librophilia

In the bottle: Dark -- burgundy is the colour that comes to mind as I sniff this. I can smell the jasmine. And there's something sweeter underneath it, something I can't quite make out but I think I like it. It's not food-sweet, but more like...hmmm...maybe it's a bit of that decay mentioned in the description? Just on: Cinnamon. WOW cinnamon. I smell like Hot Tamales candy. I do not like this, as I hate cinnamon-flavoured candies. :/ I am worried, I'm not gonna lie. I bought a real-sized bottle of this without Imp-ing it up first, because I love jasmine and honeysuckle and I thought it would smell amazing. I hope it changes! As it dries: Still mad fake cinnamon smell. It's toning down, though, thank goodness. I'm starting to smell the florals a lot more -- the honeysuckle is wafting through as the weird cinnamon-y scent fades. It's faint, but it's there, and it is giving me hope! Completely dry: WOW. This scent has changed so much from the dry-down. It's all jasmine on me now, which I lovelovelove. And it's not bright, sharp jasmine (which I like but obviously wouldn't expect from a scent like this). It's a deep, dark jasmine, mingling with other night-time scents as you walk down the street. It's definitely a warm scent. I am so glad I ended up loving this scent so much. If the Hot Tamales scent hadn't gone away, I probably would have cried or something. It does wear off faster than some other I've tried, though. After about 4 hours, I had to sniff my wrist directly to smell it, and within two hours after that it was totally gone. I guess it's a good thing I ended up getting the bigger bottle!

This is my first review ever, and of course I HAD to start with Samhain 2009. In the bottle: Damp earth, like a forest after a midnight storm. Spiciness, also -- I think it's the clove I'm smelling. I can't wait to try this on. Just on: Sweeter than in the bottle, but still dark and slightly damp-smelling. Makes me want to bundle up in a comfy sweater even though it's 88°F here. As it dries: Cinnamon and apple and pumpkin are all equally floating up to the surface. It's starting to smell like a certain candle that I love but have never figured out what exactly the scent is. They sell it around October, though. It always reminds me of Autumn and Hallowe'en-time. Oh, wow, even as I type this, the apples pushed through really strongly. Not in a cloying, sweet way, though, or even in a fresh-fruity way at all; it's definitely hot apple cider! And that amazing forest-y, earthy smell is still there in the background. Completely dry: It's apple cider and pumpkin pie baking in the other room, while the open window lets in a bit of the cold night air. It's a cottage on the edge of a forest where a kind-but-powerful old lady mixes spices in her kitchen. It's All Hallow's Eve, candles burning and magick in the air. In short, it really is "truly the scent of autumn itself." I love this scent. I am going to have to force myself not to wear it every day, because I know next summer I'm going to want it to remind myself that fall still exists! I want to buy more bottles of it and stock up, but I am sadly too poor at the moment. But seriously, this is probably the most amazing oil I've gotten from BPAL thus far -- and that's definitely saying something.