Red Lantern

[Andrea912]

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.

Wet: sexy; I don't normally like spicy scents, but this is exotic without being a headshop...let's wait for the drydown...

Two hours later: sweet and creamy; what I love is that the caramel, tobacco, and coconut, and currant are predominant. I feel sexy but not slutty Edited July 27, 2008 by Shollin

[djsiberia]

in the bottle: yummm...sweet caramel. delicious. amber is also amping the sweet smell.

 

dry: still smells like food!!! nom nom nom it's delicious. i'm not entirely sure why i like this but i do...

 

after an 8 hour day the scent is still there in the locket and it starts to get a little sour smelling. not sure what that's about. overall i'm pretty happy i picked this up. though i doubt i'll get a 2nd bottle.

[the_cat_goddess]

This review is on my bottle from the first Lupercalia release. 01/2006, I think? No year on the bottle, but it's the flat, not shiny, label.

 

In bottle: Super caramel boozy. Similar to Grog (I've got a bottle of that, too!) YUMMY and the boy likes, too! I'd like to pour it over my ice cream, but I'll resist. I would guess the coconut, black current, and caramel are dominating, but I also don't know what opium and delphinium smell like.

 

On initially: Earthy, sweet booziness. I think the earthiness is from the black coconut and maybe the booziness is the tobacco

 

Changes to: Creamy coconut with the booze almost nonexistant

 

Overall: I love it.

[milo]

I'm not sure what version of this is, I didn't even know I had it. Some kind forumite must have gave me a sniffie. I really appreciate it as I've wanted to try this for awhile. Wet, this is an awesome sweet caramelly scent with just a touch of floral and something a bit sour or sharp, not sure what it is. I love most of the notes, so it is disappointing that something in this is ruining it for me as it dries. The sweetness is still there, but the evil floral is amping and taking over and drowing everything else out. Oh well, just glad I got to try this, as I was just about to go searching for a bottle.

 

eta: No sooner than finising my review it morphs as if to say, "Don't give up on me yet". Now the sweet and spicy is coming out again and the floral is taking the background. I may have to get a bottle if this becomes available again!

Edited September 14, 2008 by milo

[Champagne]

2008 version

 

The rich coconutty caramel is sweet and strong on the wet phase, and on the drydown appear and disappear pulsating with the opium smoke and the tobacco. it`s bitter and sweet from time to time, that contributes without doubt to make it my fav blend and a extremely complex one. The throw and stay are very long, so I don`t have to slather a lot. I keep Red Lantern only for special occasions to keep its magic spell on me.

The only problem is that all the other caramel blends look so poor to me!

[donnatron]

Bottle: Overwhelming sweet. Like, knock you down, drag you out SWEET. I'm mainly getting caramel and coconut with the slightest hint of tobacco.

 

Wet: The caramel amps up to SUPERSWEET and then catches a hint of sourness. The blondewood vaguely asserts itself and at this point Red Lantern reminds me a LOT of Miskatonic U. It's sweet, gooey but has a bit of extra oomph that makes it more sophisticated than Misk U.

 

Dry: Some of my beloved opium peeks out and this settles down into a pretty unique blend. The coconut adds husky sweetness, the currant sort of twines through as a base note (unusual--usually currant is like "HI! HOW ARE YOU! CAPSLOCK YEY!") and the caramel settles into a sweet skin scent. There's a hint of spice, the opium unfurls into a beautiful haze, and all the elements really work together to create a heady, spicey, womanly borderline foody scent. What I really like about this combo is although it's sweet and has a definite caramel macchiato feel to it, it's still a bit refined and elegant. I don't really know where I can wear this, though. It seems a bit too elegant for every day wear, but it's too foody to really wear to an elegant evening out. It's a humdinger.

 

Throw: Tons. Apply with caution.

 

Overall: I like it. It's not my favourite but I also have skin that finds the sweetness in a blend and amps it up to near unbearable levels. I'm glad to have it, I have the 08 version so I'm interested to see how it will age, but I'm also not hankering after another bottle any time soon.

[caitilarkin]

In the imp: Coconut, caramel and fruit laced with tobacco and spices...delicious!

 

Wet on skin: Red Lantern met my wrists, immediately became confused, and its rich, spicy foodiness turned to hairspray within about five minutes.

