Samhain with Solstice Scents + All Hallow’s Eve Trick or Treat  Draw

outlander dance scene

Outlander Dance Scene Starz TV Series

Tomorrow marks Halloween, which is based on the Gaelic pagan celebration of Samhain, the  festival of the Dead. Meaning "Summer's End" (pronounced saah-win or saa-ween), Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest and the start of the coldest half of the year and for many is the start of a spiritual new year.  The veil between this world and the otherworld thins, allowing spirits to roam free amongst the living. 

AngelaStJohnatSolsticeScents

Angela St John of Solstice Scents

It is a tradition at ÇaFleureBon to share a special Halloween post with our readers.   So I did a little trick or treating and I hit the jackpot, like one of those houses that hand out full candy bars jackpot!  I received a very generous sampler set from Angela St. John of Solstice Scents that was chock full of fabulous fragrances, for All Hallows Eve.  Join me on my adventure in  Solstice Scents… tricks and treats.

Jack&theDevil

Jack and The Devil Photo

 I knock on the first door and meet Jack and the Devil.   What a treat!  This gourmand fragrance sounds scary but is a toothsome delight. It  opens with hints of freshly made caramel corn, which isn’t a kid’s choice for their favorite candy (Reeses Pieces rank pretty high) but they have never had Angela’s which are made from scratch.  Behind the sweet sticky caramel corn I find layers of spices, complex and intermingling, but unmistakably a blend of my favorite fall spices.  Cinnamon, ginger, a bit of nutmeg, they are all in there vying for attention.  Pumpkin peeks out from behind the spices, but never obtrusively.  Just enough to bring you back to the days of carving jack-o-lanterns.  The scent then rests at a lovely amber base darkened by earthy patchouli and a touch of oakmoss.

House on Haunted Hill Vincent Price

Still from the Movie House on Haunted Hill starring Vincent Price 1959 

 Next is a haunted house right out of the movies.  The door opens on its own with a terrible squeak.  Inside, ornate polished woods, long winding staircases, wall to wall bookcases, beautiful by all accounts.  But quiet.  Too quiet.  The furniture is covered with sheets; a layer of dust covers every surface.

Solstice scents manor

Solstice Scents Manor

Eerie sounds abound.  A childs laughter, odd thumps and knocks, and then a whisper in my ear, BOO!  Time to run, I don’t care how good the candy is here but the perfume is wonderful, Manor.

solstice scents Witches Cottage

Solstice Scents Witches Cottage

There is a hidden cottage  I come across  as I make a wrong turn.  Strong aromas emanate from it as I approach.  Fresh herbs, both bitter and sweet, baked goods in the oven, it all seems so inviting.  I knock on the door at the Witch’s Cottage, and am greeted by a crone.  Will she try to force me into her oven? No she is a kind witch who ushers me in and  there is rustic beauty in her humble home.  Herbs are hanging from the rafters, fresh apples being cut for tarts, sticky buns and caramel apples by the hearth, and a warm pot of tea brewing.  The sweet lady offers a cup of tea, and the scene is just cozy enough to override what our parents said about strangers, so I accept and take a seat by the fire.  Comfortable conversation and wisps of smoke from the fire could easily lulls me into staying, but there are more homes to hit, so off I go with a caramel apple for the road.

samhein witches

Samhein Witches via tumblr

As I finally start on my way back home, I have to go into the dark forest, into the woods.  There is smoke and fire in the distance, shadows in the thicket of trees.   Heady scents begin to reach me , as I muster the courage to approach and I smell resins and incense rolling emanating like olfactive sparks  rising off the fire.   That is my first glimpse of Conjure.  A ritual is happening here, men and women dressed for a ceremony or celebration.  Herbs and resins are being strewn about the fire, releasing their strong and narcotic scent.  They set the tone, dreamy, otherworldly.  And they begin to sing , their voices carry and mingle with the smoke  emanating from the cauldren.

ConjureEDP

Conjure EDP Photo Solstice Scents

A charge builds in the air; the hairs on the skin begin to rise.  One of the dancing women spots me, her face shifting obscured in the darkness, but I swear she winks at me. Not sure if I belong, I run as fast as I can until I am back in this world safely at home.

To our dear readers wish you a very Happy Halloween, a Blessed Samhain, and a good night. 

