The Coiled Serpent

[sthenno]

A potent yogic oil that stimulates the kundalini, provokes spiritual awakening, and releases the energy seated in your root chakra.

I love this one. I suck at picking out scents, so I have no idea what's in here, but I would describe it as deep and spicy. Edited February 10, 2006 by Shollin

[Thaleia]

This one seems like pure patchouli. Great. I just finished reviewing Brimstone, which seems to have civet in it, and patchouli's another thing that does not like me. So ... I guess I'm on a lucky streak here, aren't I? This patchouli's actually alright, less heady than others I've tried (so I guess this is black patchouli? because I can take this one). It does get sweeter on the drydown, but it's still patchouli, and I'm still wary of it.

 

Eh. I don't know. I wouldn't wear patchouli by itself, because I will, inevitably, get a headache of some kind. This is better than most, so 4.5/10.

[Mountaingrrl00]

This is a sandalwood-patchouli scent that makes me feel strong and grounded. It's understated and unisex, not perfumey or cologney at all. It's like a really good Indian incense without the smoke. Just pure, high-quality oils. One of my favorites.

[malanna]

The Coiled Serpent is a lot of patchouli and something vaguely lemony, with herbs and a bit of vetiver. Over time, the vetiver comes out, and after three hours, it smells like dirt. I'm not sure what a yogic oil does, and I'm not so big on how it smells, so I won't be holding on to this.

[nancybridget]

To me this is pine needles, cedar, birch, sandalwood, and other lovely herbaceous and woody notes. This is a beautiful, lush scent, which would definately enhance meditation and other forms of relaxation.

[marzstar]

anyone read tom robbin's book jitterbug perfume ?

this oil, the coiled serpent, to me is totally kudra

and i like it

though i have another kudra i've bonded with over the years

and this reminds me of that one (must do a side by side... i think this one's a bit lighter)

though if you read the book it tells you what it should smell like, what is in kudra...

 

*makes mental note to get a copy and reread this again*

*i've been making a lot of mental notes in my posts here hehe*

 

at first, especially from the bottle, it is patchouli - turns a nice sweet patcouli though the moment it is applied to the skin - so it's not such a bitter overpowering :cough:hippie: smell - well maybe a little

but immediately it is nicely balanced with orange blossom

and the orange blossom comes out more in time

along with some more sweeter, delicate notes

 

funny that i don't like orange smells, nor flowery smells, but i love what i think of as orange blossom

 

this one works on me nicely - though both eo's i mentioned work on me so if you don't like patchouli you probably won't like this

unless you like orange blossom

then i say give this a chance

i do like the kundalini association it has too

yet another blend that is so appropriately named

for it IS very serpent like but oh so different from SO and SC

beth is just purely amazing.

 

and go read jitterbug perfume and then try this

and you'll probably like it more, for i have yet to meet a person who didn't LOVE it

i won't give away what else is supposedly in it

but it is supposedly the secret to everlasting life !!!

Edited March 8, 2006 by marzstar

[batsy]

In the bottle: Something about patchouli and me needing to breathe don't mix. I couldn't even get this on my skin.

 

Luckily it was a frimp, so no love lost.

[lady_pandora]

Oh dear.

 

A friend had this, and I tried it on at a party. I sniffed my wrist, and lo and behold--

 

It smelled like a dank cave.

 

I said, "Hey everybody, The Coiled Serpent smells like a dank cave on me!" They all thought I was kidding. Everybody sniffed my wrist, and agreed:

 

It smelled like a dank cave.

 

I can usually do patchouli, but there's something in this that is just not working at ALL on me.

 

Though I did find myself wishing I had an imp of it last night when I was writing a story involving a cave, and wanted some inspiration...

[elphaba]

Sandalwood! For some reason, I usually find sandalwood blends to be fairly heavy, but this one doesn't feel that way at all. It's remarkably airy, like the gentlest wisps of smoke curling up around me. I don't think this is something I'd wear on a daily basis, but I could definitely see using it for meditation. Er...maybe I should start meditating.

[ViolentKitten]

In the Imp, I could smell patchouli and some kind of sweetness, but on my skin, I got a very dry cedar or some other type of wood, like old wooden drawers that have been left in the sun all day, and now the moon is gleaming upon them and you can smell mostly cool wood, but you know that the warmth has been on them, getting into the fibres. The patchouli doesn’t jump out quite as much, but it’s there, kind of like in Urd, but dryer. And a little wood smoke, as if coming from a cozy cabin far away. There’s also the barest hint of a dark, dry cocoa and a sweetness, lingering in the background. It could be a touch of dark musk maybe, though possibly not black, as I usually find it too powdery. Once it’s fully dry, it’s crackling sticks and a sweetish musk. It doesn’t strike me as overtly feminine or masculine, but I guess it would be classified as a little more on the masculine side.

