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vampir1387 – :
I do not like this. It is dusty, not like powder, but like dust on furniture in a catlady’s house. It smells stale and makes me frown. I detect no fruitiness. The combination of star anise and black currant make it smell old and forgotten and unkempt. Black Currant is so easy to go wrong in a scent and it is in YSL Opium.
Definitely sample before you buy. If any barbershop smelled like this, the State Health Inspectors would slap an F rating sign in the window.
I will get negative balloons for this review, but it is my reaction to this scent.
kus.vad – :
I have had a terrible run with YSL fragrances
First Kouros Silver, then Kouros and now Opium
Definitely not going to be blind buying YSL fragrances again
Really disappointed as it has such a high rating on Fragrantica
Opium has a terrible opening that I find really offensive.
The mid and base notes are nothing to write home about.
Tolstyan44 – :
It is one of the classic oriental fragrances. I imagine the scene would be,” During the 12th or 13th century a perfumer from the west is in the spice bazaar of some far east country for the first time and all these new smells are awakening his senses as never before. On completion of his journey, he creates OPIUM Pour Homme.” Whenever he wants to remember his adventures, he sits in the his living room on a leather chair and spritz OPIUM and smile…
IsormRodo – :
Excellent Creation! Better in the edp version but since the latter is not found remains a MASTERPIECE of all the world perfumery! Post scriptum Packaging to be shipped on Saturn.
oxanabat – :
I just don’t get it! Used to wear this one a lot in the early 2000s and was so different. A different aroma approach and vibe. The projection was so high and intoxicating. Same here as Kouros. Reformulated, toned down and synthetic.Too bad for such a masterpiece. Now it’s just another vanilla scent.
urazvsergejj – :
When I first got this it did intrigue me and as a creative artwork it impresses and inspires but the kind of musty-ness was just not fitting for wearing out publicly, a year later it actually is smells to me a good bit less musty who knows if the smell in the bottle changed as they aged or if it’s just my random taste changeing. Still basically the same idea goes. It does have a nice glowing warm inside your t shirt smell, (at the best of times not on a stinky day), and also the musty-ness I will say, is actually coming from a cool place as the perfumer is Jacques Cavallier who did Bvlgari white tea and pour homme (1995) and it has always seemed to me he is the master of MIST-Y Smokey hazy dreamy-ness.
risovaka_2 – :
I’m REALLY going against popular opinion here so know that in advance…and I honestly wondered if I had a fake since my bottle and experience were both so very different from what I’ve read. However, I bought it from a reputable dealer so I believe that it’s just not for me. Also bear in mind that some really great fragrances can smell terrible on some people and/or smell terrible to some people’s nose. With that long opening…
I’m a huge fan of vanilla cologne/fragrance so I really should love Opium. Yet, I just can’t stand it! I just don’t get any “fruity” notes and “fresh spicy” is just not the way I would describe this. Sure, after an hour it dries down to a nice vanilla scent like most vanilla cologne does but I really don’t like the opening or that first hour. For those 60 minutes all I can smell is very strong, cheap mid 80’s women’s perfume. Yes, strong WOMEN’S perfume. The kind of perfume I could see the ladies of “Dallas” and “Dynasty” wearing. That awful women’s perfume of that era that was very strong, always over applied, and tended to completely fill the room to the point you wanted to gag. Usually your “fashionable” mid 40’s aunt would wear it and smother you in it when she hugged you. That cloying scent even drowns out the vanilla. Yeah, that’s the smell I get for a full 60 minutes. If that’s considered “fresh spicy” and “fruity” then I don’t like either scents. After that disaster, all that chaos fades into a somewhat nice vanilla but it still tries to cling a bit to that wretched opening with the occasional whiff of gross mixed with vanilla. I can almost stomach Opium after the opening but I dislike that opening to the point that I’m going to eBay the bottle. I can use my Eros and Le Male and get a similar vanilla based dry down (which is what I like) without dealing with a wretched smell for an hour or so. I will give Opium this: it is very, very different from Eros or Le Male.