Michael Singels, Sr. Contributor and Natural Perfumery Editor

Art Direction: Michelyn Camen

Disclosure:  Samples were graciously rushed to me by the perfumer for review

Thanks to the generosity of Angela St. John at Solstice Scents, we have a sampler set of Jack and the Devil,  Manor, Witch’s Cottage and Conjure to share with a lucky registered reader worldwide (you must do this or your entry won't count).  To be eligible, please leave a comment with where you live, the spookiest experience you have had, and which of the Solstice Scents perfumes appeal to you.  Draw closes 11/2/ 15.

We announce the winners only on site and our Facebook page, so like CaFleureBon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will just be spilled perfume.

 

 

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38 comments

  • Jent says:

    I once sleep in my room, around 8am in the morning. And suddenly I heard my dad knocking the door vigorously and yelling “WAKE UP WAKE UP”. I clearly remembered that earlier night I had already told him that I have no class on that particular day, so I woke up and open the door…didn’t see him around the house…check his vehicle…not there.
    And then when he went home at evening I asked if he tried to wake me up in the morning and shockingly he answered me that he went to work at 6am… And the mystery remain unsolved~

    So that is my spookiest experience.
    The Witch Cottage is the most appeal fragrance to me. 😉
    I live in Malaysia.
    Thank you for the draw and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

  • Mrs. MacDonald says:

    Nice! My great grandmother was a High Priestess of a coven in England. Hard to pick just one, but this is one of the scariest…i had moved into a new house with my husband and 3 children, and every night i/we would get woken up by banging downstairs on the furnace, not random but actual patterned knocks…i walked into the house one day after being out all day and all i could smell was rotten meat throughout the whole house, and the smell all of a sudden disappeared, yikes! we moved shortly after my husband cut through all the tendons of his hand while attempting to repair something in the basement! i would be tempted to go with Conjure, but the other ones all sound wickedly awesome as well. I am in Canada, and wish you all a blessed Samhain…don’t forget to feed the fairies 😉

  • Katherine says:

    My scariest experience was probably sleeping in my apartment when there was the loudest banging on the door. I jumped, was instantly awake. The banging/knocking was incredibly loud and insistent, so in the dark, I padded to the door and looked out the peep hole. There was nobody there. I went back and asked my partner if he’d heard anything, and he said no @_@

    Thanks for the contest! I live in the US, and I think Manor is the most appealing scent. It sounds lovely.

  • Sara Schramm says:

    My spookiest occurrence happened when I was in high school. I woke up in my room and I saw two bright lights that we’re moving around my room and they merged into one. The light stretched out and a small figure appeared. I told it to go away and then it disappeared. I have not had any further instances of that occurring. I live in Illinois and my favorite Solstice Scent is Hidden Lodge.

  • Timea says:

    Very interesting article. The spookiest experience I ever had, is when I was a little girl, and I was in the zoo with my parents , we noticed that the brown bear’s cage is open, and the bear is not inside. That was scary enough.
    I think, Witch’s Cottage is would appeal to me the most.
    I’m a registered reader. I live in Europe. Thank you for the draw.

  • mariekel says:

    When I was in my teens, I would often hear someone walk down the stairs of our house at precisely 1:30am. It sounded like my mother’s tread. When I opened the door, of course no one was there. My family scoffed at me, and my mother said it must be either the heat or the water pipes. Maybe, except the steps sounded in summer when the heat was off, and the water pipes made distinctive muted clanging sounds.

    Since I was the only one ever up at that hour, so i induced my little brother to wait up with me one Friday. We watched TV until the appointed hour. nothing. Larry glanced over at my clock and “I guess your friend isn’t coming.” I replied “My clock is five minutes fast.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, footsteps padded down the stairs outside my bedroom and stopped in the adjoining living room. I couldn’t convince my 12-year old brother to see what, if anything, was responsible, and though i gingerly ventured into the living room on my own, I never found out what the source of the steps was. Conjure sounds intriguing.

  • Steve A says:

    I don’t really have spooky experiences but looking at the photos up top I do remember that original version of House on Haunted Hill was a bit scary to watch at the time. I’m drawn to the Manor because it contains vanilla. US

  • Megan D says:

    I grew up across the street from an old cemetery in South Philadelphia. There were graves from the Revolutionary and Civil War, as well as from people who passed from the Flu Pandemic and the world wars. We played in there and often visited the old graves we felt no one came to visit anymore. We always felt a presence of a man in the house — particularly in the basement. It wasn’t threatening, but it still make the hair on the back of my head stand straight up. We decided to dig up the basement in 1982 to make way for a wine cellar. We discovered part of a human jaw and hand bones. We stopped digging, called the cops and the told us to contact the Medical examiner. The bones were analyzed to be at ~ 150 years old at the time — and were that of a large, young male (younger than 30). Once the bones were found, we asked the cemetery if we could properly bury them with a small ceremony. About a month after the burial, I saw a young blond male (he looked like a soldier) appear near the wine cellar and then fade away.

