Samhain

[xith]

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 get the dreaded Vick's VapoRub smell from Samhain '05. There is a bit of something sweet (I think the apple, but I'm not sure) and woodsy behind it, but the VapoRub is so strong that it just kills it. The people in the recommendations who said I'd probably like Jack better were so right. I don't get any pumpkin here, and the sweet is so sharpened by the VapoRub scent that it's not enjoyable. Jack is really what I was looking for, and Samhain is on its way to the swaps. Edited December 28, 2005 by Shollin

[kitty_stockings]

Ok, so this is my first review EVER! And the first BPAL scent i ever tried!

 

I opened up my beautiful little blue bottle of samhain 05 ... and, being a total newb, i stuck my nose in and took a BIG SNIFF.

 

I almost passed out!

 

It was like having a fir tree rammed up my nose. What a rush!

 

Ok, let me try to do this all proper-like:

 

- After a day to recover, i "wafted" the smell from the bottle (carefully ... from a distance). This time i smelled fir tree, smoke, and ... cherries? Not quite an apple scent, but more of a sour cherry smell, like cherry vicks throat drops. Not unpleasantly so, though.

 

- Freshly applied, MMMMMMMMMM, it smells AMAZING: on me it smells like apple cinnamon, fir tree (but more the bark than the needles, if that makes sense ... can you picture it?), and dried leaves. It even warms slightly on my skin like cinnamon, though maybe that is just an illusion?

 

- After a couple of hours or so, it starts to smell sweet: like a baked apple, with honey and vanilla. It makes me hungry. No more fir, but still plently of spice.

 

- After five hours, it smells like vanilla, honey, and babypowder. I couldn't place the babypowder scent until my partner came into the room and wondered why I'd been into the powder. All the spice is gone. However, as strange as it sounds, I still really like this stage. It smells warm and comfy.

 

In conclusion: it is ALL good, and I'm glad I got this bottle without knowing what I was getting into, ha! Now to try all the billion other little imps that came with my crazy first time order! So much smelly happiness But Samhain has been the perfect start.

[PixieSkull]

In the imp: Honestly, I can't describe it at all. It's like a very rotten wood, soggy and moldy.

On me: As I just described, very mossy and rotten and woodsy. Reminds me slightly of Dublin.

 

Overall: Seeing as I hated Dublin and I'm not too fond of pine scents, this was a HELL NO scent for me. Grat for others that like the gritty forest scent, but I just don't like it at all.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - The warmth of all s[ice in the foreground and the sharpness of the patchouli in the background, with a hint of apple wafting through, a disconcerting combination as far as I'm concerned.

Wet on me - The fir becomes prominant, with spices warming it from the background.

Dry on me - Dry and spicy with occassional wafts of lushness. A beautiful blend although I was hoping for something sweeter.

[slave1]

Samhain 05

 

In Bottle: Spices and fir.

 

On Skin: The fir and spices are strongest. This is a strong scent, it bowls me over. It’s not something I’d like to wear… but I’d love it as a room fragrance. The spoces are very comforting and warm. The pine and woods give a earthy quality like you just walked in from the outdoors into a bustling kitchen. But the spices are more fall like, not winter at all. After about 5 minutes the woods seem even stronger… wet leaves and dirt. A very interesting scent with many levels.

Edited December 8, 2005 by slave1

[arabella]

Samhain 2005

 

First Impression: A bonfire with a sweet undertone to the smoke.

 

Dries down to: Spicy wood, especially fir, brushed with patchouli.

 

Additional Comments: This one evokes memories of sitting by the fireplace at the cottage over the winter holidays. I wish the apple were more prominent so the scent wouldn't seem so "dry". I like the spices but can't distinguish any of them. I'm betting this will age beautifully, though. Another one to try as a home scent as it's not really one I'd wear.

 

Lasted: Several hours.

 

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

[CLFilm]

I don't get much "woods" out of Samhain, just a lot of apple cider and spice. And a tiny bit of smoke. I love, love, love it. I switched off wearing only this and Devil's Night for a couple of weeks solid in late October/early November.

