Samhain

[zenvodunista]

All the depth, beauty and darkness of All Hallows Eve. 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.

i will preface this by saying that i had read the reviews, and had ordered a bottle of this unsniffed of the 05 blend, which i am waiting for now. and then, LiberAmoris gifted me with an imp of the '04 blend at the Meet n' Sniff i hosted this past weekend.

i was scared to open the vial. at the MnS, i had sniffed Samhain from two bottles, and both had a decidedly moldy-leaf and astringent smell that weirded me out a bit. "uh oh" i thought.

but this evening, what with the Jewish New Year and all, i came home and found myself drawn to the imp of '04. i opened it: none of the smell of those bottles was there -- maybe it was the quantity change or soemthing, but this was smoke and apples and spices *and* leaves. "hmmm" said i, and swiped a bit off the wand onto the back of my arm.

first of all, this has serious throw. a couple of dabs and i was surrounded in the scent of apples mulling in wine and spices, while the damp leaves were mashed underfoot, the fir forest was off in the distance while my sweet beckoned me to stand with him by the fire.

whoa. where was i? oh yeah. my livingroom in NYC.

i thought, "oh! so *that's what all the raving is about!"

remember -- just a dab'll do ya!

i'm glad i have my Very Own Bottle on the way.

n.

[Bean Rua]

Yes, apples, butter, allspice, etc.

 

I should just love it.

 

But I don't.

 

It's too much mashed together. Too complicated. It ends up smelling artificial to me, like a Yankee Candle.

 

Unlike many BPAL scents, it stays ALL DAY LONG.

 

While it's not horrid, it's just not "it." Glad I got the imp before I bought this year's version.

[Colère]

Bottle: OH NO, IT'S SNAKE OIL IN DISGUISE!

 

2 Days Later: I wasn't even going to give this blend a second thought BUT IT KEPT STARING AT ME FROM ACROSS THE DESK. And after forty-eight hours I said 'Fine, bitch, you want to rumble? I'll go all West Side Story rumble on your ass...'. This is a showdown of epic proportions, move over OK Corral!

 

Bottle, Again: Totally, totally, totally Snake Oilesque (perhaps an illegitimate child?). However, it's not as overwhelmingly medicinal as Snake Oil is/was/is for me. Samhain is sweeter in a foodie sort of way, which makes my stomach churn (hooray!). There's a near non-existent touch of mint, but it comes across as something artificial, something chemically fabricated. It's mint, but not-really-mint mint.

 

Skin: Ergh. The mint-but-not-really mint becomes powdery, and the noxious scent/taste/memory of envelope adhesive reigns supreme. A flash of heat warms the mint until it become uncomfortably hot thanks to AN INFLAMED SCRATCH ON MY WRIST THAT I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT.

 

Skin, Later: The warmth remains as pain tapers off, but there's a block to it, like there's something acting like a barrier. Christ, it's so fucking FRUSTRATING because the warmth and mint is so pervasive, and so damn familiar but I just can't put my finger on what it reminds me of...moth balls? Oh, God, wait. Not moth balls - A URINAL CAKE (slightly minty, slightly antiseptic).

 

Verdict: Bitch KNEW I wasn't going to like it so it waited until I had a fucking CUT on my skin to instigate the challenge. Urinal Cake 2004 gave away to creamy sweetness at the very end (much like those ping pong ball mints given away at restaurants), but it was a last desperate bid for my affection. Something sharp and brown did manage to squeeze through (apple cider?), but only for a second. And now, a day later, the blend's left a tobaccoy afterthought on my skin reminding me I know fuck all about my body chemistry, never seem to get CLOSE to what other people experience, and can't seem to pick out notes that I KNOW I should for the life of me.

[lemonade]

this is the most beautiful warm scent without being even slightly dark or cloying. I dont get any of the sharp notes and it smeels like red velvet leaves to me. ( whatever that conjures up) it is spicey without being inthe slightest strong and a stunning gentle fruity flowery foody smell eminates, it is a simply stunning blend. I cant describe it as well as gingerbread poppet, all i can say is no note seems to come to the surface on me, just a beautiful blend of warm autumn goodness.

