Samhain

[zankoku_zen]

Truly the scent of autumn itself -- damp woods, fir needle, and black patchouli with the gentlest touches of warm pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, allspice, sweet red apple and mullein.

Samhain 2003
This one on wet was... well, very off putting. It smelled like medicinal varnish. It dried down to a soft apple and leaves, with a hint of dirty patchouli.




Samhain 2004
On wet, this one smelled... well, more purposeful and made me think of Mabon. And magic. It smelled herbal, and it definitely had an 'intent' vibe. However, it dried down to a very powdery dirty patchouli, dirt and woods scent. Sadly, no apple.

On the other hand, its very apropos for the year that birthed the original Mabon and Lugh. It has the same vibe as those two, less of a perfume and more of an evocation.



From a vintage perspective, 2003 plays better on my skin than 2004. Phoeey. Edited November 10, 2010 by zankoku_zen

[aquazoo]

I definitely get the wood and apple. Just a touch of pine. This is a well-crafted blend.

[khazakant]

(This is the 2010 edition.)

 

My first whiff I thought: sweet leather. Although I don't think it actually contains the lab's leather note, which hates me personally and wants me to die; after a split-second I realized that it brought up just the image of an old brown leather jacket or a suede jacket, with the elbows rubbed shiny. Strong, folksy, unisex but almost paternal, with a very subtle silver line. (My father wore a jacket like that.) It's a warm scent somewhere between earthy and spicy with a very distant hint of autumn fruit and a generous coating of dry leaves across it. The absolute perfect autumn scent, and it's a perfect autumn scent in a way that doesn't make me smell like a Yankee Candle, either. I'm in love.

 

My one issue with it is that my skin throws the leafy note (I'm assuming the mullein) and although it's very well-behaved in this blend I amp patchouli. Whereas the other notes tend to stay close to my skin. I'm leaning back and typing and I can smell just the mullein and patchouli on the other end of my arm. On their own like that I smell a bit like I have a two-pack a day habit. >_< But I did put on a bit much, the notes stayed very close to my skin at first so I dabbed on a bit more. A minor flaw. I'll run it by my kid brother (my official go-to for when I'm not sure if my scent is being as good to the folks around me as it is to me) and see if he thinks I smell foul.

 

UPDATE: The mullein and patchouli revolt was merely temporary and consequentially I have passed the Aleksander test.

 

Also, There's something really comforting about it, and it reminds me of the Halloween season back around when I was a kid and was closer to my parents ... Is it just me, or has everyone been getting very different impressions of how it smells based on what they like or remember best about the season?

Edited November 16, 2010 by khazakant

[pandorasmuse]

This is the 2010 version.

 

I’m sort of surprised at myself—I ordered something with patchouli in it! This is something I usually avoid.

 

In the decant: It really does capture the smell of an autumn night, doesn’t it? It has that hint of darkness you get at Halloween, too…

 

Wet: Euugh. Patchouli, and pretty much nothing but.

 

Drydown: There’s apple in here? And pumpkin? Really? I’m not smelling it at all. Just the patchouli and woods. It’s weird—I kind of like it, but kind of don’t. I have a feeling I’d never wear this. It’s too aggressive for me, I think… erk. And it’s making me itchy. I think I don’t do well with super-spicy blends. My skin’s too sensitive.

 

Later: There’s elements I like, but I know in my heart that I’ll never wear it. It’ll be better served when it’s re-homed with someone who will love it.

[thekittenkat]

This is for the 2010 version.

 

 

In the bottle: What can I say? I love this scent! It's like all the notes are there, but especially the woods and the apple.

 

Wet: At first, all the spices pop out, along with the fir and the rest of the woods. But already it's all calming down, and the apple and the pumpkin are making their presence known.

 

The dry-down: And it's all slowly blending into this most marvelous scent. And yes, the patch is there, but only in a gentle fashion, not over-powering at all. Of all the autumn scents that Beth makes, this would be my favourite, but it's in second place simply because I love Falling Leaf Moon so much.

[AnaVidrine]

Samhain 2010

 

in the bottle: kind of a gloopy smell, like wet leaves and I'm not entirely disposed to wear it at a first wiff, lots of patchouli too.

 

fresh on: woodsy, with clove, patchouli and the spice. No sign of the apple or pumpkin.

 

dry down: This actually surprised me by turning into a very pretty fall scent. the pumpkin finally made an appearance, but only just and you have to take inhale deeply before you notice it and I can smell apples peeking around the edges. The woodsy smell isn't so over-powering now, nor is the spice and the clove and nutmeg makes me think of those days where it's still a little warm (oh hi, I live in Louisiana. it's always warm)

[owlfeathers]

Samhain 2010

 

I wanted to like this, but ugh. Wet, nothing but patchouli. Dry, the same. I wanted to wash it off or at least get away from the smell, but kept it on for an hour to see if anything else came out. Now, if I stick my nose right up against my wrist and sniff I get a faint trace of apple, and maybe some damp woods. Otherwise it's just the earlier unpleasant smell, albeit fainter. I keep looking for the pumpkin and spices but can't find them.

