Snake Oil

[rachelandrade7]

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

I read somewhere in this obscenely long thread that reviewing Snake Oil is like a rite of passage in BPAL land, and since it was part of my first order that I received today I figured "sure, why not"

After reading the first few reviews I was a little confused as to why this obviously incredible fragrance that everyone loves smelled like straight baby butt on me. As in baby powder to the nth degree. I felt a little better when I started to read the "play-dough" reviews. I pretty much begged my arm to smell like something remotely sexy but all in vain I suppose...there were a few moments where I got this incredible cherry-vanilla-saffron thing but in the end the baby powder came back with a vengeance. It got this kinda cool incensey after-smell but it's something that would smell good on one of those uber cool and sexy indie/hippie/goth chicks, which I sadly am not. Which also may explain why most other people here like it!

Final verdict: I'll try that whole aging thing, but I'm not sure if this is my type of fragrance

[jayne]

I've been trying to give BPAL a shot. I really have. I fully expected to like Snake Oil since there seem to be so many positive reviews and, hell, I love vanilla and spice and creamy scents.

 

I put this on and thought, "Well ok it's kind of headshoppy and powedery in a way I wouldn't call pleasant..very sweet... ok, very VERY sweet... ok now it's burning my skin a bit but at least that plastic scent isn't as strong as with other imps I've tried..."

 

And then I paused and realized that if I picked up this sample at any normal boutique, I'd have admitted it was a scrubber almost immediately.

 

I really hate this whole "just let it age!" philosophy. Isn't that what the lab should be doing itself? Holding onto frags like Snake Oil for a year or so until it ages properly? I don't go to winery and pay for a bottle of wine and happily trot off after they hand me a jug of grape juice. I don't expect it from my perfumer either.

[shadowdoll]

I can't say enough good things about this one though I agree with many posters that aging is the key to a pleasant Snake Oil experience. Also a little really does go a long way, its probably not kind to those around us to slather this stuff on ... other then that I'm all gushing praise, this is THE darkly enchanting sexy essential oil blend. THE one. This oil lived up to all the abstract expectations for "darkly enchanting sexy perfume oil" I'd been carrying around in my head for years - its an amazing life-changing find. And this company, bless it, keeps churning out variations on this masterpiece. the Snakepits, Lilith Victoria, Snakecharmer, the Snake Oil CTs and many other scents keep things interesting for this classic.

[fairestrocza]

I have yet to try aged Snake Oil, but I have now tried two different lab-fresh batches, and several Snake Oil based blends.

 

In the Imp: sweet incense and a bit of perfumy alcohol, something a little bit dirty behind it all

 

Wet on Skin: similar to imp but less alcohol; new imp: an initial blast of patchouli, followed by a dusty, spiced incense

 

While Drying: somewhat similar to Vixen but without the same sultry depth; elbows retaining the alcohol note; 2nd imp: still lacking a little depth (I assume that comes with age) but I like it better than I remember liking it the first time; there is a slightly dusty aspect to the scent.

 

After a Little While: vanilla spicy goodness, but less so than Vixen - maybe aging would add the oomph that is missing - makes me think I should try some of the snake pit blends; decent throw; 2nd imp: vanilla spicy goodness - more so than I remember. The barest hint of patchouli is there if I look for it, but not blatant at all.

Later: It turns a little bit after a while (the almost-B.O. musky scent) - fades in and out - still not bad, but I prefer Vixen; 2nd imp: late drydown is an amazingly good vanilla with just a hint of spice. Mmmmm.

Final Thoughts: This is one of those scents that is great to discover on a coat a few days after you wear it. I need to find some aged snake oil to compare with the fresh imps I've tried. I have now tried a few Snake Oil based blends, and I tend to prefer them to pure SO.

Snake Oil earns a 4/5 on my skin.

[FathomBelow]

Although I've heard amazing things about Snake Oil and I love Womb Furie, I only just bought a bottle of Snake Oil at Sakura-Con and I'm so glad I did!

 

In the bottle, Snake Oil smelled surprisingly woody. But that disappeared completely on my skin. Wet, it was a sharp, smoky sweetness. Once it dries, it mellows into vanilla-sweetness tempered by incense. The scent doesn't change much after that, simply fading away over time. Now that I've tried Snake Oil, I'm sure that the powdery sweetness that Womb Furie eventually becomes on me must be from the honey, because that never happens with pure Snake Oil.

 

Overall, Snake Oil is a very compelling scent. Catching a whiff of it just makes me want to lean in and breathe some more. It is definitely an evening scent, not a daytime scent. I may have to wait until I reach a more worldly stage of my life to pull this off, but I can see what all the fuss is about!

