Samhain

[mmmitchell]

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.

Samhain '06

Mmmmm.....fall deliciousness in a bottle.......

In the bottle: Sharp, earthy notes, with a hint of underlying sweetness. Hunh?? Smells a bit like caramel....though I know that's not one of the notes listed. But it's that same slightly burnt, thick sweetness I associate with caramel.

Wet: OK, my head received a complete scent image of my favorite garden nursery around Thanksgiving, when their holiday displays begin....fir from the trees, spices and herbs from the wreath crafting area, and sort of a chilly earthy smell from the refridgerated bulb section. (This is Houston, many bulbs here are annuals, and we actually DO keep our bulbs in the fridge before planting to fool them into blooming here in the subtropics.....) I'm not getting much sweetness in the wet phase.

Dry: Ooooo, lovely....as it dries, here comes the apple!!! Yay! Big, beautiful golden apples sweetening the spicy fir. All of it is hanging on the slight musty patchouli note...this is just great.

30 minutes later: Even better....the apple-y note has become spiced cider, plus the above. Yum.

I don't get any pumpkin out of this, but that's OK. I will be using this alot....I think it'll be great layered with Three Witches (to amp up the spice) for my Hallowe'en scent, and I might also amp up the lovely apple note layering my last bits of Harvest Moon. It's going to be great in my oil burner, too, for those days when I want to feel like, yes, it IS fall, even if the temperature today is 78 degrees and it's humid and raining. Scents like this are SO important to me, living as I do in an area where the only real difference between my fall and spring wardrobes are the colors....they're ALL the same weight.....Thanks Beth!!!!

Edited to add Lab description Edited November 22, 2007 by Shollin

[tempestteapot]

Oh warm pumpkin spicey scent.

 

Wet it was very sweet and strong.

 

Dry down: it bloomed into a warm fall spice scent. The sweetness faded off.

[theling]

Rating: Samhain 2005 10/10

Samhain 2006 8.5/10

 

 

In the bottle:

The Samhain 2005 is one of my all-time favorite BPAL's so I was REALLY looking forward to the 2006 version to get more of the precious. The 2005 was very smoky and spicy with a heavy fir, woods, black patchouli note.

 

Samhain 2006 is def. more fruity. The apple and pumpkin seem to be stronger in this years blend which is somewhat disappointing because I was aiming for the darker scent of 2005.

 

Initial Scent (on skin):

 

Samhain 2005 - dark and deep - strong on the fir notes. def. smells very smoky it did tend to burn the skin a bit on application . despite the "ouch factor" the scent would always come out gorgeous on me. I ALWAYS get compliments when I wear this.

 

Samhain 2006- def. a lot more fruity - strong on the apple although the darker notes are underneath.

 

Staying Power:

Both have amazing throw and staying power, though I think 2005 may be a bit stronger. Im going to age my 2006 a bit and try it again before I give up due to the fruitiness...

[maijasu]

Samhain 06: I agree that this year's Samhain is much sweeter and fruitier than last year's, but it still has the bite of patchouli and pine. The patchouli is actually a bit sharp for my taste, but I am reasonably certain that will calm down with age. Overall, I'm very happy that I slipped a bottle of this into my latest order. It's a good one!

 

[Victory]

I waffle on how much I like this scent. It's not what I thought it would be. I love the spicy apple that peek through the dark notes- it smells like an apple cider, though it's a different one than in Punkie Night. But sometimes it smells like cleaning liquid or a baked potato, or O. Don't get me wrong, I love O. But if I wanted to be wearing O, I would wear O. I think this is an oil that I should only wear on selected days of the month.

[sookster]

2006 version is a much less potent version than 2005...

straight sniff from imp this is a lot lighter...and airier.....

i like the 2005 samhain much better but will age this

imp to see if it can come close .... i like it but it just

does not have the depth i adore

[sixthsentinel]

06 version

 

Wow! I am so glad I went with the impulse to go ahead & get this one! It is actually reminding me a lot of Hexennacht, which I love. It's got that "honeyed" note. The difference is that this one is a bit fruitier, I guess, & Hexennacht is a bit more woods, maybe? Samhain is a bit "brighter", if that makes any sense, like being near the sunlight-dappled edges of the woods as opposed to Hexennacht's clandestine-fevered-revelry-deep-in-the-woods-at-night type feel. Less sexual, more ...autumnal?

