Red Door

** VINTAGE REVIEW ** This is for the vintage formula, which comes in the clear bottle with rounded red top, not the solid red bottle pictured. I have not tried the new formula and can only imagine that an unfortunate reformulation must be responsible for these shockingly negative reviews and overall low rating. Vintage bottles are still plentiful and inexpensively priced on eBay, and if you love glamorous "lipstick" fragrances, this one is not to be missed. Expertly blended with a dazzling array of notes, Red Door exudes elegance from a bygone era. Opulent and intense, the notoriously powerful and enchanting silage includes jammy rose, powdery violet, juicy peach, spicy carnation and anise. The result is unapologetically feminine... a cosmetic/lipstick/makeup fragrance that pays homage to the iconic Elizabeth Arden Red Door beauty salons. Red Door was an expensive fragrance back in the day and represents a ‘90s version of the elegant, independent, and trail-blazing woman who would have frequented The Red Door Salon. In order to fully appreciate this fragrance, let's take a look at the impressive origins of this brand... Born in 1878, Elizabeth Arden made history for revolutionizing the beauty industry and the way American women approached cosmetics and skincare. In a groundbreaking move, she opened a salon on Fifth Avenue in 1910, painting the door bright red with brass accents. At the time "nice girls" did not wear makeup, but Arden was a marketing genius who tapped into the burgeoning era of motion pictures, creating cosmetics commercials shown in movie houses and catering her products to upper class "respectable" ladies. She painted the door red to catch people's attention, but also as a symbol of female independence. Women marched for the right to vote wearing Elizabeth Arden red lipstick, and they wore her "Victory Red" lipstick when joining the war effort of World War II. In 1915, Arden introduced the concept of the “makeover” and began opening salons across the United States. By the 1930s she owned more than 100 salons internationally, and earned more money than any other businesswoman in the history of the United States, according to Fortune magazine. Elizabeth Arden was known as one of the most prestigious cosmetic brands, and her “Red Door” salons were revolutionary as luxurious, holistic-health havens for women. The Red Door served as inspiration for the salon in the 1939 movie "The Women" where Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, Rosalind Russell, and Joan Fontaine go for “Jungle Red” manicures, daily calisthenics, and juicy gossip. Elizabeth Arden products were staples of the most famous women from Queen Elizabeth and Jackie Kennedy to Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe. It was said, “There are only three American names that are known in every single corner of the globe: Singer sewing machines, Coca Cola, and Elizabeth Arden.” In 2010, Vanity Fair lauded the company's 100 year anniversary, reporting that Elizabeth Arden had become a $1.3 billion global empire with the signature Red Door fragrance selling an astonishing 50,000,000 bottles since its introduction in 1989. Sadly, today the Red Door Salons are but a memory after suffering unfortunate rebranding and officially closing during the 2020 pandemic. But Miss Arden's legacy remains! So do yourself a favor... Stop complaining about "old ladies" and scoop up an original bottle on eBay to enjoy this exquisitely beautiful and iconic masterpiece that represents an era of glamour that no longer exists today. IN SUMMARY: Red Door is an affordable, underrated gem! Scent 10/10 Longevity 10/10 Silage 10/10

Not for the faint of heart or nose! Once you open this red door fragrance and spray it on your skin (or a blotter) you are immediately transported into a realm of romance and glamour from another era. It's like a luxurious red velvet. The red rose is distinctive as it starts off with floral notes of rose, jasmine, freesia, lily, tuberose, heliotrope and violet. They are boozy-sweet, rich, deep. This is a powerful perfume so apply lightly because it's a bomb. I peg it as a formal dress perfume. Feels like a formal and beautiful vintage velvet red dress from like the 1950s. If you like Elizabeth Taylor perfume Diamonds and Rubies this is similar but with no strong peach. The plum and peach note is very minimal. I don't feel this is a fruity scent. It's a dark floral with wood, musk, amber. The florals are front and center but there is also a smokiness. It's incense (benzoin) and there is warm amber. There is a woodsy quality to it as well. Spicy and sultry. It's also musky. But it's all well blended and thrown in together so you have to really smell it to get the individual aspects. It's very grown up and a statement maker. Stays the same throughout it's life. It's not for everyone and some might say it best suits a mature woman past the age of 30 or 40 but it really has no age or gender to me. No fragrance at all is declaring it's own gender or age. That's just us humans that do that. For me this is a fancy dinner date perfume, an evening cologne to wear with your best clothes. There is a soapy quality at the end that dries down into a clean skin scent. But it is intoxicating and very heady and gets to your head. I love to get whiffs of it while it lasts. It is long lasting at over 4 to 5 hours and can really be detected by anyone around you. A beautiful rose-amber perfume. I also have a happy association with this fragrance. It is so perfect for Christmas time. It's warm enough for winter and has a 'come and smell my perfume as we kiss under the mistletoe' type of vibe. I love it. Best worn in winter and fall. Gorgeous gorgeous scent.

