Review: Southern Witchcrafts' Carpathia

Originally Posted: 19 Sep 2022

Carpathia was released alongside Carmilla as a "Dracula-themed release." Carmilla is warm, sweet, and seductive. Overall it is a scent that I would consider appropriate for the majority of male/female shavers. Carpathia is a different story, however.

From the Southern Witchcrafts website:

"Carpathia is a tribute to Bram Stoker’s Dracula: a dark and brooding masculine scent centered around accords of black tea, exotic musk, and evergreen balsam."

The listed scent notes: Evergreen forest, musk, herbs, rose, coffee, black tea

NOTE: The tub label credits "wet stone" and "exotic musk."

Scent of Carpathia

Carpathia is a "cold" scent, compared to Carmilla. The overall impression from this scent is very much in line with the Southern Witchcraft's general theme; earthy, "dirty", and unique. This scent is unlike anything else that I've smelled before, and it left quite an impression on me and still does to this day.

A dry, non-Christmassy balsam is the dominant note and it really doesn't go away throughout the wear. This balsam note is distinctively not like any sweet "juicy" pine that you would find in a Christmassy scent. I personally like the "wet stone," as an unofficial scent note, as it is probably the best way to truly capture the "earthy note." A dry musk that accompanies it, but the musk is hard for me to detect as a "traditional" musk, as it doesn't have any of the "stank" that I would ordinarily expect. The generic herbs note is odd to me. I'd prefer to know what herbs are included, but it is an earthy/green/grassy blend, whatever it is. The coffee note is subtle and detectable, yet the black tea note is really only noticeable for me on the drydown for the EdP. There is a light almost "celery" note to this scent, which, while detectable, doesn't detract from the overall accord.

The scent doesn't change much over the course of a full shave/wear, even with the EdP. One of the reasons that I like this scent in particular is that the scent is all of the notes, all at the same time. Normally with an EdP there are significant changes as the scent wears throughout the day. With this scent, however, the separation of scent notes as the day goes on is much more subtle. This is also relatively unique in the fragrance world. Some may argue that it is a mark of a low quality fragrance, but really, I don't feel that way about it.

This scent leans more masculine, but I could see women who like light and earthy scents enjoying this. While it is a fall/winter release, I am very happy to wear this nearly all year, except for maybe the hottest days of Texas summers. The scent notes may make it come across as a "heavy" scent, but it really isn't. I believe the average user will be happy wearing this from the fall through the spring.

Soap Performance

I've evaluated this soap base before, but I really appreciate it when a vegan base accomplishes performance like this. As always, the fact that this is a vegan base doesn't impact my evaluation, but it is really cool to have a vegan base perform this well. Once again, kudos to Southern Witchcrafts.

Overall

After I bought this tub of soap, I knew I had to have the aftershave and the EdP. I don't buy a lot of full sets (soap, splash, and EdP) anymore, mostly because fragrances are really where I'd like to put my money, instead of an aftershave. For me, it makes the most sense to just put that ~$20 towards the fragrance and just use an unscented witch hazel. With the price of the EdP at $20, there was no reason not to get it... for basically any of their scents.

For me, this is one that I consider to be a "signature scent." There is no way that anybody else will be walking around while wearing it. It's unique, pleasant, and mysterious in all the right ways. With zero sweetness and zero-chance to offend, this is a scent that people won't even realize that you're wearing it until they are actually right next to you. I would buy a tub immediately after finishing this one. I'd buy more of the EdP as well if I ran out.

The average wetshaver probably won't enjoy this scent however. It's not bright. It isn't sweet. It is complex. It is earthy. It is dirty. All of the traditional fragrance notes that are so common in mainstream (and even most niche) fragrances are just not there. The earthiness/grassiness is a bit like Dior's Fahrenheit, albeit not in a synthetic way, but that's the only conceptual similarity. I'm a complexity whore and Carpathia is complex... and challenging for some.

All of that being said, if the above paragraph doesn't turn you off from the scent, then you're going to absolutely love everything that smells like it. It is quite possibly my favorite scent from the past 8 years of wetshaving, and I believe it could be yours too.

I purchased all reviewed items with my own money. I have not been paid/compensated/reimbursed in any way for posting product links.