 

ETA: Ah! Just before I clicked on "submit", I saw sookster's review below & she had the exact word I was seeking--"depth". Samhain is, to me, Hexennacht with a bit less depth.

Edited October 31, 2006 by sixthsentinel

[Loligo]

Samhain '06:

 

I agree with the many people saying that Samhain '06 is lighter than '05. However, on me, "lighter" doesn't mean "fruitier". I actually get much more of a fir note from this year's than from last year's, but it's dry and airy. Last year's is cool and dense, and has a strange smoky/sweet note so strong that I can smell it in the air half an hour after merely opening the bottle.

 

On the fruit topic, though, I think that the apple in this year's is a much more natural, recognizable apple.

 

Samhain '05 is a mysterious, indescribable experience, whereas this year's has clearer, tamer notes to it, but it still has tons of seasonal charm.

[hlrigaud]

*sigh*

 

I was really excited about wearing Samhain for the first time today. I've been having fun wearing Devils Night yesterday and I was set! It was on my mind while I had my coffee and took my shower.

 

And then I opened it up. My first impression was of a strong, *off* note. Whatever I was expecting, it wasn't that! But no fear! I went ahead and tried some on.

 

Now, patchouli is a dicey thing with me. I tend to ramp it up, and not in a good way. (We shall not speak of the horror that was Anne Bonny) And Samhain is going down that road. Not good.

 

But wait! Oh, it's changing and adding huge note of Powder with it! Oh, rapture! Feel the love!

 

Right. I'm washing this off and trying Dia de los Muertos or All Souls.

 

HL

[Galatea]

In the Bottle: Sweet and fall to a T; apples and pumpkin wiht just hints of spiciness.

 

Wet: Grasses and herbs, spices and apples. Like being in a field of pumpkins, with spices burning, and a nearby group of kids bobbing for apples. There is at once a heaviness and a lightness to it, hard to explain. It's both sweet and serious too. This blend is sooo full of contraditions.

 

Dry: The first promenient note of the dry down is what I assume to be the mullien. It's a voraciously herbal note, almost medicinal, but not quite. Or maybe that's the black patchouli. At any rate it's a bit odd smelling to me, but not aweful.

After about fourty minutes or so the weirdish herbal note dries off and all that's left is a nice warm, spicy, and slightly woodsy/musky. I really like the dry phase of this one.

 

Throw: On the low side actually. For all the spices in this blend, not to mention patchouli which is usually fairly powerful, this one doesn't have the throw.

 

Overall: Though I'm not a huge fan of all the pumpkin scents, this one is better than any of the others I've tried. It's not a whole lot of pumpkin in it to tell the truth, at most is smells like you're walking near a pumpkin patch, not like you have ten pies in the oven. The apple seems to contribute a bit more, but not a lot more. The base scent of this blend is herb and spice, with the patchouli adding a sweet and musky background.

 

Rating: +

[mornatasare]

In the imp, I have to admit that I sort of shrugged at this one, but I tried it all the same. It started out soft and spicy, with a foody edge but without being overwhelming--it wasn't much of anything, really--but within an hour or so it had aged into something just like I wanted: warmth, spice, smoke, and that crisp fall smell that's impossible to put your finger on. Perfect, I thought!

 

Sadly, the smell ran and hid immediately thereafter, like most of the oils seem to do on me just when they've hit their most delicious. *sigh* I'll have to see how this adapts to spray-form.

 

ETA: I'm not sure which vintage of Samhain this was--if I knew when I swapped for it, I've forgotten, and the decant itself is not labeled. However, I just got some '05, and it's certainly not that one! '05 is all mulling spices and musky woods, which are nice, in their way, but the spices just aren't quite my thing.

Edited December 1, 2006 by McQueen

[Lexie]

Samhain 2006

 

At first this is mostly the apples. I can smell also another fruity note, maybe the pumpkins. (I have no idea what pumpkins smell like since we don't really use pumpkins here in Finland.) On the background I can detect the fir, the patchouli and a woody note. When it dries, the fruit notes turn softer and the scent becomes more mulled and earthy. The throw is quite weak and my skin eats this one rather quick.

