October

[Nimthiriel]

Dry, cold autumn wind. A rustle of red leaves, a touch of smoke and sap in the air.

Initial impression:
It smells a bit like wet grass – nearly aquatic, green, cool.

First on:
Prickly green, but also something oddly... crisp and dry, like dried autumn leaves.

Dry:
After about 10 mins, it smells like cologne, mixed with smoke and something else.

20-30 mins after application, it's like a slightly spicy, smokey cologne – how annoying, I wanted to love this one, but I can't. It's too... heavy on the cologne. It doesn't suit me.

Finally:
Drat, I'm going to end up letting this one go.

[Morrea]

In the bottle: bitter, green, and dry, like rotting leaves, with possible oakmoss and musk in there somewhere. As others have mentioned, this is very much like the scent of leaves which have had their veins stripped out.

 

On my skin: starts out sharp and bitter, with a vague sweetness. As it dries, the bitter note fades, and it turns into a masculine cologne fragrance, like a less sharp Saint-Germain without the lavender; there is a faint citrus note wafting around. Definitely an autumnal fragrance.

 

The bitterness seems like the same dead leaf note that is in The Death of Autumn. Personally, I love the more masculine scents, and I might need a backup bottle of this!

[hypatia]

My first sniff of October reminded me very much of Oborot -- there's a strange, sweet, herbal/medicinal note that I think they both share. Oborot didn't really work out for me, so I was initially nervous that October would turn out to be just like it.

 

But October is one of those morphing scents. After the initial impression of thick green plant sap and the Oborot-esque note, the next thing to come out is a kind of cologne-y "fresh" note. I think that's supposed to be the cold air. Ozone scents don't always smell like ozone on me, and this one is no exception; I get the cologne effect that lots of other people have gotten. But there's a little bit of smoke as well, almost like the candle smoke note in Gypsy Queen, and the sap scent doesn't go away when the ozone comes out.

 

It fades, but it doesn't disappear right away, and the drydown is the best part: ozone in the background, and warm dry sweet-smelling leaves in the foreground. It really does smell remarkably like the piles of fallen leaves I used to jump in as a child.

 

Verdict: Glad I ordered it! I think I've found my "fall" scent.

[zankoku_zen]

This one really is autumn air and leaves. Very musky sort of autumn air and leaves.

 

Not my cup of tea.

 

But a brilliantly executed concept. Very fall.

[TrueStar]

This is the most bizarre BPAL scent I have ever tried. I swear, I didn't smell anything. Nothing in the bottle and nothing on the skin. When I let my fiance smell is, he recoiled in disgust. It actually made him cough. He said it smelled like insecticide to him.

 

It's so weird...

[aessedai]

Upon application it is pure green plant life. It slowly morphs into green, but spicy green, like maybe a bit of woodsmoke...

[naeelah]

Although I love leafy scents, this sounded very light and ephemeral, which isn't my cup of tea. Still, I wanted to try a decant of this.

 

In the imp, it's a very airy scent, like leaves and a hint of musk. I'd heard complaints that this is a bit cologney. I can see that, especially early in the dry down. When wet it has a peculiar, sharp quality. Once dry, though, this doesn't strike me as being masculine or like cheap men's cologne at all.

 

Dry, it's very delicate, with light throw. It smells exactly like dry leaves and autumn wind, so it's wonderfully evocative. There's a faint sharp edge to it, like ozone. I don't get any sweetness from it, so no sap to be found for my nose. A few hours later, it smells exactly the same, and the throw is almost nonexistent. Wear life seems to be pretty good, but you'll probably want to slather it to make it noticeable.

 

If you want a delicate and ephemeral dry, fallen leaf scent, then don't miss this. If you want something heavier or earthier, I recommend the Death of Autumn.

Edited October 15, 2007 by naeelah

[JennyGardener]

This one is too gentle and closer to a storebought perfume sensibility for me to think of the month of October. Then again, perhaps it's more the October of my sisters' birthdays than Halloweenie time and fall leaves.

[missnightshade]

At first I thought it smelled kind of nice in the bottle, very tree-like. All I can get from it is the smell of evergreen tree needles and sap... I tried it as a room scent, but I accidentally got some on my finger. It turned into generic, cheap cologne smell. Ughhh! I had to wash it off right away. I wanted to like it, but sadly I think this one is not for me at all.

[jesvet]

First whiff: straight up men's cologne. *recoils*

 

As it dries, the various notes pop through. The evergreen and leaves when wet, drying down to smoke and sap. Interesting, very very masculine, but not something I would wear. This is what a lumberjack would smell like if you buried your face in his flannel, I think.

[shellyshells]

Whew! Now that's one leafy scent. It isn't what I generally I look for in a scent but I kinda like it. It's probably something that will grow on me.

 

In any case, glad to have a decant!

[squirrelmonkey]

Wet it's a very grassy, juicy scent -- reminded me a little of Orpheus because of this grassy crispness.

 

Dry -- ah, now we're talking. Very cold scent, leaves and smoke -- exactly like a night in October should smell. A lovely unisex blend, and I suspect that the better half will help me finish this bottle. Not my usual style, but quite wonderful.

[Avery]

I thought that I would like this one more than Death of Autumn (because vetiver is usually heinous on me) but it's the other way around. I'm thinking that there has to be some black musk in this, because as far as I can tell black musk goes the horrible way of the musty bandaid on my skin and I just cannot wear it. urgh. I don't get grass, "juicy" anything, smoke, sap or trees. Bummer.

 

anyway, that's pretty much enough said. I get some leafy hints in this one, but it really is just weird man cologne and bandaids. Death of Autumn actually smells more like "October" to me, but I don't think need more than a decant.