 

Dry on skin: Yup, it's all about hairspray for a couple of hours. Eventually, the plastic/alcoholic note fades and the original coconut/caramel/fruity goodness is allowed to breathe, but the drydown is too painful to experience on a regular basis.

 

Tested it twice, but this one just doesn't like me.

[zomathesadist]

In the bottle: rich, sweet, caramel.

 

Wet on skin: OH HAI GUISE CARAMEL IS HERE WITH ITS BFF CREAM.

 

as it dries down, it stays very sweet, and very rich. It's not cloying, but it's not something I'd wear if I had a headache or nausea.

 

after about ten minutes, something sharper peeps out from the back, and I'm thinking it's the delphinium, because it's almost floral.

 

 

drydown: caramel has toned down, but now it's just sweet, with that slight edge. It's very nice, but I've had it for 9 months and never worn it, and I don't see myself reaching for it in the future.

[crebbsgirl]

I swapped for this before I realized that caramel and I don't really get along. (Bien Loin D'Ici and Agrat I'm looking at YOU!) I'm really glad I didn't let the caramel stop me, because in this blend it actually behaves! I am beginning to think Tobacco is one note my skin loves. Wet, this is really strongly caramel. As it dries, however, the tobacco comes out and tempers the caramel, preventing the thick and sickly aroma that caramel causes on my skin. The amber and coconut come out too around this time, adding a depth to this blend and again, tempering the caramel. This is really nice, and it smells familiar but I can't seem to place it.

[Juushika]

The 2006 version.

 

In the vial: Smoky, dark, and sweet—in the bottle, it's a darker cousin to Glowing Vulva, oddly enough.

 

On me: Smoky, dark, and remarkably smooth. I get caramel, tobacco smoke, and opium—the caramel has lost some of its sweetness, calming down to a deep browned, slightly burnt sugar; the tobacco and opium balance each other beautifully, smoky yet solid, dark yet smooth. There's also a touch of spice and a heart of resin that further makes this a smooth, solid blend. I'm still reminded of Glowing Vulva—like GV's teak and lotus, this is a smooth but sweet combination, though Red Lantern is many shades darker. Scent-color is dark caramel; scent-texture is gummy opium wafted by dark smoke. Throws is moderate to low.

 

Verdict: I was wary of the tobacco and the smokiness, but Red Lantern is a delightful surprise. This blend works, and it works like a dream. It's rich, dark, smoky, smooth, sweet, with a sense of intimate sexuality. It hovers just above the skin. The smooth smoke is a delicate balance. I can't stop sniffing, and I sort of want to bathe in it. So, yes, this is absolutely a keeper, and I'm so glad to have stumbled upon this lovely aged bottle.

[TheOneTheyCallLuna]

I do not like the way this one smells in the imp. It's waaay too sweet caramel. On the skin, at first this just smells like a simpler version of all the other caramel blends I already have and love, like Arrival at the Sabbath, Odin, Lurid Library. After a minute or two, though, this blend really stands out with the black coconut and tobacco, making me think I may need to keep this one after all...

[catatonic1242]

In the imp: Starbucks' Caramel Macchiato.

 

On, wet: The sweetness that was apparent in the imp doesn't present as much on my skin. I get a light incense and the sweetness of the caramel, plus a nice layer of the amber.

 

On, dry: This doesn't change much from wet to dry -- I still get a lot of caramel without much else. I was hoping to get more smokiness from the tobacco, but it never appeared.

 

 

[rayvn1]

I absolutely adore this! Rich, exotic and filled with all my loves woring in perfect harmony! Amber, tobacco, and I get a bit of musk too! Dark coconut in the background. Fantastic.

 

[binkin]

Caramel, cream, and coconut to me. There's a light whiff of something... heady in the background but it's just steamrolled by sweetness. I made myself a sugar scrub with jojoba oil and a little of the Red Lantern and I enjoyed that -- I got to smell like a pie in the shower, but it didn't linger. I'll probably use the rest of my bottle (generously given to me in the PIF thread) for a scrub or shampoo. It's a nice scent but I am not big on wearing something that makes me want to eat pie all day

[asciident]

Wet: Spicy musk.

 

First on: Spicy florals.

 

Dry: Musky and floral and not spicy anymore.

[cinnamonster]

This has promise for a second in the imp, I really like the individual notes of this, but then BAM

 

fenugreek.