 

It sounds like this one ages well, so I'll stick it away somewhere and try later.

[Larinessa]

This is the 2010 Version I bought a half bottle off a lovely forum friend. In the bottle I get strong patchulli and some red apple. Fresh applied patchulli and a very faint wiff of apple. Dry, patchulli and the apple is coming out a bit. While I like this, I am not in love. I am glad I have this portion, and will leave it to age for the fall, I don't think it will displace my beloved Devil's Night and Jack for my autumn scents. This scent is starting to really grow on me. The apple is coming out more in the bottle, and I am getting a bit of the fir as well. I think p may try layering this over Jack or Creepy to see what this baby does. I may have to hunt down another bottle of this, say, the 2006 version or 2007. May become a fave after all.

Edited March 26, 2011 by Larinessa

[Vega]

Reviewing the 2008 version.

 

Sniffed: Warm, mellow, spiced gourmand with a brighter, glowing cider touch.

 

On skin: Samhain is truly beautiful and evocative of the Autumn season. Pumpkin and nutty spices form a rich, warm, deep base, while apple cider in conjunction with patchouli (and perhaps the woods) add a brighter, smooth, almost alcoholic high note. At one point after drydown, the clear cider/wine notes threatened to overwhelm the scent. That had me worried for a bit, but to my relief, the pumpkin/spices morphed back, and the blend eventually settled into a harmonious mix of apple cider laced liberally with nutty spices. Overall, Samhain is a lovely, well-blended light gourmand blend, radiating glowing warmth and comfort like a woollen blanket. Colour impression is a a mix of deep apple-red, pumpkin orange and russet brown.

 

Verdict: I'm not one for foody blends since the heavier ones make me nauseous, but this is lovely and evocative (and wearable), and I'm glad that the cider/wine and pumpkin/spices aspects of the scent ended up complementing each other. Indeed, Samhain really does embody the essence of Autumn -- that is, the traditional, human rituals and activities associated with the season. It is the scent of civilization in harmony with nature, instead of a scent of pure nature itself. BPAL at its finest!

[tdgnika]

Reviewing the 2008 version

 

In the imp and wet on the skin - thick, cloying, syrupy sweetness, smelling like fermented fruit. Really throwing this awful, cloying scent.

 

About an hour into dry down, I had to wash it off, because it just kept screaming that spoiled, thick, syrupy smell. I didn't pick up any of the notes from the description. Interestingly, it smelled a bit woody on the wrist, even while it was throwing the syrupy smell, like Blood Kiss gone horribly wrong.

[OctoberGwen]

This is the 2006 version.

 

I don't smell apple or pumpkin at all, just a smoky/woodsy Autumn scent. The patchouli was more evident when I put it on but it mellowed as the oil dried. I love this and have never smelled anything like it. Tonight it's raining outside and this scent is perfect for the damp and chill. I will definitely be wearing it in the Fall.

 

 

Edited 1/25/12

 

I appreciate Samhain 2006 even more now than I did seven months ago when I was first starting out on my BPAL journey. This is the quintessential smell of Fall for me: deeply magical, earthy, smoky, and evocative. I adore it.

 

Edited January 25, 2012 by OctoberGwen

[Honey]

After 4 years in my possession, maybe I should write a little review..

 

 

Bottle: Sweet and spiced apple cider. Apple juice even. Reminds me a little of the fruity and nutty flavor you have in baked apples (is that only something we eat in Germany?). No clove, allspice or pumpkin detectable.

 

Wet: Slightly creamy, fruity and sweet red apple. Spices are there but I cannot make out single notes.

 

Dry: Ah, the patchouli appears! Maybe also the medicinal note of fir. Still very much apple cider with all those spices and resin in the background. This is nice I think - but I just don't think apples work with me at all!

[CiaoBonefish]

2010 Version:

Lots of damp woods and patchouli at the start, and when I say A LOT of patchouli, I mean woah a LOT LOT of patchouli! I also get a touch of fir, a bit of crispness, a hint of spices and apple. How pretty! This has aged really amazingly and I am now kicking myself for swapping off my bottle of it. Sigh. A really really lovely autumn scent. I have two favorite evocative autumn blends now: Samhain and Lambs-Wool. Lambs-Wool is more of a cheery happy autumn scent while Samhain is the dark, a little sinister, out in the windy night but can still feel the warmth of happy autumn on a cool night. You know what I mean. I need to grab more of this scent if/when it comes out this year!

[TurpentineChai]

Oh, beautiful! Samhain '05...

