Red Lantern

[prunesnprisms]

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

My bottle is from 06; it was one of the first bottles I picked up after coming to BPAL in April 06. It's super thick and strong. A friend was talking about picking up a bottle of the 08 before the Lupercalias came down because she loved the currant note. Well, there is no currant note in my older one, it is all caramel and tobacco--kindof exudes sex.

[whisperingmachines]

I would just like to say...

Dear Beth,

Please bring this scent back every year for ever and ever.

 

love,

me

[amyw]

This is the 2008 version.

 

In a word? Mmmm.

 

I can smell a tiny bit of coconut, a bit of caramel, a little bit of currant and spice, and maybe some other things I'm not sure about. I don't think I smell any of the tobacco, amber or opium, or maybe they're just hinted at in the overall blend as it is on my skin as I would say it's a tiny bit "smoky". I keep catching whiffs of it and thinking, "mmmm, yummy." It's a tiny bit foody, but not so much that I think it would put off non-foodies.

 

It's a bit like Sugar Skull but more complex. It has morphed a tiny bit over the hour or so that I've had it on, but not as much as some.

 

Wish I'd gotten a second bottle, but hopefully it will be back next year.

Edited March 24, 2008 by amyw

[terrenity]

Red Lantern 08.

 

In the vial: Caramel and smoke. It's slightly acrid, like cigarette smoke. This isn't promising...

 

On: Sweeter, but with a definite cigarette aftertaste. There's something besides the caramel in here sweetening it up, but I'm not sure what. I don't think it's the coconut, although I suppose I've never smelled black coconut before. As time goes on, the amber softens things up prettily and the delphinium flits through. The smoke calms down and moves away from cigarette-land.

 

After about an hour, Red Lantern reminds me distinctly of stargazer lilies. I think it's the heady, slightly smoky, slightly spicy sweetness. Swoon! The color I associate this is a rich, warm brown, like wood with a dark varnish. It's definitely sultry, a scent I would wear with dark eyeshadow and heels, but it has its pride. Red Lantern is a scent for eating dinner at a nice restaurant, occasionally inserting slight innuendos into the conversation. Seductive, but not sexual.

 

Throw is moderate. On my skin, it lasts about four hours (which is damn good for me). On my clothes, it lasts a day or more.

 

Overall: I need a bottle of this.

[porcelina]

sweet, but not as rich or sensual as i was expecting- it has a dry feeling; that's the tobacco, i believe. the caramel was there but like many foody scents it takes on a bit of a waxy note. i don't get any amber, unfortunately. pleasant, but not worth the bottle.

[lainevierge]

This has the same smoky quality of La Befana without the violet and with caramel and burnt sugar. It seems more red than purple, fittingly enough.

 

I'm not interested in a bottle, though I'm glad I tried it.

[enderfem]

This is Red Lantern O8

 

Imp: Caramel, tobacco and coconut. Almost exactly like Red Lantern 06, a bottle I dearly love but which has cassia in it. Cassia causes a rash.

 

Wet: Oh man, this smells almost exactly like the 2006 formulation, but no itchy! Caramel, tobacco, coconut and a little something spicy. Mostly dark and rich and perfect.

 

Drydown: Absolutely gorgeous. This stays the same as the wet stage and has throw like crazy. Hm. I'm going to have to see how much of 2006 I have left. If only I could be sure they will run it again in 2009!

[goth_huntress]

I want to roll around in this one. I love each and every little fragrance as it appears and mingles. It is one of the few LEs that I've bought back up bottles of.

[alexandra]

In the bottle: boozywoozybuttery caramel, a just lit cigarette resting on a coconut shell and warm amber. Rapacious, ravenous raunchfest here I come.

 

Wet: A floral floats around somewhere on top of a rich, deep pool of caramel. Opium smoke wafts over the top.

 

Dry: Faint caramel and incense. Very soft and comforting. A warming winter scent I reckon.

 

And?... Well I do like Red Lantern but tis not the raunchathon I was hoping for. As usual, my skin has turned something dangerous and wild into sweet, warm girliness. Holy rather than harlot and hellfire on me. Oh well.

[TulaMontage]

Bottle: Absolutly vile sickly sweet musky caramel.

