Oriental Lounge. What an evocative name for The Different Company’s latest fragrance, an Eau de Parfum by perfumer Celine Ellena. When I think of an “oriental lounge”, I picture a Tretchikoff painting come to life: black enameled wood, cocktail glasses, candles in red glass casting flickering light, sultry women parting beaded doorways.
My first impression on trying Oriental Lounge was that it was Guerlain Shalimar without the best parts. I smelled Oriental Lounge’s citrusy top folded into a tonka-tinged amber, and it felt flat and linear. After trying it a few more times, I figured out Oriental Lounge shouldn’t be experienced by the drop, but that a good half tube of a sample vial — or ideally a spray — is needed to get a full impression of the fragrance. It turns out I was wrong. Oriental Lounge may not be a slenderized Shalimar, but it isn’t exactly the dreamy, complex 1940s Chinese restaurant cocktail lounge of a scent I had hoped, either.
Oriental Lounge’s notes include bergamot, curry leaf, pepper, red rose, labdanum, tonka bean, amber, and satinwood. Denyse at Grain de Musc wrote an illuminating interview with Celine Ellena about Oriental Lounge in which Ellena confessed to not being a big fan of oriental fragrances. Ellena said she wanted to create an oriental that stripped out some of the genre’s clichés while still sending the signal that this was an oriental (I’m paraphrasing here, please read the original interview).
Unlike Ellena, I do like oriental fragrances. For instance, I love Shalimar’s not-for-debutantes, sweet-dirty ride through lemon, vanilla, blown flowers, smoky wood, and civet. While Oriental Lounge does offer an interesting (and not at all food-like) spicy heart with curry leaf intriguingly paired with cool, fresh rose, it isn’t long before sweet amber takes over and flattens the experience. I do smell wood, but just the tiniest bit. After ten minutes, Oriental Lounge is all about a sheer but sharp amber.
Imagine biting into a ripe cherry. The cherry’s skin is firm and satiny. Its flesh resists your teeth, but is drenched with juice. You feel the juicy pulp and taste a little of the acrid pit. Now imagine sucking on a cherry-flavored Jolly Rancher. Sure, it tastes like cherry, but it’s not the same as eating a cherry. For me, Oriental Lounge is the Jolly Rancher of oriental fragrances. Nice and an unexpected way to smell an oriental, but somehow lacking the body and complexity that comprise the real thing.
If you tolerate sweet fragrances and find traditional orientals thick and cloying, Oriental Lounge might be perfect for you. As for me, I’m moving Shalimar to the front of the shelf.
The Different Company Oriental Lounge comes in 50 ml and 100 ml Eau de Parfum. For information on where to buy it, see The Different Company under Perfume Houses.
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I was worried this one would turn out like Noir Epices, another attempt at an oriental without the obvious ingredients. In fact, I like this one where I don’t like Noir Epices, but I noted that the opening has more than a hint of Sel de Vetiver, and the drydown comes close to the sugary amber of Jasmine de Nuit. The end result , for me, is a bit of a cut’n’shunt job. It leaves me puzzled.
Your comment is interesting, especially in that it points to a possible style, but Ellena says that she’s too young to have forged a style just yet. Maybe her style is more evident than she knows.
Forgot to add: I adored your description of biting into a real cherry, vs a Jolly Rancher. I think that’s a perfect way to convey the concept of this ‘idea’ of an oriental.
Thank you! It’s so hard to describe something like “dimension” in scent.
Thanks for sharing the Ellena interview, Karen. It’s fascinating, particularly her description of Oriental Lounge’s story being that of a “box of unknown wood hidden in our memory.” It calls to mind the evocative, poignant memory boxes in William Gibson’s Neuromancer. The connection, for me, is so intriguing that I feel compelled to try this scent. Although truth be told, I really to love Sel de Vetiver and Jasmine de Nuit, so the idea of smelling something less that grand from Ellena Jr. fills me with a little trepidation.
I like Jasmin de Nuit, too. It sounds like you really should try this one. And wasn’t that a gorgeous description–the bit about the box?
