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I have it: 1176 I had it: 424 I want it: 853 My signature: 26
Designers » T-Z » Yves Saint Laurent Oriental Woody « Groups
I have it: 1176 I had it: 424 I want it: 853 My signature: 26
Belle d`Opium is the new addiction by Yves Saint Laurent; a fragrance that is a disconcertingly bewitching new oriental. It is a true olfactory manifesto and a profusion of rare and precious ingredients: Casablanca Lily blends with spicy Incense and mysterious overtones of a Nargileh accord.
A woman who wears it is full of ambivalence, elusive and obsessive, powerful and troubling, ingenue but dangerous.
Top notes: mandarin, Casablanca lily, gardenia, jasmine
Heart: incense, peach, white pepper, tobacco, hookah accord, fruity notes
Base: amber, sandalwood, patchouli, smoky notes
The bottle is a redesigned version of the original, updated with a flamboyant red wick and highlighted with a gold circle and cap.
The face of the fragrance is actress Mélanie Thierry.
Belle d`Opium is available as 30 ml, 50 ml and 90 ml EDP. Belle d`Opium was launched in 2010. Belle d`Opium was created by Honorine Blanc and Alberto Morillas.
Perfume rating: 3.81 out of 5 with 1851 votes.
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miss you gem
This is a very elegant evening fragrance, i don't know why i didn't wrote a review the first time i tried it.
On me, it is a nice mix of incense, pepper and flowers and, unfortunately, something that smells fecal/rotten. I don't know which note (or combination of notes) is responsible for this, but it doesn't disturbs me much, because these unpleasant smell is really very light and not always perceptible. Most of the time i get a modern, mysterious, spicy floral. It reminds me of the original Opium, but this is very toned down.
I would recommend it to spicy florals fans or to people who want to try a spicy floral fragrance that isn't overbearing.
Sillage : close to the skin
Uniqueness : 8/10
P.S: it has the potential to offend, so it is not a safe blind buy, even considering that it is not too strong.
A wonderful incense follows a wonderful rose opening.
Then keeps kissing the skin and moving around with a creamy sandalwood and some spices, a hint of tobacco and lily, still this is not a flowery fragrance.
A fragrance for a woman who doesn't need to seem a cake to feel self-confidence, or a vanilla-almond ice-cream to face the world.
A woman (or a man, really) who doesn't need to be conforted by food, she finds in the power of her perfume the reflection of the power of her personality.
Infact, it's discontinued.
Luckly, there is niche, where still incense, sandalwood and mhyrr have their dedicated space.
A gorgeous oriental
The first thing i thought when smelling this was that it shares many similarities with purple elixir by yves rocher. Definitely has that grape smell but not as intense.
As this settles i the smell of frankincense along with some light pepper.
Unfortunately i don't smell any lilly in this, which is what i was hoping for. But still quite impressed with this scent.
Don't be fooled by the first scent you get when you spray it in the air, cause the initial spray is horrible. But please, please, give it a chance to matur eon your skin and you'll discover a true beauty. Of course, it is a very mature fragrance, not what i usually wear. But I love it: it is classy, elegant, sensual, and I always search for it smell on me when I wear it, which is a good sign. After the initial terrible spray, it becomes delicate and almost subtle, though it has a pretty good sillage. It is not overwhelming like the original, it is more airy and it has that little something impossible to describe. Anyway, I like it a lot. My aunt used to wear the original Opium for several years and I have a bottle of it. I rarely wear it, but I do it once or twice a year for the souvenir. My boyfriend hates it. lol I prefere Belle d'opium. I am 32 and, even though I think it is more mature, it fits better for my age than the original Opium.
This is probably the only "Opium" I'll ever enjoy. The original is just not me. (I love the Black Opiums.... but that isn't really in the family scent-wise)
This is light, but very peppery, then smoky/incense. I don't get any florals or fruit outright, but I can feel/smell them mixed in there. I def get the tobacco/hookah too.
This blends into something I like... I'm just not sure how much I like it. It's def not my regular genre of perfumes (I'm a gourmand/sweet freak)... but I do get a smoky, peppery, slight fruit/floral incense/tobacco. And it's not bad! I put quite a bit on my sweater today, and I can smell it wonderfully, but it does strike me as a light airy scent, even tho it has heavy/serious notes. This isn't cloying/heavy to wear. I'm wearing it to work today on a warm winter day (40sF-- warm for Feb in Michigan)
I blind bought a tester because it's OOP and I had to try it.
I am really enjoying this! More than I thought I would! It's a nice light perfumey floral incense now. Very light, but noticeable, lasting all day (ok, I did use about 8 sprays this morning). Since sillage and potency is average, I don't think I'm offending anyone, and it's not really an ordinary/generic smell. Very nice! I'll enjoy my 90ml.
Smoky fruity goodness. I am not usually a fan of fruity scents, but the mix of woods and incense added to this one really transforms it into something special. I wish the base notes were stronger but the tantalizing whiffs of tobacco, incense and woods wafting through are enough to keep pulling my nose to my wrist. Towards the drydown you definitely get the Opium DNA. This scent is so low silage and fleeting on my skin unfortunately that I don't think I would ever purchase a larger bottle though. This is however A truly lovely and unique scent, it's a shame that it has been discontinued.
Oh how I wish YSL still offered this, alongside Black Opium! What a stunning lineup that would be. The opening is good, but the drydown is best. Belle d'Opium is light (to me), with syrupy florals but not too fruity overall. I'm not getting a lot of the deeper sandalwood, smoke, and tobacco, but they're there. It could be because I normally wear heavier scents though (Opium being one of them). Belle d'Opium still is a very deep perfume, compared to other fruity-florals, which is how I would classify it in addition to being oriental-woody. It leans at varying moments toward Armani Si (blackberry, rose, amber), CK Deep Euphoria (rose, patchouli), YSL Mon Paris (jasmine, gardenia, red berries), and occasionally even has a hint like Poison (I don't know why). It's what I'd call a September scent, carrying over warm freshness from the summer while heralding the coolness of fall. Therefore I like it for summer, fall, and winter. My only complaint is that it has low sillage; I had to spray more than normal to even smell it on myself.
Both the original and Eclat versions are simply intoxicating. You just can`t stop sniffing at them! The mix of incense, tobacco and dried fruits topped with the flowery notes of gardenia and casablanca lily are really truly sexy and exotic, I never smelled anything like this perf before and I was SHOCKED to see it discontinued so soon! A friend is also besotted with it, I bought her the first bottle she has had and it`s nearly all gone..I try to keep them as long as possible, but I`m keep finding myself using them instead..I also like the Vapours version of Opium, although that`s a different story altogether, but similarly addictive to the senses. Nothing average, usual, or `I`ve smelled this before somewhere`-type tthing with these scents, although they do try to copy them nowadays..
Why, why, why did they discontinue this? Such a lovely fragrance! Warm, mysterious and the right amount of spice, incence and wood. Simply a fresher more modern take on the classic Opium.
While I love the original Opium, this was an easier scent for me to wear. And for the people around me as well. Was a perfect fall and winter night time fragrance.
Maybe not exactly as potent and longlasting as the original, but still good enough for me. Two or three spyays lasted all night on me.
Edit: Yes! Got hold of another bottle at an ok price. Will be able to enjoy this Beauty once again..
It's a very warm and comforting fragrance.
POOR LONGEVITY??? This thing LASTS all day and Night on me!!! It's very LONG LASTING.
I loved this fragrance, its so rich and smokey. It feels so expensive as well. I would get compliments whenever i go. Sadly this has been discountinued and replaced by black opium which in my opinion is a very mainstream and aimed for teens for its sweetness. I just wish i had invested in a large bottle or two before it was pulled out the market.
I don't know. There is just something about it that I really really like! I know this might sound crazy, but for some reason I feel like this smells like me. Anyway I really like this perfume and I use it everyday for every ocassions or season as a signature. The scent gives me a middle eastern vibe even thought it isn't middle eastern. Anyway I really like it and think you should try it for yourselves. It's really unusual and beautiful! The only downfall is the longgitivity.
Scent 10/10
Bottle 10/10
Longgitivity 5.5/10
Interesting. Different. I'm getting a strong bath soap scent..lavender-ish. this one hurts my nose. Hmmmm
Whenever I think flanker, I automatically imagine it to be like the original, but with a twist. This is nothing like my beloved original Opium. Yes, it's pleasant, but it certainly doesn't have the head turning oomph of the original. It's a safe bet for almost anyone who enjoys oriental woody fragrances, but not one I'll be scrambling to buy. Average silage and longevity.
Belle d'Opium Revisited.
Tested is today, years after my first review.
This feels much better nowdays. It is probably very suitable for autumn, mild temperatures and high humidity. I managed to get so many notes that my original "all-about-gardenia" impression had ignored.
Yes, the *Casablanca lily*, a beloved yet so elusive note, missing it since the Donna Karan signature perfume, is there.
And then the incense twist. And even a waxy accord (?), is it the patchouli? And later yes, some peach(!). All melting down to a *dusty* oriental.
So it is somehow floral and colorful but it turns quickly into a *dry* "chypre-style" scent, even though you don't have the basic chypre notes. For instance, it resembles Panthere by Cartier after a while.
I am so impressed. Yes this is a true sequel in the true Opium tradition. And it does become a skinscent. Oh, yes.
I lyered it with L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme and the result is phenomenal. l'eau dissey gives it a crisp citrus vibe to an already oriental deep beautiful fragrance like opium.
Don't buy it, they said. It has a poor longevity, they said.
This is exactly what I thought too after the first couple of times I tried it. One hour, one and a half if I was lucky - is all I could get out of Belle. I appreciated this more domesticated version of Opium, and they do have the same incense vibe to them (I must admit that being a lucky owner of the VERY first version of the original Opium I am a sinful heretic that manages to dislike it, while Belle was much more likeable for me).
Yesterday I was to a picnic in the park and I could smell a gorgeous fragrance coming from someone. So gorgeous that I had to interrogate two women who were standing close by. One was wearing Wonderstruck by Taylor Swift and the other one Lovely by SJP - and I knew it wasn't them as neither are sophisticated enough to be that fragrance. Later on in the car I realised I could still smell it, so I went to smell my wrist in disbelief… and there it was! Belle (that I applied the day before to wear for dinner) has totally upstaged Amor Amor by Cacharel that I applied in the morning (and could no longer smell, although it's one of the most long-lasting fragrances), and was shining like it never shone before. As for me, I was hopelessly in love.
To kill a fragrance like this... One of the sexiest perfumes I have ever had and definitely one of my favourites. I am so scared to use my half bottle but I also cannot stay away.
This has a bit of bitterness in it that balances down those dried fruit, patchouli and peach notes and I think it is so outstanding. What was YSL thinking when they removed this gem from their collection, seriously?
I've only ever skin tested this twice; that was all I could take. Once would have been enough to never put it on again, but I had to make sure that it really was the perfume. It opened with a terribly synthetic plastic. This lasted for almost an hour. During this time I felt mild nausea and significant skin crawliness. The skin crawling actually reached the point where I felt that I was experiencing tactile hallucinations. It never quite triggered a migraine. I have no idea what I was reacting to and I have yet to ever experience the same response to a perfume.
As for the scent, it was very smooth in an airy/wispy way. I got mostly the fruity notes most strongly, they smelled very dried but not too sweet. The florals were background players, and despite being very white were wiped clean of all indoles. It's a light, yet lingering scent. I still got wafts even 10 hours after applying.
Magnificent Fragrance... But poor Longevity on me; so sad!!!! =(
I have fallen in love with Belle d´Opium this weekend. Never thought that would happen but with several testings I am hooked. :)
First of all, I have never smelled the original Opium. To me, the reviews just scream "strong" and "spice souk in the UAE" which is really not my style.. so I won't be one of those "this is nothing like the original" reviews, it's a total solo of Belle d'Opium.
This is one of my all-time favourites. I actually shrieked when I heard it was being discontinued. Now I just buy any new/second hand bottles I can get my hands on, I can't imagine ageing without this one.
Whether light or heavy, cutsey or dark, warm or cold I like perfumes that has sex appeal and this one has plenty.. I have had people chase me down streets/train carriages/out of bars asking me what I have on. I read a few reviews that said "good for cold nights" etc, but I like to wear this in maximum humidity- it just radiates better in swampiness (and makes swampiness easier to bear too if you smell fabulous!) plus I think its because it also has a strong oriental vibe, it suits the more asian climates.
I didn't even realise I liked incense until I met this one. If any salesperson had offered an incense-y perfume up til now I would have said no, because I don't really want to smell like a hippy.. but its just so darn sexy when it's done right!! It just transforms the what would be a non-offensive clean beautiful scent into an alluring one- it turns up the sensual levels a few notches and on this particular occasion, balanced with clear white florals and a fresh opening of peach, it's just delicious!
It has just the right amount of dark elegance and the all important (to me) lust factor. I imagine a dark-dewy-skinned beauty with the perfect cateye floating down dark hallways wearing something gorgeous like a silk sari that flows behind her into hidden rooms in a huge palace for a secret love affair...
I would not wear this to the office (my office doesn't deserve such precious liquid! lol) but on any date after sundown. it is lush and sensual, more suited to demure but confident, ennui (in a good way), mysterious, quietly passionate personalities, the kind of woman that has no trouble at all being on her own. If you're bright and chirpy, you probably won't suit it.
I heard they discontinued this for the black opium, I haven't smelled that one yet but it better be good... although I highly doubt a coffee note could hit the same lustworthy allure in this one!
I don't find belle similar to original opium just as it's other flankers
As an individual fragrance,belle is wonderful,very special and not a typical feminine perfume,it smells like a fruit flavoured tobacco,a peppery fruity cigar,it's smokey,spicy and woody there is also enough fruity notes,making the spicy smokey sandalwood youthful and enough florals to make it feminine,there is also just a hint of sweetness,it's thick and not that heavy the same time,it's very sexy in it's own special way(like givenchy hot couture but I don't mean they smell similar)
It's a scent,others can know you with it,very good Staying power and projection without becoming too much heavy or strong,not as strong as opium but still very good,not everyone's cup of tea but a well made,great perfume..unfortunately things don't go as well as it sounds on my skin
Patchouli is not rated as a dominant note,but just as usual my skin amplifies it,so this opens with a blast of peppery,smokey patch on me,I know it's a base note but in my case it often shows up as soon as spraying,so opening part is very masculine on me,it's difficult to believe this is a feminine fragrance,I think it's not just patch,I blame patch and incense combination that creats such a hippy like odor,after couple of minutes I can smell some lily dominant florals and peachy fruits added to this peppery smokey patch but still they're not enough to balance strongness of dirty patchouli.I can only enjoy the drydown,which is weirdly less woody and patchouli calms down,so I can get fruity peppery tobacco and a hint of florals
I can see it can be an amazing scent on others,but my skin chemistry can't get along with it..on me it's a chyprefruity more than oriental woody
It's a cold weather's scent and in heat is unbearable for me
If you're looking for something similar to opium ,belle may disappoint you deeply,but if you're looking for a mature floral fruitchouly,a spicy/smokey one,or a sexy fragrance not with a girly vibe,a sexy fragrance with a strong personality and a masculine undertone you will probably love it
I was upset when I heard this fragrance was discontinued. It must be that my chemistry really agrees with this fragrance since there dont seem to be many fans on here. I have a big collection of fragrance and this is still in my top 10. Its the most seductive tobacco/white floral. Its not too sweet but just beautifully balanced between the smokey incense and the hypnotic fragrance of night scented floral. It always garners compliments and I can see why. It has a moderate sillage but lasts many hours on me. Its my fragrance of seduction - nuff said.
I... I can see why this was discontinued. It's not doing much for me. It certainly does not evoke the almighty Opium, but it also fails to impress me as a standalone fragrance. I find the fruitiness a bit disturbing in combination with the incense, they simply don't go together, it becomes a bit unsettling (and not in a good way). At the same time there is not enough going on in this one to keep me interested. It even reminds me of... dare I say it... Jimmy Choo EdP?
Belle is a fruity floral Oriental and it looks like it's the least popular of the Opium fragrance line. Why is that? This is really beautiful. It's not as intense as I thought it would be and it has more of a fruity floral quality to it so if you like fruity florals this would be very comfortable to wear. I smelled peach and mandarin very sweet and fruity fresh and delicious, not quite a fruit bomb but clearly fruity. There's white flowers of gardenia jasmine and lily which I really like as I'm a fan of white flowery scents. The "Opium" touch here is tobacco and incense, plus patchouli. These 3 notes turn the fragrance a bit smoky but it's still subtle and sweet, like a weird but pleasant kind of peach scented incense. It smells powdery too, probably the flowers and the incense combination. The dry down is woodsy with sandalwood. It wears a long time it's full bodied not too strong but definitely a perfume worthy of the Opium moniker.
