Frostbitten Snake Oil

[doomsday_disco]

[No additional description provided. Scent description for Snake Oil is here.]

In the bottle: Lightly chilled Snake Oil.

Wet: The fresh Snake Oil is far stronger than the frostbite component at first, which I believe is the chilled sweet snow note from Snow White. After a few minutes, the sweet snow note ends up becoming stronger. It really feels as if it is draped over the top of the Snake Oil, like Snake Oil curled up in a Snow White blanket.

Dry: Like Snake Oil and Snow White had a baby. It's a snowdrift of the chilly sweetness of Go to Sleep, Darlings and Snow White over fresh Snake Oil.

Verdict: My bottle leaked in a little transit, but was still full, and as soon as I smelled the scent on the bubble wrap, I was like, SNAKE OIL SNOW WHITE. HYPE! I tried to calm myself down before applying it in case I was mistaken. But that's what I ended up getting on my skin. This is really lovely. I'm really surprised how much the sweet snow note comes through, and I can't wait to see how this ages!

[Numanoid]

Oh yes!!

 

Exactly as was said above! I just got mine from the mailbox....I had to try it right away, and Dementia hit it on the nose!! This is so Snow White and Snake Oil, and it is amazing!!! If you love both those scents, then go now and get this!

 

It isn't cloying... I love strong Snake Oil, but the frostbitten note in it keeps it at bay, but I am sure this will age amazingly!! I will for sure get myself another one of these!!

[Nepthys]

I wasn't a fan of Snow White when I had a bottle, so I didn't know what to expect from this based on the other reviews. Somehow, though, it works - two scents that I would never associate with each other work beautifully together. Initially it's an equal balance of snow and Snake Oil, then it dries down to a warm sweet snow.

[Foodie]

As everyone so far has said, when first opened and sniffed Frostbitten Snake Oil smells like Snow White and Snake Oil. But when applied, it becomes it's own scent. It is Snow White's sweet snow note mixed with the Snake Oil spices and above it all rises this creamy dreamy beautiful cloud of vanilla. Quite possibly the best smelling BPAL ever. Now that's just my humble opinion, coming from a lover of Go to Sleep Darlings, Snow White, and Snake Oil. Frostbitten Snake Oil is perfection.

[zankoku_zen]

Let's start this review with two GIANT disclaimers. A) For reasons' only the gods have seen fit, Snake Oil is a huge disaster with my personal skin chemistry. Fresh, aged, super aged, in the Snake Pit, you name it and in general it sort of really sucks on my skin. Again, the gods' only know, but Snow White smells like coconut tropical playdoh on me. I only know of the almond chilliness that SW is supposed to smell like because of the atmosphere spray. So my expectations for this scent are extremely low.

 

To me, this starts off smelling as almond milk + spicy vanilla funk. As it dries (after about an hour), the almond milk aspect has disappeared into a cloud of vanilla spice playdoh.

 

Meaning, this probably would smell awesome. With someone else's skin chemistry. However, if either Snow White or Snake Oil are problematic for you, this may ring true again for this blend.

[LizziesLuck]

I love Snow White. I love Snake Oil. I can't, for the life of me, imagine them going well together. But here we are, and we're doing this anyway (blind bottle, no less!! What can I say, I am a rebel)

 

Wet: Mmm! Hmm. That's interesting! The Snake Oil wins. There are just faint tinges of Snow White so far. It's interesting, Snow White on it's own smells nothing like almond to me - I get frozen coconut water and florals. In this - I see why people get almond! This smells like Snake Oil and frozen almond milk. Interesting! Man, it needs some age though. Whoa. I forgot how much Snake Oil needs a few months before it's good on me. This has some pretty rough edges. Boy does it have promise though. It's going to be gooooood.

 

Dry: The Snow White actually wins, once this settles, but the Snake Oil is still a strong presence. It's lovely. I could not imagine what these two scents would smell like together, and it's still hard to describe, but it's fantastic and I will have to restrain myself from buying a back-up.

[boomtownrat]

The "Frostbitten" note in this is instantly recognizable from the bottle of Frostbitten Dorian. I've never tried Snow White, so I can't speak to that aspect of it.

 

I own several bottles of Snake Oil from various years, as well as bottles of several Snake Oil-based variants. For me this is the lightest Snake Oil of them all, though it does stick around for hours.

 

When it's wet, this is like sniffing a memory of Snake Oil at the edge of a snowy pine forest. I'm not sure where I got the pine note, but it's fleeting. For a brief time during the dry-down things turn a bit sharp, going all Snake Oil spices without the vanilla. Then it settles into a light, pretty, chilly vanilla with a trace of the Snake Oil spices. I believe that skin chemistry and where I apply it both make a big difference in how it smells.

 

Edit on December 22, 2017: Just a day or two after I wrote this review, I noticed that if I'm warm when I wear this, the scent transforms into something similar to a body lotion that I used to love from Bath and Body Works called Sinful Vanilla. I have wanted a BPAL equivalent to that for six years, since I first got into BPAL. This is better because it doesn't have any of the chemical undertones of the lotion. Now I'm definitely going to need more bottles.