Now, I’m sure others are going to disagree with me and that’s fine. I’ve read other reviews say that you need to be a bit of a sophisticated cat (I’m paraphrasing) when it comes to fragrances to truly appreciate the level of excellence achieved by Opium. In all honesty, I can judge audio speakers and balance sheets with a fair bit of acumen but the arts and scents (fragrances) elude me. Bottom line is I’ve tried it for 3 days now and I think every other bottle of cologne I own stinks better. This one just doesn’t work for me, personally. It might very well do better and behave differently on other people but I’d say try it first. I own it but never see myself wearing it so off it goes to someone that likes it, is more compatible with it, or can appreciate the aforementioned excellence that eludes me.
Update: A year later and I’m more familiar with my likes and dislikes in fragrances. At the time I bought this all I really knew was that I liked vanilla. Well, I now know i really, really dislike black currant. I think that particular note just completely sabotaged this fragrance for me. My review actually stands as I still get that described scent. I’ll say this: IF you’re okay with black currant, then you may indeed like this.
ilya08 – :
This was my go-to for a long time and then it was discontinued (outside of France, that is). You can find some knock-offs online, but they are just a sad reminder of yesteryear. The original was a peppery, powdered giant that dried down to a spicy vanilla boss. It would last on my skin for 12+ hours and was an attention-getter. I never received more compliments on a cologne than the original YSL Opium.
volkov83 – :
Very loud and spicy fragrance which lasts for a long time. Have had comments of a masculine scent trailing behind me. Wonderful fragrance for pairing with darker environments, clothing and seasons.
Dennim – :
Opium Pour Homme and Hugo Dark Blue have some surprising similarities.
It’s the tart yet creamy vanilla, ginger, cedar and sweet resin.
ButtSlupt – :
I was just thinking for this one considering the theme shouldn’t Jacques Cavallier made the beginning beautiful and pleasurable then have the dry down become sickly and wretched
Nemetzzz – :
Whoa this one is very dear to my heart, black pepper, anise and black currant all blended together amazingly, great winter fragrance, great longevity and very impressive projection, every time I wear this I get compliments, I don’t see necessarily the relationship between the male opium version and the female one, truely remarkable YSL release though.
One last thing I wish the US market would get the EDP version of opium pour homme like they do in France.
jorka – :
When I first smelled it all that I was able to say was: whooooahhh….hoewer….it just doesn’t work well on my skin. It’s soooo aggravating since this is one of the few perfumes that made me do that reaction, but only on paper. The sillage could be better, longevity is fine. If you like spicy but also smooth fragrances, this one is for you, but it’s definitely a ‘try before buy.
Update: as I keep getting more and more practiced in perfumes now I know what was the problem here… anise…that just does’nt work for me… if you don’t like anise try it, but be careful 😀
видар – :
Smells good but weak at best and I own a vintage bottle.
vaskiv – :
أفيون الحياة
..
جمال يعزلك عن العالم للحظات
..
نعشق المسكرات
مذهبات العقل ..!!
WismKegeste – :
I don’t find this (EDT) all too wearable for me (26 m) but it is a well done piece of art no doubt, and Jacques Cavallier is my all time favorite perfumer, MIND YOU. it’s fusty eor musty, I heard edp is the only way to go… buttbrown dum ham
wheerlelm – :
That’s the living legend. Mature, masculine, classy and elegant fragrance, ideal for upscale dresscode and formal events. And really strong and heavy just like the real opium (didn’t try it though)! I highly doubt that Yves Saint Laurent can create anything better. 9,5/10.
EropbI4 – :
Not sure if I like it. It is hard to miss the fact that opium is not one of the mentioned ingredients. I have a bottle of pure opium and it is a very heavy, earthy sweet scent.
viktoralmaty – :
FINALLY picked up a bottle of this. What have I been doing with my life?! I finally found a scent that really is me through and through. New signature. Its so elegant and beautiful. Its manly, its sweet, its hypnotic and mysterious. Its literally everything I could want in a scent. I could lose every fragrance I own and have only this one and be totally content. I will be stocking up on this one. I dont know what took me so long to try it!!!