[sunlitgarden]

I am a BPAL newbie. I just purchased my first bottles at Sakura-con, and got some free samples thrown in. Snake Oil was one of them.

 

In the imp: Very strong spices, but doesn't smell foody or sugary to me. I can't really smell the vanilla at all. It reminds me of some India-themed stores I've occasionally shopped in.

 

Wet: About the same as in the bottle, spicy. It's not my favorite spice combination.

 

Dry: After about 10 minutes, the spices back off and a smoky incense comes out. I can smell the vanilla now, and it helps mellow out the spices.

 

After several hours: Vanilla is the main scent now, with the smokiness faintly there as well. This lasted the longest of the scents I've tried so far, and I was getting whiffs of vanilla throughout the day.

 

I was impressed by how much this one changed, but I just don't think it's "me". I might try keeping it around & trying it again in a few months to see how it ages.

 

**EDIT: About a week later, my girlfriend put some on and it smells AMAZING on her! :love!: It might be a chemistry issue, or else even the week's difference in age changed it? Regardless, even if it's not for me I like smelling it on her, it's really sexy!

Edited April 17, 2010 by sunlitgarden

[zombiewench]

Also somewhat new to BPAL, though this was my third shipment of samples

 

I REALLY wanted to like this one, after seeing so many great reviews. However...it's not quite my thing. It's a lovely scent, vanilla with some sort of unfamiliar spice to it, but it's just not quite me. It's VERY strong, so I am wondering if my issue is that I put on too much - a very little seems to go a very long way with this one. I can see myself keeping this one, but only to wear every now and then. I'll also be setting this aside to see how it ages - I see a lot of people saying that it ages very well!

 

The surprising thing with this one is how I FEEL wearing it. I feel very confident, and sexy - and I'm not even dressed up! I wasn't expecting that as it's not one of the 'voodoo' blends, but it's a great effect!

[mymymai]

In bottle - I don't smell any vanilla to me. It smells like incense, and not really the resin kind either (more like stick incense).

I didn't smell it wet, but some 13 hours after application, I smell vanilla bean and mild incense spice. Hubby, however, proclaims that it smells old. I shall be aging this one to give it another go at some later date.

[whome]

I'm unforgivably lazy!

Been here for years and I've never done a single review!

Please forgive me!

I'll start with the ubiquitous Snake Oil.

 

I ordered a bottle in my very first lab order.

But lab orders take time, so I ordered lots of stuff from the forum and ebay.

One of you generous forumites sent me an imp of snake oil.

It was heavenly! I was so excited! Absolute love!!!

And most importantly, It was aged!

 

First sniff was incense and herbs. Very warm with that sexy patchouli bite!

Skin test is creamy incense, patchouli, herbs and hellooo VANILLA!!

I felt better about myself and others. Happy!

Medium throw

(but who cares? It makes me really happy as long as I can smell it, and this is all about ME!)

And it lasts a looong time!

Most bpal scents are sucked into my body within an hour, even though I am a slatherer.

This one lasts for hours!

I tried it before bed and I slept. Yes I actually slept! (It's a big deal I have insomnia)

 

Then I got my bottle from the lab.

Twas sharp and acidic in my first skin test!

Cat Pee.

Not happy. Not a bit!

Needless to say, the bottle went in one of the bottle cabinets.

I took it out every few months and while it smelled less like cat pee, it was not THE Snake Oil.

I figured that the magic imp was a fluke. How could a perfume go from cat pee to happysauce?

 

Since then, I've tried many snakes and love them.

(Especially you, Snake Charmer It's my go-to. I carry a bottle in my purse always. When it was resurrected I cried tears of joy!)

Snake oil?? Ummm not so much...

 

Today I got a 10ml vintage 2006 Snake Oil in a cobalt bottle from a seller on ebay.

ahhh!

This Is It!

My dream perfume.

Warm vanilla, sexy patchouli blended seamlessly with incense and herbs.

It's even better than That imp!

I'm happy. Really happy!

Hugs for everyone!!

 

I pulled all my snake oil imps, bottles and variants out and have been huffing and testing like a crazy person.

(I ordered the bath oil from the Post today!)

And I'll have to buy many more bottles as I cannot bear the thought of not having enough...

 

Thank you so very much Beth for making this happysauce!!!!