  • bunchofpants says:

    I honestly don’t think I’ve had a truly spooky experience. I’m sort of envious of people who have! I think Conjure sounds fantastic! I’m in USA.

  • Kim M. says:

    So excited about this one! I once had a terrifying experience at my parents’ house. I woke up in the middle of the night, opened my eyes, and felt certain I was being watched. When I rolled over, there was what seemed to be the deepest black shadow leaning over me. It didn’t move or speak, and neither could I. I’m not sure what it was all about, but it scared me on a primal level. As for SS, I own a number of Angela’s amazing vials of awesomeness, but Conjure is the one I’d like to try next! US resident.

  • Shauna Rudd says:

    Great writing, Michael! I enjoyed it thoroughly 🙂 My spookiest experience was this recurring nightmare I used to have as a child. It was always the same sequence of events, and even though I knew what was coming, it scared the bejesus out of me. The most vivid part was a man who lined up all the children he could find and was dipping them up to the waist, one by one, in a big pot of mud. Horrors! When I think about it now, it’s just laughable 🙂 I’m in Canada and would LOVE to sample Solstice Scents! Tough to pick one that appeals to me most, but I’m going with Manor. Happy Halloween!

  • Patsi says:

    Spooky experience – a friend was staying over and reported that i sat up in bed and said ‘see that man at the bottom of the bed, tell him to go away’. I remember the dream i was having that night and it freaked us both out as 3 months later my dad died! spooky eh?
    I am in the UK and would love to win Manor please, please!

  • Diego says:

    To be sincere I don’t remember any truly spooky experience with me. Well the names of the fragrances are very creative they really transmit the Halloween mood. I really like the Halloween mood so I think I’ll enjoy this sample set.
    I’m in the USA.

  • Donna S says:

    What a fun, wonderful journey I just went on. Thank you so much for fantastic writing! Halloween is so much fun and I really appreciate this special offer. Hmmm, scary, wow – I don’t really scare easily – I’m all into the ghouls and goblins as such. As a kid did the Ouija board and tarot cards, so maybe I could say it was the power of the tarot cards that probably scared me the most – I love love love scary. Love ghosts. I really like the sound of Conjure – they all sound great, but Conjure is the one knocking on my door right now. I’m in the US and registered. Love the artwork too!

  • fazalcheema says:

    when i was in high school, someone suggested an experiment to see bloody mary and i was so curious i decided to do it at night..but i went through half of the steps and gave up because i could not muster any more courage :). Waitch’s Cottage may appeal to me the most on a Halloween Day because of the name. the name of the perfume can tempt you at times and i have bought perfumes because i fell in love with the name. thanks a lot for the draw. i am in the US

  • Charlene Thompson says:

    Solstice scents changed my perception on what constituted a beautiful and wearble scent. Her mixtures are The. Bomb. Ive had many a spooky experience watching horror movies on the couch with my girls, all hiddled under the same cover. Witches Cotteges appeals to me the most because of..well baked goods! Im in the US.

  • Danielle W. says:

    I think was 9 years old when had my spookiest experience. My family and I had moved into a new house that year and I had my very own room for the first time since my sister had been born. I woke up in the middle of the night once and standing by my bed was a tall lady all dressed in white. She reached her hand toward me and of course, this freaked me right out so I closed my eyes and burrowed down further in my pillow. When I was brave enough to open my eyes again, she was gone.

    I live in the southern U.S. and I love Solstice Scents perfumes because of the wonderful stories that they tell. Witch’s Cottage is one of my favorite perfumes because of the beautiful layers it has and that delicious, herbal, Sweet Annie note. <3

  • Julie Johnson says:

    Florida is where I live. My husband and I were dating and decided to go camping in a pasture my stepfather kept cattle on near a lake and railroad tracks. We set up our tent and started the fire as it drew dark and noticed a pair of flashlights coming down the train tracks in the distance. Warily we watched until they began to come much closer. Our hearts pounding, young and afraid we huddled until the silhouette of one of the two men called out asking if they could do some night fishing on the lake. We shouted yes then closed up the campsite and took off to a hotel. In our 18 year old minds anyone could be an ax murderer.
    I love Manor so much it will replace my Vanille du Bois but I would most love to try Witch’s Cottage. Thank you for the giveaway!