 

wet: The hints of tobacco and coconut come out to play, however caramel is still the dominant note. It's much less sickly and I don't want to wash it off immediatley.

 

Dry: The spices and tobacco run riot. Yet again I have had to suffer through 2 stages of vomit inducing sniffing to get a gorgeous sultry rich scent. The caramel won't go away but it is overpowered by the other notes. I'm wafting away on a tobacco opium trip... Hypnotic and sensual.

 

I like this, but not enough to wear it everyday or even consider buying a 5ml (even if I could find one)

Edited April 10, 2008 by TulaMontage

[theal8r]

'08

In bottle: gorgeous! sweet, smoky and sensual, but it has a red undertone (duh!) that I think is going to amp badly on me.

 

Wet: Overpowering and sweet. Thick with florals.

 

Dry down: not getting any of the warmth and the tobacco the descriptions promise me. It fades really quite quickly, which I'm not sorry for.

 

I don't care for this, but can see how I would follow someone around with my nose stuck to them if it was on the right chemistry.

[NinjaCowboy]

WOW!!!

 

As soon as I read the description, I ordered it, without even testing it out first. I'm glad that I did! As soon as I opened the bottle, I was stunned, from how incredible this stuff smells!

 

in the bottle: Caramel! sweet, thick caramel that is blended with spices and.. coconut! I can smell the coconut coming through faintly even from the bottle.

 

wet: the caramel is still there, nice and sweet, but now the spices are starting to come through more. And I think thats the opium that is also shining through. I'm still getting that faint trace of coconut, which rounds out the scent beautifully.

 

dry: the sweetness fades after about 20 mintes, leaving the spiced caramel and opium. THe coconut is still there, but it maintains a soft positon in the background, just finishing it all off and pulling everything together. Gorgeous!!

 

I've been looking for a caramel scent that works on me for a while, and I finaly found the perfect one. I LOVE it!!

[greenranger]

My first bottle purchase.

 

In the bottle, coconut, caramel and alcohol.

 

Wet on me, where'd the coconut go? Sugar, alcohol, and spices as a background.

 

Drying, the spices are coming forward.

 

On my elbow, the sweetness sticks around. There's a touch of floral there, with spices and possibly opium. Maaaybe a little of the coconut is still in evidence there.

 

My wrist is all warm spices, tobacco, and opium. Mostly it's fading to tobacco and opium.

 

The back of my hand seems to have the most rounded version of the notes. I can smell the spices, opium, and tobacco most dominantly, but, there's a sweetness backing it.

 

The coconut is not in the foreground. I suspect that it is part of what is mellowing and tying the other notes together, but, if I want to smell coconut, this won't be the fragrance I go for. Even the caramel that was so strong in the bottle is just sweetening for the spiciness of this. I catch a whiff of the caramel once in a while, because I know it is there. The booze, as well, I get in occasional whiffs.

 

I love the scent, so far. It's complex, warm and spicy.

 

I am so very glad I figured out before this that my wrist doesn't show anything but the resins and incense notes. If I had tried this only on my wrist, I'd be smelling only the tobacco, amber, and opium. Those are nice, but, it's the layering of everything else with those notes that I really like.

 

 

 

 

 

Have I mentioned that I love this scent? It is also the only scent I have been complimented on so far.

Edited April 27, 2008 by Aerinha

[celticgeekess]

In the bottle it's buttery, swoony caramel with some faint floral undertones. I can also smell the tobacco.

 

On me, this is all that is good from Ventriloquist's Dummy.....buttery caramel with tobacco and slight coconut hints, without the piney-woods smell that made VD too manly for me.

 

The caramel isn't the little kid, bakery type, but combined with the opium it's a lush, adult smell. I can smell different notes with every sniff. Very complex.

 

Yaaay!

[yeahbutnobut]

Red Lantern 08

 

In the imp: caramelised tobacco, very similar to past versions.

Wet on skin: now the opium is coming out, along with the coconut.

Dry: mmm, this is not as caramelised as 06, this version is a bit like 07 but without the soapy note I got from that version. It smells mainly like light incense with an exotic opium scent, with sandalwood, tobacco, coconut, a little bit of sugar (but not total caramel overload) and something vaguely floral-fruity. it’s a gorgeous coconut-opium incense scent.

