Green Tree Viper

[Tramp]

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

In the bottle: MINT!!! Lots of mint It is a clear refreshing scent.

On: Mint squared - lol - but after about 15 minutes it tones down a tiny bit and becomes more of a sensual spicy mint. When I huff my wrist I get an almost citrus/orange kick at the end. The mint seems to mellow more the longer it stays on my skin. Not sharp at all.

[sarada]

This is so freaking good. Do you have any idea how freaking good this it? It's really freaking good.

 

As I will probably mention in all of my Snake Pit reviews, I am not a big fan of Snake Oil. But I really don't smell much of it in this -- just the most strong, delicious, sweet mint I have ever smelled. It's utter bliss. This isn't the toothpastey mint that seems to plague me in other blends...this is a strong, sweet, bold blast of fresh mint touched with a splash of green earl grey. It goes right up your sinuses and does a little green dance.

 

The Snake Oil element simply makes this bold, sweet and long-lasting. People around me can't get enough of it. There's a similarity to mint chocolate chip or thin mints, but without the chocolate. The sweetness is still there, but it's not a cloying, sticky foody sort of sweetness.

 

This is my favorite mint scent ever, and bodes well for the rest of the Snake Pit. As it dries, the mint calms down and the tea/bergamot comes out a little bit, but it dries down much like other vanilla blends do on my skin, which is a little sweet and a little spicy.

 

Also, I love the green snake on the bottle!

[forspecial_plate]

Sarada is right...my very first impression of Green Tree Viper is "Thin Mints!!", even though there's no chocolate. It's a cool green mint (cool blooded?), not icy like bpal's wintry blends. There is a little bit of spiciness that I think is the Indonesian spices from Snake Oil, just peeking out a bit. For quite a while, the green tea and bergamot were nowhere to be found on my skin. Eventually they do come out a little bit, but at no point does this have a strong citrus feel for me (I'm sure this will vary from skin to skin). It's all about the mint! Tramp is right, the mint does tone down after a few minutes, and it's like a spicy mint after that. This is something I'll wear again. Possibly a great scent for the summer heat, especially if you're not in the mood for something ICY like Cloister Graveyard In the Snow.

 

Edit: I put this on today, almost 3 months later, and just a little aging has made a big difference! The bergamot is much more assertive. And the Snake Oil is much more noticeable. Basically the scent has gained a lot more depth and fullness, and some darkness too. It's really amazing.

Edited April 18, 2007 by Forspecial Plate

[rhubarbbear]

yep, this is mintmintmint. back in the olden days i swapped for a few of beth's experimental blends, and one of the ones i got was a minty snake oil. it's been a couple of years, but green tree viper seems much even mintier than the blend i had- it's difficult to detect much snake oil in it, which might be a plus for some people. it's a lovely fresh mint, with just a hint of something darker, smoother, rounder.

[The_Witching_Hour]

Right out of the bottle and the first 20 minutes are so reminiscent of Andes Mints. At that point it doesn't seem like the Green Tree Viper will be anything BUT mint!

 

Funny how a blend changes so much over just 30 minutes, even. The mint has calmed down and I get whiffs of green tea with a subtle lemon zest.

 

Even on drydown it stayed much the same way and is one of the lightest feeling blends out of the Pit. Well done!

[jesvet]

In the bottle, it was ten kinds of mint. MINT! I AM HERE! it proclaimed, and proceeded to smack me around a little.

 

But as soon as it was applied, it calmed down, and whatever sharp note I picked up on quickly faded. The drydown is lovely- mint tea. Think minty Dorian (one of my top three all time favorites.)

[Medici]

Heavy, heavy mint. The snake oil warms it up, making the blend rather musky, but it's stroooong mint, even towards the end of drydown.

 

So strong that the spots on my collar bone have gone cold where I applied it and my arms have broken out in goosebumps. Awesome.

 

Hello hot summer weather. Meet your adversary: The Green Tree Viper.

 

5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve

Edited February 1, 2007 by Medici

[Ina Garten Davita]

Wow, the polar opposite of Saw Scaled Viper, Green Tree Viper is so minty and tingly. *shivers* You can really detect how many different layers of mint this scent has.

 

I'm getting the Andes mint vibe, it's very potent. With the exception of peppermint, I've not found a minty BPAL scent that has really worked on me. But I'm loving this. The mint stays tingly as the creaminess of the Snake Oil starts to peek out. Nice!

 

This is going to be a perfect scent for summer in the ATL.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: yummy mint. this is definitely going to be the first snake pit oil i try out.

on: tons and tons of mint with a hint of biting bergamot and some bitter green tea. i'm in love.

1.5 hours later: mostly minty. a bit biting, but very nice.

3.5 hours later: a sweet tea scent with a hint of mint.

5 hours later: soft, sweet mint.

overall: lovely, lovely stuff. i don't get much snake oil from this, which is probably why it works so well on me. i'll definitely be wearing this one a lot. i think it will come in handy when i have a headache or when it's hot out, too.