 

Samhain is pretty autumnal indeed, but smells a little too fruity (the apples!) and mulled and therefore also too foody to my personal taste. Very lovely scent, though. I'll try Samhainophobia for a darker and crispier autumn scent.

[hypatia]

Samhain '06 is my very first Samhain blend.

 

Initially I get a big whoosh of pine and fallen leaves. Then the pumpkin comes out, briefly, then the mulled-cider spices and apples. I thought at first it would be a little too sweet and foody for my tastes, but then I realized what the drydown reminds me of: it smells very much like the baked apples my mother used to make when I was growing up, which always left the most delicious caramel-apple-juice liquid in the baking dish because she made them with brown sugar and a dab of butter. (Now I want a baked apple!)

 

It's not an everyday scent, but it's great for a day like today (cold, sunny, lots of fallen leaves everywhere).

[em_h]

The very first sniff when applied is sweet, fruity-boozy and herbal; but then it very quickly and unexpectedly turns to Comet cleanser. Weird. The worst of this burns off quickly, but there's a lingering cleanser note (this would be the pine, I guess) which is undermining an otherwise nice spicey dark scent. with a hint of apples. I'd like this very much if it weren't for that one note that's bad on me. I seem to be having a lot of strange and not especially pleasant experiences with the Halloween scents this year.

[Bagfish]

Samhain '06

 

I had a bottle of Samhain '05 and ended up selling it as I didn't wear it. Just before I sold it I tried a dab and it smelled richer, thicker and darker than it had when newly purchased. I would say that Samhain '06 smells very like aged Samhain '05.

 

I find it hard to pick out the individual components, but there is a dark, thick rich sweetness to it, probably the patchouli, apple and pumpkin, and also a slight medicinal feel to it. There is also a burning smell, not fragrant smoke, but more of mixed ashes and earth like after a bonfire. It has amazing throw, and having put it on to test at the same time as other scents I got this morning, it is certainly overpowering everything else.

 

I wouldn't have kept a bottle, but I'm glad I've got an imp as I did regret selling my bottle of Samhain '05 a bit.

[Quinara]

This is the '06 version.

 

I was a bit wary of Samhain to start with, because on first sniff it reminded me distinctly of Karvol (which, according to the website, would make me have been recognising menthol, cinnamon and pine). I quite like that smell, but didn't want to smell of it.

 

But! It's a couple of weeks later now, and Samhain has developed into something utterly gorgeous. It's sweet, but as Bagfish says it's darkly sweet, and makes me think of spiced, stewed apples. I get barely any woods, but I think they're definitely at the back, serving to make the blend even warmer.

 

The best thing? I put nothing like an excessive amount on this morning - that's about eight hours ago - and I'm still sitting in a soft cloud of it. Plus, people around me have been commenting on 'this really nice cinnamony smell' all day and I've had to resist yelling 'It's me! It's me!'.

 

Seriously, this stuff rocks.

[BrightRedScream]

I have never tried any of the previous Samhain blends so I really don't have much to compare 2006 to...

 

When I first smell this in the vial all I get is a very intense spicey red apple smell with a hint of pumpkin and mullein.

 

Putting it on - it instantly reminds of Golden Apple from TBS - at least to my nose because all I'm getting now is a sweet apple scent....then within about 30 seconds pumpkin again.

The spices are there but they aren't really making themselves known..

 

Even after it dries down I still mainly get apple - maybe a tiny bit of the black patchouli..and a few spices..but this remind me of apple cider for the most part.

 

It's a nice fall scent - but I'm not sure if I would want a bottle of it.

[miss_rynn]

WOW.

 

I've not tried any of the previous Samhain blends, so I can't compare '06 to anything other than GC blends and such. A friend of mine ordered a bottle, and I tried it (not really expecting much from it, to be honest). I was very surprised by it, because I can't stand patchouli and I'm not a fan of fruity scents.

 

In the bottle I found it to be a rather subtle apple blend, not like Les Bijoux (much as I like it in small doses) which is a bit like an appley smack in the face. In the bottle it was sweet and dark, like the scent of apples on cold night air, but a little sharp, like the scent of cider rather than stewed apples.