Fragrance Review For Belle D'Opium YSL
Top Notes: Mandarin Orange Gardenia Jasmine Lily
Middle Notes: Incense Peach Tobacco Fruity Notes Pepper
Base Notes: Amber sandalwood patchouli
Beautiful fruit flavored tobacco. This flanker for Opium may not fit into the same category of intense patchouli and woods of the original masterpiece, but it's a very enchanting Oriental perfume. It opens with fresh and juicy fruit notes of citrus courtesy of a mandarin orange by far my favorite citrus. Other fruits I detected included a ripe sexy peach. The combination of peach and mandarin is delicious but this scent is not a fruity nor even a fruity floral. Once the fruit scent dissipates the scent turns into a gardenia and night blooming jasmine that I'm crazy about. These flowers have been dipped in incense and so they are smoky flowers, with an indolic nature. There is no musk listed in the notes but there is something like an animalic dirty quality but in a very provocative way. The dry down is aromatic with patchouli, herbal and smoky followed by a very good sandalwood. The dry down is what gives this scent the Opium touch. This is a really enjoyable Opium and although I love the original this is really much more wearable and people-friendly. Others smelling it on you will love the peach and the jasmine as well as the subdued smoke effect. Despite the patchouli this is not too strong. It sits close to the skin. Beautiful. I find it suited to formal events in the evening. I like this and I'm giving it some time to really blow my mind but I've worn Black Opium and I really enjoyed that scent though this one has more of the patchouli and incense that was what made the original Opium so unforgettable. Not bad.
There is something magical about this perfume.
Sain Laurent has a thing with making rounded, well balanced perfumes that are not too edgy or controverse, but also not boring. It is fine balance of a story and character but packed in a way that would suit most people, or at least won't offend them.
Belle d'Opium is a beautiful story. It has solid roots in the original Opium (insence, spices, amber, wood..), it has that elegant and slightly vintage vibe, half oriental half european. It has that mysterious witch-potion smell.
It is a night fragrance but I wouldn't say a winter fragrance. It is not sticky sweet or heavy and it doesn't bother in warm weather, not me.
The fruit and amber give the sweetness but incense and tobacco give cold, dark note, so the result is somewhere inbetween.
After all these words I still can't figure out what it is that makes this fragrance so deeply mysterious, dark and beautiful in the most gentle and seductive way.
It should have never been discontinued.
This fragrance is s magical! mysterious oriental scent. Like sweet tobacco, cinammon and roses. I like it very much. Perfect for winter night.
Belle d`Opium, very beautiful!
Profumo buonissimo, intenso ma non eccessivo.
Peccato che anche questo sia fuori produzione.
The opening is brutal to me. However the drydown comes quickly and it turns into a lovely scent. I get a smoky/woody/floral fragrance. It is hard to describe but definitely something special. I would reserve this for night time and cooler weather. Probably not a safe blind buy though.
This is interesting... Smokey, spicy, dirty. The opening was a massive disappointment to me. It's kind of gross. Rotting fruit and lots of pepper. But wait! It gets better. Much better as time goes by. I don't think I would buy this for myself though.
Update: I agree with all the posters below, the longevity is very poor.
Why O Why Was This Absolutel Gem Ever Discontinued? A Total Disgrace That Yet Again Such A Beautiful Perfume Should Be Treated In This Way!! First It Was Elle & Now It's Belle D Opium,What Or Who Next!! Elle Was One Of My All Time Favourits & I Was Torally Devastated When I Learnt It Was Being Discontinued!! Don't Loose Heart The YSL SA On The In Store Counter Said,There's A Really Beautiful New Opium Arriving Real Soon!! Because I Know Her Very Well She Gave Me Four Samoles Of It To Try Out,& Im Glad To Say That Indeed I Really Did Like It & Got Loads Of Compliments When I Was Wearing It!! & Then Bang It's Gone!! I Honestly Think That YSL Are Following In Christian Diors Footsteps,Once There Was The Gorgeous Midnight Posion & Now There's None!! Absolutely Disgraceful What These Perfume House's are allowed To Get Away With!! They Certainly DON'T Deserve Loyal Brand customer's!! I Honestly Think It's ALL Up To Us To Voice An Opion When It Comes To These KindA Thing's!! After All These Company's Are All Pretty Good At Grabbing Our Hard Earned Money!!
This is beautiful! I initially tried it in winter and had a few sneezing fits. Have been trying it again now in summer, seems like totally the wrong time for this type of scent, but the sneezing fits are gone. So happy about that!!
After the initial alcohol blast, the perfume moves quickly to an intense incence and pepper smell, followed by what seems to me to be almost over ripe fruit and later tobacco. They seem to follow quite closely on my skin. The over ripe fruit is only for a short while, by the time the tobacco / hookah notes arrive the fruit is ripe and juicy with the peach being most discernable and the incense and pepper are all well balanced. The sandalwood, amber and patchouli only become noticeable after the incense softens a bit about an hour later. These notes then seem to dance back and forth playing cat and mouse on my arm. All in all I think it is a beautifully warm fruiy spicy perfume with the florals far in the background.
I get a metallic note sometimes, which I really don't enjoy, it's not every time and often only after an hour or 2 but it hangs around till the end. I suspect it may relate to something in a body lotion.
I find the longevity to be good, with the incense still being noticeable by the next shower. Silage is not overpowering.
Another plus is that my husband loves it on me so I am seriously considering getting a backup bottle. Oh and I love the flacon too!
There is something magical about it. A mix of tobacco, fruit, sandalwood and tender flowers. In rainy and windy weather conditions it smells especially nice... It reminds a liquid night sky in the bottle and somehow makes me think of The Thousand and One Nights.
That's the proof that composition matters more than notes. Regarding notes only i should like this one, but... uch... spikes of something near to sweat are hurting my nose.
I wore this last night for Christmas Eve. I had acquired a tester bottle half full so it wasn't too expensive than God. The scent itself is very pretty sweet and seductive. The major draw back is no staying power no silage, gone in 1 hour or so. I applied home maybe 5 sprays throughout the body and when I got to the party puff gone nobody could smell it. I asked my sister she said she could not smell it. It was unusually hot 70 degrees when usually is 30 degrees in December. I will retry soon maybe this scent performs better in colder weather.
Writing this as i've sprayed it (one spray on one wrist then dabbed with the other)
It's warm, smokey and spicy. It's peppery but not overpowering. It feels strong and empowering.
I'll update after i've used it a couple of times. I definitely don't have anything else like it in my collection!
EDIT: it's been about 3 hours since I applied this and it's absolutely wonderful. I think one of my family members maybe used to wear this as it's a really familiar scent but I can't quite put my finger on it and I already want to buy 20 bottles to stockpile
A well rounded nicely done scent. It's warm, sweet, spicy and deep It has a striking resemblance to it's counter part Black Opium. What this one does not have is the coffee note and this one has more spice. It might even lean towards unisex. But not in a bad way.
I do not get any similarities to the original opium at all. This one is a nice twist from the original and a very good flanker. It's got tremendous depth. So if your in search of a heavy warm scent that does not really share the same notes as the original this is your girl. Also if you enjoy Black Opium then you most likely will enjoy this as they are similar style.
Calinare, I 'd to compare Belle d' O.a little to Allure Sensuelle EDP, by Chanel. Why don't you test this last? :-)
To calinare, if you manage to track this one down forget any association with the original opium. If I was to compare it to a scent it would be Elle Intense. That's only my opinion though. Belle is worthy of it's own name without any reference to other perfumes to sell it. It's that special. I don't understand why it's been discontinued except maybe because it was a victim of the Opium hype. Good luck in your search.
Holy smokes. I want this one but I can't find it in most department stores and malls :( Is this anywhere near the original? With added prominent white florals?
I ordered this perfume blind, as I do most of my Opium-related fumes, but I was a little tentative, fearing YSL had decided to try to "improve" on the concept of Opium by "updating" it to be palatable to younger consumers. Oh, despair and death. When it arrived and I finally sampled it, I was thrilled to learn that while it IS another approach to Opium, it also happens to be a very good one. The more I wear it, the more I love it. I can tell this is going to be a bit of an obsession for me; and I know I'll stockpile it in the future when YSL decides to "update" Opium yet again.
This is my go-to evening fragrance. It's really divine. I'm 18 and very baby-faced and as much as I like spicy oriental scents, I look too young to pull them off quite yet, I also feel like I'm way too old for sweet/gourmand fragrances and "body mists". This is elegant, very seductive, but is mainly a crisp floral and just a little bit spicy as to not make me look like I'm trying to be someone that I'm not. There are plenty of fruity notes but it is not at all sweet, just juicy and fresh.
If you love Opium/its flankers and you're a bit older and able to pull off more sophisticated scents, you might honestly be bored by this, but I am enjoying it very much. I love the original Opium but for now it's my mom's signature fragrance until I can pull it off myself. Sillage is decent, it'll last at least the whole evening through.
I've got Belle d'Opium as a gift from my dear friend and we all know that perfume gifts often get promoted to air fresheners. This is not the case with Belle. It's a perfume I've worn only few times and even though I wouldn't buy it for myself because it's a tad too sweet for my likenings,still, fortunately, it isn't the cloying sweetness I get on my skin. And there is another point when asking me: there is one and only Opium as far as I'm concerned, and that's: the original.
Belle is sophisticated and feminine and it has nothing to do with the original. Jasmine is on the sweet side of territory here because of fruity notes, but fortunately there is also incense which softens and balances the fruits so it doesn't become too fruity-sweet but it turnes to smokey, fume, and at the same time I don't get the incense as an individual note but just a balancing force and something oriental in a distance. Then there are spices. The mix of the notes is a delicate and pleasurable one with a rich and oily texture, which I like, and the sillage and projection are quite favorable on my skin. It is a nice perfume, but I would prefer a different name. The drydown is particularly nice. Even the scent on your clothes the next day is a beautiful one. I love that feeling when I open my wardrobe and get a hint of a delightful smell left on my clothes....a lovely way to start a day!
A lover of all things sweet and gourmand, I am guessing this is a good gateway option for those hoping to broaden their olfactory horizons and venture down a more sophisticated, mature, less saccharine and dare I slightly darker path.
No, this is not your grandmother's/mother's/great aunt's etc etc etc Opium, no, not at all. This is YSL trying to cash in on the younger CoCo Mad crowd and yup, I have been reeled in - about ten years too late and now this perfume is discontinued, but reeled all the same .
I like to layer this with a squirt of CK Euphoria EDP to make it feel a little more my own, which I suppose is flawed logic as Euphoria is also pretty darn popular.
Ah screw it, I like this and I refuse to apologise.
Baby steps towards a more adult perfume collection, baby steps...
Sillage is nice, not obnoxious and not invisible either, lasting power is impressive too. The bottle is pretty too, not that it matters.
Smells like fruit favoured bubble gum.
I blind bought this when it was released because of the opium name. I didn't find it particularly appealing at first as I was comparing it to the original opium but it has grown on me over the years to the point where I am using it very rarely and only for myself. It's smoky spiciness evokes images for me of a strong, independent woman who pleases herself and doesn't let the opinions of others effect her. Don't know what that says about me but I just don't care. I love this scent and hope to find another bottle some day. I dread the day when my precious bottle is empty.
beauty. Opium is spicy, rich and has a reputation of coming on a little too strong for some people. Belle d'Opium is more subtle and fits into today's lighter fragrance trend more easily than the original
On me Belle D'Opium smells as if Elle by YSL and Nina by Nina Ricci had had a love child. It features the woodsy smokey feel of the first and the fruity sweetness of the latter. In my opinion it's a great combination. It starts with mandarine and something sweet,and shortly after it moves on to woods and some incense. On the drydown the fruit, mostly peach, and the woods mix perfectly to reveal a grown up and elegant fruity fragrance. It has depth and it smells interesting but no challenging, I really, really like it. Definitely a thumbs up! Why would YLS discontinue this beauty? I would never know.
Starts off with a loud bang with three sweet flowers (jasmine, lily and gardenia) and to be honest, its a bit much. Wait a bit then it gets slightly smokey with barely a hint of incense and tobacco. The dry down has a kind of kind of forbidden and exotic feel as this definitely has a well crafted air to it. But the sweetness never goes away, its pretty candy coated through out. I just wished the sweetness was cut in half, and the woody/incense/amber notes were turned up a notch or two, then this would have been a masterpiece. Still, Belle D'Opium has a sexy and grown up vibe to it, for that alone, I give it a thumbs up.
Belle d`Opium - Le Smoking tuxedo woman is what comes to mind. This femme is sexy, bold, strong, and mysterious, stands out of the crowd and draws you in. Upon first application its spicy and smoky notes come across as very masculine but the dry down brings in the fruity and flower notes and hits you with a BANG, quite additive scent for sure in a gorgeous package.
Longevity for me is long lasting with across the room type of sillage.
I wanted to make this one work, as I planned on making this my new mysterious, spicy fall scent. I totally understand the appeal of it, but it made me feel kind of dirty having this on. Like I needed to shower to get it off because I wasn't comfortable wearing it. Overall I think it would be a good fall/winter scent on someone who usually likes incense and spice. The drydown on me went right from those two notes to almost nothing, no white florals or fruit or anything. As per usual with things that don't work well on me, I think I'll blame the amber in the base for part of it. This could be lovely and very unique on someone else, though.
I love it !! It is an elegant and seductively sweet floral oriental. Maybe if you like Guerlain Shalimar Parfum Initial, or Lancome Hypnose, you liked Belle d'Opium.
This is an evening scent for me. I would never wear it during the day, but would turn to it on a night when I wanted to pull out a black dress and feel a little daring and dark. It smells very sultry and musky on me. Reminds me a little of Beyonce's midnight heat, which I don't like, but somehow it works here. I'm happy to have this in my collection, but I'm not about to need a backup bottle any time soon.
This is maybe the best perfume that matches my skin perfectly. Just perfectly. We love each other. It's so mesmerizing, worth the name and every penny for this one. The jasmine in Belle d´Opium, in my opinion, is not as cloying and sweet as in Alien(I love Alien too, though), for example. I think the incense, sandalwood and black pepper play a great role in the composition to make it a bit bitter but dazzling jasmine. I could seriously get hundreds of bottles of this.
A beauty! At first spritz I got the fruits with lots of spice, this phase lasted about 30 min and what followed was a magnificent combo of incense, tobacco sandalwood on a fine layer of florals! OMG! This was a dream, my dream, progressively the scent became more mature, grown up, alluring, smoky, the gardenia and lily stronger filtrating through a whif of resins and smoke, still spicy and exotic, the vanilla lending a meltingly soft background on which the main notes create sweet music! The sandalwood creates a more neutral vibe so this scent can easily be worn by a man, it is classy and utterly sophisticated. If I had to compare it to THE opium I would say that Belle is the young daughter but utterly sophisticated and eclectic. Though my skin devours scent this managed to stay for a very long time with fantastic sillage. Great for any age and very wearable. Another gem from the YSL group!!!!
I think, it will always be one of my all time favourites. ıt is such a mysterious and a dazzling scent,that it is true; it's an opium.
BEAUTIFUL!! Warm, smokey incense, fresh flowers it's a dream! Rich perfume with fantastic sillage and longevity a new favourite!
@hazelnut- Sensuous Noir is not in a blue bottle. It's a dark plum-wine purple bottle. Two different colors. Not being snide. Just saying.
Ooohhh myyyyy ....!!!! Beautiful <3 warming inciense, soft creamy flowers, and a sweet base. Mmmm...
I studied the ingredients in Belle D'Opium and decided that I should own it. I really really like this. The beautiful notes (some of which are incense, sandalwood, gardenia, ...) all blend together so well that I simply cannot identify a single one. This fragrance reminds me of Estee Lauder Sensuous Noir, both of which I feel are deep, mysterious and intriguing. I tend to associate fragrances with moods, but also with colors. Interesting to me, is the fact that both of these fragrances are in cobalt blue bottles. They are different, but similar. I hate that this has been discontinued, but I am comforted that when Belle D'Opium is no longer available, I have another beautiful fragrance that will help me to enjoy that mood that is represented by a cobalt blue bottle.
Jesus, this reeks. On my skin, which tends to amp warm notes, the combination of pepper, incense, tobacco and amber turned into a scream fest. I ended up scrubbing my wrists with snow.
I guess my response to it was similar to a negative response some people have to Angel (which I personally love).
Reading the magic about this one, and looking at the notes and the bottle..... I finally tried it on a tissue and on my skin.
Unfortunately, it smelled EXACTLY like a perfumed coat that was soaked in a smoked filled night club.
Exactly like that.
My skin dominated the tobacco.
