Positive Reviews of Opium by Yves Saint Laurent
Do you want to have an idea of how trends in the perfumery field have changed? well, compare the original Opium from 1977 with the male counterpart released in 1992 (if I remember correctly) and, between the two, tell me which one seems more feminine to you... the feminine is definitely more masculine than the masculine, yes! absurd huh? true opium is a perfume that today could easily be sold and worn for men, it is dense, resinous and spicy to die for, balsamic but NOT sweet. The resins used, of unquestionable quality, are not the modern chemical ones with a permeating and omnipresent sweetish scent. The scent always remains very warm and enveloping but at the same time very dry and sharp. Beautiful trail and persistence, never cloying, never sweet, but truly narcotic and opulent. It's a resinous spicy woody that's in a league of its own compared to modern filth. The perfume I would like my partner to have.
Courtesy of the good folks at Raiders of the Lost Scent, I determined that the EDT bottle in my possession is from 1992, a year after the conversion into this particular bottle with the removable gold-trimmed cap, and this is staggeringly beautiful. This is the culmination of the style of fragrance we once called "oriental": a heady, narcotic, spicy, resinous, incensed potion. Its release in 1977 set the world ablaze with its controversial name and evocative advertising campaign. I seldom make such statements for fear of "gatekeeping" but I do suggest that anyone who truly wants to be "studied" in the art and history of perfumery should sample the juggernaut that is YSL Opium, preferably those iterations produced before 2003.
Opium is hypnosis, it has you in a trance for the first twenty minutes, especially if you choose six sprays as I did. Elements weave in and out, mandarin peels, clove conflagrations and cinnamon spells, incantations stirring the air around you. There are chewy gums and unctuous tree exudates, a pronounced tolu balsam, floral-spicy, cinnamic, vanillic, deep dark woods accents. Olibanum teardrops and myrrh pebbles, see-sawing censors straddling between the sacred and profane, whispers of the profane alternating with rapturous wails of ecstasy. Its opulence will have you easily fully realizing the inspidity of today's Kayali who and Electimuss what. A punch that feels like a caress sure beats a shrill slap across the face. Opium is a KNOCKOUT.
Opium is hypnosis, it has you in a trance for the first twenty minutes, especially if you choose six sprays as I did. Elements weave in and out, mandarin peels, clove conflagrations and cinnamon spells, incantations stirring the air around you. There are chewy gums and unctuous tree exudates, a pronounced tolu balsam, floral-spicy, cinnamic, vanillic, deep dark woods accents. Olibanum teardrops and myrrh pebbles, see-sawing censors straddling between the sacred and profane, whispers of the profane alternating with rapturous wails of ecstasy. Its opulence will have you easily fully realizing the inspidity of today's Kayali who and Electimuss what. A punch that feels like a caress sure beats a shrill slap across the face. Opium is a KNOCKOUT.
ADVERTISEMENT
This fragrance exudes strength, power, and confidence. The prominent notes of cloves, cinnamon, incense, and sandalwood blend together perfectly. Surrounding the scent are plum, patchouli, and amber, which add a touch of sweetness. A deeper breath reveals a slightly animalic vibe, although it's not immediately noticeable in the air.
When I first tried it, I was put off by the initial spray, but after returning to it 5 years later, I've grown to appreciate it. Overall, I detect a slightly burnt resin with amber and powdery florals, with a few different transitions as it progresses. While I consider it unisex, it may lean towards the feminine side in modern culture. Some may see it as dated, but I would place it in a similar category as Comme Des Garcons by CDG (1994). Compared to modern releases, Opium may be considered avant-garde.
When I first tried it, I was put off by the initial spray, but after returning to it 5 years later, I've grown to appreciate it. Overall, I detect a slightly burnt resin with amber and powdery florals, with a few different transitions as it progresses. While I consider it unisex, it may lean towards the feminine side in modern culture. Some may see it as dated, but I would place it in a similar category as Comme Des Garcons by CDG (1994). Compared to modern releases, Opium may be considered avant-garde.
