Samhainophobia

[ImperatrixMundi]

The fear of Halloween. Menacing Haitian vetiver, patchouli, and clove with a shock of bourbon geranium, grim oakmoss, and dread-inspiring balsams pierce the innocuous scent of autumn leaves.

WHERE IS MY VETIVER???

Ahem. Sorry.

I love vetiver but no, of all people, this does not give me a lot of vetiver at all. It smells like clove cigarettes when you open a fresh pack and something appely-sweetish. The vetiver is there too, but not as strong and prominent as I would have believed from other reviews. Clove and geranium have usurped the throne.
It is dark, yes but not as dread and deep and bitter as I had hoped at all.

All in all it is a strong blend, dark and rather warm, suitable for cold weather. Quite gothy as well.

[ravenfeathers]

this review is for the 2006 version

 

i accidentally put on samhainophobia the other night when i was reaching for samhain. oops! the weird thing is, they're similar enough that i didn't notice at first.

 

in the bottle dry and spicy with a tang of wet asphalt.

wet on skin the spiciness really amps up and has almost an evergreen scent, but not quite. this is about the time when samhain starts to go really warm and apple-y, but this gets darker and cooler instead.

dry on skin it doesn't morph much. there's still that sting of tar and pine and something darkly spicy. throw is so-so and wear length is medium long.

 

samhain is probably my favourite BPAL ever, so this was a fun little foray into a variation. i'm not sure it'll get much, if any, wear, though.

[purplemoonshoes]

Piney, woody, and earthy in the imp, like a forest. Softer on the skin, and the dominant note is oakmoss, tempered by the patchouli. Great fall scent, one of the few "woodsy" scents I like. Wish it had more throw.

ETA: I reviewed Samhainophobia 2006.

Edited December 21, 2007 by purplemoonshoes

[bookofblues]

My husband confiscated this imp as soon as he smelled it. I agree with his assessment that this is "kinder, gentler, but similiar in feel to Arcana's 'Guy Fawkes'". I mainly pick up a heavy dose of seriously smokey vetiver, autumn leaves, and a sweet almost molasses-like patchouli. This scent is definitely one of the more masculine ones I've tried, but I'd wear it too. About 2 or 3 hours, it's still faintly on the skin. Definitely a keeper.

[enderfem]

Bottle: I can definitely smell the moss! And unfortunately, nothing else.

 

Wet: The mossy smell, and something that smells like dirt, with something slightly darker and richer behind it.

 

Drydown: Dirty moss smell. I keep trying this and it keeps not working. I'm going to have to sell it.

[edenssixthday]

Samhainophobia 2007 – This scent reminds me somewhat of Samhain. The difference is, I have fallen in love with Samhain in the past year, and I don’t really like Samhainophobia this year. It’s like a darker, pumped-up version of Samhain. The 2007 version of Samhanophobia is a lot stronger and darker and heavier than the 2006 version, I think. It seems to have more of the scent of crunchy, dry autumn leaves and is heavier on the vetiver. I don’t care for the 2007 version as much as the 2006 version. It’s got incredible throw and a teeny tiny drop of it will keep me swathed in scent all day long.

[Lamia]

In the bottle, very green, that's the balsam (oh, those grim grim evergreens), on skin it lightens up immediately and the geraniums are dominant. I'm intrigued in how the patchouli is so understated. This is a very discreet scent, and I really like it.

[grashopper8]

I don't think the vetiver in this blend is sharp, pungent, overpowering, or anything like that. I find that the vetiver in Samhainophobia is actually nicely blended, understated, and sweetened.

 

Mostly, I smell autumn leaves and mulling spices, like apple-cider-cloves. The patchouli and vetiver smoke up the background, but I think they play quite nicely together when they're being so well-behaved.

 

It's really perfect for the concept, and it smells like a dusky night in late autumn. I'm impressed, I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I do. It's not as "Autumn Candle" smelling as Samhain, it's darker and more intriguing.