 

On the skin, it starts to work magic. The scent of apple is there, but it is by no means the main scent. It becomes dark, woody, spicey scent. To me, it smells like an *idealised* Samhain wood at midnight - there is none of the dirt or dank smell you would get from an actual forest, but the feel of the forest remains.

 

It borders on being a boy scent at times, but, at least on me it becomes a simply divine mix of sweet woods and spices with just a hint of apple. It's not a girly scent, but it is certainly a womanly scent.

 

I love it to bits, and was on the verge of having to buy my own bottle when my friend gave me hers - her poor skin chemistry rejected it!

[sterlingspider]

Samhain 05

 

drydown: kind of plasticy sweet, the spices take over completely and there's no hint of fir or pachouli at all.

 

Unfortunately this plasticy smell became very cloying and I had to wash it off.

 

The faint hint of it that was left after my shower was nice though, perhaps I would have done better if I could have cut this with some carrier oil, but ultimately I swapped it.

[PurringPulsar]

Samhain ‘06

 

In the imp: has the same honeyed spicy apple scent as previous Samhains, but with a much more buttery pumpkin note.

Wet on skin: the pumpkin’s buttery scent settles a little and the scent becomes sweeter.

Dry: mmm, this is lovely. A lot less earthy and pine-y than last year’s, this one is heavier on the apple and the pumpkin, it’s also a little spicier. This is a much lighter Samhain, without the sweet darkness of ’05, this has a crisp sharp apple cider note to it as well as prominent pumpkin nuances. It smells a little like Pumpkin Patch #1 meets Punkie Night’s apple mixed with Samhain. It’s lovely.

After a while: this sweetens and lightens a great deal, this smells like various autumnal delicacies-pumpkin pie and spiced baked apples, caramel apples and mulled cider. The patchouli, soil and woods are there but not as strong as 05.

This smells so pretty after about an hour or two-like sweet baked apples and pumpkin with spices, but it’s not as strong as 05 was, doesn’t have as much depth and it’s a little faint. But what little scent I have now is really delicious. It also lasts longer than expected considering it’s slight faintness.

I really love the brown sugar coated spicy pumpkin apple scent that lingers at the end, along with a softly woody base note, it’s a lighter Samhain with an almost Harvest Moon 05 feel to it now.

Verdict: this does smell similar to last year’s but it also has it’s differences. This is a lot sweeter, foodier, more buttery, fruitier and more ‘baked’ in scent whilst last years had a deep, earthy scent, a hint of pine and a definite autumn breeze note to it-last year’s Samhain was outdoorsy, this scent is much more like an indoors celebration with lots of lovely baked apples and pumpkin pie, lashings of spices and brown sugar-it’s more light hearted and less intense than last year’s version, and I love it. it doesn’t have the same throw as 05 but that might improve with age. I love this version and I’m glad I ordered a bottle.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Yes, I have a bottle on the way which I will keep. I like collecting ‘vintage’ Samhains.

If you like this, try: Pumpkin Queen, Jack, Pumpkin Patch scents, Punkie Night, Samhainophobia

[Aredhel]

Samhain 2006

 

Rating (on skin): 1/5

Summarised in a few words/smilie: Odd.

 

In the imp: Pumpkin, allspice, apple cider, and patchouli! Very different from the '04 and '05 version to me.

 

On skin, wet: Samhain '06 is strong. It's sweeter than last year's, and, as I said before, really quite different than the previous two incarnations. However, wet, it's taking on a very weird, bitter, sour, weird kind of pencil-shavings quality.

 

On skin, dry: Sour, bitter, heavy pencil shavings, or something like it. Spicy as well, which is all the more odd. I smell no pumpkin, fir needle, apple, clove, or any of the listed notes but woods and patchouli, and something cloying.

 

Conclusion/Notes: Neither '04, '05, nor '06 have worked for me. Will I try again next year, if Samhain returns? Probably!

Edited November 25, 2006 by Aredhel

[metaldog32]

Samhain 2004

 

How did I come by this??? Marzstar was generous enough to offer up a decant for sale..thank you so much marzstar!!

