Dirty Lemon

I get the lemon, however, not in the way I’d expect. It’s in an American lemon lime tart way. Constant blasts of sandalwood but more sweet light resign. Similar to that of palo Santo after you have burnt it and the smoke dissipates. There is a wavy flower undertone. Almost floats like sushi seaweed and musk sticks. It’s nice and seems strong. It’s clean and sweet/sour. I’d love the candle of this. Different category to Italian scents like acqua di Parma but I see the similarities to Amalfi by ADP. I constantly struggle with heretic because they’re nice but not as premium as they’re priced in Australia.

My first boss wore this. She was in her 40s, divorced, with impeccable taste, Carrie Bradshaw grown up into Goop. I’d housesit for her in the summer and essentially cosplay being a cool older woman. I’d go to the museum, the park, the farmers market, come home and make a big salad, then lay on the vintage velvet chaise with a silk throw and listen to records. This sweet dark lemon hung on allllll day and I’d still smell it on my wrists when I went to bed. It’s been 5 years and I still smell it.

Not "dirty" at all, but doesn't mean it's bad! Feels exactly like sucking on a lemon candy: Starts out fizzy and tart, then mellows into something very sweet and warm. I've described it to numerous people as spraying yourself with lemon soda, without getting sticky. I can't imagine wearing it any other time but summer, and hot hot hot weather. I have never smelt another lemon scent like it. Heretic scents are generally very earthy and unusual. I sampled the full line and found almost none of them wearable. Again, this one is wearable in very hot weather but has the same odd earthiness underneath and it took me a while to come around to it (perhaps because I originally tried it in the dead of Chicago winter.) Sample before you buy. Absolutely unisex. Word of caution: Despite being all-natural, almost all Heretic perfumes gave me a headache, and I don't ever have sensitivity to fragrance!! This one and Dirty Rose, if I spray minimally, don't give me a headache. But all the others, no matter how gently I apply, give me a splitting headache.

The top notes of this are the most sour (I say this as a compliment, it's zingy and unique!) lemon note I've encountered. After that fades, it becomes a yellow floral but also sort of warm, spicy, and creamy, with the lemon just peeking through underneath. The ylang ylang really came through on me. Pretty good projection, doesn't reach a full-on scent bubble but not super close to the skin either. I got about 6 hours of wear on this.

The middle of this smells like the beach to me- warm citrus salty. It’s skin sweet, the citrus is mellow, and the Aus Sandalwood definitely makes it comforting, less sharp. It’s a great warm weather spritz (if you have the money). I wish it lasted, but I got 4, very light hours and that was it. I’d buy a FB if it was heavily discounted. 6/10

Heretic Dirty Lemon is one of the weirder fragrances I've smelled. I purchased it blind, and on some days, I really like it and on others, I really don't. It opens with a fresh, pungent blast of lemon and lemon zest that's almost stringent, after which an odd, mushroomy note blooms for a long spell (I suspect this is the "dirty" part of the equation) — this is the part of the Dirty Lemon experience that I just wait to go far, far away before the final dry down. I dunno what to say about the dry down, really. It wafts powdery, in the unfortunate tradition of certain vintage fragrances; if I press my nose close to my wrist, I can detect the tangy bitterness of the initial lemon. And then I really like it again! The end result is a sweet-sour scent halo that clings tightly to the skin. All of the Heretic perfumes I've tried are verrrry odd, and Dirty Lemon is no exception. I much prefer Dirty Mango, and wish I'd bought that instead. It is much fruitier. It also has a longer smell-life and is far less powdery in the dry down stage.

The first moment I got German lemon-scented window cleaner with freshly ground pepper, but that's just the first few seconds and a natural fresh sugared lime quickly takes over. In the dry down it's a soft and very natural lemon blend on me with a relaxing layer of light ylang-ylang. Like other Heretic fragrances it has a very natural essential oil vibe. Not perfum-y whatsoever. This specific fragrance would be perfect for early morning meditation imo. If you spray it on from too up close, it does leave an oil spot - clearly a high oil concentration. On the upside it lasts pretty well on the skin, albeit with a very intimate sillage. It's not really up my alley, but I have to admit it's a good vibes hippy kind of fragrance.

Dirty Lemon is a surprisingly unusual take on citrus. It's certainly lemonnheavy, but it reminds me of some homemade, lemon-based cough remedy - syrupy but not overly sweet, natural and medicinal and earthy. During its syrupy stage, I'm ambivalent, but once the darker herbal qualities emerge, it's weirdly appealing. It's natural and citrus, so the longevity is unsurprisingly not outstanding, but it's a fleeting pleasure.

Well composed, clean crafted rich lemony scent. Not strong. Sorta sexy. ✨