Siberian Musk

[violetblue]

Our vegetal musk blend that emulates the scent of Siberian musk deer gland secretions. The description doesn't sound sexy, but the scent sure is.

This is a vegan, cruelty-free perfume. No animals were harmed, fondled, squeezed, prodded, or in any way violated in the making of this accord.

Wow, am I the first??! This is delicious. It is Snake Oil to me without the sharpness I tend to experience from that blend. This is smooth, silky sexy musk. I am waffling on buying more, it's just that GOOD. The throw is great without being too too much, and I bet this would mix well with a lot of other BPALs I wear. I want to roll around in this!

[Mellifluous]

This is an amazing blend! On me it smells nearly exactly like Snake Oil. Like, had I not known what it was when I sniffed it, I would have said snake oil, hands down. Upon doing a side-by-side comparison (one drop on my left hand, and one drop of fresh snake oil on the right), I noticed the SM is missing a drop of patchouli or vetiver.. whatever that slightly earthy vibe is in snake oil (which actually, I hadnt really noticed much before, but was clear when smelling these scents s-b-s). These really are so similar though, that wet, this is the only difference I get. After the first 20 minutes or so, as it begins to really dry, I begin to notice the sugared vanilla in the SO. From here on, the snake oil gets sweeter and sweeter, and the musk looses a lot of that signature snake oil feel, and starts to relax into a more generic musk. Like a soft tan musk. Egyptian musk maybe? But more subtle, and soft.

Overall, just a really amazing scent. If you like fresh snake oil, this will definitely be right up your alley! I also think it will be perfect for layering with some scents that might be a bit too sweet on their own, like hikifune, or cab.goth

[sharkdiver]

I can't wait to try Siberian musk layered with Midwinter's eve! I am hoping SM will cut a lot of the sugary sweetness of MWE.

[VioletChaos]

I think I am falling more and more in love with Siberian Musk.

 

In the bottle, it smelled very strongly of black or brown musk, the kind that usually turns to wet cardboard on me in a matter of moments.

 

But shortly after I put a drop on my skin, I *got* it. Siberian Musk and I began to develop our understanding of one another. I can see what's being said about Snake Oil, but honestly, what I'm getting from SM much more is Snake Charmer. That heady, sweet dirty vibe, and the thing - I believe - that is aging so amazingly in Snake Charmer (and likely also what makes Snake Oil so much more fabulous when it's had a chance to sit around stewing in it's own juices for a year or so! )

 

So what started out as "Yeah, maybe, but..." Has now become "Um, I NEED this. NAO." in a matter of an hour.

 

 

For every day? For me, probably not. But when I need something over-the-top rich in the middle of a dark, cold winter's day? You better believe I'll be reaching for this one. Like, a LOT.

 

 

[Penance]

Origin:

 

2 x 5mL from the Lab. Thought I only ordered one (trying to be good in spite of my long-running history of immediately ordering at least 2 of any LE that sounds good), but apparently old habits are hard to break and I actually ordered two.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I'm so glad the single notes have made a comeback! I've been waiting, hoping that something my alley would make an appearance. I've got bottles of Sweet Clove, Redwood, Red Mysore Sandalwood and Blue Lilac from the first go-round and love them. I only wish I'd gotten a few other scents before they disappeared, so I'm glad I've got another chance to try some more out.

 

There was a time when I would have hated this. I can say that without even smelling it, sad as that is. I used to hate musk. And I do mean hate. Not as much as I hate almond or lotus or bubblegum or (most) flowers, but hate is still the right word. But I've learned to love musk and this sounds awesome even though I'm not sure what to expect. I'm a huge fan of red musk, so I'm hoping Siberian musk is similar, but it should be a hit regardless. There are very few types of musk that I don't care for, so this should be a safe choice.

 

First sniff:

 

Yum! Definitely on the more animalic side (which would have sent me running back when I was first getting into BPAL many moons ago), but still very wearable. It doesn't have that cat pee smell that puts me off civet, but it's still got a wildness to it. I'd say this is in the same family as red musk, although the two are different. This is like a less sweet, more "animal" version of red musk. I can tell a little is going to go a long way.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Pretty true to the bottle scent. No sudden "Hey, I'm cat pee!" vibe coming out of left field, which is a relief. My skin sometimes likes to do things like that. I only put on a tiny dab to test and I can easily smell it wafting up from my inner elbow!

 

Dry down:

 

Sexy, sweaty, dirty musky goodness. This is a down and dirty scent. It stays pretty stable from bottle to drydown, although it looses a bit of its pungency as it dries. That's not a bad thing, though. It's still a dirty musk, but it's not quite so aggressive as it is when its wet. There's something about this that puts me in mind of Snake Oil (minus the vanilla and spices I get from SO, particularly once its aged), so I'm with the people who suspect that this is one of the secret ingredients.

