Saw-Scaled Viper

The Saw-Scaled Viper is from the Genus Echis. These are venominous vipes found in the dry regions of Africa,  The Middle East, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka. They have a characteristic threat display, rubbing sections of their body together to produce a "sizzling" warning sound.The name Echis is a Greek word that means "viper." (source) There are several species within the genus, the Echis carinatus is the only one that has no addition to the name saw-scaled viper. Another name for the Echis Genus is carpet vipers, I think because of the pattern on their skin which looks a bit like a carpet pattern. But the scales of the sides indeed look like sawteeth:

The perfume Saw-Scaled Viper is special to me because it was the first one I had a full bottle of. I had been given a half decant of it (Thank you Voodoocat!) and I had taken it with me to a concert. When I arrived I found out that the decant leaked. I loved the scent, so I didn't mind having my bag smelling of it, but it left me little to use on myself. So I found someone at the BPAL forum who was selling a bottle. My first bottle. 

Saw-Scaled Viper is one of the snakes in the Snake Pit of the Carnaval Diabolique, which at this moment "has gone dark" but "will return when you least expect it." All the snakes in the Snake Pit have Snake Oil as a base to which other notes have been added. Snake Oil itself is always available. I inclused its notes in the description of Saw-Scaled Viper below.

Snake Oil (a blend of exotic Indonesian oils sugared with vanilla) with cinnamon, cassia, and red ginger.

Saw-Scaled Viper is rather sweet. Of course Snake Oil is already sweet, but somehow Saw-Scaled Viper smells sweeter. I think much of the sweetness is suggested by the cinnamon which in itself  is not sweet, but I think it gives a sweetness to the other notes. If you read my posts about Opuhi you may remember that one of the gingers that goes with that name is the red ginger. So it is perhaps not surprising that I like both Saw-Scaled Viper and Opuhi.


A very strange thing about Snake Oil is that to some people it smells like baby powder. I had the oddest compliment when I was wearing Saw-Scaled Viper, that I smelled so nice 'of babypowder'. I searched the BPAL forum to see if other people had the same experience and found that it happens with all Snake Oil carrying scents. So not only do scents react differently on different skins, but also do different nosed perceive them differently even when on only one person's skin.