Snake Oil

[Dulci]

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

... Further sniffing of my wrists confirmed my growing suspicion that I smelled like Play-Doh.  Great sadness.  Stupid body chemistry!  

YES! Play-Doh was what I got too as the day went on. I was right in the middle of my period though, so I'm going to wait and try it again and again.

[Bloody Kisses]

I am so glad it isn't just me. I got Play-doh too. I also got the Play-doh note in "O"

[Fulltiltredhead]

I had to swap for this little vial, it was not included with my orders, but that's probably because I've not ordered anything like it.

 

I had to put a lot on to get a decent whiff. I get a flash of a top note of warm yellow cake right out of the oven, woodsmoke, a drop of honey, and SAFFRON, which reminds me of southern Spain.

 

If it were a month, it would be October.

 

I don't know what to think of it. I do not get "sweet" from it. On me, it tends to go more toward men's cologne, reminding me of Opium, which smelled precisely like Old Spice on me.

 

This is not me, but I wish it were. I'm not quite sure I can carry it off. However, I think this will morph in a big way and I'll be interested to see what happens to it overnight. Maybe I'll wake up to "baby" smell, but right now I can't imagine it.

 

It is original, exotic, and enigmatic.

 

ETA: Snake Oil is compelling. I decided it was NOT me, and traded it away, only to find that I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I gave in to it, and finagled myself some more.

 

THIS time, it "took." I'm enjoying it very much - and - I almost fell off my chair - the female attorney I work for asked me what I was wearing - I told her, and asked if she liked it, and she said "Yes, I do, actually. I like that one a lot."

 

MIRACLE. She's smelled everything I own and never given me a compliment before. This is truly high praise.

Edited October 28, 2004 by Fulltiltredhead

[MilkAndSugar]

 

From the bottle: Snake Oil smells sweet like vanilla scented confectioner's sugar, combined with...I quite honestly don't know. I own quite a few essential oils, even somewhat rare ones, and yet I can't pick out a single note in this! Is there cinnamon in it? Clove? Cardamom? Quite possibly all of them but so perfectly balanced, that not one of them is sticking out. It's amazing.

 

The scent is wet yet dry, sweet and spicy, resiny, incensey, foody and even boozy. I've never smelled anything like it before.

 

On: It only takes a few seconds for Snake Oil to warm up enough for the underlying notes to come out. I still can't tell what they are, but they're good!

The vanilla & sugar sweetness comes through stronger, which is very much to my liking.

 

I did detect that "Play-Doh" scent, though I'm not sure what Play-Doh smells like, but I assume we are talking about the same thing. I think it's Patchouli. It's not offensive or bad, and it mellows out. Honestly, I can't even smell it anymore. My nose skips it altogether. This happened to me with Bruja too - at first the powdery/soapy note in it was very strong, then, a couple of days later, I couldn't find it for the life of me.

 

My brother, the computer geek, said that what we call "Play-Doh" scent in Snake Oil reminds him of booting a new computer up for the first time. How romantic.

He likes the scent though, even agreed to try some on himself. He declared it too foody and sweet for him, but still thinks it's nice on someone else.

 

The drydown: Powdery vanilla, sugar, spices and incense. The rich sugary vanilla wafts around every time I move. The spices and other notes have mellowed down to a whisper. There is a powdery scent present, but it's very agreeable. More musky than plain powdery.

 

Perfect for a vanilla lover like me. All around an intriguing, mysterious, edible scent. It's got all the things that I adore.

 

Summary: I Snake Oil!

 

-Milk

Edited May 5, 2004 by MilkAndSugar

[Ina Garten Davita]

What can I say about this little bottle of perfection that hasn't already been said?

 

Snake Oil is as hot and sultry as a desert sunset. Sweet and thick and languid as spicy vanilla lava flowing from a sugar coated volcano.

 

I adore this scent, it's long lasting and precious.

[amberbella]

Wet~ This is divine! Soft and gentle smelling and so yummy. Definitely foody, but not in an obvious way. Even though it’s foody, it doesn’t really smell like something you eat.

