concentrate, there's something bright and green and the sweetness that I was initially identifying as Snake Oil except...wait for it, it's not Snake Oil at all but...DORIAN! Whaaaaa?

 

Dry: Yup, it's official. It's like Mr. Snake Oil and Ms. holycrap!MINT got married, with a house and a dog and a white picket fence, but then the first-born finally pops out and he's a carbon-copy of the mailman. Dorian being the mailman.

 

Now, I really really like Dorian. In fact, if I were to pick one perfume to wear for the rest of my life, it might very well be Dorian. And what's awesome about this is that the ultimate drydown phase is like my favorite part of the Dorian wearing spectrum...that part right at the beginning before my skin eats the lovely tea and Dorian drowns himself in cologne to compensate. I suppose it's the green tea and bergamot that are producing this most favorable result...though I must say I'm rather worried about where the Snake Oil went. Maybe it's that light sweetness that my nose is mistaking for straightforward Dorian-sugar? Very odd. But who am I to judge

Edited March 2, 2009 by awesomeoverlord

[cinnamonster]

It's been hot here today, so the perfect day to try this and review.

 

I'm not much of a mint-as-perfume person (I spend a lot of time putting stuff like Vicks and Karvol on my kids so it doesn't have a sexy vibe to me!).

 

Wet: This is a cool "green" smelling mint, not menthol-y, or icy white but green, and very lovely.

 

Dry: The green tea hovers behind the mint, thinking of Snake Oil. It's there, but barely.

 

I imagine putting this on on a hot evening and being refreshed by it, and as the mint dies slightly, and the snake oil comes out a little more to spice things up. I think holiday, evening, bare sunkissed shoulders, a hot date

 

It's also very calming, I can see myself getting a bottle for the summer.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Peppermint! And snake oil. Also some wintergreen. It reminds me of Peppermint Patties or Junior Mints. Tiny hint of bergamot.

 

Wet: Still extremely minty and mentholic. Oh shit, pennyroyal. UGH MY NEMESIS (after wisteria). Mingled with the sweetness of the snake oil, I am revolted. Sink.

Edited April 3, 2009 by fairnymph

[sunshinedaisybliss]

Ohhhh how I love my snakes! But I had been avoiding this one, because mint and I have a very tumultuous relationship whereby any BPAL that contains mint gets on my skin and turns me into a walking tube of toothpaste. But then I discovered Monsterbait Tokyo Stomp, which totally loves me and the mint worked well. So I figured perhaps I should re-think my stance on the mint issue and give GTT a try.

 

YAY! It's a win!! I love how the Snake Oil is still there, but the mints here are stunning - clean, crisp and slightly chocolate-ish. I'm guessing it's the green tea that's mellowing out the mints and stopping that toothpaste thing from happening - well, that and the snake oil base.

 

Two hours later - the mints have softened down beautifully.. the snake oil is more prominent now but still with that minty flavour. I can see this being perfect for hot summer days - it's still the dirty sexy snake oil we know and love, but with the crisp fresh excitement of mint. I'm ending this review right now, because suddenly I feel like I'm writing copy for a Mentos commercial

 

[devilot]

In the vial: Mint. Retch. All mint. Wait-- no, a smidgeon bergamot. But mint. Really. Mint.

 

Wet: Still mainly mint. Hint of something sweetish, but to my poor allergy-ridden stuffy nose, I can't discern what kind of sweetness. And really, only a subtle sweetness.

 

Drydown: Awhile later-- whoa! What happened?! The mint is pretty much gone, and all I can smell is tea, now! And not green tea, either. It freaking smells the most wonderful fresh Dorian! How odd.

 

Verdict: I thought that for sure this would NOT be a blend for me-- I sort of hate minty B&B stuff. I don't even like most edible mints. But the drydown of this blend is so lovely. I have to keep telling myself that I really don't want it. I really don't want a bottle. I can just get... Dorian. Must. Not. Get. But, it's so nice when it dries! A very pleasant surprise. I'll keep my gift of a partial decant and contemplate whether or not I can justify a bottle.

[tragedy]

Please dont anyone bash me for this review, but it smells to me like JLo Glow with mint! ... Mind you, JLo is one of the few retail scents I can tolerate (not wear, but not retch when I smell it)

I really like this in an odd way... *keeps sniffing* yesssss. nice!

[Andrea912]

I really detest mint. Truly. I was loathe to try this bc of the four mints present...

 

Thank goodness I took the plunge! This is the zesty version of Dorian! Sugar, cream, and powdered mint confection sugar... Perfect for the summer!

 

Mint haters, give this a shot; I think you'll be pleasently surprised

[Siberia]

This is probably going to sound odd, but I don't get any mint from this. I get vanilla and . . . . tobacco. Yep, I smell like an old-fashioned tobacco shop. And so does my office - maybe it's a fougere? It's not an unpleasant smell - I've always enjoyed the smell of tobacco shops, but it's a weird thing for me to smell like. Not sure what to do with this one - maybe I'll try it in a scent locket.

Edited June 10, 2009 by Siberia

[Gin]

Green Tree Viper

 

I had a really difficult time imagining this one. Snake Oil and mint and... no, just no. But since I'm curious as a cat, I found some in the sales section, anyway. It. Is. Lovely. Mint and green tea take center stage while the Snake Oil gives it just a bit of an interesting edge. This is so perfect for a day like today when it's a million and six degrees outside. (Though I think it would be perfect for any day.) Gorgeous.

