Geisha Vanilla Hinoki Eau de Parfum

Hinoki. The most sacred and revered wood in Japan. Very unusual b/c it has a distinctive lemon aroma. Wearing this I'm influenced by Maria McElvoy's inspiration. I imagine thin clouds of fragrant mist hanging motionless on a mountainside. Warmed by sunlight in a forest of angular trees, like wind sculptures with strange bonsai shapes . A Japanese onsen beckons . . . its rock pool warmed by volcanic heat. Relaxing amid these woodland apparitions, the atmosphere and aroma are healing. Subtle incense burns in the background, where scents of tranquility . . . woods, mosses, herbs, saturate the area with calm. A spiritual perfume that is a glorification of hinoki wood. Hinoki is an evergreen cypress that grows wild only in Japan. Lemony facets make its unique aroma addictive . It's kind of an aromatic green camphor infused with citrus sunshine. McElvoy intensifies the citrus/wood accord by using bergamot and cedarwood. Echoing the hinoki and magnifying its lemon-woody vitality. Herbs and spices are used to create the transcendental atmosphere . . . mirroring the onsen of her inspiration.. Even the rare Moroccan vanilla was selected to add a woodsy, smokey quality. Beautiful! Already ordered the Eau de Parfum FB! Moderate sillage and longevity. Edit: Got my FB, and the Moroccan Vanilla is slightly stronger than it was in the sample. In my sample, the hinoki was the focus, with vanilla being a secondary note, complimenting the wood. In the FB, vanilla shares equal spotlight as the hinoki. The vanilla stays stronger through the drydown and becomes a bit more pronounced. Probably batch difference. Since the name is Vanilla Hinoki, that is probably the intent. Still as beautiful, but different emphasis. Edit again! Have already used almost half my bottle! It smells so luscious and fresh thanks to the lemony hinoki and rich vanilla. I love this! It really is addictive.

Hipnotic, spiritual, and simply gorgeous indeed! This. Is. Beauuuutiful! The opening is beautiful, bright, sparkly, slightly incensy, bergamot and lavender, with some aromatic cedar. Ah-mazing! It stays pleasantly faintly citrusy, while sliding into aromatic woods, and slightly smoky/incensy, non-gourmand, and definitely not sweet, vanilla. This is just so beautifully done. All the notes there, but none of them overpowering of fighting with other notes, so nicely blended, coexisting in this beautiful harmony of pure pleasure. Relaxing and soothing, but at the same time uplifting and energizing, with woods giving it that "spiritual" dimension. I love this so much! It makes me... happy! And... calm.

Geisha Vanilla Hinoki has special qualities that make it a solid addition to my collection: it brings a warm-weather citrus that doesn't quit thanks to its perfect pairing with hinoki, and a beautiful vanilla-like accord that comes without any of the heaviness that vanillas are prone to. It has depth, but isn't overly complicated. Worth trying and quite versatile.

Despite the official notes, Geisha Vanilla Hinoki reminds me so much of a cross between Tom Ford Black Orchid and Tom Ford Noir Anthracite, but a much softer and gentler version of both. A complex, woody vanilla, but very tasteful and well-done. Lasting but not overpowering.

I am loving the spicy woodyness of this non sugar Vanilla. I get at least 6 hours and love the compliments I get all day

I am loving the spicy woodyness of this non sugar Vanilla. I get at least 6 hours and love the compliments I get all day

140 Update: I received a new bottle and it’s even more disappointing. The notes that made it special, hinoki, amyris, lavender, are no longer noticeable and it just smells like a light lemon vanilla scent. It’s short lasting and projects poorly. It was so much better in the past. I feel like I wasted good money. Too bad. 5/10 juice not the same I do love the hinoki with citrus, lavender, amyris and vanilla, but the performance is disappointing. Maybe my samples were old, so I will see what a fresh bottle smells like. Could not smell patchouli, which is a positive thing. It’s well balanced and refreshing. I will try it in warmer weather to see if it lasts longer, projects better. I do love how it smells in cooler weather when it’s first sprayed. 7/10-low projection and longevity, but interesting scent. Wish it lasted longer. Would not repurchase.

The opening of this is a "wow" for me. Hinoki and vanilla extract in the forefront, balsamic notes on the side and a hint of citrus. Makes me think of mystical scenes, like walking through a snowy enchanted forest by lantern light. It's dark and mysterious, yet warm and inviting. Unfortunately the dry down is much less intriguing. That's when the bergamot comes out more, which works with the other notes to make this smell kind of like a lemon-vanilla scone, unexpectedly.

Lovely, soft, fresh woodiness with natural sweetness. The soft woody sweetness reminds me of Van Cleef and Arpel's Bois d'Iris, but this is more natural, less sweet, with a juicy citrus quality that's not tart but soothing. It's very relaxing, very slighty smoky aspect to the wood. You could happily wear this around folks who find perfume difficult or are allergic. Refined, natural and gentle. Easy to wear and perfect for dreamy autumn days. Big like!

