Hallow-e’en, 1914

[Bamels]

A welcome for the home-coming dead: an incense of dried ivy and maple leaf with honeyed fig, black cypress, and grave dirt.

 

2017 version.

 

It smells really green in the imp. Once on I can smell a tiny bit of smoke as well. It reminds me a bit of vertiver, which I hate, so I hope it dies down. There's something oddly nostalgic about this, emphasis on the odd! I'm not sure I can get past this eerie feeling, it is perfect for the name of the scent though!

[doomsday_disco]

2017 version.

 

In the decant: Musty, fallen leaves, dirt, and a hint of cypress.

 

Wet: Incense-y fallen leaves (musty, but not crumbly ones), dirt, cypress. It's somewhat smoky. The smokiness, combined with the fig, almost makes this veer into barbecue sauce territory on me. That's... odd. I wasn't expecting that. (Thanks, skin chemistry.)

 

Dry: Thankfully, that weird phase was short-lived, and it's now mostly dried leaves, dirt, and cypress, sweetened by the honeyed fig.

 

After a while, the honeyed fig note becomes the most prominent, with the leaves, dirt, and cypress mingling in the background.

 

Verdict: On a positive note, the dead leaf note didn't give me a headache! I don't think I can deal with that odd part of the wet stage of the scent again, though, so I will be passing on my decant.

Edited November 3, 2017 by dementia_divine

[LizziesLuck]

2017 version (I have wanted to try this for a while, was excited to see it's return!

 

Wet: Wow, this is great! It's a really dark, damp earth mixed with the dead leaves note I love (the one that really smells like dead leaves to me). Sadly then the vetiver amps up and overtakes the earth and it's not as pleasant (weird, as my skin doesn't usually amp vetiver, so it must be strong in this). I don't even see vetiver listed in the notes, but I sure smell it, it's unmistakeable. Love that maple leaf note though! Wish the honeyed fig was detectable to round it out.

 

 

Dry: It dries down into a leaf, dirt and tiny bit of ivy incense scent. I never get any of the fig, which makes me sad. It's a really nice scent. Not sure if I need anymore dirt or leaves scents, but it's good!

[lizabelle]

This is very heavy on the leaf notes, so much so that I almost don't smell anything else. A bit of fig does come through as it settles, but it mixes with the dirt and ends up as more of an earthy undertone. It's definitely more of a perfumey fig than a fruity or sweet one. I get no honey and no cypress, which is really disappointing. I thought this was a no-brainer from the notes, but it's much darker and heavier than I expected. I may let it age a bit before I swap it, to see if the fig or honey come out more with time.

[LiberAmoris]

2017 version:

 

Hallow-e’en, 1914 is really evocative. Wet, the maple leaf and ivy notes are strongest on me, smelling reminiscent of the dead leaves note. The grave dirt note is also really prominent, and the combination is perfect for conjuring up late October. As it dries, the cypress and honeyed fig come to the fore. The honeyed fig is particularly welcome as it adds a touch of sweetness. The notes here work really well together to create a portrait of a time and place. For those who love the scent of leaves and dirt, and who want an intensely atmospheric scent that doesn't skew gourmand.

[artoria]

2017 version:

Green in the bottle, very strong. Definitely not for everyone. It's heavy on the ivy and leaves and grave dirt, like you went to an old, overgrown, wooded cemetery and shoved your face in the ivy growing on the trees and stones there. You really need to like the smell of leaves, green and dead alike. I find that sweetened fig does come out on my skin a bit, but it's still rich and heady and brooding. BPAL's grave dirt note pulls sweet and incensey on me, and it just adds this dark, earthy haze to everything. This is no exception, but it's not as strong as the maple and ivy leaf notes in it, so it just plays things up in the background a bit more. I agree with the former review that this is a heavy scent, and that you need to really love earth and leaves for it. A lot. I personally love it, but I'd recommend a decant if you're not sure; it's really not for everyone, so it's risky going in blind on a bottle of it. This one is strong, with good throw and wear time, too.

Edited December 22, 2017 by artoria

[thecaitycat]

2014 version

 

In the bottle

Graveyard dirt, something green (ivy? not pine or cypress to my nose), and dead leaves. It smells loamy and dead without being depressing. This is not sweet at all.

 

Wet on skin

Oh yeah, this is dirt, maybe right after it's rained, along with dead leaves and that green ivy note. At least it smells like ivy to me or reminds me of ivy.

 

Dry on skin after 30 minutes

Still dirt, greenery, and some dead leaves, but also a little bit of concrete or stone - like a grave stone, maybe? And it's refreshing, not musty. I still don't get any sweetness.

 

Thoughts

This one is REALLY strong, so beware. A little goes a long way. But it's a lovely, non-floral, non-fruity autumnal scent, and it's unique within my collection.

[tinyvulture]

Maple leaves falling to the and damp earth...such an autumn scent...the final, bold scent of living leaves before they die and are covered with snow. I'm not really noticing fig or cypress, just leaves and the ground, but Its simplicity works for me because it's so evocative of childhood autumns living in the north...the time of year when the temp drops and the trees suddenly drop their leaves...this scent in the air everywhere, those days.

[puellacaerulea]

2014 version, because I apparently never reviewed it back when I first got it:

 

In the bottle: The Lab's dead leaf note, extra strong and sharp, with maple and something darker and green in the background (the cypress?). After applying: The dirt note gets more noticeable, while the dead leaves amp up almost to the point of sourness. On drydown, the sour note calms down, and the whole scent softens into a deeper, darker, more complex version of the Dead Leaves & X scents. When I first purchased this during its original run, I found the dead leaves too high-pitched and sour, but it seems to have mellowed out with age. Very autumnal in a non-foodie way, and I'm glad I pulled the aged bottle out of my stash.

[artisjok]

Hallow-e’en (2017 version) starts out rough on me. A mix of sharp dead leaves and green-yet-rotting leaves sprinkled with dirt to my nose. It lessens it’s effect maybe 10 min later to make way for honeyed fig. And it’s so gorgeous and unique when they all combine. I am glad the honey and fig come out to sweeten and smooth the jarring leaf combo on my skin. I like it more with every wear and it last longer than most scents on me. Puts me in a mood. Welcome October. 

 

Today, I layered it with Mouse Circus, and it’s like sauntering down a cool leaf-strewn lane, rummaging through a bag of treats. Atmospheric yumminess. 

[Lucchesa]

2014 version. This is gorgeous. I am a big fan of the dead leaves note, maple leaves especially, which is what ties this scent together. So it starts out as dead leaves, then there’s some sharper green ivy, the beautiful, mournful soil note and the early sweetness of the fig. And a thread of incense floating above it, all wrapped in the dead maple leaves. Good throw and wear length, too. Nostalgic, sigh-inducing.  Did I mention gorgeous? 

[Cali]

Strong and dark in the bottle. Almost too daunting (reminds me a lil of vetiver) to put on, but morphs on the skin a bit to mostly reveal gravedirt, some dead leaves (but not overpoweringly so), and I am pretty much getting a nice mix of the rest of the notes of ivy, maple, fig and cypress, that somehow blend to a sweet pulp. I like it but I unfortunately think it's giving me a headache even though it's not that strong. I'm just a weak baby though, don't let it scare you off, pun intended.