 

Good throw on this too, especially when it's cold outside.

 

(My family told me I smelled like Swisher Sweets cigars and I told them to bite me. )

Edited December 9, 2005 by CLFilm

[tsarina]

Alas, no sweetness for me. Where have you gone, little apple? Instead, it is woods and earth, and something like patchouli. Just that earthy, mysterious smell. I catch the leaves, and hints of sky in between.

[Wench457]

Okay. I have always had an aversion to patchouli, even usually to Beth's patchouli. But I simply couldn't resist Samhain. It's my favorite time of year, and the reviews were so wonderful, that I took the plunge and ordered a bottle.

 

I am so glad I did. This is quite simply lovely. I can't really separate any of the notes, but it smells like a crisp fall day. I love it.

[WidgetAlley]

I'm late to the Samhain party, I know, but hey, at least I'm here....! For those of you who haven't seen it, Samhain has the cutest label..... it's a pin-up style witch, with a crescent moon and a bat behind her.

 

In the bottle: People are getting fir out of this? Seriously? Man. All I can smell is honeyed pumpkin, and apples, and a little spice and maaaaybe a hint of patchouli. It's smoky and sweet, but it feels a little thin. It might round out when it hits my skin, but at the moment, Samhain, to me at least, is screaming, "Age me! Age me!" Not that it isn't fantastic now, but this just begs to be shoved in a dark cupboard for a few months[1]. Er-- in a good way, though.

 

Oh, wait. There are the woods. Waaaay in the back. Mmmm. I can't stop sniffing.

 

Wet: The spice pops out, and the smokiness, and the foresty components, but there's still plenty of sweet pumpkin, and just a touch of apple. This has a slightly tobacco-like quality to it that I'm really digging-- I just went and got the pouch of Drum loose-leaf we keep for rituals, and it's quite similar. Yummy-- this is really delicious! I have no idea how Beth managed the smell of honeyed pumpkin... just like the pumpkin puddings I make every fall.... but it works perfectly over the smoke and woods. I do wish I was getting a little more apple, or maybe a touch more spice. (Hmmm, I bet this would layer beautifully with Three Witches. I might have to snag an Imp of TW just for that!)

 

If the spices and woodsmoke come out to play a little more when it dries, this will be perfect.

 

Dry: The fir and leaves and patchouli have popped up to say hello, but it's still mostly delicious pumpkin. Stewed apples seem to be encroaching as well, with all their accompanying spices. I haven't seen anyone mention the mullein yet, but that could be what's causing the tobacco-esque aroma.... my father used to smoke mullein, and I'm almost sure I'm picking up a little bit of that here: not the fresh plant, it doesn't really smell like anything, but more like mullein ash. This is outdoorsy, and sweet in a very organic way; not like sugar, but like fruits and vegetables, with some underlying smoke and wood notes, and the barest touch of patchouli.

 

Verdict: Love. Love love love. This one deserves the reputation it has, and every mention of aged Samhain seems to say it just gets richer and deeper and better with time. The trick will be not using up the entire bottle before it has a chance to mellow! This one deserves the reputation it has, without a doubt. :bowdown:

 

[edit] Dammit! This one did the same thing Misk U did to me-- it was beautiful the first time, and the second time, I lost all the smoke and woods and spices and it was pure dirty honey. I tried it a few more times and couldn't get the pretty back. Swaps.

 

[1]Hmm... the "Aging BPAL" thread says others have had the same thought, and that Samhain does age beautifully. Hooray!

Edited January 4, 2006 by WidgetAlley

[porcelain_doll]

I can only review for the '05 version, as I ordered too late in '04 to get the previous version, but I'll tell ya--if the '05 version is any indication of previous versions, this one could become a Hoarder.

 

The bottle art is simply amazing! I absolutely love it! Now--on to the scent itself!