It just dances off my skin so perfectly. The opening and the drydown are just superb!
fiat41 – :
Spicy – woodsy – vanilla
Color impression: wine violet
In a painting exhibition there was a canvas showing a naked man leisurely sat on floor, surrounded with dispersedly scattered ripe peaches. He had one of peaches close to his mouth while showing an obscure smile pointed to someone out of the canvas. The painting was named: Sweet Man as Peaches. I have accidentally dabbed Opium Pour Homme that evening just in memory of past. The surprising similarity of what Opium displays to what canvas shows was like a syzygy of all planets of solar system! They were lost parts of each other.
Opium Pour Homme is an oriental spicy delivery and a far kin of Houbigant Fougère Royale. It’s about a comfortable cold-weather spicy fruity top that gives birth to a prominent vanilla and touch of cedar. You should ponder about it in summer.
★★★
тумпурум – :
Sometimes, certain fragrances present themselves to me as colors. For example, Eternity for Men is always bright green in my mind, Aramis is dark brown, YSL’s l’Nuit is an off-white.
If you follow any of that, then it will make sense to you when I say that Opium is light brown. Not that these are the notes associated with it, but it’s brown like cinammon, brown like leather, brown like dad’s briefcase. It smells an awful lot like dad.
But enough of the impressionism, it’s the notes we’re after. The trunk of this tree is that black currant and peppery vanilla combination, while the leaves of this tree are the anise notes. The anise is what makes this scent so unique, but it’s a supporting character in this cast, not a leading role. It’s there the whole time, and you can smell it, but it’s the harmonic counterpoint in the duet, not the melody.
You know anise, of course, it’s associated with black licorice. That sweet-spicy, tingly scent. That’s what is framing this fragrance, wrapping the black currant and pepper-vanilla, and giving Opium that unmistakable scent profile.
The projection is, thankfully, strong but subdued. People will smell this on you, but they won’t be assaulted by the scent.
The longevity is also, quite fortunately, above average. Nearly six hours after application, I can still smell this gorgeous juice on my wrists and neck (one spray to each wrist, two sprays to the neck). It’s obviously not as strong as it was six hours ago, but it’s also more than a skin scent.
This might be one of the top ten perfect spicy-sweet fragrances on the market in terms of notes balance, longevity, and projection. A perfect scent for the fall and winter months, and completely appropriate for daily use.
deli4ka – :
just doesn’t go with my chemistry
i think this one must be spicy and quite strong
but on my skin this is light and powdery
and a bit fruity ??? heaven knows what has happened
and too sweet
GeldTiebabe – :
@Twantooq a few minutes and it disappears!!!! No way not possible if that’s a genuine bottle or maybe your bottles gone bad and not been stored properly. Even a reformulated version would last many hours. For me personally OPH in the colder months is simply stunning beautiful and very easily lasts all day with about 4 sprays.
Stepanfb – :
Beautifully constructed fragrance that cries opulance and sophistication. Warm and mildly spiced, with a powdery vanilla dry down. This is well balanced and the vanilla is not over powering with any sweetness, rather building on it’s structure.
I’m not sure if there are other fragrances that come close to this scent, but definetely nothing in my collection, which makes it unique for me.
It’s not a blind buy, you’ll either love it or not think much of it. Your own nose is the best judge. Definetly a cold weather fragrance, and easy on the pumps cause it packs a punch. Not overly versatile, I think evening formal occasions is where it will shine.
psvred – :
I love when the colder seasons arrive means i can start using this beautiful fragrance sweet deep intense incense vibe is so addictive after not wearing it all summer. This truly is a cold weather beauty. Not a lot of people wear this always gets compliments and enquiries as to what I’m wearing. Silage and longevity are superb. This and the vintage M7 are my YSL favourites.
eugbor – :
Tonight I am in mood for this beauty: Opium. What a lovely smell and power for the cold weather. 28% of my big bottle is inside, 72% I use it with great pleasure. Oh yeah, vintage version. So, now, the question is: do I buy it again? Well, in our days this juice is changed, so, why pay big money for something that is not as good as it used to be? I will go with Penhaligon’s LP No:9 , I think.
