If there is a "dark" scent in Southern Witchcrafts' lineup, this may be it, although my description would still be "warm.` Samhain (Celtic pronunciation SAW-wan) is one fragrance I would definitely describe as seasonal (the grinning jack-o'-lantern on the label is a clue) - cool Fall days, cold Winter wind, roaring fires of oak logs, a walk in the woods with damp leaves on the forest floor, maybe a pipe of Cavendish in the den with a Hot Toddy in hand.... It evokes memories of the end of Summer and the beginning of Fall (SW's intended purpose I think, and the meaning of Samhain in the Celtic calendar). You could wear it in Summer (and I obviously am), but you will smell of Autumn, unmistakably. And in a very good way. A vegan soap, performance is outstanding as ever, and the AS complements.
Scent notes. SW describes notes of: "bourbon, tobacco, pumpkin, sandalwood, nutmeg, oud, incense, amber, vanilla, hazelnut, charred wood, musk." And I don't doubt it's all of those. My sense, on opening and using, is the description on the label - pumpkin, sandalwood, bourbon and tobacco. All in equal parts overlapping and mingled, so hard to distinguish between them, but all there. It's definitely not the tobacco of Stirling's Haverford, or A&E's Choco Cubano, but subtle, sweet, and in the background. And it's not an extremely sandalwood-y scent, like GFT's Sandalwood, but more of a muted, spicy, woody note. Nor is it a boozy bourbon, but more of an oak-cask memory of bourbon. And pumpkin is there, a hint of carving a jack-o-jantern, but not dominating and again just a hint. All combined and blended so well it's difficult to define, but overall a sense of Fall and Winter evenings indoors, by a warm fire in a cozy log cabin. I'll be using it again at the first sign of cool weather.
Scent notes. SW describes notes of: "bourbon, tobacco, pumpkin, sandalwood, nutmeg, oud, incense, amber, vanilla, hazelnut, charred wood, musk." And I don't doubt it's all of those. My sense, on opening and using, is the description on the label - pumpkin, sandalwood, bourbon and tobacco. All in equal parts overlapping and mingled, so hard to distinguish between them, but all there. It's definitely not the tobacco of Stirling's Haverford, or A&E's Choco Cubano, but subtle, sweet, and in the background. And it's not an extremely sandalwood-y scent, like GFT's Sandalwood, but more of a muted, spicy, woody note. Nor is it a boozy bourbon, but more of an oak-cask memory of bourbon. And pumpkin is there, a hint of carving a jack-o-jantern, but not dominating and again just a hint. All combined and blended so well it's difficult to define, but overall a sense of Fall and Winter evenings indoors, by a warm fire in a cozy log cabin. I'll be using it again at the first sign of cool weather.
