REVIEW: Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium EDP...

So here we are in June already, and it suddenly hit me that I haven't done a fragrance review on the old blogaroo so far this year - wtf? I've a bit of catching up to do as I've added a few to my collection in 2020 (some bought, some gifted), so I'll start with this beauty, Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium EDP. Scored this intoxicating elixir last birthday, put it away for the Summer, and I've only just started wearing it now that the weather has cooled down. Strictly an under 20 degrees Celcius perfume (well for me anyway), this darling scores 10/10 for wow factor & 11/10 for presentation. People in the know talk about fragrance DNA and that often flankers have a similar base, but this is a whole new beast ♥...

Same bottle shape as the original, but coated in a glossy black roughened texture (some say "sequinned", I say more like stone). The overall look is stunning, though nowhere near as photogenic camera-wise. I struggled for hours to find a background and lighting that would show off its beauty adequately, but I'm reasonably happy with the end result, and after all, it's what it looks & feels like in-person, and what's inside that counts hey ♥ The liquid itself is a soft blush gold that ties in with the box trim beautifully, a detail that is appreciated by this matchaholic lol. When sprayed onto a tissue it is the palest pink (important for those who spray their clothes) but dries to almost invisible...

But enough about the packaging, let's get onto the juice, and what a juice it is. Top notes are advertised as pink pepper, orange blossom & pear, but I get vanilla spiced with a sprinkling of coffee from the get-go. It only takes a few minutes for a cloud of jasmine to explode, and that just about wipes out the coffee on my skin. There's the merest hint of liquorice, and as the minutes tick by, the patchouli waves hello and that plus the cedar takes the edge off the sweetness of the vanilla, almost like it's been toasted. Fascinating. Every now and then I catch a little whisp of fruit (it's pear but I can't tell) but overall, it's pretty much an earthy, spiced floral vanilla ♥...

It doesn't last as long as I'd hoped (only a few hours) and it stays quite close to the body, but that makes it a lot more office-friendly. There are tons of fragrances out there with a strong vanilla element so competition is fierce, but Black Opium has a slightly more sophisticated and mature edge than the ones I have, so she's high on my list of faves. My heart still belongs to the original formula though ♥...

Is Black Opium in your collection, or do you prefer the original?

Take care of you, and keep safe,

kats xxx