After reading all the ingredients on this perfume, and liking Opium, I decided to embark on a mission to try this little baby sister of the Sillage Monster Opium. I read thousands of negative reviews on this, especially from people that think this should be the original Opium with one new ingredient, to justify using Opium in the title. Oh well, all the bad reviews aside, and I mean there are like 3 total positive reviews about this perfume on the entire interwebs, I blind bought this for cheap on Amazon. I think the fact of waiting, and longing to smell this in my life, I loved it the moment I opened that beautiful dark metallic purple peacock feather box and smelling the inside of the box before removing the bottle. Its slightly sweet, but not gourmand sweet, or sickly sugar, its subtle sweet, with this exotic mysterious pull to it, that keeps you guessing what notes are dancing together to create this pleasant smell. Its bottle screams nightime, but I believe it is a perfect combination of Day and Night and can be worn for either. A note, if you want this perfume to last long, Bathe.In.It. If you lightly spritz this, you will be the only one struggling to smell this face deep in your wrist. You must heavily apply this to get any attention. You wont be sorry though, because the attention has been great! Give Bell DOpium a try and don't listen to all the sore heads mad that this doesnt smell like its Monster Mother Opium.
My 2nd review on Belle, just because...my first was getting quite long *whistles innocently*
Thought I would add a note about the longevity of this perfume, on me I can smell this for 8 hours, maybe a bit more when it dries down to a skin scent. After you apply, there's a lovely fragrance cloud around you for 2 1/2 hours at least. Now that's the length of time for a most celeb perfumes (and "name" EDT's) to go through their stages and disappear completely! (I WISH I was being sarcastic here. Beyonce Heat Wild Orchid and Guess, I'm looking at you.)
Another tip I wanted to add is how amazing this smells layered with Fame by Lady Gaga. (Please don't prejudge. I was shocked too.) Today I sprayed my wrists and neck with Belle D'Opium and headed out. I spotted a tester of Fame at a shop. I had been thinking about layering these two when I happened to notice the similar notes on here, so I sprayed a tester of Fame over Belle. As I suspected, these two smell ah-mazing together! Think the amazing creamy white florals of Belle (Jasmine, Gardenia, Lily) mixed with the Belladonna and Orchid of Fame. The best parts are the incense/smoke notes of Belle are of a higher quality to Fame, so really enhance the smoky aspect of Fame while that amazing Honey glazed Apricot of Fame is just pure olfactory enjoyment when added to Belle. As soon as I saw the notes of Fame on here and that it had a smokey incense element like Belle and shared some of the same notes, I was dying to try layering them and really glad they smelled as good together as I imagined! Fame smells stronger, Belle sweeter and smoother. I would have bought the gift set then and there, but apparently this one is not included in the £10 sale, and is £20, and I don't want to spend more than £10. So jealous of the reviewer who with the gift set costing £1.74, lucky duck! So many scents to explore, so little money. #purfumistaproblems. Tehee.
I have come to realize that anything with a strong gardenia note will just smell clean and floral on my skin (check my review on Le baiser du dragon for a full-blown gardenia fiasco on my skin).
So this, instead of smelling incensey and dark and spicy, as I'd expected, just smells like a clean gardenia, with a slight incense undertone. Very disappointed. Definitely test before buying.
I really like this. It isn't ground breaking, but it's very pretty. On my skin it's a mild, sort of peachy incense with floral undertones and something a little deeper - I'm not sure if that's the patchouli and tobacco, or something else. The fragrance is beautifully blended, which I really appreciate. Not a journey fragrance, but it doesn't need to be. Pleasant, comforting, serene, beautiful.
After reading the reviews, looking at the notes, I ordered a bottle of this without having tested it first. Thank you! I am not going to tell you about "sillage", or what "notes" I smell-I am only just learning what those terms mean, but I can tell you the minute I sprayed this I was transported-and isn't that what perfumes are supposed to do? I am a very young 58, and artist, who has lived a bohemian lifestyle since the earl 70's, leaving NYC at 17 and traveling all over the world, living wherever I felt like. I am an artist by trade. I wore the original Opium all thru the 80's, and for the last 10 years moved to florals-but this is gorgeous, spicy and mysterious. I alos ordered a bottle of the original Opium off of Ebay. I have found my Fall/ Winter scent.
I am so sad that they have discontinued this, it is such a cultured, beautiful fragrance, deleted I'm assuming to accommodate Black Opium, sad times. There is something so mystical about this fragrance. Like an Eastern bouquet of flowers basqued in Incense. It is stunning.
I was very excited on trying this one, sadly the tobacco notes drown everything else for me, it smells like I've been smoking cigarettes all day, not a very sexy scent to carry if you ask me.
I've got a question though? Is there actually a difference between this one and the "Belle D'Opium ECLAT" version? The bottles look exactly the same so besides the smell, how can I tell the difference?
This smells mature to me, like some sophisticated woman in their 30s. And surprisingly quite addictive. I'm new to this kind of smell but I'm in it for more. I recommend this to any young lady who wants to smell a bit more mature.
That Sunday evening I was in a certain Christmas mood -the cold, the dark, the city lights, the starry skies over me. I wanted a gift -just for myself, something special. I entered Douglas and there were many perfumes on sale. I've tried the regular opium and didn't like it, so I was a bit reserved when I saw this on the shelf "Sale". The light shining through the bottle, the mood, all that luxury in the air made me take it and try right on my skin. And there is was -the magic I was looking for. Intoxicating, oriental mysterious and changing all the time. I bought it, of course.
The opening -thick white flower aroma with some pepper an a drop of honey caressing the mild, white petals, then it settles down and becomes sort of delicious because of the mild fruit notes. And then the dry down... Just makes me addict. Sensual, seducing, head turning and temptingly inviting. Overall this scent is sophisticated, spicy, warm and warming, thick and just a bit sweet. It is essential to use it carefully, otherwise this can make you feel a bit sick. One spray fills my room and my apartment as well. I guess it's better in the cold autumn or in the winter.
Scent of an adult, elegant and sensual woman.
Is that you, Euphoria? At first sniff I wondered if Surrender to Chance had mistakenly sent me Euphoria and mislabeled my decant. Fruity-sweet, white floral, with patchouli. The only difference so far is that this has a definite bit of incense in it.
Okay, now it is morphing into Lady Gaga Fame. Grape and sweet incense, with a little of the original patchouli/white floral.
This is not what I was expecting at all! I do kind of like it though, will see if there is more to this after a few more wearings.
I love this as a daytime Opium. I have only recently discovered this and I'm pleased that I have. Definitely a keeper.....
Belle D'Opium! Wonderful. I have the original Opium which I love for winter months. However, the peach note in here adds an interesting dimension. I also find it lighter and somewhat easier to wear. Love the spices, they are definitive, but somehow lighter, perhaps as a result of the peach and tangerine note? I am usually not at all a fruity perfumista, however, the fruit note in here is well blended and adds to the excellent combination of spices and flowers.
[TLDR: creamy, peppery-sweet gentle smoke from a distance hides a touch of sensual, dirty amber/patch up close. Seems faint? It's probably the pepper, others can still smell it on you.]
Having tried Belle 3x now I'm still a bit confused: what I expected to be a fairly heavy hitting smoky sweet bomb is barely detectable to me save for the opening burst. I'm pretty sure the pepper in this is so much up front that it whacks me in the nose and I go anosmic for a while.
Anyway, the scent itself (as much as I can detect after about an hour to cool down and regain sensitivity) is smooth, sweet, & peppery-spicy. From a waft distance wearing it on my wrists I get a softly 'foggy' smoke and a very plush, well behaved jasmine/gardenia mixed with nondescript fruity sweetness. This part reminds me of a smoother, slightly spiced 'M' by Mariah Carey. But wait, up close is where it gets good!
With my nose much closer to my wrist I get a very delicious dirtiness underneath- THERE it is! Amber, maybe a pinch of tobacco/patch. Warm, rich, dirty, a touch of earthiness mixing with the incense which has become less 'foggy' now, too. Here is the only similarity with original Opium, you have to get in close. The sandalwood stays throughout the entirety, adding smoothness. The semi-sweet white pepper sticks around too, adding a physical appeal to the scent. (& by that I mean it tickles my nose a bit every time I'm drawn in again to sniff deeply. I have a love/hate with peppers for that reason.)
It's a mixed bag. I love that sexy dirty amber under all this otherwise demure creaminess & sweetspice. But whenever Belle succesfully draws me in close she laughs and pushes me away again (pepper) telling me to be patient and admire her from a distance. I think she just wants me to WANT to get closer. ;)
Reminds me of: upscale version of Mariah Carey's 'M' (from a distance), Black Orchid also after 2+hours once it gets a bit dirtier
Compliments?: none so far
Sillage: moderate but I seem to go anosmic
Longevity: ?
Experience: worn 3 times (samples)
Belle d'Opium is a great mix of notes. First spray I smell the pepper, patchouli, and sandalwood which is a different sort of mix. I love both pepper and patchouli so this one is a favorites. It also rings of incense and tobacco. Those are more of my favorite notes. It is definitely a more modern take on the original Opium which although was very oriental, was sweeter than Belle. Belle has the pepper so it gives it a twist. The original listed pepper as a note as well but I never smelled it. Original Opium was an oriental incense bomb (that I loved back in the day). I smell incense in Belle but compared to the original it's a spicier incense. Belle is no cheap smelling fragrance either. It reminds me of some of the scents in Tom Ford's line which if you're familiar with any of those you'll know what I'm talking about.
I don't know if I got a fake, but on me it smells very faint. I don't smell any of the notes others had mentioned here, no incense, no spice...really the only thing I must be smelling is the peach, and the floral note.
EDIT: I sprayed this on my wrist, and as I'm laying down my nose keeps getting whiffs of it, it is a disorganized scent (I'm not sure if that make sense) But every time I catch it with my nose I only smell the floral. Its not in your face strong, or a patchouli bomb strong- but its still a an exotic smell. I can pick up the spice notes if I smell it closely but other than that its 'ok'.
This special scent is a little darling. A saviour when everything else fails. It's a classic, elegant, men like it, I like it, it stays quite a while, so I'm happy with it. It's not sweet at all, rather like bitter-sweet.
The bottle is also very elegant.
I like how many reviews state that this is nothing close to the original opium (which was far to heavy and just smelled bad to me)
I absolutely ADORE this perfume!
I was lucky enough to score a small bottle on sale a few years back. If I could afford it, it would be my night time signature scent, this is how much I love Belle.
Exotic white lilies mixed with a delicious smokiness...this is one sizzling scent!
Best for nights out on the town or in bed with your lover, hehe.
In my dream world I would wear Chanel Mademoiselle during the day and Belle d'Opium at night.
I am one lucky lady. After wanting this scent back for so long, I was happily surprised when my fiancee got me a bottle for my birthday this month. If only I knew...I had, quite literally the day before, bought a huge 90ML EDP Tester on ebay! Luckily I was able to get a refund.
Ahh, so I finally have Belle on my wrists once more! I am getting the lovely white pepper and sandalwood mixed with lilies, gardenia and jasmine, I always notice jasmine quite a lot with this scent, which I adore! I feel like Princess Jasmine about to be swept off a magic carpet...or at least like I have a night of music and dancing ahead of me.
EDIT No. 2:
I will also briefly add here that on reading paperbackheads review on their bottle being weaker and not having the full glorious incense cloud effect, with my 90ML EDP Tester bought on ebay new but the box came unsealed (it was sold as new with damaged box). I did get it at a discount only paying around £30-£35 but when I sprayed it once although it still had the florals but no incense and very light sillage and weak lasting power :( Luckily my fiancee splurged and got me a smaller 50 ML bottle that cost more but was sealed in box and I was able to compare the 2....the smaller sealed in box Belle was the gorgeous, incense filled, lush floral powerhouse perfume that lasted for hours, just as I remembered!! I am breathing a huge sigh of relief that this hasn't been reformulated, or at least not since I first experienced and fell in love with it when I first moved to London. What I conclude is my huge tester and probably paperbackhead's bottles were in all likelihood fake :/ for all those purchasing this frag, I would definatelly recommend buying it in a sealed box, either in-store or from a reputable online seller. And if it smells weak or watered-down, definitely get a refund! Otherwise with a legit bottle, this perfume is a masterpiece and remains one the favorites in my collection.
Sometimes, its so bold as to be a bit intimidating. I tend to go for the fruitier gourmands for daytime, and without the right confidence this frag can "wear you" (at least for me.) But that's kinda what I love about Belle....I'm always dressed up, makeup on, smile and social ready when I reach for her. She would tolerate nothing less.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this, because my experience with Opium was basically that I sprayed it on and twenty minutes later it had become so horrendous I had to scrub it off. Twice.
This starts off with a huge splash of gardenia and lily, both terrible flowers on me. Oof. Luckily they fade quickly into a peach/smoke/jasmine mix that's really interesting. I've never worn anything with a smoke note before, and I expected to hate it, but the juiciness of the peach is keeping it balanced. As it dries down I get more of the pepperiness and the sandalwood, which only serves to make the peach more juicy.
I don't think this is a love for me, but I definitely like it and if I ever saw a bottle somewhere I think I'd buy it. Too bad it's discontinued!
first spray was awful, lots of lily, not my cup of tea. Then the tobacco rised and I thought that this is a rather suitable frag for smokers as it may deepen the scent. Once it dries down it's rather cute, I found it to be very oily on my skin so I thought it would have amazing longevity, three hours passed and now it's only a skin scent (sprayed on the back of my hand, I know, bad choice for testing, but they didn´t have blotters at the counter!!!!). There is a relationship with Opium, perhaps not so striking, the wood in here and spices are more subdued but if you put your nose right into it, the incense and sandalwood are a beautiful reminder of opium. I like this, and will probably purchase it, first I'll have to try out the new reformulation of opium and see which one gets to sit on my wardrobe. I never came across something so alluring yet subdued like this. Very warm but I'm afraid that If I purchase it I may not reach too often for it.
This opened with a very strong pepper scent, but dried down to a lovely, soft, spicy floral. This is much sweeter and much softer than the original Opium fragrance.
Words cannot express how much I adore this scent. Forget it even has the name Opium in it; they smell nothing alike. This is deep yet sweet and beautiful.
To me this is like Opiums' younger blonde sister who has a real naughty twinkle in her eye!
My husband got this for me one Christmas so I feel it's more suited to cold weather it wraps you up in it's dark folds and makes you feel sexy and exotic.
You can smell Opium in there but just like siblings they are very different, to me Belle has more layers and is more interesting and makes you want to keep sniffing, you get that 'come here again let me smell that again' effect - on my husband anyway!!
Great staying power and projection, and the bottle is lovely to have in your bedroom, like a little reminder of past naughtiness!
Very seductive, empowering and mystical one for the private collection not school run / workwear.
I like smoke but dont want to smell like a dirty ash tray, I still want to smell like a lady and then I found this. I find this perfect for a beginners smoke. Like trying on a dark lipstick or dark nailpolish for the first time.
More fruit and flowers than the original. I love the smoke from the incense and tobacco, spicy pepper and sandalwood that all together gives this warmth, attitude and thought, that makes this an Opium. I was very sad when the sales lady told me this was being discontinued! This is a sexy and lovely fragrance.
really love this perfume. it's been in my collection for like 2 or 3 weeks and i haven't put any attention to it until today. i sprayed it once the first time it arrived at my house but i was distracted by another perfumes that came that day.
i guess i didn't expect this to be so gorgeous. i remember how opium smells like, and this one is the prettier, beautiful-er version of opium. i don't really like opium, but i appreciate it. this belle d'opium is more likeable. the white floral smells SO amazing, the composition is perfect. what can i say, the more i sniff the more i love.
I've just acqired a mini of this to add to my collection it's very nice but the perfume dried out too quickly for me. It does remind me of the original opium although not as commanding.
My boyfriend bought me this. He just read on the internet that lots of women love this perfume so he ordered it..
I never had or even smelled the original Opium, so I can't compare it.
But I do think this is an extremely lovely en classy perfume.
It's just spicy enough and at the same time a little bit sweet/floral.
It lasts pretty long and I don't get tired of it. It doesn't change much during dry down according to me.
I'd really advise this perfume to anybody. According to me it's pretty much suitable for every season. I would wear it at night but it's not that heavy that you can't wear it by day.
Finally I found the cemetery,cadaverous(sic!)smell of jasmine and lily.I never met such faithful projection this savor.Here is,at least my nose it senses.Plus:Belle d'Opium is plenty of spices.
Very soft scent,not heavy,slightly sour but warm.And fresh.Unluckily not remain long on my skin.I'm not able to extract most of the fragrance notes.So quickly evaporates(skin and/or clothes).I don't like splendor but bottle I enjoyed.
I just got a bottle from an exchange. Maybe my bottle IS a bit old, so it IS not as strong as a new one, but the Shell IS very soft on me And not peper at all. I Think i smell the sandlewood That i lové so Much.
After using this scent for about two weeks now, I'd like to add to my previous review that this perfume smells like nothing else in this market and believe me I have tried dozens. So give this perfume a try and some time to develop.
