Samhainophobia

[Heretic]

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.

 

In the Bottle: Ah, my beloved vetiver! And some subtle muskiness lurking beneath.

On my wrist, wet: This is lovely. Warm and woody with a little bit of spiciness. The vetiver takes a back seat and lets the other notes come out to play.

After 20 minutes: This is a warm, dark green scent That starts out rather strong and fades quickly to something soft and subtle. The individual notes are all present, but they reveal themselves gently. On my skin, nothing in this blend amps or battles with other notes. It's absolutely gorgeous and I will get another bottle with my next order.

[Tramp]

This is a dark one. I love that a scent can actually smell mysterious. I get goosebumps from this - it is very evoctive. I actually don't get vetiver at all from this - and I love vetiver so am a little bummed. It smells like deep woods, the oakmoss really comes through, and there is a woody, resinous vibe that is wonderful. There is the slightest hint of sweetness in the top notes mixing with the clove and something almost alcoholic.

[karmageddon]

This reminds me a lot of Two Monsters, but sweeter. TM has that deep, astringenty bite and this one has a more of a gentle nibble, less sour and more warm and enveloping... but just as mysterious and dark.

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

Sweet patchouli

 

On me:

Right off the bat, this scent goes on a lot like Samhain to me. It has that smooth, deep patchouli with hints of something lighter and sweeter in the background. It doesn't take too long to darken up though and that spicey, deep vetiver really kicks in. This has some real kick to it in my opinion, the spice is very nice and works well with it's overall woodsy fall quality. In the background there is something faintly sweet and almost fruity smelling to my nose, I'm not sure what it is since no fruit is listed for this scent.

 

Overall though, this does make me think of fall in a husky, burning leaves and woods kind of way. It is reminiscent of the smell of the air when someone is burning leaves, which I think is a fantastic smell.

 

Final note:

This is Samhain's older brother - deeper, darker, more mature. If Samhain is the celebration of the bounty of Autumn, then Samhainophobia is the celebration of the decay. It just has a woodsy, burning quality to it without being acrid, which I really appreciate. Lovely.

[joseybird]

I definately smell the connection to Samhain--the spicey leaves note is definately present! However, there's no warmth to Samhainophobia, and beyond the leaves and spice is a harsh cedar-woodiness, mossiness and...yes...a slightly unpleasent decaying note I'm not sure I like. However, I was complimented on this about 15 minutes after I applied it, and I love the name, so I'm not sure yet as to whether or not I should keep it....

[savage_rose]

In the bottle: Brooding and herbal. Dark, and "phobic". Very nice!

 

Wet: Sort of resinous smelling. One of those odd, wood-burning fire scents. Very "torch-bearing" village mob-ish. Very interesting!

 

Dry: Not sure what this note is, but it smells like tobacco...the little foil parts of Mom's packs of "Benson & Hedges" when I was little. My husband thought there was a bit of sweetness to it as well, like lavender. It's okay...it smells somewhat purifying, like a smudge stick with different herbs. I don't think I've ever smelled anything like this before.

[miss apple]

Samhainophobia - in the bottle it's all vetiver (which I used to dislike immensely but here I love it). This is definitely a blend with a smell of fear. For the most part this stays a strong veitver with a hint of something musky underneath. After a few hours I can smell the fall leaves though. Smokey and dark with a bit of resin mixed in - maybe that's the clove? It's not sweet but gives the darkness a bit of depth, a shifting quality. I'm suprised how much I like this - it's the perfect dark, spookily evil perfume!

[sarada]

Samhainophobia is, for me, the perfection of Samhain.

 

When I first tried Samhain '04 it went through a very deeply smoky, piney stage early on, and that is what this is, through and through. In the bottle, while it's mostly sweet, dark, earthy vetiver, it rapidly morphs into that woodsmoke Samhain scent on my skin.

 

As with the other reviews I am writing today, I tested this in the woods, and I think the fragrance really took off on me in that setting. Surprisingly, I smell just about everything that is in Samhain, in this -- the cidery deep apple and spiciness, but much stronger in this are the woodsmoke, dark pine and smooth, earthy vetiver.

 

Oh yes, this is a sarada scent. This will bump Samhain down a notch on my ever-lengthening favorites list.

[keltic]

In rereading the notes in this scent, I have to chuckle at wanting to try it at all – evil patchouli does indeed lurk in this!

 

In the bottle: sharp and dark smelling, I can smell the vetiver and something more malevolent… patchouli? (this was early this morning before checking the blend again).

