Hippie Rose
Heeley (2011)

Baroness Robert de Domecy by Odilon Redon 1900

Bergamont and patchouli join a light rose note that smells spectacular. The incense and vetiver are in the background, and of course the vetiver comes and goes as the fragrance develops. Feminine fragrance, but I would wear this in a minute. I get a touch of jasmine in here as well. Very nice. Summer gem. 8/10

Patchouli-rose has definitely come into its own, but maybe too much. It's so tempting to rely on that great patchouli-rose sexiness, so what does this one do differently?
I tried it because the name implies it's taking this combo back to its roots, the headshop oil blends. Those can smell kind of cheap, so I think it requires a bit of vision to successfully mess with that headshop vibe, which was an easy to like sense of play and funkiness. I was sort of looking for a certain experience with this fragrance, that might put a spin on the headshop vibe, upgrade it a little, but keep the fun and playfulness.
Hippie Rose is updated and urban. It's accessible and wearable. I liked this immediately. It went casual and mid tone. It's more patchouli than rose, more subtle and dusty, with a little incense, vetiver (not much, to extend the green patchouli theme), and lots of air to take it out of the headshop fog. The result is more refined - hippie chick grown up, amped down, but with a mini skirt in the back of her closet. Its sense of casualness works really well here.
I like Hippie Rose - its subtlety makes it a fragrance I can wear more places. I love Agent Provocateur but its assertive patchouli-rosiness makes it difficult for me to wear casually during the day. The original idea behind the first Agent Provocateur flanker was to make an AP Lite you could wear during the day. But the flanker was a disappointment, as it wasn't what was promised, but tweaked into something closer to a distant cousin and their fix for adding lightness was liberal doses of hairspray. To my nose, Hippie Rose is closer to what the Agent Provocateur flanker should have been.

Genre: Woods

So what makes it a “hippie” rose? A hefty shot of patchouli, of course! However, in keeping with Heeley's thoughtful and sophisticated fragrance aesthetic, Hippie Rose doesn't offer the sort of big, brash patchouli and rose accord you'll encounter in Bond No. 9's West Side or L'Artisan Parfumeur's Voleur des Roses. Instead, Hippie Rose weds a modest, civilized patchouli note to a wood and rose accord that's highly reminiscent of Shiseido's excellent and intermittently available original (“Black”) Zen.

Add some soft amber, discreet spice notes, including cinnamon, clove, and black pepper, and a dash of incense, and you have rose-based fragrance that while surely unconventional, is perhaps a bit too suave and cultivated to have been caught rolling in the mud at Woodstock. Never mind: countercultural or not, it's a highly gratifying scent, from first application to its smooth rose and vetiver drydown. Yet another winning entry in a line remarkable for its consistent quality.

A peculiar rose with Heeley's distinctive linear, architectural and aerial feel. Fresh and feminine, but at the same time, thanks to patchouli and (I assume) some incense/woody notes, also masculine. Very clever and simple, a bright concept developed in a totally well-balanced way. Warm and long persistence.

7,5/10

Now here's a surprise from Heeley, a rose with plenty of murky undergrowth, resolutely old-fashioned, turning its face against the soapy, clean or simply loud characteristics that tend to dominate recent rose fragrances. I wouldn't have expected it of him – so many of his other perfumes place the emphasis so strongly on the clarity of notes, they sometimes skirt banality.
This hippy is out in the garden: a mature rose among mossy, herbal aspects; there's a hint of licorice that bridges effortlessly with a dark, rooty patchouli. The patchouli is beautifully judged, its presence is central but well contained, it's no yawling feral beast. This is the kind of fragrance that rises to the nostrils as a perfectly formed accord; there is a completeness to it that resists too much picking apart of notes, one grasps it immediately and is satisfied. Or at least I am! Pretty linear once the top settles.

Hippie Rose opens with a blast of bergamot, before moving quickly to the heart notes consisting of patchouli and rose with a green grass undertone. I actually get more patchouli than rose, but both certainly are co-stars. Base notes feature the remnants of the patchouli and rose combo, with moss and vetiver joining them. Projection is above average, with above average longevity.

I went into trying Hippie Rose with high expectations. The scent has been compared to my favorite scent, Portrait of a Lady, and has many of the same notes... Alas, Hippie Rose is not like Portrait of a Lady to my nose at all, and I actually find it somewhat insulting to that great scent to even compare the two. This one is watery, with an almost Chap-stick like accord that features a lot of patchouli and rose. The rose does not smell real to me here at all. I just can't get into it, and I don't want to smell like a faux rose tinged Chap-stick balm all day; my guess is few would. What was Heeley smoking when they released this one? Definitely not recommended. 2 out of 5 stars.

Like most Heeley fragrances this is light and transparent and somewhat simple. Except for that it disappears after a while there isn't much of a development. The rose is kind of mild, not very sweet and for some reason I get a cherry-like note from it as well. Paired with patchouli and moss it makes a rather green and earthy yet transparent rose for women and men.