I was using this parfume when I was smoking. Using the parfume after shower did not bring the best of it I believe. I remember smelling the gardenia and sandalwood incence. But as the day went on and i smoked the parfume was changing on my skin to something like a noughty but flowery incence. Smoking really changed the notes i was smelling, too. After quitting smoking i also stop using this parfume. Somehow it just did not smell as beautiful as before and did not blend that good with my skin chemistry.
I dont think that this perfume is a plain or flat scent as many reviewers wrote here. The opening is sweet fruity which is nice, in the middle I get pepper (the only part that I dont like much in this perfume). But the dry down is gorgeous the incense accord is very detectable ( this is the part which makes it different from the other sweet fruity perfumes on the market recently) and the perfume turns into dark , mysterious, sexy smell. You need to reapply in every 4-5 hours ,but you will smell divinely good and will get many compliments from people around just as I do.
Belle d'Opium is a Masterpiece!! No more needs to be said!!
For the first 2 or 3 hours, Belle d'Opium on me is dominated by a fruity gardenia. The fruity aspect is like the sweetness of gummi bear/jelly, which I happen to like better than bubblegum/hard candy. It's until in the late drydown that sandalwood and pepper start to manifest, but still adorned by the fruity gardenia.
The sillage is very close to the skin and the longevity is around 6 hours. A lovely fruity floriental like previous reviewers stated. Belle d'Opium is not bad on its own, but there are also too many competitors out there.
for me this perfume is just UNIQUE, my dad gave it to me as a birthday gift and when i first smelled it i didn't like it at all, maybe due to the strong spices note, but then late at night when i was lying on my bed i constantly smelled an amazing scent that i've never smelled before and i realized it was BELLE D'OPIUM..... i wore it the next morning and everybody kept asking me about my astonishing perfume, and this is how it became my SIGNATURE. one word to describe this masterpiece, UNIQUE.
The first thing that came to mind when I smelled this on my skin was La Vie Est Belle, which is surprising when looking at the notes. But obviously this isn't as gourmand and has an oriental vibe. Still it's very sweet on my skin, though less so in the drydown. I do not see much of a resemblance to Opium despite the shared bottle design and name.
At first it seems to be too heavy, overloaded with spices, but after some time it becomes quite pleasant. Deep oriental, balsamic, with prominent peppery note.
Scent for orient loving girl.
Update: it's nice, but I prefer more floral scents, not so balsamic.
Hmm. This one is not 'Opium'. It's soft,not heady (for me) The sillage and lasting power aren't so good. It is not powerful to be named as opium, but quite nice, soft smoky fragrance, a bit spicy and fresher than her older sister. Opium's shy little sister.
I currently have a mini of this fragrance and it's beautiful, exactly my kind of scent. I couldn't wear the original (vintage) Opium because it gave me headaches and was extremely strong despite being a warm lovely fragrance. So I blindly bought a bottle of this and the only thing I regret is not buying a big bottle right away. It is a lovely smoky fragrance with hints of fruit and incense, which my chemistry seems to amplify (especially the mandarin orange note). This is actually what I wanted Molinard's Habanita to smell like. The only thing that disappoints me about it is that it doesn't even have 1/10th the projection or longevity of Opium and I must reapply it. It's a shame too that this fragrance is going to get discontinued (if it already isn't). It can be found for incredible prices online at the moment, but you better get it while it's still here and cheap.
All I can say is that I fell in love with this instantly. I'm starting to get the impression that I love fruity, warm, woody, spicy, yet fresh perfumes (If that's even possible). And while it's not fresh, it smells soooo good on me. Like a bouquet of sex. I wish I knew how to put the proper words to this.
Edit: It lasts maybe an hour and a half on my skin. Disappointing.
Is this a flanker of Opium??? I'm confused!
I'm getting mostly fruit, followed by lily, followed by some nice quiet amber and rounded up with tiny traces of incense. And I mean TINY.
I've been enjoying my decant for a few days now and not sure if it's the body lotion I'm wearing today or there is something wrong with my nose but I smell polished horse saddle somewhere in the background??? I swear I detect a leather note, the same that comes up in Chanel's Cuir de Russie on me, a horsey note!
It's really odd and, haha I have to add, I'm quite fond of this particular note? It's like I'm feeling it under my tongue, very peculiar!
It's a lovely non-run-of-the-mill fragrance I would wear for spring and perhaps a walk in the park, afternoon tea.... However it would be best suitable for a horse ride in the park ;-)
This perfume smells like it has more in common with Obsession than it does with Opium. It really is a beautiful scent though not spicy or incensy at all to me. It's all about the amber and wood notes with the tiniest bit of pepper. Reminds me a bit of Nanette Lepore.
I wanted Belle for my signature scent. Really.
It's heady, sultry, edgy and has a very different white flower smell because of the lily. Normally I'm more of a tuberose/jasmine lover, but here I really appreciate lily in the composition. Also the bottle looks like a dream!
But there's this strong pepper note that makes Belle punching me. I actually got a very soft clove note out of it, so if you love Coco/L'Elephant but with a lily twist, try this (I dislike clove in my perfumes). Sorry Belle, but I can't tolerate your violence to me anymore.
This is for the lady who likes to feel powerful yet warm and sophisticated.It's very classy oriental spice, no way close to cheap! I wear this and all day I could pass on for a beautiful garden filled with the best selection of colourful flowers.Belle D'Opium takes me in to the fantasy world of a woman wearing an air-blown dress, with her hair flying behind her and she's wearing red hot lipstick to finish it off. It's got the wow factor, definately for you if you are 25+. It's among my top 5 perfumes.
Like Byzance by ROCHAR, I love this perfume so much that I would forever be sad if it were to be discontinued. I hope Yves Saint Laurent makers will keep this coming in and swear by Belle D'Opium.
I don't think I've ever worn this perfume without someone commenting on how good it smells on me. One thing I don't like about it is the smoky smell coming from it when you first spray it. Although it only lasts for an hour and becomes a very beautiful sexy smell later during the day.
It's a heady potion, this one is.
Witchy, narcotic, warm, unusual.
It does conjure desert evenings, Cairo or the Gobi, somewhere warm and sandy and exotic and strange. It's definitely an evening fragrance in my mind. Or for a special occasion.
I find this perfume so beautiful... It's a shame it only lasts 1 hour on my skin. :(
I found out that the lasting power changes according to temperature -I know, I'm a newbie... In summer -really hot and humid here- Belle evaporates leaving no trace within an hour -or less. But in autumn or winter it stays longer -four to six hours. It behaves as a skin scent on me, but I guess that's due my chemistry: I haven't found any frag with good projection yet.
Pure mystery exhalant this fog of incense and hookahs that sheer mystery! For those who want to seduce a perfect weapon. It's wild, mysterious, intoxicating. Mixture of peppers, myrrh, burnt wood with propolis, honey ... Warm, welcoming personality and for people looking for something out of the ordinary ...
Impossible to be impartial towards the Belle D'Opium, loves or hates .... Needless to say, I'm delighted!
I absolutely love this perfume, it's so special and I'm glad I've finally discovered it. I would describe it as a rich, warm-flowery, mysterious, smoky scent ideal for evening wear and bedtime. I tried wearing it at work one day and it seemed wasted, definitely something I'm keeeping for special occasions and relaxing free time.
I was surprised to read a lot of negative reviews for this perfume on various sites, including here and I understood that they'll discontinue it because of that. SAD! Indeed it's nothing like Opium (I've never tried the original Opium, just the one on sale nowadays), but hey, it's a different perfume! Just like Opium Vapeurs de Parfum is completely different from both Opium and Belle d'Opium.
Anyway, I love it and I hope the rumours are not true
Update: Today being a stormy and unusually cold and depressing autumn day I decided to wear Belle d'Opium at work to cheer me up and it works great! Makes me feel warm and comfortable, in a diva sort of way ;) Just had to share this!
When compared to original Opium I see very little similarity. I don't fancy Opium but I loved this one. It's intensive yet it has some fruity notes to balance strong incense, wood and pepper. Great for evenings, dates and elegant meetings. Although I might feel like wearing it during daytime every so often, generally to it's not an everyday fragrance for me.
An utter disappointment for me, I was looking for a woody, smoky dark oriental "bewitching" as they state, but this was a disaster on me.
Mostly I detect a fruit note that lasts for many hours. It resembles the scratchy, slightly harsh kind found in a good hair spray. At best it reminds me of someone who smokes while getting ready for work and curling their hair on the hottest setting.
There is a bit of synthetic sandalwood, a mishmash of 'flowers' and at the end a unoffensive/banal musk drydown.
Tried this one out 3 times and I never got more than that, too bad, I wanted to love it.
Edit: I'm sure this will disappear into the bin of bad reviews, as both my balloons have disappeared, but really--I'm not putting down the people who like this, or really the perfume itself, and I'm not being snarky. I'm just trying to write an honest negative review. Maybe we should start grouping our reviews into good/bad so some people never have to know about the negative reviews...
though I'm not obssesed with oriental perfumes I'm enjoying this delightful fragrance on my wrist.
it starts with some kind of sweet and slightly spicy notes,leading to deeper,earthy,patchouli scent.I think there's something like honey in the notes,but I don't find it in notes.also citruse notes can not be ignored,though they are not making it a fresh shampoo or something like that. fortuatey blackpepper is not offensive and mixed well with flowers.
in the perfume shop it's a distintive fragrance. it can't be ignored or or not recognized from the others, on the other hand it's not too loud.
I had heard some members complaining about it's long lasting power. on my skin it lasts pretty well and the dry down is even deeper than first sweet implication.
totally,though I don't admire most of YSL perfumes,this one's great.either be worn in the morning or night/by youngers or elders it can be a great complet to everybody's outfit.
A very sexy fragrance in my opinion a much nicer more accessible version of the original which I don't like. This is very unique to me and not a typical scent in that floral fruity way. It has a darkness and richness to it. I think if you like fragrances like black orchid you'd like this.
The first time I tried a hookah, I was in Cairo, it was a warm, sexy, balmy night. I choose the cinnamon apple tobacco because it was the tastiest and smelled like fruity incense when lit. I had just purchased a gorgeous handmade Egyptian jasmine perfume in an opalescen-gold glass bottle rimmed in gold, which I was wearing along with my heavily lined kohl eyeliner and dangly coin earrings. It was dusk and the sky was that perfect shade of midnight blue full of twinkling stars. I looked like a scene from a vintage bellydance postcard from the 1920s. That is what this perfume smells like to me. It is soft, gorgeous, understated yet attention grabbing. It's a third date perfume when you know you've got a magical evening ahead of you and there's a fire in your eyes. This is a new favorite!
This is gorgeous! I remember smelling this on a tester strip inside Sephora, and HATING IT for being boring, overly sweet, and nothing in comparison to the original Opium...
But because I have a new craze for sandalwood, I ordered a 1.7oz of this from Ebay for $25
And I'm blown away! It's dominated by a sweet, dark, creamy sandalwood incense, lightly spruced by pepper, and deepened by a shadowy, indolic veil of lily and gardenia. There's also some ghostly patchouli in the back, but it's only there to complement the pepper and floral notes, bringing it all together.
I smell like a delicious sandalwood incense stick, and I absolutely LOVE it!
It's very dark and sensual, while still being sweet and floral.
Excellent scent!
Can anyone help me,I read the reviews and thought this would be amazing.I like heavy spicy aromatic perfumes and so I bought a bottle.I don't know what everyone else is smelling but all I get is a strong sweet peach smell,there's a good perfume underneath but sadly it seems over shadowed by this sweet peach syrupy smell.has anyone else had this same experience?please let me know...I'm starting to think it's just me that the perfume doesn't like
One of those instances where you know you love the perfume before even smelling it. It's just fate. I loved the name and the bottle and I had to have it. Absolutely love the scent. It reminds me of the Caribbean but not in a sunny, light-hearted vacation kind of way. I think of voodoo, of seduction, of lightning storms at night. Belle D'Opium is kinda sweet, kinda smokey, all peaches and tobacco. One of my top 10 favorites of all time.
You know when you have this fragrance you want to try and just by reading the notes you think it might suit you (and you wish very hard)?
It finally happened with Yves Saint Laurent Belle d`Opium.
My mom used to wear Yves Saint Laurent Opium in the 80's. It was suiting her very well and it was her favorite. My husband always liked the old version too and wanted me to try it. But, the problem is that there is this note in Opium that I cannot stand. I am really into Oriental Spicy but in Opium, mmmmhhh... I don't know. I think it might be the patchouli (too much of it), or the mix of so many notes (I am not into vintage perfumes just because of the annoying amount of numerous notes in all of them) or the lily-of-the-valley (a note I cannot stand).
But, I wanted to try and love Belle d'Opium. I was at Sephora and when I saw it, I sprayed it. It was love at first sniff, passion at the second one and my husband was also thrilled by the smell of it. It has not that much in common with the original Opium except at the end when some of the notes jump out and remind you of the original. It opens with a floral-spicy note and it just gets better and richer and spicier and warmer. The lasting power is unfortunately not that great.
End of the story: I am the happy owner of a beautiful bottle of Belle d'Opium!
Bit of an update on the last review. I still love this, very much - it is gorgeous, complex, feminine and has a "mysterious", sexy feel to it.
However, the longevity of this isn't great at all. An hour goes by and I'm having to re-apply...which is fine for me (read my last review), but not if you've paid top dollar for it.
Another blind buy for me and I am really pleased!
I do wish that the spiciness lasted longer than just the first 10-20 minutes though. Not as much spice as I would like and lots of tobacco in the mid notes. This actually reminds me more of Burberry Brit that the Original Opium.
First day using it so I am not sure yet as to how long it lasts.
Edit: It has been less than 3 hours since I sprayed this, and other than a rather nasty alcoholic smell left on my skin, it is gone. Not a fan after all. Love the first 20 minutes, but then just tobacco and then gone!
A 30ml bottle of this was listed on a local sale site for $10...it had been sprayed a few times and the lady selling it couldn't stand the smell, so after reading the very mixed reviews here, I decided to part with the 10 bucks for it. Even if I hated this, the bottle is beautiful and it still would of been a bargain.
When I sprayed this on myself this afternoon...all I smelt was La Petite Robe Noire by Guerlain (one of my all time favourites). I knew this wasn't right and actually posted in the forums about it as I was absolutely puzzled as the *only* note they have in common is Patchouli!!!
However...I sprayed it again tonight (it's much, much colder now, it was humid/warm this afternoon) and there is NO resemblance to La Petite Robe Noire at all other than the spicy notes.
This fragrance is CLASS in a bottle. It's peppery, Amber-ish, incense-ish and very smokey...I can see why people said it reminds them of hookahs!! After a while, the Sandalwood note starts to come into play and it mixes into a creamy, delicious, oriental, mysterious scent. I have no idea whether the longevity is good or not as I haven't had it long enough but hey, at 10 bucks, who cares?! I'll be happy to reapply!
This is gorgeous. I'm about to change my "like" into "love" for this. Beautiful bottle, beautiful scent, and perfect for cold Winter nights like this. YSL, as usual, haven't failed to impress.
P.S. I've only ever smelled Opium a couple of times throughout my life - and from what I can recall I really liked it...but I have no idea whether this even remotely resembles Opium or not...nor do I care. Belle D'Opium seems to fit my age (30) and personality perfectly :)
This is an absolutely beautiful scent. I am an oriental lover and I also love oriental floral fragrances. My favorites are Coco Chanel & Juicy Couture Couture & Tresor.
My step-mother, who is a very glamorous and fashionable lady wears the original Opium. As a teen, I used to sneak into her bathroom just to smell it. I loved the scent. It embodied beauty and class and sensuality. I imagined beautiful women wearing fancy black dresses and heels. Exotic.
As an adult, I forgot how much I loved the scent of Opium. I love Coco, but it always feels too much in the warmer months, and I have been leaning away from heavier scents. With my summer wedding nearing, I was looking through perfumes and saw a description of Belle D'Opium. I decided to try it and it is absolutely beautiful.
It is not as heavy as the original, but is definitley a similar formula. I can smell the scent of the original Opium, it is just lighter and fresher.
Unfortunatley, it doesn't seem to last long on my skin. However, i believe this has something to do with my chemistry at the moment as even my normal daily perfumes have been fading to nothing. It lasts on my clothes for hours and hours. I am going to try to layer it with the body lotion to see if it helps with it's longevity.
This perfume is sexy, sensual, yet still classy and beautiful. I really hope I can get it to last!!
sharp, impressive, and attractive at the first sprayed. than it turns to warm and creamy notes. but then, nothing. i really like this perfume but unfortunately it isn't long lasting.
I try 2-3 Opium,I don't sure long on my skin.
Please tell me how long on your skin.
I try 2-3 Opium,I don't sure long on my skin.
Please tell me how long on your skin.
This is a Dom in a bottle. And she does does not sugarcoat her intentions. A little intimidating at first because of her unabashed embrace of female power - but completely captivating and likely to incite a willing submission.
