Cottonmouth

[Nyx_DevineNight]

Snake Oil with linden blossom, calla lily, passion flower, and narcissus.

 

2016 version

In the Bottle: A really nice floral scent.

Wet: The mix of florals in this is really pretty. I don't smell any snake oil, but I like the floral scent.

Dry: The snake oil has made its appearance, though it’s a very pale appearance. The florals are still very dominant. I feel like I'm in a meadow full of these wonderful flowers. This has some really good staying power on me as well.

I like this one because these florals seem to work for me. I do hope that the snake oil will come out more with age.

Edited June 3, 2016 by Nyx_DevineNight

[maroonmudskipper]

2016 version

 

I like this a lot in the bottle and wet. Right now, I've been wearing it for about two hours and it just went from a really nice floral incensey scent to a floral, incensey scent plus dead flowers. Like, dead, dead, dead lilies in a vase that you really ought to have thrown away a few days ago while they still looked kind of nice but you left them because you were being sentimental and now every so often you just get this wave of nasty oozy brown smell. Like underwashed laundry.

BUT I really only get that note close to the skin. When I just kind of inhale deeply I can smell it and it's still pretty, 99% of the time. Sometimes the dead bouquet smell comes back up.

 

All in all, I think it's nice and I'll keep my bottle but it's not a favorite. I think I'm going to let it age for a while longer and see what happens.

[Christine Daae]

2016 version. Note: I never tried the original version.

In the bottle: Honestly, I mostly smell Snake Oil with a very sheer overlay of lighter flowers. (If I set the open bottle down away from me I get just the flowers, strangely.)

Wet: Snake Oil! A lighter version, but still - the iconic Snake Oil scent with again a very sheer overlay of flowers.

Up close, this is ALL Snake Oil on me: patchouli, vanilla, some kind of musk.. It’s only in the throw that I actually get any of the flowers - very polleny lilies and narcissus, very springy. Linden blossom is a little bit delicate compared to the other notes here so I don’t know that I get much of it. Oh wait, no, I do get the linden blossom a little: that very sheer, sweet, slightly honeyed note. I can’t particularly detect any of the fruity passion flower, though. The throw is quite pretty at this stage, and the thick sticky sweet patchouli-vanilla of Snake Oil stays close to the skin.

This dries down to just Snake Oil on me, much to my dismay. A thick, patchouli-y vanilla, no flowers to be seen. (The vanilla is so nice but I have such a low tolerance for patchouli these days!) I do wonder if aging this will bring the flowers or the patchouli out more - I suppose sticking it in a “cellar” and aging it for a bit can’t hurt anything.

Snake Oil is decidedly Too Much for me these days (due to both taste and skin chemistry changes) so I was hoping that all the pretty pretty flowers would make this a wearable version for me. The jury is still out on that; the sticky sweet resin of Snake Oil is the predominant scent on me at this point so it’s not all that different. It’s a shame, I love all these flowers so much and used to quite like Snake Oil!

[Candice Chen]

Strange, my experience is exactly the opposite to Christine's.

 

This dries down to just Snake Oil on me, much to my dismay. A thick, patchouli-y vanilla, no flowers to be seen.

 

I get clean laundry-soft florals from my bottle - and only soft clean florals. Like sheets fresh from the dryer. Nice, but probably something I will never wear since I avoid laundry-fresh, clean-linen smells. I was hoping for more noticeable Snake Oil and something a little warmer and more ambery. I almost wonder if there was a mistake and there is no Snake Oil in my bottle at all.

 

If you're looking for something quite feminine, this is the softest and "girliest" Snake of the bunch.

[milo]

I love love love my 2006 Cottonmouth, it is a lovely balance of soft florals and Snake Oil, but so well blended it's hard to tell where one starts and ends. I was so sad when it was discontinued even before the Carnival finished its first run. This. is. nothing. compared to the previous version, though I didn't think there was any note change. Screaming white florals and cheap musk. I am soooo sad, and will hoard my half bottle of the previous version. I really hope age will take care of this, but I remember liking Cottonmouth the moment I tried her back in the day. Ergghh

 

eta: A year has almost passed, and I was just about to list this baby and decided to try her one last time. It HAS changed for the better. Not quite where I want it, but with enough promise I'm confident that she will only get better. YAY aging really does make a difference where bpal is concerned!

Edited June 1, 2017 by milo

[SophieCedar]

(disclaimer***This is the 1st day in 2 weeks I've been able to smell, due to a mega-nasty cold. I can smell as good as a canine...my nose has been reborn! Hence, you're dealing with a very fresh palette perspective, olfactory-wise.)

 

Wow. This is so much stronger than the 2006 version. I'm very happy.

 

Wet: Snake oil isn't notable. Narcissus is more potent in 2016 = opium-esque floral oriental base. The passionflower is binding with the narcissus, if you can imagine the stupor that could induce.....Its the feeling of a lucid dream haze.

 

2006 was barely a whisper of narcissus. More watery linden and white calla lily = plucky innocent maiden vibe.

