The Drift "Twilight" Home Fragrance Collection Is Indulging My Witchy Side This Fall

I’m a little woo-woo and witchy at heart. Ask Senior Beauty Editor Samantha Holender; we have lost substantial portions of our workday to conversations about psychics, mediums, and covens. My mom’s birthday is Halloween, so I grew up with a particular affection for all things spooky, and I’ll happily get sucked into just about anything involving magic or a fantasy world. Vampires are an especially easy sell. True Blood, The Vampire Diaries, and, of course, Twilight have all had their hold on me. So when I heard that car and home fragrance brand Drift was launching a Twilight collaboration, I was pretty much guaranteed to try it.

The car fragrance part, however, gave me pause. I hate most car air fresheners. Whatever they’re supposed to smell like, they usually just make me want to gag, and I’ve never particularly wanted one dangling from my rearview mirror. But a chic little diffuser that clips onto my visor? In a scent inspired by Forks, the iconic rainy Washington town where Twilight takes place? I was willing to make an exception.

And now that I’m in the mood for fall, I’ve been working my way through the rest of Drift’s scents, too. Between the car fragrances and the plug-in diffuser I now love at home, I’ve found myself getting surprisingly invested in a category I’d mostly written off. Apparently, it just took a vampire collaboration to get me there.

What Does the Twilight x Drift Scent Smell Like?

I have the Twilight scent in both the car freshener and the home diffuser, and it’s actually lovely. My biggest concern was that it would be overbearing, especially in the car, but I haven’t found that to be the case. Given my usual reaction to car fragrances, that alone is a pretty big win.

The scent pairs rich plum butter—a sweet, fruity note—with soft florals and vanilla, with woodsy notes giving it some depth. “What I love about the Twilight x Drift car and home fragrance is that it captures the mood of the films without feeling overly literal,” says Jeniece Trizzino, VP of product development and innovation at Scentbird and Drift. She explains that the woodsy notes bring “that darker, atmospheric quality that immediately transports you to Forks.”

According to Trizzino, the combination also reflects a shift toward darker, more romantic fragrances for fall, with rich fruits paired with warm vanillas and woods. I love Twilight, but I still need to enjoy what’s scenting my home and car once the novelty wears off. This one passes.

How Does Drift Work?

Drift’s car fresheners come in wood, stone, and metal, and I love how little space they take up. The fragrance-soaked wood and stone blocks snap magnetically onto a metal clip on your sun visor. It’s chic and discreet (say that ten times fast), and you just replace the block about every 30 days. At home, I have the plug-in diffuser, which has three intensity settings. Being able to dial back the fragrance is particularly helpful for someone with my track record of finding scents overwhelming. The refills last up to 30 days, according to the brand. With a subscription, your starter kit includes the clip or device and your first fragrance, then replacements arrive monthly. You can change scents, space out deliveries, or cancel anytime.

The fragrance lineup deserves some attention beyond the vampire collaboration. Teak combines teakwood with amber and cedar, while Cabana has coconut and bergamot for something more tropical. There’s also Open Air, with fresh linen notes, and Wild Lavender in the home collection, which gets an herbal quality from sage. If you already know your fragrance preferences, you’ll have a pretty good starting point here. Or you can opt for the rotating Scent of the Month if, like me, your idea of a signature scent changes regularly.

What Makes Drift Different?

Drift says its fragrance oil blends draw inspiration from “designer-grade scents,” and having tried them, I can see what it means. I also love the organic look of the designs, with wood, stone, and metal options that would fit into pretty much anyone’s aesthetic.

On the formula side, Drift says its fragrances are made without phthalates, parabens, mineral oil, or DEA, and describes its products as safe to use around pets and children. I’m more interested in those specifics than the word “clean” alone, which doesn’t tell me much about what I’m buying. The brand also publishes ingredient lists for its car fragrances—helpful if there’s a particular ingredient you’re looking to avoid, or you’re the kind of person, like me, who reads the back of every beauty product. (Occupational hazard.)

Is Drift Worth It?

I’m a fan of Drift as a whole, and the Twilight collection is an especially good place to start for fall. The plum, vanilla, and wood notes feel right for the season, and I’ve loved having it in both my home and my car. Just factor in the refills before you buy. You’ll need to replace them regularly, and that’s an ongoing expense, especially if you have multiple devices. For me, it’s worth keeping up with the subscription because I enjoy having fragrance in both spaces.

I’m also already eyeing what to try next. The brand has a blend specifically for winding down: Rest & Relax, with lavender, chamomile, vanilla, and woods. I’m sold on the concept of a bedtime fragrance. For now, though, I’m quite happy to spend a little longer in Forks.

Shop My Other Favorite Drift Products

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