 

Wet: ah, cedar and spicy green jump to the front, but there is a dark shadow playing behind it all. I'm nervous at this point, not wanting to be unexpectedly clobbered by the big stick patchouli carries around me. But vetiver seems to be winning the battle as this begins to dry-down…

 

Dry-down: … into something with the sharp piercing note of clove that Samhain has for me, but the warm spicy and snap of autumn is missing. This simply remains sharp, almost bitter, and darkness continues to lurk at the edges with it's harshness.

 

Verdict: I love the play on Samhain (one of my top 3 scents), and the fact that I'm wearing something with patchouli that hasn't mugged me yet. I'll definitely use the decant I got, but no need for a bottle.

[kraken]

In the Bottle: Sharp like cut grass--not lawn grass, but giant stalks of elephant or field grass. There's a hint of spice in there too.

 

Initial Wet: Very strong vetiver and clove. There's an almost-mint green undertone, which I think might be part of the geranium. It's very leafy and grassy, but reminiscent of cut or dying leaves--not quite all dead and dry, but not living and brightly green.

 

Initial Dry: Wow, the throw is strong, like arm's length+ strong--something sweet and spicy and cloying. The geranium is really prominent and behind that is the vetiver. For a while it's very "perfumy" where I can't pick out any notes specifically.

 

Drier Dry: The throw has faded significantly and the primary note is now a sweet grassy scent with the hint of decaying grass underneath it. It reminds me of a pile of hay that's been left out too long.

 

I'm still not sure about this. I'm not sure it's a me-scent. I do like the drier dry scent and I like the idea of the scent, but the strength of the throw nearly makes me nauseous, and it lasts for a couple hours. Like many scents, I think I'll put this in the back of the box for a few months and see what happens to it. It's not an instant no, but it's a not an instant like either.

 

ETA: The throw has turned to soap I guess it's definitely not a me-scent.

Edited October 5, 2006 by kraken

[themerrybaker]

Wow.

 

As Samhainophilic as I am, I am floored by Samhainophobia. Many reviews mention a "creamy" scent for blends that are anything but on me. This is one where the description fits. Sam is dry, deep, dark, and rich. If it has a cat on the label, I'm definitely going to spring for a big bottle.

[batsy]

Geranium bourbon patchouli. Yipe! It's powerful, far too much to me. It's an earthy-aquatic, if that makes any sense. Off to the swap pile.

[vihanei]

I nearly didn't get this - I'd figured from the overwhelming list of dark notes that it would be too much for me, but I took a chance and added it to a decant circle order (literally at the last minute!). OH I am so glad I did!

 

Somebody upthread called this Samhain's older brother, and I'd definitely agree. It's what I thought I'd get from Samhain last year, and didn't. (Don't get me wrong, I love Samhain, but it's much warmer on me than I thought it would be).

 

The scent goes on in an initial splurge of "HOLY YIKES VETIVER." Seriously seriously strong. I was afraid, on the first test, that it was all over and done for right there. But within only a few minutes, it calms down into this lovely, deep, cool scent. I know there are no apples listed on the notes, but I'm getting just a touch of the same warm, cidery top-note as Samhain; the bottom notes, though, are so much cooler and darker. If Samhain is a chilly autumn afternoon with cider, this is definitely evening, with the moon riding high.

 

Absolutely fantastic. I'm buying a bottle. I'm trying to convince myself that there's no way I need two.

[mountainwitch]

Experience says this should be evil, ravening STINK on me. Vetiver? Usually turns into Deep-Woods Off. Patchouli? Nope, I don't do patchouli.

 

So why do I love this so much?!

 

It's sharp, but sharp and wicked and dark. It's a spicy, dark fragrance that works for me, a shockingly-wonderful blend. I had no intention of trying this, but I picked it up as part of my decant circle for my vetiver-lovin', patchouli-wearin' friends. And now . . .

 

THEY CAN'T HAVE IT! The Samhainophobia is mine, I tell you, ALL MINE!

[sookster]

this is my fav of all the halloweenie blends that beth has put out for 2006~~~

i am swooooooooning for certain

 

first sniff from bottle has got to be the haitian vetiver...insanely gorgeous; resinous, deep, thick !!

 

once applied the bourbon geranium has got me in a tizzy...a slight note of clove

and this is "spooky sookster"!!! yum

 

gotta be buying another bottle of this one before it goes bubbye...

 

gah...it must age like soooo fantabulous as well...

[fiddlehead]

This was so much like Samhain 05 when I put it on that I got a big grin on my face. But it seems less sweet than that. Less...thick? And there is this note I've never smelled before that reminds me of cool air, or water near by. This is fascinating! A walk in the Autumn woods by a stream at night. I don't know what it is, that note, but it does manage to evoke "chilly" without being the typical aquatic. This is just...wow. I'm, how do you say...gobsmacked. Very strange, very beautiful. I hope that note doesn't disappear.