 

You know...I never...EVER thought I would even try this. I had seen it listed and had wrinkled my nose...patchouli and I were not too cuddly with eachother but as of late...especially with Beth's blends..fragrances that I thought I couldn't wear now smell amazing..and it's all due to the patchouli that Beth lends her magic and mastery when composing these scents.

 

So..I paced and deliberated...thinking that maybe..maybe trying at least a decant couldn't hurt..the lure of the perfect "autumnal" scent was just too good to pass up. I love me my incense blends..but I was still on the quest for the blend that could smell like fall..crackling leaves and all.

 

So..here I am..with my imp/decant of Samhain 04...let's see how it goes:

 

Initial sniff from imp/decant: Taking a deep whiff I immediately come up with the following: Fall. Leaves...a tad of fruity muskiness..is that wine??? Mead??? Apple????Definitely some sort of spices..probably the nutmeg/clove/all spice. This doesn't smell particularly foody to me at all..underneath it all is something grounding it..it's a bit earthy..it's well blended though..it gives this depth..must be the patchouli.

 

From this one whiff I know..I have found it. The fragrance I was looking for to fill that niche I had. And now..I am in trouble. I only have a decant. Crap.

 

Applied wet on skin: Mmmm..it's fall leaves again but right next to it is the woods..the fir...with the patchouli underneath..again..giving it depth..it's used so well in this blend..shot through it is the spices..the fruit..not so much pumpkin to my nose but more of the apple/mead duo maybe??? Very addictive the melange is...

 

Five minutes later:Apple/Mead.Patchouli.Woods. Spice. Goodness..this is autumn incarnate.

 

Don't get me wrong. I love Harvest Moon...love Pumpkin Queen...love Gypsy Queen..and absolutely love All Saints..they all are wonderful fall scents for me..but Samhain??? Again..it fills the niche I had for so long. What I had hoped Devils Night could do but didn't. So..I am thrilled I have found the answer to my question.

 

Hour and a half later:Warm woods..with a bit of spice and fruit. Fabulous.

 

Drydown:Same notes..softened against my skin...still smells wonderful.

 

Lasting power is about 3-4+hours with throw soft to average..it kind of hovered like close to my skin.

 

Bottom Line:Samhain 2004 is a hands-down perfect autumnal fragrance. For those a bit squeamish towards patchouli..fear no more with this particular fragrance..it's presence in this blend is exquisite. I love this for fall..and even through winter. I am hoping I can still snag some more.

 

These LE blends are dangerous.

[azhure]

In the vial: Warm. I can smell the patchouli as well, which makes it slightly bitter.

 

Wet: The spices amp up initially, especially the allspice. I don't get much of the pumpkin.

 

Drydown: This one mellows into spicy woods. Warm, and for some reason very much unlike Samhain '05 (which went very bitter on me).

[Naamah_Darling]

Oh, man. This is . . . wow. A holiday smell, for sure. It's all hot spice and greenery, actually rather Christmasy. I like it very much in the bottle, though it strikes me as more of a room scent than a body scent.

 

On, it's pure luxury. I cannot imagine a more comforting smell. Yes, I can smell the pumpkin, and I can smell the apple, too. The patchouli is very soft and very dark, a subtle infusion more than an overt scent. The spices are warm and drifting, mixing freely with the smell of live evergreens.

 

As it wears, it becomes more perfume-y, much more spicy and sweet, with the apple and pumpkin taking center stage along with the spices, and something that is really wonderfully sweet and round and smooth and not at all familiar to me – the mullein, perhaps?

 

Such a friendly holiday scent. Beautiful and comforting.

[slave1]

SAMHAIN 06

 

In Bottle: Spicy outdoors

 

On Skin: This smells very similar to the last version of Samhain. It has the dominant spices followed by the fir. It’s like you’ve been walking in the woods and have just come inside and entered the warm kitchen full of baking. You still have the smell of ourdoors on you (the damp wood and fir) but you mostly smell the yumminess in front of you! Pumpkin pie in the oven complete with nutmeg, and a cup of hot cider with clove, allspice and apples just waiting for you. This scent is very warm and comforting, a perect fall scent, especially if you want to make people think you’ve been baking. Light to medium throw, average to long wearlength.