Neutral Reviews of Opium by Yves Saint Laurent

Opium is definitely not for the faint at heart. It is by its own right a wonderful scent with powerful notes. Yet, my interpretation is that it is meant for a mature & older woman. Those who know me will agree that I am neither; especially the first quality. Therefore, I passed it over to my mother who loves it. At least that is what she says.

Oanh Schlesinger

After reading so many people referring to this fragrance as "unisex" and speaking of how well it wears on men, I have to respectfully disagree. The moment I sprayed this, the first thing I thought was "old lady perfume". I tried wearing it myself to see if maybe it wears differently on my skin. The smell is so recognizable and has been so over-worn for so long that I can't imagine why a man would wear it. Even if I had never come across a woman wearing this scent it's still distinctly feminine. It is very floral and spicy but in a distinctly feminine way. I have nothing at all against crossing gender boundaries and some of my favorite scents are the ones that blur the distinction but it's a bit foolish to do so with a perfume that's so well-known, memorable, and recognizable. If you've ever met a sweet mature woman, the kind who wears large round or oval earrings and with roughly half a dozen rings and bracelets on and with a face plastered with makeup (or at the very least wearing liberally-applied rouge), then you've smelled this perfume.

Anyway judging the smell on its own merits and without any of the vivid associations that come with it, it's nice but cloying to my nose, very sweetly floral and rather loud in my opinion.

Most people will recognize the scent of Opium. Although it opens with a hint of citrus, it's the soapy florals and spicy base notes that dominate. Sillage is very long-lasting - this is the kind of scent that knock one over in an elevator, so apply sparingly. A little goes a long way. It's a classic, but it's not one I'd use for every day wear - its vibe is a little too '70s. For a softer, gentler Opium-type fragrance, I prefer Coco.

This reminds me of Cinnabar, which reminds me of an old girlfriend, which isn't really a bad thing, but this newer version of Opium is too heavy on the Myrrh

I used to adore Opium. I believe that I have the reformulated version here. I love spice, but this is a bit too much. After wearing it for 5 hours it smells like my father's Old Spice.

Opium gives me a headache because of the persistent carnations and the peach (a note that has a similar effect on me in Nahema) that go off with a blast from the very start. Other than these two, I picked out the initial citrus, then patchouli, cinnamon, incense (myrrh?), on a heavy base of musk, amber, sandal/cedarwood and vanilla. I do appreciate the fact that it's a well-made, iconic scent with a strong personality – something that's all too rare these days. It does smell very seventies and slightly dated in all its hippy-ish oriental glory.

Old review:
love it, it embodies my idea of what an "oriental" fragrance should smell like...Rich, sophisticated, sexy...Even if it is "mature" I don't think it's "old-lady" at all! I smell the sandalwood, and amber, two notes I really love. But it's balanced, and I see the long list of notes give it that distinct body that makes it so I can't smell the individual notes so much. I agree that it is a stronger scent-I receive compliments whenever I wear it, but I know when I've applied too much, and I would worry about suffocating people when I dance close-embrace tango if I laid it on too heavy. Nevertheless, one of my favorite scents ever.

Can no longer wear it (I love subtlety!!), but it is a carnation-patchouli must-try classic!

Oh god, I literally felt like this perfume had a death grip on my throat. I thought I might suffocate. However, I have noticed this perfume on other women who managed to pull it off quite beautifully. It is very old-fashioned, and I think it is best reserved for those who are at least 40 years of age...

I like this perfume, it is a very sensual perfume and very sexy, but I do believe that this perfume wears you, you do not wear this perfume, I came to this realization when I was riding the bus this morning, a lady was wearing it, so I thought why is it so identifiable? It doesn't change with your chemistry, it doesn't become you. Its liek an accessory that you overpowers the rest of you..LOL there is my 2 cents

carl999, I think if you like it, you should wear it. Me...I don't like this on me, but strangely enough, I like some of the other orientals, especially Imari, by Avon. I just wish they would make this in a strong perfume. I like Cinnabar, its ok.

Gives me a headache. Im not into the strong, wintery scents though. it really does make me sick.. great bottle though! the base notes are alright

At first it has an unpleasantly sharp and plasticky note, but then it mellows into a decent oriental, very traditional in style, with perhaps mostly tobacco.

I was 13 when this perfume came out and I desperately wanted it. It was so daring. I told myself I loved it, forced myself to love it, but whilst I am an oriental lover, I cannot honestly say I love it. I can't honestly even say I like it. In the past 30 years I have regularly sprayed both the extrait and the edt when at counters, and once again willed myself to love it, but alas it is not to be. This smells flat and monotonous on my skin, drying almost immediately to nothing more than sandalwood and vanilla. I hoped that as my body chemistry changed, it would smell better on me but it never has and I've decided to stop trying. Unfortunately people who know I love orientals but don't know me very well keep giving me the damned stuff.Instead my husband wears it and I wear his Opium for Men which has become one of my favourite orientals. Now we both smell mysterious and sexy and no one ever guesses that we are wearing fragrances meant for the opposite sex.Go figure.

I wore Opium when I was 18 (imagine!). To the relief of everyone around me, I assume, I stopped wearing it around 19. I avoided it and actually detested it for years, but recently made the acquaintance of a chic lady who wears it quite well. So, though I still cannot wear this, I no longer wish a black hoodoo hex on anyone else who wears it.