 

a 5/5 for this one STUNNING

[dreadeddragon]

2005 version

 

I can't seem to find a review I did on the 2004 version (maybe I forgot) but I was not a fan. Then I realized I had Beltane and needed Samhain. Now Beth jsut needs to re-do Lughnasadh and come out with Imbolc.

 

In the bottle: This is completely different from what I remember. It's mostly apples, but not a cider apple. There's some definite spices going on, clove, all over some lovely woods. Dear lord, if it smells like this on, I might need more bottles!

 

First on: The pumpkin is coming out more, which tends to smell a bit off on me. I can't tell if I like me with pumpkin or not, but it goes all buttery. I think that's why I thought this was too foody last time. The allspice, mullein, clove, nutmeg and apple have again created the apple cider scent once it hits the skin, but so far the woods and fir have kept it from becoming too foody on me. We'll see once it's been on for an hour.

 

Drydown: Now it's back to the original smell from the bottle. Ripe apple juice, with the spices in the background. It somehow doesn't sit on me as well as I'd hoped, but it isn't that cider-y scent that I remember so strongly from last year. It's much less food-y, and more the things Samhain was about, not what Halloween has become.

[Voleuse]

Samhain 2004 is immediately patchouli on me, though lighter than I would have expected. On second sniff, the woods definitely come in, and a bit of clove. Very much reminiscent of autumn woods, with leaves and mud squelching underfoot.

 

I don't get any pumpkin from this at all. Over time, a hint of apple sneaks in, but this stays primarily woodsy and patchouli on me. Hopefully, when I get Samhain 2005, it will have a little more fruit. ::crosses fingers::

[Aredhel]

2005 version

 

Rating (on skin): 0/5

Summarised in a word or two: Rotten pumpkin.

 

In the imp/bottle: Wood and fir. Very sharp, and very rough.

 

On skin, wet: Very heavy patchouli, fir, and deep, dark woods. It then becomes something very unpleasant; something rancid. I'm not digging this at all.

 

On skin, dry: I think what's turning this sour is the pumpkin. Pumpkin and I, we don't see eye-to-eye when it comes to agreeing with my skin chemistry. This isn't spicy at all. I get no clove, nutmeg, or apple, just rotten, decaying pumpkin.

 

Conclusion: Samhain '04 didn't work for me, and Samhain '05 didn't work for me. I had a feeling it wouldn't, but I had to try anyway. Oh well. This just enforces my theory: Pumpkin is evil on me.

Edited December 18, 2005 by Aredhel

[Undine]

I have often seen people preface a review with something along the lines of "I love this scent so much. I don't know why I haven't reviewed it yet!" I think I once saw someone say, and I believe, that for some reason it's particularly hard to review the scents we love. I don't know why exactly. Maybe it's because they're so well blended for our skin that it's hard to pick anything out, or maybe it's because if you really love something, you don't want to pick it apart or analyze it. Both of these things are true for me, anyway.

 

That's a longwinded way of saying that Samhain is my favorite. scent. EVER! and I am finally going to review it. I really don't feel up to the task, but a) I don't want Beth to think I dislike all her scents because I review the ones that are easiest to do--e.g. the ones I don't like as much; and I really want people to know how much I love this while it's still available.

 

It really is hard for me to pick out all the different elements. Balsam fir is a big one, like the scent of Black Forest. It's sweet, also like Black Forest, but in a golden way rather than in a toothachey, sugary, or floral way. That must be the patchouli.

 

I'm ashamed to say that I'm not entirely sure what pumpkin smells like. I mean, I can think of fresh pumpkin smell, but it's been a long time since I smelled cooked pumpkin, since I don't like it. I ordered an imp of Jack primarily to help me sort that out (since I'm not likely to be sniffing Pumpkin King any time soon! ) and while the butter in Jack makes it a little difficult to compare, I belive the pumpkin in Samhain allies with the patchouli to sweeten it up and, in a weird way, that's what gives Samhain its very smoky scent on me.

 

So it's smoky sweet fir woods, backed by a very, very light, totally non-potpouri assemblage of mulling spices that hover gently in the background. The light sweetness and the woodsy smoke, with the richness of the spices, play off one another beautifully, and that is what makes this, as Beth says, the perfect autumn scent.