[savage_rose]

I loved sarada's "little green dance" comment. Yes! Candied mint with the vanilla-spicy goodness of Snake Oil. The mint fades quicker than the Snake Oil on me (curses!), but enough remains to stand out and set off the Snake Oil. To me it smells like Peppermint Tea (good Stash Peppermint Tea, all green and sometimes intense), with some nutty kind of pastry. Not really foody, but the combination kinda reminds you of it.

 

Dance little Green Tree Viper, dance!

[edenssixthday]

Green Tree Viper - I tend to not like any of the notes in this blend, but of course, you never know with BPAL or with Snake Oil. I was actually surprised how nice this blend is. It's not really my cup of tea, but I have a feeling a lot of people who like clean, cool, fresh scents might really like this one. I think it would be nice for a hot summer day. The mint is the strongest note on me, with the green tea not far beneath it. I only very faintly smell the Snake Oil beneath the other notes, lending the slightest hint of creaminess to the mint and tea. The scent is very faint on my skin with virtually no throw on me, and the staying power is well below average, but for me, that's not uncommon with type of blend.

[myoubi]

PRECONCEPTIONS: This was the blend I was most excited for in the entire update, by a long shot. Although Snake Oil itself was iffy on me (straight-up vanilla) I nontheless had high hopes for the Viper.

 

IN THE BOTTLE: Mint! But not a cold mint like Snowblind or Lick It. It still has that freshness and kick but it's rounder and less nose-clearing.

 

WET ON SKIN: Still mint! Green mint, though. This is complex -- beneath the mintiness is something warm and subtle.

 

DRY: The mint is backing off now, and the other notes are coming out. There is a bit of vegetal green tea, but no bergamot as yet. After about ten minutes, the Snake Oil base starts to noticeably peek out and mingle with the other notes.

 

30 minutes later: This blend is at its best about half an hour after application. The mint, while it doesn't evaporate like Lick It Again, is much reduced to a slightly-buttery hint flitting round the corners. Once again, Snake Oil does its supervanilla thing on me, but here it's complicated by the dry Snake Oil spices, which miraculously I can detect here. I can still smell the green tea but it doesn't have combat boots on. No bergamot for me, though.

 

I love this blend. I need a hoard of this so that i never ever ever run out -- I'll vacuum-seal and freeze them to preserve 'em if need be. My only caveat is that this blend doesn't last that long on me. While initially it's a solid medium-to-strong, after four hours this is mostly disappeared and after five I can't even smell it with my nose against my wrist. Since I don't carry bottles around with me for reapplication, this is a pain in the butt.

Even so, this snake is yummy.

[zenvodunista]

Very cold mint, that quickly dries down to a vanilla mint tea scent. Very Dorian like. Not necessarily my cup o' tea as I am not a huge mint person, but very lovely. I'm sure this one will be a surprise hit.

 

N.

[schackjj]

This is just. . .amazing! At first, it's kickyouinthehead mint but in 20 minutes or so, it starts to soften and deepen and the other notes start to appear. It's just a fabulous blend. I can see where it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea because it's so different, but it's it's a keeper for me.

[minnalavender]

I LOVE minty things, always have. For me, Green Tree Viper is a new must-have.

 

It starts out pure sugary mint in the vial - what I had hoped that Lick It Again would smell like! One sniff and I feel refreshed and clear-headed. On my skin, the mint is still the dominant note, but the slightly lemony bergamot and the tea notes are definitely there rounding out the sugary mintiness. To be perfectly honest, I barely smell any Snake Oil in this snake until the drydown, but that's fine by me. The predominant notes are beautiful in and of themselves. (And how does that happen?? How can I not detect the Snake Oil from the get-go? It's so strong to me!)

 

GTV has almost no throw and disappears quickly on my skin, but that's no problem - I carry pretty imp holders with me always and love to reapply.

 

Despite the peppermint, it is very Asian in tone. It should wear a cheongsam. lol! (I'll wear one for it instead.) I'll be wearing this a lot during the heat of summer, and also when I feel like putting on a sophisticated, Shanghai-esque tea perfume. It also has aromatherapeutic qualities without any medicinal association, which I love! Mint is wonderful for settling the tummy.

 

So

 

Edited to add: The decant I have has oxidized/aged VERY rapidly and boy, have the Snake Oil components come to the forefront now!! I love this even more than I did when it was new. As a result I've acquired another bottle just for aging.

Edited May 3, 2007 by Mattie

[LiberAmoris]

Wowza, minty! Green Tree Viper is some seriously sinus-clearing stuff right out of the bottle. Then it's all about the bergamot and green tea. I don't really detect much Snake Oil in here, maybe just a little around the edges. Mostly it comes across as a slightly minty Earl Grey tea on my skin, with that 'green' feel from the green tea note.

 

As others have noted, very refreshing and mind-clearing. Surprisingly wearable for me, given all the mintage in here. I think this would also be great in the oil burner on a day when I'm having difficulty concentrating.