After a while: now it’s going a bit odd on me. the floral note is smelling really powdery now, and I’m not sure if it’s a good powdery reaction. It still smells of caramelised coconut and tobacco and opium, not much of the amber (which I get lots of from 06), but there is that flowery note which is doing something similar to some violet notes on my skin, turning to an old fashioned powdery smell. it smells a little bit like a traditional dusting powder, and now I also smell that the tobacco is starting to smell a bit burnt, like it did in Black Lace. However this burnt note fades and then the scent turns a little bit cloying on me, with that strong powdery note. it’s not bad, but it’s nothing compared to the first Red Lantern on me (though that scent may be better due to age).

However, at times, the throw smells amazing, even more than the close to the skin scent. I wondered ‘what is that fantastic incense?’ and I realised it was coming from Red Lantern! And then I realise that the scent on my skin has improved greatly, now it smells more like RL06. it’s a coconut-opium incense with amber and spices and tobacco, but I swear there’s sandalwood here too.

Verdict: this isn’t as lovely as 06, but it’s a lot nicer than 07 was on me. I think age has also helped, maybe because of this version’s freshness, it’s not so good on me? it smells like opium, caramel and coconut with incense, but at times it smells a bit traditionally powdery and a bit cloying, like a kind of dusty smell like scented dusting powder mixed with ashes. I’m not so keen on that-it’s not as soapy as the reaction I got with 07 though, but it lacks the rich amber-caramel-spice of 06. I do like the moments when it smells like sweet coconut and tobacco incense though. But I have enough of the 06 version to keep me satisfied.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? I’m fine with RL 06.

If you like this, try: Elegba, Perversion, Goblin, Khajuraho, Opium Poppy

[LadyLuckDoubt]

In the Bottle

Very subtle, tangy wood scented stuff. Reminds me of those Chinese furniture import places which used to be a lot more numerous in Melbourne in the 80s.

 

On Me

Okay, this is rank. I can get the bamboo, I can get the tobacco, but it just combines nastily and smells bitter and rotting and in general, extremely unpleasant. The throw isn't so hideous that people are dropping dead around me, but honestly, I can smell it and it's just not doing nice things to me. It reminds me of when I was stupid enough to try and pick up a possum when I was 14, and I got possum-sprayed. There is a faint caramel undercurrent which I'm hoping is going to storm out and kick arse, but sadly, it doesn't. I smell like bitter, rotting bamboo which has been left in water for too long, and cat spray.

 

I'm so sad about this: I love tobacco, I love bamboo, and the black coconut idea interested me, and none of these notes did anything nice. I did NOT get any of the pretty fruits mentioned, no spices, really, but this hideous pungent blend of nastiness.

 

 

About six hours later, I've noticed something: I can't smell it anymore, but I can smell a gorgeous waft of something like Tiki King. AHHH! The black coconut! It came out of hiding once the chaos was all over.

 

My verdict: I don't know what to do: I'd feel guilty swapping or selling this to someone (unless they truly madly deeply wanted it), but I'm not likely to wear it ever again. The black coconut at the end was lovely, but... that's why I've ordered a whole bottle of Tiki King: I get that effect instantly rather than having to sit through six hours of rotting bamboo for it.

[ladyver]

this is one of my favourites so far, expect i'll be reaching for it often in the cooler months!

in bottle: sweet, warm, definitely caramel in there! Wet on skin: same plus bit of spice with nose to skin, sweeter further away. Bit later, becomes more sophisticated with delphinium adding to the mix. then it is sweet, spicey, tobaccoy, opiumy, yummy and somehow sophisticated too - and is like that as long as it lasts. can still smell it with nose to wrist at the end of the day! for me it also evokes images of really cool alleys and night spots in big asian cities.

[brsis]

Initial Thoughts: Despite the name, I get pure blonde gold from the writeup for this particular concoction. I really like the concept, and the list of notes seems really good too.

 

In the imp: Caramel. Currants. Tobacco. It's not sweet, but it's got a luciousness and a slightly bitter fruityness to it.