 

The Coiled Serpent induces an odd reaction in me. I just want to breathe it in; breathe it in and through me. It feels like I could trip out on it, but it’s grounding and very calming at the same time. On the other hand, it’s also very sexual. I won’t go into details, but shall I just say it helped make some good lovin’ some very good lovin’. The woody/musky combination made me feel like we were in a cedar cabin in the middle of a lake in Japan. In fact, there's a particular scene in Yimou Zhang's “Hero” where they’re fighting on the water. That's where this cabin is. We are at one with the lake and the cabin. That sounds weird I know, but this scent can so incredibly enveloping.

 

The Lab frimps me with things I'd never think of for myself. Thank you!!

 

PS: I gave the man a sniff and it sparked something in him. He was suddenly reminded of how when he was a little boy he used to get a tingling feeling up his spine which started as a watery feeling in his mouth. He used to get it when he saw people working out complex things. Now he’s wondering if it was his chakras being stimulated because that’s what was sparked in him when he smelt The Coiled Serpent. I’m not sure if that’s classified as a spiritual awakening, but he definitely felt something wake up!

Edited April 6, 2006 by ViolentKitten

[juniperus]

Bottle: patchouli, all patchouli

Wet: patchouli, and a resin - not sure which..maybe frankincense. it's warming and deepening..not a hit-me-in-the-sinuses patchouli at all.

Dry: warm and rich, it's a smell of heat without fire. there is a floral note far in the back, but it's mainly the patchouli.

Later: seriously heating - as in I'm suddenly wanting to change clothes I'm so uncomfortably warm. it's like a hot-flash in an oil - I'm actually flushed and opening windows! amazing..

[PilotKitten]

Whoooa!! Heavy on the frankincense and patchouli there!! Instant headache.

 

The incense note comes out slowly and reminds me of a NOLA "voodoo" bookshop I went into once. I can almost reach out and touch the books on the shelves and the jars of herbs lining one wall.

 

Nice, if you like patchouli and incense... not for me though.

[gwyllgi]

I can't for the life of me pick out the notes in this - primarily because one of the notes in this goes rancid the instant it hits my skin. I suspect cedar on some level (as cedar usually has this effect on my skin), leavened with some patchouli but still rancid. It smells like old wood on me - old, salty, rotten wood.

 

Sadly, the stench my skin makes of it is not something conducive to meditation for me, unless I can meditate on the cloth as I scrub it off my skin.

[edenssixthday]

The Coiled Serpent - I do not like the fragrance of this blend. It’s smoky and woody, full of dry patchouli and what smells like vetiver and frankincense to me. I understand it has a spiritual purpose relating to the root chakra, but I am not one for chakra work, so I can only judge it on scent. This seems highly masculine and I can’t imagine ever wearing it for fragrance purposes. I don’t find it a pleasant scent in the least. The level of throw is far, and the staying power is a good 4-5 hours, as patch usually lasts on me longer than other lighter scents. This one isn’t for me.

 

ETA: Over time, I've noticed that after the drydown, vetiver works gorgeously on me, and this one has turned into a lovely scent on me. I love revisiting scents I tried years ago and finding I can enjoy them now, as my skin chemistry and scent preferences change. This one smells resinous, woody, gritty, husky, smoky, and lovely on me now!

Edited November 2, 2009 by edenssixthday

[UploadedLobster]

Patchouli bomb!

 

It's almost pure patchouli, I swear. Might be some sandalwood and cedar in there, but mostly it's the All-Patchouli Channel and my god it's awesome. It's THE definitive 'filthy hippie' smell without, you know, all the filth. Just pure earthy sex. It lasts for a good few hours and doesn't morph much at all.

 

Haven't noticed any yogic, mystical, or physiological responses to it, but I surely do enjoy smelling it and that surely counts for something.

 

 

Lobster Rating

Better than: putting your face in warm laundry

Edited July 18, 2006 by Uploaded Lobster

[cranberry]

Impressions: Woody. Dark and calming. Slightly sweet. The wood smells like it could be cedar and I think there’s a patchouli in here. There could be a touch of anise. This is a beautiful, soothing scent that is grounded and centered. Very nice.

