Western Diamondback

[Tramp]

Snake Oil with leather, tonka bean, red sandalwood, and sage.

Wet: Sage and spicy incense. Herbal.

Drydown: it goes in stages, the herbal/sage lasts quite a while and is very soothing. I'd have to call this one a calm scent. The sage slowly gets dusty as the leather gradually warms up. It finally settles on leather that has been sunwarmed with just a hint of the sage.

[crimsonmoon1985]

I really like this one! Its a nice spicey, leathery scent with just a hint of sweetness. This scent makes me wanna pour this all over my boyfriend its just that good!

[ceej]

Warm and spicy vanilla, smooth, with dusty leather and the sage lending it a bit of interest on top. Mellow and laid back: this cowboy is dozing in the sun. My husband will be smelling like this until further notice. I think I'm going to have to get a second bottle so I can make him a dry oil spray.

 

This was the first of the Snake Pit blends I tried, and I went nuts over it.

[rhubarbbear]

ok, so, i totally don't like snakes. however, as i was scrolling thu the snake pit the day it went live i was in a mild panic over not seeing any rattlesnakes, since they are my "home snake" so to speak (costal/deserts of california). then i saw western diamondback, and all was right in the world, esp bc it sounded so divine!

 

so, today i went to help decant for a circle and YUM! western diamondback rules. this was my favorite of all the snakes! smooth, just slightly sweet, chapparal-y snake oil. really, really awesome. can't wait to try it on DH! but this is one i'll wear myself, too.

[The_Witching_Hour]

I usually have a difficult time wearing blends with leather but.......boy, oh boy! Western Diamondback has given me the first BPAL blend with leather that I really like.

 

I'm going to thank the Snake Oil base for tempering the sharpness out of the leather note that ruins every other leather blend I've ever tried....WOW. I'm absolutely stunned! This blend has such a tanned feel to it. Sunny, warm and somehow 'creamy'; not dry at all.

 

Another winner!

[zenvodunista]

This is lovely, and strangely mellow, on me. In the bottle I can smell the sage, but on my skin this is all Snake Oil with leather and LOTS of vanilla-esque tonka. It's very rounded on my skin, and the leather is more like doe-skin than rawhide. I can't wear some leather blends but I can wear this one.

 

I'll probably get a bottle. I don't think ti's too masculine at all, but it is gender neutral. It smelled great on both myself and my BF

 

N.

[Ina Garten Davita]

It's no big secret that I do not like leather scents. But I can't tell that there is any leather in here.

 

Western Diamondback is reminiscent of Snake Oil blended with White Light. It's very heavy on the tonka, with wisps of sandalwood and sage, we have a gorgeous warm and soothing blend. Love.

[forspecial_plate]

I really enjoyed Western Diamondback when I stopped trying to analyze it and just wore it. It's all about the throw for me, and that's a sweet, warm Snake Oil with a little dry herbs. There is very little leather that I can smell. Up close the sage is stronger, and the sandalwood is there, too. I forget which Snake Pit scent has smoked vanilla...but when I wore this I kept thinking it had smoked vanilla, so I guess that's the tonka bean, and it's the strongest note in the blend for me.

 

I would venture to say that if you like the vanilla part of Snake Oil, or just the sweetness of it and not the spices or patchouli, then this might work well for you. It's another winner for me.

[twistygirl]

This is much more subtle and gentle and mellow than I had expected it to be. Which for me is a good thing. I get a bit of the warmth of the leather but mainly the absolute delicousness of the Tonka bean. The sandlewood adds a bit of a smoky undertone and the sage is very, very discrete. It morphs pretty quickly and stays close to the skin. Very appropriate for both men and women. I am starting to think that the Snake Pit may be the greatest collection ever, as this is one more that I am completely in love with.

[Em-]

Mmmm. This is one of the Snake Pit I was most looking forward to - Snake Oil with some of my very favorite notes...I cannot pick out anything in particular, except to note that this is creamier than the typical SO, with a hint of the sage and leather, and a smokyness from the sandalwood that is just divine. Divine, I tell you!

