Snake Oil

[buryheratsea]

By far, our most popular scent! Magnetic, mysterious, and exceedingly sexual in nature. A blend of exotic Indonesian oils sugared with vanilla.

Very dark and rich and sexy. My husband loves it. I really like the spice mellowed by vanilla, mmm.

[ladyl]

After hearing the rave reviews, I was soooo excited to try this. I didn't even think twice to purchase a 5ml instead of an imp. Talk about disappointment. I got the nice vanilla exotic spice thing going on, but it's all been destroyed by this plasticky or sarsaparilla scent that's keep hovering around it. I do hope it will mature and that smell would go away.

Edited July 23, 2009 by ladyl

[loladae]

Like Snake Oil really needs more reviews...

 

Anywho, I of course bought an imp of Snake Oil with my first bpal purchase two years ago. It was horrible, and I read that it was so I kept it. I tried it through out the year and let it sit in my bpal box for another year. I was determined to make it work. Well...it does! It's definitely not my favorite scent because I don't find it to be amazing or complex (which it's not) but, Snake Oil is most definitely bottle worthy after 2 1/2 years. It'll just have to sit for two years...

[tragedy]

I finally got around to trying the famous snake oil.

Unfortunately, the snake oil I got to try, was a few drops of extremely aged oil.

Oh. My. God.

I am so unbelieveable hooked on the smell of this that I carry the empty bottle around with me everywhere just to sniff.

It is the single most sexy scent, and I swears when I wore it everything goes my way.

 

Problem is: I dont have any aged and noone wants to come off of thiers. Dammit!!!

[Aldercy]

Oh, Snake Oil, you are such a sweet nectar.... Admittedly, it is one of BPAL's less complex blends, but it's such a beautiful, classic staple. Creamy and voluptuous. In fact, I actively disliked vanilla scents before Snake Oil and O converted me-- there's something specially seductive about the Lab's vanilla.

 

I've never reviewed before because the one imp I had was broken long ago, and acquiring more was just something I put on the back burner for way too long.

[Salem]

How to put this down without sounding like the black sheep. I'm incredibly gutted and upset about my experience with the old Snake Oil.

 

Sniff from the imp - This smells familiar. Familiar but missing something.

 

Wet - A bit.. dare I say it.. acrid? It's spicy, exotic and sexy don't get me wrong, but it's almost bitter.

 

Drying/dry - No, no, bad Snake Oil! No industrial toilet cleaner, bad! This turned awful both times I've put it on my skin and let it dry. No vanilla, and I love vanilla. I even tryed layering a sugared cream scent with it but that morphed it into a beast and I had to scrub my wrists.

 

I'm absolutely gutted. I love heady, spicy scents and I love vanilla and usually they both work on me. The OH liked it but I'm just not sure. I'm going to give it another go in a couple of weeks - scents just don't seem to be playing ball on my skin at the moment (ones that usually work too).

[elecktrik]

I've been BPAL-ing for just over a year now, so it's definitely time for some Snake Oil. No, I don't know why it took me so long.

 

And yes, it is amazing. I want to just lick my wrist when I wear it.

 

And, the first day I wore it out, I was with a friend of mine who said, "Oooh, I just got a whiff of your perfume. What's the company called again? I think I may need to order a bottle."

 

SUCCESS! Thank you Snake Oil. I love you.

[redderz]

I've never really thought much to Snake Oil, despite the rave reviews about it. It's always been a little too incensey for me.

 

In the imp: Incense. Strong.

 

Wet: Still incense. I hardly get any vanilla, which sucks because I LOVE vanilla. I wouldn't say it's a bad incense, but it's quite heady.

 

I much prefer Snake Charmer.

[opticnerd]

I can't believe I never reviewed Snake Oil. I was so sure I had. Maybe its because everything I could say has already been said by other reviewers.

 

Snake Oil is absolutely amazing! Its this beautiful woody resinous vanilla incense, with just the faintest kiss of something almost opium-like. Perhaps a bit of almond and saffron, and the easiest to wear patchouli and possibly cedar ever!