racreative – :
“Soft spicy” describes very well how it smells-not sweet,not fresh,just pleasant spicy smell. I expected more from this one,but it smells just ok.
metakentor – :
I wear both Opium for women and for men. These fragrances could not be more different, not in their target audience and what one would expect from male/female fragrances but in their stylized formulation of scents/notes and their ‘body’. Vintage original Opium for women is masculine/unisex and could easily pass for a man’s Oriental spicy fragrance with dominant patchouli and greenish aromas/incense.
Opium for Men is a cinnamon spicy warm winter fragrance that can pass for a woman’s perfume. But does it really matter? I don’t put labels on people much less on fragrances. This is a high quality and magnificent delicious cologne if I ever smelled one. This one is based on vanilla and not the hardcore patchouli and sandalwoods of the original. For me it’s an Oriental vanilla and terribly modern. It’s also youthful and mature at the same time.
The opening is of star anise which serves as an aldehyde replacement with a powdery soft aura but it does not last too long before it jumps into a currant note or wine note. Smells like a drop of wine. Then it settles into the longer lasting heart which is spicy with cinnamon and the galanga note which is itself very similar to ginger or cardamom. There is a spicy and inviting food scent here, like having dinner at a high end expensive restaurant in Italy or France where they serve healthy artistically arranged meals with herbs. The creamy gorgeous bourbon vanilla in the bottom base wafts into the air giving it a gourmand effect.
The dry down is woodsy with a wooden aroma of cedar. There’s possibly some amber and balsamic notes giving it that classic signature Opium Oriental body. The balsams are deep, warm, resinous, and smoky, but not as big a smoke as the incense based Opium for women. In fact this is more a gourmand version of Opium with a prominent vanilla and a dry down of wood rather than patchouli-incense. This is less green and aromatic than Opium for women and far more edible and spicy. This is an evening formal frag, meant to be worn with tuxedos and suits, with your hair slicked back and neatly combed, with a date, and in a booth in the semi dark with candlelight.
As for the ‘season’ it’s clearly for winter and fall. The scent lasts a long time and has a moderate projection. The frag is a best seller in France where I have smelt it on both men and women. The European perfume wearing crowd are less concerned about gender labels than Americans. This is fabulous. It’s a fragrance I wear often when I want to smell clean, sophisticated and delicious for my dates. It’s not a classically ‘masculine’ macho fragrance but it can be worn by hetero men such as me who just happen to gender-bend their fragrances and wear colognes and perfumes for personal pleasure and for a mood lifting therapeutic comfort thing.
Thanks Yves
You nailed it
Brian Fitzgerald
poliktrwe – :
Not the original from the mid 90’s. That explains why you can find it for a reasonable price.
макас – :
Tested on my wrists at the counter of YSL, London and surprisingly good smell – sweet but clean. It lasted 7 hours on my skin but the sillage was a bit weaker than I expected.
Personally hard competition between this and La Nuit de l`Homme – they both are good smell
semen12 – :
Opium is like it’s inspiration (the Orient) something that demands consideration, attention and respect from those who are new to its charms. Just as Asia can seem bewildering, beguiling and intoxicating to a Westerner’s eyes, so too can this masterpiece from the house of YSL. Try a decant before you buy. A beautiful, complex and potent fragrance for those open-minded enough to want to explore. Definitely not a throwaway youth scent (no offence meant).
Heakageasty – :
A luscious fantasy filled with beauty and warmth.
A mesmerising blend for the gentleman.
Projection is strong.
Opium for real.
Update
This is a divine night time scent (especially in winter) when your out with your woman, embracing her with loving feelings of warmth, maturity and gentleness.
Ages – mature
nalivaiko79 – :
I used to have YSL Opium edt.
I do have now Penhaligon’s LP9 and happy with the change.
GurikSon – :
Man i’ve been trying to put some distance between me and this fragrance but i can’t. The more i try, the more i am into this fragrance EDT and EDP both. Every single time i wear this fragrance i ask myself why don’t i wear it more often???There are just some slight nuances with the smell and the performance between them.
