Oriental Lounge by The Different Company

Bergamot, Curry Leaf, Pepper, Red Rose, Tonka Bean, Labdanum, Satinwood.

I suppose the first thing I noticed about Oriental Lounge is that as a man, this is a bit of a stretch to pull off. Since the core of Oriental Lounge is a powdery tonka and amber duo, it really does lean a bit too far feminine for me to wear. However, it would smell just as lovely on a woman and more appropriate as well. I bring this up simply because it's marketed as shared.

I was wondering about the curry leaf. Actually, this "note" brought nothing to the table with the exception of possibly enhancing the pepper note just a bit. Even so, the pepper note itself was low key ( at least on me ) and both blended nicely with the citrus opening. From the onset of Oriental Lounge, it's unmistakable that this fragrance is.......well.....an oriental. From other opinions, I read some gripes about longevity, but it lasts on me quite awhile.

This fragrance is uncomplicated and without much movement or dark tones. It wears lighter than it actually is, but it does possess substance. It boils down to it evolving into a tonka-woody that is on the powdery side, but not so much that it becomes annoying. The tonka is balanced pretty nicely for a dominant note in the composition and the labdanum is right there with it the entire time. Considering that orientals cover a pretty large spectrum, I would have to say that this one leans more casual.

I didn't expect Oriental Lounge to have the longevity that it does on my skin since the wearings didn't produce heavy projection or head turning presence. Hours and hours later however, I can easily detect the woody tonka with some resin and it seems to make for a very pleasant and comforting skin scent. It takes Oriental Lounge a few hours to dissipate into this stage, but its "close" quality lasts an impressive amount of time on me.

There's nothing incendiary about this scent and for those who like dark and heavy orientals may be a bit underwhelmed. On the other hand, I think it smells very nice and has a place when the more substantial orientals would prove to be too much of a good thing.

Sillage is acceptable and longevity is good. Thumbs up from Aromi for The Different Company's Oriental Lounge. If I smelled this on a woman, I would be remiss if I didn't throw a compliment her way.