Samhain

[NikS]

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 2014, fresh from the lab.

 

This is my first review and consequently one of my first purchases from BPAL, and oh my it is gorgeous indeed and very unique.

 

In the bottle: Apple is very dominant producing a crisp and sharp scent, however there is a sweetness lingering in the background and it's beautiful.

 

Wet: I smell strong apple cider with spices, tangy and crisp once again.

 

Dry: Absolutely amazing, the apple cider scent stays throughout but a slight bonfire note comes out to play and adds a really Autumnal vibe to Samhain that I wasn't envisioning previously.

 

Overall: I can definitely see myself wearing Samhain regularly through the Autumn season, although it's not a complete favourite it does have it's own unique scent that will keep me coming back for more.

[StevenBoatman]

So, I tried Samhain not long after I first got into BPAL. At the time, I didn't know anything about perfumes and I wasn't able to tell most of the notes apart. Consequently, at the time I tried it I loathed it. It just smelled like a dirty, rotting mess. x_x

 

Fast forward to this year, and things have changed some. My ability to differentiate between notes has improved, and that has made this year's iteration of Samhain absolutely gorgeous.

 

In the bottle: Dirty, earthy patchouli, with a touch of pine.

 

On, wet: Patch and apple. If this was a picture, it would be an ebony ground, shot through with deep brown highlights. Sitting on top of the ground, the only object visible as far as the eye can see, is a shiny, perfect red apple. This is the simple and sweet red apples that your mom gave you as a kid, though. This is the sinfully red, terrifyingly sweet apple that a wicked queen has enchanted and poisoned. It stands out starkly but beautifully from the earthy tones of the patchouli.

 

On, dry. The apple is still going strong, grounded by the patchouli, but now there is a dark pine forest in the distance, and occasional whiffs of clove and spices drift up before vanishing.

 

I should have gotten a backup.

[Riezky]

I'm also getting beautiful sweet red apple at the forefront, with a bit of earthiness, pine and spice lingering beneath it. Perfect for the season.

[HerbGirl]

I was hoping this would be the year :'-(

My skin must not like something in this blend...i don't smell anything like apples or any patchouli, just medicinal ick. So sad...i guess that was my last attempt as none i have tried have worked on me.

Edited December 29, 2014 by Herb Girl

[loubric]

Samhain 2014

 

In the imp/bottle I smell what I like to call a cluster of Fall yumminess. Spicy warm apple mixed with touches of spice, bitter leaves and hints of the patchuli.

On my skin it's warm apple in all their glory with a background of sweet and warm spices, hinting at sharp herbs and leaves.

It smells like Fall, it smells like warm fire places, it smells like a barn full of hay, it smells like a farm house kitchen.

 

This is everything Autumn should be and is and I absolutely love it.

 

 

Samhain 2015

In the bottle it smells similar to my 2014 bottle but with a much sweeter undertone and WINE!

At first when it hits my skin its burning leaves! Thankfully the dry down is beautiful, apples, smoke, spices and ANOTHER MEMORY ... how the lab manages to capture my memories in a bottle is beyond me. But it's sweet and chilly and warm and oddly familiar. Love it.

Edited November 19, 2015 by Lilly

[Jeni Mullen]

My nose and scent preference disclaimer: I have three distinct camps of scents that I love: baked goods, earthy spices, and woods/forests. My favorite scents are currently Captain Lilith and her First Mate and Eat Me for the foody category, Morocco and Scherezade for the spices, and Druid and Isle of Demons for my woodsies. Notes I dislike are vetiver, civet, leather, all of the peppers, most florals, sometimes tobacco, "wood" scents like rosewood and sandalwood because I amp them so so much and kitchen spices like sage (and by extension, frankincense because woah I get sage from that).

 

In the bottle: it smells like burned wood or like a cooling down fire pit which, honestly, disturbs me a little and almost put me off because I was afraid that I would get strong 'wood' and not 'woodsy' notes.