 

The bottom line:

 

I'm glad I accidentally got two bottles of this because I love it! I'm happy to wear a single note as perfume on its own, so Siberian Musk will be getting plenty of wear that way, but I can also see it layering beautifully. Snake Oil would be a natural partner for Siberian Musk, but I think there are going to be quite a few other scents in my (admittedly massive) collection that it would play nicely with.

[lookingglass]

This is my favorite musk. Hands down. Ever. It is the vital essence of Snake Oil and Old Demons of the First Class, and other such delicious, sultry blends. I notice a note a bit like anise with it's spicy bitterness, or cola syrup, in that ambery Youth Dew way. Way more than that, though, is the indescribable muskiness of it all: round, sound, and sensual, like soft but clean underparts...animalic in a "it's so good it's bad" way. It stays close to the skin, wears warm and soft, and dries out lightly sweet. There is nothing else like it. I'm glad I snatched up some bottles.

[whataboutprom]

I'll admit, I was actually hoping that the likeness to Snake Oil was exaggerated. Snake Oil is strong and intensely powdery on me, and sometimes I feel kind of stressed out when I wear it. I tested Siberian Musk today, and it did smell exactly like Snake Oil on my skin. It's been over an hour, and the OMG POWDER is still going strong. I can enjoy powdery scents in some contexts, but this super high and intense powder is a bit much for me.

 

After a while I decided to try out my new imp of La Petit Mort over the Siberian Musk, and I do like them together. I think the SB will work well for layering, even though I'm not a huge fan of it straight. I can use it to make sweet florals smell more dangerous.

[Lycanthrope]

I felt that this was syrupy, awesome, dark, sultry and just a dead ringer for Snake Charmer / Snake Oil, but it's definitely got a dirtier kick at the drydown, probably because the swirl of other components of other blends hides the slightly dank, musty (in a good way, srsly!) dirty drydown. It definitely has a strong, sweet, almost resinous first hit but then it's just far too debauched for me at the end.

 

Still... I want to mix this with things and have a wild time, like...

 

Neutral Elf Cleric... NO ACTUALLY DEMONSPAWN

[Dark Alice]

On me this is Old Demons of the first class without the other notes. Warm, fuzzy, snuggly musky musk. I want to keep this bottle and see what I can wear it with b/c it is just that gorgeous enough to keep.

[Carolyn]

Yup, Snake Oil on me too. SO is slightly sweeter and more vanillic, but honestly, they are so similar that I'm not sure I need both. They serve the same purpose in my fragrance wardrobe. I might give it another try to see if it calms down from its trip to my mailbox and maybe changes more, but at this moment I'm thinking of selling.

 

Very nice fragrance, though!

[calivianya]

I told myself I wasn't going to buy any musk SNs when they came out because white musk is dryer sheets, red musk is (sometimes) gross BO, and black musk is sometimes powdery. I couldn't imagine any musk would be good on its own. Then, I saw that BPAL wasn't selling red, white, or black as a SN - but Siberian, so I decided to give this a try. I'm so glad I did. It is VERY sexy.

 

I agree that it's obviously the main component of Snake Oil. I think there might be some mint, pennyroyal, or something else sharp and cold in there - it is dark and dirty but has that kind of sharp edge to it, especially when wet. It goes a little powdery, but the good kind of powdery. It doesn't turn into dryer sheets and it isn't bad body odor. It is wonderful.

[OctoberGwen]

I am absolutely in agreement that this is one of Snake Oil's secret ingredients. Be warned: this is NOT Snake Oil, though! SO is complex, and this is a single note.

 

It is a gorgeous, smooth, not-terribly-musky or dirty musk (at least on me.) The drydown has a sweet quality that I don't pick up in SO, almost (but not quite) cola-ish. It's unique among musks, in my opinion.

 

This note is one that I will definitely use to venture into layering, along with the Spanish Carnation. On its own it seems to fade relatively quickly into a very soft, subtle scent.

 

Edited September 15, 2012 by OctoberGwen

[porcelina]

siberian musk is gorgeous. that is the face i made when i sniffed it for the first time. it is deep, rich, smooth- so, so good, i can't stop sniffing myself. it is a dark dark smooth musk; it doesn't go powdery like black musk, though. if this isn't a component of snake oil, i don't know what is! it's smoother and deeper and less sweet than SO, and i think i prefer it.

 

this could easily be worn on its own or as a layering note when a blend could use a touch of musk. i can't wait to smell it aged.

[SadariEvenstar]

I love musks, all musks. Musk and I are friends.

 

That being said, I don't think I like this. I can smell the musk and it's lovely, but over top of it is a nauseating, cloying scent. I've smelled it in a few blends before, and I've never been able to pin down exactly what it is. I'm pretty disappointed, I didn't think this one could fail.