 

Excellent.

 

4.2 out of 5

[Allumina]

The geranium ruins this for me. I mostly get dark veviter and patchouli, no clove or other things, which is fine as I love those two- but then the geranium comes out giving me a floral headache and turning it into a rich, butch manly cologne. Oh well.

[GhillieDhu]

Not sure which year this is.

 

In imp: dark and mellow with a hint of pumpkiny sweetness in the back of the nose… promising.

 

On: WIN. Opens up with dead leaves, smooth sweet vetiver, and a subtle patchouli that's rich and almost fruity. Lightened a little by the floral geranium and given a faint pine-amber undertone by the balsams. In mid-drydown, I got a whiff of icy mint for a few minutes, but it was actually pretty pleasant. Clove isn't really noticeable, but may be contributing the suggestion of cider in the late drydown. Warm, earthy without being heavy, subtle, and antique. Need a bottle, stat!

 

Odd side note: the night before I tested this, I had a very odd dream involving David Tennant/the Tenth Doctor. HE SMELLED LIKE THIS. Which only makes me like it more.

[delicate_fangs]

I'm testing Samhainophobia 2007, and having the same experience as enderfem did: it's all about the oakmoss, and not in a good way for me, alas.

 

Here are my review notes:

 

Starts out very sharp and masculine-perfumey, and then goes to garden-oakmoss-soil, and now it's doing an impersonation of a rotting turnip. I think my skin chemistry does not like this one. Oh, well. Might have to wash it off.

 

edited to add: later, and even after I wash it off, there's a very nice drydown that I think would smell wonderful on a man or on a woman who likes men's cologne scents. It's not one I can wear, but it's got a lot of goodness to it.

Edited October 2, 2008 by delicate_fangs

[faded_stranger]

Samhainophobia 2006.

 

This is my absolute favorite autumn scent. I wear Jack and the '05 Pumpkin Patches in September and October, but November is all about Samhainophobia. It's a very dark scent, heavy on the vetiver and the patchouli without being, you know, heavy. It's very woodsy and resin-y on my skin, which I love. I try to wear perfume very discreetly when I'm going to class so as not to disturb people with allergies, but on this one I always get compliments, no matter how subtly I applied it.

 

Nothing else says gray skies and dead leaves quite like this, snatch it up if you get the chance.

[Celestyna]

'07version.

in the bottle i thought i'd hate it.

but on me, I loved it and got lots of compliments.

can't really smell the patchouli. more like a boozy sliiight vetiver and woodsy.

a curious scent, and a keeper. ended up getting a bottle.

[rayvn1]

This really surprised me - not much vetiver at all. This is actually what I always thought Samhain would smell like (Samhain always goes to dirty pumpkin on me). So! Samhain without the pumpkin. I smell warm, cider elements and dark, dirty patchouli (Yes!) The oakmoss and fallen leaves predominate. This is fantastic - I just wish it had longer wear, as it fades pretty quickly. Good throw when it's at its peak, though.

 

Edit because no-one needs another scent description...

Edited January 11, 2009 by rayvn1

[crebbsgirl]

Alright full disclosure, I have no idea what year this is, but if I had to guess, I would say 06.

 

This is a rush of vetiver out of the bottle, which quickly simmers down on my skin and the resulting scent is a smoky, earthy blend. The patchouli and bourbon geranium are standouts here, with the clove wafting through the blend. I had to go over the other reviews a couple of times because I kept getting an apple scent that I thought I was imagining but I see that other people smelled it too... so that's reassuring. This is a beautiful, dark autumn blend, and I am so glad I got to try it. I can see this going into heavy rotation.

[Ceri]

In the vial: Very woody.

 

Wet: Woody, nutty and medicinal.

 

Dry: Dark incense.

 

Overall: Not for me.

[asciident]

Wet: Vaguely like pumpkin? Huh.

 

First on: Spicy and oakmoss.

 

Dry: Faded; just a little hint of moss left.

