Samhain

[ladyjc]

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 2010

I think I finally found a Samhain that I can wear! Or maybe my chemistry has changed? I've tried '06 and '09 and they were both pipe tobacco from bottle to late drydown.

This incarnation of Samhain though...I'm actually getting some spices mixed with other things. I keep hoping for patchouli to rear it's (beautiful) head. I'm gonna let this sit for a week or so and see what happens. So far, so good!

[biocarolyn]

For Samhain 2010:

 

For reference purposes, I don't get patchouli from either the 2009 Samhain or this one. My nose doesn't smell it in the bottle, and my skin must eat it because no one else thinks this smells like patch (on me) either.

 

In the bottle, this is woodsy smelling, dry. I guess the leaves? It also has a bit of spice

 

Wet on my skin, and as it dries, the apples and maybe even a hint of wine or something similar come out. This is a more rounded Samhain on me than 2009. Definitely stronger apple, but still predominantly spices and woods.

 

This dries down really pretty, but since I loved 2009 I'm not suprised. I tried them next to each other as well, and I think I like this better- a little softer and rounder, more fruit, but still mostly spicy.

[venusinfurs]

I surprisingly loved this. I bought Samhain 2010 off the sale board on a whim.

 

In bottle - Straight patchouli. I was disappointed sniffing it in the bottle.

 

Wet on my skin - It immediately came to life on my skin! I smelled some spices and some slightly dry woods, like leaves and sweet hay, and the patchouli died down dramatically.

 

Dry on skin - Got sweeter and fruity - and smelled exactly like those spiced apple rings you can get around thanksgiving, mixed with a faint hint of the leaves/hay and patchouli. This is definitely a keeper!

Edited September 8, 2010 by venusinfurs

[claudia6913]

This is for the 2010 version.

 

In the bottle: Sweet spicy goodness.

 

Wet on skin: I think I really prefer fresh Samhain to aged. It's a bit rougher around the edges, but the spices aren't trying to overpower each other yet. They are softer and sort of wafting in and out.

Drydown: I was hoping for more apple in this year's version, but while I can smell a bit of it, I'm not getting a lot. Mostly just the spices and a tad bit of smoke.

 

Dry: Not as strong as last year's version, a little different, but without testing side by side, I can't be sure. Will update later for side-test.

[Truelove]

Samhain 2009 - when this dries down, all I can smell is honey. Very odd.

[redderz]

Samhain 2009

 

I really, REALLY want to like Samhain. I see so many good reviews of it. I've let my 2009 one age for a year and have just tried it again.

 

Wet: Very sweet, juicy apples. This is good. Very good.

 

Drying: Something medicinal coming out now. Ugggh. Probably the fir needle and woods. Obviously I don't do good with woody scents.

 

Dry: Still with the medicinal, and I can smell the patchouli strongly now. It's making me feel sick though. Nooo, Samhain, I really wanted to love you!

[ErciliaHernandez]

It seems that I am the only person that hated this. I had such high hopes for it, I expected it to smell like fall time with apples and cinnamon and kinda christmasy, but all I smelled was a disgusting medicinal note, like vicks, that made me want to vomit. I had to wash it off right away and it was still there. I tried it on another day, and the same thing occurred. Oh well, off to swaps or maybe it will make a good room scent. Sigh...

[Lorelai1945]

2010 Version

 

I also get a strong blast of something very strong and medicinal that lingers even after drydown. It's sad, too, because I can smell all kinds of good harvest smells hidden behind it- apples and spices and leaves. Unfortunately, that medicinal smell is killing everything else and gives me a headache. I may keep the decant around to see if that ages out, but for now this is really not wearable on me.

 

ETA: Tried my decant again tonight. I put less on, and I'm getting a lot less of the medicinal smell. I'm hoping that this becomes better with age.

Edited September 14, 2010 by VioletFemme

[krazyanjel]

Samhain '10

 

Ok, I don't normally do reviews, but this....Oooooh, THIS needs a review. Samhain is glorious. I was always drawn to the idea of it since I started collecting BPAL, and yet I never chased after it. I wish I hadn't wasted so much time not rolling around in this. This is exactly what I've been craving, but nothing was ever quite right. This is perfection.

 

Wet, this is cider apples, mixed with slight spice and a wisp of patchouli smoke. I get nothing medicinal that some others had found...for whatever reason, this just loves my chemistry as though it were born for it. Warm and thick without being heavy cider apples.

