The Serpent in the Roses

[DigitalCoyote]

I think @Janis might be on to something about the temperature:

 

I put this on today and got bowled over by rose.  First wear, it wasn't as warm and all I got was amber.  This is wild.

[Little Bird]

The Serpent in the Roses is the gothic, dark, incense drenched rose that I wanted Formula 54 to be.  I'm surprised by how dark and incense smoky this is on me, actually.  I can pick out some aspect of the Snake Oil if I try really hard, maybe, but The Serpent is really its own thing and I appreciate that.  The rose is fresh, but also has a deep, wine-like quality.  It really conjures up an image of someone handing me a glass of red wine and brushing a dewy, blood red rose across my skin in a dark room full of incense smoke (perhaps also a whiff of cigarette smoke or clove cigarette smoke).  The smoke smells enticing rather than dirty or sharp, though.  Hazy, dreamy and seductive.

The Serpent in the Roses smells really unique in my collection and I might grab a backup bottle of this one.  I've been collecting bpal for so many years that it's hard not to compare new blends to what I already own, but this one stands out for me as something special and original. 

[Threemoons]

Been wearing this for 2 days now and it may be my new favorite Snake Oil variation.  It's by far the most "office friendly" blend.  It nails the "bruised roses" note perfectly -- this is "Snake Oil goes to a florists' shop and buys a dozen roses from the discount rack."  Absolutely perfect balance of Snake Oil, spicy rose, and a hint of what I'll call rose amber.  PS I got 3 backups already but may need to order more.

[Viiinylflowers]

This is so pretty ~ truly an iconic bpal blend that elevates some of their best offerings in a familiar but new way.  It smells almost like if bpal and nava were to do a collab in my most magical of dreams haha. 
 

Starting out, I get this GORGEOUS insanely intoxicating smooth rose note, with an undulating complex bpal gothy darkness beneath.  The scent as a whole has that vibe like it’s already aged and been discovered somewhere.  

 

The rose is like…. jammy in a new way I haven’t experienced yet.  It’s jammy like you’re smelling sleeping beauty’s dark twisted gem like rose garden on a cool spooky summer evening through a looking glass.  If that makes any sense at all 🤣

 

It’s smooth with all the potential soapiness removed, sweet without being sugary, jammy without smelling like rose jam, garden like without being pitchy, dark without being heavy or losing its ruby red glow, creamy without being milky, ethereal but has a lot of body, spiced without being spice-ey.  Got it? 🤣

 

The muskiness beneath: smells like really complex slightly glowy amberic earthy patchy dark brown- ness undulating with snake oil.  

 

As I wear it, first that dreamy dark jammy garden rose thing starts to get a little spiced, and simultaneously I notice the patch coming out more in the stuff beneath.  

 

Next, the rose starts to dissipate into the base, leaving just a ghost of itself.  Like a faint memory of its spiced jammy sweetness.  The snake oil starts to swallow things and I notice especially the dark brown vanilla and vegetal musk mingling w the amber patch and leftover rose. 

 

Then it gets a little baby powder musky on me, as snake oil does depending on my skin chem and how it’s aged.  

 

Then it blends out and returns to a more faded version of the step before the slight baby powder phase, a little bit more of the sweetness revealing in the shadow of what was left over from the rose. Almost a tinge of chewy jammy rose caramel vanilla nuzzled into the musky snake oil and earthy patch. (V faded though like a skin musk as this is the tail end of the scent) 

———

 

I wore this before going out to dinner and getting in a cab and the driver was like literally moaning lmfao (not in a creepy way despite how that sounds hahaha) and going “WHAT IS THAT, HNNNGGG ITS SOME KIND OF FLOWER BUT *MORE*” and going on and on about how it can’t just be rose and he’s never smelled anything like it. 

——-

 

The oil is rich and kinda thick and light translucent brown and just a little drop will project like crazy. (The cab driver situation above was just from me putting on the tiniest like wrist to the bottle cap residue and I didn’t expect anyone to be able to smell it but me) 

 

It projects in this most magical spiced flower patchy way like I literally feel like Pepé le Pew to my own scent halo ~ I would absolutely freak out if I smelled something like this on someone in public and tbh I don’t even love encountering perfumes in the wild very often.  It is so mysterious and intoxicating and memorable and projects in this come hither not overwhelming sneaky undulating multi layered way.  The way it sneakily twists in the air around you is SO gorgeous, mysterious, erotic, kind of sad, smart, chill, grounded - it’s everything lmao.  

——- 

 

My only “complaint” w this is that it doesn’t last v long on me tbh, only about three hours.  

 

And I also want that rose note to last FOREVER omg it’s beyond gorgeous, but it’s mostly a longer lasting opening note for me that becomes a faded part of the overall base notes - lasting maybe 30 mins total.  

 

It’s very possible I’m not able to really smell the full extent of this on myself after a while though, as displayed by the cab driver situation lol.  

 

I also don’t love the short period of that snake oil musky baby powder but that just happens w snake oil on me sometimes as it’s very changeable w where I’m at skin chem wise during the month.  

 

Bpal does amazing things with roses and I haven’t smelled a rose like this from them (or any house) yet.  I have two bottles of this and might get a third.  

Edited May 30, 2023 by Viiinylflowers

[Biocarbons]

This is an odd one.

 

Wet: goes on spicy and medicinal, almost camphorus...like cardamom and something else that isn't cinnamon (pink pepper?).

 

Dry:  extra spicy snake oil over bubblegummy red musk, and there's black rose around the edges. It's sadly not as rose forward as I was hoping.

 

A few hours later it's mostly spicy vanilla red musk on me.

[theredkilt]

I have Serpent in my collection since its release. I still can't discern what I'm smelling. There's a vague resinous element and a pale whisper of rose. The whole thing disappears in less than 2 hours. It doesn't resemble Snake Oil or any variation of it. I'm seriously puzzled with this blend and not sure what to make of it.