1989 Carlos Benaim "Amber Floral" Thank goodness for Fragrantica I use it exclusively TOP: Rose, Orange Blossom, Plum, Violet, Peach, Anise MIDDLE: Honey, Carnation, rose, Tuberose, Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine, Lily, Freesia, Lily of the Valley, Orchid BASE: Sandalwood, Benzoin, Amber, Musk, Heliotrope, Vetiver, Cedar This is from a mini bottle. The Jasmine is first detected and it really shows how great Carlos Benaim is at his work. BVLGARI Jasmine Noir is one creation. Calvin Klein Eternity(Wow, I just love this one) is another. These items show a deep understanding of quality Jasmine and a nice touch with the base notes with just a hint of animalic. Frankly, women's fragrance with animalic is really hot-- to me--at least. Check out Paris Hilton she is one of the best at using animalics without it being like a bad zoo. This fragrance is definitely a feminine one. However, Curly Fragrance Michelina says woman dig florals on guys. Still. . . in my opinion primarily feminine. I'm wearing it and I'm a guy. These days, I checked downstairs to make sure. Yep. Just kidding and about to get in trouble. The quality Jasmine makes the drydown maybe work for a guy that likes floral. This fragrance lasts incredibly well. It really asserts itself so get a sample. It has a sweetness at first that settles into a reasonable and delightful sweetness. Packaging is pure taste and I need to see a pretty bottle--always. I love the packaging aspect of fragrance. Not that much money you can do a blind buy if you got some extra.

I remember the ad campaign for this from the '90s. I had a tiny bottle as part of a gift-with-purchase back then, and it wasn't my favorite fragrance, but it was pleasant enough. I wanted to revisit it and see I felt about it now. I'm also in the process of acquiring some of the iconic powerhouse fragrances of the '80s and '90s, and this definitely deserves a place in my collection. Catherine Zeta-Jones was the perfect spokeswoman to represent Red Door. Like her, the fragrance is beautiful, lush, multi-faceted, and perhaps also a bit over-the-top and maybe intimidating for some. Tuberose is the first thing that slaps you in the face, then orange blossom, violet, and plum begin to kick in. Afterwards, the honey and amber develop, which gives the fragrance a syrupy golden flavor. Sweet rose and spicy carnation add additional richness. The fragrance has almost a 'purple-red' feel to it...maybe the anise? I think the heliotrope adds that old-school 'powdery' touch as well. It mellows out a bit into a beautiful honeyed, fruity-musky floral with a bit of spice and woods. Vanilla is not on the list of ingredients, but there's a sweetness at the end that makes me think of vanilla. It's very strong, so maybe not for everyday use. And I think it would be the perfect floral for the colder months...it could stand up to the chillier temps of fall and winter with ease. Red Door may not be for everybody, but it's a match made in heaven for a lucky few. Enjoy!

I currently have a couple of versions of Red Door. I have a 1 ounce of a previous reformulation in the completely deep red bottle with the red cap, and I have the newest version with the clear cap. Each of these bottles is eau de toilette strength. The first version is stronger with more of a honey-rose, white floral scent. I think it's truer to the original in the domed door-shaped bottle, which I've owned in the past. The second is brighter in the opening, more citrusy. The rose and white florals are still there but softer, and it's a lighter perfume overall. It's still a fairly strong perfume compared to what's generally offered, but compared to the original, it doesn't last as long. The Red Door DNA is there, but it feels fairly different. It's more modern to my nose. The former smells more vintage, like it's definitely a perfume from the past. Personally, I like both versions. I have no problem wearing perfumes others might consider dated. I love a beautiful vintage perfume, and in the past, I was very much against changing perfumes at all. When they made the first changes to Red Door, I was horrified. I've relaxed since then. I realize this is a business, and I would rather there be a little nip and tuck to keep up with the times versus the perfume being discontinued altogether, providing it's a respectful reformulation. I feel this was respectful. I'll wear older versions when I can find them, and I'll also wear the new version.