This. Is. Autumn.

 

Dry down, the patchouli fades, and what this becomes is apple pie baked apples dipped in honey. Honeyed spicy baked apples. How this can be, I don't know, because my skin HATES honey notes. All honey notes go nasty on me. Somehow Samhain has tricked my chemistry into behaving with the warm, delicious honey drenched apples. I'm in heaven. At some point late dry down (est 1.5 hours in) this starts to really amp the sweetness of the apple... almost to a sickening degree, but never quite getting there. It stays just under the red alert level of "too sweet".

 

Dry: The honey has pulled back, and I'm left with sweet apples... Kind of like when an apple becomes just over ripe and falls to the ground of an orchard. It's a ghostly scent, because if I put my nose to my skin, I can't smell it, and yet somehow I still keep getting rather strong phantom wafts.

Beautiful. Just beautiful.

[bellevivre]

Samhain '10- it's my first Samhain, and I am in love, though dont know if I'll bottle it- in the vial it was such a strong apple I almost thought it was rose, which is BAD, but now it's sweet-apple-forest and thus, delicious

[strahlend]

Samhain '10 - this is my first Samhain sniffing experience and I've fallen in love. Make that... LOVE. This feels like a combination of musky incense, spice and just a hint of something sweet - I'm assuming the pumpkin and apple, but I wouldn't have guessed those particular things without knowing. I love how warm and spiced this smells without smelling foody or like a candle. This really is a fantastic blend and I know I'm going to wear it a lot during this fall.

[Katherynne]

I take back everything bad I ever said about you, Samhain 2009. You aren't synthetic and cloying at all -- no, now you're rich, honeyed, and spicy-smooth. You smell just like my kitchen after a round of mulling cider and baking pies, with a touch of cool autumn air through the window, and the warmth of a candle's flicker on my hearth altar shelf. I get rich honey, soft but full-bellied pumpkin, ripe apples and kicks of spice.

 

What a mood lifter you were for me today.

[fairestrocza]

In the Bottle: Smells like my "unscented" hand lotion, with a slightly plastic tinge.

 

Wet on Skin: Warm (spices?) and slightly camphorous (the mullein?). The plastic note from the bottle disappears almost immediately.

 

While Drying: I can pick up the fir (very light) and apple (more a sweet impression of apples, rather than the juicy realistic note). The camphorous aspect fades behind spicy-sweet notes.

 

After a Little While: Beautiful layers of scent, each distinct but complementary. Gentle woods, sweet apple, a slight fizziness, and a faint warm wax note.

 

Later: Samhain has some throw, but it isn't aggressive. Little puffs of scent give the illusion of movement, swirrling eddies of scent that mingle to evoke a complex mood.

 

Final Thoughts: This scent really showcases the artistry of BPAL.

Samhain 2010 earns a 4.5/5 on my skin.

[plainjean]

Samhain 2010

 

Oh, man. This is so beautiful. To me, it's exactly like the decant of Samhain 2009 I received about a month ago. Cider mixed with (as the description says) damp woods—which I picture to be carpets of fallen leaves. It's dry, like a late October or early November wind. Like a bonfire, but it doesn't smell like a bonfire at all. It just has that dry smokiness to it, without the dreaded vetiver. Ha, I don't think this review is going to be very helpful. I will say that I'm not really getting any outright patchouli, but I believe it's the patchouli that's giving it a darker edge, and keeping it grounded.

[tealeaves]

This is really wonderful. It's the second Halloweenie I've tried, and I wasn't really sure what to expect as my skin chemistry is apparently crazy and scents never turn out like I expected them to.

 

In the bottle, it was woodsy and spicy, but I couldn't pick out any specific notes. On the drydown, though, it turned into a lovely mix of sweet apples, honey, spice (like spiced apple cider) and patchouli. Good thing I love patchouli. It's really warm, just sweet enough and perfectly reminescent of golden autumn leaves. BPAL really outdid themselves with this one.

[desertwaya]

My first Samhain (2010) & i was a bit afraid of it since the notes seemed very strong but it turned out just fine. I didn't smell any of the pumpkin sadly (this was the reason i picked this particular scent since no pumpkin patch this yr ) and no apples right out, what i got was damp woods at night w/ a slight mellow sweet scent. So im guessing the sweet mellowness was the pumpkin & apple, just not very obvious. This is a great scent & glad i picked it up though.

