Dirty Vanilla

I’m in the downtown of a small town and it’s Saturday afternoon. The early November sun warms my cheeks and a cool breeze makes them rosey as I step into an antique shop. Wooden planks creek underfoot as my eyes take in the feast before me. I weave through treasures of the past, a bowl of root beer candies rest on a stack of dusty books so I pop one into my mouth. Time seems to stand still as I wander around each nook and cranny, patchouli incense and 70’s southern rock filling the air. Dirty Vanilla is neither gourmand nor syrupy sweet vanilla. More like spice, woods, and patchouli enveloped in a smokey vanilla. Star anise and licorice are not listed notes but my nose picks up a root beer vibe that made me fall in love with the fragrance. Longevity is fantastic, lasts well over 8 hours. Doesn't smell like Grand Soir or Dior Homme Intense in the slightest. It does remind me of Toi Toi Toi except DV is stronger and lasts much longer...oh and is cheaper.

Absolutely love it! But I don't agree with most reviews. The vanilla is prominent and truly accurate to vanilla extract, though it does fade(I have been a professional baker for 19 years). It's not a fluffed up warm or cloying bbw vanilla at all. The patchouli is very reminiscent of Yankee Candles Witch's Brew, a sweet almost Coca-Cola like patchouli, not hippie like. The patchouli also keeps this scent smelling very "cool" to me, like a cool fall evening. Not the biggest compliment grabber but the way this scent fills my heart with the excitement for Halloween is unmatched. I wear this September through October

It’s a very woodsy, resinous perfume that’s having an affair with a vanilla bean pod and they’re all over each other. I get pepper, coriander, patchouli, then cedar and sandalwood, all of it warm and sweet. The vanilla puffs up in wisps sometimes and makes it into a rather sexy smell. Imagine a strong, sludgy chai served in a roughly hewn wooden mug, and it’s kinda hot. Layer it with Coeur Noir if you want to smell like the coolest wooden chest ever. Yum! Edit: the oil rollerball is heavier and spicier, hell yeah

God I really love this one, I’m surprised as I usually don’t reach for vanilla fragrances but this is just perfect. The opening is very warm, vanilla and spicy, and as it dries down I find the warmth burns off and you can really smell the cedar and sandalwood, but the patchouli stands out as it settles onto the skin. The vanilla mostly stays constant throughout the day, it definitely settles in and sticks close to the skin all day but when I smell my wrist I can still smell it.

Vanilla with vetiver and patchouli. I love the resulting "Dirty Vanilla" accord - a dirt and greens vanilla with a hint of herbal spiciness. What you spray is what you get for the entire wear, and it remains pretty consistent across wearings. If I was a signature scent type of gal, I could easily see this being a signature. Predictable, easy to wear, I don't have to think about it too hard, and it doesn't overstay its welcome.

Vanilla fragrances normally give me migraines - something about the syrupy direction it's usually taken in makes me feel a bit sick. This is the first vanilla-heavy perfume that hasn't made me feel even a little ill! It doesn't smell sweet, to me, and actually doesn't feel like a gourmand at all (thank goodness). It evokes more of a warm woodland feel, taking vanilla back to its origins as a tree-borne orchid.

Ooooh I fell in love with this after smelling it in store and now I'm side eyeing it so hard cus its way out of my budget and I already have a long wishlist of fragrances, but its right up my alley and I didn't expect it to be at alll wow. Literally a "dirty" vanilla-- an earthy, smokey, woody, resinous vanilla. Like a vanilla-scented incense.

This is wonderful. It really is dirty and it really is vanilla. An antidote to the "clean girl" trend, thank God. Who wants to smell like plastic? I like the musk scents, but love the heavy vanilla ambers. There's just enough patchouli in this to make it interesting. If only it were stronger.

The perfect balance of vanilla and patchouli where neither drastically overpowers the other. It smells grounded and earthy in a way that is sexy without seeming fussy. It is prominent enough to be worn liberally but not so loud it is overpowering. My favorite new daily rider.

This powdery woody vanilla is earthy and enticing.... Like strings of vanilla pods and flowers wrapped around vines in the bake of Mexican sun falling on the dry dusty earth below... Hypnotic - just gotta breathe it in....

It’s more of a vanilla extract deep smell - deeper than other vanillas. I get why it’s “dirty” and it’s a spicy wood vanilla.

Smoother version of Doir Homme Intense/ Bentley for men Intense.

