Red Lantern

[supremegoddessofall]

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.

In bottle: Foody goodness! Mostly caramel with a touch of coconut.

On me: Oh, this is yummy! I still get a lot of caramel, but the coconut is coming up more, too. I get a bit of the tobacco that takes this away from being "foody." Ooh! And there's some amber!

[porcelain72]

In the imp: whoo, butterscotch! Thick and sticky, I don't know whether to wear it or drink it.

 

Initial application: the butterscotch eases down a bit, and becomes a general non-specific creamy-foody scent. Quite nice, it's warm and doesn't go musty on my skin, like the similar Drink Me and Gluttony did.

 

Drydown: a surprising touch of musky floral comes out, and behind it, just a tiny bit of spice. This is a really lovely, intricate blend, with a good throw and decent staying power.

 

Smiley rating:

[zankoku_zen]

Whew. This is another description that intrigued me, but coconut and I tend to be on unfriendly terms, so I wanted to try it out before I committed.

 

In the imp: maple, caramel goodness.

 

On Skin: Caramel. It smells like a mix between caramel and butterscotch. After a while, I can get whiffs of coconut.

 

On Drydown: Still very foody. The caramel reminds me a bit to the caramel/irish coffee note in Miskatonic University... minus the dusty note. But it's too sweet.

 

Verdict: I love caramel. I love how it smells and I love to eat it. But the caramel note in this is too overpowering to my nose. It's too sweet and a bit nauseating. I think the scent is great... but I wouldn't be able to smell it too often, it feels too cloying.

[metaldog32]

Red Lantern

 

I bought this outright in the beginning of the year for the three following reasons:

 

Amber.Coconut.Tobacco.

 

The caramel and opium and asian spice??? All just gravy.

 

So far...my luck hasn't been too good with supposed "foody" scents..so I am hoping that this one can change the tide. I normally don't like super foody scents but the tobacco and amber and coconut are all notes that I love so I am hoping for a winner.

 

Initial sniff from bottle: Dark caramel...definitely swirling up my nose and settling into my senses...and the black coconut is there in the middle...amazingly..with the bottle uncapped what wafts up to my nose on the tail end is indeed the currant..I never thought I would have been able to register that particular note..but there it is..amazing.

 

Wow...I haven't even put it on yet..and I am besotted.

 

Applied wet on skin: Caramel for a brief second is in the forefont....but then it's all the amber..with the coconut which in this blend in definitely not super-foody in this blend at all..and then I get a bit of spice with the tinge of currant again rounding up the back. The amber isn't powdery on me at all..just golden and warm..very slinky...paring itself with the dark caramel and the spice and the currant...

 

Couple of minutes on skin: Amber...it's in the front...the caramel has shifted to the back..it's just a touch now..and it's the heady opium/tobacco duo weaving in and out with that amber..good grief this is heady and gorgeous and just..overwhelmingly sexy.

 

It's sex. It's what you would want to wear and feel like when having a all-night session of romping wherever with whomever and you just don't give a sh*t. It's very seductive...it hints at laviscious pleasures...makes you want to close your eyes and give in to all of one's carnal wants and needs.

 

Yep..this is so not foody and I am so loving it.

 

Ten minutes later: Hehehehehehe...it's now the opium in the front..undulating lazily...but with presence..tobacco,amber and spice behind..with the coconut and currant in the back. The delphinum isn't something I am registering yet.

 

I have to say this...to me Red Lantern is kind of like the bit more wearable version of Debauchery sans the civet. They both have that "sex in the bottle" type of vibe..and they both share opium in their composition..but with one the civet can be very off-putting to many and with the other it's the tabacco/caramel/coconut that could be the deal-breaker.

 

Thirty minutes on skin:It's still the heady opium..the amber is there..the tobacco is there..just breathing in and out..the caramel/coconut just a wisp at the tail end now..and right at the very edge I think I can make out the delphinium. Still the vibe is drop dead sex to me..and it's genius.