It was. I feel like she approaches her scent design very intellectually (perhaps all noses do and I’m just learning it) and I find it interesting since scent to me is such an emotional experience.
I had the same thought! I guess every art form has emotional and intellectual sides, and I tend to respond more emotionally to perfume, too. But I’m interested in hearing the brainy bit behind it.
In contrast to Ellena’s approach, in interviews I’ve read with J. P. Guerlain, I get the impression that his approach is much more emotional than intellectual.
I’d like to learn more about him. I heard an interview with him on the radio once and listened eagerly.
Mr. Guerlain has one recent interview on his site – monsieurguerlain.com (I *think* he uses the French version of Mr.).
He might also have a couple of older videos too. I’m a HUGE fan of JPG! Would love to meet him.
You may have read this already, but Scented Salamander reprinted an interesting interview of Le Maitre himself with his heir Theirry Wasser. (God bless Wallpaper magazine).: http://tinyurl.com/p9qxhj
These will be fun to follow up on, thanks!
You might be a little disappointed if you met him these days. Sadly, his health isn’t what it should be and his answers are evasive at best, though he’s quite pleasant.
That is a bit sad, to be sure, but not really surprising I suppose. The best magicians are always a bit evasive.
Ah CC, I am sorry to hear that.
Angela, I am begging you to write and publish a novel. Preferably filled with descriptions of people eating of fruit. I am serious.
Hey, I am writing a novel! It’s just about finished. I don’t recall any fruit, but it does include along the way a poached egg, some pasta, a few martinis, a patty melt–and perfume, of course.
Please do let me (us, I guess; I suppose it’d be selfish to be the only one notified) know when it is done and ready for purchase.
Also, now I want a martini. AND a poached egg. Maybe not in the same mouthful, but who knows?
If I ever get it to market, you can bet I’ll beg Robin to post a notice that it’s available. (After all, Tabac Blond does play an important role in one scene.) Thanks for asking about it! I’ve been getting up early most mornings for over a year to work on it.
I’ve been waiting to hear about the novel myself… should the mainstream publication not work out, you might be able to do a print-on-demand pub for those of us who’re dying to read it.
You’re so nice, thank you!
I second Mals idea – I’d buy it and read it in a heartbeat!
Thank you! Now all I have to do is finish this last edit and beat the odds to get the darn thing published.
yes! however, whenever…we want to read it!!!
When I wrote about Oriental Lounge on Grain de Musc, Céline Ellena tells me she didn’t recognize her “baby”. It turned out the very first batch of it was too strongly concentrated which weighed down the fragrance (Céline mimed a balled-up position to express this).
It’s not entirely impossible that you got a sample from that first batch, Angela, though truth be told it *is* a much simpler composition than the classic orientals. I now have the correct batch and it’s livelier, but still pared-down in the family style. I’ve been wearing quite a bit (proof that I really enjoy it: I tend to neglect stuff I’ve already reviewed).
That said, the oriental family isn’t my favorite and I can’t wear Shalimar (mostly because everybody and their mother — well mostly everybody’s mother — wears it here in Paris). So I’m the target public, definitely.
For anybody who can manage some French, please have a look at Céline’s blog of olfactory vignettes. That lady has got real flair as a writer!
Thanks so much for the interview you did, D. It was so interesting, and really gave insight into Oriental Lounge (I love that name) and Ellena.
You know, I wonder if I do have a sample from that first batch. “Lively” is exactly what’s missing. It does wake up if I spread most of the sample vial over my arm, but still feels 2-D.
I know what you mean about Shalimar, and that’s why it’s been at the back of the shelf so long. Shalimar suffers from being so Shalimar, so recognizable that just as it’s hard to really “see” the Mona Lisa, it’s hard to really smell Shalimar. One benefit of writing this review is that I smelled it in a new way when I compared it with Oriental Lounge.