Belle D'Opium opens hot and heavy with white flowers macerated in spices. The effect is almost narcotic. Once it begins to unfold, it does so with the subtle sweet smoke of things smoldering. It ends with a gorgeous amber that retains the vestiges of its smokey journey with the addition of the regal sandalwood. If patchouli is there, he's happy to play a mediating role in the whole drama.
This is a fragrance for a woman who fully embraces and makes no apologies for her personal power. Personally, I love it.
They really ought to have named this Belle d'Opulence because it is rich, heady and wonderful. Got spritzed while I was at the mall by an enthusiastic sales person. Walked away saying 'no thank you' because I dislike Opium with a passion and thought 'how different can this be?' but whoa... I had another thing coming!
As I walked about the mall, it began to work it's magic... mesmerising to the point of hypnotic. Heads turned as I wafted by and one lady standing behind me at another counter actually told me that I smelt wonderful! Walked out with a bottle leaving behind a very happy sales person at the counter!
Day 2; Wore this for a night out yesterday and did not like the dry-down at all. Had to wash it off before going to sleep, it was that synthetic and smelt kind of dirty (not naughty dirty but unwashed dirty!!) Other than that, I would still wear this for a dinner with friends from time to time as the opening and mid notes smell wonderful on me.
I love this perfume!! In fact it will be my next acquisition.
I tried this one and manufesto (by ysl) at the same time and compared both throughout the day.
While I liked Manifesto a LOT, i found it a bit flat. it doesn't change much throughout compared to Belle.
I have never tried the original Opium, so i can't compare this one to it (which I see as an advantge, so i don't let myself be fooled by the name "opium" in "belle d'opium") And I got to say that I loved it!
It's so elegant, and smokey. It's rather dark but floral and sparkly at the same time. And that is a combination that I love. It smells very different from the perfumes that I have and from the perfumes that women usually wear here (I live in Argentina). So I find it quite original (as opposed to what some people have stated here).
True, it doesn't have a greeat longevity but it is not bad either (on me at least).
I really want this one! Can't wait to get it!
EDIT 07.06.13 : I finally got it! I sooo love it. On me, it lasts 6 hours. The sillage is incredible on me. After 5 hours people tell me they keep smelling it the moment they walk into the room. I feel so lucky! =)
The notes on me are the same as I smelled on the tester: sandalwood, tobacco (which smells great), gardenia, incense and pepper.
I love love love this! Belle d'Opium is a peppery smoky oriental potion. It also lasts long on my skin. I do not get the references to this being compared to a masculine fragrance. To me this scent is a sophisticated sexy women in heels.
Just read that this is going to be discontinued. *super sad face*
exactly like secret obsession by calvin klein .too sweet , too heavy . really bad. hate both
perfect night smell. can't wait to wear it on night out. to me evetything that has incense in it smells amazing. and pepper notes in begining are really nice.
ELEGANT....love this ..fruity but very grown up .Very well blended and attention getting .
Is this a beauty or what !
Another creation where Alberto Morillas are involved, do I like it - yes !
The three fases.... Top. Heart. Base are all brilliantly blended.
In the top.mandarin gardenia and surprisingly jasmine already ?
The mandarin together with the fruits and peach in the heart creates a very mice and sweet warm feeling on my skin. This part reminded me of Ckin2U
and zen.Very nice. The heart consists of loads of pepper and the slightest touch of tobacco.Mmm - like !
The sweetnes has been set aside for the insense and patcholie to be in the team.
A VERY WELL BLENDED perfume , with a oriental touch throughout the
Wear. The drydown of santal amber is one that suns it all up.
I feel classy and cool when wearing it !
Thanks to se majeste for letting me have a lovely decant !!!
I am sad. White floral, balmy, woody, fresh spicy, warm spicy.. all this sounds so good! :) I was sure that this fragrance is something more. I can smell only some sweetness,that is all.
On my skin, I can notice well tobacco and incense notes... it's a strange perfume...but really, really hypnotic! 8) And I like it for this... ;)
I bought this at a sale yesterday and I have worn this today. It indeed starts very much like Sensuous Noir, which I own too. Still, I don't think they're the same. Belle d'Opium turns pretty fast into a flowery frag while Sensuous Noir stays woody to the end.
I really like this scent! I am very much into orientals and this hits the spot for spring. Yes, I think this is very nice floriental for springtime since it's not THAT heavy. I haven't smellt Opium (shame on me!), but I am well aware of it's reputation and I think it's safe to say this is much more subtle.
Longevity is a sad story: on my skin like two hours. I only bought a 30ml bottle, so I think I'll run out of it soon if I keep using it much. Sillage is medium, I don't think I suffocate anyone while walking around. Enjoyable!
Finaly i have my bottle in hand . I could hardly waith i was so curios to smell it
It starts off on my skin quite alcoholic and incensy.. then after just a few minuts this turns into somthing much more plesent and alluring.
It is a incensy fruity patcholy mix like a sensual lady in a black silky dress. slightly sweet with the fruity notes
I have a feal off Plum in this perfume aswell. like a dark plum mixed whit cinnamon and spice.
i can feal the whit florals . but i am almost at a stage that id say that this is not a white floral mix because off all the dark notes and the spicyness.. i know white lilys also have this pepperyness to it so it should not be so difficult.. But still i feal the same .. the bottle is so apropriet for the perfume aswell . mysterios ,charming. sensual . elegant.just beautiful .
I initialy got curios about this when somebody told me it was abit like Nina Ricci Belle de Minuit. well if i realy realy put my mind to it it might be a slight touch off similarity . but not close at all ..
Belle d'Opium is a new chapter in the legend of Opium for younger women. In this new chapter is seductive woman provokes desire with all your movements, it is an object of fascination, of temptation, a dream that has prohibited from being possessed. This woman is both naive and dangerous.
It is a perfume with a strong smell very precistente.
To me this perfume is a true icon of modern perfumery.
I don't know why, but this smells horrible on me I can't recognize any of the notes listed, just some cheap woody smell for straight 8 hours, great longevity by the way.
do not compare with the original.. When you dont compare, you can see that this is a beatiful incense&sandalwood fragrance..
seriously the perfume market is going downhill. i sprayed couple of times from a belle d'opium bottle.. the initial impression is mildly interesting;white flowers in a fruity/patchouli smoky accord... little by little the scent gets thinner, evaporates. it could have been a good one with a stronger smoke accord, more incense heck just more... perfume! the longevity is poor, hard to believe this is the follow up of the legendary opium, the fragrance that fills the room and transforms it to a sensual and spicy opium den...
well this is what today's perfume dictates want; light fruity inoffensive perfumes.... well i dont.
3 stars.
This is an inoffensive oriental-fruity-patchouli perfume like so many others out on the market right now (it smells like a cross between Estee Lauder Sensuous Noir, CK Euphoria, and Marc Jacobs Lola). I suppose if I were choosing between the four, I would choose Belle d'Opium because the bottle is quite lovely.
Honestly, I was hoping for much more -- Tobacco? Hookah notes? Smoke? Sounds intriguing! Nope, nope, and nope. I get none of those, unfortunately. I do get a strong peachy-citrus note, along with loads of patchouli and pepper...and a hint of syrupy, almost-too-sweet amber.
Belle d'Opium barely lasts an hour on my skin. How is that even possible? Orientals are made with some of the most tenacious base notes out there! Bizarre.
What a disappointment...I really wanted to like this one because of its associations with the original, classic Opium.
Most of all I feel the pepper note in this fragrance, mixed with the peach and floral notes on the sandalwood base, which reminds about the original Opium.
And this base note is the one thing that reminds me about it I guess. Because much more this fragrance reminds me 212 Sexy by Carolina Herrera and Guilty by Gucci. The first one - because of the pepper and gardenia mix, the second one - because of the pepper and peach mix. The same sickly spiciness.
I prefer the original classy, mysterious and elegant Opium million times to it. That is all I can say.
Ooooh, how I love thee. I sprayed a ton of different things to the point of nausea today. And then - I figured, oh what the heck, let's spray some paper.
2 minutes I ran back, grabbed the bottle and gave myself a good dousing. Something to be said for chemistry because there is something in my skin that seems to love Yves Saint Laurent - even the thumbed down Cinema comes out great.
Lovely masterpiece of incense on me. Not too fruity, not too light. Just right. I'm in love and yearn for my own bottle now. And the prices on this smoking beauty justify my own huge bottle. I could wear this sitting on the couch by the fire, watching an Opera and if used responsibly, in every day life.
I had tried Opium itself on my skin but it just came out way too bitter.
Very much in love. Thank you again, YSL, some of creations work so well with my skin chemistry, it's as if the fragrance fused with my skin, not overpowering me, but carrying me gently, but with a firm hold as myself.
Love all the smokiness from the tobacco/incense/pepper. Nothing acrid about the smoky element here. Original Opium can turn that way on me. It's smooth, creamy and spicy. If you like incense but are afraid to smell like a church, try this.
Belle D'Opium is not a statement maker like M Generation by Mauboussin, but it's different enough that people will notice.
Belle d'Opium stares at you with her dark eyes and glistening hair, mesmerizing you with her audacious swaying gait as she comes toward you. You see her and smell her and then she is in your lap, whispering in your ear all sorts of bad girl ideas, like, "let's take that gorgeous man home, just the two of us with him- what do you say?" "I'll share if you are good." She laughs a throaty contralto laugh. Such thoughts would never enter your head but for this seductress who gets inside your brain and under your skin until she becomes you, only a better more confident you. A "belle" you who can take on the world and every man and woman in it. You don't want to ever give her up. You want to possess her and she you.
Belle d'Opium is perfectly named. This gorgeous scent is truly "tres belle." It has every note that I love- gardenia, incense, patchouli, tobacco, amber, pepper, peach, and jasmine. From the first spray when the gardenia, pepper and incense hit your nose, into the mid-notes where the tobacco and patchouli come in and there is a slight bitterness for just a few minutes, you are completely mesmerized. Then the full lush beauty blooms on your skin with the addition of the amber, peach and sandalwood. Simply amazing. There is a slight smokiness from the tobacco, but mostly you smell and feel the warmth of the sun on the tobacco leaves and the invigorating yet relaxing smell of the slightly damp dried tobacco leaves, fresh from the humidor at the hand rolled cigar maker's shop, sweetened with drying and rolling into the perfect Dominican cigar. Height, depth and roundness, this scent has it all.
It is always a shock each time I put this scent on to realize anew how stunning it is and how it meshes with my skin to form a "second skin" which absorbs and grows into me with each hour.
Belle d'Opium evokes desires and emotions that make you so glad to be alive in this moment in the heady haze of this beauty. I think I may want this to be the last thing that I smell on this earth. Well, after that bacon sandwich and zillion year old single malt that is going to be my last meal.
The only other scent I have smelt that comes even close to this bewitching beauty is Une Voix Noire by Lutens which has many of the same notes, but is ultimately a lighter, more fluid scent. Both are stunning.
Nota Bene: The only thing that is distressing about this temptress is that she limits her time with you. You meet her at 9:00 p.m. at a party and she is gone by midnight leaving just a faint scent trail behind. You will have to reach for her again and again, but it won't be hard...
Really It is a second skin. It mixes with your natural smell. Hallucinating!! When I wear it, my body and the scent suffer a fusion. It's amazing, working as a night veil, a dark side that arises. I really don't like incense's note, but here is quite and abstract. It´s a dreamlike fragrance, even having a moderate sillage, is nocturnal and for cold days. Ah! Before any conclusion try it! Not on paper, on your skin.. and let yourself be taken away...
Fortunately i have this one and wear it very often. i am not familiar with original opium but i love this among all of my perfume collections. at first i never really appreciate since i am not able to sniff it before buying. im so dissapointed when i finally spray it in my wrist. but the after i give it a try since i can't just give it to someone since its expensive! To my surprise i fall inlove in it. People always give me a complement of smelling seductive and expensive at the same time to think im living in dagupan city philippines. They think that i've been abroad for while to think i never been outside the country.
What a belle! It's truly intoxicating!
My mom received Belle d'Opium as a gift and I can't help myself but steal a little now and then. It's smoky, dark and decadent, but soft just as well. I find it much more wearable than the original Opium. The only bad thing about it is that it doesn't last - on me, it's two hours tops and then it's gone! This makes it somewhat not worth the price.
İ adore the fragrance. And also the bottle. But common it has no sillage. İt is a very good scent with a very weak projection. And in addition, it makes me itchy. İs there anyone else like me??
I've just tried it and fell in love. I'm lost. The incense is beautifully blended with the gardenia and the tobacco notes. The fruits pop up and hide again behind the sandalwood accords... This is a symphony on my skin. Again. I'm lost!
This smells like pure hookah! Is not like original at all it is much better. So strong full of incense the commercial is perfect for it. Incense and soapy gardenia and sandalwood, and lots of fruit. This smells exactly like hookah smell! Very much Afghan Opium not at all Oriental Opium like original. I like it a lot but do not love it, because I do not want to smell like hookah all the time. This is a club fragrance. If you wear it in the club while being hot and sweaty it is pure sexy. Many fragrances now smell like hookah and black and milds. I love them but do not want to smell myself like I was just taking a drag.
Antonpan is right. You have to give this fragrance several tries. The first time Belle may seem too simple or common but it's not. I started understanding Belle at my third try. There's something very sexy in it, almost sexual, I could say. Behind the flowers and incense, human secretions and secrets...
This is surely my favourite in my perfume wardrobe at the moment. So exotic, so iridescent, it smells like a newly unwrapped sari on which you have spent a fortune.
The colours in this are amazing -(no, not the bottle) - they evolve during drydown in a truly mindblowing way. I am Synaesthetic, which means I can visualise colours of scents, and know what's in a perfume.
I used to love the original Opium years ago, but by the time I got round to buying my own, the formula had been changed. Not the same, I was very disappointed. Then I bought Belle d'opium off Bid Tv, and believe me this seems to be the nearest I'll ever get to the lost Opium. (But I still haven't tried the whole range of YSL Opium-related names.) A perfume for Songwriters and lovers of opulence.
This perfume is really nice, but it reminds me of a million other fruity/citrus patchouli frags out there (Miss Dior Cherie, Coco Mademoiselle, La Vie Est Belle, etc...). It's really lovely but definitely not full bottle worthy. And it smells nothing like the original Opium. At all. I don't really get the florals, pepper, sandalwood that much. I get a sweet, fruity, orange patchouli. Nice but not that unique.
Belle d'Opium is not the first scent to be criticized for not living up to its namesake because a company decided to hedge its bets with an established name rather than market a new concept.
That aside, I find it to be a very likeable, competently-crafted sweet/spicy/floriental-patchouli. It doesn't smell cheap or childish, lasts and projects well for me, gets compliments, and is well-mannered without being too boring. (That drop-dead gorgeous bottle is a plus of course.)
This fragrance is definitely not unique, as Coco Mademoiselle, Sensuous Noir and Flowerbomb have already been there and done that (oh look, Coco Noir just jumped on the bandwagon as well), but it's definitely not a BAD scent at all, and well worth a sniff if you don't already own one of the other mentioned perfumes.
I have been absolutely in love with Sensuous Noir,,,thinking nothing could come close, but it may have met its match! Belle is the "G" rated version of Sensuous Noir, it is woody, peppery, spicy with a compliment of sweet white flowers, but those flowers are soooo subtle. There is a creamy quality to Belle that just makes the notes segue into one another, but there's a wintery sophistocation. This scent is not for the light, fruity fragrance lovers, it is deep and dramatic.
Beautiful, warm, hearty.... I'm sorry I didn't purchase sooner!
When will I learn that I never like these ``younger interpretations `` of classic scents.
Does this smell nice ? Sure.
It starts out with good intentions, a nice floral oriental, a little sharp, then very quickly it dries down a bit warm and spicy (just not spicy enough) and now I can`t smell it at all 2 hours later.
Since so many people find it too strong, I assume it would be good for people who usually wear very light perfumes but want something more daring or for night.
This is a very diluted version of the legendary Opium perfume, which seems to have fallen in a flower basket that results in a tobacco-shampoo combination. Try it if you like that.
I adore this fragrance, it's so different from the rest. I get many compliments from both men and women when I wear it.
i expected a lot from this one and was very curious about it considering the beautiful and daring ingredients but it's an unoriginal strong oriental at the most. it is built around the lily which stands out very clearly but doesn't give the best praise to this beautiful flower.
the ad doesn't suit the fragrance, don't go for a blind buy!
Wore this for the first time in AGES last night and really forgot how much I loved it! For me it works so well on my skin and the staying power is great, 3 sprays lasted all night. It's very different and the only real 'smokey' fragrance I have. I'd say if you want to delve into deeper more sophisticated smokey/incense scents this is a good starter one, it's gorgeous, and it grows on you the more you wear it. I'm a fan!
This is a good perfume, the bottle is beautiful but it's nothing special at all. Quite Generic actually, sad cause I had huge expectations from it.
