Snake's Kiss

[mishi-bear]

Snake Oil with sugar, honeycomb, and thick vanilla cream.

 

I, like a lot of people, thought they knew what this would vaguely smell like. Like Snake Oil, O, and extra vanilla! Or, like Womb Furie with vanilla! This does not smell like either of those things at ALL. This scent is very unique, and very beautiful.

 

The Snake Oil itself in this is very light, so if you are a person who doesn't generally like Snake Oil, this blend might work for you. All the Snake Oil really does in this is provide a sort of resinous-spicy-vanilla base. The sugar in this is where this takes a wild turn. The sugar in this blend isn't a cloying white sugar, or a molassesy brown sugar, but a surprisingly lemony sugar. It's sweet sugar but with a light citrus hint to it. It makes the throw smell an awful lot like the drink half-and-half. Half lemonade, half iced tea. The 'iced tea' smell I think is in part because of the honeycomb. The honey to this is very fresh, leafy, and a touch floral. It's a nice shiny honey but there's a very fresh smell to it, like tea leaves, and also something akin to lavender. Just a touch of a floral-herbal sweetness. As this blend dries the citrusy-half-and-half notes do take a step back and allows a mix of just a touch more of that Snake Oil and big sweet dollops of vanilla cream to emerge. A very different vanilla than the one in your basic Snake Oil, this is more of a cream scent with just a bit of a very light vanilla. That lemony note does stay throughout the dry down but this really does become less 'lemony iced tea', as more vanilla cream emerges and also more of that herbal-floral-maybe-lavender. Good throw and long wear length.

[SurenaMarie]

Oh goodness! This scent is just so lovely. When it's wet it's really fresh, sweet sugared lemon. It reminds me a bit of sticky bat but not as astringent or tangy if that makes any sense. As it dries down the snake oil steps forward but it's still a very light. Snake oil by itself can be heavy and turn into incense on my skin (which isn't bad necessarily, just not my vibe) but the lightness of all the other ingredients makes it super wearable. I am ridiculously happy with this purchase! It's like a cutie pie snake enjoying some sunshine. ❤️

[roseus]

Oh no! I was hoping between Cotton Phoenix and Womb Furie my amped up Snake Oil needs were covered. Some how I still need it. It has the extra thick honey sweetness of Womb Furie with the creamy poof of Cotton Phoenix, and a little extra brightness. Gorgeous.

[patina]

This is super refreshing.

I'm reminded of Green Tree Viper, but with cream and faint waxy honey. It does smell like citrus, but not in a loud, bright, sour lemon way. It's more like the lab's green tea note.

 

My only problem with this scent is that it gets faint after wear on me. It is cool, summery, and totally work appropriate. The cream does not curdle on me like I'd feared.

[whisperstilled]

I had to breathe deep to catch the snake oil under the thick layer of honey and cream. Surprisingly light, for what I thought would be an overpoweringly rich scent. This one definitely deserves a full day test.

[Juliamon]

In the bottle: All vanilla, all the time. Sugary vanilla cream and maybe some honeycomb. If there's Snake Oil in here, it's very well hidden.

 

Wet: The honeycomb blooms and soaks up some of the vanilla and I can finally smell some of the Snake Oil spices. Not a lot, just enough to let you know they're there and keep the perfume from becoming overwhelmingly sugary-sweet. It still leans very gourmand though, like a perfect buttercream frosting. I don't particularly get the lemon others seem to be getting, but there is a crispness.

 

Dry: Sugary vanilla musk with a dash of Snake Oil's spices. I think the honeycomb is the musky note here, it's not really present otherwise. Fades pretty quickly.

 

For fun, I put this on my wrists and Dragon-Smooched Snake Oil on the backs of my hands to compare the Snake Oil content in each. I'm still new to BPAL and haven't tried many Snake Oil variants so I wondered whether there was enough of a difference to justify keeping both. And yes, there's a hell of a difference! DSSO is much more intensely Snake Oil, very spice-heavy and sultry. Snake's Kiss is far lighter and friendly, I actually almost like it better because it's less likely to stir up a migraine.

