Samhain

[Lambent]

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.

 

I found a 2007 bottle of Samhain on Etsy. Patchouli and I have a rather tense relationship. But this is absolutely lovely. I get mostly apple and something almost boozy/spiced wine-like and that tingling minty quality of tree smells. The patchouli doesn't overwhelm the blend and it immediately gets me into that October frame of mind.

[Cali]

2013 version. This brings me back to a ghost tour through the forest on a halloween night I did as a kid. Walking around with some candy in my pockets, people dressed in mediocre costumes yelling from the darkness... Saw some of the most beautiful displays of nature under the full moon that night, getting lost with the group we were with... good times.

Anyway, the apple is a bit loud but the pumpkin evens it out. the fir and pachouli give it that cold, outside-y feel. I find the pachouli very gentle in this, alltogether it's almost creamy.
This is beautiful, glad I got my hands on a bottle. ^^

 

EDIT: This doesn't dissapear on my skin. Really. I dabbed a good amount on yesterdaymorning, now at 16:00 the next day, still here, still a decent throw. Um, wow.

Edited April 9, 2016 by Cali

[thekittenkat]

This is for the 2015 edition.

 

In the bottle: The fruit notes are very intense!

 

Wet: The fruit is calming down and the darker notes are more present.

 

The dry-down: A rather fruity version that has the clove, patch, fir, woods and spices at the bottom. This is like the apple and pumpkin have been placed in a clear glass bowl on top of the woody items, and lightly sprinkled with the spices. It did start out a bit perfumy, but is aging well for next autumn

 

 

ETA Aging hasn't really helped. It's still very appley and perfumey; I think I'll layer this w/ an earlier version that's lacking apple.

Edited October 4, 2016 by thekittenkat

[Klepz]

2014

 

I have tried many Samhains and while I loved them, I didn't fall head-over-heels enough to keep any. I've tried 2004, 2008, 2009, 2012, and 2015. Most I found too pungent; there was something in them too sharp, too brittle, and, in 2009, too candle-y. I wish I had taken better notes on them in my spreadsheet and plan to get my hands on them again to do a multi-year comparison

 

However.

 

I recently got to try 2014 and this one is fantastic. It's not sharp; this is all smooooth woods and herbs and apple and soft, soft pumpkin. This one has a creaminess that mellows out whatever I didn't like in the others. It's smooth and cuddly and amazing. It has a sweetness on my skin I didn't pick up in other years.

 

I wish I knew if my skin chemistry has changed these kinds of scents also, or if 2014 is just that much more amazing.

[Orlen]

A short disclaimer: My 2016 Samhain arrived in the mail less than a week ago, so it's still pretty fresh.

 

That said — I really love this! In the bottle, it's very appley and spicy, with a little bit of that pumpkin coming through.

 

On my skin so far I get a very pleasant, if a tad sharp, autumnal spiced apple cider smell. As it dries down, some of the woodsy scents come out a little more, giving it a trace of spookiness. This is fairly strong and long lasting on my skin, which is a-ok with me. I love getting a whiff of fall every time I move around.

[revived]

2015 version

This was originally way too sharp and intense when I got it last year, but it has aged soooo beautifully! Every time I smell this it reminds me of a windy dark fall night.
When wet, I mostly smell something sharp and green. However, the longer it's on the more complex it becomes. The patchouli isn't overwhelming at all. It has an apple-y sweetness to it that brings everything together. I love this so much and have been wearing it more and more. October is my favorite month and this is October in a bottle. It's pretty strong on my skin too which I appreciate.

[puddingirl]

2016 version. My first Samhain! I am very much looking forward to testing this. I can't pick out any individual notes on first sniff, it is a wonderful blend. Warm and almost medicinal, slightly reminiscent of deep heat, karvol, vicks etc. Looking at the notes, it's probably the blend of clove and fir that I'm recognising. Oh my, wow. It smells like Samhain night! Dark and misty with the spices of punch to warm yourself. It makes me feel excited, like how I feel on Hallowe'en! The patchouli is becoming stronger now, I'm not a massive incense fan, so I'm hoping this dies down. It's already calmed down a bit. This is amazing, and my absolute go-to Halloween scent

 

I had this on one wrist, and Honeyed Apple on my other. They go very nicely together!