 

Ew...why??

 

On my skin...I am the fenugreek woman. Bleh. What is wrong with me??

[Ceri]

In the vial: Caramel, coconut and something slightly sour.

 

Wet: Overpowering caramel sweetness and coconut.

 

Dry: My skin eats this right up. About a minute into the scent, it had almost completely disappeared. When I sniff extra hard, I get some bits of caramel, coconut and also something sour.

 

Overall: This is quite nice, but it's not for me.

[fairnymph]

2008 Version

 

Sniffed in imp: Yellow oil. Sweet, foody, and a little bit like...curry? I get loads of caramel, coconut, some dry woods (blonde tobacco/amber, maybe?) and yep, curry. It kind of reminds me of this coconut-white chocolate-curry ice cream I've had (and didn't like).

[Andrea912]

 

 

Wet: sweet and sexy and exotic; I get the coconut, the caramel, the amber, and perhaps the tobacco

 

Very nice; I like this a lot!

[devilot]

- 2008 Version -

 

In the vial: CARAMEL! Really syrupy sweet, but something reminiscent of vetiver. That's not one of the listed notes, so I'm not sure which note I'm smelling that comes across to me smoky like vetiver (no, I don't think it's the tobacco as tobacco usually smells different to my nose).

 

Wet: Sweet-- no, it's gone. Darn. That caramel sweetness I really liked in the vial disappears on my skin leaving behind smoldering incense. This smells so eerily to me of Taiwan and the little Buddhist shrines that so many Chinese erect in their homes/ restaurants. Wow.

 

Drydown: Still lots of that incensey smell. Ugh. I feel sick and woozy. I am NOT a fan. About 20 minutes later it's mellowed but it's still not my cup o' tea.

 

Verdict: I'm so glad that I snagged a little sniffie of this instead of having bought/ swapped for a decant or bottle. This is incredibly evocative of Asian incense and all of that aspect of the culture, it's just, a bit too like it for my tastes.

[Gin]

Red Lantern 2008

 

Oooh! Caramel + coconut. There's a dry smokiness to it, too, like the embers in a fire.

[Eucatastrophe]

From wet to dry all I'm getting is a very smoky incense that is making me nauseous. Must go scrub it away.

 

Why does this oil have such tremendous throw on me when the one I just tried that I loved turned nonexistent within 15 minutes?

 

Ugh. Feel like I'm in the middle of a smoke cloud. It's actually making me feel like I have to cough.

[Aldercy]

Mm, coconut, molasses, and tobacco with spiced incense.

 

Actually, I distinctly disliked this wet (stale buttery ooze), but I'm seriously warming up to it. The coconut is milky and warm, and somehow does not feel tropical or lighthearted at all. The other notes are so dark and smokey and sophisticated that any associations with suntan lotion are completely out of the question. I'm loving the woodsy brown heat of the tobacco, and while molasses is not listed, I distinctly smell it. It's very like the rough musky molasses note in Gunpowder.

 

Lovely debauchery. Definitely a shamelessly sensual blend, and I love it. It doesn't seem to last really long though.

Edited August 29, 2009 by Aldercy

[Invidiana]

Wow. Since I've read a couple books involving Chinese whorehouses and opium dens (hey, The Good Earth is pretty raunchy stuff!) , I couldn't resist because I needed a piece of the debauchery without turning into a ming ji (top whore in the district) This is rich, sensual, decadent, spicy, provocative...it must be an aphrodisiac. It's like savoring a pleasurably high-calorie dessert in a smoky room in Shanghai, with incense and opium vapors circling overhead. The Asian spices give it that final mysterious touch that begs for just one more sniff (and another, and another...) A keeper for sure

Edited October 29, 2009 by Invidiana

[strahlend]

08 version

Wet on my skin I get a lot of sweet fruit, which I think must be the currant, also a beautiful bright sugary floral- but laying the foundation for all of this is a deep, rich amber lurking in the background. It's a unique sensation

During dry down the coconut starts to come out and the amber that was in the back now comes forward but the intoxicating fruit/floral/sweet is still there and it's turning into something alltogether fantastic. I could sniff this all day long and not get tired of it. It's warm and procotave while retaining a little extra something special all its own. In a room full of beauties Red Lantern is the one that will surprise and delight you.