In the last 2 weeks i put some other fragrances on me to say that fragrance i am not addicted to you but in the end of the day before i go bed i put opium on me..
This is addiction, like you left your girl and sleep with other girls to forget her but in the end you find yourself on her doorstep with a bottle of whiskey(exaggerated may be a little)
Anyway always will be in my top 5.
Cheers!
Phamnempava – :
Could Opium pour Homme be the greatest oriental fragrance for men ever created? I say, yes, definitely. Surely, there are more assertive orientals out there, but none is as sophisticated as Opium pour Homme.
A combination of tolu balsam, vanilla and star anise is a heavy hitter on its own, but when you least expect it, there is the currant that elevates the whole trio and gives it the fresh facet and makes the composition as unique as it is. I always thought of Opium as a kind of unattainable summit, something far away, grand and intensely beautiful. I always postponed buying a bottle, thinking of how other more straightforward fragrances smell and wear. How foolish I was! Elusive Opium was there all the time, waiting for those who know. And soon, it will be but a memory and a legend.
Every fragrance from YSL feels like a magnum opus, which made the whole house exceptional in maintaining supreme quality and always releasing only the best possible fragrance a perfumer could compose. Sadly, the great man is gone, the house defunct – in my eyes at least – and humiliated to the level of just another faux luxury brand. What a tragedy.
Swaberare – :
I’ve owned this scent for about 4 years now and I still struggle with it on occasion. YSL OPH is done extremely well, but it’s still my toughest wear out of my current collection. I can’t imagine someone seeking out the edp of this, that is unless perhaps it’s less powerful (which I doubt). This fragrance is serious damn business. More than one spray will make me nauseous. Consider that I use 2 sprays with YSL Kouros with ease.
I would highly discourage a blind buy here. What Opium does, like I said, it does with style and class, but this one is in a whole new league that’s really reserved for fragrance elitists who want to reach the top of the designer olfactory summit; not your average Joe who just wants to smell good. Proceed with caution.
ageevmm – :
Stunningly addictive and sweet intense quality however a word of caution wear this in the summer and you’ll hate it. In the cooler seasons it really is legendary.
fktyf – :
How much I like this one! Opium pour homme is so deep, thick and exotic. I have the version from the Sanofi period. What I mostly detect is black currant, vanilla and some piercing freshness. It is soo goood.
I think that this is perfect for winter nights going out. I don’t know who said that this fragrance is for old people. This is so not true. It works very well for people from 24 and up.
What I picture in my mind when wearing this fragrance is: Dorian Gray visiting the opium dens from the movie version of 1973. It would fit him so much and he is young so the fragrance is not only for old people.
Rating 9-9.5/10
kolyanmel – :
@vickhazel
I would say it’s an elegant serious fragrance, not a fun scent. It’s a perfume, in the noble sense of the word 🙂
I was only around 20 when it came out and I instantly fell in love with it. 🙂 So if you’re 37 you can definately wear it, it’s not an ‘old man’ fragrance (if there exists such).
Go and try it, it’s marvellous!
clolecype – :
A timeless scent that never fails to garner compliments. If you’re lucky enough to have one of the earlier bottles, you’ll always smell like a gentleman should. 10 out of 10!
Dyuk – :
Opium pour Homme begins with a duet of anise and blackcurrant and this pair leads us straight to the core of the piece – fruity notes wrapped around bergamot. Along with citrus oils they give us the impression of a slightly oily and dark orange.
Amongst the many colours swirling around this thin, fruity-aromatic syrup is an oddly out of place, pale medico-camphoraceous Atlas cedar. It reminds me of the milky-fresh smell of urinal cake that comes from the more hygienic of mens public toilets; but there are more congenial smells too…
You can find tobacco leaf, whisky & orange, ginger ale and mulled wine with spices and mandarin. There’s also an aromatic note and a green accord with pine. The hint of outdoor freshness they give feels like a window’s been left open somewhere and the cedar note points us in the direction of the bathroom.