[filigree_shadow]

I'm only going to comment on the scent here: The first time I tried it I didn't like it at all. It smelled like a very sweet resiny wood scent, and then when it warmed up it smelled a bit like sweat. In a funky way, not in a good way. It also smelled just like the plastic wrappers around my dogs' treats -- that plastic-with-residual-beef-jerky smell.

 

The second time I tried it I liked it a little better, but not a whole lot. There's something oddly sweet about it -- but it's a fake sweet, but a lush sweet. Artificial-smelling. After about 30 minutes it is far too overly sweet for me.

 

I'm sure it's not meant to be used as perfume, but I don't know how to use it.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

impsniff: sandalwood incense smoke and ashes.

 

skinsniff, wet: bonfire and sandalwood

 

observation: while trying to sniff this oil and form an opinion about the scent, and only the scent, not any usage of it... my back started hurting, in a way and place that it doesn't ever hurt....and my TEETH started hurting which... is not a new or a rare thing, its pretty much a constant thing actually... but this is a new and different pain, that goes all the way down to the bone. and it feels like the pain in my cheekbone and the pain behind my right lung are trying to crawl towards each other, which is making my stomach twist into knots, trying to get in on the action.

 

skinsniff, dry: pencil shavings and molasses.

 

as good as this smells and as intrigued as i am by its potential use in my yoga... if an oil can cause this sort of pain, i don't think i'm strong enough for that.

[fairy]

Definitely heady...strong almost pine. Dark and somewhat sinister. Lighter when applied but still on the strong side. I didn't care for it

[steffanina]

The Coiled Serpent-

 

In Bottle: Chocolate and smoky wood. (I'm wondering if this is that "vetiver" that everyone speaks of. I get that "chocolate and wood" in a lot of scents that purport to contain vetiver, with which I'm not familiar.)

 

Wet: The smoke in the wood blooms. Oh, I really like this. It's smelling almost like...not quite like cordite. I'm reminded of some ride at Disney World, where it's jungle-y and dark and something like this smoky smell dominates!

 

Dry: The patchouli starts to come up, and I like patchouli, so, that's fine. As time goes on, this turns into straight patchouli, so, when I wear this, it will be because I want to smell like patchouli for the duration.

 

Overall: I like.

Edited August 19, 2006 by steffanina

[arabella]

First Impression: Patchouli.

 

Dries down to: Quietens down but doesn't really change much; other than for the appearance of sandalwood, or at least, I think it's sandalwood. I don't detect any other notes at all.

 

Additional Comments: The sandalwood is in just the right proportion to tame the patchouli but not overwhelm it. I wouldn't wear this scent but would use it, occasionally, as a room scent.

 

Lasted: All day.

 

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Edited August 28, 2006 by arabella

[Diva Urd]

In the vial: Patchouli, gorgeous black patchouli!

 

On me, some other notes are stepping in and softening up the already perfectly rounded scent of that delicious black patchouli - I believe it's mainly frankincense, and maybe a tiny bit of sandalwood.

 

This is absolutely delectable, and even though it doesn't last as long as this combination of scents promised, I have to have more of this, as I am irrevocably in love with it.

 

I only wish it hadn't spoiled my patchouli single note to me, which suddenly doesn't smell nearly as good to me anymore..

[QueenFae]

This is a really nice patchouli blend. I'm a huge patchouli fan, especially the patchouli Beth uses in her blends. This one is no exception. The patchouli is on top, and there is a wafting, woodsy, earthy note in the undertone. Perhaps a hint of sandalwood? There is also a mossy or earthen note on the very bottom, but it doesn't compromise the integrity of the gorgeous top note. I love this one, and this would be lovely on guys as well.

[minilux]

I could have sworn I tried this and hated it, but now I'm thinking that my fear of the f-word (f****incense) kept me from trying it in the past, because I freakin' love this stuff. To me, it smells like an asskicking blend of patchouli, cedar and possibly something peppery (which are all good things in my book), and maybe I'm imagining it, but I'm also going to blame/credit it for some really wild and vivid dreams. I need a bottle of this stat!

[sofiaviolet]

I don't know what the note is, but this is yet another scent that goes horribly musty. It smells of pine cleaning fluid, cedar chests, and decades of dust and death. I couldn't meditate while wearing this. The scent has too many other connotations.