The Mona Lisa (or Mozart’s Little Night Music) is the exact simile I use when I discuss why I can’t wear Shalimar, or N°5. I really discovered these with vintage bottles…
The rough, green, oddly metallic-warm curry leaf note really comes alive in the “right” batch, propelled by the bergamot. There’s also a weird gasoline undercurrent to it that keeps the scent from being just nice amber. Oddly, I’m not big on amber either but found I could do it in its terser, almost growling, super-labdanum version in Oriental Lounge.
Oh, and BTW, brava for the novel! Crossing fingers for you.
I love the sound of a gasoline undercurrent. Besides just plain liking the smell of gasoline, it would be great way to slice through some of the amber.
Thanks for your encouragement on the novel! Have you ever tried your hand at fiction? I never thought I’d want to, but now I always want to have a novel going.
There’s a manuscript in a drawer that was almost published until the editors broke out into a huge row about it. I then rewrote it once too many times and lost interest. I’m not sure I’m a fiction writer… I like to tell real stories. And I’ve got plenty to tell. But a memoir… pff… I’ll wait until I reach Casanova’s age when he wrote his to write mine, I think.
“Casanova” is an interesting choice for a comparison, leading me to think it’s going to be a juicy read, your memoir.
oh. i am a lucky sod..i appreciate the mona lisa/shalimar so much that i focus on that, and forget that so does the rest of the world…
2D, sweet, and lacking a “lively” note, makes me think that Oriental Lounge(and we have many here) will not be to my liking!!!
thanks for the review….if i hit a jolly rancher instead of a cherry described above, i think my hypersensitive senses would be shocked from serene expectation, to a shivery,red disappointment and vacant longing for the missed chance of satisfaction!!!
Really, by doing this review I fell in love with Shalimar again. It was nice to approach it a whole new way. I suppose it isn’t really fair, either, to compare anything to Shalimar since Shalimar is one of a kind.
You have a way with words, Hong Kong Mom!
must have come from ur inspiration!!!
Perhaps this will sell well where a lighter fragrance is preferred, or could be a go to summer oriental-light, though Shalimar Light fits that bill for me. It sounds lovely enough but I’ve got a couple nice ambers and don’t think I need this one. Although perhaps it may interest those who otherwise wouldn’t gravitate toward oriental frags as sort of a gateway oriental? Particularly if it’s light and sweet.
It might be a good gateway oriental, true. I’m not sure it would be good for summer, though–it’s too ambery, in my opinion. It would be nice on a crisp, cool day with woodsmoke hanging in the air.
Shalimar light has a lot more citrus than Oriental Lounge to me. I’d love to know what you think of it, though, if you try it.
I might give this one a try. My first sample of TDC was Osmanthus last week and it made me hungry for more osmanthus scents (Osmanthus Yunnan perhaps?). Speaking of orientals, I adore Shalimar…..on my auntie. I think it might be too heavy for me, or I just haven’t developed the sophistication to wear it yet. Thanks for reviewing this fragrance, Angela. Do you think TDC OL would be a more office-friendly (or in my case lab-friendly) oriental scent?
You recommend Osmanthus? It’s one of my favorite flowers (I grow it at home and drink a tea composed of the teeny blossoms), but I was worried that the perfume wouldn’t have any lasting power.
I do recommend it. It’s refined and restrained with an interesting story to tell. My nose detected bergamot, green grass, and citrus in the opening. The heart is definitely osmanthus, with a bit of rose in the background. I think the base is pretty quiet, slightly musky but cheerful (maybe the citrus lingers?). I think TDC Osmanthus is far and above a greenish floral I purchased from a boutique last year: Leaves by Elizabeth W. While pretty (and reasonably priced
), there’s little to no evolution. Pretty much one chord from beginning to end.
I like the osmanthus, but it didn’t stick around long on my skin at all. Sometimes that’s nice, though.
I have an osmanthus bush in my backyard and look forward to the times when it blooms.
That is one thing I’m thankful for, 99% of all fragrances I tried linger on my skin. I had on OJ Ormonde on one hand and TDC Osmanthus on the other and they both stayed on my skin overnight.
I’m wearing Ormonde Woman now! Love that fragrance.
