Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Review

I was not a fan of this perfume, I found that it was a very mature dark smell. I am fan of brighter smells I suppose and this one gave me a sort of a headache! Yes it is a strong smell, but I found its staying power isn't that long which I didn't mind because as I said I didn't really enjoy it. I was given this as a gift by one of my girlfriends, but gave it to my mum who suited the smell more and she loved it!

Before I talk about Black Opium, first off let me say I grew up with my Mum wearing the classic YSL Opium and it is the most long lasting classical perfume I can think of. Black Opium is quite different.

The first time I came across Black Opium, I was actually with my Mum on a boat crossing from Calais to Dover and we were given some to try in the duty free shop. Mum, the Opium lover hated it. Where as myself who isn't a big Opium wearer really liked this one. So naturally being the perfume hussy that I am, I added the smallest bottle to my collection (tip: if you buy smaller bottles you can justify more perfumes).

It is interesting that this has coffee in it - because I don't like coffee, but I can't personally smell it in this. Vanilla is always the scent I get through and that mixed floral scent. There is also an underlying muskier or spicier smell as well.

One of the things I love about YSL's range is that the perfumes do seem to last well. I don't think this one lasts as well as the traditional Opium, but that said, often you can't smell it as well on yourself as you can on other people.

In terms of packaging, the bottle is fairly standard for YSL.

I absolutely adore black opium, it is the first perfume Ive loved so much I used the whole bottle and bought another, my hubby even knows he won't go astray buying me this! Love the sweet notes, smells like warm brown sugar mmmm

I tested this in Farmers back in 2014 and instantly fell in love with it. It has been on and off my radar since then until I finally got my hands on it at the end of 2018... Long overdue!

I love the vanilla notes in this and find it lasts really well on clothing (I have sensitive skin—so I don't spray directly on it) the bottle is stunning and it travels really well in my handbag.

I would love to buy it again, but it's just so expensive—so make sure you love it before forking out the money for it.

I have a love hate relationship with this perfume, when i first bought it i did not like smell at all! Probably because i do not like coffee and when i used it, it was very strong and bitter when first applied and on my skin i got more of the coffee notes. However i noticed when it dried down it had more of the sweet notes to it. On my skin the lasting power is roughly 4 hours so i did have to keep reapplying and i had EDP I kept using it to use it up and it grew on me and i did get compliments even from my brother! I believe this is one you ever love or hate. If i repurchased i would use sparingly as i do like it now. Also i would get a tester first to see if it's what you like before spending alot on a perfume you don't like

Black Opium has long been one of my favourite scents. It should first be noted that if you already have YSL Opium, this is VERY different. Opium is woody and smokey, but Black Opium is sweet and fruity.

The packaging is pretty, and and I like the colour combo they have used of black and pink.

The first few times I used this I loved it so much that I layered on a thick dose all over my body, hair and clothes. But then I started smelling it on other women who had also taken the same YOLO approach and drenched themselves this already very strong perfume. It made me realise that the sweetness of vanilla, fruit (raspberry? strawberry?) and floral notes can actually be quite nauseating. The sickly sweetness thus makes the wearer seem like a 13 year old girl spraying Impulse throughout a confined space.

So. The trick is to only use a 2 spritzes, and trust that the sweet top notes will remain present for a long time before the woody base notes come out.

This perfume really works with your skin chemistry, I find I put it on and can’t smell it on my skin yet I get sooo many compliments on how nice I smell. I have the EDP 50ml bottle. It’s a very rich warm vanilla scent, but so delicious! It’s balanced well with other notes like cedar and orange blossom which come through about half an hour after spraying.

I love this perfume! It is unique and exotic without being over powering. The chocolate and coffee hints make it alluring - one of the best!