[sarahmarie]

I love this one. It's amazing. It smells just exactly like I hoped it would - autumn leaves all over the place, with a fresh air forest backdrop, and a hint of smoke. It's just beautiful, and it smells incredibly good on my husband. On me, it fades quickly, but while it lasts, it's amazing. I cannot say enough good things about October, and I'm very, very happy about that. I'm an October baby, and I was hoping to feel this way about this oil.

[ralenth]

Wet: Smoky and masculine:

 

Drydown: All smoke still...

 

Dry: Smoke with traces of leaves underfoot. October is like smoldering coals with a few leaves dropped in...

 

Overall: Not for me. I like the concept and could see it as a room scent, but I'm going to have to put this one up for swaps.

[Poenari]

To me, this is a highly perfumed walk through the fall leaves. I don't get any smoke, it just smells like autumn to me. And it lasted for hours on my skin! I need to order a bottle.

[Myotis]

GORGEOUS scent!

Smells like wet grass on me...total wet grass!

On the dry down, I get a wee bit of dried leaves as well as a tiny hint of the smoke but it's mostly grass all the way.

Perfect one for a cool autumn afternoon!

[euterpe414]

Strange. Instead of leaves and sap, I am getting the smell of dry, scorched grasses along with a touch a sweetness. I can definitely see why people say they smell cologne, and at first it smells like cologne on me, but that stage fades within five minutes and is replaced by the grassy smell. October is really strong, has a lot of throw, and lasts a long time. Given the image of dried grass, it reminds me a lot more of late August and early September than October Regardless, I really enjoy the scent, and find to be very comforting like an old worn sweater, perfect for lounging around and going on long walks.

[Bangles]

Strangely, my main impression was of the same feral musk as the Rat King - not at all what I was expecting.

[steffanina]

October (LE)-

 

In Bottle: Whoa, there is something sharp sharp sharp and choking in this. I smell it occasionally in commercial scents.

 

Wet: Ooh, really acrid and eye-watering, not like mosquito repellent men's aftershave smell, but herbal or something.

 

Dry: Stays acrid. I was hoping for something more like Beth's "snow" scents; oh well. This one is not for me.

 

Overall: Not for me.

[Mamacat]

October. I didn't expect that I would like this one so much!

In the wee decant: Fresh and clean but it really is fall-like.

Wet on my skin: It reminds me of walking in early October when the leaves start falling and slightly decaying. There is a fresh breeze in the air, hinting at winter.

Drydown: It goes a bit masculine and cologney after it's been on a while but I love it in my locket or in my car. Can't wait for November, now!

[oldgentleman]

In the bottle: It's the scent of wet earth and rotting leaves - so strong it makes the back of my throat hurt.

 

Wet on my skin: Still sharp and very strong, just like in the bottle.

 

Dry: The spicy scent of dry fallen leaves in cold air, with a bit of damp moss still attached to the tree trunk, and the smell of fresh dark dirt. The smoke is faint for me.

 

16 hours later: I still smell marvelous! I've worn this several times over the past couple of weeks, and it seems to attract employees who arrive outside my cube and can't explain themselves other than to say that 'Something smells fresh. Did you just go outside?'

 

Score: 5/5 - One bottle will not be enough.

 

When I was a child, my parents had an Eastern Tulip tree, which was vastly out of place considering it was entirely on the opposite side of the continent to which it is native. The leaves fell and turned brown and slimy and waterlogged immediately, and I had to scoop them up off the bare dirt of the terraced hill with a pitchfork (they were too heavy to rake). On the other side of the house was a maple tree with a swing; and we would rake the leaves into a heap so I could launch myself into them. There were also fields which, in autumn, were often burned off. In October, before everything turned to mud, my mother would turn under the vegetable garden into furrowed rows of black dirt and broken stalks. This is exactly, precisely, and perfectly that blend of scents. In other words, it is a work of art.

[Miss Lynx]

This smells like... half of The Death of Autumn. Specifically, the earthy dead-leaves half, as opposed to the spicy saffron-amber half. Unfortunately, it was the spicy saffron-amber half that I liked.

 

Not sure there's much more I can add to that. This scent is dark and earthy, but not in the warm way that scents like Omen and Umbra are -- it's very much cold earth. There's a slight element of mustiness and decay, but it's not as strong or as off-putting as the decay note in Zombi.

 

Hmmm, I spoke (typed?) too soon! As it settles in, there's a really lovely warm spiciness coming from it. Very autumnal, but now it's in a cozy, nesting by the fire sort of way. I can't even identify the note(s) involved, but it's turned into something earthy, warm, spicy and somehow really comforting. And took much less time to get there than The Death of Autumn did to get past its nasty stage and into the ambery goodness.

 

At first I was thinking "Should I even have tried this?" Now I'm sniffing my wrist repeatedly and smiling contentedly. I think this one may well be a keeper.

 

Grade: B... B+?

[ND¢]

Lovely fresh green plants when wet. Almost men's-cologney when dry but if I smell carefully, it has a very faint smoke-spiciness (as opposed to, say, the 'reddish' spiciness of Samhain... darned synaesthesia.) This will be a two-bottler, for sure, as all of mine so far has gone to a male friend.

[mawaridi]

Oh, this is glorious. One of those real, evocative, nature scents that Beth is so very good at creating. This smells exactly like damp leaf litter with a slash of cold rain. There's a hint of something perfumey that comes out after a couple of minutes on my skin and makes this a mature, wearable scent that is also oddly...familiar.

 

I like it!