 

chrissy

 

 

 

 

[cherrycherry]

Snake Oil was the very first BPAL I was ever introduced to. On the day I met one of my closest friends I saw her dabbing something from a small glass vial onto her wrists and behind her ears and when I asked what it was, she said it was a perfume she'd bought online. The scent was beautiful. Once I'd started to put in my orders, I kept thinking about Snake Oil, wondering whether to order some for myself or not. Eventually I did so and now that I have my own bottle, I find that although I adore the scent, it reminds me too much of my friend to be able to wear it. We're still very good friends and I love her to little bits, but I don't wish to smell *exactly* like she does. Also, because Snake Oil is her signature sent, I feel a little bad for wearing it when I have so many others to choose from ^__^

 

I'm wearing Snake Oil today actually, but only a little. The throw is absolutely fantastic, not only on me but on my friend as well. I rarely see her reapply and she almost always smells of this blend. Even her hair does! I put a tiny dab on my wrists and on my throat earlier on, but unfortunately I felt the slight burning sensation that others here have experienced.

 

When it comes to the scent and the scent alone, it is somewhat hard for me to describe. All I can think of is 'it smells like Sophie in a bottle!' Feminine, sexy, straightforward, warm and exotic. Beautiful too. I'm sure she'd agree with me on all counts I'm glad that I bought some of this but I can see that one 5ml bottle will last me for years as I hardly wear it and when I do, I only use the smallest of small amounts. Looking forward to when it's nice and aged, perhaps I will wear it much more then. My bottle is about 2 months old at the moment so I may add to or change this review much later on.

[Geminirubyshoes]

You know, My first intro to Snake Oil was when we first got stock to sell at the store. I really didn't care for it then and was under the impression that it was pretty overrated compared to the other oils that I had sniffed and tried. That was June of 2008. Even about a month ago I was like, yeah yeah Snake Oil whatever. And then my Bats Day Angel sent me a carded imp of it with my bottles from the event. And then I dabbed some of that imp on.

Holy god, I am now enamored with this stuff! I haven't paid this much attention to an imp in a long time. First it smells a tad medicinal herbish with vanilla, then it morphs to rich vanilla spice and then finally to this warm, vanilla sugar powder smell. It is soooo good. I need to buy a bottle but I hesitate because I think I like fresh Snake Oil better than aged! ( as I tried some out of the tester we have that is the sane tester we've had for 2 years) and I don't like it quite as much as the stuff in my imp. Maybe I will just need to constantly order imps of it. Does that make me a freak? It might, but I don't care. Cause my imp makes me smell damn good. I apologize to you, almighty Snake Oil! I did not believe in your immense awsomeness but now I'm a believer!

[ModderRhu]

Snake Oil

Reminds me of Haunted, which is a LOVE of mine. I don't get any vanilla out of this, for some reason. Maybe it's because my imp is fresh. I like it, though. It's just not as amazing as its reputation would suggest.

3.8 out of 5

[Lysi]

I drooled over the descriptions on the BPAL main site for a long time before finally ordering my first (of what will be too many) set of imps. I had checked out reviews as well, and knew I HAD to get this Snake Oil stuff everyone was so crazy about. Now, I know nothing about the finer points of perfumery, and I'm mainly just looking for something that can be my "signature scent" so please forgive me for not being able to break down my sniffage into specific notes!

 

In the imp, all I smell is...spices. Not quite incense, but nothing really jumps out at me. I don't smell vanilla at all.

 

On me, while wet I did get some vanilla, but mostly in a vague, vanilla-pipe tobacco kind of way. Smoky but sweet, definitely not screaming vanilla to me. Dry, the spiciness returned and stayed that way the rest of the time I wore it. I could get faint whiffs of the vanilla if I stuck my nose right on my skin, but not otherwise. It smelled interesting and exotic but not the GOTTA HAVE IT stuff that I was hoping for.

 

I will say it lasted a very long time, as in from the night before all through the next day (yeah, it was the weekend so I didn't immediately shower it off like I normally would ) I'm hoping to try it again in a few days, and/or maybe let it age as I see others have done. I'm not quite finished with Snake Oil just yet.

 

 

 

ETA: Ok, I've been wearing this off and on for a couple of weeks now and, well, I love it. It just gets better every time I wear it, and I love catching whiffs of it as I move around. Plus, my husband notices every time I've put some on and always compliments it! I'm sold! My next order will definitely contain a 5mL of Snake Oil!

Edited June 14, 2010 by Lysi

[antihero]

Finally picked up an imp of this, since it's the scent every self-respecting BPAL fan has to try. To be honest, I'm not quite sure about it. At first I wasn't sure if it was for me, but something keeps drawing me back to sniff my wrists again and again. Also; smells like an Aveda store. In a good way.

[acbombshell]

I wanted to love this, but it seems as this is a love it or hate it scent, I've fallen onto the hate side of it. Wet or dry, it smells the same-generic churchy incense with a slight, medicinal undertone.

