Snake Oil

[Little Bird]

I've never understood why Snake Oil is so popular in the bpal fandom. I don't think that it smells anything like vanilla. To me, it smells like a sweet-ish, cheap, headshop incense and somehow a funkiness that really reminds me of sweaty, dirty hair. It dries down with a slight, ashy smokiness.

I've tried to wear this scent out on many different occasions and have never met anyone who liked the scent on me (I've actually had a lot of people tell me to never wear it again and/or to go and wash it off :/). My husband always just says that it smells like 'sweaty person and cigarettes,' which kinda horrifies me.

I'm also always confused when fans of bpal say that this smells so much better/different aged, because I have samples of Snake Oil from 2004, 2007, 2011 and 2012 and they all smell pretty much the same. It's one of the few Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab oils that doesn't seem to have been wildly reformulated again and again. The only difference I can tell is that as this gets older, it actually gets lighter (the samples that are 2+ years old only last about an hour total on my skin and don't have much throw at all) and it turns slightly plasticy smelling. The oil itself also thickens up, and I find myself hating the motor oil feel that it leaves on the skin. And it does leave dark smears on skin and clothing, so be warned.

Nothing about Snake Oil really appeals to me, and I have kept re-trying it over the years. I'd like to smell this on someone who really likes the scent and see if it really does smell different on them.

Edited July 12, 2013 by Little Bird

[k00kaburra]

Since this is known as Beth's favorite blend, it's got quite a reputation. I can't wiat to see how it lives up to it.

In bottle: White bright vanilla, in which swims exotic spices and incense. Sandalwood? This is such a sweet spicy blend; I can't wait to see how it goes on.

On me: It's spicy, but light - it isn't full of the darkness and heaviness I usually associate with spicy fragrances. I wish I wish I WISH I knew what specific spice notes were in this - I feel so silly repeating 'spicy' and 'spices' over and over. I just love how the vanilla sweetens the entire blend, and keeps it from being just another 'spice market' fragrance.

[voodoobaby]

In the bottle: Oooh. Musky, spicy, and exotic. It's not so much vanilla as it is musk.

 

Wearing: Hmm. Becomes a bit cleaner and very, very sugary. The vanilla in this reminds me a lot of that almost sickeningly sweet smell of O, and...Play-Doh! No matter, I love the smell of Play-Doh! It's the sugary smell that bothers me, as it kind of gives me a stomach ache.

 

Later: This has turned very, very baby powder and kind of smells like a bathroom cleaner...but for some reason I like it. It's still exotic and spicy (though not in a hot spicy way), just slightly chemical. Way later it gets very creamy, which is lovely. I'm just glad the super sugary smell went away.

 

Overall: I don't know what to think of this. It's nice, but the baby powder phase kind of turns me off. I will keep it, as it seems like the kind of thing that would really grow on me.

[Rackham's Vanity]

I am another poster-girl for scents changing at "that time of the month."

 

I got my delighted hands on some Snake Oil two weeks ago. It was glorious and honey-sweet, spicy and complex in the bottle. I slathered it on, and sat there in horror as the scent morphed into medicine and then cheap powder scents.

 

I was heartbroken.

 

My one consolation was that it was the week before my period and some here on the forum mentioned one's cycle could alter scents for the good or bad.

 

I waited a few weeks and tried again.

 

Last night, I took a deep breath and on went the Snake Oil before I went out. Success! There were all of the gorgeous exotic spicy notes I smelled in the bottle! Even the vanilla appeared! It lasted unchanged all night (just became a bit warmer than on first application), and I am delighted with it.

 

The moral of the story: I shall no longer try new scents just before my period. I shall be patient (good luck to me!) and wait a week or two before making a final judgement.

[fragrantgrasse]

I have received not one but a couple of Snake Oil as freebies in my orders. The first time I tried Snake Oil (last year) I thought "no, this is tooo rich and exotic & waaay over the top for me". Over the course of the past year I would try it to see if my original impression changed. No.

