Dirty Hinoki

This is happiness in a bottle. I love Encre Noire so I was very intrigued with this fragrance based on everything I saw. I'd say the comparison to Encre Noire is undeserved. Dirty Hinoki is like the fun, playful, sexy cousin of Encre that you would never think is related. I say the similarities between the two begin and end with the citrus notes. I love the usage of it in both of the fragrances, the smell elicits a joyful and uplifting feeling within me, yet the citrus are different and the rest of their compositions share no commonality. I agree that Dirty Hinoki has bit more of a "Lemon" flavor but its sweet, like a Verbena Lemon or maybe Yuzu. I still detect a hint of orange in the Hinoki as well but in contrast Encre has a pure Sweet Orange identity that as I said elicits similar response but its distinctly different. The wood elements are light on the senses yet evocative, like walking through a cypress and fir tree forest on a crisp sunny day breathing in the fresh air. The "wood" smell isn't really what the scent reflects, its more of the whole tree itself, the leaves, the bark and a bit of moisture in the air. Reminds me of Spring. There is a crispness and yet warmth to it as well. This scent is not heavy but don't assume that it's weak either. I easily can smell the scent all day with a single spritz, and more will do a lot of work, however it isn't necessary. This Fragrance isn't for impressing someone with an expensive smelling cologne from a fancy house. There is no snobbery, pretention or assaulting of the olfactory system of others with this fragrance, which some people won't like. This is one of the most pleasant colognes I've smelled. It isn't really meant to make a strong statement so much as a wonderful, purposeful and inviting experience you will find yourself coming back to repeatedly with a happy thoughts of an adventure you never truly went on. In my opinion, this transcends what a cologne is and pushes the idea of what it can be. It opens a frontier to an experience that brings you to places you've never been before rather than just being a way to fish for compliments from others.

Really enjoy this. Packs a good punch per spray but at no point during the wear does my heavy hand get punished with cloy. I have a niche story that I feel gives me a layered insight into the word “dirty”. I spent a good chunk of my childhood on a ranch estate, with my father’s business associate and various caretakers as room mates. The business assoc. was also an sensei for judo so he had an actual dojo to take care of yet I don’t think he ever used soap. His gi and other garments just went to the hot wash with minimal detergent and then sun dried. Blankets, canvas tarps, thrifted clothes, even the guys hair, etc all shared this sun bleached aroma that didn’t feel dirty or dingy perse, just not conventionally sanitary. Dirty Hinoki reminds me of that guys lifestyle. Like someone who regards their body care just a step above primitive and that’s thanks to hot water and sunshine so not a particularly spiritual person who reeks of patchouli and what nots. For the record I do like that sunbleached aroma and texture it leaves the garments and dirty Hinoki asking price I would not argue against- thoroughly satisfied.

Was gifted a bottle from a good friend. She said the chemistry of this particular scent had a bad skin interaction on her but for myself, who loves a woodsy, unisex, green scent it was so so perfect. Faint touch of almost a smoky campfire running through the center. Reminds me of running on sun-warmed cedar chips on the playground in early springtime as a child. Just a beautiful realistic outdoorsy forest fresh scent. On myself, dry down is reminiscent of a luxury spa or high quality time spent in an authentic woodfire sauna with a clean faint vanilla lotion vibe. Just beautiful. Sits close to the skin, so don't expect to announce your presence with this one. Bottle is a quality glass spray free from frills, nice solid cap (much like the rest of Heretics line). Wish they'd have something a little more imaginative in their bottle design, but the neutrality remains true to the unisex appeal of the scent overall. Would probably be a great light summertime scent for anyone who enjoys the smell of the outdoors.

This is a beautiful fir forest smell with a touch of sweet lemon and a sprinkling of nutmeg. At first, though I found it an appealing scent, I wondered if it would’ve been better as a candle than on skin. But with the change of seasons I’ve completely changed my mind and I love wearing it (though it would still make a wonderful candle too!) It’s a perfect scent for the transition between summer and autumn, especially if you live in a climate with warmer fall weather. The lemony pine is still light and refreshing enough to feel good on hotter autumn days, but the addition of nutmeg also evokes a bit of seasonal shift. This is my new favorite for heatwaves in September and October. But it really would be lovely and wearable throughout the year. And definitely a unisex scent.

This is smooth, soft hinoki with sparkles. You're in a forest in Japan on a summer night, and you're a magical being or it's a magical forest, or both. Devastatingly however, the magic only lasts five minutes. The way this disappears is almost interesting -- like it was never there at all. Even sprayed on fabric it goes pouf! in a very short period of time. Even layered -- ive tried it with Chanel Eau de Cologne, Creed Royal Oud, and yes -- sensational five minutes, but then it slips out the door leaving its friends behind. A shame bc otherwise it's full bottle worthy: unisex, anybody, any season, any time of day, but the poor longevity lets it down.