Samhain

[OpheliasVengeance]

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 '08


Ah! This is what I had wished last year's October to be.

In the bottle: spices with a hint of smoke
Wet: the spices and the smoke mingle and there is a leaf note that also takes hold
Dry down: Fall leaves swaying in spicy smoke

A great Autumn scent! It reminds me of hanging around the open fire on a fall night, waiting to embark on a haunted walk into the woods.

[Kippy]

Samhain 08

 

I'm new, so never had a chance to try the previous versions. I'll compare to Harvest Moon, since it's similar in notes. HM was fir and spiced cider. Samhain is also fir and spiced cider - however, there is less fruitiness and more spices here. Samhain is more wearable while HM seems more potpurri or room scent. HM seems like a contrived fall scent, where Samhain invokes the season while doing it's job of making you smell fantastic.

 

Really quite lovely. Edited to add, DAMN WHAT SMELLS SO GOOD??? OH IT'S ME!! Quite lovely doesn't cover it. Must.get.another.bottle.

Edited September 5, 2008 by Kippy

[Leopard403]

This is my first time trying Samhain, and oh how I wanted to love it.

But no.

Because all I smell is BandAids.

[jehrichardson]

In the Bottle: Any English people out there? This smells like the fruit for Christmas Cake - raisins and rum and spices and citrus. Mmmmm! *slurp*

 

Just kidding on the *slurp*, but I'm seriously tempted.

 

On the Skin: Mint and Pine and a soupcon of Chloraseptic Throat Lozenges. The Christmas Cake is completely gone.

 

After a While: Chloraseptic and pine. Nice, but not a wowzer.

 

Verdict: Seriously? Christmas Cake room scent? Bring it on! I'll not be wearing this one but will liberally splash the proverbial halls with it for that wee bit of extra Christmas cheer. Plus, it might come in handy if I get a cold.

 

ETA: Wow, it changed again! See below:

 

After a While Longer: Christmas Cake and a bit of chloraseptic - just enough to be nice.

 

Verdict: Lovely! I adore it, just have to tough it out through 20 minutes of a sore throat in a piney wood - worth it though. Yum!!

 

As a side note, also smells nice when accidentally layered with Aizen-Myoo.

Edited September 8, 2008 by j4r

[tartchef]

Samhain 2006, I believe...

 

I was expecting patchouli & like WHOA, but Samhain's actually a very subdued scent. Festive, but in a quietly merry sort of way, a few friends huddled round the bonfire roasting apples. There's a note that initially wrinkles my nose - something vaguely salty & sweaty. It's not objectionable, per se, just unexpected. The fir, woods & clove are predominant, but as it dries down, the apple steps forward - tart & juicy, a Pippin, not a Delicious. The extended dry down is a lovely blend of fermented apples, deep herby evergreen, and an amazing spiced honey... I think it's the pumpkin my nose is interpreting as honey...

 

 

ETA: 2 things... One, is there myrrh in here? Because after about 6 hours, that's what I started getting - apples & myrrh It was lovely! Two, holy long wear, Bat Man! I can still smell it this morning, nearly 20 hours later! It's just a faint wash of evergreen & apple, but still The Yum. I was just going to be content with my decant, but a few more tests & this may become a bottle want...

Edited September 10, 2008 by tartchef

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Sweet, spiced apple

 

On Application

Fir, cool night air and apple

 

Dry Down

Woody and piney with the sweetness of the apple. The patchouli emerges quite strongly after about 5 minutes. This changes constantly but overall spicey, smokey woods is where it ends up. I like!

 

Rating (0-5)

4

[femmefatale]

I wondered about the myrrh too, because I swear I catch a bit of that in here.

At first it's a strange mix of sweetness, woods, and something slightly sharp. As it dries I begin to catch a bit of the patchouli and the spice begins to come out more, along with just enough smokiness. Sadly, I'm not getting much of the apple. It's very nice though, but one bottle should be enough.

 

In my locket it's quite a bit different. It is sweeter and has a strangely aquatic feel to it. Like fall when I used to live near the beach. This was a great scent to try today since it's cool and rainy and I am very much ready for autumn.

[NixieCakes]

Oh dear. The first time I tested this it was fall-time perfection with just enough of everything peeking out. The next morning I put it on before work and the patchouli attacked me and made me a little sick. So strong. I think I will let this age a little and maybe it will be the same perfection I got the first time.

[iiinterstate]

...Vicks' Vapo Rub?

 

I wish I were kidding. This is a dead ringer. I have only ever heard amazingly awesome things about Samhain and I'm a tad bit confused at the moment.

