Red Lantern

[kohaisama]

A tribute to the opium den cum bawdyhouses of Shanghai in the 1930’s. Golden amber, blonde tobacco, Sudanese black coconut, rich caramel, black currant, white opium and delphinium laced with a sensual blend of Asian spice.

2011 version:

Oh man. This started out a beautiful exotic spicy caramel that's light and dreamy. On the drydown, it became dry coconut and dusty caramel. I'm so sad! I don't know if it's the coconut or maybe the tobacco. I've never had much luck with tobacco no matter what it's blended into.

[thekittenkat]

This is for the 2011 version.

 

In the decant: Caramel and tobacco and currant--yum!

 

Wet: Much as in the decant, but with a hint of spice.

 

The dry-down: The amber and the delphinium showed up, alas, but so did the lovely coconut. I think with aging this version will get better, though. It is what I would call sensual. I could imagine Lauren Bacall wearing this as one of her movie characters, flirtin' and fightin' with Bogie, somewhere in the South Seas in the middle of a mystery.

[diBenjamin94108]

I received Red Lantern a couple of weeks ago, and at first it made me want to hurl. I thought it was totally gross. But something happened... it grew on me, and now, it strikes me as complex and lovely. It's caramel in the bottle, and maybe it's the tobacco that I wasn't liking. It smelled like a dry cleaner--that weird chemical smell. But on the skin, it relaxes and blends, the coconut comes out, but it's nothing like suntan oil. I don't think I've ever smelled coconut mixed in such a way, as a note that is recognizable as coconut but manages not to be that clichéed beach scent. And the caramel is sweet but it's not cloying, it's warm and rich. I don't smell delphinium. That's my favorite flower to look at but I've never noticed its smell. So that's a mystery.

 

Next time I put Red Lantern on, I'll try to smell the currant and amber. Maybe I'll edit this.

 

Anyway I ended up liking it much more than I did at first. If I were to assign a color, it would be a golden brown, glowing golden brown... not red. But glowing like a lantern.

[SophieCedar]

2011 version:

I did a side by side comparison of '11 to '08. Not sure if this an age or component comparison...or both! I wasn't around for the '08 version when it 1st came out so I bought it aged.

 

Wet: '11 is slightly more amber, less coconut and caramel, and goes on smelling like fresh dried pungent tobacco and opium with a sweet background. '08 is stronger on the delphinium and goes on very syrupy, maybe allowing some currant to take over.. I think the opium and amber are just more potent when fresh too.

 

Drydown: The delphinium and opium with a dry currant are what sticks around for '08. '11, the cologne mix of tobacco, opium and amber is prominent. '11 maintains sweetness much better. Huh.. I had no idea what I was missing by having an aged bottle, only!

 

Further into drydown, '08 starts to smell rank, compared to '11.. dry, papery, and a bit like flat cola, when sniffed 1st. I wouldn't have noticed this if I had worn it alone. In fact, my memory tells me that 08' worn alone, smells just as glowing as '11, when it's not competing with a fresh bottle.

Edited March 30, 2011 by SophieCedar

[Dahlia Mask]

I have a love hate thing with this scent. I Open it up and I immediately go "Oh Sweet Flub of Buddha!!! Close this NOW!!". The smell of Caramel pretty much obliterates my senses and practically clears out the room when friends open it yet once it goes on my skin it starts to mellow out and the caramel calms the fuck down. The Other scents come out quite nicely and I can appreciate the Goldenrod and the Tobacco while the coconut blends evenly with the caramel. I have trouble smelling the Opium and Delphinium on me as it gets drowned out by the Asian Spices. I think I might trade this one off one day though.

 

It's not fair that a friend of mine who hates this smell as much as I wears it and it ends up being the most amazing scent on him ever. I might have to see if one day he might be interested in buying it from me.

[Vega]

Reviewing the 2011 version.

 

Sniffed: Caramel leaps out, distantly followed by dry tobacco and opium.