 

I cannot pick out any of the individual notes in this, much like Samhain. It definitely evokes a scene in my mind, though.

 

And the label is adorable!

 

ETA I've had this on for most of the day now. It's way more subtle on me than Samhain and I like that it's less sweet. I think I can identify the geranium at this point...

Edited October 16, 2006 by fiddlehead

[Nadirah]

I absolutley Love this scent. Its like Samhain but without the apple and pumpkin. Its autumn leaves, Trees and damp earth. There is almost that element in Devils Night that I didnt like, but this isnt that overpowering Sugary Aquatic scent that is in DN. Nothing sweet, except maybe the smell of Pinion. Overall, its definalty something I want to wear alot of!

[edenssixthday]

Samhainophobia - This actually smells strikingly like Samhain to me, only a bit sweeter and much, much better. Although it's heavier than Samhain, it's not nearly as cloyingly thick and overpowering. When I read the scent description, I can smell every single scent listed, but they are very hard to distinguish from one another because they're so exquisitely blended. I also am positive I smell a hint of apple in this blend, but it's not in the ingredient list, so maybe I'm just a bit crazy. The vetiver is probably the note that makes this such a heavy, dark scent, and the clove is what spices it up, making it really jump out at me. It's an incredible Autumn scent, and smells amazing on me, although I would have never anticipated it based on the scent list. This scent has really good throw -- a tiny drop goes a very long way, and it lasts for a very long time. If I apply before I leave for work in the morning, I can still smell it on my skin at lunch time, but it needs to be applied shortly thereafter, so I'd say it has a 4-5 hour wear length, which on me, is really, really good, as my dry skin tends to eat up most scents very quickly. Wonderful scent, this one!

Edited October 17, 2006 by edenssixthday

[steffanina]

Samhainophobia-

 

In Bottle: Mm, sweet like pipe tobacco, and I'm sure that wood-and-chocolate smell is vetiver. I'm finally getting better at identifying it.

 

Wet: A lot like pipe tobacco!

 

Dry: This is so dry and hot and desert-like, this scent! The sweetness fades; I'm left with this spare, parched scent like burned grass. Really interesting! Not a scent I think I'll want often, though.

 

Overall: Interesting but I'm not sure I'll keep it.

[portalkat]

This is the perfect spooky night scent. This is the sound of crackling leaves behind you as you walk and of the smell of fabric and leather. This is the feeling that you get when you turn around and there is no one there, but the scent of something feral hangs in the air. This is dark and mysterious and just a little foreboding.

 

There is a sharp earthiness from the vetiver, oakmoss and patchouli with flashes of sweetness from the geranium. This is truly a dark and evocative blend.

[blackheartedangel]

If you like Samhain but wanted something darker this is it! I love it, it's everything I was hoping Samhain would be ... It's dark, brooding, earthy, spooky ... the perfect chilly fall night scent

[gypsifire]

strong in the bottle but mellows out once on the skin...smells like a cold autumn evening out in the woods...i absolutely adore this scent-it manages to not have any one note overpowering but blends perfectly.

[QueenFae]

A heavy, deep sinister scent. Dark vetiver with creeping wisps of patchouli. There's an autumn sweetness that runs through the base; sort of like that similar note in All Saint's. It's a very masculine scent for me; and I immediately picture a wizard cloaked in black. This will probably smell fabulous on the boy, but not my type of thing.

[maijasu]

I found Samhainophobia to be very similar to Samhain, but it doesn't have the same sweetness. The spices and patchouli are there, though, and the vetiver doesn't overpower them. I actually like this one more than I thought I would, and am thinking I might actually like it a little bit better than Samhain. I'm undecided about a bottle, but may keep my decant and ponder a bit.

[Blood onmy hands]

Samhain and I didn't get along at all, so I was hoping that Samhainophobia would be more my style. And I just want to say that the Halloween labels are all so amazing this year. I love this one in particular (child being scared by a jack-o-lantern while reading a ghost story... it's just so mean, lol).

 

This smells very much like Samhain in the bottle, but with a sweeter spice to it than Samhain has. Something in Samhain ended up smelling dirty like cigarette ash on me.

 

On me... this is a smoky, earthy blend. But not smoky in a bad way, it smells more like a sweet incense to me. Dry leaves, sweetly spicy cloves, and hints of earthy patchouli are dominating this one for me. Samhainophobia is like a Halloween incense... dark, smoky, and sultry.

 

I'm glad that this doesn't turn on me like Samhain does.