 

On the wrist (Elbow), wet: Ooh, nice throw. Nice caramel/coconut throw. Up close, you get the amber, the tobacco, and more of the coconut. And what I think might be the opium. It's not heavy, but it is dark, sultry and slightly smoky. Very sophisticated and a bit masculine, actually.

 

Fifteen minutes later: Spicy tobacco and a hint of amber, with just a touch of coconut. Almost boozy, but not quite - I think that might be the currant. This is a sumptuous and slightly decadent evening scent - not heavy or cloying, but tinglingly golden.

 

Verdict: I could use a bottle of this, should one turn up, but I don't love it quite enough to start questing for it.

 

Tl;Dr: Mellow but spicy golden tobacco goodness; a decadent evening scent with respectable throw.

[Lamia]

In the bottle, this is coconutty and sweet. On skin, it's instantly brown sugar-sweet, and that changes within seconds back to coconut. Argh, I don't LIKE coconut! Fortunately, the coconut is more of a coconut-infused drink scent than of chemical artifical flavoring, and is evolving - spices lurk about the fringe, and about an hour after application the tobacco is pushing through the beaded curtain. Even my husband said, as I walked by, "That's, um, very coconutty..."

 

Still very strong eau de coconut after an all-day wear. I really wanted to be able to wear this at will.

[TereFaerie]

Red Lantern 2008

 

I had always been curious about the earlier incarnations of this scent, but the coconut always made me decide against it. I shouldn't have worried, and now I'll have to try more coconut blends, lol!

I'm so glad Red Lantern was re-released as it has quickly become one of my favorites.

 

In the imp I smell caramel and coconut, with just a hint of tobacco or opium. It's definitely a "golden" colored scent to my mind.

 

On the skin the sweetness amps just for a little while, until the dry, vetivery coconut comes out. The tobacco and opium keep this from being too sweet or cloying, adding a smoky finish to the sweetness. It does conjure up images of a South Seas opium den, just a hint each of romance and danger.

 

It will be my standby scent for summer and I'm so glad I ordered a bottle. Thank you, Beth, for bringing this one back!

[modillian]

2008 Version

 

In the bottle: Caramel! Some smoke.

 

On skin: At first I get the caramel, incense, opium, and something very like butter popcorn - these spices sure are interesting. Then the woods come through smoothly and it's delicious for an hour. Alas, afterwards it all goes up in smoke as hedonistic opium claims the stage and doesn't let it go. On me I've found opium acts similarly to patchouli, thus much like patchouli, opium sometimes works but mostly doesn't. Pity. It's a nice foody smokey scent (and mmmm, amber) besides the opium blast, but I'll trade it out for something better on my skin.

[gchris]

In Vial: Vinegar and baked goods

 

Wet: Buttery sugar, foody sweet.

 

Dry: The vinegar smell has competely gone. This smells like butter with gingerbread cookies in the background. A nice, warm, spicy scent.

[thelaurenator]

Maybe I just have weird skin, but I've found this to be one of the few blends that actually works for me. I *always* get compliments when I wear this. It's a very, very sexy perfume, great for autumn and winter, especially. It's a very textured, layered scent. I imagine soft wools and glossy silks when I wear this.

[Dark Alice]

I don't know if I ever reviewed this one. But if so I am so sorry moderators. Either way here goes:

 

In bottle: Caramel and spice (of some kind)

 

Wet on Skin: Caramel and wild plum.

 

Dry on skin: Wild plum and asian spice. I don't know where I get the plum, but its there and its NOM!!!

 

Overall, this scent is pure magic. This scent evokes the image of an elder, wiser geisha teaching a new arrival the ways and arts of her craft.

[Argentwolf]

This is for the '07 incarnation of Red Lantern. I received it as a decant from my Switch Witch.

 

This...is sex and decadence in a bottle. The earthy pleasures of opium, tobacco leaf, and liquor -- yes, liquor! I'm wanting to say bourbon -- are all I can detect, and it is AWESOME. It's as if someone had captured the essence of a long night in a bawdy bar, sans the less alluring scents of, say, sweat and actual tobacco *smoke*, and put it in a bottle.

 

If you want to smell like you've been out all night partying, with the smug satisfaction of not having a hangover, then wear this. And don't be afraid to slather it.

 

YUM.