 

On: The smell hasn’t changed much at all after I applied it. It still smells very delicious! If it keeps this up I will definitely have to purchase a big bottle of this. I don’t smell the play dough scent, however I like the way play dough smells, so even if it’s there I’m bound not to notice.

 

Dry: It has gotten much more spicy on me. Much warmer I like it a lot. I might add my Dana O'Shee to it....I think they may compliment eachother nicely.

 

Big bottle of this one for me.

[Summerpixy]

While opening this I got a lot on my fingers and decided to smear some on the back of my knees, it's warmed up tremendously in the past hour that I've worn it. Spicy and sweet and possessed of an over-enveloping warmth that would draw people like flies. It's sugar for those who also like spice. Yummy, it's like a spice cookie, and just as delicous.

[Witch Baby]

 

Add me to the list of people who adore Snake oil. . . .

 

 

When I first opened it I was a bit worried . . .since I also got the medicinal feeling from it. . .but after putting it on it warmed up to exactly what summerpixy describes it to be. . .like a spice cookie. . .

 

 

Its very warm and exotic smelling, the way I would imagine an opium den to smell like

 

ADDED May 13:

 

The only problem is though that the yellow oil stains my wrists (I'm quite pale).  Has anyone else had this problem?

 

Bwah hah hah. . .I had the same problem Astarte. . .that's why I've started wearing Snake Oil on other less noticiable places (behind my ears, between my breasts, that sort of thing)

Edited December 7, 2004 by Shollin

[Hallows_Eve]

In the bottle: Nice, there is an equal balance of different notes.

 

On me- my skin chemistry compliments vanilla more than anything else beside nutmeg. It dried very sweet on me, I can still smell that aspect 8 hours after putting on and after a days worth of gardening in the rain. It's almost like a faint baby powder note to it. Or an exotic dessert.

 

ADDED May 30:

 

In the bottle- very nice. I could go for this as a room scent.

 

On me- Whoa, hot mama. Something very sweet and seductive took over on this scent. The vanilla once again meshes extremely well with my body chemistry, plus it has a kick- not the "I want food kick", but the "get the husband to nuzzle the neck" spiciness to it.

 

PS- this scent works mixes well when near a person wearing Jolly Rogers...

Edited December 7, 2004 by Shollin

[Astarte]

First of all, wow!

This smell is amazing, on me I can smell the vanilla quite strongly though it's tempered by the spicy note. It smells raw, sexy and yummy all at once.

 

The only problem is though that the yellow oil stains my wrists (I'm quite pale). Has anyone else had this problem?

[Ura]

Sugary almonds and vanilla. Mellows into spicy sweet and sultry vanilla which is rich and buttery in a sexy way. A favorite.

[nevermore]

This really reminds me of Ravenous for some reason, which is odd, because they don’t have any notes in common. It’s like Ravenous without the orange blossom, but with spices instead.

 

Wet, it’s almost all vanilla, but as it dries, it gets more and more spicy. After a few hours, it goes back to mostly vanilla, with just a touch of spice. I don’t know if I’ll get a big bottle of this, but I’m going to try it a few more times to see if it says spicy, which is what I would prefer.

 

Edit: I had to edit this because Snake Oil is really starting to grow on me - even in it's mostly vanilla form. I've had 3 people tell me I smell good while I was wearing it (I've only worn it outside the house twice), so I think it's a keeper.

Edited May 21, 2004 by nevermore

[ceithern]

This was an extra that Beth tossed in. I think that Beth was thinking of my twin sister with this scent (as an aside, pretty much all the extras she tossed in suit my twin exceedingly well, so I have passed them all on to her).

 

I decided to try it after reading all the reviews. I am not a vanilla fan, nor do I really like food smells or sweet smells so I wasn't expecting to like this one much, and I was right.

 

On me it was overpoweringly sweet fake vanilla, with a cloying spice overtone. I waited for a while and it did morph a little, but my nose started to get cloggy feeling and it was just too sweet for me. My husband didn't care for it much on me either.

