Snake Oil

[cinderfallen]

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

For the longest time, Snake Oil was all medicinal herbs on me, with no hint of vanilla. (HUUUHHH, right?) But my chemistry changed and it's quite amazing what the scent has turned into. It's true vanilla, like the best vanilla ice cream or the high quality extract, supported by musk and spice. The spice isn't really headshop; at first, it's like the heat of a spicy pepper--the scent of spiciness, which softens on drydown.

This is one of the scents I tried at the Black Broom when I first got into BPAL and rejected for smelling "too hippy incense." I realize now it was just my untrained nose, so I'm happy to revisit this.

ETA: I've figured out this dries down pretty much pure amber on me. But I think the main notes are: vanilla, maybe tonka, black patchouli, a bit of red ginger, red musk, amber. Edited November 23, 2009 by cinderfallen

[poisons_sanity]

Let me start by saying that I have tried all of the other snake pits except for Snake Oil until now. It just seems no one was willing to give it up any in swaps. Understandable. But now it is finally mine Anyway, at first I was scared because I couldn't smell any vanilla, I just smelled spice and... is that... could that be... noo... LICORICE?! GOOD LORD NO! GET OFF OF ME! GET!

Ok, it's ok. It only lasted for a minute. When it dries it becomes spicey and creamy and turns into the Snake Oil I always thought it would be.

[zephyloquy]

Snake oil reminds me of my childhood vacations in Bali...shopping for wood carvings and learning to dance the slow, posed, eye-shifting dance of the locals. The Indonesian oils are the most noticeable on my skin; the vanilla is barely perceptible. I am still uncertain about this scent. I am fascinated by the dichotomy of an air of sweet fruitiness juxtaposed with a musky, dry, incensy undertone. However, I think I would have preferred if the vanilla note was stronger on me.

[Jia_Mekare]

In the imp: OMG! I wanted to get myself a bowl of vanilla ice cream, pour the imp over it, and have myself some YUMMY smelling dessert! Of course, I didn't, and I think this may have been my downfall.

 

On my skin: Smells good for about sixty seconds, and then...The vanilla burns away and leaves a scent best described as burning. It smelled like the spices were lit on fire, and not in a nice, incense-y way. In a bad, PUT IT OUT NOW! way.

 

I was so disappointed, but I know how well my skin and Bath and Body Works vanilla get along, and I needed to see if it was going to be the same way with BPAL vanilla.

 

AAAARGH.

 

Edit 6 months later:

 

Looks like aging has a bit of a trade-off here. Sure, it doesn't smell like it goes on ice cream anymore, but when I put it on, THE BURNING SMELL IS GONE! This smells AMAZING on me! I need to get more!

 

So, the moral of the story is, if you think you don't like snake oil, age it and come back to it.

 

*Hugs imp of snake oil*

Edited March 10, 2008 by Jia_Mekare

[lilirose]

I was honestly planning not to try Snake Oil because it's BPAL's bestseller. I like to be unique. But this was included among a huge lot of imps I bought via the forum, so I figured "Why not give it a shot?" BTW, this imp is most likely very well-aged.

 

Oddly, I couldn't smell it at all when I first put it on. I've been having some major respiratory issues lately, though, so it may just be me.

 

On drydown, I can smell it very clearly, thanks. It's vanilla, but not overly sweet vanilla, with spicy-sweet undertones. It reminds me a little of vanilla-scented pipe tobacco, but the "tobacco-y" part is not "OMG get it off me"-strong like I got with La Belle Dame Sans Merci, though I detect a similarity between the two.

 

Not bad at all, though there are others I like better...I'll use up the imp but probably not buy a 5ml.

[alicia_stardust]

I am convinced that Snake Oil is otherwordly and can only have been created by a Goddess. It is truly that magical.

 

Snake Oil, to me, is a slinky and sexual scent. It is commanding and exotic, with just the right touch of vanilla, sweetness, muskiness. It is alluring and mysterious, ready to hypnotize you or anyone who gets close enough to get a waft of it. It envelops you in a sensual cloud of scent and lingers behind you as you leave.

 

If you like the mood of Snake Oil, consider trying Mme Moriarty, Snake Charmer, any of the Snake Pits, O, or Chrysanthemum Moon.

[Antaria]

I waited pretty long before I tried Snake Oil - it just seems that scents that are loved by most in the forum don't work for me.

 

In February I got my imp of brand new Snake Oil. I hoped for lots of vanilla. In fact it was like a light version of Van Van to me. So nothing bad - I love Van Van, but on the other hand: Why use a light Van Van when I can have the real one?

