Oriental Lumpur
by Les Néréides

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

This stuff is DRY SPICES.

Ever move into a pre-owned home? Upon moving day you open up all the drawer and cupboards in the kitchen and without a doubt, you know which drawer was the spice drawer. It's too bad I don't have a pleasant memory of cooking spices. I do cook but spices in a fragrance like this should be left for cooking. Ugh.

Or if you've ever been in someone's home that smells exactly like what they cook everyday...

Ginger seems dominant here. Reminded me of Gucci Envy for Men but without the formal suit and tie powdery accord.

11th June, 2009.

I was shocked upon applying this. All I get on my skin is pickled pimientos. The kind inside of green olives. It never develops into anything more than that.

3rd April, 2009.

So many times when I've opened my spice chest to cook, lifting the lid and getting a heady rush of the accumulated powders, seeds and dried herbs inside, I've said to myself "if only I could capture *this* exact scent."

Oriental Lumpur has done that exactly. Don't believe me? Come to my house, we'll go to the kitchen and you can have a whiff.

Curry is of course not one spice but a generic tag for all kinds of spice mixes from the Subcontinent - and Oriental Lumpur is it's own unique curry (or balti, actually. Yes, I'd say it's a nice, zesty balti).

Now here's the truly artful part: not one of those spices overpowers any of the others. Perfect balance. I've read repeated reviews of Kingdom that talk of nothing but the cumin, or complaints that Piment Brulant is nothing but a bell pepper. Definitely not the case here, the blend is the thing. Ginger, turmeric, coriander, cardamom, galangal, a hint of saffron and several others. In the middle there is the tiniest hint of clean soapy sweetness - just enough to bring back the perfect childhood memories of cooking lessons from my father - clean dish towels, fresh washed hands, and lots and lots of spices.

This is such a keeper - and I fear terribly that it will be discontinued for lack of sufficient market. Until then, I horde.

11th August, 2008.

Very spicy – immediately in the opening I get something very aromatic… something rather like eucalyptus or aoud, but it couldn’t be those because it’s gone after a few seconds. I really love those opening seventeen seconds with that great aromatic onslaught. The spice comes through magnificently… I get more nutmeg and ginger than I get cumin. There is also that curry note that some of the other reviewers talk about. Except for the first seventeen seconds, I find the opening accords only enjoyable – nothing more. The fragrance’s spice accord isn’t the sort that speaks to me of “food” – in fact it doesn’t speak to me at all. It’s very spicy and I’m not certain I want to smell like this, and, if I did, I think I would be satisfied with my Catalyst for Men: Catalyst isn’t as refined, but after those first seventeen seconds, Catalyst is just as spicy and has better sillage and longevity for the midnotes and the drydown. Pigeon Murderer’s suggestion of Diptyque’s L’Autre is also merits consideration and comparison. Oriental Lampur has rather poor longevity. Oriental Lumpur is an acceptable fragrance and I really love the first seventeen seconds, but its performance is mediocre at best.

26th May, 2008.

Very much a straight-up, dry spice scent. It smells like one of those spice rubs that you can buy to rub into meat to prepare it for cooking. In this case, I can't help but smell predominantly curry and cumin. As PM notes, L'Autre is another scent in this vein. I think Oriental Lumpur is more about foody spices than L'Autre, while the Diptyque scent is more approachable, its cumin being tempered with woods and some musk. Here, the cumin is "tempered" with curry, or vice-versa, much like chasing your shot of Jack Daniels with Jack on the rocks. There is barely the slightest hint of sweetness to keep it from being unreasonable. Personally, I don't care for this all that much, nor would I see myself wearing it often, but it is interesting.

11th December, 2006.

Ginger! Gingery disapointment!!
I was looking for something edible, spicy and tasty - I got this ginger odeur with only slight touch of pepper. Not so good. I`d even say boring.
If you want to smell like some eastern dish, then go for L`Autre (Diptyque). That is everything but boring.

11th October, 2006.