She's giving vanilla bean pods in cedar coffin

jumping the gun a bit here on this review because I only sprayed this 2 hours ago on my wrist (sample from Credo) & I also sprayed Torn from Henry Rose for comparison because they are both very similar—both are clean beauty vanilla fragrances with a green background. Not sure which of the two I like better, sort of oscillating between them. Dirty Vanilla opened very ambery musky, some vanilla, touch of green almost reminded me of a cheap amber oil I found on Amazon but it’s settling into this skin like vanilla, definitely hit it on the money with the dirty. This is a year round fragrance to me. Very versatile, could be perfect for layering. Very nice. Still has room to grow on me maybe some compliments and further knowledge on how this performs/ project will make me love this. In conclusion, this really is a dirty vanilla scent. Dirty as in skin, almost post-orgasm. Sexy but not a smoke bomb of a fragrance. Could be a wolf in sheep’s clothing type of fragrance. Doesn’t demand attention—“you sort of just had to be there” vibe. Not cloying whatsoever it’s a vanilla that is just green, ambery, resinous. Subtle but slightly dark.

Dirty Vanilla to me isn’t so much “dirty” in the sense of being provocative, and it’s not a gourmand in the slightest. While it is a bit sensual, it’s more like others have mentioned. It’s very earthy, like real dirt and real wood. The stronger dirt and wood scents remind me of walking through a foggy forest late at night. It’s been a while since the rain stopped and the soil and wood are close to dry, so you pick up smells of the drying wood and slightly damp dirt melding together in the air. On me, it’s that with a little bit of vanilla. Not a sweet vanilla, but the extract you bake with. With how woodsy it is, I understand the paper or old book comparisons. It actually kind of reminds me of Commodity’s Book. It’s an interesting concept for a reasonable enough price. On its own, it’s decent enough. I do think it needs something to make it more complex, so I like to layer it with KVD’s Sinner to create a much more intoxicating scent. But even on its own, it’s fine.

This is boozy and woody at first, then quickly develops patchouli spiciness. The dirty aspect is accurate, in that both the vetiver and patchouli have an earthy quality. However, the absence of a strong musk note prevents it from straying into "unwashed hippie" territory. After dry down, the vanilla comes out more and the woody notes become more specifically cedar. It definitely retains that spicy aspect of the patchouli, so I'd say one has to at least tolerate patchouli to enjoy this fragrance. The dirty/earthy aspect is well balanced, not overwhelming. Overall, I'd say this is predominantly a patchouli scent, sweetened by vanilla and given depth by cedar. For me, patchouli is a neutral note - neither a plus or minus in a fragrance. But because I love cedar and some woody vanillas, this is a win. As with most Heretic fragrances, it has subtle sillage and medium lasting power. Therefore I'd say this is work/close quarters appropriate for fall/winter.

This is one of Heretic's all-natural fragrances (some of them are partially synthetic), with some real vanilla, some vanillin (naturally derived but apparently not actual vanilla), and a variety of woodsy- and musky-type botanicals. My husband thought that it smelled "musky, like men's cologne." I think it's nice but am not as in love with it as I think that I might be if it didn't have the vanillin in it (which I think is responsible for the "cheap-box-cake vanilla note" that one of the other reviewers mentioned). Seven Virtues Vanilla Woods is less complex because it contains only vanilla and nothing else, but still, that is real vanilla rather than vanillin and I think that makes a difference to me. I still do like this one though, and would consider buying a full bottle if my husband liked it on me more because it feels kind of comforting to me.

This is a clove-smoking, stinky, festival-weary hippie who layers vanilla perfume oil with patchouli and musk. It's Sunday afternoon packout and the closest she's come to bathing this weekend is a few baby wipes in a hasty port-a-john wipe-down. I'm speaking from experience, here. There's a camphor-y medicinal quality to the patchouli like the leaf was plucked right off the stem and crushed in the hand. That's probably the cedar. It's the kind of vanilla smell you get in the botanical garden orchid room, where the humidity becomes too much and you're covered in a layer of sweat, overcome with the heady scent. The name is not a red herring. There is nothing airy, fluffy, or delicate about this vanilla; it's dirty honeysuckle nectar dripping down a sticky arm. I really like this on me and I plan on spraying it on my husband, too.

i definitely smell the woody notes with the vanilla. like someone else said- it kind of reminds me a bit of incense. it has that like earthy almost ‘dusty’ vibe to it. if that makes sense lol. it’s not at all like other vanilla scents. it’s sweet in a much different way. i don’t know how to explain it. but i swear there’s something else there that feels very familiar. i can’t put my finger on what it reminds me of. edit: okay okay i know what this smells like to me !!! on my skin it smells like og hubba bubba bubble tape gum !! i know that sounds ridiculous but i swear it does to me!! i wasn’t originally sure if i liked it but as it sat on my skin for a while (and i made the bubble gum connection lol), i think i like it now

I get this scene in my head when I wear it. I have been antique shopping all day, that, or visiting a cute old lady's house and she has put on a lovely morning tea. This smells like a 1908s vanilla slice. Creamy but not milky. Sweet, quite sweet. Sweet enough that you think you should eat/spray more but you know you'd end up feeling sick if you do. Naturally, you eat more. I wouldn't call it special but it is what it says.