 

However, now...maybe it's the time of year but I tried it again and YES! Something changed....Now I love Snake Oil! It is warm, ambery-vanilla, exotic, sexy....it evolves slowly on my skin and wafts around me like a soft shawl....the longer it wears the better it gets. And the silage....I'm like the pied piper walking down the street...

 

I think it has less to do with weather conditions and more to do with me, my sense of smell and what I wear scent-wise has evolved to include more adventure! Over the past year I have saturated myself with everything Black Phoenix and I think I have adjusted to wearing scent as an expression - and I change daily.....what an adventure!

 

Yum Snake Oil - I also love that is a Black Phoenix classic!

 

So, now that my Imp is gone it's time to add Snake Oil - finally - to my bottle list!

[Kaygee]

This is a rave.

 

 

I'm a newbie and am just trying little bits from all the families of oils, a little ozone here, and little floral there, and sorting out what it is I actually like--I have worn nothing but Lush Karma for two years.

 

Not keen on the heavy incense--not so big with the flowers--not a water chick--on me, the water scents like Tempest smell like Love's Rain from Grade 6...and I do not need to go back there.

 

Then I tried Snake Oil, and wow!

 

Wet, I could smell the vanilla, and some amber...and a darkness that seemed almost like cocoa--mixed with mud.

 

Put it on, and waited for the dry, and then waved it under my beloved blogger boy's nose and he said, "Hmmm, plasticene" and then "Yum" and then I got majorly nuzzled.

 

Now who ever said "plasticene " and "yum" in the same sentence? I mean, I knew what he meant, there is a sweet earth tone, but it's much prettier and more complex than that, and as it dried--and it stays with me for Hours--it just got better--settled on my skin as this haunting, sweet spicy thang.

 

But the most important thing is that it is basically sex in a bottle--at least for me...no scent has ever had that effect---I put it on, and all of a sudden, Spidey-sense was tingling like crazy, and I couldn't stop grinning.

 

Hilarious, and amazing. No wonder this is a bestseller.

[gangstaknitta]

This is my favorite so far. In the bottle, I can smell the spices and it is faintly sweet. On my skin, the vanilla and sugar come out more. The vanilla is perfect--yummy without being too foody. I was worried that there would be a cinnamon note in this, but the spices are warm without being overpowering. Snake oil has really good staying power. A big bottle in my next order.

[emz83]

Initial impression was that this scent just wan't for me, the smell was too sharp; however on the drydown the vanilla comes through and warms up the smell until it smells like the way the word "amber" feels, lush and golden and complex.

 

I think it's partially the way my body chemistry takes any spice in the bottle and ramps it alllll the way up; I'll try layering this imp to see if I can turn down the initial headachy spice of it or maybe perhaps ageing this imp to beat the spices into submission.

 

[edit] don't know what it is, but I've been trying this more and the throw is so beautiful that I'm willing to ignore the original spicyness. The more I wear this the more gorgeous this scent seems.

Edited June 16, 2005 by emz83

[McPagangrrl]

This fragrance did not smell quite the way I expected it to smell on my skin. Snake Oil dried down as a very "bean-y," sort of grainy vanilla. It may be the spices blended in that gives it this edge. It is very warm, almost like a vanilla incense. I tend to go in for a more creamy vanilla, so this isn't a big bottle fragrance for me. It would be a dream for those who like their vanilla to have more texture.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): This seems thicker than most of theo thers I've tried in the imp. It smells pretty sweet as well. I can't really pick out anything specific, but sweetness is usually good for me.

 

Just On: Sweet and vanilla are about all I'm getting right away. There's something else there, but it's hiding behind the sweet vanilla.

 

An hour or two later: Mmmm, this has some spice in it. It's spicy and sweet.

 

Around 6 hours: Hmm, there seems to be the slightest bit of plastic smell going on here. Could be a bad time of month or something.

 

12 hours: I'm left with a hint of vanilla on my skin, which I like. If it stayed this way all the way through, I'd love it so much.

