Snake's Tongue

[abejita]

He lifted his head from his drinking, as cattle do,
And looked at me vaguely, as drinking cattle do,
And flickered his two-forked tongue from his lips, and mused a moment,
And stooped and drank a little more…

 

Snake Oil with caramelized tobacco, davana, black amber, bourbon vanilla absolute, ambergris accord, oakmoss, and CO2 extract of oak wood.

 

This one is so very quiet. In the bottle, all I can detect is some distant, indistinct resins. On my skin, the familiar Snake Oil base comes out. The other notes sort of peep through, then recede quickly. It's mostly a dark, extra-resinous, rich Snake Oil right now, with the oak, tobacco, etc. stepping in and out-- they're present, but elusive.

 

I am thinking this needs a couple of weeks to settle into itself.

[zankoku_zen]

Snake's Tongue to me came out as a smoky vanilla cream with hints of wood. This one has great massive appeal. If you love Snake Oil, and love vanilla cream, and just ever sort of wanted to luxuriate in a creamier smokier Snake Oil, look no further. Medium throw and wear length.

 

This merits more testing, and I'm not a Snake Oil fan.

[Casablanca]

I let this sit almost the longest among the blends before reviewing, because Snake Oil.

 

First on my skin, it's pretty quiet, but this looks to be a very base-notey blend. A softer top-note phase doesn't surprise. 

 

But it warms up quickly, and then out drifts a cloud of dark vanilla with hints of smoke, caramel, and oak, all wafting over Snake Oil. Damn... That's good.

 

In drydown I start to get oakmoss and a little tobacco, adding to the earthiness. I find ambergris when I look for it, but really, this is very well blended. After this dries, pinpointing one note is a bit like finding one piece of a table-wide jigsaw.

 

I'll probably need at least one bottle of this snek.

 

This is Snek++.

[SophieCedar]

I agree. This is a quiet blend. Reading the notes, I was expecting boombababoommbababoom.. Instead its soft and melodic. Kinda an attempt to make a harmonious mix of some pretty big essentials.  I think those with sensitivities, who can only apply in small doses, or ones needing a professional-suitable perfume will rejoice.  It is a wonderful mix.

 

Soft, warm, floaty, glowing.  Well balanced vanilla, amber, musk and resin notes. I'd compare it to Haunted or a light application of Morocco. Hang onto this for summer, k?

[DiesMali]

In the bottle: Resinous, tobacco-tinged vanilla with some spice.

 

Wet on my skin: This is already fantastic, ooof. The Snake Oil isn't super apparent at this stage, unless I inhale deeply. Rather, it's this gorgeous, smoky, rich blend of vanilla, tobacco, ambergris, and oakmoss, with the SO supporting everything with that familiar base of sensual spice. 

 

Dry: This looks like it's my favourite of the Lupers I have ordered so far this year. There is a detectable base of Snake Oil beneath a masc-leaning and absolutely fantastic haze of smoky vanilla, tobacco, black amber, ambergris, oakmoss, and oakmoss in that order. They're all detectable if you search for them, but blend so beautifully in the throw that it's a delight for the olfactory sense. It's all rounded out and pushed to the masc side by the oak, oakmoss, and ambergris, with the oak providing something more of a supporting "polish" to the other notes rather than being a main player in its own right. 

 

Now that it's been on me for a bit, I think I can say that this is a bit like if a bottle of Snake Oil and well-aged (not fresh) Hellfire had a baby, wearing a hat made out of Antikythera Mechanism. If you like at least two of those three scents, you'll probably like this one. 

[ziggystardust13]

I must amp the moss in this because Snake's Tongue is very similar to what I remember Banded Sea Snake smelling like, which I loved. However, this is more resin-y. It's not a heavy scent and I enjoy it in all its stages - wet to dry. Everything is very well blended. I'll also add I LOVE the label art. I'm so happy to have this gem in my collection!