Tested this today. First it was fresh and fruity, but those notes settled down quickly. A little later I thought one of my neighbours had begun smoking pipe. I could smell pipe tobacco in the hallway and in the livingroom and thought I would go out telling my neighbour a thing or two. It smelled like he was standing outside my door, smoking pipe. Then I realised it was ME! A strong smell of pipe tobacco that lingered on for awhile, but soon settled and brought out the spices and the sandalwood, mixed with the flowers. Quite lovely. There's still a hint of the pipe tobacco, but not as strong as first. Very interesting development and an exciting perfume in my opinion. Doesn't smell like all the others out there, which is good. To my nose, the perfume is a night/evening kind of perfume and smells very sexy actually. A seducing scent.
I got this perfume as a gift,i was very excited to wear it ..but when i did for the first time i was shocked!
It has areally weak sillage,and poor longevity:(
The smell on my wrist is amazing.kinda of oriental ,flowery scent with a hint of pepper
But No body can smell it around me:(
I hate that kind of perfumes:(
on my opinion ..it's a money waste!
I bought this after trying a sample of this. My first impression was that it was a dark floral, which seemed perfect for fall and winter nights. As I have explored this more fully, I get the gardenia and jasmine which makes this a classic floral. Where it gets interesting is that these two heady flowers are literally seduced into an opium den. At first everything is rich, opulent, and sexy but then the drug takes over and spinning smells of incense, pipe tobacco smoke (fruity/peppery/vanilla), and patchouli hold your attention. So enthralled by the fragrance, you don't notice the threadbare rugs, the red silk drapes stained by smoke, and the upholstery that has seen too many furtive lovers. You certainly do not realize you are in a maze-like cavern of rooms that would be a fire hazard, should someone's passion light a spark. This fragrance is the equivalent of a one night stand. You are seduced and caught up in the moment, but by morning's light you may question that any of it was real.
It's a very sensual scent. Sometimes I spray a little bit of it on me before I go to sleep. It's oriental and mysterious in nature. But it's a much weaker force than the original and has a lot less lasting power and sillage. That said, it feminine and alluring. I would only ever wear it in the evening.
it has nothing to do with the old opium..in my opinion i think it was just made to sell because the old opium has such an incredible gastronomic fan base.. i personally love the old opium so much that i don't think anything would even come close to it so they should leave it as a signature perfume on a class of its own..its an endless timeless masterpiece that should be left un mutilated..
the new one is ok i guess but there is something in it that i just cant stand after the initial spray..the dry down is some how more synthetic ..or maybe trying to be modern its like the new trends in perfumes of the past 7 years like tom ford black..
i bought it impulsively when it first came out just because i loved the old opium and i love purple color and it smelled intriguing in the shop ..its a heavy wintry perfume long lasting seductive and trying to blend the past with modernity but in my opinion i think that those who love the old opium will be disappointed with the new so they should have just named it a different name and gave it a different bottle and let the old opium be the legend it always was and always will ..
maybe its the white pepper and jasmine that really anoy me
rating 3.8 out of5
Easy to wear light oriental, but really reminds me of the original strongly, so it's not that different on my skin. Nice, but not for me.
i just watched the tv commercial and I have only one thing to say:
I wish this perfume was as HOT as the commercial. sadly, it is nothing like it.
Just wow. What a beautiful woman!
I do not see anything special about this perfume. Although weak, I find it too sweet and flat. One does smell the pepper, but it does not break the sweetness or make anything interesting stand out from that common ground. I do not find it unpleasant though, neither pleasant nor unpleasant, just not interesting. To me, like Cinema, it is out of line with the classical YSL perfumes, with strong character and very recognizable.
I love this perfume with a passion! I actually had this forced on me buy an insistant shop assistant lady and wow, I am glad she was so forceful! This is a bottle I have always avoided simply because the bottle looks far too expensive and maybe appeared a little...pretentious in my eyes. I expected it to be overrated. This is a 'don't judge a book by it's cover' lesson! I believe I was gabbing away about what kind of perfumes I usually like to the lady, trying to pry her away from pulling out the grand looking royal blue bottle to spray and the moment she sprayed onto the tester stick, I shut up. I was quite overwhelmed, the jasmine and peach infused with sandalwood is pure magic! There is a spicey punch to it too which makes it so unusual. I walked around the store with this for maybe 10 minutes looking through other perfumes and I could not stop smelling this. I asked for a sample on my wrist and I swear, I could still smell this the next morning after showering. the dry down stays well rounded on me, the perfect blend of floral and wood with the faint hint of spice and a gorgeous musk to pull the notes together.
Belle D'opium is lavish yet well preserved, a confident fragrance with longevity. The bottle looks so regal on the dressing table, it really goes with the scent. A garunteed get noticed fragrance with an air of mystery and sexiness in a class of it's own. Worth the money in my opinion however this is usually cheaper online than in superstores!
belle d'opium is sweet and smokey, i really like it. it's quite and not too heavy, good for autumn and winter evenings. i probably like it the most of the whole opium family, though i like each of them i guess. belle if soft and feminine and very light. it doesn't stay on long, which is not too good. in some way it reminds me of bvlgari's jasmin noir.. just soft and smokey.
Nice and sweet scent. Not too sweet for my tastes though it has something that makes it acceptable. I did not find this overpowering but I do notice a reasonable silage. It reminds me a little bit of Angel by Thiery Mugler.
Such a delicious smell. I fell in love with it. So unique, doesn't smell like any other perfume out there. For refined women with attitude. Sexy sensual scent. I prefer it to the original Opium. Pretty much wearable any season of the year, either day or night. Great sillage and lasting power.
This perfume is sweet, sweet, sweet.
A blast of juicy pear/ peach/ apricot note, slightly smoked but mainly sweet.
After 30min it mellows into a sweetened floral fruity.
The lily is not green or crisp, but ripe and creamy.
I cannot pick out the gardenia.
I don't think it's very peppery.
In the dry down there's a very cozy sandalwood.
Projection good,
a neutral, easygoing fragrance for women of any age.
Belle starts to grow on me, now I think it's sensual and sexy. People will notice you when you wear Belle. The harmony of sandalwood with the ripe fruits creates quite an alluring aura. I would recommend this as a date-night fragrance.
First try on skin: lily and gardenia, with a nice spicy hint of pepper and sandalwood, to make it better.
Second and third try: the lily and gardenia stayed for hours, turned more and more candy-like, and the perfume became more and more silent, as the hours passed. The pepper and sandalwood came long hours after putting it on, and just as they showed up, the perfume ceased to exist on my skin. Not happy.
I'm really surprised at how many people have cited an overpowering gardenia note. I don't really care for gardenia and I usually pick it out right away. I don't with this perfume. The first note that strikes me is peach. Then pepper and jasmine. The lily note is definitely present and I detect a hint of cinnamon-though I haven't seen that listed anywhere as a note. I think this is a lovely perfume-warm and cheerful. I don't find it overpowering in strength if you don't overapply. It is very long lasting on me and I got a compliment the very first time I wore it. I wasn't a fan of the original Opium at all but this one I bought after trying a sample. It actually reminds me a bit of Bond no 9's Chinatown. I would call it a fruity floriental.
I so wanted to love this fragrance! The bottle is beautiful and I dreamt of it on my dressing table. Sadly, I find it unremarkable. So much so that after a half hour I can barely smell it, and I am not even tempted to surreptitiously raise my wrist to my nose seeking it.
this reminds me CK euphoria a lot!
Belle d'Opium has traded the spices in the original Opium, for pepper instead. If pepper is not your thing, I'd skip this fragrance entirely.
I was so angered by Opium's repackaging and reformulation, that I've put off testing the flanker Belle d'Opium for a long time so that my anger wouldn't hinder my review of it. I have long since cooled off and have given Belle d'Opium a fair chance to prove itself.
Shortly after smelling Belle d'Opium for the first time, I commented on how musky and peppery the scent was. Pink pepper seems to be the starring note in this composition, followed by musky sandalwood and slightly soapy lily.
The composition is not all that predictable, as it has some elements of complexity, however it is much softer than what I expected. Opium is such a sillage monster than one could be forgiven in believing that a flanker would be just as loud.
The scent is not strictly feminine, I actually think it would wear just as well on a man's skin. The pepper gives it that slightly masculine kick. In all honesty, Belle d'Opium isn't really my cup of tea. It smells a little sharp to me, perhaps even a little fruity at times, even though fruits aren't listed in the scent pyramid.
I absolutely adore the bottle and packaging, easily admitting that it's one of the nicest designs I've seen in the last few years. It's a shame that the scent didn't grab my attention the same way that the bottle did. I wasn't so convinced by the almost non-existent white florals smothered by rich pink pepper accords.
Belle d'Opium lasts for a relatively long time on the skin, however it's not too persistent. I personally find this fragrance to be lacking in some aspects, that I haven't quite managed to figure out. I'm left feeling a little underwhelmed.
Ysl counter gives me couple sample of this. First I think it's heavy, so oriental and not for me. But I tried this on a summer night when I was go out, I love it! I fallin love with it! You should try on a summer night
This is the first perfume that I won in a blog competition. I must say that this is a great perfume, I really love gardenia combined with pepper and spices; it leads to a delicate and warm result at the same time; sexy and strong, feminine and floral, I think that it's suitable for women of all ages and personalities(except for teenagers as it is sophisticated). In addition, I do not think that we have to compare this one to the original OPIUM; this is a fresher and more modern version that develops its own character. Lasts for ages as well !
Radicalmente diferente a la Opium original.
Fondo con demasiada similitud a Euphoria EDP
Personally, this fragrance for me is MAGIC in a bottle!
It hits a chord in me...hmmmmmhmmmmhmmm...I just love it I can't help it!
I'm definitely buying another one, my previous bottle I finished in January, I really miss it ;>
I guess what does it for me is the Sandal/vanilla note.
I find that Belle D'Opium is the choice of a very elegant, classy and attractive woman.
Nothing at all like Opium very sweet and artificially vanilla though there is none mentioned in the notes, perhaps it is a chemically jasmine/gardenia note which is apparent on my skin which gives the vanilla smell. Some compare this to Estee Lauder Sensuous noir but they are in no way similar apart from the dark purple bottles. This smells slightly sweaty and is overly sweet. Yuck
Hi, I received it as a gift from my husband. It came in a very chich black patent leather make-up case, its bottle is gorgeous but that's all.
It really does not have any characther at all. It reminds me of so many other perfumes, too floral, too ordinary and too feminine (not in a good way, imagine a woman with very heavy make up with a lot of powder; a bunch of bracelets, big and shiny earrings; that kind of feminine)
For the first time in our relationship in 8 years, I will replace a gift I received from my husband cause I barely can stand the smell on my wrist.
By the way it has a perfect longeivity (unfortunately)
Hi, I tried this today to see if I could ever wear one of the Opium family. Past recollection has been an extremely loud and hard hitting perfume which knocked you out so I did not dare to wear it. The sales rep did say this was a mixture of Opium and Elle which was true. Opened as an extemely soft version of Opium which I could tolerate but then morphed into Elle, which I cannot stand. Later on it became and good mixture of both with Elle dominating so I would not purchase. Not worthy of the name Opium imo and hate the idea that they mixed two others to may one new..... lacking in originality. I will wait for the Opium fraiche and try again.
When i first got it i thought it was horrible. Maybe because i was used to using such fresh perfumes like moschino i love love. But this is actually the one perfume people come up to me and say, "hey you smell good what is it?"
First I get fruit, but not at all like fruit juice... more like smoky fruit chutney. I get a quick hit of jasmin, the gardenia and lilly are beautiful and soft. I normally I find gardenia really over powering. The sandal wood washes everything with a wonderfully soft sweetness adding sensuality, which reminds me of sweet grass.
I like this because it is fruity with out being juvenile. I wouldn't say this is sexy, more fun & flirty... semi casual sent.
This is not at all like the original, so if thats what your expecting you will be sadly disappointed.
Belle d Opium starts quite sweet like warm sugar and the note which I encounter with first is synthetic sandalwood and then slowly a mix of jasmine and gardenia kick in. There is a huge pinch of pepper which makes this composition quite unbearable and a bit unpleasant. To make it spicy something else could have been added but not pepper which smells like a mixture of white and black pepper.
Even the name Opium tell us that this scent is very strong and it is. 2 sprays can proboly kill flowers around u and make all men fall to ur legs.(not in a good way.) Personally didnt like the power of fragrance.
This is a subdued jasmine scent with a peppery woody base. That's about it.
It's pleasant but has no real personality.
Strong? No. Spicy? No. Long lasting? No. Sillage? No.
Opium? No.
I had to sample this on paper just because of the YSL lineage. Rather than calling this "Sweet Gardenia", the Powers That Be marketed this as an Opium flanker. Improbable as it seems, it has no spice and is anything but an oriental.
It opens surprisingly sweet and reminds me of Alien with a mysterious synthetic note that I cannot define. Its not unpleasant, just wierd. Its slightly sickening and has nothing to do with Opium.
The reformulation of the original is acceptable. This is not. L'Oreal Paris has taken the name YSL and destroyed its reputation.
How this could fly off of the shelves is beyond me? MAL D'OPIUM is more like it! Sorry fans, but the emperor has no clothes...or shame.
This is bad perfume for this year. On my skin i can smell only weak floral and vanilla. Too simple boring with poor longevity and sillage.
I used to believe that the only sweet perfumes were either those with fruity notes, vanilla or patchouli...until Belle D'Opium proofed me otherwise:
Belle D'Opium is a sweet woody/spicy fragrance where sandalwood is the main aroma and has a smoky feeling that reminds me of hookahs and incense sticks; its sillage varies according to the person and the time of the day.
In spite of its name, Belle D'Opium has little - if nothing - to do with the original Opium - the former lacking the allure and the strenght of the latter- which is a dissappointment for those who love the original thing, but is a plus for those who can't stand heavy fragrances and yet they seek to be introduced to the oriental group.
One could say that Belle D'Opium is a "trainee" version of the original Opium: It maybe not reach its predecessor where power of attraction and magnificence concerns but it helps newcomers to appreciate it, in an "amateur-friendly" level.
Now, in cold weather it smells better than in summer. Still, all i can smell is marshmallow with sandal wood. Very sweet. Opium? No way.
At first sniff I just tought: "CH!". Since I've been feeling CH in a lot of woman here in Brazil, probably it's getting popular. I would say it's a mix between CH and the DRY-DOWN of original YSL Opium.
Now, let's put things in place: the CH here is less dry and a bit floral, more gentle. Opium here is more like the incense: if you use the opium incense, probably you can detect easier but if you don't find it or don't know it, just wait for the YSL Opium dry-down and compare.
Anyway, I think it has a really interesting peppery burst along with a smoky character. My mom loved it but actually, I prefer the old one because has the clove beginning that I love.
I still do not know how I feel about this one. I need to test it more and give it a full try by spraying it on my wrist. Paper doesn't bring out notes, it just sucks them in. I got a very mild version of the original, with more florals instead of incense and spices.
YSL Belle d'Opium is like Sharlimar Initial. It gets sweeten, smoothen, and modernized for today's people. I get a lot of strong and smooth high volume gardenia at first. Then Belle d'Opium becomes quite smokey and still sweet. The base has a mildly spicy wood accord and earthy patchouli. I find this new version is more much approachable and wearable by many, especially me.
velvety peach, white pepper
Casablanca lily, Incense, jasmin absolute
Resins, sandalwood, nargileh accord
I just cannot see the similiarity between Opium, they are literally poles apart, the original Opium is a classic, this is just boring and unable to live up to it's name very disappointing.
it lasts the whole day..and announces me before i come in...yves saint laurent never disappoints..they always make that perfume for that especially stronger woman...i feel confident...beautiful...but most of all ready to take on the world..when i wear this...
Its not unique, but quite stunning. Way too smoky and mature for me to wear. Sad that I didn't get gardenia AT ALL. What I got was musk, sandalwood, spices and jasmine.
Its powerful and sophisticated - so you have to be bOld enough to wear this.
I would love to try it again though, but this time on my skin.
Absolutely love it! I am getting this asap. I was going to yesterday but then was rushed in the mall and didn't get back to the store but Ohhh I love it! It is really beautiful, romantic smell. Smells amazing the longer it is on! Strong at first but lingers and smells sooo lovely!
powerful fragrance and sexy
A puff on my wrist. From the first hour I decided that it was too powerful and mature for my age, a definitely no. But then...after 3 hours or so, what a feast! It's pure passion in a bottle, it has definitely seduced me! Another one of the perfumes I can't wait to wear in the future...
Very pleasant, and appeals to many. Perhaps too many. Straight after applying, I received compliments from strangers. Does it mean that Belle d'Opium is too ordinary? Well, perhaps. But still nice though.
Wonderful fragrance
But the smell does not keep for only a short
This perfume is damn strong and over powering. I could hardly breathe every time I applied it.