[milo]

This is warm, sexy sweet Snake Oil goodness. I'm getting the honeycomb, and just a touch of spicy Snake Oil. This is going to age magnificently, a new favourite

[ririchu]

This is a much more wearable snake oil variant, probably my favorite one to date. It is very sweet and creamy, and doesn't have the powdery bitter note I get from an (unaged) snake oil. Glad I picked up a full size bottle.

[Madame Mew]

This is so yummy! This reminds me of Dorian, but a more sultry snake oil version. I should have bought a bottle!

[Shadmock]

YUMMMMMMMMM.

 

First impressions: A couple of other peeps have mentioned a slightly floral quality. When I first apply it, I get a distinctly lilac note, which is weird since there aren't any florals mentioned in the description. Despite that, I get something that reminds me of my very favorite things about Cave of Treasures. There's the cream note and the yummy fresh honey sugar notes, but without the sharpness imparted by the cardamom (so many blends are nearly ruined for me by that blasted cardamom note *shakes fist*). 

 

Second impressions - a half-hour later: The lilac note has faded and now it's all sweet vanilla cake and creamed honey with a pale shadow of Snake Oil peeking through. I suspect the SO will get a little more pronounced with age, judging by my bottles of it. 

 

Last impression - an hour later: Still going strong, very much still at the same level of vanilla and creamed honey with a touch of SO depth. As it fades ever-so-slightly, there's definitely more of that Snake Oil musky spice clinging closer to my skin. So far, at this point, it reminds me of the fluffy prettiness of Cotton Phoenix (which I love) or White Rose without the rose. I can see the comparisons to Snow White, as well, but (THANK GOD/DESS) it doesn't go Barbie plastic and playdough on me. 

 

I'm excited to see how it fares overnight, since I am about to go to bed...

[glitterlips]

I *really* love this one in the bottle. On my skin, it mellowed out a bit soon after applying and after a few hours I couldn't smell it anymore. 

 

It smells mostly of honey on me and there is a sweetness that I believe is the cream. Thank goodness I don't get the lemony scent as it tends to go all Lemon Pledge on me.

 

I will try again and will apply more for (hopefully) longer wear.

[Atrous]

Creamy, spicy Snake Oil with a bit of floral peeking out.  Once it dries down the honeycomb note comes out a little.  This is a really sexy scent.

 

My favorite thing about this Snake Oil variant is I don't need to age it to wear it.

[torischroeder9]

2018 version. 

 

Not gonna lie: I sniffed the outside of the vial, and it smells like a tiny piece of heaven.

 

In the vial: Honeyed cream -- without the Snake Oil. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, it's a beautiful creamy sugared honeycomb. My skin also apparently eats it, so I just slathered. My skin definitely feels the pinpricks that happen from slathering Snake Oil spices, but I actually don't smell it yet on my skin. As it dries, the lovely, soft honeycomb continues, but I can't seem to find the Snake Oil. Given some time to warm and develop on my skin, it is building a nice, light sugared honeycomb throw. 

 

This must smell amazing. Clearly, my skin knows it is good stuff and has eaten it all! 

 

 

[miss_rynn]

2019 Version

 

This smells like... like an old lady version of Snake Oil.  It's not as lemony as the previous edition, but the honey and cream comes across as the scent of the lovely old neighbourhood lady who babysits kids while their parents go out to dinner.  Well-washed, hand knit pink angora twinset and pearls, practical rubber soled nurse shoes, and perfectly puffed and primped white fluffy hair. 

[Madame Mew]

This is one of my favorites! It’s like Dorian and Snake Oil mixed together, but there’s another level of sweetness, I assume from the honey? I bought a partial bottle after trying a decant, but I wear it enough to justify backups. 