 

Later: much the same. I think there's a bit of allspice in there now, but that's all.

 

[rayvn1]

This is from a 2006 decant. Oh so nice! Warm, comforting and very "pumpkin baking in the oven" as in a squash, not a pie. The spices are there and also a hint of the patchouli. This isn't foody, just a perfect representation of a warm house with a fall scent squash-ness to it. I kinda love it

 

Edit: I just received a decant of Samhain 2008 and the experience is very different! I almost get black tea from this one - faint, but black, earthy, smoky and spicy. It's like the smell of darkness - no pumpkin at all. Wow!

Edited January 9, 2009 by rayvn1

[kelpsoda]

Wet: Holy pine/patchouli! All I get from this is pine (fir needles?).

 

dry: pine has backed off and I mostly get woods, dried leaves and patchouli now. There's also a whiff of apple, but it's hiding in the background. All in all, this really is a good autumn scent, if I can get through the first 20 min.

 

 

.

[peacecat30]

I literally just got my decant of Samhain and had to try it. I too smelled BandAids in the bottle and wet on my skin. But very shortly, within minutes, the BandAid smell was gone, replaced by a lovely scent of autumn. I'm horrible at identifiying notes, but it smelling it definitely says fall to me. It's earthy and natural, dry leaves, some spice, maybe the tiniest hint of smoke in the distance. I'm going now to freeze my credit card in a block of ice...I fear I may need a bottle!!

 

This is my first time trying Samhain, and oh how I wanted to love it.

But no.

Because all I smell is BandAids.

[IronMollyBlack]

This is my first time trying Samhain, and oh how I wanted to love it.

But no.

Because all I smell is BandAids.

 

 

Bandaids here, too. And spicy bandaids on the drydown. *sigh* Skin chemistry.

[sirsaber]

What can I say to give this justice? This is autumn incarnate. Everything blends so well. I never smelled bandaids but the apple came out the gate hard and strong. Shortly thereafter the other scents caught up and made this pure beauty. This is my last review of this order......all I gotta say is thanks for the memories.

[charshark]

This is my first time with Samhain, so I don't know what it was like before. Anyways:

 

In the imp: Pine and patchouli!

Wet: I can definitely smell the nutmeg and the clove and a bit of pumpkin and apple. Pine is still the strongest note I detect, though.

Dry: The pine takes a backseat and now it smells like a pumpkin pie spiked with apples.

Overall: A very good autumn scent! It smells very complex, yet it's warm and inviting. I wanna bake now!

[ouch!]

The wet stage of this is...well...no that nice to me, I'm not really a fan of heavy fir/pine, and this is what I'm getting, along with alot of patchouli.

 

The drydown is where this turns gorgeous, really really gorgeous!

 

It goes sofffffffffffter. The pine goes away and patchouli is beautiful. Now it's where the other notes come forward, but the whole thing is alot softer and sweeter than I had expected. I can detect the apples ever so slighty, no pumpkin...which is ok...I think there are enough pumpkin scents to give me my fix. There's a bit of nutmeg and spice..and there's a sweet powderyness to it. (That's the patchouli on me).

 

This is something that I think will waft around you in quite a big way...two of my flatmates when I came downstairs said...what are you wearing? And one said...that is gorgeous!!!!

 

I really really like this...I got really scared of the wet stage and stupidly swapped it!! Ooops. It's ok I'll get another one hehe!

[Iceblink]

Hmm...I'm mostly getting apples and pine from this, with some spiciness. No pumpkin or patchouli at all! Not what I was expecting. It's a nice spicy apple scent but I was hoping for something darker. Glad I finally tried it though!

[Juushika]

The 2008 version, picked up in a decant circle.

 

In the vial: I couldn't say, except that I don't like it. It's dark, smoky, dirty, and bitter. The only note I can pick out distinctly is pine.

 

On me: Predominantly dark and smoky when it goes on. This is nightime forest, after the rain and late in the year, when the vegetation has aged and some of it is rotting; there's a fire fed by damp logs, unfurling smoke into the night; underfoot, the dark soil of the forest floor. Within half an hour, red apples, a general "fruit" which may be the addition of pumpkin, and mixed spices become discernible and gain strength. They rise until they stand equal with the dark smoky forest, and they're a bit sweet—but not unpleasantly so. The strength and throw increase during wear.

 

Verdict: In the vial, I dislike it; on wet, I'm doubtful; after half an hour, I'm won over. Samhain a bit sweeter than I expected (which may just be my skin chemistry) which seems a touch out of place against the woods; otherwise, it's wonderfully balanced and just lovely. The dark smoky forest is evocative, and the apples and spice make the blend more palatable and easy to wear. The boy says it smells like Christmas; to me, it's the long holiday season stretching from Halloween to Twelfth Night. It's lovely, and I'll definitely keep my imp.

