“If you’ve ever seen the Richard Curtis film Notting Hill, you may recall that iconic scene where Hugh Grant walks though Portobello Road as the seasons change around him. If I had a time machine, I would have inveigled myself onto the set and scented him with Prosody London Lantern Reed.”
Although inspired by the countryside of East Asia, to me, Prosody London Lantern Reed is a love letter to London, ancient and modern, along with its capricious weather. London is city where you can experience four seasons in one day, and Lantern Reed encapsulates them all, like an olfactory tour guide. A radiant morning along the embankment is captured with dazzling bergamot and grapefruit: an almost effervescent beginning that shines as brightly as a spring dawn. The citrus moves seamlessly into silky lemon grass, both sharp and aromatic. Lemon grass builds an unusual bridge into elegant orris and peony, as spring turns to summer. The floral notes peek through flirtatiously, announcing blue skies and fluffy clouds in this city of enviable green spaces. Inevitably, Autumn gently beckons as grasses dry and lose their greenery.
Earthy vetiver takes over the story, leading you down a dark Dickensian alleyway as the light, and the mood, begin to change. Incense adds an enigmatic December mist: smoky, aromatic and spiced like midwinter toddies. Vanilla warms and welcomes like the golden glow of ancient lamplight as myrrh adds a festive touch. Your London journey is complete, through all four seasons. There is a quintessentially comforting quality to Lantern Reed. It captures the finest qualities of this most magical of cities, where you can pass the silver flanks of The Shard skyscraper and a medieval church that witnessed thirty-six monarchs, all within a short stroll. It evokes spring along the embankment and winter down Victorian alleyways with walls full of secrets that still bear their ancient gas lamps.
Read the full review by Samantha Scriven at CaFleureBon.