"Gagging Reflex" is exactly how i feel :(
This perfume is like a very dear friend to me. Warm, sweet, creamy, spicy all at the same time. Is has everything I want/like in a perfume. I literally fell in love with it. A friend of mine had the same experience. She smelled it and bought it the next day. It is my favourite perfume at the moment.
I bought it one week ago, because I liked it's warm, peppery smell. It's light, soft,warm and sexy together. It doesn't scream "You people!...Notice me" It makes me feel comfortable. So, I like it. I beleive it is a good alterantive to original opium for those who want to wear an oriental perfume at work during the day.
yo creo que belle d`opium (primera vez que comento en español, mi idioma natal) es una fragancia seductora, en todos los sentidos, tuve el honor de trabajar para la promocion de este perfume aca en chile, y debo decir que no a todas las personas les gusta, porque hoy en dia esta de moda la onda "fresca" no tan persuasiva, y eso no me gusto, yo creo que un perfume debe ser algo intenso, sensual y cauivante, y este perfume definitivamente lo es, es maravilloso, lujoso y fastuoso.
digno de su precio el cual es elevado, pero dura todo el dia, y es esquisito ^^
probadlo, homres y mujeres porque no es femenino, es simpmente oriental :D
Que se puede decir de esta fragancia...a mi personalmente las fragancias de YSL no me esntusiasman, pero este perfume simplemente es cautivador,completamente oriental, sin ser pesada, es ligera pero misteriosa y muy sensual.Es apta para mujeres con caracter, seguras de si mismas y que saben bien lo que quieren,si eres muy dulce y recatada, esta fragancia no va contigo.Se puede oler el sandalo y la gardenia de forma sutil y suave, no es agobiante con el Opium original.Yo personalmente no noto el olor a tabaco que algunos comentan.
La duración es buena unas 5 horas, si utilizas la crema corporal dura mas tiempo.Perfecta para noches de seducción :-))
Love it , love it love it
I bought it but my sister took it from me :( definetly my favorite perfume ever
Tried this one today and it is just beautiful - elegantly sexy white flowers and spices. Loved it from the first sniff and the dry down 5 hours later is lovely. I had stopped wearing the original Opium as found it just too heavy and pungent but am very glad they have put this version out because I will buy it and wear it again. Don't always like "flankers" but this one is extremely well put together and can stand on its own. Alexandrarae South Australia
A fresher, more floral and lighter replacement of Opium .
I'm not very fond of orientals in general ...but this is wonderful and very well made . Rich,deep, classy, sexy,earthy ,addictive, intoxicating..sweet in the right amount and not heavy or strong as mother Opium... While Opium is more suited to mature woman...Belle was created for the younger crowd.
It smells kinda woodsy and spicy... I love the incense note in It ( I don't know why here at frangrantica isn't listed ). It gets better and better as time goes by.
A must have for winter. A typical turn heads ;)
Great silage and good lasting power on my skin.
The only thing that turns me off, is the price... Very expensive in my country. Grrrrr
Wow! I have to get it! The notes, almost all the notes that I love in a perfume. I like the innocent femininity in jasmine, the refreshing gardenia, the elegant lily, and a long lasting fabulous sandalwood. What a combo! I 'll have one for sure!!
I got a tester this weekend, and I love it, It is strong, with character and powerful. However still keeps the flowerly esence at the top notes, the base reminds me Angel ou Demon, but just a hint of it. Im thinking on getting a bottle.
I love this!!! Thank you so much Jill!!! The pepper & Sandalwood in this just ignites on my skin and I am a HUGE fan of both of those notes. Believe it or not this sort of reminds me of Cafe perfume. The perfect fall and winter spice scent!!!
I hoped I like this one: because of the bottle! It's so different and some how beautiful. But no, I really didn't like it. I don't even how to discribe the fragrance, but it's so NOT me! :/
I tried so many perfumes at the counter one day and I didn't like belle D'opium at all first time ..but after 1h i realllly liked ! and i can feel differance between belle and the other perfumes i tried that day.little seems like diors midnight but more younger ..it seems like heavy,exotice floral, woody , pepper..it makes you feel attractive.. when you wear , it shouts "every one look at me im so sexy and wild !"
Very, very far from the old Opium! :-{ Sorry!
Although Belle d'Opium is an oriental floral, to my nose it is definitely more spicy and peppery than floral. I can detect lily and gardenia, but only slightly and well hidden by lots of pepper.
Pepper is the most present note on my skin for hours. After that time the scent becomes softer, warmer and more feminine. The drydown contains patchouli, sandelwood and soft, slightly sweet incense. I find some resemblance with Opium in the drydown, softer and toned down, but recognizable.
I think this is a lovely fragrance for autumn and winter. It was my favorite last winter, I used it very frequent, and now that my bottle is almost empty, I am even considering a re-buy!
Great sillage and lastingpower on my skin!
Beautiful bottle and box!
This really is nothing like Opium, which I find a bit disappointing. A good fragrance on it's own though, it's a somewhat enigmatic white floral, the gardenia and lily being by far the most prominent notes to me, after a peppery opening, which softens a lot but doesn't entirely disappear. There's only a bit of sandalwood in the dry-down. I detect no jasmine whatsoever unfortunately. It's true there is something a little bit medicinal about this, but I think this is a decent oriental floral and it doesn't pack as much of a punch as Opium either.
for a start
the original opium is a big perfume, with history, that is still very alive, and i myself LOVE opium.
i dont find it at all too heavy, the drydown is powdery to my skin and it s a really lovely scent!
belle d opium as a marketing product for YSL, i think is the same as hypnotic poison sensuel is for DIOR: a florish perfume to attend to people that dont like the "difficult" original one.
i find it a very bad idea.
i love both the originals and i would nt buy the hypnotic sensuel, because it s very close to the original, with a...florish mix up... it confuses me..
this one is a perfume i actually like!
it could have a nice carrier as an original perfume.
"bell de nuit" for instance, or bell de something...
i just dont like the comparisson with opium which i find inaccurate..
it is a warm oriental floral, with nice sillage and very good longetivity to me .
i ve read that doesn last to a lot of ladies.
maybe it does to me, because i always get the body range of a perfume, so layering them all i have a better staying power.
i smell a lot of patchoyli though which i dont see it written to the ingredients.
the bottle is absolutely gorgeous.
it s not my all time favorite, but i wear it a lot and my boyfriend likes it too.
it s a YES and i wish to it, to have a comeback as a new perfume someday :)
Its not bad perfume,but i dont know why i dont like it? I bought bottle like some time back and its is still full,i never reach to spray this perfume.And i dont know why.
С новым парфюмом Belle D'Opium Вы заставите окружающих задерживать взгляд на себе, взгляды восхищения и страсти. Мне понравились духи. Рекомендую.
Yes, it's strong. A little dab'll do ya. But such a nice floral interpretation of the original.
An Opium lover like me couldnt ever like this. To me this has the same medicin vibe of Chopard Casmir and they both work awfully on my skin - Belle D'Opium smells exactly like a blueberry gum on my arm and I'm so dissapointed, its like somebody have putted an Escada inside a YSL, just terrible.
Very vulgar perfume but quite adequated for what people want now, its a "hit" fragrance for women who appreciatte a fast way of life and fashion style. I believe it wont last mutch has its nothing special I guess, though the incense note I get is quite likable it is still very candy on me.
I wasn´t impressed with this perfume. I was expecting a very alluring magical scent, actually I think it smells similar to Amor Amor Tentation and I like Tentation better as it is stronger. I do love the bottle and packaging though and I tested this one various times just to convince myself not to buy it.
UPDATE:April 09,2012
I smelled again today and I can smell it a lot better now for some reason and I came home and looked for it on ebay and since I found a great deal for a 30ml I had to click on purchase now:) My boyfriend loves so there:)
I had just the sampler for this perfume and it lasted almost 4 months with me, the reason? You can't spray this anywhere, not your skin not your clothes, it's extremely concentrated and toxic smelling. I have no idea why perfume companies make "old lady" perfumes.. I don't get it. It's common sense, to me, that mixing different scents requires a balance like sweet and salty or spicy and milky but none of these notes are flattering in combination.. Gardenia with pepper? sneeze-fest... that's exactly how you feel while wearing this.
If you think this is overpowering, you'd hate the original opium. Opium for women is stronger than Opium Pour Homme. I always thought something was wrong with that. Love the quality in them all, but this is class right here... unless of course, it doesn't agree with your chemistry. Jasmine and Gardenia are two very finicky florals, and will not smell great on everyone.
I've been the owner of the original Opium bottle (50 ml) for more than 10 years. Right, I got it as a present and never could finish it, but I must admit, I tried hard. I experimented with it in all seasons, tried to layer with Tsukimi and others, following the layering tips of J-C Ellena. Finally, I managed to single out the tune which I actually like about Opium, which I'd like to accentuate, which makes all things easier and more exciting for me...
Now imagine my endless amazement, when I faced the same theme played up in Belle d'Opium. They moved exactly in the direction I turned to in my amateurish wandering. And I do confirm that this tune belongs to the original Opium, dig deeper and you'll find it there, but all odd, unnecessary for me, notes are gone. No carnation. No retro feeling. Yet powerful feminity is not gone.
And I believe, it's not for nothing the scent has become the 2011 winner according to the French version of the Fifi Awards.
I´m surprised there are no fruit notes in this scent. I feel pepper quite clearly when it opens, but some minutes later what I can get from it is jasmine, sandalwood and... Berries! Well, sometimes my nose plays tricks on me. Anyway, this is a very pleasant fragrance. It´s intense, but not too strong neither dark, and despite of the berries (that only my own nose seems to feel) it´s not girly at all. The driedown is woody and lasts all day long, though most of the time it stays close to skin.
It doesn´t ressemble the original Opium at all. Not a masterpiece but, on the other hand, quite safe and easy to wear.
This perfume is hard to describe. I do smell hints of pepper, and I do smell hints of white flowers. But there must be a note missing in the description because it smells overwhelmingly like honey. I like the drydown. It has a slightly masculine feel to it, I'm sure it's the pepper. I think I would wear this on a hot summer night.
I like most of the components: Gardenia, Lily, Pepper... When I wondered whether to get this scent, since I liked it, I luckily received a sample. Although I liked the scent on my skin, it faded away so quickly, that I did not bother anymore about buying this rather expensive scent.
I'm not sold on this one. I knew a woman who wore this regularly, and it smelled like yams on her...not appealing in my books. Must be the vegetal note from the hookah (waterpipe) that is supposedly in this.
I decided to try it on my skin to see if I had a different experience. It started off with lily and pepper...quite promising. An hour later it had dried down into nothing but a soapy scent (a major no-no for me).
I don't think the marketing suits the fragrance. At its best points, this is a light, peppery floral. Pretty, but definitely not sexy, mysterious, dark or exotic in my opinion. The commercial with the blonde woman randomly dancing around is quite cheesy...In that sense the ads line up with the perfume - they both try hard to be sexy but it just doesn't work out.
I start by saying I haven't tried the original Opium. Belle d'Opium is a dark and mysterious scent. Yesterday I tried it for the first time and it was pure love. Definitely strong, oriental and sexy, suitable for evening. I would wear this when I want to feel confident and attractive.
i don't understand why so many people dislike this perfume, i really like it... but i have never tried the original opium that's maybe why i don't have any problems with this. But i really liked this and the opening was my favorite very spicy and sweet and i usually don't like spicy perfumes because they become manly on me , but this one i really liked. I have one problem with this one and that is that after 1-2 hours i can feel a metallic smell from the perfume and i don't know why it's maybe the basenotes that doesn't go well tohether or it's just my chemistry!
There is something about this that reminds me of the original Opium, probably the Sandalwood. I guess it's supposed to be a lighter fresher version. The sandalwood and gardenia are the most prevalant. At first, I thought I could smell fruits but they quickly dissipate, so not sure anymore. I'm not completely sold on this one. It's got a split personality. It wants to be a lighter and fresher version of the original Opium, yet it wants to hold on it's spicy deep richness, and I'm not sure it's succeeding either way. I think this is one where you have to wear it a few times to make up your mind.
I sprinkled Belle d'Opium and Mugler's Angel on two paper strips in a shop and 2 minutes later could not distinguish the blotters! Suppose Angel is more complex and original, while Belle is a bit too straightforward. Another "me too". Not bad but unnecessary.
Obviously this isn't Opium herself, the vulgar cigar smoking lady. No, it's the hot little sister at the jazz club snorting coke in the bathroom stall. In other words, not too bad either.
This scent is powerful, deep and mysterious, but the floral elements makes it lean further towards being chic instead of old lady like. This scent is a bit unpredictable, I can't really put my finger on it.
However, I wish it had better staying power. After a couple of hours it's almost gone on me. A shame, really. Because I really like this one.
Generally I don't like YSL perfumes and this one is no exception. Although this perfume is meant to be lighter than the original, it is still quite strong. I don't find it fresh at all. I expected a soft white floral but what a get is a strong and overpowering oriental scent. Definitely not me, not right now at least.
well, i smelled the perfume, and in fact i didn't like the old opium...
so i thought that will be similar...
when i tried it on my hand, i didn't like it at all...
but after less than one hour, i started to smell beautiful smell, every time i move my hand, closer to my face...and from that moment, i was crazy about it, and after couple of weeks, i had it in my bag :p
adorable...strong perfume, goes more in winter, but soooo adorable...really love it :)
I was in Nordstorm a couple of weeks ago, and the SA (who was very generous with the samples)slipped a vial of this into my bag.
The opening was neither terrible nor special. Floral, fruity and slightly spicy.
But the next phase? Bug spray and burnt sugar on my skin. I couldn't wash it off fast enough.
I used to love Opium, and I'm very disappointed that "Belle" is so pedestrian. And it's from one of my favorite noses!
Okay. This juice smells FABULOUS on the card. I almost bought a huge bottle of it right then and there purely from sniffing cardboard. Beautiful.
Then I tried it on my skin the next day to make sure it worked. Unfortunately, I got a huge smack in the face of Gucci by Gucci that lasted for hours - strange when they don't have any notes in common, and neither of them are 'fruity' fragrances but that's all I get in the top and middle notes of both Belle D'Opium and Gucci by Gucci - fruit, fruit, overripe and almost rotting fruit.
I used to love Gucci by Gucci but since I quit smoking, it really borders on squishy, almost rotten fruit, I certainly can't wear it in warm weather any more.
But enough about that. Belle D'Opium, on me, smells like overripe fruit and flowers right up until the drydown, which is actually very pleasant - spicy, slightly powdery Oriental that is much closer to the original Opium, but at the same time it's fresher, lighter, a little more feminine than the dark and strong original. There's a sweetness (that I can smell on my wrist now, more than 12 hours after spraying it on!) that gives it a brand-new flavour all of its own.
I think I'm going to try this one again in a few days and see how that overpowering fruit thing goes. I hope it's better on second chance, I think based on the drydown (and the lasting power - like I said, over 12 hours!) alone I'd like to add this one to my collection.
THE VERDICT: I like Belle D'Opium. Especially that lovely drydown. Put it this way - if someone were to buy me a bottle, I'd very happily wear it regularly and be grateful for it. But, I just don't like it enough to put it at the top of my fragrance wishlist.
The overripe fruit thing did improve after a couple more tests - perhaps my nose was just overly sensitive that day. I still get overripe fruit and flowers, but not as overpowering as the first time I tested it.
Very nice perfume, just not *spectacular* on me.
ok today i tested and i for me its not vhat i vaitet for its absolutly not the "old"opium ,at först ist smell like the angel leiter became something fresh light men parfum meybee the to much gardenia???i dont like at all!!!!
The easiest way is to tell : mixture of Midnight Poison, Opium plus floral bouquet. Lighter and more gentle version of Opium like young daughter of mature woman. There is nothing "sad" like in many strong orientals, it is joyful , bright and warm like happiness laughter of beautiful magnetic but (not vampy) young woman. Oh I love it and get it some day!;)
Belle means beautiful. Perhaps the name itself suggests what kind of perfume this is. "Beautiful Opium". It is not as the first Opium, which is dark and which reminds me of a poppy. This is an opium to seduce with its beauty. I think this is a very nice oriental fragrance that is elegant, wearable, and the most of all - sensual. It is not so unique as the Opium, but why to seek that? Every perfume has its own story. Belle d'Opium creates an image in my head of elegant nightclub in which sensual smell announces woman on the entrance. She is mysterious and attractive, ready for the night. She is wearing a dark blue silk dress and a lot of jewelry that fits to the look.
It seems that the "new" woman is elegant and extravagant at the same time, but in a modern way, it is not as we have imagined before. The perfume is the same from beginning to end. In the composition is most felt lily and violet. The opening has a kinship with the Opium because of pepper. The opening is spicy and opposite to the base, which is powdery and sweet-floral. As if in addition to flowers has apricot in it. The quality is unquestionable and it will serve the lady all night, while men will turn heads.
