Dirty English – warm and woody and irresistibly cheeky

True story. I went to a new hairstylist a while ago, and as we were getting to know one another, he asked me what I do. I told him I collect perfumes and have a blog where I write about them and sell decants of them. He was instantly interested. He wanted to know why I sell decants. I told him that decants allow people to try a fragrance before they buy it, and that can save money. He considered this before asking me if I could make a sample pack for him. I told him it would be my pleasure. Well, he did have scissors in his hand.

The next day, I dropped off four decants of fragrances I thought he would like. One of them was Dirty English. Two days later, he called to say Dirty English was the winner in the pack. He loved it, and his wife loved it.

I‘ve done this kind of blind sampling for friends and family over the years, and each time Dirty English is in the pack, it’s the one people want more of.

Perfumer Claude Dir created Dirty English for Juicy Couture, the American casual apparel company founded in 1997 by Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor. The name refers to Nash-Taylor’s pet name for her husband, John Taylor, bass guitarist of Duran Duran fame.

It was originally launched in 2008, and my bottle is the later version. I’ve had the original, and let me tell you, Dirty English still has its masculine mojo.

Dirty English opens with a sparkling note of Calabrian bergamot that’s crisp, bright and green. A note of spicy pepper and juicy, sweet mandarin follows and mellows the bergamot. Cypress, with its piney scent, adds a touch of freshness that winds its way through the mix before a note of warm, sweet, spicy cardamom links to the pepper, making Dirty English rich, warm and heady. Cumin, spicy and woody, gives the impression of sweat. It’s like a wink that says, ‘follow me.’ Aromatic marjoram rounds out the other herbs with its herbaceous and peppery facets. As it blooms, a note of leather comes forward.  It’s not pronounced; it just hums as it's joined by creamy sandalwood and balsamy cedarwood. Vetiver joins the woods through its woody facets and earthiness and warmth. At the base, oud and ebony wood amplify woodiness, making it rich and complex. Amber adds sweetness, and musk is smooth and sensuous.

Dirty English dries down to a warm, woody, and dry masculine scent. It's well-blended, but how it smells is much more than the notes in the bottle. Dirty English doesn’t smell ‘dirty’ so much as it makes you think that way. It’s the cheekiness of it that I find so irresistible.

And, if you want to try it before you buy, I can help you with that.

Check out Dirty English in our Shop.