Oriental Lounge by Different Company, 2009

The smell of curry leaves defies description pungent, herbal, metallic, somewhat caramelized; and yet someone reading those words would probably be completely surprised if they sniffed the real thing for the first time. No other scent comes close. To me it is the major chord of South Indian cuisine the tempering of many dishes with curry leaves and mustard seeds in hot oil, to which additional tang is added by tamarind, and subtlety and creaminess by fresh coconut. The surface of the leaf has volatile oils which jump up and dance upon heating. How on earth would Celine Ellena integrate this note that clearly belongs in the kitchen rather than upon the body? By masking. The curry leaf is glued firmly to the bergamot and together they approximate cigarette smoke not terribly appealing if you already share house space with a smoker. Underneath is a base of tonka and amber which takes gradual steps forward all the time, and the fascinating bit of this fragrance is how this sweetness interacts with the florals, spice and woods over its evolution. Ultimately its all a bit too lived in for me, like yesterdays perfume on yesterdays shirt Id rather put it in the wash.

The Different Company Oriental Lounge

I have not been as impressed with The Different Company and their nose Celine Ellena as I thought I would have been. I am a big fan of Sel De Vetiver but the rest of the line has just failed to make me sit up and take notice. For that reason I wasn't overly excited about the 2009 release, Oriental Lounge.

Oriental Lounge is supposed to be Mme. Ellena's modern take on an oriental. This is a style of perfume that I like a lot and I was worried that this would be too light in tone to really be an oriental. That worry turns out to be the case as Oriental Lounge is a light airy amber-centric fragrance that I can't really call an oriental even though some of the classic bones of an oriental are present. On the other hand I found it to be a delightfully wearable amber that is surprisingly complex for its airiness.

The top of Oriental Lounge begins with a mix of bergamot followed by a hint of pepper and the note that many will be talking about who try this, curry leaf. The curry leaf adds a green woody aspect that also has the hint of a metallic nature to it. This is never overwhelming but it is present throughout the development of Oriental Lounge and it add an air exoticism to it. The heart is a mix of semi-sweet boxwood and spicy rose, again layered so as to feel as if wafted in on a breeze. It is during this phase that I first detect the presence of amber and it starts off at a distance before growing in intensity. There is a wonderful moment in Oriental Lounge where the curry leaf and amber are in equal balance and that mix is very enjoyable. The base adds in tonka, to sweeten things up a bit, and labdanum to add a touch of resin.

Oriental Lounge has excellent longevity for something as sheer as it is. The sillage is modest and that's what makes this so wearable in my opinion as most scents with this note list would be overpowering and Oriental Lounge is never that.

Maybe I'm fooling myself by not thinking of Oriental Lounge as a true oriental because it doesn't have the strength of so many others of that class. I like Oriental Lounge a lot for being something less than oriental but at the same time something more.