 

So my sister was over for a visit and she walked by and said "What is THAT??? I LOVE IT!" so I jumped in the shower to wash it off (normal scrubbing had no effect) and on her it was a wonderful light vanilla spicy smell. Exactly her cup of tea, so I quite happily passed it on.

 

---

Kate

http://www.amberdragon.ca

[renaissancerouge]

It could just be the time of the month, but I've just tried Snake Oil on my wrists for the first time and all I can smell is musk. Dry, powdery, and slightly acrid. I think it's just me because in the imp's ear it smells rich and thick and divine. For me, Snake Oil might have to be an oil diffuser scent only, because right now I smell like my mom's Emeraude. Nothing against Emeraude, but I'd rather enjoy the vanilla sweetness I detect in the vial than the papery dryness that is Snake Oil on my skin. It vaguely reminds me of Shalimar also, not surprisingly, but deeper and more interesting.

 

Alright, I wrote the above a couple of months ago and have since amended my opinion of Snake Oil, very much in its favor!! I've learned to appreciate it, and for some reason, the more I drain the imp, the less it smells like Emeraude and the more I'm able to detect the spices and vanilla. It's even kind of a "cool" scent to me, not as incendiary as Voodoo or Siren or Vixen...for now, on me, it exudes lush elegance and I HAVE to get some more!

Edited July 17, 2004 by renaissancerouge

[TygherRayn]

This was yet another I got for a dear friend, but yet I'm going to have to break down and get some for myself eventually.

 

In the bottle: Sweet and spicy at once. I can definitely smell the vanilla, but there's more to it than that, and I love it. It's deliciously complex, and I can't wait to try it on.

 

First 5 minutes: Hrm .. where'd the vanilla go? It was wierd, when I first out it on the vanilla was toally gone, and I was kinda sad. I like vanilla scents, when they don't smell like vanilla extract .. (I mean c'mon .. if I wanted to smell like that, I'd just splash some of it on!) .. but I'm not giving up on it.

 

Early drydown: That's much better. It's definitely vanilla, but a good, yummy, almost smoky vanilla. Warm and luscious and comforting. It reminds me of a sugar scrub I tried once, that stayed with me for hours after, and just made my skin all smooth and soft and touchable. Snake Oil makes me feel that way too.

[savage_carrot]

It does seem medicinal right as you put it on, but warms up considerably in a short time...It seemed like some forgotten perfume/scent...brought back memories of my mom's tea parties while i was a kid...and that scent that would linger in the air when all of the ladies were together..Does seem vanilla-ish/cookie doughish...I'm not particularly foody...so not for me.

[fallow deer]

I recieved a sample of Snake Oil with my first order and was pleased since I had read the reviews and was intrigued. When I opened the bottle I was surprised how medicinal it smelled (almost like creosote!!), but since I like medicinal, resinous smells I wasn't put off.

 

I dabbed it on to try on my wrists, inside my elbows, tummy, neck and chest. On my tummy and elbows it gave the same effect as Golden Priapus - burning and redness

 

I am left with the lovely spiced vanilla fragrance everywhere else which is very similar to The Sanctuary (UK spa producing bath products) signature perfume, and the medicinal smell on my burning elbows (and I'm sure tummy if my nose could reach!) Maybe the hurting nerve endings in this more sensitive skin are emmitting something (fear?) that is interfering with the smell?!

 

This is also one that I wouldn't dare to wear out during the day - too sultry for my daytime self!! I do like the overall scent a lot and it's perfect for post-bath pre-bed lounging with my boyfriend though!

 

I'll try diluting it in jojoba I think to combat the burning.

 

-fallow deer

[VelvetSky]

There is nothing that I could possibly add about Snake Oil that hasn't been said. I wore it yesterday for the first time and received compliments all day long.

It's fab.