[dronzeka]

Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum! This is such a great, refreshing scent. It starts out with a blast of MINT!!!!, but as it dries down, it turns into a kind of green-tinged Lick It Again - I get a very similar creamy mint in the end. I'm presuming the vanilla in Snake Oil is combining with the mints in this snake in a similar way to the vanilla in Lick It Again. I love Lick It Again, so this is all good in my book. I don't really identify the bergamot or green tea (maybe a hint of bergamot along the way), but I suspect they're what makes this feel green. Plus, there's more spearmint in the dry down, rather than Lick It Again's pure peppermint. Perhaps there's a little hint of spice underneath, but I'm not a Snake Oil aficionado (I've only tried it once), so I'm not really picking it up here. Regardless of what comes from where, this is a great scent and I'll have to think about a bottle! It'd be wonderful in hot weather, especially if you're not in the mood for the very Christmas-y candy cane of Lick It Again.

[cuervosueno]

Mmmm...I love the mint in this. Like everyone else said, its a blast of mint at first, then we get the creamy vanilla. Wet, this reminds me more of Snowblind then of Lick It, which is lovely, because I love Snowblind.

 

But after a bit the mint fades and I'm left with a softer, just slightly minty Dorian type blend.

 

I can't decide if I need a whole bottle of this, but I might.

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

Vanilla mint!

 

On me:

If you read my review of Western Diamondback, you will see that I am already enamoured of the Snake Pit scents and want to buy a thousand sets of them to last me forever.

 

Green Tree Viper is no exception, I LOVE this blend. I mean, some of you who have been around a while may already know that I adore mint. I rarely meet a mint blend that I don't love. Gree Tree Viper is not just any mint scent though - it's mint SEX. If you like vanilla mint scents or if you like Dorian, give this a shot. I really don't think it will disappoint.

 

It's vanilla and that creamy Snake Oil, but with bright mint and infused with a sort of smooth, masculine shot of bergamot and tea. Which is where my Dorian association comes from, it's smooth like Dorian but still holds some masculine qualities. But this is not strictly a man's scent, no not at all.

 

After about 15 minutes that green tea comes out more and this becomes a LOT creamier. It's delicious.

 

Final note:

If you like Snake Oil and Dorian, don't be afraid of the mint, try this one anyways!

 

 

ETA: After about half an hour I swear I smell something slightly fruity in there too. I cannot pick out exactly what fruit but it's in there!

Edited February 15, 2007 by Brianne

[blu°]

I wasn't all that thrilled by Green Tree Viper, I must admit. It's a nice blend, no question, and probably my problem is that my father wears minty scents a lot.

Although GTV doesn't strike me as in-your-face masculine, I couldn't rid of the feeling that I'm wearing my dad's perfume while I had it on. It might come down to a chemistry collision thing on that very day, and I'll give it another try, but it didn't feel like a me-scent at all.

[Little Bird]

In the vial I smell mint and a funky bergamot that smells kinda fishy to me. Literally like fish. Sometimes lemony scents go off to my nose like that. I digress.

 

On my skin... dirty, fishy mint. Thankfully the funky smell fades away quickly and the green tea kicks the bergamot back into submission. Green Tree Viper morphs into a super sugary mint with the smoothness of green tea in the background. I like. It's cool, refreshing, and reminds me of vanilla mints after a few minutes. It's pretty zingy and sinus clearing though. I smell it and get this chilly sharpness in my nose/head.

 

After a half hour, this has lost it's original *pow* and is much softer now, fading quickly. I'm not much of a mint person and this one fades pretty fast, so I probably won't get a full bottle... but Green Tree Viper is still a nice little blend.

[Frills]

I don't get Dorian during this, which is lucky, because I can't wear Dorian at all. (It just ends up smelling like cologne, alas.) Instead, this one smells like green tea and homemade ice cream almost. Tasty!

 

ADDED Feb. 23:

 

Mint, mint, vanilla-mint, and then a half hour later, green tea ice cream. I approve!

[Deiicide]

er, wow.

When the CD installment first hit, I knew for sure that this little winner would be mine! But there was the little underlying fact that I had never tried Snake Oil. I know, blasphmey blah de blah..anyways:

 

Imagine the creamiest mint that you've ever encountered. Not strong, but sexy in a sense. Add in a dash of spice, and a undercurrent of vanilla and you have Green Tree Viper. It's the calm one of the snake oil family, and it's perfection.

 

I will definatley have to buy another bottle before it goes down. I find myself having snake oil cravings.

[Emma2403]

This is the one I was waited for… green tea and mint… I hope it won’t disappoint me like Gennivre did.

 

In the bottle: tons of mint! Bright, powerful, sugared mint… yummy!

 

On my skin: honestly, I only get mint so far. No tea, no bergamot… but mint being my all-time favourite, I certainly won’t complain.

 

After a couple of hours: now I get some tea… I’d have said ‘earl grey’ and it makes sense as bergamot is listed as a note. Mostly, it’s still a wonderful sweet mint. Just everything I like. (No Snake Oil at all, by the way).

 

Verdict: true love!

[ilona]

This is fantastic. I love minty scents (Nuclear Winter, Envy, Gennivre) and this might even top them. Almost overwhelmingly minty at first, it softens down to a creamy, butter fresh scent. I get almost no Snake Oil at all - just a hint of vanilla. This may be bottle-worthy...