 

On skin: I don't like caramel, and sadly it is the star of this show. At least it's a bit tamer on my skin, and I can smell the dry tobacco and spicy, somewhat gritty opium/poppy. The spices, smooth dark currant, dry amber and fluffy coconut are also present to varying degrees. Red Lantern is a spiced floral, dark and heady and sensual. --Well, a spiced floral under the haze of rich, cloying caramel, which fades out every so often, but mostly stifles the other notes. Colour impression is, yes, caramel brown blushed with dark red.

 

Verdict: I was really hoping that caramel would be imperceptible, but alas, it's the dominant note that undergirds Red Lantern. Foodie blends make me nauseous, and this is just a little too foodie for me. I think I would like it much more if the caramel wasn't present! Not meant to be.

[milo]

I tried a previous incarnation a few years ago, I think it was 06 or 07. The notes sounded perfect to me, but I had no idea caramel would be problematic. It was very prominent back then and I had to sell off my bottle. This version smells like caramel and smoky incense at first, and then the caramel quickly disappears and we're left with slightly sweet smoky ambery incense. This is MUCH better on me than previously, and much more wearable. I'm not sure if it is bottle worthy, as I'm not too keen on smokey blends now, but it is nice enough that I may seek out a decant. I'd love to have tried the room spray now in hindsight.

[sarahjay]

This absolutely fantastic aged, the notes have smoothed out in a wonderful way & the tobacco is no longer dominating in an unpleasant way (to me). love it.

 

edit - mine is the 2006 version.

Edited July 25, 2011 by sarahjay

[Dominique]

In the bottle: Sweet something. I'm guessing it's the caramel, and I don't object. I like sweet scents. This bodes well.

 

Wet on skin: The sweetness is still there, but the top note is something else entirely. I'm terrible at picking out notes, so the best I can say is that it smells sharp - maybe the opium, maybe the tobacco.

 

Dry: Freshly dry, it smells similar to how it did wet. The overall scent is still a sharp sweetness. It's not really foody, just sweet.

 

Verdict: Considering my maniacal fondness for sweet scents, I'll be getting some use out of Red Lantern. It helps that it's less overtly foody than say, Sugar Cookie, so I'm less likely to try gnawing on my arm.

[Verse]

Well, I think I've found my first scent that is going to have to live in a locket! In the imp this was magnificant, full of exotic spice and *powerful* flowers. But on it turned into smokey incense--not bad, but just not that wonderful scent from the bottle It does have a lot of staying power!

[yakiguri]

2011 version.

 

At first application Red Lantern is nothing but incredibly sharp tobacco, cleaving through all the other notes. There's a tiny bit of sweetness in the background, but it's hard to tell what it is. Even as it dries the tobacco stays at the forefront, but at least now I'm getting more of the caramel, coconut, and black currant with just a tiny bit of spice.

 

I'm thinking I may need to let this age a bit more as I used to have a decant of a previous version with unfortunately no year on the label, which I gave to a friend when I got my new bottle of Red Lantern. The older blend was a much thicker, smoother, sweeter, and more sultry scent, so I think after another 6 months to a year the tobacco will calm down some.

[ziggystardust13]

I am shocked that this smells EXACTLY like the notes listed. It is perfectly blended. I didn't care for it as much in the bottle as on my skin. It definitely gets better as it dries. The caramel stands out for sure. It has me on the fence because I stray from anything foody. But this is very wearable and I do like it. Don't think I will get a bottle though.

[Incendiare]

Red Lantern hits me with a gob of caramel and amber in the vial, although the amber is still far in the distance. On me, the caramel is even stronger. After a while, I can smell a tinge of coconut and a hint of opium. Somehow, this smells slightly soapy, but the caramel is still the dominant note. The tobacco joins the opium and tones down the strong caramel. I like it a lot more on me than in the vial. I used to think that I liked the smell of caramel, but I am beginning to think that maybe it's not something I like to necessarily smell like, so I'm very glad tobacco and opium are balancing out the immense sweetness. It's better than expected, but not bottle-worthy.