 

Drydown: the staying power of the narcissus..wow. I can smell a bit more calla lily. The linden blossom is so delicate I think its getting overrun. Snake oil is coming out but don't misunderstand me... if you're looking for a scent that's snake oil + somethingsomething...look elsewhere. These florals are strong and obscure the SO completely. Overall, I love this though

 

ok I have to go. My dog nose is picking up the smell of my armpits. Shower time.

[zankoku_zen]

2016 version

 

Narcissus is very heavy, not alot of snake oil. I mainly get a narcissus + lily blend. Medium throw and wear length.

[zazkea]

Bottle
nice, florals! No snake oil (I like SO very much, but I also like flowers very much, so no problem so far).

 

Wet on skin

no florals - at all --> huge question mark in my brain, *what I smell... but it isnt good.

 

Dry on skin

... narcissssssssssssssssssssssssssss.......

after 30 min:

large bowl with piss... (both on my and on my mother's skin, same effect)

the flowers all seem very ... dead, with dead water (you know, what happes to the water if you leave dead flowers in it for a longer time).

--> *wash off

 

Conclusions

I never had amps, and *all oils I have worked very easily so far, and all were well-blended and interesting, in their own ways - some more my desire, some less, but all were good so far - and I like bpal soo much, usually.

 

With this one, I cannot cope - I only got narciss, so maybe this is the first that my skin screams at.

No snake oil, maybe good to mention.

--> Not.for.me.at.all.

[torischroeder9]

In the bottle: I can pick out elements of linden blossom, passion flower, and narcissus. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, it's all calla lily to start out, with elements of narcissus and linden blossom also becoming detectable. As it dries, the florals remain prominent -- lily, linden, narcissus -- but I can start to detect an inkling of the Snake Oil as well. Given time to develop on my skin, the Snake Oil gets stronger but still remains well in the background, showcasing the floral notes but also adding a touch of fullness and roundness as well. I hardly ever detect the vanilla in Snake Oil, but I'm assuming that is at least part of what's acting here. 

 

This is probably not my most favorite Snake Oil blend, as the Snake Oil is taking a big backseat to the other notes on my skin, rather than actually having them blend together. But it's still a Snake Oil blend, and it's probably one of the few ways I can actually wear lily of any kind. I'll have to think about this.  

 

Edit: I find myself using this for an after shower/sleep scent quite a lot. On me, lily alone reads as a very "clean" scent, but it's overwhelming. Here, lily and the other florals add enough "clean" to the Snake Oil, so it seems to fit, but I don't get headaches, so that's good, too. It's not something I reach for for every occasion, but it does have its purpose. 

Edited May 20, 2019 by torischroeder9

[Kanra]

This is definitely a white floral heavy blend. If you don't already love white florals, this isn't going to convince you. I know there are a lot of people who white florals don't work for. But if you are like me and love all things floral (including white florals), this is a nice BPAL to have in your collection. The Snake Oil aspect isn't heavy at all. There's a slightly oriental, incensed base to the white florals which I assume is the Snake Oil peaking out. But this is much more about the white florals than anything else, particularly the narcissus and lily.

 

As noted above, if you are specifically looking for a Snake Oil + white floral blend, this isn't what I expected. Maybe if I layered it with some actual Snake Oil, it would give that result. As a standalone fragrance, I wouldn't say it's particularly unique but, in comparison to other brands, my wardrobe severely lacking in BPAL white floral options so I'm really happy to own this.

[rhonorv]

I've been yearning for a full bottle of SO after getting an imp last year, and got this to tide me over, but I might like it even better than SO?? Blasphemy.

 

Wet this is heavy on the passion flower and narcissus. In turns it reminded me a little of Hunger and a little of Isles of Demons, both of which I love: there's a slightly sour tropical scent over a hint of sweet Snake Oil. 

 

When it dries it's like a gentler, more floral cousin of Hunger: gorgeous, clean linden and lily overtake the narcissus and passion flower, and the Snake Oil warms everything up from below. After several hours it's essentially the same as SO on me: pretty vanilla goodness.

[Cali]

I may be mistaken and mixing it up with another smelly thing, but it weirdly, vaguely reminds me of the other miss spink from what I remember of that. To me this is is kind of a dusty, strong light orange floral - kind of an old lady's perfume? The other miss spink, but less strong and cloying.

..In the imp it's fresher and juicier; a far greener floral scent reminiscent of strolling along in one of those indoor buildings meant to mimic the climate of a rainforest from a zoo. Weird, but enjoyable. ...My skin just turns it upside down.

 

That said, now that it's dry i am smelling the snake oil if i get really close. I really, REALLY want to like this, but i'm afraid i just don't...

It gets a liiiitttle better after wearing it for a little while, it goes slightly more dark towards blood-orange and a little spicier;  i'm starting to believe snake oil may be able to hear my thoughts, but it's unfortunately not enough to save it for me. Too bad, but awesome to finally give it a try!

Edited November 5, 2022 by Cali