[Hayet]

I keep reading Samhain reviews every year and wondering if I got the same oil...

Last year's was straight up cinnamon followed by vetiver, and gave me a rash. This year's made me even sadder: dirty wet dog and pine sol, with a patchouli afterburn. WTF? Where's the lovely spices? I love all these elements, but this particular combination was just heartbreakingly not tolerable on me. Perhaps next year....

[birdiefu]

Samhain 06

 

First on, it is warm pumpkin (without butter) and apple with mulling spices with some heavy smoke. After a few minutes I get a blast of menthol and fir.

 

As it dries down, the notes blend a lot better, I get a touch of fir, some spices, and smoky cider, and the pumpkin is gone. There is also the smell of cold air outside making it very evocative of autumn. As it dries further, I am left with mostly smoky, spicy cider.

 

Very lovely and a perfect fall scent, lasts forever and nice throw.

 

Samhain 08

 

This seems lighter and fades faster than the 06 version, perhaps it will be closer with aging.

 

First on, I get not-too-strong spices and that odd menthol with fir note again. As it dries, a crispy apple scent comes out, much lighter than 06 and more like apple slices than cooking apples. As it dries more, it turns into a very lightly smoky apple cider, with just a hint of that cold air scent that disappears fast. Further into drydown as it fades away, I get light, sweetened apple.

 

Nice, but not as much of a total-autumn experience to me as the 06 version. Will have to test again after further aging.

Edited October 3, 2008 by birdiefu

[LadyLuckless]

Samhain 08

 

I couldn't wait to try this, I was born on Halloween night so I really wanted it to work for me...

 

Oh my gosh, it's Halloween in a bottle! It starts out feeling very dark and cold, and different facets reveal themselves during drydown. The cold note mellows, and the high scent of Autumn leaves take over. Sweet apples (maybe pumpkin as well, I'm not so good at picking it out) and a dash of patchouli come out to play. Sweetish tangy smoke and spices swirl through the whole thing. Then the scent gradually changes and notes switch places and intensities: the warmer notes are in the forefront, and the cool smokey air plays backup. The leaves are always present, and breathtaking. It's like a journey- like walking through a crisp Halloween night, and ending up on your cozy front porch with your treats. Unbelievably beautiful, I love it beyond words!

 

But seriously, it's a story in a bottle! How does she do this!?

[starwild]

My first time trying any Samhain blend. This is the '08.

 

I can sum it up in three words: HUBBA HUBBA, BABY.

 

This is so sexy, delicious, and mysterious. It's not overwhelming, but it's dark, spicy, with a hint of something that is very like an old forest. It's not the foody scent I thought it would be, it's more like Schwarzer Mond, with the dark, enticing, want-to-devour-yourself richness. It's perfectly reminiscent of a late fall night, and the smoke from a fire. Although it was a little intimidating at first, it's like walking through a scary haunted house and then coming out to have cider with friends and tell ghost stories in a damp campground.

 

This is going on my bottle wishlist for sure! Amazing. I can't believe I waited so long to try it.

 

ETA: I swear I didn't read LadyLuckless' review before writing mine, yet we both compared it to a journey. Ha, great minds think alike about great perfume. Seriously, if it doesn't work at first, let it morph.

Edited October 4, 2008 by starwild

[pacifick]

2008 version.

 

I wanted to love it, but just like iinterstate, on me it's Vicks. Right after I put it on my husband walked by and said, "coming down with a cold?" If I put my nose right up to it, I can smell the apple underneath, but the throw--and it's huge on me--is Vicks.

 

Maybe next year.

[lioness]

First time trying any of the Samhain's, I have 2008. Bought a bottle un sniffed, because the description sounded lovely!

 

In the bottle: there's a sharp smokey scent. Ooh this isn't what I was thinking it was going to be, will I like this?

 

wet on skin: very smokey, and theres a little bit of the apple I think, still sharp though, could that be the fir leaves?

 

Dry on skin: Mmmm this is like heaven, all smokey leaves and spice with a touch of apple

 

Like LadyLuckless and starwild said, it's a journey through an old worn down building and having the hallowe'en party on the lawn. Def. glad I got a bottle!

Edited October 4, 2008 by lioness

[innocent]

2008 version

 

Samhain is drinking merlot in a forest's tangled underbrush with someone you're not quite sure you trust.

Uncertain.

And a little bit dangerous.