 

Autumn in a bottle--yup-yup! In the bottle itself, I mostly got clove and patchouli. On, however, I got apples--lots and lots of apples! Right now, it has settled into a spicy, nutmeg-y, mulled-up mixture, still with the apples underneath. I hope we have a nice, cool fall next year. It would have been too warm to wear it this year, anyway, and now I know--when this one comes up again next year (hint-hint) I'll know to get TWO bottles, and I'll know to get them the moment they go live! Hoard, hoard, hoard! Mine, mine, mine! Love it, love it, love it!

[jejunery]

When first applied, Samhain is dark, claustrophobic, and murky: I smell smoke/tobacco, trees, and something patchouli-like wafting at me, and some other notes that I can't identify.

 

After half an hour or so, however, it settles down to a woodsy, dirty apple. It's not a fruity blend at all; in the background is an almost sour smell that reminds me of the scent of compacted, rotting leaves. That makes it sound less-than-lovely, but it's beautiful and incredibly evocative: it's sweet, deep, and organic. It's fruit with depth, instead of all sparkly-happy-effervescent as in some other blends. I can't wait to see how it ages.

 

(This is for the '05 version -- I hope to purchase the '06 when it comes around, as well.)

[stardreamer]

This is my first go-round with Samhain, as I've only been doing BPAL for a year or so.

 

I get no wood, smoke, or evergreen from this at all. Fresh on, it's a little too sharp for comfort, but that mellows out quickly. Mostly I'm getting the pumpkin and spices, with just a bit of earthy note underneath which is probably the patchouli. Sort of a "dark pumpkin pie" smell. I like it well enough, but it's not going to be a top favorite; a good scent for the foody holidays, though. It'll be interesting to see how it ages, too.

[Neely]

Ok I ask your patience, I just found BPAL, so I am just now getting to review Samhain 2005

 

In the bottle: cinnamon and plastic? I think that is the smoke note. I have noticed that others have had that happen when smoke is an ingredient.

 

Wet: apples, cinnamon, smoke

 

Dry down: apples, cinnamon, caramel, smoke. Gets a little sweeter, and the sweet amps up the apples.

 

30 minutes: sweet cinnamony carmel covered apples. Very Autumnal, very seasonal, very lovely. The apples and sweetness have toned down and become more pleasant, not so in your face.

 

One hour: Smokey caramel and cinnamon. The apples have become more a background part of the scent rather than a smack on the nose. There is also something smooth underneath it all.... pumpkin? I think I need to try Jack too. This definitely reminds me of October. In fact it reminds me of a Hallowe'en festival held in the small town here in Texas where my husband's family live. That is exactly what it reminds me of. Crisp cold air, caramel apples, smoke from fireplaces and the torches on the "Haunted House." This is my favorite, and one of the most important Wiccan holidays of the year, in a bottle! Beth and the lab imps, you rock!

 

Over an hour: Still strong on my wrist. Smokey, buttery, almost boozey, pumpkin with a hint of apples. I smell tobacco too? Tobacco like the walk in humadore at a shop that sells cigars. Ooooh yeah baby, sexy Samhain. Wow, alot of BPAL scents seem to have a sexy element.

 

Conclusion: I am in love! I loves me the Samhain, right down to the lovely label! I hope Wicked Goddess doesn't mind a newb like me borrowing her rating system. But for Samhain, I have to say 1 out of 5, this is a 5 for me.

[Blueelm]

This is the '05 version I'm reviewing. It's great.

 

In the bottle it smells like apple cider. I wasn't that impressed when I first opened the bottle, though I love the label. It wasn't until this was on my wrist that I realized what a good idea it was to buy this. It has the fruit of Hesperides or Athens, but with deep smokey spice alongside. And this lasts and lasts. I wore it to a very smokey club and could still smell it when I got home hours later. It's completely wearable too, it doesn't just scream spice or candy. There's a level of complexity that keeps things interesting.

 

Drydown is surprisingly not foody. In fact this becomes woody and creamy with dry spice. Strange since it starts out with so much apple.

 

This is not just a keeper for me, it's a star.

[BlackDahlia]

THIS is what autumn smells like!