[brilliantcat]

2011 version

 

In the bottle: Caramel and tobacco.

 

Immediately after application: Heavier on the tobacco. Some spices too.

 

Warming up: Very heavy on the tobacco with sickly sweet caramel underneath.

 

Fading: Kind of gag-inducing tbh. The tobacco is more ashtray than the usual beautiful tobacco flower note that works so well on me and the caramel is tooth-rottingly sweet. I think I have issues with caramel notes

 

Faded: Average throw, average wear.

 

Overall: I expected this to be perfect on me. I'm glad I didn't buy a bottle unsniffed because it's too... heavy. It smells more like cigarettes than the lighter tobacco flower that works so well on me. And sickly sweet from the caramel.

[AlectoFurious]

So, first a word on coconut. It loves me. It rises up to kill all others in attempts to please me. It drowns other notes in waves of diva-like, attention whore, scene stealing. To say "I amp coconut" is an understatement of profound magnitude. And while I like the smell, sometimes I wish coconut would play nice with others. I was pretty sure I would never be able to wear coconut. Until Red Lantern.

 

This would be the 2008 version.

 

In vitro - Caramel and amber are what jumps out at me the most, with a lurking sharp green scent (the tobacco perhaps?) in the misty distance.

 

madidus - The caramel is stronger now and the tobacco is stronger as well. No amber at this stage and strangely the coconut is behaving. It sits quietly in the background lending a light sweetness.

 

siccus - This digs in for the long run as a sweet green scent on me. The tobacco note is prominent but there is a gentle coconut and caramel sweetness. Very lovely and now convinced that coconut can play nice....if it sits in a bottle for 4 years

Edited September 18, 2012 by AlectoFurious

[sisi33]

2011 Version.

 

In the bottle: In a word- delicious! If I could drink this without fear of poisoning, I certainly would!

Wet: Wet cinnamon and something… smells like those Yankee Candles. Some citrus- mulled wine?

Drydown: Okay, there's the opium. For some reason I'm getting pumpkin and allspice? She's SUPER foodie though, which I don't really like.

 

Just WAAAY too foodie for my tastes! But not unpleasent at all! If you like foodie- GO FOR IT!

 

2/5

Edited September 25, 2012 by sisi33

[Kit Foxly]

[Review of the 2007 version.]

 

I was curious about this one, given its similarity to my beloved Tiresias - the prospect of another awesome scent in the same family (with the addition of amber!) had lots of appeal.

 

It's quite nice, but for me it's not on the same level as Tiresias, sadly – the opium & delphinium, presumably, add an edge to it that outweighs the amber (which barely makes it out of the drydown for the first 6-8 hours, sadly!).

 

I tested this without re-checking the notes first. Interestingly, The Cat picked up the coconut, when I had no idea it was in it – he reckoned the whole thing smelt like Burts Bees' coconut-based Milk & Honey moisturiser. Heh.

 

I should note that by 10pm - eight hours after application - the amber, caramel-spice combination and just a touch of the tobacco depth are all that's left, giving me a tantalisingly lovely cross between Tiresias and The Lion. Wretched tease of a scent! It'd be a keeper for sure if I hadn't had to wait the whole afternoon for this!

[Lucide]

At first this one smells heavy on the caramel and tobacco; sweet, languid and dark. Slowly it morphs in to a lighter and more complex scent, the black-current is more on the forefront now. Half an hour later; this smells exotic and beautiful. I can not smell any of the individual notes, but it is a great scent!

[Teaker]

This starts off warm, rich caramel: very sweet and almost a touch buttery (that would be from the coconut). As it settles it becomes drier and almost-but-not-quite powdery. More hazy than powdery. It smells very much like sweet dry incense. I get wafts of opium, but no amber. It's really quite stunning and perfectly conjures images of languor, clouds of opium smoke, and exotic locales.