[Gold Dust Kitten]

This reminds me of Panther Moon a little, or is it Velvet Panther? Or Scwarzer Mond? There's heavy musk and syrupy cola. I get a little Snake Oil from this but it's nowhere near as sweet and vanilla. I actually love this, and will be grabbing a couple more bottles before it goes away.

[crimescenecleanup]

Huh. I don't get Snake Oil out of this.

 

It doesn't have the powdery quality I usually associate with BPAL musks, either. It is musky, in the way that suede leather is musky.

 

Here in the Pacific Northwest, if you take a walk through the forest early in the morning, you get his cold misty fog rising off the ground, and it smells like near frozen decaying leaves and mulch.

 

Wet - this is true to that scent, the scent of running through the woods in the hour just before dawn. It is so cold, and yet very animalic at the same time.

 

On drydown it develops a spicy vanilla note.

 

This is really lovely.

 

Mythical woodland creatures should smell like this - werewolves and silver hinds and whatnot.

Edited August 29, 2012 by crimescenecleanup

[xscpx]

I get all the sexy, musky, smokiness of Snake Charmer. It's really beautiful. This is the first single note that I actually "get". Beth's blends are so amazing, I found many single notes to be lacking. Not Siberian Musk! It's gorgeous and would be my new "go to" scent if it was GC.

[cyberpuff]

Upon first whiff of this, I do get the Schwarzer Mond comparisons. That sweetness burns off pretty quickly upon skin application and then Siberian Musk becomes the heartbeat of another one of my favorite scents- Panther Moon. But it's free from the intricate edges and accessories, if that makes any sense.

 

I sort of understand the Snake Oil comparisons, but the end result is much different on me. Colder, like mentioned above. I've only smelled Snake Charmer once and would say Siberian Musk is closer to that. It's deep, solid and sexy.

[Poenari]

This is that note that I love so much that is common to Snake Oil, Snake Charmer, Madame Moriarty, and other Snake Oil-related scents! It has the same color that marks my skin, and is the primary note above the heavy vanilla I get in Snake Oil. I love it, and will be wearing it alone as well as layering it over some of my other favorites. I am so happy that I ordered two bottles of this! I wish it were a GC as I would make it one of my mainstays.

[Larinessa]

Yep. Snake oil component alright.

 

Its the one that turns SO into baby powder on my skin, although this has a slightly lemony edge to it.

 

This will get swapped/sold.

[schackjj]

I bought this thinking, 'yum, musk!' Er, not so much. This is MUSK!!!!!! :hammer:

 

So. Yeah.

 

Had I known that it was the major component in Snake Oil, I'd have taken a HYUGE step back. Ah well, lesson learned.

Edited September 1, 2012 by schackjj

[Alethia]

Thoughts before testing: I'm kind of collecting all of the single notes to educate my nose. That said, two months ago I wouldn't have touched Siberian Musk with a ten foot pole (I was a very floral/spicy girl until Snake Oil showed me the error of my ways!), but I'm excited to try it now!

 

Wet: This smells exactly like Snake Oil to me without the sugar and vanilla to temper the sharpness of the musk.

 

Dry down: Yup, SO. It's getting sharper as it dries, and I'm really missing the calming effect of the sweet in SO.

 

Dry: After about two and a half hours, Siberian Musk is so sharp it stings my nose when I smell it.

 

Final thoughts: I love fresh Snake Oil, but I'm not crazy about fresh Siberian Musk. But I have a feeling that with a little aging, this will be fabulous. And who knows, maybe a single note will be released that I can pair with this to mellow it out and make it more wearable right now

 

Verdict: Keeping the bottle, but on the lookout for something to pair it with and mellow it out.

[yakiguri]

Thanks to the always wonderful and amazing chinkee21 for letting me sniff her goodies.

 

At first, I got it. I smelt yes, this is definitely the backbone to Snake Oil, minus the waiting 2+ years for me to find SO enjoyable. I hovered over the purchase button...

 

...and then it turned into ALL RED MUSK, ALL THE TIME. Dammit. >_< Ah well.

[Monday]

Oh yes this is definitely one of the ingredients of Snake Oil. It also has that brown color that stains your skin.

I don't get red musk out of this, this is more of a brownish musk none of that nose-biting that red musk does. Siberian Musk has a lot of throw.

This would be great for aging if only I had the patience for that.

[Little Bird]

I actually don't enjoy Snake Oil (though I like about half of the Snake Pit blends and enjoy Snake Charmer and Mme Moriarty). Siberian Musk is like the worst/weirdest parts of Snake Oil and Smut on me - baby powder, dirty hair and burnt raisins. It's not sweet enough and just has a weird mix of dirty and powdery that does not work for me at all.