 

When my husband smelled it, he didn't realize it was me at first. He's not a perfume guy at all and his comments about the scents I try usually run to either "Baby powder" or "Soap." This time, we were outside, and he sniffed and said, "What's that smell?" "It might be me," I offered. "I put on a little more than I meant." "No, no, I don't think that's it..." he said. "It smells like honeycombs." He sniffed around some more and then sniffed my wrist and, surprised, said, "Huh, I guess it must be you." This is the only scent he's ever close to approved of, and he actually liked it!

 

As this story illustrates, Samhain has fantastic staying power and throw. Unlike most other scents, where slathering and application of baby lotion results in a few hours of scent that I can smell but nobody else can, Samhain sticks around all day long, and others can actually smell it.

 

Love, love, love. I blew a lot of money on my first bottle on eBay, sight unseen, and didn't regret it for an instant. Now that it's available from the Lab again, I just bought four bottles, but frankly I don't think that's enough. What if it never comes back?!? I need to stock up more!

 

Gorgeous, wonderful fall bonfires in a bottle. Everything I ever wanted. That's Samhain.

 

Oh, and 2005 is very very similar to 2004. I don't think the difference is any more than what you'd get between different batches of a catalogue scent.

 

On my scale, a 10 out of 5.

Edited October 17, 2005 by Undine

[Thorne]

Cinnamon and nutmeg! Cloves! Eeee! So delicious and wonderfully spicy. I've recently embarked on a love affair with all things clove, and this is the perfect addition to my hoard of clove scents. There's a little sweet fruitiness to the blend, also (the pumpkin and apples, I presume) but they don't come close to the fantastic warm spice on my skin. The patchouli lingers in the backgroung for a good long time. Mmmmm.

 

Plus, look how cute the label is!

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

Hmm what IS that? It's a bit murky smelling - probably the patchouli

 

On me:

*sigh* I had high hopes for this. Samhain was a blend that I heard about non stop since I first got into BPAL. Everyone seemed to love it, and the description seemed like something that would be right up my alley! But alas, though I don't hate this blend, it's not quite what I had hoped for. The patchouli is certainly in the forefront on this. In the drydown stage I can smell a faint hint of pumpkin and apple and spices, but it's more like a breeze of freshness through that patchouli - which still sits firmly in the front seat. Oddly enough, the smell all but disappears on me after just 15 minutes.

 

Final note:

It's a pleasant scent, and I wouldn't get rid of my bottle, but I can't see myself using all of this either.

 

 

EDIT: Wanted to add that after wearing this today, after about an hour it smells really faint and sort of candyish in a way

Edited October 18, 2005 by Brianne

[Firewaver]

this is pretty good, i must admit.. though it falls slightly short of my very high expectations. As Brianne said, Samhain is the scent that everyone raved and ranted about, it's the one I always wanted. So of course I'm going to be disappointed if it's not the end all fragrance for me. It's not, but it is quite nice, and very evocative of the season it portrays.

 

Wet, it's a very antiseptic toilet bowl cleaner smell. Not pleasant, but everything smells bad wet!

 

Drying down... I smell crisp autumn leaves and some spices are beginning to emerge from the toilet bowl.. which is rapidly shrinking and taking on the appearance of a autumnal forest floor.

 

Dry.. Very nice.. spiced cider and leaves, perfect for fall. Maybe a tinge of pumpkin and something a little mossy, I'm assuming it's the galangal. I really like this, I think it's something that will grow on me. It's less foody than Harvest Moon 2005, which is a good thing. I'm keeping it around. Smelling it takes the chill out of an evening. It just reeks of warm cider and woolen sweater weather.

[Khaman]

2005

 

Holy freaking lord, I don't know if I got an enchanted bottle or what. I sniffed the bottle and smelled apple cider. I put some on and smelled apple cider.

 

Rich, tasty, I HUNGER, apple cider. Plus a tang of warm spice.

 

Every once in a while it wafts away on me and I can get a hint of the pumpkin. The first time, I sort of sat there like 'wha, where'd the apples go?', and then I found the pumpkin scent. Wooooooo.