Wet, applied to inside of wrists: I smell like I was hanging out in the smoke cloud after my fire pit was put out. It's not a bad smell at all because it sort of reminds me of a clean scent (I saw survivor man smoke the sweat out his clothes on an episode and now campfire smoke always triggers a "clean" scent for me). I'm thinking this would make a really great bathroom atmo spray.

After 15 minutes: Okay, STRANGEST THING. I'm getting apple cider from a distance as I type this review up. So that's at about 2 feet. Now when I pull my nose close to my wrist I'm not getting apple AT ALL. This is probably one of the most complex scents I've ever worn. I also have a little bit of a tingle on my right wrist which is always more sensitive than the other. I see that there's clove and nutmeg in the notes. Sometimes my skin doesn't like those. I'm a little afraid to try this oil behind my ears, inside the curve of my elbows or between my breasts (which is where I always dab my scents that I intend to wear for a full day).

 

Verdict: The reaction of my sensitive skin to the spices is probably going to make this a decant I will eventually try to swap or will give away. The scent is beautiful and extremely complex. It reminds me of picking my own apples at the start of autumn at one of the country orchards near by. That hit of apple cider is magical, the mullein definitely sweetens it from a distance. Up close, I still get just burned wood (probably that fir note) almost thirty minutes later. I'm pretty new to the Post, having made my first order for hair glosses and that Captain Lilith deliciousness but I'm heading over there as soon as I post this to see if Samhain was made into an atmo/linen spray. Yes to the scent! But, ultimately, no to this as a perfume oil for me.

 

Edit: Alas! There are only Samhain candles! No atmos or linen sprays.

Edited November 23, 2014 by Yojenitan

[squidhearts]

Mmmm, perfect. Cider and autumn spices and apple. Clean rather than heavy on my skin. Absolutely delicious. Somehow the clove and the pine stay very quiet, making the scent just mellow and golden and perfect. Very well blended/rounded. It's the kind of scent where I keep pushing my nose into my wrist as I type, to take another hit.

 

I bought this untested because of all the hype, and I have no regrets.

[zankoku_zen]

2014 version

 

Oh Samhain, its been 10 years already! I think there's been a Samhain almost every year Weenie update.

 

This one is cider, heavy autumn spices, and a touch of woods. In general it is more spicy than I expected, and veers more into the pumpkin pie. You know how mulled cider smells? This one is mulled cider surrounded by woods.

 

Fall, spicy, woodsy.

[Magycmyste]

2014 version:

 

In the imp: Mmmm...... sweet patchouli incense and.... something else. A bit of fruitiness behind the incense.

 

Wet on skin: Mostly incense and woods.

 

Dried down: Mostly incense with a background of apple cider.

 

Throw: Not a whole lot, but my nose is kind of stuffed up.

 

Verdict: **** This is actually really beautiful. I'm not usually a fan of wood notes, as they tend to turn dark and bitter on me, but I'm getting mostly incense and apple cider from this year's batch. I might need to go ahead and order a bottle of this.

[zankoku_zen]

2010 version.

 

So far, I've tried 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2014.

 

This one smells like blackberries, something that smells almost mentholic, pine and musty dirt.

 

I also have some Samhain 2005 again and will try that and re-edit my review then.

[agirlnamedfury]

I've only tried the 2014 version. This is definitely fruity apple for me, with a bit of spice. There's quite a bit of patchouli in it as well, and after it's dried it comes dangerously close to powder territory on me, but I still get enough whiffs of fruit for me to like it, but not completely love it (though I loved the scent in the bottle).

 

Might have to try this one a few more times to be sure...

[spookygrrrly]

For a reference my absolute favorite BPAL scent on me is Burial. I tend to like scents that are either earthy, woodsy (except for pine), a bit smokey or boozy, and some foodie scents. I tend to avoid anything really citrus, ozone, or super light.

 

This is for Samhain 2014

 

In the Bottle: I can smell the apple and wood. A little bit of the smoke comes through too.