This is probably one of the most beautiful fragrances I've ever known and ive owned and had a few over the years. I honestly can't tell which notes are what in this because l get dizzy with happiness and zone out into thoughts of the glamourous rich immaculately groomed, husband with millions in the bank and nothing to do all day but look fabulous women who must be wearing this scent whilst they shop in expensive boutiques with his money and l don't even care what each note is in the fragrance when l get a smell of this even though there are an insane 23 or more ingredient notes in this it really should cost so much more, as it cant be cheap to make. It's classy, and deep smelling, velvety and warm, creamy but not in a sweet vanilla tonka way its flowers and powdery and sweet and creamy and velvety and dense but absolutely beautiful, its not a light fresh feminine sunshine scent but a beautiful womanly night time classy scent. But l wear it at any time. I cant imagine it on someone young really it's too much of a grown up self-made woman with money smell. It's heavenly. As soon as l smell that dense velvet fragrance l immediately think MONEY lots of money, rich, classy, its very well put together. I have always had a bottle for the last 30 years l adore this perfume. I give this a 10/10.

At first I have to inform that they have reformulated this one. I have both the vintage red door (clear bottle with red top) and the new reformulated one. The best of these two is absolutely the original. but can't be bought anymore except private. That opens up very spicy and plum scent, I really love it, and if you like dior - poison this will be similar. The new in red bottle is also okay, but as I write later, it is more sour 👎🏻 Review of the new red door (red bottle) It opens up very sour, but like sour candy. apparently it might be the ylang ylang, after I read about it. and then the sweetness arrives (honey and plum) later the warmth and spiciness from carnation opens up. I have always known about Red door, but never had it. Until a year ago. it's a mature scent for people who loves perfume with carnation or spices. but it's also a warm floral perfume. and it's not expensive, but you get an expensive scent. One spray will be enough on your clothes, and it will last 4-5 hours. I think the sourness will be too much if it's over sprayed. If you're thinking of buying this, buy the 30 ml. you will be happy with your purchase. but I will recommend trying to find the vintage one in a clear bottle.

Opulent Floral Bouquet with Tuberose, Carnation & a Vintage Vibe... This Vintage Amber-Floral by Carlos Benaim, was released in 1989, a year that also gave birth to films such as Dead Poets Society, Pet Sematary & When Harry Met Sally. Like the films, this scent retains a timeless, haunting & luminous quality, despite the vintage vibe that's most prevalent in the opening. Opens with a vintage-y burst of fruity-florals including rose & orange-blossom. I remember I was in junior high when this first came out, and even then the opening smelled vintage to me. But the body cream jumped right to the creamy lactonic heart, amplified by the creaminess of the cream, and I was hooked. For me the vintage vibe fades as it transitions to the floral heart, and I first get tuberose & ylang with powdery, lactonic & sweet tones, and a few minutes later a gorgeous carnation emerges with its distinctive spicy timbre. The floral support base continues the opulent bouquet for well above average performance. Overall, for me this is a tuberose scent with vintage vibes, more in the opening, and excellent performance. It's a longtime love for me, and a must-try for fans of white-florals & tuberose. Enjoy!

After receiving a traumatic brain injury 2 months ago, I am starting to smell and taste again. Some things I can smell, some I can’t, and a lot of time I have phantom smells of burning tires...not fun for anyone, let alone someone obsessed with perfumes like myself. I don’t know why, but I ordered a vintage Red Door because I loved the original formula and wanted to try to smell it again. I found an EDT on eBay and it was delivered today. Now yesterday my SOTD was Curve by Liz Claiborne...and I couldn’t smell it at all. Not even the smallest whisper of it. One spray of the vintage Red Door, however, and I could smell it PERFECTLY! I knew it was different from the current version! It is much more honeyed and that depth stays even during the dry down. The current version turns into floral soapiness. The lasting power of both are phenomenal. Several hours later, it’s still here. I am glad to have the vintage in my collection. This is not a fragrance I would regularly wear, but I love to (and am grateful to) be able to grab the bottle and do a little scent memory time travel ❤️❤️❤️

Red Door by Elizabeth Arden is a fragrance that truly surprised me in the best possible way. With its classic floral-aldehydic profile, it opens with a bold burst of red rose, ylang-ylang, and lily-of-the-valley, settling into a rich heart of jasmine, orchid, and honey, all wrapped in a warm, sensual base of amber, sandalwood, and vetiver. The sillage is undeniably strong, while its longevity is impressive and easily lasting well into the evening. What stunned me most is how a fragrance so affordable can deliver such a powerful and beautiful experience. I was genuinely taken aback that a scent this captivating, with its vintage charm and bold femininity, is often underrated especially considering its low rating on Fragrantica. This taught me a profound lesson: sometimes, what is dismissed by others can deeply resonate with you. I’ve truly fallen in love with Red Door. It shattered my assumptions about inexpensive perfumes and sparked a curiosity in me to explore dupes and affordable scents. Who knows what hidden gems might be waiting there? I’d rate it 7.7 out of 10.