 

Overall: I think I can keep this, and not worry about the short time I get the plastic smell. I like it, it's sweet, and it's foody but not obnoxiously so. I can understand why this is such a favorite. I'd like to order two bottles, and age one to see if it's a drastic difference or not.

 

After reading other reviews: This is certainly a talked about scent, and I can see why. I get the vanilla, and spices, and such, although I didn't get sex the way someone mentioned. This stays pretty well on me, and I'll likely buy some more at a later date.

[quikslvr]

Pretty sure I have to join the naysayers and express that this is not my thing. Smells fake, with a tinge of old-man, on drydown.

 

2nd try: ooh! Vanilla! At first. Goes high and metallic-y shortly. It's the high spice that makes it seem artificial to me.

[PurringPulsar]

Snake Oil

 

In the imp: whoa. This is dark, sweet, sumptuous, mysterious. Vanilla with a mix of exotic spices. The oil itself is the most viscous of the BPALs I've tried so far.

Wet on skin: interesting…it smells almost boozy even though I know there's no alcohol in this. I'm not sure what the spices in there are, but I think there's patchouli, sandalwood, maybe musk? Oh, and vanilla, of course.

Dry on skin: this smells sexy! Those exotic spices are really sensual and seductive-smelling. There's a bit of bite to this blend, but it's a sweet, spicy, perhaps resinous blend. The vanilla adds a lovely sweetness to it though. I wish I knew what was in this, it's such an entrancing smell! There's something musky in this, very sexy smelling…

After a while: mmm, sexy vanilla. Now it's vanilla with a hint of something else which I think is musk, it's a deep, sensual smell. But as time passes, the vanilla gets stronger and sweeter...I just hope it doesn't go too sweet!

Verdict: I can see why this is so popular! This is a really gorgeous blend…vanilla adds a lovely, almost edible sweetness…but then the other ingredients, the mysterious spices, add a sensual, sexy, even quite dark aspect to this. This is a sinuous, sumptuous, exotic blend. Sweet, with musky and spicy/sandalwood-y/patchouli aspects. Really intriguing and brimming with mystery and depth.

[Cagedflame]

In the imp I smell vanilla, musk, spice. Immediate expectation : like every other oil w/ musk that I've tried, it's going to go all musk on me and I'll hate it.

 

It didn't!

 

It's soft. Sweet. The spice disappears on me in the drydown (damn! I'll have to spike it with a little Inferno) and the vanilla tones down some, but the musk shockingly doesn't take over. Similar to Dana O'Shee with musk and a little something else. Sexed up baby powder. As it is, I want a big bottle. If I can add a tiny bit more spice and vanilla, I'll have found a Holy Grail.

 

ETA : After a few hours, this delicious smoky slightly woody sort of resinous note I can't name comes out. Ohhh it is good. Someone buy me a vat so I can wallow.

Edited June 10, 2005 by Cagedflame

[nineveh]

At first, this is a really great spicy scent with a lot of depth. Once it dries, however, the spices fade and what appears to be my archenemy, honey, comes out. Honey hates me and turns beautiful-in-the-imp blends into burning swamp plastic on my skin.

 

Obviously, this is a problem with my chemistry and not the perfume. Snake Oil was very sexy and exotic until the honey showed up. I wish this worked on me.

 

Edit, half a year later: For some reason, I had a hankering for more Snake Oil, so I tracked down an imp. I don't know how old it was, but it certainly worked better on me. It smelled just how I remembered it, but the gross plastic note didn't show up this time. Now I love it and I have a bottle with the neat Carnival Noir label.

Edited December 28, 2005 by nineveh

[elphaba]

Snake Oil has been reviewed so many times at this point, that'll I'll just hit on the reasons why I think it deserves its popularity.

 

1. It lasts forever and a day. You can barely wash this stuff off.

2. It layers with anything and everything.

3. It's really well-blended. Nothing sticks out in this scent.

4. It's named "Snake Oil." I mean, come on, how can you resist that?

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

This smells warm and slightly sweet and wonderful.