 

Ok, so its tough to pick out the notes, but its just the most captivating and warm sensual vanilla blend ever. It makes me feel comforted whenever I wear it, and oddly enough, it makes me feel tough. Like I won't take any crap from anyone. Its an empowering and gorgeous perfume. And yes, aging makes it just incredible.

[claudia6913]

This bottle is fresh from the lab. In the bottle its almost a soda smell, one that was left to get flat.

 

Wet on my skin it still has that flat soda smell. It's not horrible, but not something I would enjoy smelling like. The longer it's on, the more the exotic oils come out to play. I can already smell it turning exotic and sweet, slinky and sexy. (I wore this earlier without reviewing it, so I remember the dry down yummy, lovely phase.)

 

Dry down is spicy, sexy, sweetness. Nice and smooth. Definitely going to age this one as I can imagine it only gets better. Hopefully the flat soda initial phase will go away with time.

[mea0609]

I have a love/hate relationship with this scent. Sometimes this scent smells sweet (mostly vanilla) with a hint of something spicy and it smells wonderful on me Sadly, other times it smells very bad like play-doh I like this scent...I still don't know if I love it

[Diva Urd]

Vial: Very exotic, hard to describe. I'd say it's spicy-incense-y and woody. The vanilla seems to mostly stay in the background.

On: Hm, I gotta guess, but I'd say there's definitely cinnamon, possibly a tad of cedar... it shares something with Kathmandu, so maybe also the chiuri bark (I wouldn't know what that smells like on its own). Maybe some anise, cardamom and saffron? It's not bad... but it doesn't wow me so far.

Later: This didn't change on me at all. It's pleasantly spicy and not your typical department store perfume, but... I dunno, it's not my favorite scent ever. I'm glad I got to try it, though, and will hold on to the imp.

[ramona]

I finally get it.

 

Snake oil was in my very first pack of imps as a complete newbie and I didn't like it. I couldn't understand what all the hype was about at all. Aging was a foreign concept. But instead of packing for my impending move like I should have been today, I was playing with my imp collection. I saved that imp of snake oil from about a year ago, and just for kicks, swiped some on tonight.

 

OMG Now I get it! I could have never imagined, pre-BPAL addiction, that something could morph so much from fresh to aged. I guess I'm going to have to order me a bottle of snake oil and stash it away for at least a year! I can't stop sniffing my wrist and grinning. Too bad I'm going to have to wait to get this kind of goodness. Teach me to be a non-believer

[MagicMaid]

In the vial: Sweet, Spicy, Exotic Blend. Smells very nice.

 

Wet: Spicy, soapy with a touch of powder.

 

Drydown: Spicy, powdery and I get a faint bit of incense underneath...

 

Overall: Hmm, I will definitely get it to age before trying it again. Right now it just smells like powder.

 

This is the exact same thing that happened to me! I got an imp of this to try after reading all the rave reviews - it seemed like something that would work well for me. In the vial, perfect! So I slathered some on to my wrists and even behind my ears and at my throat. Wet, still that spicy and exotic scent that I loved - amazing. But as soon as it dried, all I got was powder. The staying power was amazing, so I smelled like powder for the whole day. Hubby even remarked he could smell it over the food we were cooking on the grill at work.

My best guess is to let it age, so that's exactly what I'll do.

[morganlise]

I don't think Snake Oil particularly needs more reviews, but I'll throw mine in here because of a very interesting (to me) similarity it bears. First of all, I love and adore Snake Oil. It's the kind of fragrance that was designed for me, heady, vanillic, dark and incense-y. I LOVE heavy, dark scents, and this is definitely one of the heaviest out there, BPAL or otherwise. First application is very nice, but for me it's the drydown that keeps me coming back.

 

Anyways, I finally got to smell a few of the Serge Lutens perfumes this weekend in San Francisco. I had just worn Snake Oil the day before, so the scent was fresh in my mind when I tried Fumerie Turque. I quite liked the SL scent, but realized almost immediately that Snake Oil is a dead ringer for it! So, if you want to avoid paying $120 for a bottle of Fumerie Turque, you might try Snake Oil first.

[Venneh]

In the frimp I got of this from the lab, it's a bronzish color; I have no way to tell whether or not this has been aged in the lab. I also get a hint of vanilla overwhelmed by doctor's-room-esque spices. Something tells me this hasn't been aged. On my skin, I get the vanilla, darkened by the spices. Oh, this smells good.