[melrose]

All you BPALers who say this is strong and/or has great staying power, I HATE YOU!

 

Im imp, and on, wet, this is a Holy Grail fragrance - I was beyond excited.

 

It never got to even the near-drydown stage. I slathered, but my skin ate it up.

 

This is the most upsetting BPAL experience I've had to date.

[animalcule]

I can't believe I forgot to review this one!

 

In the imp (which was almost a year old), wet and dry, I get patchouli incense+Beth's rich, delicious vanilla. Vanilla I like, but patchouli I do not wear (except - surprise of the year! - in Tweedledum), nor anything reminiscent of incense.

 

Fortunately I gave my imp to a RL friend who I recently sucked into BPAL and she is enjoying it.

[Dwin]

Snake Oil

 

This is so rich and delicious, the vanilla and patchouli together are a delight. I love the way this one mellows after application. It has awesome staying power without being cloying or overbearing. When I am feeling decadent I love to use the snake oil soap followed by an application of the oil. I have to give this one a 10 out of 10!

[twinarmageddons]

A good friend bought an imp of this for me for my birthday. At first I was trepidatious, as straight out of the bottle, the patchouli is a little overwhelming but, knowing that my personal body chemistry tends to radically alter scents, I decided to give it a try. I'm very glad that I did. The interplay of patchouli and vanilla reminds me of aromatic pipe tobacco and my favorite tobacco shop. This has rapidly become my favorite BPAL scent, not only because it brings back pleasant memories but because it really lasts. Even after a hard day at work, the scent still remains.

 

If you are, like me, a fan of more "spicy" scents, then Snake Oil's a definite must.

[RachelElizabeth]

I never understood the fascination with Snake Oil... I went a year without trying it, and then I only tried it because I wanted to see what all the fuss is about.... and boy, do I ever! Luckily I got more vanilla than spice, because I love vanilla and spice is iffy with my chemistry.

 

Let me just say... this is one of the few oils that I would wear everyday if I had the patience to wear anything everyday It has an amazing all-occasion feel on me, which is rare. I don't even get a color vibe from it - it just smells fantastic and utterly wear-able.

[INFJ4w3]

Snake Oil works well on me. It has a really nice, very slightly spicy, kind of golden-vanilla fragrance. My SO commented favorably on it. It has average throw and better than average lasting power. It also layers well with Dragon's Milk and probably just as well with most amber, light musk or warm, spicy scents. A 5 star perfume.

[ajansuz]

This was a real disappointment to me after reading all the rave reviews. In the imp it had a sharp, acidic odor, savory food spices, not anything sweet and no vanilla whatsoever. Still, I've promised myself I'll skin test every imp I get, because I know these scents do amazing things on the body sometimes that you'd never expect out of the bottle.

 

So I dabbed it on like I do with anything I try for the first time, no slathering. Patchouli, but not the rich, earthy patchouli I like. It was very dry. I also thought I smelled saffron, which while I find delightful in food, I don't want to smell like, or maybe even tumeric, which is even more bitter. Still no vanilla. Nothing sweet.

 

On the dry down, it got more acrid and bitter. After just two hours, it was gone, leaving nothing but a tiny bitter smelling spot on my wrist. I'll age it like others recommend, but I'm wondering if this is just a major no-no for my body chemistry. Until it's aged and I can try it again, I'd give this a 2/5 for me, not horribly wretched, but not good.

 

ETA: I gave this some more chances, and I'm really glad that I did. Vanilla in a totally non-foody way, spicy, sexy. Maybe I was having a bad body chemistry week when I first tried it. I've since bought a bottle. My husband also loves this on me.

Edited August 11, 2010 by DarkSinestra

[ami226]

What?? I never reviewed this??

 

In the bottle: Sweetness as well as a slightly incensey scent. Must be the patchouli.

 

On the skin: Mmmmmmmm! The slightly incensey/ever so slightly earthiness of patchouli with yummy sweetness layered on top. This scent just gets better as it dries! The patchouli fades and I get an amazing vanilla sweetness that is just astounding! There are times that I just seriously love my skin chemistry. And my 1 year old bottle of course!

[killerklown]

I love this. It ends up being this sugary spiced vanilla on me and has a killer staying power- going on hour 5 now and still giving a pretty decent throw. May have just found my everyday scent!

[Sultaana]

This has a real kick to it! It's so golden and rich; the absolute perfect vanilla. I actually smelled Womb Furie before I smelled Snake Oil, and this is all of my favorite parts of Womb Furie. I think I like Tombstone better if I had to choose one of the BPAL vanillas, but this is a must sniff. Can't wait to see what happens to this when it ages!