At first OpH is a bit underwhelming, but it does get better… A dusty sweet pot-pourri rounds up all the wispy loose ends and ties them in together, this helps to make sense of all the bits and pieces, and the dusty dryness adds more body to it all.
Its only in the later stages that the profile really comes together. The acid-fruity and thin oily syrup marries with the dusty sweet pot-pourri, and where they meet the patchouli-vanilla base it makes for a tangy-fruity, light brown sweet cake of a comfy gourmand oriental. This will leave a trace of fine, dry, sweet baked goods on your sweater; its only in the light drydown that ‘Opium le Garçon’ redeems himself from his rather unsuccessful start in life.
I call him that because he’s got nothing like the quality of his mother, the original feminine version which is truly monumental in stature and persistence.
Being fresh and fruity – but also warmly convivial, OpH is ideal for the party season.
***
osq274Unlogrere – :
Sweet, spicy, and powerful stuff. A heavy metal rock band of a fragrance that’s both bold and beautiful. Is it for me? Haven’t decided …
I relate to no-fi’s comments (7-22-16). I get the resinous, Oriental, narcotic feeling (love that). But wow … what an interplay between the spicy notes and the vanilla. The pepper and cedar is divine … but the thick, dreamy, and decadent sweetness (akin to Obsession for Men which I love) is pretty over-the-top. Does anyone else envision root-beer floats? Beyond great … but only if one really loves the accompanying dense and unstoppable vanilla-y sweetness.
I also relate to jp1990’s comment (1-4-14). While Opium Pour Homme is obviously a much-loved man’s EDT, this would complement a stylish mature woman just as much as a man.
A potent oriental fragrance not for the timid.
Alex Wolf – :
A spicy, oriental, clean and sweet masculine scent.
This is one of the under the radar fragrances that are not much hyped by the fragrance community. I am glad i got to know it earlier this year. what a lovely fragrance this is.
It opens up with a slightly classic / old school type smell that gives off a barbershop/shaving cream vibe with a fruity touch from the black currant. then it starts to get more sweet due to the vanilla.
Its a very masculine clean and mature scent.
Longevity and projection are very good 8/10
overall score 9.0 / 10
vispa70 – :
such a beautiful scent.. too bad it’s hard to find it again..
ITDalee – :
A sublime, smooth oriental and a classic 9/10
maisa07 – :
I’ll post a detailed review later – but I just wanted to drop in a timely note.
I bought this over the summer – and it was a hot summer. It came off so strong – even in the drydown, that I feared I would not be able to use it much.
I recently tried it again now that I’ve moved the summer scents into storage and the fall scents into the cabinet – and let me tell you, this is a delicious cool/cold-weather scent.
Something about the drop in temps (or the drop in humidity – both indoors and out) has perfected the performance of Opium on my skin. It is still strong, but no longer overpowering. I could even detect the more subtle notes a lot better as a result (the cedar in particular).
What a revelation – if you find this to be too much, you might have my problem with the overly humid air. Save it for cooler temps and you are in for a pleasant surprise.
UPDATE – Ted Lapidus’ Altamir opens just like this, but it not the projection beast that this is – making it the ideal “warm-weather Opium” for a very reasonable price.
Tata Ermilova – :
Odor de pontas afiadas, causando um interessante desconforto. Sinto notas de canela.
djFayst – :
YSL’s Opium pour homme is a true classic masterpiece!
When I think of an Oriental fragrance, I think of Opium. The star anise, black currant, boozy vanilla, and spices blend for a true masculine spicy oriental. It’s bold, and lasts 10+ hours for me with excellent projection. Definitely have gotten compliments with Opium too and the ladies like it.
I’ve been rocking this one since it first came out, and the reformulations have not suffered a lot. Still great.
10 of 10.
Aerohoplenerinke – :
Jacques Cavallier is really a genius.I don’t know what the vintage smells like, but at least I think the current formula of EdT offered by L’Oreal Corp. is still a good deal!