 

If you have ever wondered what the bastard love child of Snake Oil and Corazon (minus the mango ;-) would smell like, run do not walk to buy this blend.

[minnalavender]

Another Snake I'm in love with!

 

This is going to be a completely useless review, but I'm writing it anyway.

 

Western Diamondback is SEX.

 

It smells incredibly good on me - Snake Oil lite, heavy on the vanilla, with a hint of leather and sage - but want to smell this on a man.

 

Right before I attack him.

 

teh S3x0r. That is Western Diamondback. Yep.

[LiberAmoris]

Western Diamondback is like the Snake Oil that tips its hat and calls you 'mam. I love the tonka here, and the leather is just perfect. When it dries down, it's just so warm and snuggly and rustic. I would love to smell this on a guy some time, but it also wears well on my skin and I can see this being a comfort scent of sorts for me.

[Lorencita]

This is incredibly beautiful... I never thought I could love snake oil more than I already did. This is Vanilla Snake oil, with an herbal scent grounding it. The touch of leather is amazing and this is definitely my favorite so far. Pure Love... I could not be happier & I will sell my soul for as many bottles as I can get my grimy hands on!

[edenssixthday]

Western Diamondback - Both leather and red sandalwood can go really bad on me really fast, so I put off trying this until all my other Snakes & Freaks had been tested. Was I ever blown away when I first sniffed this blend. It's got a strong Snake Oil scent combined with rich, creamy tonka, and just the perfect soft touch of leather. I don't smell the red sandalwood on me at all. It really sweetens up on drydown and becomes almost sugary. The lightest, most ethereal wisp of sage comes out at this point, adding to the overall desert beauty of this blend. This definitely reminds me the southwest, specifically the high desert of northern New Mexico around Taos and Santa Fe. This is sooo beautiful, creamy, gender-neutral, and multiple bottle-worthy. It's definitely gender-neutral. I can't recommend it enough. Hats off to Beth for another kick-ass Snake Oil!

[cuervosueno]

most of the labs leather notes don't work well on me. That said, I'm crazy about Quincey Morris, and like Coyote. Are you seeing a trend there? It is the lighter leather scents that I like.

 

I imagined this as a spicy Quincey Morris. Instead, it's.....leather. Almost all leather. I never really get Snake Oil, though this is sweeter than just straight up leather.

 

Well, guess I'll stick to my Quincey Morris.

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

LEATHER!

 

On me:

I have put off doing a review of this scent for days now because I can never do it justice. Western Diamondback makes me want to buy 100 bottles, pour them on the floor and then happily roll and scoot around in it like a cat in cat nip.

 

The very thought of running out of this blend makes me panic, and I'm being completely serious. There are very few blends that make me feel that way - though I love many, only some of them have been SO wonderful to me that I don't want to think of a time where I will not have them. Western Diamondback is definitely one of them.

 

I like the smell of leather, I think it's sexy and comforting and addicting in a strange way. I don't usually *wear* leather scents though, it's more something that I like to sniff for a bit. I love walking into leatherworking booths at our local faires to just sniff the air.

 

This is a blend I want to wear though. I want to wear it ALL the time, it's so good. It is Snake Oil - that sweet, creamy sexy scent with slick black leather. It is not leather of the rawhide variety - that is to say, it's not that dusty light leather. It's black whip leather, that's for sure. This is sex, plain and simple.

 

Aside from Snake Oil and that black leather, I get a slight sweetness from the tonka but that's about it. I love this scent so much.

 

Final note:

What else can I say? It's so amazing, I think Beth really outdid herself with these Snake Pit scents. Almost everyone loves Snake Oil, and to take that and add other notes to it? Success. Especially when it turns out like this.

 

Now imagine what this is gonna smell like AGED. Heaven!

[blu°]

This smells indeed heavenly.

Very Snake Oil-esque. A true deep vanilla and tonka that's utterly delicious. The leather is ever so soft and I don't mind it for now.