I love this perfume it takes you on a journey it's very similar to cinnabar which I also love genderless in my opinion
Review of the Eau de Toilet:
Coriander, bay leaves, clove and pimento dominate in the opening blast - after an initial burst of bergamot, mandarin, a whiffs of blood orange, which went as quickly as it arose; only a bit of an hesperidic undertone remains for a while. white peppers and fresh unripe plums are present in the background.
The drydown turns floral initially, with yang-ylang and muguet in the foreground, followed soon afterwards by a carnation note. The sweetness of the florals in enhanced by lighter impressions of jasmine and a rather timid and a darker rose; the latter is quite nonspecific on me. Fruity moments - young white peaches mainly - come and go. A bright labdanum arises and grows increasingly stronger, and with time it becomes one of the most prominent components of this mix.
The next stage sees a switch from the floral back to more spiciness, with a well-executed dark and fairly smooth myrrh impression in the foreground now; an earthy orris adds further depth, and the sweet side is maintained by a soft cinnamon input.
The base purports to be a cluster of many notes, with can be seen ans a mix of three subgroups of notes: Sweet and woody ones: an ambery restrained vanilla, a nonspecific woodsiness with the occasional glimpses of sandal wood and faint cedar. Balsaminc ones: weak incense with touches of tolu balsam - the latter a bit more evident. Add the spicy side again, with minute hints of opoponax, white musks and a soft and shadowy benzoin, with w fairly futile attempt to have castoreum and cistus infuse a bit of crispness - this remains a smooth more that a harsh combination.
I get moderate sillage very good projection, seven hours of longevity on my skin.
This is essentially a spice-centred autumnal creation that also develops an avalanche of other ingredients, which are more or less convincing on me. Overall 3.25/5
---
Review of the Vintage Eau de Toilet:
Initially there is mainly mandarin and bergamot - very convincing, with the plum note being also much more noticeable. only then the other top notes are developing slowly.
In the hear notes and carnation is stronger on me, and the spice components are more in the background. the other parts are similar.
In the base of the vintage EdT the woods are more prominent than the balsams and the spices.
I get moderate sillage, very good projection, and five hours of longevity on my skin.
Overall the vintage EdP is not less complex than the more recent version. What is diffreent is the much higher quality of its ingredients, which are more intense, vivid, and have more depth and character. 3.5/5
---
Review of the original Parfum:
Haven tried this a number of times over the years, it struck me as somewhat different form the current Eau de Toilet. The spices contained more of an incense and balsamic component, which was more in the foreground. The florals were more intensive and more impressive, including the even darker and richer rose, the vivid jasmine, as well as the fact that the pepper was much more intense.
More vivid, more natural and less generic ingredients, velvety, richer and more sumpteous: the original Parfum was in a class of its own. 4/5
Coriander, bay leaves, clove and pimento dominate in the opening blast - after an initial burst of bergamot, mandarin, a whiffs of blood orange, which went as quickly as it arose; only a bit of an hesperidic undertone remains for a while. white peppers and fresh unripe plums are present in the background.
The drydown turns floral initially, with yang-ylang and muguet in the foreground, followed soon afterwards by a carnation note. The sweetness of the florals in enhanced by lighter impressions of jasmine and a rather timid and a darker rose; the latter is quite nonspecific on me. Fruity moments - young white peaches mainly - come and go. A bright labdanum arises and grows increasingly stronger, and with time it becomes one of the most prominent components of this mix.
The next stage sees a switch from the floral back to more spiciness, with a well-executed dark and fairly smooth myrrh impression in the foreground now; an earthy orris adds further depth, and the sweet side is maintained by a soft cinnamon input.
The base purports to be a cluster of many notes, with can be seen ans a mix of three subgroups of notes: Sweet and woody ones: an ambery restrained vanilla, a nonspecific woodsiness with the occasional glimpses of sandal wood and faint cedar. Balsaminc ones: weak incense with touches of tolu balsam - the latter a bit more evident. Add the spicy side again, with minute hints of opoponax, white musks and a soft and shadowy benzoin, with w fairly futile attempt to have castoreum and cistus infuse a bit of crispness - this remains a smooth more that a harsh combination.
I get moderate sillage very good projection, seven hours of longevity on my skin.