I still feel somewhat timid towards OJ Woman, like I’m not woman enough or something LOL. It’s gorgeous for sure. On me it seems to exude this mint balsamic note (is it the hemlock?). I will give it a few days like always. The OJ sample collection is on my Christmas wishlist, I really want to try the others.
Ormonde Woman is a perfume of its own, that’s for sure. I get a lot of grassiness in it at first–I wonder if that’s what you smell? The other OJs are great, too, so I hope you get the sample kit!
I’m not sure exactly how office friendly OL would be. It’s not particularly fresh or subtle, although it isn’t thick and opaque, either. It might work in a creative office, but I don’t know about a lab.
Osmathus is nice! I like the bergamot TDC, too.
Thanks, Angela! It’s so tricky finding my lab-friendly scent. I’m surrounded by the “aroma” of methanol, acetonitrile and dichloromethane, that if I wear something too subtle I won’t smell it at all but if it’s too strong…well, a very icky combo with the solvent vapors. I’ve tried working sans fragrance for a while but it’s just too depressing
Oh boy, that is a challenge. What fragrances work for you?
Kenzo Flower worked for a while but now I’m veering more towards the niche and unusual. I adore PdN Vanille Intense, just got a decent-sized decant, not a full bottle only because I also want to get my hands on Penhaligon’s Amaranthine. I don’t think those two are lab-friendly. I imagine them more for my weekends and nights.
By the way, your description of biting into a cherry fruit was GORGEOUS!
I bet the vanilla would be a great counterpoint to all those chemicals!
I’m glad you liked the cherry description. Cherry season is so far away now…
CdG Garage?
Yeah I keep looking for CB I Hate Perfume Academic Laboratory, alas…
I think people think I’m crazy when I tell them I love the scent of polyvinyl alcohol (if they know what that is). I’d love a fragrance with a touch of that accord in it. Ha!
Isn’t there supposed to be a vinyl accord in Parisienne? Although maybe that’s not the kind of vinyl you mean.
I suppose PVA scent can be described as “elusive” or “invisible” LOL. I love the days when the undergrads make fruit esters. I think one year they made bananas. I bought banana cream pie on the way home hehehe.
Angela, I tried Parisienne at my local Sephora. I love the bottle but not so much the juice. I used to love Opium a long time ago.
Bananas! I would have bought the pie, too.
HA! I actually have a jug of polyvinyl alcohol in my laundry room cupboard! Left over from a few years ago when J and I went thru a “make your own slime” phase…..is it any wonder that kids loved coming to our house after school??? Oh, and while it still retains its slime-making abilities, after a few years it starts to get stinky.
perfumegeek: I could be confusing PVA for Formalin… one of those I love the scent of, and if PVA is odorless then it must be Formalin I’m thinking of. Kind of a very sweet chemical odor. In any case, I’m sure it’s not good to inhale!
Joe: I have a confession to make….earlier in my career when I wasn’t so careful I would forget to label my beakers containing these solvents. They’re all colorless so you can guess my method of identifying which one contains the ethyl ether
I love the smell, it’s also sweet, very dry, very volatile, and yeah….not good for you.
Oh no, I remember making that banana ester in chem lab… to this day I avoid banana-flavored anything. (Except real bananas.)
Le Labo Patchouli 24. Nicely phenolic, a lick of terpenes, should work with the fumes.
Thanks so much! I will order a sample soon
The phenols don’t scare me as much as the terpenes…eek!
I was torn between ordering a sample of this, or Jasmin de Nuit. Glad I chose the latter.
By the way, of course your book will get published. If it doesn’t, there’s something seriously wrong with the world.
Sometimes, reading the news, I’m convinced there IS something seriously wrong with the world!
Tell me how you like Jasmin de Nuit!
I have nothing to say about this fragrance, but count me as another very interested person to read your book!
Oh good!
Can we write letters of recommendation to some editors on your behalf?
A little unorthodox, perhaps. But we’d do it.
ooh! that’s a good idea….letters of inquiry …..amazing new author, anything available by her????