 

On me:

Plain and simple, this is very exotic and sexy smelling. Sandalwood and vanilla and that's mostly what I get from it (though I swear there must be amber in here too), but it's so sexy and alluring I just adore it! It has this really smooth, warm quality to it, and manages to be every so slightly sweet without being foody.

 

Final note:

I am IN LOVE with this perfume. It's perfect for me!

Edited June 16, 2005 by Brianne

[Tess]

This was one of those scents I was really looking forward to. =) Vanilla and spice? You can't lose!

 

In the vial - Pure spice, something really strong that reminds me of my old bestfriend's mother's spice rack. The family was from India and used just the most fragrent spices ever. This is like pressing my nose right up to it and taking a deep breath.

 

Wet - Whoo, there's some strong spices in here. One of them smells extremely familiar, but I can't place it... Some spice used in cooking... I'm sure I'll think of it. The vanilla is just a background hint at this point,

smelling almost "vanilla alcohol"-ish.

 

Drying - The spices are mellowing nicely and the vanilla is starting to assert itself. On the whole, it's losing that "wham!" hit to it.

 

Dry (3 hours later) - THERE's that vanilla! It's finally popped it's head out and it's lovely.

 

Overall - The spice tends to overpower the vanilla in this, at least on me, but it's still a wonderful scent, especially over time, since my body didn't drink up of it. (8 hours later, it was still around.) I think it requires more trying, but I'm grabbing myself a bottle of this!

[pensive]

Imp: woah. vanillay!

On me, splash (a near imp-tastrophe): Rich vanilla.

On me, wet: Smoky vanilla.

Drydown: Smoky sweet vanilla. I can see why people want to roll in this.

Impressions: Yes, bottletastic. I must share Snake Oil with everyone.

[donsixgun]

Oooh...this is nice. Vanilla and spice, almost like a pipe tobacco. Its dark, but sweet. It goes on thick, and lasts forever too. I absolutely love this one.

[blaqpearl]

Creamy, yummy, exotic and sexy. I think it is time I bought a big bottle of this stuff.

[~AmusedMuse~]

I can easily see why its one of the labs best sellers.

Vanilla, exotic spice and maybe musky? I think it also has a sizeable doze of sex-em up. This could be a favorite and I plan to buy a big bottle of this as well as many others...OMGOSH that wanting a big bottle list is getting kind of large...

[wingedcorset]

In the vial:

Smells like a vanilla head shop. The oil itself is very thick.

 

Wet:

Dirty vanilla. I don't think I like this at all.

 

Drydown:

Still vanilla, still dirty. me = not a fan, sadly. But, hot damn, does it last forever or what?

 

Verdict:

Off to the swaps.

[gingersnapp]

This is sexy, sexy, sexy. I really love the spiciness of the blend, and the vanilla just grounds it and makes it nice and creamy. It has a pretty decent throw, and seems to last for several hours.

 

I can see why this was the #1 oil for so long.

[Em-]

I tried Snake Oil because the description sounded delish, and how can you not, when so many people, including Beth herself, absolutely adore it.

 

Unfortunately, this one is not a huge winner for me. I love it in the vial - it smells so exotic and yummy...the vanilla makes it smell almost like a middle eastern spice cake or something.

 

On my skin it become almost nothing...no vanilla, no spice, no exotic Indonesian oils. My body just eats it up. The good news is, this is a fabulous base to draw in Sherezade and make that one a part of me (as opposed to something yummy that happens to reside on my wrist), but alas, Snake Oil will never be a big bottle oil for me.

 

All that much more for the rest of you...

[arabella]

First Impression: Amber and vanilla.

 

Dries down to: The richest, most luxurious vanilla I've ever smelled.

 

Additional Comments: This is definitely one of the top BPAL scents for me. I can, also, see why it's so popular for layering. Almost anything would be improved by a marriage with it.

 

Lasted: Unfortunately, not too long but then, that's what scent lockets are for.

 

Rating: 4.5 out of 5