 

It''s too much like incense for me to wear as a perfume, I prefer the wet stage where it smells like sexy caramel. But it's really lovely and I can see why its so popular.

[VioletChaos]

2015 Version

 

But you know, Red Lantern, like beloved Smut, is one of those scents that changes little from year to year. I used to have a 2006 bottle and I (foolishly!) traded it away. I've waited for several years to get it again and, as before, it doesn't disappoint. Red Lantern is rich and sweet without being foodie. It's a heady, decadent scent, perfect for long winter nights in the arms of lovers or as a finishing touch to being wrapped in heavy silk velvet. Red Lantern lasts. It's strong and warm and a little chewy. It's as thick and captivating as ever.

 

SO glad to welcome it back into my collection.

[Jeni Mullen]

Huh. I think there's a coffee or a cocoa note in here because man... There is something turning acidic in my nose like Miskatonic University does. I'm pretty darn disappointed. I really can't help but say it. I don't get the coconut. Or the caramel. I just get spice and cocoa or coffee. Alas. I should know better than to blind bottle.

[lavenderfrost]

(2015 Decant)

 

In The Imp: Caramel.

Initial Application: Still caramel. Some of the coconut and a sharp freshness that I'm assuming is the Delphinium starts to come through after a minute. Keeps it from being too foody for my taste so far.

30 Minutes Later: The delphinium fades to the background, but I think the amber and tobacco leaf are stepping in now? I definitely smell currant, and I have no idea what asian spice is used, so I don't know if I'm smelling it. Also not sure what bpal's opium note smells like, so I can't tell with it either.

3 Hours Later: Caramel, coconut, and tobacco leaf. I think.

Verdict: Considering ordering a bottle. I don't like gourmand blends, but there are other ingredients that keep this from smelling 100% like food, so it works. It's sweet and starts off cool, but warms up on the dry-down.

[Lunasariel]

In the imp: A sexy-foody scent, like caramel body butter warmed to just the right temperature. Not getting much coconut (which I was afraid of, as coconut always smells like disappointing birthday cake to me), but also no amber (which I miss, as it's my One True Scent Love). I don't want to eat this QUITE as badly as El Dia De Los Reyes, but it's still making my mouth water more than a little bit.

 

Wet: WOW, talk about your morphers! This one goes from straight-up sexy caramel to an immensely complex smoky-sweet-sexy-spicy thing that I think I'm in love with, but don't quite know what to do with, if you know what I mean. I'm having difficulty wrapping my head around everything that's going on here, but I believe that the "sensual blend of Asian spice" is making itself known, as are the tobacco and opium. The amber is probably hanging around at the base somewhere, but TBH there's so much going on that I'm hard-pressed to discern it among all the other notes. If I had to sum it up in a sentence, this would be the scent of the kind of girl your mother warned you about.

 

Dry: It settles down into something not quite as complex as the wet stage, but still sweetly warm, with some notable spices. Thankfully, that smoky note from the tobacco and/or opium turns out to be in for the long haul, turning this from a gourmand to a slinkier, sexier sort of scent. (Sorry-not-sorry for the alliteration.)

[Deliciousness]

In the bottle: Wafts of caramel and brown sugar - sweet and warm.

 

Wet on skin: The caramel scent is the strongest, but something is coming thru in the background ... burnt and slightly sour smelling? Oh no. Not good.

 

Dry on skin: Sweet, yet burnt caramel, with some bitterness underneath. Somewhat unpleasant to my nose. Almost powdery and smokey. Ugh... I'm having a hard time describing this scent with words. It's strong and lingers ... too bad it doesn't smell like I had imagined. No coconut, amber, currant or Asian spices to be had here. Oh well ... off to sales/swaps with you.

[stellamaris]

Oh my this is some seriously good stuff.

Wet there's a sharp almost buttery note, ok, if you say it's caramel, I'll go with that, and then it turns into heaven. I haven't really been able to pick any notes out except maybe currant. It's heavenly.