Unlisted Brand • Haus of Gloi - Pumpkin Butter - Samhain • Lotions/ Creams

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*TOP REVIEWER* proximitythe53rd on 9/5/2011 8:30:00 AM more reviews by proximitythe53rd

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

This review is really for the scent of Samhain. I have reviewed Haus of Gloi's Pumpkin Butter itself (texture, moisturization, ingredients etc.) separately. Please read that review if you'd like to know what Pumpkin Butter is like!



Samhain is part of Haus of Goi's Autumn collection, and this review is based on a full-sized (6oz) jar, costing $10.00. The scent description is: Freshly turned earth, wet leaves, and a cool, spectre ridden wind."


The first thing I have to say is that I'm a bit of a perfume nut, usually I go for really unscented moisturizer so it doesn't interfere with my perfume choice of the day. I like mostly niche fragrances that keep me interested and intellectually and emotionally engaged, or which feel cheering, calming, soothing, meditative, energizing or renewing. In other words, I ask for a lot from a fragrance, but I like a wide range of things. I'm not snobby, but I am picky.

I bought Samhain out of curiosity, to enjoy as a moisturizer, to see what the scent was like, and possibly to use for layering purposes, or to wear on its own for a nice veil of autumn-appropriate fragrance. It has fully satisfied on all counts! In terms of complexity, Samhain is on par with a perfume - this shouldn't be a surprise since it is also offered as a perfume oil. This body butter does have top notes, a settling-in period, and long-lasting basenotes. The scent is quite strong at the beginning, but settles down nicely after a few minutes into a very wearable, enveloping but not projecting fragrance. It exists at more or less this level for a while (I imagine depending on how dry your skin is) losing some top notes after about 1/2 an hour, then fading gently for a few hours before it starts to be more of a skin scent comprised of its base notes. I can usually still catch a hint of these base notes the morning after.



As for the scent itself ... this is the hardest part. I find myself wishing for a list of notes, but since that's not available, I'll just have to tell you what I think I smell, and risk being utterly utterly wrong :)

Samhain is the most green in its top notes. I smell something grassy or hay-like (I wouldn't be too surprised if I read vetiver in a list of notes). It does smell a bit like wet leaves in this stage, as well as smelling a bit mossy. However it is not entirely a green scent, even in this opening stage. I also smell something a bit like dried fruits, though not the sort of thing you'd expect from the latest Serge Lutens release, this is simpler, and more gentle. I imagine that I smell a hint of pumpkin, though obviously that is difficult to separate from the "Pumpkin Butter" association. It is also somewhat herbal, again it's difficult to say what I might be smelling, but bay is my best guess. I would be surprised if patchouli didn't make an appearance on the ingredient list. This stage smells both green and earthy, but also with a hint of the kitchen. Not gourmand, like you want to eat what you're smelling, rather somewhat herbal or hearth-y. It does smell a little like wet leaves, and the scent is lively on the skin, not cloying or heavy. (Sniffing the jar or the first minute or two after application could be a bit much for some people, but at least on my skin it does quickly calm down, and I enjoy the initial big hit of fragrance.)

When Samhain settles into the skin, it loses some of the greenness, and smells more earthy and lightly spiced. I believe I smell a hint of amber (of the darker, resinous, as opposed to powdery sort), and I do still smell a bit of patchouli helping to give that earthy feel (without making you smell like a hippie, just in case you were worried). It is very lightly sweet, and a little bit nutty, but still not gourmand. I don't so much smell wet leaves at this stage, but I could easily imagine dried leaves. It is earthy. My best reference point for earthy smelling scents is the frequently-occurring earth/dirt accord in the CB I Hate Perfume line – this doesn't smell like that. It's a bit less graphically real-earth, but still highly pleasurable, and more evocative of the feeling/mood/imagination of earth than the real thing. (This is a big compliment, because I'm a fan of the CBIHP line.) I sometimes think I smell a hint of something floral in this scent, but it doesn't make it smell flowery or feminine, it just rounds out the scent and keeps it feeling complex. There is probably something woody, but not loud in the base, possibly sandalwood, though it is all so smooth that it's quite tricky to even attempt to pick out individual notes (espeically for someone like me who's not very good at it).

When Samhain has had time to sink into your skin, it's not something you smell constantly, it's something you catch little whiffs of. I find it: comforting/comfortable, outdoorsy/picturesque, and cheering/encouraging to wear. Sort of like thinking that you have somewhere rustic, simple and friendly to return to at the end of your day. The husband thinks it smells "different, but really good". He likes the drydown more than he likes how it smells when it first goes on.

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