I’ve had Red Door for two months, and I love exploring perfumes that spark a bit of controversy. I often buy them blindly, expecting the worst - and I’m always pleasantly surprised when they turn out differently. Red Door is simply beautiful: intensely floral and captivating. Its notes are rich and well-blended, making it hard to pick them apart, yet the overall effect is elegant and harmonious. For some reason, it also reminds me a little of baby products - perhaps because of its comforting, soapy touch, almost like a delicate shampoo. The plum note is exquisite; whenever a fragrance includes plum, I am immediately drawn to it. Violet adds a soft, powdery nuance, while rose and carnation dominate, creating a clean, floral bouquet. I don’t really notice the tuberose, but the overall floral impression is stunning. I haven’t worn it every day, because I feel it shines best on cozy moments with friends but each time I do wear it, I feel genuinely happy. I know Red Door isn’t loved by everyone, but perfume is deeply personal, and I adore having it in my collection.

Reformulation selling today review. 2nd review. This is rich, sweet, intoxicating and perfect for Christmas parties. This smells expensive and elegant. It's like a beautiful red Christmas party dress, or gown, like the ones worn by Christmas carolers or the women in the 1954 movie White Christmas. Opulent, heady, winter weather fragrance. The first spray is a big wallop of big red roses in a bouquet, a bowl of plums and peaches (but more plum than peach) honey, violet, heliotrope, white florals i.e. jasmine freesia and tuberose in spades. This is only within minutes. By the time it begins to dry it's reaching down into the base notes of amber and musk. Classy and beautiful. What's not to love about Red Door? Please give this a try if you haven't already and love perfumes similar to this like Elizabeth Taylor's Diamond and Rubies or Giorgio RED, and like floral vintages with prominent rose and tuberose. This perfume is loud festive and says I'm here at the Christmas party, decked in boughs of holly. I'm wearing it to Christmas parties. Merry Christmas.

This is my old staple favorite, since I was a teenager and my best friend introduced me to it. It’s a perfume that depends on the dry down for its intricate scent to manifest to full glory. It won’t mix well with everyone’s chemistry, but when it does, it’s a rich, feminine, alluring and beautiful scent. This fragrance harkens back to a time when perfume was born. When you smell it, you can imagine the buttoned up, perfectly coifed French women strolling the streets of Paris and the shops with fancy glass perfume bottles glistening in the windows and their fragrances wafting into the air, luring the women from blocks away to sniff their intense scents. If you try it, go easy. This is one hitter quitter perfume. One spray into the air, wait, then walk through. Give it a good 6 hours before you make any decisions about it. If you can’t smell it on yourself, don’t worry, other people can and that probably means it works well for your chemistry. It’s a loving, nurturing, feminine scent that will make a good man want to snuggle into the crook of your neck.

I'm usually a gourmand gal (so basic, I know) but my exception is broadly powdery, white florals - and this perfume, to me, is the best of them all (and that's facing some stiff competition from other contenders in the Lizzie Arden perfume house). This is clean, floral, soapy, and deliciously powdery, but not cool - there's something laced through it that gives it cosy warmth. When I've hugged people while wearing this, they hang on a little longer. It's comforting and mature. I've never gotten an especially sexy vibe from this perfume, but interestingly it is a true compliment-getter from men. I think it might be the slightly assured smell to it. It does often get 'old-fashioned' or 'grandma' thrown at it in reviews, but eff that noise. It's beautifully blended, performs wonderfully (especially when layered with the shower gel and lotion), and lifts my mood every time. Among all my vanillas and pralines and smelling like what my best friends calls "a slutty cookie", Red Door will often sit atop them as an exercise in being a timeless classic.