[tajana]

The original Snake Oil was great wet, but dried down to vanilla and baby powder. Boomslang is similarly not too wearable on me, as it dries down to chocolate-vanilla. Still, I had high hopes for Green Tree Viper. I was delighted to be gifted with a two year old decant... so, for once and for all, if I don't like this, I'll probably never like any Snake Oil variant.

 

It opens with fresh green tea and a dab of mint, which are the perfect accents to enhance and bring out the slight "medicinal" notes that Snake Oil has. There's a faint crisp bergamot presence but it burns off fast. Aged snake oil vanilla sweetens and softens the mint, and I'm reminded of mint ice cream, yum! As it sits on the skin for a while the mint starts losing ground to spicy-resin-vanilla, emphasis on the vanilla. Somehow the resins, patchouli, and spice that I expect out of Snake Oil stay very low in Green Tree Viper, and I just get the impression of "warm" vanilla melting into a bit of cool mint. It lacks the potent, aggressive throw of the other two snakes I've tried, but for a while I was thinking, "Hmm, I like this!" But after a while longer the creamy green ice cream touch wears off and I get slightly powdery vanilla.

 

In summary, like every other Snake Oil type I've tried so far, Green Tree Viper starts out fantastically and goes downhill from there.

[angelicruin]

I love this so much more than I thought it would. It is the most amazing blend of snake oil, mint, and green tree. Lasts several hours on my skin and has a very nice throw to it. I just have a decant right now from a recent swap, but I will definitely be buying a bottle before the Carnaval comes down.

[Poenari]

I finally "bit the bullet" and ordered some Snake Pit decants. I love Snake Oil, whether fresh or aged, but wasn't sure if I'd like it with mint. Green Tree Viper is a combination of F5 and Snake Oil, and I really like this! I often wear either one of those scents at bedtime, but would have never thought of layering them. This is very warm and soothing, and yet fresh... it's not a sharp mint, but the kind that makes you want to snuggle under the covers.

[bubblefish]

MINTS! And then there's the bergamot... and the tea. Making their appearances late, but now they are all there and present. The mint is definitely first and foremost the dominant note (and I think it is making my skin tingle a little, in a happy sort of way). I really like that distinct smell of tea... I'm not sure what it is but it's sort of a dry earth/herb hybrid or something. Anyway, it really balances out the mint and keeps it from smelling like, say an after dinner mint. I wish the bergamot were a little stronger, because it ends up smelling like mint tea, but it's still a delicious and pleasant scent.

[revinn]

You know, I actually really like this! I don't like plain Snake Oil, but I still wanted to try one of the snakes (the labels are too gorgeous), and GTV sounded like a safe bet.

 

Initial Sniff from Bottle: A lot of leafy mint. Can't really pinpoint anything else.

 

Wet: Mint, with something a little sweet lingering in the background. I can detect a bit of the bergamot as well. It almost smells like those mint chocolate cookies.

 

Dry: The mint dies down and this becomes a lighter Snake Oil, with a little bit of bergamot and green tea. Very lovely. It has a lot of throw, though the throw smells a little more like a sweet incense then it does on my skin. Still nice though!

 

Out of 10: 8! I'll have to try some more snakes!

[rayvn1]

Yay, I can add another Snake Pit blend to the win pile So many of them didn't work on me I was getting worried. This is the least Snake Oily of the ones I like though it starts out as spearmint layered over traditional SO. Then it morphs into the oddest mint tea scent like SO translated into tea. Great for summer!

[topazphoenix]

Green Tree Viper reminds me of mint chocolate ice cream. The mint is the most prominent note but the Snake Oil and green tea give it a solid backing. Refreshing and relaxing. This is lovely and I'm so happy I have a bottle.

[HamletsKeeper]

For me, this scent isn't really integrated very well. I get 30mins of mint medicine then on extreme drydown pure snake oil. I'm hoping that ageing will help that to some degree.

 

BottleSniff The greens in this really don't pop out at me in the bottle, just a cool sharpness. I've discovered much to my disappointment that BPALs mints are less actual smells and more a feeling. I was hoping to find a lush, wet green mint like a sprig of mint freshly picked. Instead I just get ice.

 

Wet Minty bandaids. Yep smells like antiseptic to me. Although I'm led to believe that it's because the SO component is pretty fresh so ageing may soften this aspect. The green parts of the scent are interesting enough that I'll leave it on to see how it morphs.

 

Extreme Drydown This scent doesn't change on me until about an hour in. By that stage all the greens are entirely gone and I've got pure snake oil which I describe as spiced custard, and my sister describes as cake batter.

 

I'm holding onto this one at least for 6 months to see if ageing it will bring forth the promise of something more coherent. At the moment the notes in this bottle feel like a jumble that's really uncomfortable with itself. Nothing seems to be working together. Lets see if it changes. I'm glad though that I've gotten to try the infamous SO, in interesting combinations.

 

 

 

 

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

fresh out of the shower snake!

i imagine it to be green tea shampoo followed by bergamot conditioner and freshly brushed fangs.

 

so, er, yeah. Snake Oil and toothpaste. bearing in mind that i can't stand mint

[alioth]

A lovely fresh, softer, cleaner Snake Oil. Almost the 'summer version'. Starts out mint, then goes to a nice, astringent tea with a little vanilla, then dries to a gentle vanilla backed up by a little mint and a breath of spice. This isn't a very Snake Oil-y snake on me Delicious!