 

I need more of this. It's gotta have to last at least a year. Oh lord, let it come back next year, too.

[Monster]

Samhain was completley different that what I expected! I think I was hoping for a spicier, nutmeg, apple, pumpkin scent. This one is a lot more woodsy and smokey...I'm not at all dissapointed!

 

Out of the 3 Halloween scents I've tried so far, this one has to be my favorite.

 

First sniff I get a sweet, smoky woods. On my skin, this scent is so complex, all of the notes are well-balanced. There isn't one note in paticular that jumps out at me.

 

The dry down is a bit powdery and sweet...but not baby powdery. I'm guessing that'd be the black patchouli.

 

Overall, I love this one. It's a definite keeper ^^

 

*EDIT**

 

I ended up purchasing an additional bottle of this becasue I knew i was going to go through the first one really fast..and I did!

My order for Samhain 2006 is in but I havnet had a chance to smell it yet.

I've been wearing Samhain 2005 for the past week (in October 2006) and I keep getting compliments on how I smell. I don't think I've recieved so many compliments on the way I've smelled EVER!! Men in paticular love this. They say it has a honeycomb smell on me.

One man asked waht smelled like candy when he walked into the room. I asked him if it was me, offered my wrist and he exclaimed "Yes! That's it! You smell incredible". I directed him to the Bpal website so he could purchase a bottle for his girlfriend

 

Samhain is absolutly one of themosrt gorgeous Bpal scents ever

Edited October 15, 2006 by CourtneyLynne

[sophia_helix]

Thank goodness. Samhain 2005 in the bottle smelled different from my hoarded Samhain 2004 imps (more fresh/clove, less apple), but on me they both have that blessed, balanced mixture of apple, pine, clove and that indefinable autumn something. And the label is adorable!

 

::snuggles the precious::

[amrita]

[2005]

 

Awww, I love this! This was my first Samhain.

 

This oil doesn't change much for me-- on application, I get warm spices, apples, and a gentle foody sweetness. A few minutes later the cinnamon starts to come out more, and the oil wafts well. (A rarity on me.) About 20 minutes later I can smell the black patchouli, which adds smoky darkness. An hour later it is sweet gentle spices, warm patchouli, and baked apples. Beautiful!

 

At no point do I get woods and fir, but that's okay with me. I love this oil!

[ashlle]

2005 version.

 

First and second and third sniffs: it keeps changing. The scent of the woods at night, warm and damp.

 

On wet, I get the woods, as well as something slightly spicier – some of the spices, I would imagine.

 

After a while, the sweetness of the apple starts to come out more. All of the notes are well-blended on me, so it's hard to pick them out, other than to note that this smells REALLY good. Over the course of several hours, it gets drier – still sweet and spicy, but with an undercurrent of drying, crunchy leaves. It smells so indefineably like fall, and has decent throw and lasting power, as well.

 

It's an amazing scent.

[Finny]

2005 version.

 

This is less spicy than the 2004 version on me. It is woodsy, damp leaves, and a hint of pumpkin and apple. It is fall captured in a bottle. Absolutely gorgeous.

 

A keeper!

[themerrybaker]

Samhain 2005 starts out smelling a bit like evergreens, but almost immediately I get the "dry leaves" and wood. The pumpkin & spices come out faintly after about half an hour. This is a truly evocative scent for the season.

Edited October 18, 2005 by themerrybaker

[olympia301]

 

I am having a lot of trouble processing Samhain '05 in my brain. My first reaction is: volitile! Not happy with the way my skin is turning it into spicy mothballs; but that could just be my head attempting to sort out the riot of autumnal elements put in the blend. I hope that I finally get it all categorized and on my way to loving this. I don't get any apples or pumpkins or leaves or individual spices that I can pick up on. If you have heard of "A Party in you Pants" this one is "A Car Crash in your Head" to me so far. Boo hoo. I want to love this.

[imaginepageant]

(2005)

 

In the vial: It doesn't smell remarkably different than Samhain 2004, but there are changes. It's less sweet and less fruity, and more woodsy. Which saddens me, because I'd prefer it the other way around. The fir is noticeable, and the woods most definitely are damp. I'm not getting any of the foody notes, unfortunately. My vision of Samhain 2004 fits perfectly with this, too: "It's walking through a forest whose trees are bare, rotting brown leaves coating the ground, the still air crisp and damp with fresh rain, the sky cloudy and colored a dull yellow."