Edited December 23, 2017 by boomtownrat

[Dark Alice]

Slightly chilled snake oil. This is how I wanted snake oil to smell on me. And the regular stuff turns to play dough on my skin. This does not. So glad I have a bottle!

[milo]

I dig most things Snake Oil, with the exception of Snake Can and Snake Oil Jelly Donut. I only got a dram, as I couldn't possible imagine Snake Oil and Snow White meshing very well at all. FWIW, I don't think there are 'two' snow notes, I just think it's gonna smell like Snow White if there is sweeter notes, or like Frost, trees, if there are notes like that combine to make it so. This starts out as fresh SO with a touch of minty snow, then Snow White. After a bit, it's the other way around. I don't mind it, and I just purchased a bottle, so I guess it holds promise. It is a fast fade, though and it 'just' landed in -20 weather, so it really is frost bitten I guess:) This is probably one of those blends that needs a year to age, and I'm in the camp where SO is the older the better!

Edited December 23, 2017 by milo

[Jenjin]

Not sure what happened with my bottle, but this was straight up Snow White on me.
I kept waiting around for the spicy snake oil to show up but it was all fairy land and forest.
Tested it against my bottle of Snow White and they are pretty much identical.

[patina]

It's a bit like Snow White, but not nearly as much as Cotton Phoenix was like Snow White. I actually compare it more to Peppermint Buttercream Frosted Red Velvet Cupcake or The Waltz of the Snowflakes. The mint does give a slightly watered down effect to the Snake Oil, but Snake Oil is such a warm scent to me that that impression dominates.

 

On drydown, I can understand the "Snake Oil snuggled in Snow White" comparison better.

 

Edit: After some aging this may now rival the old Asp Viper for my favorite Snake Oil version. The mint keeps the Snake Oil from being overwhelming in hot weather and it's just perfect, plus a lot more work safe.

 

It's hard to overstate how much I like this.

Edited March 14, 2018 by patina

[LiberAmoris]

Yes, Snake Oil + Snow White! These are great together. Sweet spices and fluffy snow, with a merged personality that runs both sexy and cozy.

[blackdove]

After more than 10 years of wearing BPAL I finally fell for Snake Oil this year. I am currently obsessed and want no other perfume, unless it is Snake Oil mixed with something else!

 

I haven't smelled the Snow White blend straight, but on me this seems like more frostbite and less Snake Oil. I can detect Snake Oil's spiciness through it but it is mostly cool white flowers, that snow note--I don't know what that is, but it is a nose-opening scent that really does smell like fresh snow, or the cold air of a newly snowy day--and vanilla. What's odd is it smells a little different on each wrist--vanilla and a hint of Snake Oil on one, refrigerated flowers on the other!

 

it lasts as long as Snake Oil usually does on me, which is until it is washed off--overnight or longer--and fades to almost all vanilla. Its throw is also thankfully less powerful! If Snake Oil is a sensual perfume, this is its romantic incarnation--not at all innocent, but softer, cooler, and more playful.

[joyfulgirl]

good god. this is glorious. it's snake oil softened up and toned down by something less raw and sexy...more gently warm, inviting and comfortable.

 

i am going to need a bottle and a backup - at least.

[sacrilicious]

This is stunning. Snow White is my favorite BPAL hands down. I even wore it at my wedding. I've never actually owned a bottle of Snake Oil, but Snake Charmer is a favorite of mine (actually wore it on my first date with my husband!) This really combines the elements that I love from both of them. I'm definitely going to need at least one bottle of this, probably two and I do NOT buy backup bottles!

 

It's almost all Snow White at first, that cool almondy blast that I love so much, but as it dries down the Snake Oil gives it this rich, earthy undertone. It's so sexy and gorgeous but it manages to be cozy at the same time. Love it!

[Minh Scent]

Oh, I love this! Snake OIl...but better!! On me, it starts all Snake Oil, but a rich vanilla note comes out on the dry-drown. Great combination! Long lasting.

[astarinel]

Very Snake Oil forward wet, and a fresh Snake Oil (which I like, but smells sharper and less sweet than the aged version). I think it's interesting that everyone seems to get the Snow White snow notes from this Frostbitten series, because I absolutely don't. Snow White is absolutely terrible on my skin (really, it smells like burning plastic), and I don't get any of that here.

 

This is less aggressive than Snake Oil itself, and doesn't stain my super-pale skin as much as Snake Oil tends to do. It's Snake Oil padded with soft, fluffy, minty snow.

 

I expected this to be more of a clash than Frostbitten Dorian, which I liked okay (although didn't find it very much like Dorian), but this actually works better on me. The snow note is very soft and a bit sweet, and it blends well with the vanilla tones of Snake Oil.

 

Good throw (although not as much as Snake Oil, which I find to have Epic Throw) and lasting power. I expect this will age very well.