 

Beautiful vanilla-spice, and it doesn't go doctor's office on me, which is awesome. Definite bottle, going to inquire to see whether or not it's been aged; if it has, well, then it's going to be getting a bottle and having it age a bit.

Edited October 10, 2009 by Venneh

[Alexanne]

Note: I tested his oil after it had aged 10 months.

Wet, it was very heady, and very patchouli. First thing that popped into my head was "Karma" from Lush. Then it morphs. A strong spicy note (black pepper, opium) if I sniff close enough, or creamy spice if I sniff from far away. The vanilla is definitely in the background, but not to the point where you have to go seeking it out. There's nothing not to like about this, truly. But it is very simple - and I sorta let myself down on this one, because I expected a wildly complex and exotic scent. It reminds me of this: "It was a blistering hot night, and still the flames leaped across the sand as the bonfire continued burning. The echo of the drums; the flashes of metal from the tambourines; the movements of the people; the flicker of the fire. It was a magical night, the night where everyone was free; where everyone was connected through the music. The incense and oils burned in the distance; the smoke rising to make a ring over the crowd. The air was full of spirit, full of life, and full of lust."

Verdict: I like the scent, but I don't love it. Not yet, anyways. Maybe I just need some more one-on-one time with it. Would be a great scent to bring along for dancing, though, or to wear for your hubby/wifey.

[reynardine]

Had to try this because everyone raves about it, although it's really not my style. Imp fresh from lab.

 

In imp: spicy vanilla

 

Wet: SPICY!!! And more spicy!!!

 

Drydown: Still spicy!!!

 

Hour later: And here comes the vanilla, finally. The spices have blended into it and it's a nice scent, although somewhat masculine for my taste. Going to age the imp and try it again to see what happens--the spicy side was okay, but I preferred the vanilla. Also want to try some of the Snake Pit to see what comes up with that. Also, I want to see what happens when my husband tries this.

 

I like Snake Oil, but it's not the OMG LOVE that I hear so much about.

[AstraeaSophia]

One of my first imps directly from the lab. Having heard such good things about it, my bar was set pretty high. With Snake Oil as with almost all my BPAL scents, I had to give myself a full 24 hours with the scent on before I could make a decision.

 

Decision: I fuggin' love this stuff. For real.

 

In the bottle: It smells a little woody, like a thick incense. Don't get any vanilla quite yet.

 

Wet: The spicy notes are starting to come out, and based on its evolution so far, I think I'll love it when it totally dries.

 

Drydown: Snake Oil is evoking images of gypsies for me. I'm sure it's a mixture of the name with the smell, but I love it. It's getting more "red" as it dries, if that makes sense. And the sweetness of the vanilla is rounding out the woody smells of the spicy Indonesian cocktail that makes up the rest of the scent.

 

Totally dry: Holy crap, I cannot stop smelling my arm. If I would have known how awesome this would be dry, I would've bought a whole bottle. Well, maybe not, because I'm totally broke, but I would have definitely tried to rationalize the urge to snatch a full 5 mL. The vanilla finally comes out and seems to amp more and more on me the longer I wear this scent. Snake Oil is not particularly complex, 'tis true, but I think that's part of its appeal. It's direct and full-frontal. The longer I wore it, the richer and sexier it became. A scent that unfolds on your skin. This is a definite keeper and a fine addition to my wishlist.

 

Maybe this rating is undeserved for so simple a scent, but any aroma that gets my attention like Snake Oil did deserves accolades. Five out of five yummies!

 

:yum: :yum:

Edited November 15, 2009 by AstraeaSophia

[jennythereader]

First tried on: 6/19/2009

 

In Imp: Sweet and spicy

 

Wet: The spices start to smell more like food spices, the sweet still doesn't smell like anything particular

 

Dry: Spicy vanilla, a little harsh for the first hour or so; I keep getting whiffs of this all day long. It lasts longer than most of the others I've tried.

 

Rating: 4 - get a bottle

 

Comments from others: My husband says: unique, but he doesn't really like it.