 

This smells like fall in New England. You can smell the woods with wet, unraked leaves. A faint hint of the hay bails before they get packed away. Apples freshly pressed show up later.

 

After a while though, on me, it gets quite compost-y.

[Poenari]

I was really surprised to notice that I never reviewed Samhain. I have several vintages, and find this to be very consistent from one year to the next.

 

Unfortunately, I don't get apples or pumpkin from any version of this scent. It's a melange of medicinal fir, autumn leaves, and patchouli, but I think it's the mullein that overwhelms everything else. However, I have a strange attraction to this scent- it both repels and attracts me, which is why I keep trying it. It is, however, a quintissentially fall scent.

 

This is a scent that I should love, want to love, try to love, but it just doesn't love me back. But no matter what Samhain, I just can't quit you!

 

edited for spelling

Edited September 4, 2011 by Poenari

[blupilot]

2009 Version

 

I was so stoked to get an imp of this in a swap...I am a lunatic for Halloween and all things autumn. Dead leaves? Woods? Apple and pumpkin? YES PLEASE. The descriptors and the reviews made it sound like a match made in heaven...but alas, this was almost 100% patchouli/mullein on me with MAYBE a tint of apple...very spicy in a not good way and autumnal...not quite. My mother immediately accused me of reeking of tobacco...*sigh* I washed it off rather quickly. Unfortunately now that she mentioned it, it does smell a lot like strong tobacco, in bottle and wet on skin. When dry for a little bit, the tobacco is still there but faintly, with a background of distant apple. Not something I can wear, sadly, but I keep sniffing it periodically to see if it magically changes at all.

[Greenwoodtree]

Hey, Im 1st for 2011 version

 

The scent was very similar to 2010, but with more pepper. The BIGGEST issue I have with Samhain is that it takes toooo damn long to change into the scent I love! I have to suffer for 2-3 hours of dry leaves and no spices...It's still nice, and Im keeping the imp. A very unique scent, and makes me think of calaveras from last year again.

[Lyanna]

I just received the 2011 version in my mailbox and it is the first incarnation of this scent I've had the pleasure testing.

 

I can already tell that this will be one of my favourite fall perfumes in the time to come. It's a very dry scent, and I understand the references to leather. It's not as bitter as leather though - but it definately has that ring. I smell mostly dry wood and leaves, mixed with a sweet and warm patchouli and some cloves and spices lingering in the background. No apple or fir for me. It's that perfect blend of warm dry wind in the autumn air when the days are starting to get chilly but the sun still has the capacity to warm you up. Very, very lovely. A definate keeper, and I'm glad I ordered this unsniffed.

 

I also have the idea that this will age really beautifully - the blend will become more rounded I think and the sweet patchouli a little softer and warmer still.

[Rho]

2011

 

Preconceived notions: I've never smelled a Samhain before, but I'm always hearing about it here on the forums, and it sounds like it must be magical. I'll give it a shot, but I'm a little nervous about all the dark woody notes.

 

Wet: Mud! Well, it's more interesting than mud; I've never smelled anything like it. There's this weird swirl of what I think is the food elements, and they're just oddly "fresh" smelling over all this trampled mud. I'm assuming the mud is coming from the patchouli and woods, but it's different from other patchouli I've smelled. I'm confused by Samhain so far; I don't think I like this phase.

 

Dry: Oh, it changes a lot. Things have taken a turn for the better. The mud has become smooth patchouli, and I can smell a high note of spiced apples. There is some pine and damp outdoorsy stuff in there. This is quite pleasant now; especially from far away where I get just a whiff of the cold outdoors mixing with a faint pumpkin/apple pie.

 

Overall: Not bad! I think I'd have to wear this more to figure out whether this has the magical quality I was looking for. So far, I think it's merely nice. 3/5

[DahliaHayashi]

I just got an imp of the 2008 samhain. its totally different than expected.

 

Wet in the imp: it is very masculine, sharp and smokey. not really autum to me

 

Wet on my skin: pretty much the same and the sharpeness seems to have some mint mixed in. cold and sharp mint. not the soft and heartbreaking mind lady amalthia has. this mint breaks your bones not your heart. it gives me a slight headache.

 

After a while dried on my skin: its still quite sharp but i get mulled wine and spices now. the kind harvest moon 2011 has but much sharper. the scent scares me a bit to be honest.

 

2 hours on my skin: CAKE ?! AGAIN?! why does my skin morpes everything into cake or snake oil?! i really need to sort out the notes that do that!

 

5 hours later: Still vanilla cake with slight spices.

 

Verdict: I am very very happy i didnt bought an unsniffed bottle this year like i wanted to because my money didnt let me splurge and so i just bought a half imp. this scent is just not for me. i quite like the last spiced vanilla cake stage on me (also no idea where that cake comes from)but the 2 hour drydown gave me a migrain.

the throw on me is quite strong and someone once decribed a scent (i think it was devils night) as "I am drunk and on fire" and this is samhain for me! and at the end its saying "i am a drunken cake!"