This is essentially a spice-centred autumnal creation that also develops an avalanche of other ingredients, which are more or less convincing on me. Overall 3.25/5
---
Review of the Vintage Eau de Toilet:
Initially there is mainly mandarin and bergamot - very convincing, with the plum note being also much more noticeable. only then the other top notes are developing slowly.
In the hear notes and carnation is stronger on me, and the spice components are more in the background. the other parts are similar.
In the base of the vintage EdT the woods are more prominent than the balsams and the spices.
I get moderate sillage, very good projection, and five hours of longevity on my skin.
Overall the vintage EdP is not less complex than the more recent version. What is diffreent is the much higher quality of its ingredients, which are more intense, vivid, and have more depth and character. 3.5/5
---
Review of the original Parfum:
Haven tried this a number of times over the years, it struck me as somewhat different form the current Eau de Toilet. The spices contained more of an incense and balsamic component, which was more in the foreground. The florals were more intensive and more impressive, including the even darker and richer rose, the vivid jasmine, as well as the fact that the pepper was much more intense.
More vivid, more natural and less generic ingredients, velvety, richer and more sumpteous: the original Parfum was in a class of its own. 4/5
Been searching long and hard for a fragrance to bring me back to a new house next to an orchard and farm meadow. This is it for me, until further notice - which I don't imagine will be coming soon.
Still the perfect Oriental.
Decadent, dangerous (ok not as much as it used to be) full of promise of forbidden worlds way out of reach of mere mortals, although it was probably more crushed velvet and chunky gold plated bling at Les Bains Douche. The 80's Parfum 7.5 ml refillable is one of my fondest treasures, given to me by my school chums mum who was gifted it and hated it, she was more of a RG girl, lucky me!
I love Chantal Roos story of how much she cried at the loss of revenue when it sold out at launch and they had to wait for weeks and weeks for the bottles to be manufactured before they could replenish the stores. It was so scandalous that they didn't really expect it to take off - bless her, sure she got over it after the first few million bottles sold.
Decadent, dangerous (ok not as much as it used to be) full of promise of forbidden worlds way out of reach of mere mortals, although it was probably more crushed velvet and chunky gold plated bling at Les Bains Douche. The 80's Parfum 7.5 ml refillable is one of my fondest treasures, given to me by my school chums mum who was gifted it and hated it, she was more of a RG girl, lucky me!
I love Chantal Roos story of how much she cried at the loss of revenue when it sold out at launch and they had to wait for weeks and weeks for the bottles to be manufactured before they could replenish the stores. It was so scandalous that they didn't really expect it to take off - bless her, sure she got over it after the first few million bottles sold.
Yves Saint Laurent used to be a very controversial designer throughout the 1960's into the early 1980's, openly flaunting his homosexuality in a relationship with his partner Pierre Bergé at a time when society was much less-accepting of such, and placing women in "smoking suits" that were the austere antithesis of conventional femininity of the day. This controversial nature extended to his perfumes as well, starting with civet green floral chypre of Y (1964), to the sharp mossy rose of Rive Gauche (1971), and the innocuous lemony chypre known as Yves Saint Laurent Pour Homme (1971), that fires up in nightclubs with a little body sweat. Saint Laurent brought back 2 of the perfumers he worked with in past creations to make his newest perfume for women, Opium (1977), and it was a creation polarizing in smell, name, and packaging alike at the time. Looking back now over 40 years later, what Opium presented seems like an archetype for a well-played genre, with DNA passed immediately down to orientals like Cinnabar (1978) and Obsession (1985), that doesn't feel anywhere near shocking to a modern nose, although it is still very much it's own beast compared to what passes as an oriental in the 21st century landscape. I can't possibly fit all the controversial launch party shenanigans surrounding Opium, nor all the bizarre outrage lobbed at it, but here is the basic version it: The name was linked to YSL condoning drug use, the Chinese aesthetic linked to an early form of disrespectful cultural appropriation which resulted in the formation of actual committees seeking punitive damages from YSL, and the smell of the stuff helping to reignite interest in rich orientals after florals and green chypres had dominated, resulting in tons of clones, plus plumes of Opium perfume filling all the usual hangout spaces of urban upper middle-class society. Flankers revived the nameplate many years after this was released, but most of them play up the theme of the original only tangentially, so I can't exactly say they're worthy of exploring.