[Monster]

2007 version

 

The vetiver in this is anything but menacing...it is pure love one of the prettiest vetiver scents I have ever sniffed.

As this dries I'm smelling more balsam and a sharp, bright oakmoss. The vetiver paired with the balsam is creating that old book sort of smell on my skin (which vetiver and khus often do for me).

Samhainophobia vaugely reminds me of Incantation (just without the lemon notes).

 

I haven't sniffed this in over a year now and it has aged beautifully. I think this just may be a new favorite for me. I'm sad I never picked up the 2006 version of this...but that was back when I was still at odds with what has become my favorite note, vetiver. <3

My husband will also want to wear this but I'm not sharing!

[Invidiana]

Samhainophobia is indeed black and menacing. There is something ancient about that is perversely irresistable, tempered by a sweet undercurrent from the patchouli (note: I amp anything remotely sweet so this might just be my body chemistry). It's the turn-of-the century stone house down the street that had a bullethole in the window and a faceless mannquin staring out. It's the one Halloween we passed a convicted rapist's house, heard a rustling in the leaves and bolted like crazy. It's the creepy old man's door I always dreaded knocking on when going trick-or-treating. The sinister scent of Samhainophobia evokes a centuries-old basement haunted by vestiges of mysterious and evil things.

Edited September 25, 2009 by Invidiana

[Schmoozy]

 

2007 Version

 

Strong smoky vetiver, earthy patchouli and oakmoss. It is very woody, slightly spicy, earthy and dark. The scent of leaves mingles throughout the blend, and there is the smallest hints of booze. Overall, once I get past the screaming vetiver and patchouli this is a true autumn scent. Definitely not a skin scent for me, but it will be perfect in a oil burner.

[semuelle77]

I pick up a decant of Samhainophobia (07, I think) about a year and a half or two years ago. I tried it at the time and was rather meh about it.

 

A month ago I tried it again on a whim and OH HONEY! This bad boy aged beautifully. Deep, slightly spicy, smokey. It is Autumn in liquid form. This scent is not for those who like girly, femenine scents. I feel as thought I am out on a chilled October night. Leaves are burning in a bonfire, a mug of something warm and strong is clasped in my mittened hands. This is a scarf and sweater scent.

 

I tried it on my boyfriend and it was a sexy, masculine blend. On me it was very gender neutral without being butch.

 

I snatched up a bottle here on the forum and passed on my imps to the boy. Now I need to figure out if a second bottle is in order...

[GeorgeJr]

For a immediate comparison , this really reminds me of Raven Moon , but for me it's a bit less feminine than R M . It also has very little throw . However , the throw it has is quite nice . This is a very cool , dark kind of scent . Really nice & I hope it'll make a come back sometime soon . Also , this is the 07 blend . I just sniffed it by Raven Moon . So it doesn't really smell like it It has some similarities , but R M is more sweet in a fruity kind of way . It does have vetiver , but it's a wholly different kind of vetiver . It has the smell , but not the usual sharp hotness I associate vetiver with . This is more of a woody / root-y vetiver . The combo of notes makes for a almost musky kind of blend .

[Geminirubyshoes]

I just got the 2006 version. It's much different than the description! to me it smells like Samhain (appley spice) with vetiver and dead leaves. But it's light. I was expecting dark, intense vetiver and oakmoss. Not that I am complaining, I love the way it smells! so autumnal! it's just very different that what I expected. I love the menacing pumpkin peeking in the window at the cringing child on the label too

[killerklown]

2007 version:

 

Oh ick. Vetiver and me clearly do not get along. Went almost as bad on me as The Death of Autumn did, but went straight to ick then right in to baby powder.

 

Definitely for the for sale pile.

[Andrea912]

The fear of Halloween. Menacing Haitian vetiver, patchouli, and clove with a shock of bourbon geranium, grim oakmoss, and dread-inspiring balsams pierce the innocuous scent of autumn leaves.

Went medicinal, kind of like a bandaid, on me