[Elspethdixon]

2016 version.

 

In the bottle: hints of crisp/dead leaves and apple cider, drowned out by disgusting patchouli. But everyone adores this scent, so I decided to give it a try anyway.

 

Wet - Patchouli: how does it smell like stale filth and like medicine at the same time? The world may never know.

 

As it starts to dry, the patchouli, true to its inherently evil, scent-destroying nature, drowns out the other notes beneath a layer of BO-tinged dirt. Alas, unlike the funky sour/musty smell some honey blends have that goes away quickly, this lingers. Well away from my arm I catch brief wafts of a pleasant apple-cider-y fall scent, but any time I bring my wrist near my nose, bam, dirty unwashed stale-sweat-and-dirt smell. This stage lasts from between one to two hours.

 

Late drydown - by somewhere between two and three hours in, the patchouli finally starts to fade, and what's left is a lovely autumnal crisp leaves/amber/apple cider/mulled wine fall scent that lasts and lasts. If this is what it smells like on some people (those lucky enough to have skin that eats patch, I guess), then I understand the hype for this scent. It's like a walk in the woods with a cup of mulled cider. With, alas, a dirt-encrusted unwashed stoner following you around to harass you for the first couple hours, until someone finally calls the cops on him and gets him thrown out.

 

Basically, Samhain is proof of concept for patchouli's ability to ruin everything, because I can tell this would be the most gloriously perfect autumn scent ever without it.

 

(Despite my ranting about how awful the patchouli element is, I did actually buy a bottle because the late drydown is so good. Maybe the patch will fade with time and the "BO and dirt" stage will get shorter. I'd like to have my walk in the autumn woods without unwashed druggie stalkers eventually)

[MischiefofRats]

2016 version, out of the mail about four days. This is my first ever round of Weenies so I have nothing older to compare to.

 

In the bottle: dead leaves, apple, spice, patchouli. It's a bit odd like this, but it's definitely promising.

 

On skin, it's gorgeous in a matter of minutes. Leaves and apple are definitely the top notes for me, backed with spice and evergreen needles. The wood is just a gentle background warmth, along with the pumpkin, which I got almost none of. This is such a beautiful scent--it really is autumn in a bottle. My only complaint is I have to slather it on to get a good throw, and it's basically gone by six hours. The latter isn't so bad since I have to reapply most things throughout the day, but I do so love getting that spicy whiff of apple and leaves throughout the day. I hate to see it go.

 

I'm not usually someone who buys multiple bottles of anything, particularly not a scent that returns every year, but given how lovely this is and the amount I have to apply, I'm considering a backup bottle, because I'm pretty sure I'd use it.

 

ETA: also, I love patchouli and patchouli blends, but I have a hard time picking it out individually. To me, it just adds to the warm-woody-spicy blend, and I think it's absolutely gorgeous. Doesn't stick out at all.

Edited October 14, 2016 by MischiefofRats

[Bassmastadroog]

First time trying Samhain also. Objectively...this is a really lovely scent. I was afraid it would have that 'store at an apple orchard bowl of potpourri' vibe, but it really doesn't. The woodsy/dead leaves/patchouli part is so smooth, aura-like, and has a medium throw. I'm just not a huge fan of baked/spice apple scents. It's just not me. I don't even like the smell of apple cider or pie on holiday. For those of you who do, this is blended perfectly and I understand why it's so popular!

[milo]

I have loved previous incarnations of Samhain in decant form. In the bottle, not so lucky. This years, is a non-sweet apple, evergreens and patchouli on me. It is much more wearer friendly than last year, which I described as "cheap floral musk cologne". I'm not that keen on apple, but it seems to blend nicely here with the other notes. A couple people in the checkout line said "what smells like apple cider?" and I said "must be me", and they said that I smelled "really good". I do hope the apple tones down a bit, and the other notes come out. It may be better as a room scent, but I do rather enjoy this one.

Edited October 25, 2016 by milo

[seida]

This is surprisingly lovely! I'm not usually big on fruit (or patchouli for that matter) but I really wanted to try it anyway.

