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Yves Saint Laurent Opium Review

Yves Saint Laurent Opium Review
Overall rating from 15 reviews so far:
4.6/5
Would use it again?
4.4/5
Did it do what it said it would?
4.7/5
Would recommend it to a friend?
4.7/5

YSL Opium The opulent decadence of the Eau de Parfum captures the overtly sensual spirit of the original parfum designed by Yves Saint Laurent, only in a lighter spray form. Striking notes of mandarin and bergamot are made mystical with middle notes myrrh and jasmine. A final accord of deep amber laced with Opoponaux imbues the scent with its celebrated rapture. In a chic Chinoiserie-inspired flacon.

Website farmers.co.nz/ysl

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Yves Saint Laurent Opium Review

Yves Saint Laurent Opium Review

Reviews

Overall rating:
4.0/5
5th December, 2014
0 members found this review useful
Timeless oriental

Opium is a love or hate it scent. It's hard to pull off when you have a headache, can be overbearing in warmer weather and it has to suit your chemistry but it has it's place in an oriental lover's fragrance wardrobe. Best suited to cooler weather I find this to be a very warming and comforting fragrance - fans of Obsession, Samsara or Imari may well love this scent. It is loaded with sandalwood and spices. There is quite a masculine edge to this scent and it does take a while to warm up on the skin so give it a few hours before judging it and don't buy blindly! While the current edition has a magnificent bottle it has also sadly been reformulated. Personally I seek out the older glass bottles with the cinnabar-brown cap embossed with bamboo, but these are hard to find but they are available still in some places but they are probably harder to come by and have been phased out. Spray lightly and give thought to your co-workers if you work in an office, though this once would have been the normal type of scent ladies would have worn on a daily basis modern noses are easily offended by these loud orientals so may be best reserved for nights out!

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This review is the subjective opinion of a Beauty Review member and not of Beauty Review Limited.
Overall rating:
4.7/5
8th March, 2015
0 members found this review useful
Enchanting

Only came across this perfume after the Black Opium came out. Was fascinated by its ad, wanted to pick up the new one. However I was actually more attracted to the original Opium. The scent is enchanting, cannot get enough! Just like its name, very addictive; a smokey but pleasant scent. My co-workers all gave me compliments when I wore it, which is very unexpected since this is such an unique perfume. The Black Opium, in my opinion, is stronger than the original. Also, I mostly wear it in winters as it's heavy.

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This review is the subjective opinion of a Beauty Review member and not of Beauty Review Limited.
Overall rating:
5.0/5
29th September, 2015
0 members found this review useful
Classic Opium

Opium is a expensive smelling perfume and it would have to be one of the first perfumes that I think of when I think of the classic perfumes. For me the bergamot came through the most strongly with very subtle jasmine. One of the things I like about this perfume is that it seems to last particualrly well on the skin. Which makes it far worth its dollar value than many others.

The bottle is more retangular than the picture here, with clear textured glass and a reddish lid. The perfume bottle is also great quality, lasting for years without the colour fading or the spray part breaking.

I do think it is possibly a more mature perfume. I grew up with my mum wearing it, so it is a perfume that for me has been around my entire life. But when I compare it to many other perfumes out there, it also smells like perfume, not chemicals.

Tips: You can get it from fly buys.

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This review is the subjective opinion of a Beauty Review member and not of Beauty Review Limited.
Overall rating:
5.0/5
26th February, 2016
0 members found this review useful
My Signature

Opium is my one true love. I'm 27 and have finally ended my gourmand, sickly sweet candy phase. Don't get me wrong, I still love the scent of warm vanilla goodness but I swear every New Zealand girl is wearing the same three perfumes - Black Opium, Flowerbomb & La Vie Est Belle.

Girls in their teens and twenties flock to the same scents every time and I can't stand the thought of being just another cupcake smelling sheep. I've been an avid collector for some time now and have always had a love for Opium. It was so different, so warm, so inviting and so comforting.

To me this is an indoor winter in a bottle. Sitting in front of a hot fire with snow outside while playing board games with the family. When I was younger a friend and I collected stickers - part of the collection included these scratch and sniff ones that smelled of cinnamon. This is exactly what Opium smells like. I have no clue when it comes to specific notes but this is heaven, warmth and Christmas in a bottle - and scratch and sniff stickers - delicious.

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Overall rating:
3.7/5
28th March, 2016
0 members found this review useful
Like red wine

Like red wine this fragrance was an acquired taste for me. I shunned this fragrance right from the first spritz. It was a rush of pungent potpourri aftershave which gave me a headache.

I didn't revisit this perfume until I asked one of my besties what she was wearing one day, it smelled delicious. Needless to say I was gobsmacked when she pulled out the reddish brown bottle with gold lid. I couldn't believe how something so dreadful could smell so amazing.

When I spritzed it again, it wasn't as bad as the first time but I still wasn't a fan. I figured it had to be the chemistry of the skin and fragrance. This all changed when I was given this for my birthday one year and so began the journey of appreciation haha.