Pure sensuality ... ;)
Just tried this today. As an avid lover of Opium, I was excited, thinking it couldn't be anything but multi-layered and meaningful.
I was wrong. I won't be lining up fot this one. I agree, this won't last long on the shelves, as it lacks the oomph, presence, flavours and layers of the original.
First sniff, nice. A little watery to me, and probably not offering the same range of olfactory delights as Opium, but quite nice. Then, I watched (or smelt) it dwindle away to nothing, nothing, nothing. That light, watery impression was just a precursor of what was to come. It was going to get lighter, and lighter, and then just disappear. Fast. It is now one and a half hours since I tried it, and it is barely there.....
No twists or turns on the journey, really, either.
A sad surprise.
Looking at the prices online for this, I suspect that the market has already spoken, because it is certainly quite cheap for an YSL fume.
It's like Opium gone "Miss Dior Chérie". - Nothing like the original, and very sweet. I've tried Belle d'Opium on a couple paper strips (the local shop has these beautiful purple ones, similar to the front of the packaging) and on my wrist. I kind of get that sweet, peppery, smoky, fruity, and patchouli-y (that a word?) scent. It lasted on my wrist a couple hours, but the little that got on the sleeve of my sweater I can still smell. Was I not broke, I would buy a bottle (oh, the bottle alone is lovely). I actually really like it.
I tried Belle d`Opium on my wrists today... Well, it is not bad but just not for me.
After looking up the notes (jasmine, gardenia, sandalwood, lily and pepper), I think there is more than just those notes, however, I cannot detect any pepper.
What Belle d`Opium smelled like on my skin was gardenia, lily and about two tons of sugar; yep, it smelled so sickly sweet I had to promptly wash it off... and that presented a bit of a challenge. Despite repeated washing, with a grapefruit scented soap to get rid of the perfume smell, this scent just would not go away but, instead, it turned into an antiseptic cleaning solution-like stinky smell. Ughhh... Sorry, I wanted to like it but it did not like me back one bit.
i was reading the reviews and i saw a lot of comments sayin that the lasting power is very poor and im suprised bcuz this parfume lasts in my skin for days i can smell it even in shower as it vanishes with water..I love Belle d'Opium and YSL!
Starts off promising-modern, heady, spicy and sweet with hints of the original..but this lasted mere minutes. This has the worst longevity of anything i've tried in recent memory..no sillage within an hour; a few hours later and i cannot remember what it smelled like at all, though there is something clean and faint on my skin. I would recommend testing it and giving it time on your skin first, seems fully front-loaded!
Please give this fragrance several tries. At first I (as most of you) smelled just sweet water. But then I tried Belle again, then again and... I REALLY felt the spiceness of the original Opium here, but surrounded by soft flowers and sweet fruity notes.
Love this one, it's a sexy mysterious scent. I can imagen myself wearing this at night. Love YSL!!
no frag ever has made me throw up, this was the first one...spayed it and something in it made me really ill had to run to the restroom 5 min after trying it on....there is something uber heavy in it, cloying and suffocating that turned my stomach upside down...
so weird i was sure i'd love it after reading abt the notes...
I like this but I don't love it. It is very fruity on me and while I don't usually like the sweetness of the fruity smell, there is just enough Sandalwood and peppery notes to make this very moorish.
I bought a 30 ml. bottle two months ago. The first spray is delicious but then it dries down to a woody-floral nothing.
The bottle is really beautiful.
May be with the body lotion it will stay longer.
Opens spicy and sharp, with flowery notes of gardenia,lily and pepper. Also is just a little fumy.
After sharpness, becomes soft, and a little sweet, I suppose this sweetnes comes from prominent lily note.
This is, without doubt, soft oriental, spicy scent.
On my skin is tender and very warm, and finaly composition becomes balmy, refined and I could say quiet.
Belle d'Opium isn't strong or loud.
This scent is primary personal pleasure. I like it.
I´ve been testing this one for a while, and I´ve always liked it, in every single "snif".
I feel the pepper mixed with the flowers and the sandalwood in a very well blended, cosy and somehow in a fresh and sensual way, at the same time.
Like it a lot.
Wish the fragrance was as lovely as the bottle! I really wanted to like this one. Will try again but it wasn't love at first spray for me!
I gave this one a second chance because I tried so many perfumes at the counter that day and I didn't like it at all!! Well I went to try it again and I really like it a lot now! I guess my nose was free to really get an idea of the perfume now! Its not so light as I thought it was, it has good staying power! It is different, exotic and I like that it is present but not demanding! This is beautiful,so give it a second chance and please dont compare it to the old opium, just have an open mind!
Update: this is very lovely and I don't regret for one second buying this fragrance! It is really beautiful and easy to wear!! RECOMMENDED 8/10
UPDATE: This is a very nice fragrance but it has very poor lasting power on my clothes and on my skin!! So I am not satisfied , If you like light fragrances with not much sillage than this is for you.
too heavy for summer in thailand but i still love it , smell like mindnight at first but more sweent and sharp.
I love it. There, I said it. My favorite perfumes of all time are the likes of Opium, Poison and Mitsouko, but I don't despise this fragrance. It comes out spicier on me than most people (all perfumes do) so that may be why it works for me.
I agree that the lasting power needs to be worked on, but the fragrance, although not as 'heavy' as the 80's perfumes, is still not generic or sickly like many of the poor quality weak florals of today. There is a similarity in the mix which makes me see why they give this the Opium name.
These are not supposed to be the same perfume, they are like Poison vs. Pure Poison. A few things in common, but not the same effect. As for the reformulation of Opium itself, I'm not too pleased about that but I still like it. I do think it needs more work done on it to give it the power of the original :)
As an aside, if you don't like the reformulation of Opium then write to the company and tell them what is missing. They will listen because they want you to buy it. For all we know, they may get a really good perfumer in to have a go at it. If we just reject it they will eventually stop making it at all :/
MY FIANCé WOULD NOT STOP KISSING MY SHOULDERS WHEN HE GOT A WIFF OF ME WEARING IT
reminds me very much of Lancome's Maggie noir - yuk - not what I expected at all. First they change the original opium, then they introduce this rubbish.
I've bought the smallest bottle of new Opium and I wear it however I cannot say it's "my" scent. The best thing about this perfume is the bottle:) It's elegant, simple and comfortable. The scent is completely different than classical Opium. Belle is more modern and rather floral than oriental. The best note is incense which makes the fragrance sweet and deep. The lasting power is good on clothes but on my skin it stays for about 4 hours. The climate of the fragrance is closed to Euphoria and I think that it may be a big success. If you are looking for something arabic and oriental I don;t reccomend that fragrance - it's too mainstream.
i also think that it's a classic perfume and it's not too sweet as others have mentioned...i want to buy the body lotion too!!
It also makes me feel like the belle of the ball ! I dont care if many dont like it, those who have smelled it on me, tell me I smell like a queen too.
hey !
i love it so much .. first i tried the sample then i decided to purchase this amazing fragrance ..
it makes me feel like a queen :)
but .. ummm i don't know why all of these hateful reviews for this perfume
serisously ppl U R OVER- REACTING .. LOL
Ouch...I am having a hard time with this fragrance that I so wanted to LOVE! The original version of Opium was my signature scent for years, and yes, then the reformulation -bleh- but this is about Belle. Now, I know it sounds crazy, but the first sniff for me was all 'dill pickle' yuk! I have no idea what I was smelling but it definitely came across as vinegar and pickling spices :( In the dry down, all I can pick up is a powdery-clove. This is so weird on me! Very disappointing. I do have another test vial and perhaps I will save it and try it again a bit down the line and see what happens. Hopefully it will work better. I am officially jealous of those of you who this works on! (But I really hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed my original Opium ;)
U can smell pepper & sandlewood so clearly ,, it's smel as arabian perfums ;)
it's nice and class but too heavy to me ..
I sprayed it on the test strip TWICE. Smelled mysterious and sexy but it's weird that after an hour I couldn't even smell the scent on the test strip.
Too bad! I was given a sample too but maybe will just use it in the summer because the scent is too light it doesn't last long. Still miss the original Opium EDP.
I'm sorry I have to say that this big and important company (YSL) has now failed with its new belle d'opium. Too sweet and fruity (even if I can't read any fruit in the pyramid). Nothing special and not original at all. Not even sensual or feminine. I don't understand why they wanted to remind the opulent and classic opium in its name.
Oh YSL....what is this??? Very mediocre mass pleasing Scent. Has nothing in common with the (now reformulated) Original. Not a Big Revelation :-((
I associate the original Opium with my Mom. She wore it a lot when I was a teen, so that scent reminds me of being in trouble. oooops! Well this new one doesn't get my vote. It smells sweet and woody at first and the incense carries it for awhile, then it completely disappears. Maybe within the hour you'd never guess I had a fragrance on. The original however lasted a week on your skin it seemed.
I certainly agree with LenaBel. It's a bit too sweet on my skin, somehow I do get lots of fruit in the opening. I can't decide if I like it or not.
For me it smells similar to Kate Moss Velvet Hour. Doesn't last very long.Shame on you YSL.
S.T.Dupont pure pour femme and this one are too damn similar.Very fruity are both.Here I dont smell no flowers.I wished i did smell my favourite gardenia,but nooooo.Big dissapointtment is this one
This fragrance is so warm, certainly next to the evergreen Opium, but I think it has been created in a new way, surely a modern way
I tested this at Nordstroms and I thought it was a classy floriental fragrance. It was neither too spicy nor too sweet in my opinion... On the down side it has rather weak sillage and even the SA said it wasnt long-lasting and she would know, so there we have it... Compared to the original this one could be considered rather meek 2 some but I dont mind so much honestly. I wouldnt mind having a bottle at a deep discount like at Marshalls for 19.99 lol...
OK so we all know how the original legendary Opium smells like. Knowing the distinctive scent of the 70s classic, I was really curious to try this "modern" version. Well, I tried it today and... I dont understand why does it have the Opium's name on it apart from the fact that it will sell better under this name.
It wasnt bad, I quite liked this perfume, but it lacks the spiciness and incensey quality to be called Opium. It is not even powerful - I sprayed it twice onto my wrist and after 3-4 hours I cant smell anything.
I would put it on the same shelf as Euphoria/Heat/Black XS.
It is a wearable (you could easily get away with it during daytime), warm-based sweetish perfume.
This creation is a big disappointment and shame because of really poor sillage and similarity to Innocent Rock by Thierry Mugler.
I tried it and I like it. It has pepper which sometimes doesn't agree with me but with this one it's combined with the right amount of sandalwood (which I love) and it balances. It's not like regular Opium at all. Opium is spicy, rich and has a reputation of coming on a little too strong for some people. Belle d'Opium is more subtle and fits into today's lighter fragrance trend more easily than the original.
This is an evening perfume. I don't think it should be worn at work if you are in close contact with other people.
The pepper could be an irritant to co-workers. I think Belle could be a good perfume for the upcoming holiday season.
Now if you really like the original Opium then Belle probably won't satisfy you. The original Opium really rocked the 1980s but it had it's day.
Belle d'Opium should not be judged in comparison, it's related only in name.
I'm torn on how to review this one. Review it in comparison to the original or on its own? I suppose in the end, it doesn't matter because it fails to impress either way.
On its own, like a previous reviewer stated, it smells like so many other sweet florals, there's nothing that makes it stand out (except the sillage, that's VERY strong). It's pretty cliche. You know the whole generic "perfume" smell that non-perfumistas use as a descriptor? That's Belle d'Opium.
I do smell a tinge of mystery trying to hint at something deeper but it is just dwarfed by the cloying too sweet floral.
Now, to rate it against the original. For shame! What a weak, uninspired attempt at a "younger" and "modern" Opium. Sadly it does great disservice to the original. In fact, it's a complete contradiction of what made the original such a classic.
Loses on both fronts in my book. I even had to wash it off :(
It is a younger version of Opium, but a dull one. It doesn't leave the strong impression of the original.I found it quite indifferent...
On paper, I could have sworn there were some fruits in the notes! It smelled like lytchee, but I think it was gardenia.
On my wrist the perfume quickly turned into a sexy, tamed down skinscent which smelled like incense and woods. Unfortunately, the magic lasted about two, three hours tops :( Too bad. It had potential, but its nowhere near the original!
I smelled this today on a strip of paper. I'm gonna try it again on skin to make up my mind.
The original impression is that this is a good composition, in a wonderful bottle. I am a big gardenia fan and I can totally feel it. I am not sure about the longevity.
So, gardenia on a warm base. I'd wear it.
We should keep in mind that this is a different perfume,made by another nose,with other ingredients and comparing it to the original opium is just meaningless.
It comes down to Morillas vs Sieuzac.
Still, since we can't get the vintage Opium anymore but the reformulated one, I dare to say that I prefer Belle d'Opium than the Opium available.
Feels better and looks better.
I just couldn't float past the display with big, square blotters with blue peacock feather print!! So now I possess fragrant copy of my own.
About scent. Opium. I think I haven't dare to try it out, because I'm a bit scared of it. Though, I love one of it's flankers! I found it absolutely gorgeous, but unfortunately didn't catch and lock one in my golden cage -.-
This flanker, is pretty good. It is intoxicating, pretty meanstinky [in a good way] and follows the good tradition of 'a like fragrances' I can draw lines in mood between say this one and Elle. Belle d'Opium is very peppery floral mix with Narguilé component in it. Well, yeah, it smells pretty sassy and smoky to me. +10 to it. I like it.. Yeah.
I have spotted it today in my local perfume shop. Man was I excited. I might be one of the fewer people out there that actually LOVE the original, but unfortunately it is just a *tad* too strong for me to wear it. So I was hopeful that Belle would provide me with what I needed, Opium, but not so strong.
All in all, I think Im going to buy the original after all. The ad for it should have already warned me what it would be. Opium for the masses. Not at all intoxicating or mysterious, but cheap, stylised for something it obviously is not. Maybe I would not dislike it so much if the PR team responsible for the campaing did not try to pass it for 'a taste of the real thing'. It more looks (and smells) like 'a taste of what you have already smelled a hundred times'. It's like Orient for people who wanna go for a summer vacation and spend the whole time on a private beach far away from the locals, and then swiftly move on to their air conditioned rooms.
People might not like Opium, but there is a reason that after so many years of being on the market its position is still strong and so many young and old identify with it. I shall think that Belle d'Opium will last a season or two at most.
Hmm, this flanker bears little relation to the gorgeous and forceful original. This is a bit like the flat chested little sister of Opiums Jayne Mansfield.
The flacon is adorable, you want to have it when you see it.Especially because it's a variation of beautiful Opium.
However it's very different from Opium, sweet and smokey. The drydown reminded me of Black XS Women. Lasting power doesn't seem to be that strong too. I love my old, sweet Opium better and classier.
I tried this on the paper strip and I was a little let down , it is just a peppery oriental floral and smells very light. I will try it on my skin but I think it will have poor staying power......will update.
This scent will encourage to the usage of the admirer Alexander M. Kindom.
Is the modern scent orientally floral , that′s right. Pleasant. For women in the different age.
Tested today by chance pushed by a kind SA who told me to test it on my skin.
I thought "Why these designer houses keep spring out fragrances on a continuos basis?"
I'm happy I could smell it before seeing all the fuss around with these silly fashion people who seems to have nothing to do in life. Too much of a fashionable add for me, too much hyped. I like the oriental feeling and also the bottle is nice, but I would sink the ads. The model should be a little fuller and bear a less harsh "hey-look-at-me-I-m-so-serious-because-I'm-sexy", quite an abused clichè in perfume.
Anyway... The jus (most important!) smells very nice both on paper and on my skin but slightly different. On my skin is lighter and less spicy.
It has probably nothing in common with old Opium, maybe only lily? But in a sense it is similar in concept. It smells like something Chinese, a Chinese flower I can't remember. It smells more complex than the listed notes and very modern. A fresh, floral, gently spiced fragrance. I agree it has something in common with Scarlett and that it smells a little bit masculin but only a bit.
After a while on my skin I get swifts of a nice white floral with a very faint note I don't like too much which reminds me of chicken stoke or a Chinese dish.
Oriental is big word for Belle d'Opium. It depends on what you think an oriental or floral-oriental is.
Coming from big '80s... well, old Opium is an oriental!
All in all I like it, it's quite enchanting, I could easily wear it.
WUUUUAAAAH! I am sooo sad! I espected I younger version of Opium(which I love but can't wear) and I get something too sweet, light, even girly - at least on my skin. :-(
Hi!!! I have tried today, it's great!!!, fresh and younger version of Opium, has reminiscences of the original just a little bit, like incense... It's an intense perfum, but not strong, stays quite long, and it fits like a second skin. I like very much!!
I think the new opium will be fresh and different with these lovely notes,I can't wait for buying it.
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