 

It's so autumnal! Everything blends so well. Overall, it mostly smells of spiced apple cider. Quite alcoholic! But when it softens the pine and patchouli come out a bit.

 

Delicious and seasonal smelling!

 

(though I feel it has a much bigger throw than most of the bpals I usually wear, as when I walked in the room my bf said, "you stink of cinnamon!", and he rarely comments on any perfume I wear, lol.)

 

update: yep, this is REALLY strong. Don't need to wear much at all. It's softened into a really beautiful scent, though. Will definitely wear through autumn and winter. So cosy!

Edited November 3, 2016 by seida

[animalcules]

I've been buying BPAL for six years, but this is my first time trying Samhain somehow. I like forest scents but I'm a patchouli hater, and I waffle over getting a bottle every Halloween. Finally did, and I'm so glad! The 2016 version is mostly apple and spices, backed by subtle woods and patchouli. I would actually like a bit more woodsiness, I assume that will develop with aging, but 'm going to layer it with Przeczucie for now.

[roseus]

At first I hated this on my skin. I think the apple, fir, and patchouli combo was too strong for me at first. It smelled like a weird, medicinal candle and it kept getting spicier. Normally I like all those notes just fine. Eventually this calmed down to a dark, slightly dirty, spicy apple. I really liked it, but more testing will be needed to see if I can roll through the dry down.

[Spaztic]

Finally decided to grab this one after skipping over it every other time and super happy that I did!

On my skin this actually comes across like a rich humid tobacco with apple cider and a bit of powder...must be what dried leaves and some other notes mix to become on my skin. I really love it, I don't find it sharp at all (which is what kept me from buying it other years) nor do I find it too fruity.

this is just perfect for fall and if this is what the dead leaves note does on my skin then I need to be trying a lot more of the perfumes with that note in it

[Blood onmy hands]

I'm really happy with this year's version of Samhain. It smells similar to my bottle from its first year release and doesn't have the harsh smoke or unpleasant, damp earthiness or any medicinal tones to it, which is why I haven't enjoyed it in other years.
This smells like spicy, crunchy, dead fall leaves, a hint of cider spice, sweet apple, creamy pumpkin and a spicy, warm sort of patchouli. Gets a little bit of caramelized smokiness in the drydown, like burning dead leaves.
Samhain 2016 is like every generic fall thing, but not in a bad way, because the gourmand spice, apple and pumpkin don't overwhelm, and it's dominated by that dark, earthy, dead leaf spiciness. A gourmand, spiced patchouli playing in a pile of dead leaves.

[gloame]

I have a 2011 and a 2013 from the Lab, and there's really nothing else that needs to be said. They really are beautiful and they really do smell like the epitome of autumn.

[thekittenkat]

For the 2016 version.

 

_{In the bottle: Spicey woods!}

 

_{Wet: Not so spicey now; mellowed out and comfortable.}

 

_{The dry-down: This is like crunching through the woods in late autumn, with just a hint of those spices. Not much patch or fruit to be found. Each year, Samhain presents a different sensory experience. Try a decant each yr if you can--it's never the same twice.}

 

_{ETA: this lasted over 12 hrs w/ 3 good huge drops, and the apple came back after a few hrs--delightful!}

Edited August 6, 2017 by thekittenkat

[Nilbog]

Personally, Samhain 2016 has the best throw and staying power out of all my BPAL collection. I, like some on here, am wary of patchouli but in this blend it is delightful. It's definitely not what I'm used to. I would like to try something else with black patchouli in the future.

On me this is very sexy and sweet. Everything works so harmoniously together. This would for sure be my go to scent for a night out.

[puddingirl]

2017 version.

 

I have the 2016 and adore it, it is perfect for the month of October. I am intrigued to see how this differs. It smells a bit sweeter and warmer. 2016 smells like a cold, crisp, misty day in October. 2017 smells like a warm, muggy day in October. It smells quite medicinal in a sweet way. Another keeper. Very similar to last years, but better suited to a slightly warmer day. Brill!

[urbanruralferal]

This is the first time I have tried any of the Samhains. I am reviewing the 2017 release.