 

I wore this yesterday afternoon to hang out with my girlfriend and go shopping and the minute I came in the door and we hugged she told me I smelled good. When I left my house both my mom and sister said that whatever I had on smelled fabulous. It's an amazing and sophisticated and layered fragrance that pretty much rivals for me my beloved L'Artisan's-Dzing...which is one of my favorite..FAVORITE..all time fall/winter fragrances. Their components are different..but the mastery of how Beth created Red Lantern is just shocking to me.

 

I expected it to be good..I didn't expect holy SH*T I should have bought multiple bottles...

 

Hour to 2 hours later:Still has presence..and it's still gorgeous..with the opium and tobacco doing the leading..and the amber lending it's sweetness and roundness..and the spice at the tail end.

 

I applied this to my pulse points and hair before going to a party yesterday evening and can I tell you...I didn't need to do that..I just wanted to slather a bit..I loved the wet phase and wanted everyone at that party to smell and worship me..I felt really good in it..such a complex scent with all the notes that I normally swoon for.

 

Lasting power on this is no joke: 12+ hours..seriously. The throw is average to a bit strong..but I love it like that. In my hair it smelled amazing too..all dark caramel/spicy/touch smoky goodness...

 

When I woke up this morning..I could still smell it on my wrists and when I breathed deeply in the t-shirt I wore yesterday that I went to bed in I had the wonderful combo of my own sweet skin scent mingled with Red Lantern .

 

Bottom Line:Red Lantern is another genius blend from Beth. Once I think I have found the "best" fall/winter scent she goes and puts another one out there for me to fall in love with and agonize over. Sexy..so sexy it almost seems indecent..but I can't help succumbing to it. Definitely a winner and definitely one that I would try to get an extra bottle of..if my checking account allows it.

 

It's another fragrance example of perfection..IMHO...Beth..I salute you...

[phedre]

Wet, I get the caramel in spades. Rich, luxurious, high quality caramel that'll stick to your teeth and then melt into deliciousness, with an undertone of spices.

 

On my skin, the amber softens things up and the tobacco comes out to play, turning what could be a sickly sweet scent into something so much more. The spices balance things out nicely, and it smells kind of like a mix of deep musk, maybe saffron, and the rich smoothness of caramel and amber. Every sniff seems to lead to something new.

 

Definitely one of my top five! Glad I have a bottle of this one.

[femmefatale]

At first it was way too foody, almost making me queasy. Luckily, that didn't last long. As it began to dry, the spices and and to a lesser extent the tobacco came out. Something sweet also, but not foody. Perhaps the black coconut?

I'm happy I was able to pick up a bottle of this.

[noumenon]

This is a review for Red Lantern 2007:

 

I had not yet discovered the Lab when Lupercalia was unveiled in 2006, so I recently went on a swapping spree and acquired three, year-old bottles of Red Lantern. They've all aged differently: one is a rich caramel and coconut, one is all dark, mellow, almost chewy opium, and the other is a nice mix of the two. They're all lovely.

 

Everything about Red Lantern 2007 is fresher, brighter, more clearly defined than aged 2006: even the sharp resolution and vivid red of the label stand out compared to the darker, maroonish tint of last year's label. Same design, though.

 

I bet the scent is exactly the same as last year, but the contrast with year-old Red Lantern is astonishing: In the new bottle I can smell the Asian spices, not the five-spice you throw into stir-fry but the glorious smell of those huge curling incense spirals that burn for 1,000 hours in Vietnamese and Chinese temples.

 

The opium note is alarmingly clear...I've never smelled opium in real life, but if I smelled this in a room, I'd know something illegal was going on. The caramel, while present in the bottle, is just dancing around the edges, sweet but very far away from what's happening right in front of you.

 

Now it's really warm and settling into my skin and the coconut and caramel are becoming more prominent. But the caramel isn't like the foody caramel of the aged bottles - it's an aloof sweetness...as if you've just tasted it a minute ago and you're sated and you couldn't eat another bite. The caramel - food in general, love, thirst, work, school, worry, grief, trouble, sadness - that was all just a minute ago. The opium, the seduction, the addiction...is now.

 

Just amazing.

[baranoouji]

In the bottle:

Eeeep! Infinite sweetness -- butterscotch schnapps with a curranty undertone. Dentists everywhere are frowning. (I had to sniff myself into hyperventilation to catch the currant though.)