  • roxhas1cat says:

    Jack and the Devil appeals to me due to the gourmand and spice. I work in deaf ed and my student this year is Jack, who is an angel! Spooky story……I lived in an old house in Portland, one night I was in the basement and heard footsteps. I thought my husband or son had returned home so I went upstairs and no one was there except my daughter who was super crashed in bed so I knew it wasn’t her. Happy Halloween!!! Tomorrow I am going to the Perfume House in Portland OR for my treat! I’m hoping I will like L’Artisan’s Exquis Noir, but if not I’m sure I will find a treat.

  • Ellen M. says:

    I haven’t had a really spooky experience, but I live in a city that has regular ghost walks in the local cemeteries. I live in the southern U.S. and I would love to try Witches Cottage, Manor, and/or Conjure. I think Angela St. John is awesome and her fragrances ROCK. What a wonderful and generous giveaway.

  • DGambas says:

    When I was a kid of 8 or 9 years, something happened in the part of town where I lived. A murder? I will never know. People told strange stories of a maniac, serial murders, human heads in the lake of my favorite forest. In the evening of a November’s day, street lighting didn’t work. We went back from school during silent, pitch darkness. A man with hat, in the raincoat (they were popular), suddenly appeared in front of us. We heard his quivering voice, but not his words because we were frightened. It was a very long moment of horror because we thought it was the killer.
    Immediately after, we realized he was a grandpa of some pupil. Epilogue: Something happened that autumn, but stories of serial killer and heads in the lake were nonsense. Or police lied to us?
    As many other Solstice Scents perfumes, these four seem amazing. Jack and the Devil perfume appeals to me most. I love the atmosphere of Michael’s story. Wonderfully told. I’m in Croatia, EU. Thank you.

  • MikasMinion says:

    I don’t remember any instance that was particularly spooky in an unexplainable way. Of course, I’ve managed to freak myself out zillions of times in my life, but I don’t think that counts. I am in the US and think Manor sounds wonderful.

  • forwardh says:

    Once I was home alone and I was upstairs on the computer. I could hear the electric organ playing downstairs. The organ isn’t one of those that can play automatically!!!

    Manor is the one i find most intriguing. I love vanilla and I’m getting more and more into woody fragrances. I’m in ye olde US of A.

  • Miriam says:

    Can’t think of anything truly spooky off the top of my head. My overactive mind is probably what spooks me the most! I would love to try the sampler set. Conjure sounds particularly intriguing. USA.

  • ciudad_duerpo says:

    The ‘spookiest’ thing that happened to me was one night I was home alone, reading quietly in the front room. I heard a loud bang on the front gate bang, and I looked out, and it was swaying, but no one was there. I was pretty freaked out, so I was peeping out the window thinking it might be an intruder. And then I looked down, and saw my neighbor’s orange kitty! He had come by to say hi (and scare the sh*t out of me).

    I live in the US, and the scent that most appeals to me is Conjure.

  • Iphigenia says:

    My spookiest experience was with our living room radio where once I was sitting with my mother drinking coffee and discussing daily news when suddenly the radio turned on and started playing although we were both certain that it had been turned off and not only that I turned it off and after 10 minutes time it turned on again. I was scared to death I thought that some kind of a ghost did that.
    I live in EU and I am a registered reader in Cafleurebon. The perfume that appeals me most is Jack and the Devil.

  • Cynthia says:

    When I was about 12 my parents left me alone in the house. It wasn’t the first time, but it had only happened fairly recently. I had a list of rules, and one was to not open the door at night. I was reveling in being alone and playing some movie soundtract, Oliver I think (dating myself!) very loudly and singing along. Suddenly I head a man’s voice as if in the room with me say very distinctly, “Turn the music down”. I was startled more than scared and instantly obeyed. It was then I heard someone pounding on our front door. After a minute of listening I decided to open the door to the urgent knocking, in defiance of my parent’s rule. A young woman with a man behind her was just turning away as I opened the door, and looked very startled when the door opened. She stammered out a story about is this so and so’s house and I said no. “sorry,” she said and they disappeared into the car at the curb, where another man was sitting behind the wheel. Later that night, after my parents came home, we found out our next door neighbors house had been robbed. I finally confessed to opening the door to this pair and was interviewed byt the police who said they wuould have probably broken into our house next if I hadn’t answered the door, thinking the music had been left on as a ruse. So my mysterious voice saved me from a very unpleasant confrontation. I like the sound of Jack and the Devil and live in the USA.