 

Velvet

[Ms. MSGirl]

This is like what Shalimar wishes it was. Perfumey in the best possible way -- somehow this vanilla doesn't smell like baked goods to me, but like perfume instead. rich, rich, exotic vanilla perfume. I love it!

 

When I first dab it on, I get the same woody/smokey/incensey note that I get overpoweringly in Hellcat and Hunger, so I thought it was going to be too strong for me. But miraculously, that twinge disappears in this so quickly! In those other 2, it's all I can ever smell of the scent. It quickly softens into perfumey spices (and I get the same old school, Shalimar/Youth Dew classic perfume spiciness that I got in Unseelie), and then last of all it just softens into the greatest yummy perfumey vanilla. This is much mellower than Hellcat on me, and infinitely yummier.

 

I've found the strong/smoky/spicy one that works the best on me, I think. This will be an awesome perfume for going out at night!

Edited May 29, 2004 by Ms. MSGirl

[Dispatcherbert]

Today is the second time I've worn my Snake Oil. It's wonderful. For the review, basically go to my review of O. For some reason they both smell exactly the same on me (which is a good thing). From what other posters are saying about the oil marks, I don't have the marks but this is definitely a "thick" oil. There's no other way I can describe it.

 

A definite keeper.

[Mitzy]

I really, really wanted to smell good in this. Alas, no luck.

 

It is extremely spicy on me, barely any vanilla, and as it dries the vanilla disappears even more. It is a VERY sexy scent, after my first whiff I had the sudden urge to jump somone. Unfortunately I think this is too *grown up* for me, I've never smelled like this before and I dont particularly like it.

My friends said "PHEW - you stink of Josee's." (The local exotic goods store. its not true though, josee's smells like patchouli.) As other posters have said, this is a thick oil, almost like syrup, and leaves a yellow stain. Some have said the lasting power is great - I agree it is better than other BPAL oils, but after 6 hours it was completely gone without a trace.

drat.

[Jenmaha]

I put this on my husband, and it's wonderful...spicy, sweet, and a heavy tobacco note, which I love.

[isyche]

I was afraid this wouldn't work on me, since a lot of the other popular scents haven't, but it does! warm, sweet-but-not-overly-so, vanilla-spicy goodness and it lasts a long long time. I'm glad to have a "sexy" scent I can wear even if that isn't my usual mode.

[any_old_actress]

i tried this once and it wasn't my thing...and i am SO glad i tried it again!

 

FIRST SNIFF: Light spices

 

WEARING IT: this smells exactly how beth describes it on the site. the vanilla really comes to life once it's on, but you still have the exotic scent of the indonesian oils to give it that "oomph."

 

FINAL VERDICT: my boyfriend liked cordelia over this, he is obviously on crack. big bottle of this? yes, please

[Ishtar]

In the vial, all I could smell was a rather pungent/medicinal mix of spices. No vanilla whatsoever.

 

On my skin, the spices mellowed out a little bit and a very distinct tobacco note appeared after a few minutes. Not an unpleasant blend by any means, but not one I am used to wearing. It is sharp and sinuous at the same time, mysterious and a little forbidding. I kept getting mental images of Balinese kris, these large and very ornate daggers. The blades are sometimes consecrated with incense, and that's the scent Snake Oil reminds me of.

 

After two or three hours, I caught my first faint whiff of vanilla. The blend became warmer and much better rounded.

 

The vanilla finally came through at the very end, when the scent started to fade completely.

 

I was really looking forward to trying Snake Oil after reading all the glowing reviews, but unfortunately it didn't quite work on me. I guess I was expecting less spice and more vanilla. This would be an excellent scent for layering though.

 

ETA: The lovely shriekingviolet was kind enough to send me a PM telling me she had the same initial reaction and advising me to give Snake Oil another chance. I did, and I am forever grateful for her advice. Now I get the sexy spicy vanilla everyone else has been describing and I love it

 

Thank you very much shriekingviolet, and for those of you who are new to Snake Oil, don't give up after just one try if it doesn't seem to work on you, you might be very pleasantly surprised!

Edited June 20, 2004 by Ishtar