The smell of Opium is still a product of the 70's mindset in perfumery at the time, with a dirty dryness in the heart not too dissimilar from Eau d'Hermès (1951), but whereas that effect is achieved by perfumer Edmond Roudnitska with cumin, in Opium the same effect is achieved with a kitchen sink accord of so many different spices, florals, and aromatics that it's impossible to pick out the culprit. Jean Amic of YSL Y fame returned, as did Raymond Chaillan of YSL Pour Homme fame, teamed with a third perfumer named Jean-Louis Sieuzac, who became known in his own right for this and later vintage fraghead faves like Pascal Morabito Or Black (1982), Hermès Bel Ami (1986), and Dior Fahrenheit (1988). It was rare that 3 perfumers were employed at once back then, although perfumer focus groups now seem common in the modern age of Calvin Klein or Giorgio Armani, where a happy medium is actually desired and not reached in compromise. With Opium, a hesperidic accord of bergamot, aldehydes, and mandarin is spiced up with clove, pepper, pimento, and bay. A touch of dark plum sweetness is added, and the whole party moves downstairs to dance with a crowd of stereotypical florals. Jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, carnation, and muguet play with orris root, cinnamon, and a peach note, making parallels to the dry green floral chypres circling at the time, but with spice in place of galbanum to keep it sharp. The base is the most congested of all the tiers in this note pyramid, and without naming everything in it, since you can't smell half of it anyway due to blending, let's agree that it's basically everything found in the bases of most other perfumes, combined. The incense, patchouli, sandalwood, and labdanum stand out most, with animalic undercurrents of castoreum, styrax, and musk mixing with a touch of dry vanilla to keep it from being bitter. Sillage is medium-high and longevity is also impressive, but this gets cloying fast so be mindful of application and the weather in which you intend to wear Opium, since all that factors in with something this dense in construction.
Opium eventually got a "Pour Homme" version composed by Jacques Cavallier in 1996, which dials down the florals some and enhances the woods, spices, and rich base, but it seems rather superfluous and unnecessary, which is probably why it languishes in Discounter Hell these days. Opium in it's original feminine-marketed version is plenty balanced enough for men to wear too, and any guy who owns Aramis JHL (1982), Jaïpur Homme (1997), Penhaligon's Endymion (2003), or even Azzaro Wanted by Night (2018) has already smelled sweeter and arguably more "feminine" oriental fare than Opium, but dressed up in masculine packaging. For this reason, I urge anyone to float over and find a tester of this at a YSL counter and give it a sniff, swatting the sales associate away if they try to "correct" your choices. Opium is a spicy, heady, semi-sweet oriental blast canon of a fragrance that suit anyone looking to cut the chill air with trails of the orient. Funny fact, most "opium" incense sold at gas stations doesn't try to emulate the smell of the opium poppy, but rather this fragrance, which doesn't really contain any actual opium flower, so if you've burned sticks of that stuff, you've already smelled a clone of this old girl in action. I recommend using this only in winter, or conservatively as a mature night scent, to a dinner, play, or night on the town window shopping. This stuff is a bit too formal and serious for clubbing, since it isn't quite as sweet as modern takes on the genre, and the spice is just so present here that you might be seen as "over-doing it" in terms of the attention department. Wherever you wear Opium, people young and old will notice, either by remembrance of how contrarian it once was, or by being affronted with a wall of congealed aromatics, so it's not for the meek. Thumbs up, but wear responsibly, unless you want people to form a committee in protest against you the way they did Yves Saint Laurent years ago.