Edited May 1, 2019 by Madame Mew

[neuilly]

Pretty much as described. I get none of the lemon note that others desribe but this is very much snake oil plus honeycomb and cream on me. It actual feels a bit like I've layered scents because they don't really blend so much as both exist at the same time: 1) snake oil and 2) honeycomb cream. I don't actually wear snake oil so I'm not sure why I chose one of blends as a decant but I do really enjoy the other notes in this and could see it really working for others.

[boomtownrat]

2018 version:

 

This was a Lab-direct purchase that I've never gotten around to reviewing. When it was fresh, it was lemon-sugary, from what I can remember. Now that the bottle's more than a year old, I would swear that it's a variant of Dorian, not Snake Oil. I don't detect any of Snake Oil's spice or muskiness. The honey is light and lemony, not at all funky. The vanilla cream makes me think of freshly-made whipped cream. I'm getting a bit of confectioner's sugar. Somehow, though, it's not really that foodie. It's almost like Boo, but without the linen.

 

There's a decent throw for something so light, which is where Snake's Kiss does resemble Snake Oil, but it has an airier type of sillage. SK has less staying power than most of the other SO blends. I like to reapply it after about three hours, which is pretty typical for the more ethereal scents I own.

 

I would say that it's a variant for people who can't wear Snake Oil, only it bears little resemblance to the original. Considered on its own merits, I like Snake's Kiss a lot. It's just not what I expected, and that's no bad thing.

[DiesMali]

2019 version.

 

In the bottle: Sweet, honeyed Snake Oil.

 

Wet on my skin: Heavy on the sugary vanilla cream, lighter on the Snake Oil. The latter is definitely present in it, at this stage.

 

Dry: This is a scent that is more than the sum of its parts. Because I know Snake Oil is in the blend, I can pick it out, but a less familiar nose might not be able to make the distinction. On my S.O. loving skin, the S.O. takes a backseat to the sweet, creamy honeycomb, which has a distinct thick beeswax + honey feel on me. There's actually something slightly leather-like, like the really soft brown leather from Blood and Judgment So Well Commeddled, but I think that's a trick of my skin + Snake Oil. So basically, it's a slightly spicy, soft-leathery creamy honeycomb, and it's really quite lovely. My only issue is that it doesn't last terribly long (under 2 hours) before fading into a honey-sweetened "skin musk," but that will probably improve with some aging. 

[puellacaerulea]

2020 version: In the decant, I'm getting mostly honey with a whiff of Snake Oil. As it dries down and develops more, the vanilla cream starts to come out more, and the spicy, resinous S.O. notes also start to amp up more. It's really well blended -- while the overall scent softens with wear, the honey and vanilla never quite overpower the S.O., or vice versa. If you like the idea of Snake Oil but find it too heavy/incense-y for everyday wear (which is why I don't reach for my imp of it that often), this might be one to try -- it's like a warm, sweet, cozy version of S.O. that's a bit less heavy on the resins. I might need a full bottle for when cooler weather comes back again.

[Threemoons]

I have an older version of this, so was very excited to crack open the 2020 release of this scent.  In the bottle:  Almost all Snake Oil, with a bit of something else a little creamy and sweet.  On, wet:  Takes a bit but sugar notes start to develop on the skin, still has that marvelous Snake Oil deepness.  Sugar starts to come up as a damp sugar, almost syrupy.  Drydown:  Aaaah, there's the cream!  Getting a little bit of vanilla whipped cream in with the mix here, as well as a solid raw sugar note.  Very comforting without being cloying or too cutesy; this is still a very sexy scent but in a gentler way than, let's say, Snake's Skin.  Glad I reached for it today.

 

[Alethia]

Thoughts before testing: I tend to vastly prefer fresh Snake Oil on my skin, so fingers crossed that this is new and not aged SO. 

 

Wet: Nutty? It smells like fresh SO mixed with a fresh jar of peanut butter. Big yikes at this stage. 

 

Dry down: Thankfully the weird peanut butter smell fades and I'm left with a beeswax heavy SO. I get almost no sweetness or vanilla; it smells like I mixed SO with The Lights of Men's Lives which is absolutely terrific. I think this is going to age beautifully. 

