Hanksite Phoenix

[zankoku_zen]

An effervescent ginger moss fougere with cistus, lime peel, green mandarin, balsam, and khus.

[zankoku_zen]

The lack of love for this blend is bordering on the criminal. This is a soft fougere, very gender neutral but full of ginger, lime, and a burst of mandarin. As it dries, you get a tiny bit of khus, which honestly just makes this sort of smell like a gingery celebration for Christmas. This is fun, cozy, and bright. It's hopeful, playful, and merry.

 

Fine. Y'all don't love Hank. I'll love Hank, and appreciate Hank for the awesomeness that Hank is.

[Lucchesa]

After reading the above review, I really wished I had ordered a decant of Hanksite Phoenix.  Wait, I did.  And I have to agree with most of what z_z says.  Hanksite is a bright, charming blend that reminded me of A Boar and a Goat from the 2018 Weenies which also had mandarin and labdanum.  (Not sure if labdanum is contributing the effervescence here, but that's the vibe.) Hanksite's lime and ginger add zest, and there's a little sweetness from the mandarin but not much.  I'm not sure I ever actually made out the khus.  Unfortunately, my skin ate this up in short order.  I'll try again in a month before the Anniversaries come down to see if a little aging adds longevity.

[marared]

Hot herbal ginger. Definitely the peel rather than the fruit, giving it an earthier aspect, and I think that's what gives it the "mineral" feel. Khus is apparently vetiver (which I love), and I don't smell it at all, or the mandarin, but the cistus is loud and proud. Ginger herbaceous floral. It's pretty strong on the skin, but the throw is mild. Strangely enough, it really does have a Christmassy feel to it, which might be the mandarin and the balsam working together?

[RoseThornAndOak]

Oh my gosh I forgot to review this! Hanksite is a fun scent. It reminds me of Reeds Ginger Beer crossed with Jarritos Mandarin Soda, which to me always had an earthy/orange peel/gritty type taste. So this is mostly bubbly, earthy ginger beer with a but of citrus. I don't get much fougere/green aspects, other than the slight earthiness. Vetiver isn't going peanuts on me either, it's lending to the dry earthy/natural feel (not like graveyard dirt, more warm, desert-like). I feel like it could be brighter and I'm not sure how often I'll wear it, its just out of my comfort zone enough to be playful and fun and unique. I really like it and recommend it if you like ginger and fizzy blends. 😃

[milo]

I was expecting more citrus, but this one is more fougere on me.  It smells clean, with an effervescent-ness to it. This would be a good smell in a spa.

[forspecial_plate]

From the list of notes this could have gone either way - I love the idea of these notes but it's just a little bit too mossy on me.  That's my one complaint.  Otherwise it is zesty with a nice amount of citrus.  

 

On my skin, mossy scents often come off as......your uncle who still has his hair style from the 70's, and not in a good way.  Sorry I don't know how else to put it.  There are times I am in the mood for this kind of thing, and my decant is just the right amount for me. 

 

Edit: wearing this today.  It's not like a mossy dated aftershave any more.  Now I'm smelling something like citrus, herbal, white musk.  Also it reminds me of Apostrophe of Time.  Still not great on me but at least the 70's aftershave feeling is gone.  Gives me hope for some other scents I set aside for the same reason. 

Edited April 24, 2023 by forspecial_plate