[milo]

Hmm, this is a cross between medicinal and cleaning product on me. Kind of like a herbally Detol.

Sniffing this makes me feel very uneasy, somehow, and its burning my skin and making two patchy red marks on my wrists. Wow, this has never happened to me before! Maybe with age, this would be nice, but right now, Im feeling pretty nauseous as Im smelling it.

[cherrycherry]

Although I adore patchouli, I do find that it can dominate most blends that include it. With the 2010 version of Samhain, it's almost a ghost in the background, deepening and darkening the spiced apples and damp, Autumn leaves.

 

Also, the throw is amazing. I put a little dab of this on last night whilst my husband was making us a drink and when he returned, he stopped in his tracks, inhaled deeply and asked what I'd just used. We both love this one. It's dark, serious and lush, all at the same time. Makes me all the more excited for Halloween

[Coldfire]

Decant: smells like Samhain night. i get the earthy woods vibe of this.

Wet on Me: Gentle Patchouli over something almost...antiseptice medicinal but in a very good way.

Drying Down: Still smelling like the night air when we have Samhain open ritual out doors. a touch mournful with out being melancholy. I get the damp woods and faintest of ghost whispers of the allple and pumpkin and spices. LOVING!

Dry: Love this! Amazing and warm and magickal smelling all at once!

[ThisPoisonKills]

SAMHAIN 2010

 

In the Bottle: A deep, dark, velvety scent, heavy on the patchouli and with a tang of some sort of herb-y bitterness.

 

Wet on Skin: Magically, apples and woody notes blossom out from under the patchouli, along with that delicious smokey smell of fall leaves burning.

 

Dry: Softens up and mellows to a delightful soft whispery mysterious fragrance. You know, the kind where you catch people sniffing and trying to figure out where it's coming from! This completely reminds me of walking in the woods in Autumn, crushing the damp leaves underfoot, but with a lightly sweet apple-cider fragrance on top. Extremely sexy smelling!

 

Hours later: Can still catch a whiff when I put my wrist to nose. Lasts on skin until I take a shower, but the throw has decreased to maybe a foot radius. Love love love it!

 

Mmmm... Samhain 2010 is just about my perfect Autumn scent!

[MtMoonKitty]

Samhain 2010

This is my first ever post on the forums. It is not exactly my first order, but my first order that includes a full size bottle. I love the Samhain 2010. It completely reminds me of a dark autumn night and its multiple layers make it a fun scent to wear. I can't find the pumpkin scent, for which I am a little disappointed. However, the leafy woodsy aroma that seems to carry a hint of smoke and apples is fantastic. So far it is my favorite BPAL scent, though I am really happy with the Mabon 2010 as well. They compliment each other nicely too, by the way.

I can't wait to see what comes out for Yule!

MtMoonKitty

[NaiadOreiad]

Samhain 2010:

 

Bottle: Herbal, tangy, AUTUMN. a hint of pumpkin and apple with lots of spices. Thank GOD i dont get heavy ptchouli from this.

 

Wet: A hint of the patch comes out, but the apples intensify first and then the pumpkin. LOTS of compliments form people while its wet.

 

DRY: Still full on excatly what the end of autumn smells like except a little softer. Whiss of pumpkin and apple pie are drifting up to my nose every time I move, and its glorious. was floating on a samhain cloud all day. Yesterday I felt kind of unusual wearing it, like it was too early in the season for it. But I was so excited i just had to wear it.

[ShannonElisabethJones]

Samhain 2010:

 

This may sound weird, but this smells like mulled chocolate. I definitely get the foody notes like clove, allspice and nutmeg, and they're blended with something almost creamy-smelling. And a tinge of herby patchouli and mullein.

 

I really really love this, and I'm glad I sprung for a bottle.

[countessmouse]

Samhain 2010:

 

In the bottle, spicy mulled cider. On my skin, this scent morphs like crazy! I'm getting it all - woods, spices, patchouli, cider and pumpkin (yay!). What a perfect scent for fall!

[ravenscanary]

Version: 2010

 

In the imp: Black, wet leaves. Kind of off-putting, honestly.

 

Wet: ...Vaseline and Vick's Vapo-rub. I'm so not kidding. It smells like gooey petroleum jelly with a hint of medicinal ick.

 

Dry: Less medicinal. Dirty patchouli and wet leaves. Absolutely none of the spicy or fruity notes. And still that petroleum jelly scent.

 

This may be the most disappointing BPAL I've ever smelled.