 

Comments: I've worn this about a dozen times since June, and each time I like it better. The slight harshness has mostly gone away, and it's just lovely sweet spices. I can't wait to see how it ages.

[verbranden]

Yes, more Snake Oil reviews because I don't think enough people have reviewed it.

 

This smells like a hippie shop.

 

BUT IN A GOOD WAY.

 

This smells warm and resinous and sensuous and intoxicating and it just gets better and richer as it dries. I love this stuff, and can now see why people flip out over it. I can see why there's a joke FAQ on the forums somewhere about "Do you sell Snake Oil in 55 gallon drums?" I WOULD TOTALLY BUY IT. This stuff is *that* amazing.

 

And it's supposed to get even better aged? SIGN ME UP.

[MamaMoth]

Heh. As if Snake Oil needs any more reviews. But here goes.

 

When I first tried Snake Oil, I was a little disappointed. I can detect vanilla and red musk, but can't really place anything else specific. It has a very medicinal, almost bitter smell when it's wet, which continues about an hour in. But during that time a spiced vanilla starts creeping in, and it sweetens up considerably. As the "medicinal" smell starts to dissipate, it gets a little powdery. But that doesn't last for long. What I'm left with after that first hour or so is a gorgeous, rich, heady, resiny-spiced vanilla. Deceptively simple, but utterly lovely.

 

Now, that opener initially kind of turned me off, even though I greatly enjoy how it smells a bit later. I bought a bottle unsniffed just because I felt like I owed it the chance, based on how much I love BPAL, figuring I could cellar it for a while if I didn't like it, and sell it eventually if it just wasn't for me. But in all stages it is compelling and almost addictive, and I am blowing through this bottle so fast that I'll have to pick up another to cellar, so I can experience this aged Snake Oil phenomenon eventually.

Edited November 23, 2009 by MamaMoth

[voorishsign]

I am so very, very torn here. I finally bought an imp of Snake Oil because I decided I couldn't really call myself a BPAL fan and not try it, and while it's absolutely magnificiently blended and smells divine, it's not really a smell for me. It's very rich but also to me a) very feminine and very sultry, two adjectives which nobody has ever used to describe me!

 

But I'm keeping the imp just because I do like the smell. I was quite disappointed, however: the sweetness and vanilla never come to the surface on me. It's all quite dark and spicy. Still nice, but I was hoping for detectable vanilla - alas.

[reena1]

I ordered a whole bunch of imps but the one i was really really wanting to try with all my wittle heart was snake oil. i quickly dabbed it on and much to my dismay it...well...went weird. At first it was kinda nutty and incensy at the same time....then straight to BABY POWDER! I am super sad that this doesnt agree with my skin. But then again i can wear BAD LUCK WOMAN which smells like a face full of black pepper to everyone else. guess im just a wierdo lol

[Apple]

I have now tried Snake Oil fresh from the Lab, and aged over two years. I tried it when I was new to BPAL and over two years (and hundreds of BPAL scents) later. I've tried it on its own and blended into the Snake Pit scents. I did not like it when I first tried it, and I don't like it now, but I do finally feel competent to review it.

 

When fresh, all I can smell is the Lab's "red musk" note, which smells like grape-y nag champa incense to me. It is the heavy, sweet, cloying scent of a headshop-cum-New Age store. I get no vanilla or spices, just that sickening incense note. The throw is strong, and the scent is persistent. Blergh.

 

Aged, the spices are much more prominent, and it reminds me a lot of Saw-Scaled Viper (which I do like). When aged, it's more like cinnamon-ginger nag champa. My partner takes a whiff and declares, "New Age shop". Indeed. Damn you, red musk. As it dries, though, the red musk miraculously takes a backseat to the spices and... there's the vanilla! At this stage it smells almost identical to Saw-Scaled Viper, but weaker. In its final stages, the vanilla develops a pleasant, almost Play Doh-like quality that reminds me of Hod. I like it, but I like Saw-Scaled Viper and Hod better.

 

So, for those of you who like fresh Snake Oil, I'd recommend seeking out other red musk blends, particularly Czernobog, Scherezade, Sin, and Vixen. If you like Snake Oil aged, you might like Morocco, Hod, and especially Saw-Scaled Viper.

Edited November 29, 2009 by Apple