The smell of Opium is still a product of the 70's mindset in perfumery at the time, with a dirty dryness in the heart not too dissimilar from Eau d'Hermès (1951), but whereas that effect is achieved by perfumer Edmond Roudnitska with cumin, in Opium the same effect is achieved with a kitchen sink accord of so many different spices, florals, and aromatics that it's impossible to pick out the culprit. Jean Amic of YSL Y fame returned, as did Raymond Chaillan of YSL Pour Homme fame, teamed with a third perfumer named Jean-Louis Sieuzac, who became known in his own right for this and later vintage fraghead faves like Pascal Morabito Or Black (1982), Hermès Bel Ami (1986), and Dior Fahrenheit (1988). It was rare that 3 perfumers were employed at once back then, although perfumer focus groups now seem common in the modern age of Calvin Klein or Giorgio Armani, where a happy medium is actually desired and not reached in compromise. With Opium, a hesperidic accord of bergamot, aldehydes, and mandarin is spiced up with clove, pepper, pimento, and bay. A touch of dark plum sweetness is added, and the whole party moves downstairs to dance with a crowd of stereotypical florals. Jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, carnation, and muguet play with orris root, cinnamon, and a peach note, making parallels to the dry green floral chypres circling at the time, but with spice in place of galbanum to keep it sharp. The base is the most congested of all the tiers in this note pyramid, and without naming everything in it, since you can't smell half of it anyway due to blending, let's agree that it's basically everything found in the bases of most other perfumes, combined. The incense, patchouli, sandalwood, and labdanum stand out most, with animalic undercurrents of castoreum, styrax, and musk mixing with a touch of dry vanilla to keep it from being bitter. Sillage is medium-high and longevity is also impressive, but this gets cloying fast so be mindful of application and the weather in which you intend to wear Opium, since all that factors in with something this dense in construction.
Opium eventually got a "Pour Homme" version composed by Jacques Cavallier in 1996, which dials down the florals some and enhances the woods, spices, and rich base, but it seems rather superfluous and unnecessary, which is probably why it languishes in Discounter Hell these days. Opium in it's original feminine-marketed version is plenty balanced enough for men to wear too, and any guy who owns Aramis JHL (1982), Jaïpur Homme (1997), Penhaligon's Endymion (2003), or even Azzaro Wanted by Night (2018) has already smelled sweeter and arguably more "feminine" oriental fare than Opium, but dressed up in masculine packaging. For this reason, I urge anyone to float over and find a tester of this at a YSL counter and give it a sniff, swatting the sales associate away if they try to "correct" your choices. Opium is a spicy, heady, semi-sweet oriental blast canon of a fragrance that suit anyone looking to cut the chill air with trails of the orient. Funny fact, most "opium" incense sold at gas stations doesn't try to emulate the smell of the opium poppy, but rather this fragrance, which doesn't really contain any actual opium flower, so if you've burned sticks of that stuff, you've already smelled a clone of this old girl in action. I recommend using this only in winter, or conservatively as a mature night scent, to a dinner, play, or night on the town window shopping. This stuff is a bit too formal and serious for clubbing, since it isn't quite as sweet as modern takes on the genre, and the spice is just so present here that you might be seen as "over-doing it" in terms of the attention department. Wherever you wear Opium, people young and old will notice, either by remembrance of how contrarian it once was, or by being affronted with a wall of congealed aromatics, so it's not for the meek. Thumbs up, but wear responsibly, unless you want people to form a committee in protest against you the way they did Yves Saint Laurent years ago.
An old school good scent. And yes, it's unisex IMO. Complex, not too versatile but with a giant projection and longevity.
I have owned the vintage Opium from the early days ever since I tried some at a perfume counter. I just had to have some.
Most of the time I considered it far too potent for casual wear, so that is the reason I still have it in nearly full bottles.
But being curious about the new formulation, I have finally decided to give it a try.
The initial blast is far different from the vintage formula. Lots of synthetic notes in there. Not the same at all.
But after 30 minutes or so, it does settle down into an exact representation of the vintage Opium.
The only thing now is to see how it stays after a few days or so. The original just keeps going and going on your clothing.
Most of the time I considered it far too potent for casual wear, so that is the reason I still have it in nearly full bottles.
But being curious about the new formulation, I have finally decided to give it a try.
The initial blast is far different from the vintage formula. Lots of synthetic notes in there. Not the same at all.
But after 30 minutes or so, it does settle down into an exact representation of the vintage Opium.
The only thing now is to see how it stays after a few days or so. The original just keeps going and going on your clothing.
