Oranger Sirocco

Since this is Les Indemodables, and it's titled Oranger Sirocco, or Sirocco Orange (or Orange Tree), I told myself I should expect perhaps a rose leather, an Arabian oud and incense, or maybe an aquatic green. But no! We got an orange fragrance, in essence an orange amber! I was shocked! The title of a Les Indemodables perfume actually makes sense to the contents! However, I was - and still am - a bit confused. They already gave us an orange amber with Chypre Azural, so why did they need to do another one? After spending a few hours with Oranger Sirocco, which is usually far from being enough time to come to any firm personal conclusions on a perfume, I did actually reach a very strong conviction: Oranger Sirocco is what Chypre Azural should have been. This doesn't mean that I think they should swap places though; I don't think what we got as Chypre Azural would work as Oranger Sirocco, furthering my belief that Chypre Azural is a sort-of orphan in the LI line with no clear parent vision/idea. Though Oranger Sircocco, in summation of its notes, is more "amber" than it is anything else, it plays with the idea of cinnamon in a very interesting way that steers it more towards the chypre direction than Azural went. The gears in the perfume geek side of my brain are spinning. Starting from the top, we get a big, round, and plushy hit of LI's favorite orange material. Like in Azural, this orange accord strings itself from the top to the base of the perfume throughout the entirety of its life. Be it known, regardless of any other criticisms, it cannot be said that LI uses materials any less than stellar. In Sirocco, the orange note is brighter and more hesperidic but it still carries that slightly bitter and oily rind zest characteristic that was turned way up in Azural. This is achieved by making the material more floral in nature. This is a perfect centering of the hesperidic qualities, the oily zest qualities, and the indolic floral orange blossom qualities on a Venn diagram. It is strikingly beautiful and stays with you from beginning to end. Marvelous. Curiously, LI separates this orange accord by stating notes of orange blossom absolute and petitgrain, suggesting a different material(s) than their previous orange-heavy perfumes. I'll believe them, but tomato toe-mah-toe; this smells very nearly identical to the orange material used in Azural and Sables, just, most fortunately, lifted into the air a noticeable amount more. The curiosity doesn't stop there: enter cinnamon. Cinnamon is a funny accord. We call it a spice, most readily associated with ambers and gourmands for that reason, but it's actually a wood bark. Just like wood barks, in its raw, natural, and living state it smells equally woody (peppery like cedar, and sometimes milky like sandalwood), and green (in a young wood sense), as it does the dry aromatic baking spice we are so familiar with. LI plays with this botanical reality by presenting a cinnamon accord, lurking quietly in the background, that is equally woody, a bit green in a young wood way, and, of course, with the characteristic very dry baking spice quality. Its dry and muscular nature takes the bright light of the orange blossom and petitgrain and dims the light to dusk-like darkness. Your mind - or at least mine did - wants to immediately say "amber" thanks to that unique baking spice characteristic we all know and love, but with much time and much study, the realization that it's quite a bit more than that boggles the mind and caresses the senses. This is one of the most unique orange blossom perfumes I have yet to smell. Usually, this beautiful flower is presented to us in a citrusy, indolic, and slightly sweet white floral way; always pleasant, always pretty, always bringing us an aloof and carefree joy. Oranger Sirocco shows us orange blossom's dark side - but I don't mean dark as in evil. The dryness, the indolic quality, the woody spiciness of cinnamon, but also the quietly lively hesperidic and floral characteristics, give us a picture of orange blossom flexing its muscles. There's a tough pugilist hidden behind that pretty face. This is a fantastic piece of work.

Les Indémodables is not about chasing trends or sales volumes; It is about the appreciation of natural, high-quality raw materials and giving them the space to shine in a timeless manner. True niche perfumery in my eyes. Orange blossoms are a staple of perfumery and I have always loved their smell, even more so after spending some time in Portugal where they are omnipresent. Thus, on paper, LI creating a smell centered around them seems like a perfect match to me. And luckily, it really is. I am thinking about getting a full bottle after finishing my 3ml sample. Oranger Sirocco is fresh and light, yet also spicy and warm. It is an homage to the Mediterranean, where the cultures and climates of West Asia, Northern Africa and Southern Europe have been mingling for millennia in human history. As the orange blossoms slowly start to fade, the perfume turns more towards the underlying soapy, slightly spicy and ambery warmth. It is cosy, but still light and fresh. While certainly unisex, I think that the floral soapyness pulls it slightly more to the feminine side, than the spices and amber do so to the other side. But I will definitely wear this myself and will also introduce my partner and my mum to it. I am really looking forward to wearing this on a summer night, and also to see how it will do on colder days. It certainly has an uplifting, warming effect that I can see working year round and in most climates.

The opening is sharp, bright and aromatic. There is a smell of citrus peel that feels balanced according to the composition. A feeling of green landscapes might come to mind if you appreciate this kind of openings. Do not let it fool you because it develops a warm sensation after 15 min. The fragrance glows. Magnificent combination of spices and flowery profile while it dries down. Well balanced, intriguing, sweet and highly aromatic. Longevity 5/10 Sillage 6/10 Daytime. Needs to be reaplied after 4h. I don't recomend it for summer. The warm spicy profile might be too much for hot climates. Winter (daytime), Spring and Autumn (daytime/nighttime).

I must say, I was on the fence with this one for quite a while. I loved it at first, then reviews mentioning that it had added ambroxan or something synthetic-smelling along those lines influenced my judgment. Fast forward a few months and I love it. It does have a dusty and salty “undersmell” (which, if you ask me, makes it even more interesting), but now I identify it with the ambergris used by Les Indémodables in Ambre Suprême (which is great and will be purchased one day).

warm spicy orange blossom. i'm not a big fan of citruses or spicy, gourmand scents, but oranger sirocco is subtle and not overly sweet. it feels like what bath and body wants their stores to smell like in the fall, but they go overboard with the cinnamon. here, it feels very well blended, warm, comforting, and not saccharine (which is what turns me off to most gourmands and sweet perfumes). it also lasted all day for me and radiated out all day. beautiful 10/10