Reviews of Oriental Lumpur
by Les Néréides

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.

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.