This is a review of the 2009 version. It is pretty much like I remember wearing, back in the 90's. Less spice though. The top is briefly sweet then quickly turns flowery. Carnation and jasmine are prominent for me, in the middle. The base is darkish for awhile, then the amber and vanilla kicks in. I will enjoy the decant I have but, a full bottle isn't in my future. I DO have a vintage sample around somewhere. That review will follow later, at some point...
Charged with starting the
Opioid epidemic,
She proudly confessed.
Opioid epidemic,
She proudly confessed.
A very "white" fragrance. When I think of "Opium" I think of dark drug dens in old England, full of smoke. This is the opposite. White flowers amber and myrrh. A bit of a anticlimax after all of the hype over the years.
Even if it doesn't rock your world straight off - that first spray is heavy and unusual - don't give up.
It mellows significantly, while maintaining depth and interest. It becomes vanilla and wood and gentle spice, but with a twist utterly unique to Opium.
You can use this very sparingly; just a dab beneath the hair will do. OR, you can spray more liberally and command a room with it.
I could wear this to an opera, or to a heavy metal festival. It's classy and complex, not in any way girly. It's also brave, and would do well rubbed off on a black leather jacket - a man's or a woman's.
Wonderful.
It mellows significantly, while maintaining depth and interest. It becomes vanilla and wood and gentle spice, but with a twist utterly unique to Opium.
You can use this very sparingly; just a dab beneath the hair will do. OR, you can spray more liberally and command a room with it.
I could wear this to an opera, or to a heavy metal festival. It's classy and complex, not in any way girly. It's also brave, and would do well rubbed off on a black leather jacket - a man's or a woman's.
Wonderful.
Oh wow!
This is the very first time I have smelled this cult fragrance and it is in its true vintage form - WOW! I can definitely see why so many seek it out - but I cannot pull it off. I know this was/is marketed to women, but there is NO REASON why a man should not own as EASILY wear this scent today!
I think this needs to be worn with Christian Louboutin heels, at least 3" high if you are a woman, which is why I cannot pull this off. Having screwed up my back, knees, and having broken a toe during multiple sporting pursuits as well as psychiatric holds, I am simply unable to rise above 1" heals - and that will not do for vintage Opium. Not at all.
Or I'd need a sex-change, and heels or not, I am ALL woman. No changes necessary or desired.
I still give it a positive review as it is everything it claims to be - it is me that cannot be WITH it.
This is the very first time I have smelled this cult fragrance and it is in its true vintage form - WOW! I can definitely see why so many seek it out - but I cannot pull it off. I know this was/is marketed to women, but there is NO REASON why a man should not own as EASILY wear this scent today!
I think this needs to be worn with Christian Louboutin heels, at least 3" high if you are a woman, which is why I cannot pull this off. Having screwed up my back, knees, and having broken a toe during multiple sporting pursuits as well as psychiatric holds, I am simply unable to rise above 1" heals - and that will not do for vintage Opium. Not at all.
Or I'd need a sex-change, and heels or not, I am ALL woman. No changes necessary or desired.
I still give it a positive review as it is everything it claims to be - it is me that cannot be WITH it.
I've got a sample of "Opium Secret de Parfum". I guess it's the same as the EDP, as the notes and descriptions fit. The opening is very aggressive, itchy, acid, almost vinegar-ish. Then it settles in a beautiful mix of florals (jasmine) and myrrhe which gives it a masculine side. Beautifully vintage and sexily feminine though. Sillage and longevity are huge!
I like the EDT even better, as it is softer and spicier, but with as much sillage.
I like the EDT even better, as it is softer and spicier, but with as much sillage.
perfection in its original form.classic.i always have a bottle in case of emergency
Musk and flowers and a little powder. So much more depth than some of the lighter, fruitier fragrances I tested at the counter. I was warned this had a lot of musk, and was happy to find out it was true. It has a few oils in it, so they tell me, and it does wear closer to the body.
I enjoyed it
I enjoyed it
Oh,to me the Original spicy oriental that as a young child I loved. I have seen so many different ingrediant lists. It just pulls me to find out what i found so irresistable.
I found what is my thing spicy orientals. Several natural perfumeries have similarly wonderous mixes. Wish I could remember their names. Anyas Garden, Ayala something, oh so many I need to name.