 

Wet: Oh god, Pine Sol. The Pine Sol lessens as seconds pass, but a hint of it remains. It sweetens a little bit, but not as much as I'd like.

 

Dry: It's grown ever so slightly foody, and though none of those notes absolutely scream out, I think it's the nutmeg or allspice, and maybe the tiniest hint of pumpkin. As minutes pass, the apple comes out to play, and as it mingles with the spices, it creates a warm, baked, and deliciously sweet smell that I'm loving!

 

An hour later: Now it smells pretty much identical to how Samhain 2004 turned out on me. The fir and damp woods are still strongly there, but the sweetness and spice has rounded out the blend to make it delicious.

 

Overall: So autumn! I like it and will definitely be wearing it during autumn, but I don't love it enough to keep the entire bottle all to myself, so I'll probably make a decant or two to sell to thsoe who didn't spring for the bottle.

[empi girl]

Samhain smells very autumnal. It doesn't morph much on me. It starts out with the pumpkin and a hint of fir trees, but quickly the pumpkin takes the lead, and I can only detect pumpkin, and a hint of spice (not nutmeg or clove-could be allspice, or the black patchouli), with a soft edge to it. I cen never smell the apples, or mullein. It stays true to the soft, spicy pumpkin for perhaps 3-4 hours.

 

It is very pleasant, and perfect for fall, but I discovered with this blend that pumpkin scents are not for me. It is in the swap/sale pile already.

[carolinachiquita]

2005

 

I haven't smelled any of the previous years Samhain so I wasn't really sure what to expect with this one - I was pleasantly suprised as I had it in my head that it was going to smell like Jack (Don't know why!).

 

This smells quite woodsy and spicy on me - I think someone else said its like a wet woods and I agree with that (I am also getting a very slight mentholly undertone to it - that might just be me mixing up the names for ingredients though!) but there is this wonderful warm sweet spicy smell that is just amazing. I think I am going to order another bottle of this as I can see me wearing it to death when the weather starts to turn miserable.

[Julilla Regina]

This is really delicious. At first I get spiced apples, with lots of cinnamon. Lots and lots of cinnamon. Then suddenly there is a strong woods element that comes into it, someone mentioned a damp forest, and that is what it is like. It's apples with cinnamon, fall crispy leaves, damp forest. It's strong, as well, it last a good while on me. After a few hours, there's a hint of powder, so I think there might be a bit of amber in it, but if there is, there isn't enough for it to destroy everything else as amber usually does on me.

 

This is fantastic. And I can't wait to layer this with Harvest Moon. I'll just lay in bed and sniff myself all day....

[gangstaknitta]

Samhain was a very heavy, dark blend. The pine forest scent came straight out of the bottle and wreaked havoc on my skin. I never got any of the other notes from it, either in the bottle or when dry. No morphing whatsoever. It seems that all of the Halloween scents I've tried so far hate me.

 

Does anyone want to swap skin with me? Just make sure it's still compatible with Snake Oil!

[shelldoo]

ok, i was dying to get my 05 samhain as my 04 has only about a ml left, and it is byfar my most favoritest bpal EVER i have worn it nonstop since like august just yearning for fall. so fast forward, i get a cns the day of my wedding, dying to get the scent i momentarily consider not going on my much awaited honeymoon to salem. but my dh threatens to leave me at the altar so i decide the precious can wait. all week i was anticipating coming home to samhain.

got home yesterday, tore into my box, opened it: in the bottle it is a bit more medicinal then 04, not as sharp as 03. but still a hint of teh samhain i love. i begin to worry i will have to sell my soul to get some 04. put a bit on my hand and immediately it starts to bloom, i can tell straight away it will morph into my lovely.

 

it is woodsy, deep, moist, fall in a bottle. i am in awwee and lust w/ beth when i sniff samhain.

 

it dries down to be very very close to the 03, and 04 versions on me. the drydown is all that matters to me, and i like medicinal anyway so the start doesn't bum me overly much.