Edited April 1, 2019 by ziggystardust13

[patina]

At first the closest comparisons I can make are Banded Sea Snake and Snake's Kiss (though it doesn't have the lemony note). I get oak and moss predominantly. The davana really stands out to me as a powerful white floral in the middle of all that snake oil, wood, moss, and unspecified dark stuff.

 

I think this one will get better with age, though moss also has a tendency to get deeper with age so it might get too moss heavy.

[marared]

This is a less obnoxious Boomslang.

 

Boomslang, at least the original, is LOUD. Waving the bottle in the general direction of your skin is almost too much, and when it warms up on your skin, people can smell you for an entire city block. (or maybe that's just me.)

 

Snake's Shadow has that same rich tone to it, minus the cocoa, but it's so much calmer. Snake Oil has never worked for me in any form, but this might be the one that finally cooperates on my skin.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: The Snake Oil is actually pretty faint. Tobacco, vanilla, and the oak are the prominent notes, with S.O. more in the background.

 

Dry: Powdery Snake Oil with a touch of tobacco. 😐 

[Reedsong]

I have been a BPALer for many years. I adore Snake Oil and get excited by every new version - and this is one of the best variants I have ever tried. WOW.

 

I agree with marared that it's a less aggressive Boomslang. It's soft and seductive, having all the mouth-watering richness of a fine dessert without actually being foody per se. Better yet, it grew spicy as it dried down on me, and I could have sworn I detected a hint of cinnamon although that note is nowhere to be found in the description.

 

It lasts nicely without being overpowering, and I bet it's going to age brilliantly, too. This one is a bottle purchase for sure.

[doomsday_disco]

On me, Snake's Tongue begins as a fresh Snake Oil scent, which is not soft on me. It's well-blended and I am not able to pick up on many of the additional notes save for the tobacco and moss, but they become stronger over time, and the oak ends up joining in, making it a woody, mossy snake. The oak, tobacco, and moss combo make this smell like a cologne-y Snake Oil on me. If I sniff closely, I get the black amber and some lovely vanilla in the background.

 

I prefer Snake Oil aged, and this is one of those variants where the fresh Snake Oil is pretty noticeable to me, so I am going to set it aside and retest it before the Lupers go down. It will probably not end up being a bottle upgrade for me, though, unless the ambergris and vanilla end up coming out more with age.

[supreme_c0rt]

It's so quiet on the skin, but as it warms up it gains a little volume. Up close it's a fizzy, woodsy vanilla cream soda with bubbles and all. As it dries it quiets again, and takes on a tone very much like Bastet but with more wood. Warm and golden -- very accessible. A little powdery and almost nutty with a predominant glowy amber. Cozy and comforting like a hug.

 

Of the snake variants I've tried this is the least like OG Snake Oil while still echoing the original. So if you want SO but less showy, less overtly sexual, more woodsy, this is a great pick. For me personally it's not a hit, I prefer more oomph and complexity. It's nice to have this for layering though. I'd probably add it to the drier wood blends when they need more sweet. 

 

I'd almost say that if Snake Oil had a cousin in the Steamworks collection it would be this one.

Edited April 12, 2019 by supreme_c0rt

[tmichele]

This is drier, powdery Snake Oil. It's daytime in the Spring or Summer Snake Oil. It's a nice variant, and if you love Snake Oil and want something a little lighter, try this. Low throw for me.

[Lucchesa]

Snake's Tongue reminds me of Snake Oil and Antikythera Mechanism.  It's fairly quiet on me, lacking the va-va-voom of GC Snake Oil and many of its variants.  SO, oak, bourbon vanilla and sweet tobacco are the main notes I can make out, and while it's perfectly nice and would be a great work-appropriate form of SO if that's something you're looking for, it's not particularly remarkable with my skin chemistry. 

[theseagrows]

 

this is very subtle at first, but i smell the caramelized tobacco primarily, with something mildly animalic.  a little while later i get a hint of oakmoss, but it's mostly caramelized tobacco and woods, and it's starting to lean more traditionally masculine. it's got a sort of warm toastiness to it. it's nice but not really me...and i can't really wear snake oil and get no real strong connection to snake oil from this. i don't seem to get the vanilla or ambergris at all.