 

In the bottle, this smells like a super sharp cologne. It does not smell like something I would put on my skin. But I did, and it immediately started morphing into something that was powdery and cloying, with a bit of fruit. And also floral somehow.

At that point, my son said it smelled like applesauce.

 

Drying down, about 30 minutes into it, this image came to mind: A dressed up Victorian baby in its highchair, shrieking bloody murder as its grownup tried to feed it applesauce. Young and perfumey and fruity and LOUD. I don't know what it is in this blend that is so cologny. The mullein? The fir? Someone mentioned dead leaves as having a cologne quality, maybe they do for me as well? I haven't tried any other blends with the dead leaf note...

 

2 hours later, the spices have really amped up to a level I would have expected, and are trying to balance the loud sweet high-sided quality that just won't quit. It is a little musky at the edge there, where they meet. Instead of balancing, however, they are competing. They aren't playing well together on my skin. It is better now than it has been, tolerable, but only just.

 

I don't know, this doesn't smell like Samhain to me, not what I think of when I think I think of Fall. Chock it up to skin chemistry, I guess.

 

I realize that this is fresh as fresh can be, and that aging is going to alter this blend significantly. And that that would be a good thing for me. But I don't think I'm interested enough to stick it out.

Well, at least now I have something to swap!

 

P.S., I love patchouli, and I didn't get it at all from this. I guess it is well blended, and therefore hard to isolate, but I could have used a familiar friend here.

Edited November 14, 2017 by urbanruralferal

[lwhitesel]

2017 version.

 

I was concerned about the fir and/or patchouli overwhelming the rest of the scent, and indeed it had a strong patchouli-and-something-else on application, but it's dried down into sweet fruits -- apple/pumpkin, I'm guessing -- mixed with something just plain autumnal. Most of my other "autumn" scents are a little intense and this is softer. I find it absolutely delightful for this dreary November. I only have an imp -- perhaps next year I'll get a whole bottle.

[Lucchesa]

2014 version

 

Samhain is a mysterious and wonderful scent. It doesn't smell like any one thing to me. It is not at all foody on me, nor aquatic (I worried about that "damp" bit. It is smoky and dark and sweet and spicy, but not like a pumpkin pie or an autumn-spice candle. It lasts a long time, and although I rarely get throw with oils, Samhain gives me variable wafts of gorgeousness -- sometimes cider, sometimes evergreen, sometimes bonfire smoke. It's incredibly evocative and I love it.

 

I had been given a tester of 2012 Samhain, just enough for one wear, and it was very similar in its effects. I think I will need to get some every year!

[mandragora369]

2017 version

 

Normally I hate apple and pumpkin scents. But this scent I really like! It is intensive fruity and dark. I love patchouli and woody scents! That's why I needed to try this one.

 

At the beginning the scent is very fruity with darkness in the background.

 

As time passes the fruitiness gets less strong and the darker aspects get stronger. But the spicyness also get stronger. Luckily I cannot smell apple or this typical pumpkin scent.

 

On my skin it is a beautiful dark fruity spicy scent. ❤️

[Juliamon]

2014 version.

 

In the imp: Whoa nail varnish. Yikes.

 

Wet: Okay, so the 'nail varnish' is actually just the patchouli and fir fighting for dominance, and once they touch my skin they calm down significantly. Or at least the patch does. I can smell apple and pumpkin now, sprinkled in spices. This is... wow, it's good. This is for sure Halloween, without being anything like craft-store Halloween. More like a harvest festival in full swing, with delicious pies and pumpkin-carving contests and fallen leaves swirling in the autumn air.

 

Dry: The throw is becoming a bit more craft-store, I guess the spices are taking over. I can still smell the sweet apple and pumpkin if I get close to my skin though. The woody notes from the opening are but a memory, though the fir is trying hard not to vanish entirely; it's coming off as a vague smokiness.

 

The throw on this is insane, you could easily mistake this for a candle--except it smells better than any candle I've ever had. I'm now eyeing the various years on the Lab's Etsy, wondering if I should grab one just in case it doesn't come back this year--I think I need a bottle in my stash.