Geisha Vanilla Hinoki by Aroma M — On me it started as an orange creamsickle, and progressed to creamsickle and... cement. And then it got strangely familiar in a different way; I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, until it hit me — Lemon Pledge! And that’s where it stayed. It’s not a bad smell really, a mixture of lemon and resinous wood, but it will always remind me of housework. Interestingly, I’ve had it on for hours, and it’s still going strong.

Pretty nice woody-citrus + vanilla scent, with a touch of lavender and vetiver (patchouli?), but there's something just a little bit "off" about it. (Looking at the notes, it's likely the "leather", a note doesn't often play well with my skin.) Dries down nicer, but overall I am glad I only got a sample vial, instead of blind-buying a whole bottle.

Nice scent but not sure if it's full bottle worthy. The notes are spot on- you can detect each note in this fragrance. Not very complex. I think I would prefer this as a candle. The hunt for a hinoki fragrance with some sweetness continues...

I agree with much of AveParfum's response below: this is a "non-foody" Vanilla. And I like that part very much and prefer these kinds of vanillas. I most like incense vanillas. So if you are looking for gourmand--do not look here. In fact, this is extremely inedible. While AveParfum is more positive in her review, I wish I could be as the notes are either ones I really like, or, they are interesting and ones that in theory I should like. However, this scent conjures up two juxtaposing images: 1) my citronella candles that are outside warding off mosquitoes; 2) a massage with some kind of herbal oil, frequently used by various salons that has a hint of citrus, lavender, and warmth--a kind of "generic massage oil" smell. And it is mildly nauseating. The best I can do is imagine an outdoor massage with citronella candles burning. I have wondered a few times if this scent might actually have "insect repelling" qualities (from the Hinoki and the elemi along with the cedre). Many perfumes do, and there's a list on Fragrantica, but this one is not as mainstream for that kind of testing. So, the Hinoki wood is the most likely suspect along with the Amyris (elemi--which normally I really, really like) in creating a "Citronella Candle" effect. I have worn this several times in warm weather and in cooler weather (which I think amps it up a bit), and it's just not for me. I would like to smell it on a man and see how it does with different chemistry--it may be better on someone else. This is the darling right now of many perfume bloggers and perfumistas, but it's a miss for me. However, though I rarely go off into raptures about bottles--the bottle is almost (almost) enough to make me pull out my pocketbook. Not quite--but it's very pretty! These days in the land of post-modern bottle architecture, I'm delighted when a company moves away from the heavy, ponderous, generic glass and chrome look. Anything ornate, baroque, etc., is passe. Too bad. But I digress. This is low sillage and short to moderate longevity. A definite try before you buy.

Right from the start, I realized it was not the usual foody vanilla. There are some vanillas out there that *attempt* to veer away from gourmand territory and actually succeed. I happen to adore non-gourmand vanillas. Geisha Vanilla Hinoke hits the skin with bright citrus, the distinct scent of cypress, and the lightest touch of worn leather. With time, the citrus backs down to reveal more of the fragrant Japanese hinoki, which is a fascinating wood as it smells rich and intense, yet there is an aromatic green quality to it. Certainly the kind of wood I would imagine finding in a Japanese spa. I can't help but compare Geisha Vanilla Hinoke to other non-foodie vanillas. This type of vanilla has been attempted by Mona di Orio, but hers was all wood, so while it's beautiful, there is no vanilla to be found, so I still have a hard time with the fact that it's called "Vanille". It's easy to make a non-foody vanilla by removing the vanilla! Then there is Atelier's Vanilla Insensee, a sweet vanilla mixed with beautiful woods and sharp, tangy citrus. While it is not my favorite non-foody vanilla due to its citric tang, it is successful, as the end result is a vanilla you would not want to eat. My two favorite non-foodie vanillas are the woody, smoky, incensy Vetyver 46 by Le Labo and the green and musty Vanille Absolument by L'Artisan, albeit the latter perfume smells like vanilla ice cream on some people; not on me. I can now add Geisha Vanilla Hinoke to the exclusive non-foody vanilla list. It is not easy to turn vanilla into a scent that you wold not want to eat, but Maria McElroy has demonstrated exceptional skill in this task. There is a delicate complexity to this vanilla without going overboard with notes. Very admirable.

A not-too-sweet citrusy vanilla. Something about the combination of ingredients strongly gives me the impression of ginger. The whole, though, doesn't smell like something edible. I really love this one, especially in Fall. It's uplifting and invigorating/uplifting and mellowing at the same time-like the briskness of an Autumn day with the grounding from the smell of dry leaves outside. I have the oil and the scent lasts for like 12 hours on me. I recommend and I'm not really a vanilla fan normally. Also, totally bizarre that vanilla isn't in the note pyramid above!?

I'm always keen to try a non-gourmand vanilla and this was lovely. Lemon-vanilla with herbal smokiness. The lemon might be a touch too green and sharp for some with its citronella aspect but I don't mind. Very spa-like, very relaxing and natural. It's very beautiful and I should reach for it more.

This is a good quality vanilla, but not for me since I like my vanilla sweet. Hinoki has woody notes and I think it will be nice on a man too.

Lemony vanilla with low sillage.