Hippie Spirit

Hippie Spirit is a personal favorite of mine and I have it in both extrait and ultime, which is important to note as they will differ in scent. The extrait version is blended so well the notes mix together and mingle to create a smooth overall experience. It has a light cannabis mixed with heavy champa and sandalwood giving it the nag champa accord with the patchouli lighter and sweeter in the background. In the ultime strength a woody patchouli is the main note with the nag champa lighter and barely any cannabis accord to be found. Once they've settled on the skin the extrait is all nag champa and sweet light patchouli, while the ultime is that woody patchouli front and center with a dusting of nag champa from a distance. Overall they're similar enough to not make much difference during wear, but it's noteworthy that the various strengths will be different enough to tell apart. Not all Alkemias will have that discrepancy but some will vary between the extrait and ultime. I have others such as Hex and Arabesque in both versions that smell identical. Just something to keep in mind. As for performance and longevity I get all day wear from both with the ultime obviously being more pronounced and assertive due to it's stronger concentration.

Wow, this is FUN! At first, this is exactly what you would expect from the notes listed above. The patchouli is a little dirty, earthy. As the patchouli calms down, about an hour in, is when this becomes interesting. I’m getting these tiny whiffs of a light, almost ghostly floral note. I can’t detect it when I bring my wrist to my nose, I only pick it up randomly when I move my arm through the air, and even then it’s unpredictable. This floral note has an elusive quality, a bit like trying to remember the details of a dream after you’ve awakened. I like this a great deal more than I anticipated.

Now this is what it’s about. This is a fun one, the patchouli is dirty and snotty and then underneath it all, there’s all this airy, beautiful incense that’s very coy and teasing. I smell like I blew smoke in God’s face and laughed about it. It’s awesome. I have never had the pleasure of smelling a REAL hippie but I think I will start tracking them down to sniff if this is really what they all smell like. I think I understand them now. This is so much and so strong. Yes yes yes.

Hooweeoo. Weird. Granted, I just opened and dabbed on the sample sent by Alkemia about ten minutes ago. My very first impression was, "Gosh, this smells just like the hippies in the laundromat in 1972, what I smelled as a child going there with my mom." It's true. It's clean, dirty, patchouli, musky, floral, and a mess but I kinda like it. My second impression occurred within seconds and it was, this smells just like Tabu, although Alkemia doesn't list cloves and amber, et al. Closely behind Tabu after removing maybe one or two notes is Todd Oldham. It's funny. I have full bottles of both Tabu and Todd Oldham and I reach for them at most once a week during the dead of winter. Why? Because they're overwhelming if I try to wear them any other time of year. Just be ready. Hippie Spirit is the real deal but not what you might expect. Blind buying of a full bottle is not recommended unless you love Tabu and Todd and something a little stinky blended in. But for Burning Man? Hellz yeah.

This is about as close as you're going to get to a head shop smell, I think. Lots of nag champa, mainly. Not a whole lot of patchouli or anything else. Very feminine, which is simply what Alkemia does. If you're a hippie chick who likes her incense on the go, this is a no-brainer.