 

So I decided to let it age a bit and try again. Yesterday I did so. It has certainly changed! I skip the wet state because I always think that it does not last long enough to buy a bottle of BPAL because of this state. Anyway, dried it is like Blood Amber. Which is my favorite scent, so I'd say: Snake Oil is good. I will even buy a bottle. But it will be more a backup for my Blood Amber

[Nimthiriel]

Initial impression:

So, I decided to see what the hype was all about – in the vial, this smells rich, warm and exotic. There's no other way of describing it!

 

First on:

While wet, the vanilla takes the backseat and the exotic spices in the Indonesian oils comes out to play. Yummy!

 

Dry:

After about 10 mins, this has gone a tiny hint play-dough on me. Dangit, I hope it clears up.

 

20-30 mins after application, it remains play-dough, with hints of spice. I'm a little heart-broken that this didn't work out.

Finally:

Too bad, so sad – I'm swapping this one. Oh well, at least I don't have to crave any Snake Pit scents now!

[ravenfeathers]

snake oil

 

in the bottle i was really worried about the vanilla in this, as i'm put right off by vanilla. but, however, the resinous oils are strong enough that the vanilla just serves to sweeten them up a tad. it's a light scent with a little anise/rootbeer waft. i have to reserve judgement until i can get it on my skin.

wet on skin wow! explosion! it's wickedly thick and potent and i'm not sure what exactly i'm smelling here. it's spicy, but not at all like cooking spices. is there vetiver? i swear, this is like a living thing, expanding.

dry on skin/two hours later there's absolutely no change after two hours. it's strong, round, rich, and cologne-y. i'm getting a lot of different smells: vanilla, patchouli, vetiver, something dry and lemony, ... pepper? crazy. it's totally not me, but i actually like it a lot. might have to make it more me.

 

eta i just reapplied. i'm hooked on this!

[Iceblink]

It's taken me over a year to really appreciate Snake Oil, because the fresh version and the aged version are completely different on me. Fresh, I get that lovely vanilla/patchouli/whatever those unnamed exotic oils are...for about 5 minutes, then I get the strongest baby powder EVER. I wore this overnight once when it was fresh and nearly choked when I woke up and sniffed my wrists, it was so powdery! But those teasing first five minutes made me put my bottle away and hope that things would improve. Now, I get the fresh-on-the-wrists scent from this for hours and hours and hours and it doesn't fade or morph (well, it morphs a teeny bit...the sweetness calms down after a few minutes). And it is so sexy I want to take me out and get me drunk.

Also, I think if this were edible it would be really good with vanilla ice cream. BPAL flavored syrups, anyone?

[cosmicjellybean]

I must be in the minority here, sadly, because the minute I put Snake Oil on, it went FOUL. Seriously, this was the first oil I ever had to wash off my skin while wearing it. There wasn't even a moment of spicy, sexy goodness--just straight to something vaguely citrus-y (wha...?) and rotting on my skin while making an attempt to strangle me with its sheer horridness. I can't even describe the foul smell, that's how badly it went on.

 

*sighs* And I was so looking forward to it because of the hype. Now I don't even want to give the scent a second go because it turned out so badly during the first. Oh well.

[bodegaselkie]

I tried Snake Oil a long while back, to see what the hype was about, and I remember that it faded to baby-powder on me. I got an imp of Snake Oil with my most recent order and wanted to try it again to see if it (or my skin chemistry) has changed.

 

It went on thick and spicy, with the vanilla in the background. Now, almost two hours later, it's mostly vanilla with less spice, much milder, and ... somewhat powdery. Not 100%, like I remember it from before, but I suspect it'll keep morphing. Not sure if this is an improvement.

 

ETA: It appears to depend where I put it. On my wrists, this remains sweet, if powdery. In cleavage, it turns directly to baby-ass: powdery, and like bad sickly disinfectant. Augh.

Edited October 1, 2007 by bodegaselkie

[Reenah]

As a newbie, I HAD to buy it, if only because it seems to be almost universally loved. I get that now! It was quite spicy in the bottle, almost herbal, but the vanilla was there. On my skin, it's a consistent journey towards the vanilla, with warm spices showing up while wet. That warmth combines with the vanilla at some level, to a somewhat amber affect, about 2 or 3 hours in. There's some powder, but not nearly as much as there was on my friend when she tried it. This is VERY warm; something I'd want to wear every day in the spring and summer, and maybe even the early fall, but I have a feeling it will really clash in cold weather and even as a nighttime scent.

[rachel2205]

Snake Oil was an imp I got in January in my first batch of BPALs. It didn't really impress me at all, but people told me to let it age. After about 4 months, it smelled gorgeous! So, my recommendation is that if you don't like it too much, put it away for a few weeks. It was a bit acrid at first, and it seems to me it seems to mellow down a bit. Now I really love it!