 

Wet: The apple really comes through now. Now sticky sweet apple but the crisp sharp apples of fall. The smokey scents are stronger too more bonfire than cigar smoke.

 

Dry Off: I love this scent! It is perfect late fall days in a bottle. Crisp apple notes mixed with a bit of woods and smoke. Love it. The throw is pretty strong so you don't need to load up.

 

Several Hours Later: After about six hours of wear it starts to powder out on me. Usually I'm not a fan of this but it took a really long time to get to the powdery stage. I still like the scent a lot but would probably just reapply once it begins to powder. This was a huge hit with my husband from beginning to end though.

[Minh Scent]

2014 version

 

Wow! After drydown,can't take my nose away from my wrist. This is drinking spicy apple cider at a cabin in the woods.Stellar!

 

Six hours later,still smelling amazing. I smell apples and honey but there is no honey listed. It is so beautiful!

Edited December 27, 2014 by Minh Scent

[lady_pandora]

I've needed this scent all my life. It's really seasonal and not for every day, but I'll be getting a lot of use out of this when fall rolls back around. I get primarily patchouli and spiced apple--it's more toward apple pie than cider on me, actually, syrupy sweet. Most of the throw is apple, while close to the skin it's a combo of the apple and the patch. The earthy patch keeps it nicely grounded and sets it apart from my massive pile of other apple scents (yes, I loves me some apple scents). I don't get much in the way of the woods--if they're here, the patchouli is subsuming them. I might try a layer with something like Djinn, just to see what happens, because I do associate autumn strongly with woodsmoke. But this is just amazingly beautiful.

[Malaena]

This is for the 2011 version.

 

Wet: Woodsy with a bit of apple.

 

Dry: As it dries it goes to an apple stage that had me worried. I'm not a fan of apple! When I was making chocolate dipped strawberries I kept getting a whiff of something sweet and spicy. I finally figured out it was me. This does not evoke fall for me. The notes all come together to make something I can't describe that is something I would wear year-round. I'd love to get my hands on a bottle!

Edited June 5, 2015 by Malaena

[LizziesLuck]

2005 - Decant

 

 

Wet: It smells a lot like Harvest Moon (various years) to me....fruity and a bit earthy and woodsy. But there's this weird note in there..almost something fermented or rotten even, and it's throwing this off for me.

 

 

Dry: That note fades a bit, but something about this nauseates me. It makes no sense, as all these notes have always been fine on me. I think I will try another year, it may be that this hasn't aged well. It is 10 years old, after all! So I'll get another year and give Samhain a second chance.

[Scarlettmortem]

Today I received my 2015 bottle of Samhain and I have to say doesn't smell as I remembered from my past purchase of this perfume oil. This current 2015 bottle smells like all Powder, Soft Floral and Amber when wet and at dry down. 6 hours later it's all powder. Not a single note of any scents that are described in the formula is detected.

 

Could this be mislabeled? It really smells like the description of Phantasmagoria: Scene Conjuring Up an Armed Skeleton.

 

What I have is a gorgeous scent indeed, but not what I was expecting or paid for. I'll let it rest for a few days to see if anything changes ....

 

[Xaila]

2015 Version:

 

Not sure if it's just me, but this year's seems significantly sweeter - at least initially. I've never really been able to detect the apple note in this, so maybe that's what it is. The wet stage is all sweetness and that delicious Samhain spice that's present in all versions I've tried.

 

Eventually it becomes very dry, woodsy, and spicy on me. The only other version of this of mine that I can find is 2007, which seems to have more of a cinnamon punch. Even when it's been worn for awhile, the '15 definitely is sweeter. My mother didn't care for it but I quite enjoy it. It's got the hint of fruit without being a foodie apple pie sort of thing.

[Trinacria]

I'm with ScarlettMortem, on me this smells like a synthetic, powdery, cheap floral. Not detecting any of the notes listed. I had liked previous iterations. A scrubber.

[Lydialove]

2015 version.