 

Dry: After about an hour, it mellows out to nearly straight Snake Oil. I'm really glad that I didn't immediately spring for a bottle of this. It's pretty but I think I prefer regular SO and quite frankly, I'm not willing to buy a bottle and hope that in a year it ages into something more than it is right now. 

 

Verdict: Keeping the imp, no bottle.

[starbrow]

2018:

 

Snake's Kiss is the most dramatic example of aging I've experienced. Fresh, it was so quiet, in bottle and on skin, the whisper of a kiss, lemon sugar. I almost let it go. Instead, I tucked it into a drawer with the other 2018 Lupers and forgot about it for a year.

 

When I remembered it, I was stunned. The coy whisper had turned into a full-on smooch of honeycomb, a sweet and gooey honey with none of the bite and a smear of beeswax creaminess. The sugariness is here and it is LOUD. The vanilla almost reminds me of the 90s vanilla obsession, verging on that generic bodysplash that I get from Antique Lace, but not quite tipping over into it. It stays unique thanks to its base in BPAL aesthetic. It is a snek, through and through.

 

Yet the Snake Oil is the quietest of the notes in Snake's Kiss arsenal from its incipient year. It is, arguably, the Snake Oil variant that is farthest away from its mother scent. It keeps that verging-on-playdo-quality of classic Snake Oil and, obviously, the vanilla, while bumping up the creaminess to an eleven and letting the spices fade into a distant murmur in the background. I would say this is more like Morocco than Snake Oil, and indeed, fans of the former will find a lot to love in this kiss. This would be an excellent gateway drug into BPAL.

 

Interestingly, I think the drop of lemon sugar is a little reminiscent of the 2020 March "13" blend. If you missed that one, Snake's Kiss might give you vibes. 

[lipstickonmyteeth92]

As always I'm super late to the BPAL party! 

Snagged the HG of this in this year's Lupers (so glad they brought it back!) and knew that I had to track down a bottle but wanted the 2018 version rather than the 2020. Luckily, I managed to grab one from a destash. 

 

In the bottle: Snake Oil and Lemon with a hint of sweetness. Musk. 

Wet on skin: Snake oil is quite prominent and the sugary vanilla comes right to the front for me and the lemon has disappeared entirely. 

Dried down (for about twenty minutes): A whisper of scent, snake oil and vanilla cream with a slight beeswax undertone that isn't at all unpleasant even if it's not quite the sugary honeycomb I get with the HG. I adore this scent and can't wait to see how it goes one throughout the day. So glad that I've got a full bottle of this one! (The honeycomb is coming through a little more now)

[Alisha_SBC]

Not sure who sent me this freebie decant with an order but I'm excited to try this. As I recall, I wasn't in love with Snake Oil. (Gasp! I know!!!) It felt too heady for me, but my chemistry is wonky at the best of times..
This one is definitely strong, I only needed a swipe off the plastic applicator, and I get honey and vanilla, sticky and sweet. There's something in the background that's a touch spicy or musky, I'm not sure which.
I think I like this. Its still headier than what I prefer but it's not delving into the headache realm for me. This would be great for a date night.

I ventured outside for some errands and it is a HOT one folks. I kept getting this gorgeous, soft, vanilla waft and realized it was me!!!! Winner!!

[sunshinedaisybliss]

I’ve noticed that all the previous reviews here are from a year ago or longer, so I wonder whether - now that this is another year older - things have changed?

 

I’m wondering this because.. what I have here is pretty much just a sweeter, softer version of Snake Oil. I do recognise the honey but it’s not really obvious, it’s just in there somewhere. I can’t really find “vanilla cream” but this is a bit more vanilla forward than regular SO. 

 

Honestly if I didn’t know what this is, I would have thought it’s just nicely aged Snake Oil - albeit a less SO and more vanilla version (which doesn’t change my impression, as each of my old SO bottles has aged slightly differently). So thankfully, I don’t have to hunt this one down - I’m happy with my little hoard of lovely old Snake Oil 😊