[ankhfangirl72]

I really wanted to love Snake Oil but when I wear it I don't get the fantastic sexy vanilla everyone else raves about. I get spicy milk. Plus it gives me a headache because it's so strong.

 

Edit- After it's had a few months to calm down I can smell the vanilla a lot more and it no longer gives me headaches. Sadly I still smell spicy milk more than anything

Edited May 23, 2008 by *Dani*

[RosaLinda]

After reading all the reviews on Snake Oil, I really REALLY wanted to try it. Alas! On me, it smells like really expensive baby powder. I thought if I aged it, there might be a difference. My imp is now six months old...and it still smells the same on me.

[MaidenGenevive]

Snake Oil

 

Exotic; sweet vanilla with warm spices. Vanilla seems to be one of the lab's strong points. Since I really like this, I asked my husband to smell it several times - each time he swears it smells like baby powder. *sigh*

 

[4 - Really Like]

Edited October 9, 2007 by MaidenGenevive

[Gwydion]

Smells really good as it ages in the bottle. It smells much more like tree oil and vanilla if allowed to age.

[hkhm]

imp: almost like a creamy, vanilla sandalwood. with amber. and some spice...

 

wet: this almost smells like a vanilla dragon's blood. very rich and sweet with a nice after spiciness.

 

dry: why have i not bought a bottle of this yet? i remember when i first got the imp i thought it just wasn't right for me. now that i'm traying it again i'm loving it. it dries down to a very creamy, spicy vanilla. sublime.

[fireflower]

In the imp: Smells very deep and spicy. I think I smell patchouli, which is a note I don't like. It's not bad, though. I'm enjoying its richness. I think the vanilla has tempered it.

 

First Applied: Hmmm.. this smell reminds me of my brother, actually. My brother who wears Drakkar Noir and chews tobacco, lol. This is how he smells. Not really a bad thing, I just don't want to smell like my brother. I think I might enjoy this more if it wasn't for him, haha.

 

Drydown: Hmm.. I want to like it, but it's slightly too strong for me. And again, there's the part about it reminding me of my brother.

 

Verdict: I can understand why it's popular, but I've tried other oils that I've liked better. I will keep my imp to let it age, like others have recommended. I'm interested to see how it smells then. I give it a 7/10.

[erraticprophet]

Initial Impression: a lovely blend of spices

 

On Wet: vanilla, spice, hint of floral, but, oddly, not very sweet

 

On Dry: spicier and more blended

 

Final Impression: oh, so lovely! a nice, warm scent

 

Rating (on a scale of 1-5): 4.5

[topazphoenix]

Snake Oil did not live up to all the great reviews, imo. I wore it one day and developed a headache. It was extremely incensy. Headshop, playdoh. And I couldn't smell the vanilla every else was talking about. I've gotten so that I can identify more notes now, and appreciate scents that I haven't before. But I guess it all comes down to personal preference.

Edited July 10, 2009 by AmandaKay

[Fright]

This is the first imp I tried. I don't get the food-y smell out of it. I don't really get the vanilla. It's all spice with me. This oil completely transforms my energy when I where it. I find myself being a little more outgoing, a little more adventurous. A bit more confident. I adore this oil.

 

My coworker says I smell like "old lady." However, she prefers highly commercialized perfume such as.. ahm.. "Cool Water".

[petitekitsune]

I got an imp of this from a friend -- and I was all set to LOVE it and crave a bottle.

 

NOT SO.

 

Something about it turns my stomach. My father loved it and could smell the DROP I put on my wrist from across the room: but so could I. It was so strong it gave me a headache, and I usually love to waft.

 

I like incense scents and I like vanilla, but Snake Oil turned into pure sickly powder, with something sharp that stabbed the back of my throat.

 

I washed my wrists with Dawn, I scrubbed them with alcohol, and I can't get it off. Maybe it's my chemistry at this time of the month, but it makes my head spin. I think this one's not for me.

[SarahScent44]

This review is for an imp of Snake Oil straight from the Lab.

 

In the imp, it's smoky-sweet, dark, and STRONG with an oil-y undertone - this is the only BPAL scent that I've been so conscious of the fact that it's an *oil*. It's not unpleasant, just strange.

 

On, it's very strong, and smoky - very unusual. It's dark physically as well as scent-wise - the spot on the top of my hand where I applied the oil is brown.

 

When dry, it's smoky but sharp, almost medicinal. If this were any other scent, I'd give it an "eh" and get rid of it, but I tried both fresh and aged Snake Oil at a friend's when I was first being enabled, and although I 1) had a really inexperienced nose, and 2) only got the briefest chances to try (wasn't taking notes, wasn't comparing various stages, etc), I remember the aged SO being much nicer - much smoothier, creamier, and softer. I can't wait.

Edited December 30, 2007 by Shollin