 

I did not expect to like this fragrance, at all... since it has patchouli in it and patchouli and I have a hate/hate relationship.

 

I needn't have worried.

 

In the bottle ~ Damp leaves swirling in a gust of wind. The scent is warm and comforting... like walking through a forest at twilight time, just before the weather turns cold.

 

Wet ~ Spicy pine mixed with campfire smoke...

 

On the drydown ~ Pine with a strong, spicy scent. This scent reminds me of when my family and I went camping in the Fall in Oregon... a wonderful, very fall fragrance.

 

A keeper.

[Katinka]

This is the autumn scent that candlemakers everywhere aspire to, but never quite attain. Imagine sitting on the porch of a 100 year-old New England lodge, sipping mulled cider while you watch the leaves being raked below. Gorgeous.

[fiddlehead]

I love this. Every time I wear it I get something a little different. Sometimes the the fir note leads the charge and hangs around. Sometimes the tobacco/dried leaves scent is on top. Somewhere underneath is a bit of apple and what I think is the patchouli and spices. Maybe it isn't that the scent is different each time so much as my nose is learning to pick out the different notes and layers. It lasts a long time, too. But I re-apply it anyway because I love the first rush of notes I get when I put it on! The drydown is very nice as well. Kind of...fuzzy and warm.

 

I'm glad I took a chance on a 5ml of this. If it comes out again next year I'm definitely going to be getting another bottle.

 

 

Edit: Hours later hubby comes home, takes a big whiff and says "mmmm, baby powder. Really nice, spicy babypowder". Wha? So, noses are weird.

Edited January 6, 2006 by fiddlehead

[Meg]

In the bottle: ... oh dear, no! I was expecting so much of Samhain, and I already find it sickly sweet. It smells of smoky fir, probably patchouli, cloves, and some kind of syrup. It smells the way treacle looks, to me.

 

Wet: The fir comes out very strong, with a slightly mentholy scent. It reminds me strongly of Dracul. It's already pretty sweet, and my skin amps sweetness like hell... I keep on thinking there's tobacco in here, too.

 

Drydown: Have I mentioned that this is sweet? Ugh, the syrup. The trees have promptly faded to the background but they're not forgotten - the back of my throat tastes of menthol! Now the spices come out, with a hint of red apple and pumpkin - and actually, mostly a cherry kind of scent. It's very warm, creamy and spicy - and pretty foody, on me.

 

Overall: Absolutely not what I expected, and not me. It's a very bold scent, quite perfumy I think, and I can't pull it off at all. It smells like a cross between "Dracul" and "Blood Kiss" on me, heavy, and very very sweet. It does remind me of the autumn, but it's very showy about it; I was hoping for more subtle tones, less spice perhaps. Ah well, goodbye Samhain. You had such a beautiful tarted imp, too.

[Charitie]

Finally got to try a bit of 2005's Samhain.....so here's my little bit of a review for it.

 

 

When I first got it and opened it up, the very first impression was "Sweet!!". It was almost overwhelmingly sweet in the bottle to me for some reason.

 

Then I put a bit on to try it....

 

omg. Pure deep sensual spice on me. The sweet totally vanished after the first 10 minutes, leaving me smelling of something that wasn't foody, yet carried all the rich spicyness of clove and cinnamon, without being too sharp.

 

 

It was soooo delicious on me I had to go buy 2 bottles off ebay *grin* And thus grows my obsession

[ktesedale]

I love Samhain as a holiday, and I love pumpkins and apples in my perfume, so I decided to try this, even though it has my second arch-nemesis, patchouli, in it. Alas, I wish I hadn't. This is the 2005 version.

 

In the bottle, this smells nice and fir-y. That was fine, I love tree scents.

 

Wet, the apple starts to come out. Also good, though I was hoping the pumpkin would be a bit more prominent.

 

Dry, the whole thing takes a sharp turn for the worse. The apple gets sweeter and more cloying, like it's rotting. Then the patchouli comes out, making it smell like a rotten apple that's been kicked around on the ground. No fir, no pumpkin, no clove or nutmeg. My skin hated this scent.