 

Mine starts with, startlingly, with bonfire smoke but the smoke dissapates with dry-down. It's sweeter than I was expecting (I haven't tried any of the previous years incarnations, so I didn't know what to expect) but it is in no way cloying. I very much get the smell of fir needles, apple, pumpkin and spice with the barest hint of smokiness.

 

What I end up with makes me think of eating really delicious pie in a forest with a far off bonfire. It's really gorgeous.

[Shel Healy]

It reminds me very much of my Evil/Ranger combo in the bottle, but when I put it on the fir explodes. It almost smells like creosote when it's wet. As it dries, I get a powdery apple scent. I keep getting compliments on it at work. Actually, people come into the office and say "It smells really good in here. You're all ready for fall," and they point at the decorations. The only fragrance in the office is the Samhain I'm wearing, so it seems to be hitting the mark for autumn.

[Argentwolf]

2015 version:

 

I had tried Samhain before, and hadn't been impressed -- it had just seemed like sweet cider and nothing else. This year's blend is also very cidery; however, there's a note that is both earthy and sweet, the way that incense is sweet -- patchouli, no doubt -- that helps ground this so that it's not just runaway candy-sweetness. Either that or my tastes have just changed. But I enjoy this blend quite a bit. It has been going strong for about an hour now and therefore seems like a scent that will be fairly enduring. I think I will move this to my short list.

[Hystrixia]

In the Bottle: Samhain (2015) is a pale oil that smells heavily of wet fir needles, heavy spices, and strong patchouli. It’s very dirty, sweet, and woody.

Top Notes: Applied fresh, it’s heavy on the fir needles, decaying leaves, and the spices. The apple is present, but not the pumpkin or mullein. To me, the apple note is neither red nor green; it is more of a golden apple note, similar to the russet or golden delicious apple varieties. The spices are very gritty at this point, adding an extra dirtiness to the leaf notes.

Middle Notes: An hour later and the sharpness of fir needle has been pushed into the background, with the apple, spices, and dead leaves now being the main notes. A warm, slightly vanillic quality has showed up that isn’t the patchouli. Perhaps the mullein and the pumpkin notes decided to join the party? Either way, it really rounds out the bitterness of the spices while add a slight smoothness to the apple. The end result is a rich, slightly creamy apple cider with the scent of autumn woods in the background. Very, very nice.

Base Notes: Six hours later, a wonderful base of spice-kissed ripe apples and warm, earthy patchouli remains on my wrist. It smells delicious and soothing.

Overall Impression: When I initially tried Samhain, the grittiness of the spices mixed with the foliage notes almost scared me off. I’m just glad I gave myself a little time to acclimate as it took a couple of wears to finally get a better idea of it. In my personal opinion, it’s very much a late autumn scent: the rich sweetness of the apples, pumpkins, and spices invokes the feeling of autumn while the dead leaves and fir really add a bit of augur as the winter months approach. It’s a scent that somehow manages to be simultaneously cheery and pensive, which I find interesting. Samhain’s scent colors are a harvest gold, dark sienna, and smoke black.

The sillage is pretty good with this scent and the longevity is great, lasting well over twelve to eighteen hours.

Final Verdict: Now that I’ve warmed up to it, my bottle of Samhain (2015) will be staying my collection. If I get around to it, I might try to find decants from previous years just to compare and contrast.

[milo]

Truly disappointed in this years Samhain. For the last couple of years, I've gotten testers and said to myself that I really needed to invest in a bottle of this patchouli/leaves/apple loveliness. This years? Cheap floral musk cologne. I wish the lab would stick to formulations. This is truly awful, and I'll certainly think twice about ordering bottle size from now on.

[BeyondBad1313]

This is probably my favorite scent for the fall. It is a halloween staple for bpal and I know why. It is a rush of chilly wind and forest smells. This ultimately smells like a dark and dreary halloween night. There is a wisp of pumpkin and apple in this blend and it just creates a mood of spooky nights.