[theredshoes]

I....wanted to love this? Especially after all the great descriptions here. I don't know what happened. I slathered it on and barely smelled anything. My husband said he smelled something, "really powdery" (while it was still wet). I kept barely smelling something, and then an hour later it was just gone. I tried slathering it on again, but nothing. It's weird because neither Snake Oil nor Snow White vanish on me, in fact Snow White turns into pure Play-Do. This smells like sharp musk in the bottle, but just really nothing on me. My skin tends to eat vanilla, so maybe that's what happened, although I thought the Snake Oil part would stand out more. Maybe after aging the invisible vanilla will ease up.

[Lucchesa]

I got frimped a tester of this a while ago, and yesterday evening decided it was what I wanted to wear to visit my mother-in-law in the hospital (where, as it turned out, there were signs asking people not to wear any fragrance, but it was a little too late to comply). So I blew through my tester, and oh my, that stuff is fabulous! And I could still smell it distinctly in the crook of my elbows this morning.

 

I've never tried Snow White because the scent description does not sound promising at all, but based on my experiences with Cotton Phoenix and Frostbitten Dorian, Sin and now SO, it's gorgeous on me. Soft and marshmallowy, just delicious! And in combination with Snake Oil -- well, let's just say a fairy godmother waves her wand over Snow White and her smutty friend, and all of a sudden Snow and Snake are dressed up in, respectively, very flattering white and black fur-trimmed snowsuits (Snow White's has fake fur, of course), flinging snowballs with abandon at some cute guys in a snow fort. Very feminine, playfully sexy but not worship-me-on-your-knees sexy. Love!

[mistressfizz]

This starts off creamy and musky, with a hint of minty coolness. The snake oil component seems to dominate, although it is lighter in this blend and not as spicy. As it dries, I mainly get vanilla musk. Pleasant and nice to have a more gentle snake oil version.

[torischroeder9]

2018 version

 

Expectations: I actually don't do super well with anything the Lab has used as a "snow" scent. So I wasn't actually expecting to like the accent on this. But I know that Snake Oil is pretty dominant on my skin. So this is likely to be Snake Oil + Other. I can live with that. 

 

In the bottle: WHAT? That is beautiful soft coconut. And if I keep sniffing, Snake Oil. 

 

On my skin: 

 

Wet, this is coconut Snake Oil. Coconut. Snake. Oil. 

 

I know many people have described Snake Oil as too sweet on them. The opposite is true for me. Whatever is sweet in Snake Oil, my skin eats. Whatever is dry and gritty, my skin amps. So a soft, sugared coconut plus Snake Oil is super warm and cozy.

 

And sexy. 

 

Yes, both. 

 

Dry, the Snake Oil does a beautiful job of grounding the coconut top note, which otherwise would most likely turn ephemeral on me. The throw on this is moderate-to-strong, though the scent itself is fairly soft. 

 

Over the course of a work day, it doesn't really morph much, though there are individual moments where I smell more coconut or more Snake Oil. (But they don't follow a pattern. It's not like one note is gaining prominence over time.)

 

From a blend this beautiful on me, I will always want more throw and wear length, but I cannot complain about what already exists. 

 

 

[VetchVesper]

This is a review for the 2017 version.

The "frostbitten" note hasn't worked well for me with any of the releases I've tried.  It comes across as a minty ozone musk, and there's just a chemical vibe I get that isn't terrible, but isn't really appealing.  That said, Frostbitten Snake Oil was the one I like the best out of the other 2017 releases.  The Snake Oil is light in the blend and the vanilla is a lot more prominent to my nose, especially in the dry down, when it reads more like a rich vanilla grounding the minty sweet ozone. 

 

But overall, FSO just doesn't sing on my chemistry, (either does Snow White, btw) so I'll see if I can find a better home for it.  

[donkehpoo]

(2018 version.)

 

Wet: Snake Oil with some snow slush.  Please, please work.

 

Dry: Snow White with a hint of Snake Oil. 😐

Not what I was expecting, or hoping for; SO is such a strong scent, I'm seriously surprised that the "frostbitten" part of the blend has taken over.

 

I'll keep my decant around to see how it ages, but it's not really my thing so far.

[mishi-bear]

(2018)

 

Snake Oil! With Snow White's snow note! If you've tried those and liked both, then this is worth a try at least.

 

Personally I skipped on getting a bottle, just because it felt like I could just layer my SO with SW and get about the same effect.

[RoseThornAndOak]

Not too shabs. The original Snake Oil goes a bit waxy on me and not in a good way, just a "meh, it's okay" way. I was hoping this would work a bit better. It definitely has the Snow White/Snow-Flakes note, but dries down more Snake Oil. So if you love the original SO and/or SW or SF definitely try it. I prefer, SF, Pink Snowballs, and Mega-sized Chocolate Bar SO but very happy to have tried this. 😃

Edited January 2, 2020 by RoseThornAndOak