 

On skin:

Mmm, caramel yes yes yes, but wait -- there's more! The caramel smells like Recchiuti's burnt caramel squares -- daring in its almost acrid bitterness, sensual in its buttery glide. I am catching powdery amber here and there, and the naughty-sweet smell of tobacco (one of my favorite smells!). The coconut is beginning to come in, and it isn't a sweet coconut -- it's the darkish and sweet smell of latik which is so very very redolent of home in my mind. To add to that feeling, an undernote comes out that I've only smelt in Hungry Ghost Moon -- ho wood and spices and incense. (Is that star anise? Five spice? Or aisle five at the local Asian grocery?)

 

But I blink and there's something almost... coffee-ish around the smell. Not coffee itself, but the smell of a bustling coffeehouse, and the smell on my clothes after a study date there. This is wonderful -- in fact, what I thought Miskatonic would smell like.

 

Dry down:

Ah, opium, there you are. Alone, you would be intolerable. But here, you are followed by golden amber. That's alright then -- I'll keep raising that red lantern.

[jiggahava]

on my skin, a very cloying caramel and nothing else. It just smells off. I wish I got other notes like everyone else did, but I didn't. Pity, I was thinking about buying this one too.

[bombus]

I was smelling this in the bottle and thinking yum, and then suddenly it struck me that it smells like buttered popcorn. Maybe it is the butteryness of the caramel. Thankfully it changes quite a bit when I put it on, I no longer feel like a concession stand. The amber, coconut, opium and Asian spice comes out and once again I have a balanced scent. There is a definitely a dark sensuality to this one, I am quite in love with this one too.

[theblackcloud]

In the bottle: Sticky and sweet with lots and lots of caramel.

 

On me: The caramel softens and I smell a toasty sort of coconut. Not too strong, not too light... it is perfect. A sweet mix of sugary goodness.

 

As it dries: It turns a bit smokey, but is still soft; I'm guessing this is the tobacco. Now I'm hungry and longing for a cigarette.

 

Red Lantern is a winner. I simply love it. Why didn't I buy more?

[luna65]

This is a review for the 2007 version, direct from the Lab.

 

Bottle: There is virtually no difference between the new version and last year's, to my nose.

 

Skin: I noticed that the oil is much thinner in body when new, I found that interesting. The "new" blend does have a high, sharp smell, the top notes of caramel and currant are pretty much invisible. I get a sort of sour note - not sour bad, just sour - which I'm figuring is the opium, like before it's processed.

 

Drydown: The drydown is much like the "old" in that it eventually evolves to a spicy tobacco blend, although the spice is much more prevalent in the "new" blend.

 

I guess my ultimate loyalty is to the aged version, so I think my bottle is due for a six-month hibernation.

[Salvia_spathacea]

This is an amazing blend - In the bottle I smell caramel, with a hint of coconut. On my skin the caramel and coconut vanish in seconds and leave a sharp, spicy scent. This gradually changes to a citrusy-spice scent. After about 40 minutes the spicy scent is no longer citrusy, but has a richer depth to it (the opium and tobacco, I suspect) But the really interesting thing is that at this point the caramel and coconut come back. At first I can only smell it from a distance (right up against my skin yields only spices) but after about four hours it's right there with all the spices. I've never had a perfume go through so many changes! Not only is this a lot of fun but it's also an exquisite scent - spicy, rich and a touch sweet.

[minnalavender]

Ohhhhhhh crap. Oh crap. Love at first freakin' sniff.

 

After the Tragedy of Luperci I was so bummed I almost didn't test Red Lantern. BIG MISTAKE!! This is coconutty, caramel goodness, with an undertone of sweet tobacco and incense - so many notes I love and who love me back. Who needs that indifferent wolfman? Red Lantern is here and he's hot to trot. In the vial, the sweet, buttery, sugary caramel is making my mouth water; the drydown reminds me of Tiresius, even though there's no sandalwood in this scent. It's gorgeous.

 

Oh, Red Lantern... I would meet you behind my boyfriend Smut's back and commit delicious obscenities with you all night long. Actually, I'd love to do a three-way with Smut and Red Lantern - I think we'd layer beautifully together. Musk, booze, tobacco, caramel... gahhh.