[Jenjin]

Wet, it reminds me of Steamworks or maybe Aradia, and the warmth from the black amber and ambergris rise up and i'm getting the bourbon vanilla.This is really sexy, but in a subtle sort of way.  Unfortunately, the oakmoss and tobacco really start to take over, i'm amping something that takes it into masculine territory. There's a fine line for me with being able to wear something I might associate with my Dad, or Grandfather. Those two wore alot of aftershave!!! While I can see this being very popular (cause sexy as hell), it leaves me wanting more sweet, sugary Snake Oil and vanilla over the cologne woods it becomes, at least on my sugar loving skin. 

[milo]

I should have listened to my instincts and went straight to bottle with this one, but money was tight at the time. Most Snake Oil variants work well for me, and this is not exception.  I seems unisex to me, very much a dominant (fresh) base SO with woods, and maybe a bit of amber This is shooting way up there on my top ten, and I need a bottle or two stat.  It will age magnificently.  

 

eta: This is becoming more and more like the chess piece SO variant, that I can replicate by layering SO with Twisted Oak Tree. Regretfully I'm just going to pass, as I can get the same effect myself.  I wish it stayed as it was early on when applied.

Edited April 15, 2019 by milo

[Juliamon]

I foolishly forgot to test my decant of this until it was too late to upgrade to a full bottle, because this may very well be my new favorite SO blend. There's a wonderfully smooth resinous streak right up front, with the tobacco having a tinge of caramel sweetness. The oak and oakmoss are both hidden beneath, not making a big deal of themselves but still definitely there when you look for them. There seems to be less vanilla than the traditional SO, which I think is to its benefit but could be a dealbreaker for some. The overall feel is much more sinuous, more subtle, more snakey than Snake Oil proper, and my overactive senses deeply appreciate it. I hope to see this make a return next year!

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Rich, sweet, smoky, hints of wood and caramelization. Light on the Snake Oil so far. Somehow reminds me of Red Lantern plus Snake Oil, which is all kinds of awesome. Sexy.

 

 

Dry:  Dries a lot softer than plain SO. Still smoky, sweet and sexy though. I like it, and am sure it'll only get better with age.

Edited June 26, 2019 by LizziesLuck

[torikitty]

In the bottle, this is overly sweet Snake Oil, with something a bit fermented. It starts to dry down, with the odd fermentation smell starting to chill. A bit of the sweet caramel becomes more recognizable. I think it's the oakwood, it's not playing nice with my skin. It just never gets beyond overly sweet SO.

[starbrow]

This, so far, is the only oak I've been able to keep in my collection. It is like a vanillic oak cream snake oil, a little chewy and resiny from the tobacco and black amber, but otherwise no specific notes standing out. Aging has developed the Snake Oil in all these dark notes like a bourbon oak barrel brew. Delicious but hard to isolate any one note from it. The overall effect is woozy and rich, truly almost boozy. I am amazed that neither the caramelization (problematic) nor the oak (also problematic) nor oakmoss (EEK!) have slowed me down from enjoying this one. It is chocolatey without being actual chocolate. Sweet and thick but not syrupy. Dark and brooding without being heavy.

 

Now in 2021, Snake's Tongue has gotten so much stronger than the first days of it. This and Snake's Kiss have both taught me to hold onto Snake Oil blends if they show promise but are quite weak upon arrival. This is one that people across the room comment on when I put it in. It has both powerful throw and a long wear, slowly melding down onto the skin but sticking around for hours and hours.

 

Surprisingly unisex, this one is just sexy for anybody. 

[Rspades]

Initial impression was “mmm a little masculiney snake oil moment”. Someone above described the tobacco as “chewy” and I can definitely see that! It’s not my fave snake oil blend but it’s a good and unique entry into the collection.

 

There is a nice vanilla in background keeping it from too dank. However, I realized that it smells good up close but from a distance gives vomit vibes (has happened with a few BPALs unfortunately)

 

Destash methinks