 

Still, I'm wary, as leather often feels ok to me first, but then later it'll just get on my nerves as it sits on my skin like a strange element that never ever melds, adapts or changes... But for now, I like the Western Diamondback and hope I'll be able to enjoy the parts I love about it.

[Little Bird]

In the bottle, the creamy, cool sweetness of the tonka makes me swoon. On my skin, the herbal, smoky sharpness of the sage comes in and stomps out all of the other notes. The sage seems to swallow up the tonka and red sandalwood that I love. I'm left with a perfumey Snake Oil wrapped in worn leather and a sharp, bitter sage.

 

ETA: I left my bottle to age, hoping that the sage would mellow out. Now this scent is mostly leather on me, but it's an intense, heavy, black, smoky leather that's too sharp for me (and I usually like leather scents). It feels like being smothered in black smoke and strips of burning leather. Not for me.

Edited June 24, 2011 by Little Bird

[PilotKitten]

On me this is a dry, dusty leather and lots of really sharp, herbal sage. No tonka and no sweet red sandalwood. I think I smell a dirty patchouli coming in on the drydown that I guess would be from the Snake Oil. This might be better on a man, but it’s not really sweet or complex enough for me to want my man to wear it.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: a bit sweet, but mostly dark.

on: lots of leather and sage. very interesting.

1.5 hours later: sage and leather, with a hint of tonka. very nice.

2.5 hours later: very dark. a hint of leather.

4.5 hours later: mostly tonka with something dark in the background.

overall: this is just a gorgeous scent. i love every stage, especially the drydown. i'm a sucker for tonka.

[kakiphony]

In the imp: This is the most true to the original of the (admittedly few) variations I've tried. The spiciness is the first thing I smell, and then the sage. This is a fresh version of snake oil. It's also more perfumy than the others I've tried. I'm the most dubious about this.

 

Wet on skin: Hmm. The leather is definitely present along with the sage. Together, they're kind of masculine and a bit like cologne. I'm not loving it so far.

 

Early dry down: The sandalwood quickly develops in this blend on me and it goes from being sharp, herbal and fresh to quite dry and rounded. The sandalwood and leather together are masculine, but kind of sexy on me. I'm beginning to like this, although it feels more like a summer blend than a snow February one I think.

Late dry down: Several hours later, the tonka has risen to sweeten and ground the dry sandalwood and leather. It has become faintly powdery and the spices of Snake oil have made the blend more complex on my skin. It's pretty.

[heartbreakangel]

Hrm. This one, I'm not too sure on.

 

In the decant: Smells like vanilla and sage.

 

On skin, wet: I can sort of smell the leather, now. Kind of? It's not very strong.

 

On skin, dry: This did something really odd once it dried down. Instead of becoming a wonderful blend of scents, it turned into something antiseptic. I had to mash my nose down against my skin to pick up anything aside from that, and even then, it was barely anything at all.

 

Disappointing, as I was really looking forward to this one. I'll probably try it again in a day or two, in the hopes that this was just a really awkward skin chemistry day.

[Rheliwen]

Quincey Morris (a little drier Dead Man's Hand) leather is the first note I smell. I detect the snake oil in the background but it's pretty subtle. dry, the snake oil is much more prominent and playing an equal role to the leather.

 

I love this.

[euterpe414]

I, too, am smelling mainly the same leather note that was in Quincey Morris (aka the good leather smell). This blend does not have much Snake Oil in it to me, in fact I can't even smell it at all. I do smell the other notes, but they are really well blended and support the smell of the rich leather. This is absolutely heavenly, rich and sexy in that raw kind of way . I am really looking forward to how this ages, and perhaps will invest in another bottle of this. Good stuff!

Edited February 23, 2007 by euterpe414

[juniperus]

Bottle: holy fargin' leather-rama!

Wet: I can just barely discern the snake oil behind the OMG leather

Dry: OMG leather, followed by sage, snake oil, and I can barely discern the red sandalwood behind

Later: same. saddle with a side of sexy. Is this how a hot gay nightclub in Chicago, LA, or New York smells?