  • Greg Sh says:

    I remember walking past through a cemetery with my friends when I was younger. I felt like I was hearing someone whispering in my ear. As you can imagine, it scared the heck outta me! As for the fragrances, I like Jack and the Devil. It sounds amazing! I’m in Canada and thank you so much for the draw.

  • Rosa says:

    When I was 12 in my childhood home I heard the sound of a tap running. I got up and looked in the livingroom and kitchen… nothing was on. To this day, I have no idea what that experience was.

    Witch’s Cottage sounds wonderful!

    I live in the U.S. Thank you for the draw!

  • Iuno Feronia says:

    Thanks for the draw. When I was pregnant I heard fottsteps of a Baby in the sleeping room – but there was noone except me…. Jack and the Devils sounds amazong. I live in Europe.

  • Ruth Mc Cartney says:

    I used to live in a haunted house and we’d hear scrapings and rappings on one of the walls and a figure would stand in the bedroom doorway late at night, not moving until you got closer.
    I love the sound of all of the scents and the stories are wonderful. Witches Cottage appeals to me the most.
    Thanks for the competition!

  • Holly F. says:

    Conjure really appeals to me, because I’ve heard so much about it. One of the spookiest things happened as a child, I was in a shore town on vacation and I could hear someone trying to enter the apartment through my window, it felt like it went on forever. I should’ve gotten an adult, but I felt paralyzed with fear. I guess they gave up. Or I was dreaming it. Never was really sure. I’m in the US, thanks!

  • LH says:

    Trying to get in under the wire here, just registered ;o)

    Not so much spooky as outright frightening, a friend and I were on the highway in the middle of the night, driving from Phoenix to Tucson. Now, in the desert, when you are in no particular place– in-between cities and towns– you really are in *no place*: all around you is black, and in the middle of the night on a lonely highway, there is only yourselves, a patch of road lit by the headlights, and all around you the most absolute nothingness. Because this night we were returning from a concert, there happened to be another car ahead of us in the distance; the two taillights, like evil eyes through a window in the night, we would be following for the 90-minute long drive. At about halfway through our journey, quite and *very* suddenly, from the immediate right-hand side of the road, a massive, airplane-sized and blacker than black triangular-shaped object shot into the air at an angle just above the roofs of our car and the one in front of us. “Wha! What was.. did you?? What!” Thinking we were just primed by the atmosphere to be afraid of the darkness, we saw the truth in front of us: the car ahead was indeed also hitting the brakes and swerving all over the road. So it wasn’t just us…. We tried to reason it was just an airplane, but there were no lights, and no runway– it took off from the side of the road. Spookiest of all, there was no sound… just the silence, and the empty blackness of the desert night, to which we were again returned. We have no explanation for this– because we know the person driving in front of us saw it too, we can’t even attribute it to imagination– and that is perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the experience.

    I live in Minneapolis, and I’ve clicked Jack and the Devil and Conjure sooo many times, but never had the guts to check out on them– a sample pack would be perfect, thank you so much for the opportunity!

  • Vick G says:

    One of my scariest moments was watching horror movies as a young child. Of course my older relatives had to make the experience even scarier by telling me extra details about ghosts and other scary stuff! I live in Canada and my favorite and Conjure is the one I’d like to try most! Thank you for the draw!

  • Mim says:

    I remember sometimes feeling creeped out by creaks and groans in old houses when I was alone. Sometimes I would feel that same eerie, is-anybody-there? kind of thing but with a sense of odd presence and without noises necessarily, usually in quiet old places, sometimes out in the woods.

    But no really scary stuff.
    Conjure appeals to me the most–it reminds me of a scene from Outlander, with witches/druids dancing in the forest. But they all sound lovely! Thanks for the reviews and draw
    USA

  • Greg Mayne says:

    My scariest had to be my visits to my grandma’s. She lived in this very old and creaky house and I always felt like I heard footsteps whenever I slept over there.

    Conjure is the scent that interests me most

    Canada