This is such a classic fragrance! I bought a bottle for my cousin and a smaller bottle for myself. My cousin’s mom used to wear this all the time before she passed away and it is now my cousins signature fragrance. She has gotten compliments while wearing it, definitely smells sweeter on her than it does on me. It could come off as “old lady” because it is very floral, but to me it doesn’t. Amazing projection and sillage, literally lasts all day and CAN be overwhelming IF over sprayed. I think this perfume is beautiful and complex and if paired with the right outfit, can be such a hitter! I decided to give my cousin the bottle I had because she had finished hers and I just preferred to smell it on her and it felt wrong for me to wear it. It’s sweet and bright while also being a deep fragrance. When I get a whiff of this anywhere, it just brings me joy! (●’◡’●)ノ 𐬽𐬼𐬽𐬼𐬽𐬼𐬽𐬼𐬽𐬼𐬽𐬼𐬽𐬼𐬽𐬼𐬽𐬼 WHERE would I wear this fragrance: Fancy Restaurant, Garden, Outdoors Event, Wedding. A great signature scent perfume.

Vintage Red Door is still available and affordable. I knew someone in the early 90s who wore Red Door and I wasn't crazy about it. It does have that Giorgio Beverly Hills vibe. It's not a young woman's fragrance. It's a rich older woman's fragrance. Now I just love it. I think it's the amber that's the attraction for me. The white flowers and rose combined with the overripe peach are probably over the top for most. I haven't tried the new version but I expect it's probably very close to the original because it doesn't have oakmoss as one of the ingredients. It's the oakmoss in perfumes that are missing in the newer versions that seem to convey something is off. Such is the problem with some of the greats. I get why many don't like Red Door, but I'm guessing it's one of those underestimated fragrances that will be appreciated later. It's in my top ten favorites.

My mother in law gifted me this perfume and Oh my 😍 It’s beautiful! Pros: 1)Smells very feminine. 2)Strong but not offensive. 3)Smells expensive! 4)perfect for night time and date nights. 5)The dry down is even more perfect than opening notes. Makes it very sexy! 6)Can become your signature scent. You don’t even have to spray too much. Just two pumps on the wrist and dab it on your neck. That’s it! 7)one bottle will last you an eternity. Because you really don’t need to spray too much. 8)It’s a very “Rosey” smell. So if you are into rose fragrances, this one is definitely for you! Cons: 1)you might not like it if you do not prefer strong smelling perfumes. This one will last a while! 2)It is a “mature woman” smell so young people will not like it much. 3)It is a challenge to get the smell off of your clothes even after washing. Yes, it is quite persistent.

I haven't had a chance to try this on my skin, but I like it on a tester strip. Razor-sharp spicy opening, reminds me vaguely of White Diamonds purely in terms of its prickliness. Otherwise it's unlike anything else. I get a definite blast of carnation, one of my favorite notes. After a few minutes the honey makes itself visible, and combines with a cherry candy note that wasn't there at the start. Red Door is complex, bold, and powerful. I have definitely smelled this on other people, but I don't think I would buy it without trying it on *myself* first. I don't think I have the right look to pull this off - I have very soft features. I could see it working beautifully on a more angular woman. P.S. I could smell this in my car for ages after driving home from Belk, just from 1 spray on paper. So I think sillage/longevity is great.

I’ve always appreciated Elizabeth Arden’s perfumes, but something about red door is unsettling I don’t know what note makes it slightly bitter, I don’t like the bittery note and has a prominent jasmine sambac note, the opening is very strong but as it dries out it kinda loses a little bit of it’s strong overpowering notes, very impressive for an edt. beautiful bottle design tbh and has great sillage, not for me. oh my god. I was so wrong about this perfume, right after dry down this turns so beautiful and light and powdery, I haven’t smelled anything like her before, I think it was because the weather was too hot when I first sprayed it, literally sweet florals and stylish classy woman vibes, beautiful scent trail btw, Elizabeth Arden was never wrong about describing this perfume as glamorous and classic.

A perfume that Embodies strength for women! Red Door is extraordinary and powerful! I love this perfume because if my mom was a perfume she would be this. It is her signature fragrance and it takes me back to my childhood of her wearing it when she was getting ready to go out with her friends and celebrations in the family. This perfume is truly iconic and it has a deep safe place within my heart and soul. It comforts me and makes me feel safe in a way. I have two 100ml vintage bottles and I’m so grateful to have them. The new formula these days is a modern take on its former self with more fruitiness. I will always have the vintage bottle in my collection to remind me of the past and then spray to smell in it the present. Thank you Red Door and thank you Elizabeth Arden.