6 spirited scents for Samhain

Samhain (also known as Halloween or All Hallows’ Day) is a Celtic fire festival celebrated on 31 October. It was when folk would fetch their cattle from richly fragrant summer grazing in more distant pastures to spend the winter closer to home. Fires would be lit for ritual cleansing and protection, and offerings would be left for the spirits of the land and for the souls of the dead.

So, however you choose to celebrate this festival, how about scenting yourself with something spectacular?

As usual in my fragrance blog posts, I’ve written wee scent stories to give you the impression of a perfume. Wearing perfume is often about how it makes you feel, and what emotions and memories it might evoke. How do you want to feel today?

If you’re interested in the specific fragrance notes stated by a brand, feel free to click on the name of the perfume and that’ll take you to their website.

Fragrance notes are very subjective. So don’t worry if you smell things that a brand doesn’t mention—there are no right or wrong answers. And the same goes if you don’t smell what a brand lists as the notes. Your experience is as valid as anyone else’s.

Lunar Dust – Mabelle O’Rama

Darker evenings mean you can admire the moon rising earlier. Her shimmering face glows through a gauzy veil of tattered clouds whipped by the wind. A silver disc of bright loveliness gazes benevolently over the land.

She shines tranquilly over a harvest mouse munching a bedtime bramble. Then dusts the velvet wings of a bat emerging like a flake of night from the ruined castle. And gently illuminates your face as you gaze adoringly up at her.

Some perfumes are much more about how they make you feel, rather than a hollow list of notes. Lunar Dust is one of them. To be sure, there are twinkles of citrus, a breath of iris and a supple backbone of subtle amber woods, but the overall effect is one of timeless gentle comfort and optimism. Simply marvellous.

Hexensalbe – Stora Skuggan

Hubble twice, a cauldron of spice.

A spear of glossy dark liquorice. Two bundles of bay and a frond of fennel. Bitter sap, bubbling wild and free. Vetiver glooping. Crack—an old leather strap breaks and falls into the simmering juice. Five clove buds. A swift grating from an iris root. Three teaspoons of crossroads soil. Stir with a silver buttonhook.

Do you dare get to know this perfume?

Bois d’Ascèse – Naomi Goodsir

A twist of orange peel smoulders in the fire. Burned herbs crumble. Smoke curls and ribbons in the cold air. 

Woody haze. Incense trails. An empty whisky cask in a sheltered cave.

A nugget of resin fizzes, bubbles, then pops. 

Sain No More – Nosu

Golden and glowing, low winter sun glints through the slender stems of birch trees. Your pals unload their supplies from worn canvas backpacks, as you gather kindling for a fire. Quiet voices and soft chuckles warm the cold air.

After you’ve shared flasks of hot, nourishing soup, everyone gathers around the glowing embers, gazing into the light. Leather notebooks are opened, pencils poised, bundles of soft herbs crushed in chilly fingers. A solitary juniper berry escapes and sizzles juicily on a flame heated rock.

Anchoring fleeting thoughts on smooth paper, you all write in companionable silence. The sun’s set now, so someone lights a chunky beeswax candle. Smiling around at your friends, you offer a bead of pale jade frankincense to the shimmering fire, and everyone breathes deeply.

Cleansed. Renewed. Comforted.

Eucris EdT – Geo. Trumper

Eucris is one of my favorite perfumes from Geo. Trumper.

Fresh and herbaceous, with glittering lime, bergamot and basil shimmering from a vampire’s skin. Sparks of black pepper strike from a headstone as they run their fingernail lazily across the quartz.

That same finger beckons you towards them as, with a swish of their deepest green silk cloak, they vanish in between vast yew trees.

Heart hammering in your throat, your stumbling feet crush fresh mint leaves as you follow. But you can barely see in the inky night. An ivy vine trails across your throat and you just about manage to suppress a scream.

Deeper into the trees you go, soft and springy moss trembling underfoot. A lonely tendril of smoke twines around cold ashes scattered across crumbling stones. And they’re still waiting…cold skin gleaming, hands outstretched. 

Will you go?

Fantome de Maules – Stora Skuggan

Deep green, dark green, darkest green that’s almost black, as you peer from a sunlit field. What stirs in the shadows of the woods? Crushed mint and a brave cluster of carnations lie in this liminal space. 

But are you safe?

Bristling pine needles felting the forest floor, soft under your feet as you cautiously enter the copse cavern. Are you wise, my child? Should you turn back?

A crackling. Some rustling. One wisp of burned sugar. 

Your head flicks round. Hands flexing and heart pounding. Is that breathing you can hear?

Copper leaves drift idly. Golden light finds you. Radiant beams twinkle and you gaze in awe.

What have you stumbled upon?

Scents for Samhain

So now you have six spectacular fragrances to experiment with in the run up to Samhain. Most brands offer discovery sets, so I’d encourage you to explore those if you’re tempted by any of my suggestions. Indie businesses need our trade more than ever these days, so let’s all show them some love!

Need some help with your perfume copywriting?

Are you struggling to find time to write for your indie perfume brand? Running your own business is hard, isn’t it? Would handing over your perfume copywriting to me help?

Feel free to get in touch!