You’re nice to say so! I have a friend who is writing her second mystery novel in a published series, and she had to query 50 agents before she found one. It sounds like once she did, though, her book sold right away.
yes, id’e be happy to sign!!!
That’s funny! My first step, though, is to bag an agent. On my list for this past weekend was to draft a solid query letter. I’m hoping to get it it this afternoon.
Plus, you have a lot of positive energy flowing out to the universe for your cause, & that never hurts! [I sound like an old ex-hippie, cause, well, I am.]
I’m very grateful for the positive energy, believe me.
Yea Dove! I am too!
Hmmm. I am an oriental fragrance wimp – I don’t like the major ones yet, or I’m scared of them, but I _want_ to like them. Would this in any way count as an “oriental with training wheels”, in the quest to develop a taste for them, or is it just in an altogether different family?
It might just be a gateway oriental for you. Or, if it turns out you’re a big fan of orientals, anyway, maybe it’s all you need. I’d love to know what you think if you try it.
I always look forward to, and enjoy your reviews Angela…I shall now have a lovely cup of tea in your honor. Ok, I was going to get some tea anyhow, but now it’s in your honor….
Most TDC fragrances I’ve come across are Nice. Pleasant. Wearable. Inobtrusive…..short lived and not really FB worthy. The one possible exception being Bois d’Iris….but I’d have to buy it in the huge flacon since it lasts such a short time on me.
I wouldn’t mind giving this a sniff, but honestly, there’s so many GREAT things out there calling for my attention….today: Ginestet Botrytis…yurmmmy.
Bois d’Iris is nice, but I’ve had the same experience–five minutes and it has vanished. Enjoy that cup of tea! Maybe I’ll make one, too.
I can’t wait to get home to make my afternoon cuppa!
Funny – I’m wearing a Ginestet today. Le Boise, the one that looks like a wine bottle and comes in a little wooden cask. It is composed of !!!CEDAR!!! plus vanilla. I think it is their masculine fragrance, but I wear it fairly regularly and often use it to cut the sweetness of other vanilla fragrances. It was a gift from a wine friend, and I can’t help but view it as a novelty rather than a “fine fragrance.” Maybe it’s the bottle.
It does sound like the bottle is a bit gimmicky.
I was tempted by the notes of that one but was put off by the “wine bottle” motif….it’s cute because they’re a wine producer….but it’s also a little silly—like it’s cheap bubble bath or something. At least Botrytis comes in a flask-like bottle… it’s much sweeter too.
And see, it’s funny, TDC makes some of my favorites, several of which I would gladly take a full bottle of. I have scent-eating skin, too, but they last on me really well, especially if I get just a little on my clothing. Love Bois d’Iris and Osmanthus, and I really enjoy Rose Poivree as a very quirky scent. I need to spend more time with Sel de Vetiver. I got a sample of Sublime Balkiss recently, and it smells nice, but it’s a little too fruity-floral for my taste and personality.
It sounds like you should definitely try Oriental Lounge.
hey daisy..i can get the 3 travel bottles of bois de iris for half price….it seems like a great deal, but there are so many other lemmings…oh but that cute little silver cannister….
the one i liked best was d’ailleurs and fleurs…which was the nicest summer green/orange smell…although short lived!! bergamot disspeared in a minute
Always so enjoyable to read your reviews, Angela! And you get an extra bonus point today for talking me out of a sample. I’m a big lover of hard core Orientals.
If it falls across your path, it’s definitely worth a sniff, just for the experience if nothing else. But it’s nice for me not to have something I feel compelled to buy immediately!
Hi Angela: I’m curious if you think you might have liked it better if you didn’t know the name or if it had a different name (though it seems you found it pretty insipid regardless).
Shalimar Light was mentioned above briefly, but do you enjoy that one or would you/do you own it? (I’ve not tried it.) I need to pull out my original Shalimar edp vial for a proper test; the only one I’ve really tried is a recent iteration of the edt, which to me was quite a nasty, nosehair-singeing experience upon first spray.
Also, how do you like that Prada L’Eau Ambrée if you’ve tried it, speaking of sheer ambers? (I’ve not tried that either.)