Over time the harsh masculine scent had turned into a spicy soapy blend of musk and jasmine. It's quite funny when I had this perfume I spritzed it for friends to smell and they had the same reaction as I did the first time!

This is one of the few perfumes that I don't get "spritz happy" with because with only 2 spritz this scent is still as fresh 9 hours later. I haven't repurchased this mainly because it's not a must-have for me but it's a lovely perfume to have in the collection - you just may not agree the first time haha.

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Overall rating:
5.0/5
12th February, 2018
1 members found this review useful
Love, love, love

I was so excited to try this perfume. The price scared me but only because I'm use to spending no more than about $60 on perfume so I never thought I'd get my hands on my own. However, I got gifted a bottle and I absolutely love it. You don't need too much as I find the fragrance quite strong. It has a pleasant fragrance and although after a while I can't smell it on myself, I've had people comment on it throughout the day so it (the fragrance) obviously lasts on your body/clothes for a long period of time.

Tips: Spritz it on your clothing and the fragrance lasts throughout the day.

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This review is the subjective opinion of a Beauty Review member and not of Beauty Review Limited.
Overall rating:
4.0/5
23rd October, 2018
0 members found this review useful
A Beautiful Evening Scent

This is one of my long-standing favourite scents after being lucky to receive a bottle on my 25th birthday - that first bottle lasted me for many, many years, largely because this (to me at least) is not a day-time scent. Instead, it's ideal for an evening out or a fancy event. I associate this scent with luxury, night time, seduction and deep conversations over wine. And frankly, I don't get much chance to do any of that! I do so love the smell though, especially the notes of jasmine, which is one of my all time favourite smells. As soon as I spray it on my wrists, I feel like going out to a swanky wine bar and listening to jazz. So if that's your vibe, then this is for you. The bottle is also beautiful, though not stand-out in the beautiful perfume bottle stakes. Nevertheless, I love the colour and the Oriental look, like sun shining through dark clouds. Finally, price-wise, I think this is very reasonable given how long it lasts and the quality of the scent: I can always still smell this the next morning.

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Overall rating:
5.0/5
23rd October, 2018
2 members found this review useful
Love my Opium

I've been using Opium for years. And I mean y e a r s! I love that it's Yves Saint Laurent - having such a flashy moniker automatically makes me feel richer.

So anyway, it comes in a fairly simple bottle that looks like an old fashioned hip flask. And sprays. Simply.

The scent is both spicy and musky and very sensuous for evening wear. I bought it originally to replace my all time favourite Max Factor's Epris when it went off the market, the similarity being they are both very sweet and feminine and make me feel sensuous and sexy. Well, I did when I bought it originally - at my age sexy isn't my first consideration any more, but it still makes me feel feminine.

Price? well, anyone who's been around for a while will remember my complaining in the forum when I bought my most recent bottle, that I couldn't find it anywhere and ended up paying $250 for a 50ml bottle at Farmers. That has put a barrier between me and Farmers that has persisted in the intervening years as I saw it later in a pharmacy for less than half that price. I know it's my own fault, but really?

Anyway it's a gorgeous sweet perfume for anyone who likes sweet, musky perfumes. I highly recommend it - an oldie but a goodie!!

Tips: Don't spray too liberally as it can be a bit cloying (I'm using 'cloying' because a pompous acquaintance used it to describe Giorgio, which I also love, after I'd commented that I liked it! when I looked up 'cloying' it meant sweet and overpowering, which Opium can be if you get too much of it).

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MareeB
3rd November, 2018

I think it was just Farmers doing some hype. I really regret buying it from there.

Macs
3rd November, 2018

Omg Maree ! That price tag.. Opium has been around for years . Can believe it’s doubled in price

Overall rating:
4.7/5
24th October, 2018
0 members found this review useful
Opium extravaganza

YSL’s Opium is an extravaganza of a perfume. It’s inspired by the late designers fascination with exotica and has been around since 1977. Opium is so different from anything you smell now in mainstream perfume. Opium is not a rollover with your paws in the air perfume. It’s a vast brick of smouldering resin and spices. Opium is this total gypsy camp fire perfume. It’s eastern spices, resins, sandalwood, myrrh, opoponax, but what Opium is all about is the spices, clove, carnation, which is a flower but has the same molecule as myrrh, that very sharp, aromatic spice. It still, has some flowers in there but very much in the background. Opium is very radiant and has a large throw, a spritz is all you’ll need. It’s a production you need to make sure your stage is set before your wearing Opium.

Tips: You can pick up Opium gift sets around Mother’s Day and Christmas.

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Overall rating:
5.0/5
28th October, 2018
0 members found this review useful
yes I,m adicted

Oh I thank the perfume Gods that i can wear heady, strong aromatic scents .. this timeless heavenly aroma of middle eastern thoughts and sweet flowers mixed together is just bliss.. A statement perfume that is recognised worldwide and shouts elegance and class, it is dreamy and mesmerising, always a favorite , timeless.. and the bottle, well, who doesn,t recognise Opium.....

Tips: this is a heady and strong perfume, don't overdo as tempting as it is

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