The opening is like a tornado, begins with a enormous warm preserved-fruity scent with a sparkle of sourness nuance, but fades away very fast within a few minutes. After that the sweet powdery vanilla comes out, along with a warm-spicy layer brought by star anise. It blended so well that doesn’t even bother me, even I used to be a hater of the star anise accord. In the drydown, balsam shows up and becomes more and more pronounced in the background of vanilla and star anise, which presents like a aged mellow wine and makes you get intoxicated in it. Very inviting and alluring!
In addition, I can detect a sort of soft tobacco-leaves-ish scent that is akin to Burberry London and Ralph Laurent Polo Green, while I deeply sniff my twist. This really lives up to its name and always allures me to sniff.
The only thing that I can carp out is just this is not as rich and sophisticated enough as what I expected. I’m wondering if the vintage EdP could fill up the gaps.
Longevity: 8-10 hour on skin.
Projection: moderate in the first 2-3 hours, and then will be a skin scent.Rating: 8.5-9.0/10
—–
The bottle at hand is produced in Oct. 2014. [Batch Code: 62L000]
a.taiakin – :
**I have the new formulation
I was expecting this fragrance to smell somewhat dated but it doesn’t, it still actually smells quite modern today. On my skin, it opens with a freshness that dies down fairly quickly into a sweet vanilla/resinous type scent, I honestly have no idea what black currant smells like but there is something else along with the vanilla and resinous quality that is very noticeable. It’s really very pleasant. There is anise but it comes in a bit farther into the drydown. And although I’d call it a little bit mature it’s still very suitable I think for someone young that just wants something a little different. I also think it’s an inviting type scent that could garner some compliments, I haven’t worn it enough to say for sure though. Lastly I’d say the performance is decent for me. It doesn’t last all day, but it’ll give me 5-6 hours most of which it’ll be a skin scent. Maybe when it cools down more it’ll get better since this is definitely a fall scent. Overall I’m happy with this blind buy. 7/10
Stigmata – :
An old school type of fragrance for sure is the type of vibe Yves Saint Laurent’s Opium Pour Homme gives off, a fresh and spicy opening from the first spray that subsides quickly into a hypnotizing fruity blackcurrant note. This is complimented with spicy pepper and warm vanilla aroma later on, a classic fragrance for anyone who feels confident enough to wear it.
The longevity and sillage of OPH is moderate to long lasting on me, I get 7-10 hours which is enough time for me to experience and truly appreciate this gem. I don’t say this often but OPH could easily become my signature scent for an evening out, suited, booted, feeling confident and ready for what the night may bring. Autumn and winter nights would go down a storm with this oriental treasure.
Overall, fresh and fruity with a lot of spice for your life, a keeper in any true enthusiast’s collection, whether on rotation or a signature scent for those autumn and winter seasons.
odsk – :
Starts with a nice spicy freshness, fresh but at the same time gives you a hint that this fragrance has no citric or floral freshness to it. Then it becomes a sweet/spicy beauty, with notes of black currant, vanilla and incense always with star anise in the background. Beautiful classic. Even the reformulated version, which I tried and quite enjoyed. Longevity: out of this world, could smell it even 14 hours later, even after going to sleep, I even got hints of it after taking a shower the next morning.
Projection: decent to big projection, enough to make an statement.
Big thumbs up to this beautiful gem.
paskudass – :
It starts out very fresh (yellow floral fresh) with very good spicy vanilla and ends into a dark, slightly bitter spicy vanilla. It performs very well, 10 hours easy!
Good for close quarter environments, people next to you would smell it for hours & hours until well over 8 hours but 3 people next to you won’t.
Side note: was a 2016 July bottle.
sokoll7777 – :
A very surprising dislike for me. I really thought I would love Opium Pour Homme, because Jacques Cavallier is one of my favourite perfumers, and he hasn’t steered me wrong yet – L’eau Bleue D’Issey and M7 are masterpieces, and I even like his more pedestrian scents. But OPH is utterly unlike his other creations. It is sweet and dense, and not in a good way.
At first, OPH gives a very nice impression of an incensey oriental scent. I almost