 

It has tremendous staying power (don't all scents we don't like?), and even scrubbing my arm four or five times didn't stop the sickly apple smell.

 

I am looking forward to passing this on to one of the people who loves it.

[GemmaCat]

Reading the description, I worried that this wouldn't work for me due to the disaster of the Pumpkin Patch scents. However, I was pleasantly surprised!

 

In the bottle this is spicy and warm with just a hint of foodiness.

 

On my skin it's all about the mulled wine and a warm note of apple. The pumpkin is VERY subdued, so instead of making me want to throw up, this makes me think of curling up infront of the tv, watching Practical Magic, whilst slurping a huge mug of mulled wine or spiced hot chocolate.

 

Definitely a winter/autumn scent, and absolutely beautiful. There's even a hint of smokiness in this, which reminds me of bonfires.

[RainyDayGrey]

I'm finally reviewing this. No, I'm not a procrastinator at all.

 

This is probably the scent I've most anticipated getting so far. I haven't been around for past versions of Samhain, but I've been dying to try it, and Beltane was perfectly spring for me. Autumn being my favorite season, I had very high hopes for this one, and the notes sounded perfect. Yes, I practically peed my pants in excitement when this order showed up in my mail box. Ahem, now that I'm all set up for disapointment, lets get on with the review.

 

Sniffing this in the bottle was wonderful, sweet baked apples drifting on a wet and earthy fall breeze. Amazing, to say the least. So I dabbed a little bit on my wrist, and....

 

Oh hell, my skin chemistry has kicked me in the ass once again. This smells like Band-aid plastic on me, although it smells wonderful underneath that. The Band-aid smell is just to strong for this to be enjoyable when I wear it. I'm fairly sure it's the patchoulli thats turning bad on me.

 

I can't bear to part with it though, the bottle is so pretty, and it smells wonderful as long as it doesn't come into contact with my skin. I keep hoping that with a little age the Band-aid smell with go away. We'll see I guess. If it doesn't work out by next autumn I'll be trying it in a tart warmer, and praying that if there is a Samhain '06 my chemistry will play nicely with it.

 

Damn.

[Musamea]

Samhain '05

In the bottle: When I first got Samhain last fall, it was very sharp and medicinal, with the fir needle and patchouli really dominating the blend; after aging, it's become a sweet and warm scent--I can really smell the apple, spices, and cloves in here now.

 

Wet: patchouli and apple

 

Dry: very wet, very unexpectedly autumnal, as I tend to equate warmth and dryness with the season -- the red apple and mullein really stand out now and give this blend a sweetness that is tempered by the warmth of the spices and the pumpkin; the other notes keep shifting; one moment I catch a whiff of nutmeg and allspice, the next the barest hint of fir needle. This blend has fantastic throw as well… it keeps getting stronger and stronger.

 

Overall: Samhain '05 didn't strike me as anything special the first time I tried it, so I'd actually been planning to sell or swap my bottle. I only opened it this morning to check the oil level before adding it to my sales list, but was hit in the face with the loveliest apple-spice scent. I *had* to test it after that, and now I'm definitely keeping the bottle. I can see how this blend might just get better and better with age, and come next autumn, I will definitely be wearing it all the time!

[zankoku_zen]

I got this as a gift from the lovely lj user kamyra. Thanks doll!

I've been wanting to try this one for ages.

In the imp: Spicy pumpkin and apple and something that smells woodsy.

On skin: I get something smokey and spicy, which I think is the clove but I can't be sure. It makes me think of a bonfire... with apples and other yummy things being roasted in them.

On Drydown: I get florals. Something a bit powdery, woodsy and even kinda ashy.

After two hours: I get something almost chocolatey. Like cocoa powder. Its sugary and yummy.

Verdict: This one morphs. Alot. It's not quite what I expected but it is a very autumn scent. I love the after two hours smell even if I'm not supposed to smell like chocolate!

 

ETA: This was Samhain 2005.

Edited December 4, 2014 by zankoku_zen