Re: your Shalimar edt reaction – Sputter! ‘Zackly what I thought about Shalimar for years ‘n years. It’s still difficult for me, but I love Shalimar Light. I now have some of both versions… want some? PM me.
I wouldn’t call it “insipid”, but maybe not full-bodied enough for me to want a bottle. I think the name makes me like it more!
I used to have a bottle of Shalimar Light a few years ago but gave it to a friend. Although I love smelling it on the friend, I kind of which I’d have kept the bottle–I like it a lot, even more now than I did.
I tried a squirt of L’Eau Ambree at Nordstrom last week, and I wasn’t wild about it. It didn’t strike me really as an amber scent, or as an iris, but a suburban blend of both that didn’t suit my taste.
What the heck is happening to my spelling? It’s gone down the toilet. I meant, of course “wish” not “which”.
“Suburban?” Explain, please, dearest Miss A.
Well, not rough-and-tumble country, and not high-concept urban, but crowd-pleasing and easy-to-live-with, but perhaps not life-changing, surburban.
I have been hoping that someone will review this fragrance.
Thank you, Angela!
I haven’t had the chance to sniff OL, but Jasmin de Nuit is one of my favorite. I love the combination of spices with amber in it. It also has a very good longevity on me. The rest from the TDC I have found interesting, but never really wanted a FB.
Well, I am on my renewed quest for spicy fragrances these days, so I would love to try OL.
Jasmin de Nuit is so nice. I’d love to know what you think of Oriental Lounge if you get the chance to try it.
For spicy scents, have you tried the new Mercier Minuit Enchante? That’s been my go-to spice hit the last few weeks.
still waiting for this to arrive in hk…i think maybe it won’t (to spicey for asian taste)
Interesting! It definitely is spicy.
Angela,
I haven’t tried Mercier Minuit Enchante yet. Thank you for the suggestion! I will be interested in reading your novel.
I hope you get a chance with the Minuit Enchante (and the novel).
I sniffed this a week or so ago, but I was underwhelmed. Like all TDC fragrances, this one disappeared after about 20 minutes. I am going to try it again, but don’t expect a much different result – they are pretty but very short-lived.
Most of the TDCs vanish on me, too, except Jasmin de Nuit and this one.
they are short-lived, but I love Sublime Balkiss for the warm weather, which is pretty much constant here in Florida. It seems in a similar vein…sort of a Oriental lite.
It sounds like Sel de Vetiver would be refreshing there, too.
I have only sniffed a small sample of this, but as you might guess, I am completely intrigued. I do like some orientals, but they can’t be too overblown. A touch of vintage Shalimar is fine, but Opium, Poison and other huge orientals are way too much for me. I also love sharp ambers and you mentioned sheer but sharp amber. I need to spray this one!
Yes, get a spray sample of it if you can. I think it makes a big difference–at least the difference between a drop from the vial and a healthy splash from the vial was enormous.
“For me, Oriental Lounge is the Jolly Rancher of oriental fragrances.”
OUCH. AND NOT IN A GOOD WAY, eh? I laughed, thanks.
Something about the juxtaposition of the words “oriental lounge” and “jolly rancher” is pretty hilarious, really.
Hmmm…maybe because when they’re crossed we get “oriental rancher” and “jolly lounge”?
“Jolly Rancher” on its own is pretty strange. I wonder who thought that up?
Oriental lozenge?
That’s a good one! Then there’s Jolie Rancher or Jolly Wrencher.
I sniffed this briefly on a test strip and the first thing that came to my mind was,” light version of PG’s Cadjmere.” Did anyone else who has smelled this get that or am I crazy?
If I had a sample of Cadjmere, I’d test them side by side. Interesting!
Thank you for the review Angela. I love the way you write and how you are drawing (or even painting) the picture of a perfume in words.
I tried Oriental lounge today in one of the few Dutch stores which carry the TDC line. Really liked it, but have to give it a full wearing.
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed the review. It’s good weather for Oriental Lounge now, if it turns out you need a bottle…