I have nothing against these kind of scents. i lovveee my harvest moon 2011 to pieces. but samhain is just a bit to much for me.

the scent morphes quite a bit which makes it interesting enough to keep my half imp but not to buy it again as an imp or a fullsize bottle.

[Lyssa]

This is the 2011 version.

 

When I first placed my Halloweenie order, Samhain called out to me, but I pushed it away because of the "damp woods, fir needle, and black patchouli." I mean, those are going to be the predominant notes, so it sounded more like something for my boyfriend than me. I still couldn't get it out of my head, so instead of a bottle, I purchased a decant from the lovely schackjj.

 

Maoric and I decided to try them together today. He and I are long-distance, so we can't smell them on each other, but we wanted to share the experience. I was right: it's definitely more a scent for him. He tried Iago as one of his first scents, which we were in person for and both hated. It was truly disgusting on him. Samhain 2011 gave me kind of the same feeling. There is something about it that is leathery, although it may be the earthiness of the patchouli. Upon first application, it's all dark woods and sharp fir. I wanted to wash it off immediately, but held out for my beloved apple and spices.

 

Yeah, they eventually came out to play, especially the apple. The whole thing sweetened up, but I can't get past that first stage or the leather association. The leathery bit sort of sticks around as a backdrop. I'm not really a fan of leather for many reasons, so it just didn't work for me. Maoric described it as an apple pie at the edge of the woods, whereas I see it as an apple pie that has been stomped on with nasty, muddy boots, so it's covered in fir needles, leaves, and mud. Maybe a rider took his horse over it a few times, and I'm smelling the saddle leather. This sucker also has some staying power! I've scrubbed my wrist no less than three times and rubbed it with alcohol, and Samhain is clinging to me desperately.

 

I appreciate the description and what it evokes, as it's pretty spot on, but it's not something I want to wear.

[maoric]

2011.

 

In the vial: Autumn-themed potpourri.

 

Freshly applied: Trees and very faint earthy patchouli with a sweet background. Lyssa mentions a leathery smell, which I can kind of see, my guess is it's coming from a cross between the patchouli and something else.

 

Drying: Spices start coming out a bit, followed by the apple. At this stage I smell like an apple pie at the edge of a forest. Thankfully the patchouli is going for a more dark/spice on me than a leather/mud like it is for Lyssa

 

Later: I actually like this. The apple pie vibe sticks around for some time, and while it is a tiny bit foody, the woods/fir/patchouli help ground it and make me think more of the memory of apple pies and not "where is that apple pie I want a slice RIGHT NOW". I can't help but think of some store that sells scented candles and potpourri as it goes into the autumn season. There is the hint of pie, but it's blended in a large amount of other fall smells. Much later all that really remains is a faint autumn spice smell, no real apple, fir, or patchouli I can distinguish.

[Eliyetres]

...wow. I can see why everyone hypes Samhain. I'm pretty new to BPAL and my nose isn't really trained to distinguish all scents yet... but for me this was a male scent. Not for me as I only see myself wearing fruity vanilla scents.

I still can't stop sniffing my wrists, is smells like the sexiest man in the world. I'll try to get my bf to wear this. HE HAS TO.

Samhain is a man and he is Halloween.

Edited October 31, 2011 by Eliyetres

[Incendiare]

2011: So, I finally get to try Samhain. I always knew that I wasn't going to like this because patchouli, fir, and dry woods aren't really my best friends. This is so patchouli in the vial. There is sort of a faint hint of sweetness in there too. Perhaps, it's coming from the apple. Wet, the fir decides to pop in and join forces with the patchouli. The woods have made an appearance too, but to me, they seem to be on the dry side. The spices are vaguely there, and blend in with the patchouli so they're hardly noticeable. I can see why earthy blend lovers love this, but yep, it's so very not me.

[JasminDreams2010]

Samhain 2007

I bought a bottle of this from a forumite and a bottle of 2011 to see if the years were any different. I decided the 2011 was more masculine and gifted it to a male friend. I don't want to review 2011 because my skin didn't seem to like it but I think that was me rather than the oil. On me it smelled like black, deep pine and it went a little medicinal. My friend liked it though.

 

2007 on the other hand- totally different ball game. 2007 is to me the scent of the dried leaves and the mullein walking through the autumn woods. I still think it's a bit masculine but I will definitely keep it for ritual use and for future samhain rites. I can smell the pine, the leaves and the spices but the apple and pumpkin bring some warmth and depth to the blend, saving it from being either too foresty or too much like my dad's garage. Very herby, very natural, very dark, and I would only be in the mood for it at specific times- that said it really hits that autumn feeling smack on the nose.