I found what is my thing spicy orientals. Several natural perfumeries have similarly wonderous mixes. Wish I could remember their names. Anyas Garden, Ayala something, oh so many I need to name.
One of the few balsamic spicy scents I really like. The silliage and the opening notes may be a bit overwhelming, but the base notes are as smokey and addictive as they should be.
As a man, I happily wear the vintage EDT. In fact, I'm having something of a love affair with it. Go easy on the trigger, and forget the current formulations, and for god's sake pass on the "Pour Homme" version-dreadful.
Disregard the marketing. This is fully unisex. The vintage is warm, sensuous and wears like your favorite scotch.
Disregard the marketing. This is fully unisex. The vintage is warm, sensuous and wears like your favorite scotch.
When I was in my 20's a friend received a fantastic bottle of parfum she did not like, she gave it to me and I adored.
Last year I decided to try it again in a perfumery shop, I appreciated it and the friend with me bought it for me!
It is an opulent fragrance that I use sometimes when it is really cold, it is spicy and unique and in my opinion may be used by man avoiding over spray.
Last year I decided to try it again in a perfumery shop, I appreciated it and the friend with me bought it for me!
It is an opulent fragrance that I use sometimes when it is really cold, it is spicy and unique and in my opinion may be used by man avoiding over spray.
Honestly, I have to say that I don't understand how anyone can't like this perfume! It's been a while since I tried wearing "Opium" (the original) so I forgot some things about it, but I have some of it sprayed on my wrist right now so I can actually review it properly!
First of all, on me, and to my nose, it's actually quite subtle! I didn't spray on a lot but I can still tell that on myself "Opium" doesn't have really huge sillage and projection. It's actually quite soft and powdery sweet, and once it dries down to the actual heart of the fragrance, even the spices aren't really that heavy or strong. It's just a really beautiful smelling perfume, and again, I noticed that I receive compliments when I wear this one! So my point is, I don't understand how anyone can actually be really bothered by this scent or not want to sit next to someone wearing it! I think it's so gorgeous and perfect that I just want to go on smelling it all day! (Luckily, the longevity of "Opium" is really good!) I also want to add, without any exaggeration whatsoever, that "Opium" is simply just sex in a bottle to me! It is, hands down, one of the sexiest perfumes that exists, and again, if I made a list of top ten best perfumes ever made, "Opium" might be on that list! Or, at least, it's definitely one the ten best orientals ever made! I also want to add that I greatly prefer "Opium" to "Shalimar.". On me, "Shalimar" is far too overwhelmingly strong and just never seems right for everyday wear. I also just think that "Opium" smells better. Plus, I never received the same compliments when I tried "Shalimar." So, to me, this one is the clear winner! Probably most of you know "Opium", but for younger readers, if you've never tried it I definitely think you should! It's just a really great classic perfume! :)
First of all, on me, and to my nose, it's actually quite subtle! I didn't spray on a lot but I can still tell that on myself "Opium" doesn't have really huge sillage and projection. It's actually quite soft and powdery sweet, and once it dries down to the actual heart of the fragrance, even the spices aren't really that heavy or strong. It's just a really beautiful smelling perfume, and again, I noticed that I receive compliments when I wear this one! So my point is, I don't understand how anyone can actually be really bothered by this scent or not want to sit next to someone wearing it! I think it's so gorgeous and perfect that I just want to go on smelling it all day! (Luckily, the longevity of "Opium" is really good!) I also want to add, without any exaggeration whatsoever, that "Opium" is simply just sex in a bottle to me! It is, hands down, one of the sexiest perfumes that exists, and again, if I made a list of top ten best perfumes ever made, "Opium" might be on that list! Or, at least, it's definitely one the ten best orientals ever made! I also want to add that I greatly prefer "Opium" to "Shalimar.". On me, "Shalimar" is far too overwhelmingly strong and just never seems right for everyday wear. I also just think that "Opium" smells better. Plus, I never received the same compliments when I tried "Shalimar." So, to me, this one is the clear winner! Probably most of you know "Opium", but for younger readers, if you've never tried it I definitely think you should! It's just a really great classic perfume! :)