 

Enough cheezy sexual comparisons. I want to slather myself in Red Lantern, and all I have is this measly imp! Must. Get. Bottles. SOON.

[Lionesse]

Red Lantern 2007...

 

bottle: butterscotch? thick & sweet

wet: caramel, cake, still very thick & sweet

drying: ooooomg. tobacco, caramel, some sweet spices....

 

So glad I tried it, after smelling butterscotch (I'm not much of a foodie) I almost re-capped it and put it back in the box! We'll see how it is in a few hours =)

[black_and_bloom]

I've had this on my "sounds amazing" list for awhile, so I was terribly pleased to get a decant this week.

 

At first whiff, I get caramel. Lots and lots of caramel. As it dries, it sweetens up a little bit, and I can barely detect a floral presence and a hint of coconut too. Sadly, no opium. After an hour, it's calmed down quite a bit but it's still overwhelmingly caramel. Overall, it's too foody for me but I'm happy to have tried it.

[dnipbhsw]

I normally don't go for foody scents, but I LOVE Red Lantern. In the bottle, and on first contact with my skin, it's all caramel, but then it quickly starts to smoke up, and it's gets deep and interesting. This is unusual, but very beautiful, and kind of sexy.

[presotm]

Wet, this is a sticky butterscotchy sweet caramel (reminds me of Butterscotch Schnapps in the bottle) but once applied, this quickly dissipates down to a sweet foil for the smoky spices which blossom forth. Quite unusual and lovely.

 

Verdict: will use up my bottle, but I see no need to hoard it.

[Gale]

This one is a fascinating morpher.

 

In the bottle and wet: Caramel and coconut!

 

Dry: Okay, now the caramel is fading to the background and I smell lots of opium, a bit of floral, and some spices. This could have turned sharp, but the caramel and coconut anchor it beautifully.

 

Red Lantern lasts long and stays true. I love it, and think I'll get a second bottle before the Lupercalias go down. I suspect it will age beautifully.

[dawna]

Red Lantern '07 is amazing. I am so much in love with it. It starts out as this butterscotchy caramely sweet scent and ends at drydown with the most beautiful asian incenses that I have ever smelled in a perfume. This bottle is a keeper indeed.

[cecelle]

In the imp: Quite unexpectedly caramelly sweet.

 

Wet: Still a lot of caramel, getting whiff of coconut.

 

Ten minutes later - the caramel starts to disappear, as does the coconut. After about 20 minutes, it's the opium scent that takes over, with a sidekick of tobacco.

 

This ends up not foody at all, but sort of a smoke-laced, incense-ish, Opium-den kind of scent.

 

It's ok, but isn't going on my favorites list.

[Iceblink]

Caramel with a bit of coconut on me, and this stuff does NOT quit. It's still going strong hours later. The other notes are keeping it from smelling like Kraft caramels--it's a very mature caramel, if you will. I love it and want a bottle right now.

[outofrhyme]

In the bottle:

Whew that's potent. Mostly tobacco-type leaf stuff and a TON of caramel.

 

Wet:

Opium (I think), tobacco, amber... definitely some caramel, but the caramel hangs much further out from the rest of the scent. I can't smell it at all up close, but it's almost all I smell from a distance. A little bit of amber, a little coconut and spice.

 

Dry down:

This is lovely. Tobacco and opium sweetened by caramel with a little bit of coconut, amber and spice. Smoky, spicy and delicious.

 

Final thoughts:

Gorgeous. It reminds me a lot of Hearth 05, for whatever reason, only much much more wearable. I might be tempted to seek a bottle of this later.

[SeaLady]

Hooooly Caramel, Batman. (Is what this smells like in the decant)

 

It stays that way for a little while, but once it dries and mellows out, Red Lantern is a slice of fresh coconut drizzled lightly with caramel. A little hint of tobacco, and something darker that might be opium?

I think I lurve this Bottle?

[wikkidraven]

oh no! red lantern broke my heart.

 

it was all buttery caramel and meaty coconut when first we met...the ultimate for a foody scent lover like me. but somehow in the drydown, tobacco is becoming far too prominent and it has morphed into a stale cigarette. fickle red lantern