Black Opium Over Red: Electric Sensation

Black Opium Over Red by Yves Saint Laurent
Floral Fruity Gourmand
Honorine Blanc, Marie Salamagne, Nathalie Lorson and Olivier Cresp

It has been 10 years since the release of the original Black Opium. It was a coffee vanilla gourmand with youthful pear at the top. It was an instant hit due to the introduction of coffee in the designer world of fragrances and a decadent clubbing nature. If you are a long-term fan of fragrances, it was not, in fact, as carnal as advertised. It smelled like sweetened Frappuccino with cream and topping. And it was dreamy and delicious, no doubt about that! But sinful? No way! It tasted like a treat kid gets after he did some good. Many flankers have been launched since. God bless me, I do not even know how many.

Over Red is the newest one and it vibes with me the same way as the OG. It is a juicy bubble gum-like cherry with a ton of vanilla. Funny and flirty! No sex drugs & rock and roll. It is almost innocent and similar to the original (2014) but instead of pear, you get a pronounced fruitiness and electricity. Because I like cherry in my perfumes, Over Red fills me with good vibes and energy, a strange feeling of comfort, if you want.

Black Opium is one of a kind hence so many flankers. We can argue if that is really necessary, but from the marketing perspective, they clearly sell well. All the black opiums are generally likeable. People got used to seeing them in stores. It is not bad having one of them in your collection. They certainly will not do any bad. I wonder what fruit are we getting next time? Watermelon?

Y Le Parfum: Invitation to Higher Values

Y Le Parfum by Yves Saint Laurent
Amber Fougere

In Y Le Parfum you find sweetness and fruitiness together with aldehydes in the opening. The mid is traditionally masculine with sage, lavender and geranium. The dry-down is creamy and oriental with tonka bean, balsamic olibanum and sexy incense.

Y Le Parfum is for a man who is confident and sensitive at the same time and wants to leave a good impression. He appreciates the contrast in this fragrance. It is fresh and aromatic as well as deeply alluring. I can see this more as an evening wear. It is a showcase of elegance and sophistication.

Y Le Parfum is a great blend, a generally likeable fragrance in all walks of life, younger or older does not matter, a relatively safe blind buy. Because of that niche perfume snobs could argue it is not interesting enough, another unnecessary release … totally predictable scent by Yves Saint Laurent. There is always this dilemma as to what extent perfume can be unique and when enough is enough. In that case, I would ask: “Do you actually wear your fragrances?.

Mon Paris Intensément: A Dressy Berry Blast

Mon Paris Intensément by Yves Saint Laurent
Chypre Floral
Dora Baghriche, Harry Fremont, Olivier Cresp

Chypre fragrances are one of my favourite perfume families. They typically have a citrus opening (bergamot, orange, lemon or neroli), a floral middle (very often jasmine or rose) and an earthy animalic base made from oakmoss, patchouli or musk. They smell feminine and sweet yet grounded with a woody mossy component.

I also like the original Mon Paris. It is a fresh fruity chypre suitable for any occasion. The Intensément is a more nighttime, jammier, rosier version of that. Still a lot of berries. Raspberry and black currant in the opening. The middle is all about rose. The base is earthy, enhanced with vanilla and benzoin.

It is the proper intense version – more sensual, richer, mysterious. A great womanly scent for a date. It melts effortlessly into your skin and lasts sufficiently. Good job!

Black Opium Illicit Green Yves Saint Laurent

Floral Fruity Gourmand
Perfumer: Nathalie Lorson

Illicit Green is the newest released Black Opium from YSL. There is a new note to the group – fig together with fig leaf. Hence the name “forbidden” green.

The opening and the heart are bright floral-fruity, the scent gets its depth later from bourbon vanilla and coffee. It is similar to the original Black Opium from this line and that is why I think you probably do not need both. But if you run out of the regular Black Opium, why not give the Illicit Green flanker a try. It is slightly creamier, with a twist, not bad at all.

But anyway, it is hard to keep up with all the new releases of Black Opium. They are like fireballs. Keep your finances under control guys.

Black Opium with fig. Creamy, sweet, sensual … great but totally unnecessary?

Black Opium Extreme Yves Saint Laurent

Amber Vanilla

Black Opium Extreme is a 2021 release of Yves Saint Laurent. It is the first Black Opium from the brand that is eventually really about coffee. It looks YSL finally heart out the fragrance community rather than concentrated on pleasing the masses. This extreme version is a fine piece of work.

The perfume opens with coffee and cacao. It is rather a strong espresso than sweetened frape mochaccino frappuccino latte whatever. This espresso is softened by a dose of cacao which works together pretty nicely. The middle is a soft floral with jasmine and orange blossom. Vanilla together with patchouli at the bottom help with lasting.

We have an impressive winter night-time creation here; however, I would still expect a stronger lasting power based on the great potential of the note profile. At the end of the day, I would not be mad to have Black Opium Extreme in my perfume wardrobe.

One espresso, please. With no milk, a bit of sugar. Mysterious yet easy to talk to.

Black Opium Hair Mist Yves Saint Laurent

Amber Vanilla
Perfumer: Honorine Blanc, Marie Salamagne, Nathalie Lorson, Olivier Cresp

I enjoy the original Black Opium with the coffee note in. It is a fine sweet dirty clubbing scent. A bit too strong for my taste though. I reached for the hair mist hoping it is going to have the original DNA but would be lighter, more wearable.

I could not be more wrong! Black Opium Hair Mist is strong on coffee and orange blossom. It leaves a deep dark trail. It is not sweet as expected. I wore it at night. It was humid and hot. And it was too much! I could feel it around, not at all times but here and there. I am not saying it is bad. The scent is actually stunning. But one has to be careful! The best scenario to pull Black Opium HM off would be fall or winter night.

Perfumes work out splendidly when sprayed in hair. Nevertheless, due to the presence of alcohol in fragrances, it is not healthy for the hair. It can leave them dry, life-less. On the other hand, fragranced hair mists are ideal for this purpose. Their concentrations are carefully balanced so that the impact on our hair is none or at least very small. I need to explore the concept of hair mists more because I think the idea of protecting our hair and having options of applying products safe and sound is innovative and important.

A heavy realistic grown-up coffee hair mist that lasts and projects well through out the night. 60/100

Shrnutí v češtině: Miluju vůni čerstvě umleté kávy a tak jsem si pochopitelně oblíbila vůni Black Opium. Když vyšla v roce 2014, byla to bomba! Složka kávy v parfémech tehdy vůbec nebyla běžná, a proto se nemůžeme divit, že po ní tolik fanoušků sáhlo. Nicméně Black Opium může pro někoho být příliš intenzivní, sladká až podbízivá. Proto jsem zvolila vlasovou mlhu v domnění, že bude lehčí a přístupnější. Omyl! Vlasová mlha Black Opium je realistická těžká vůně kávy s nádechem pomerančového květu. Není sladká a zanechává po sobě temnou výraznou stopu. Nehodí se do teplého vlhkého klimatu. Rozhodně nejvíc vynikne v podzimních a zimních večerech. Něco k vlasové mlze: Mnoho z nás si stříká voňavky do vlasů. Aby taky ne, vůně se ve vlasech krásně rozvine. Bohužel to ale není zdravé. Alkohol obsažený v aromatu vlasy vysouší. Proto byla vynalezena vlasová mlha. Neobsahuje alkohol, můžeme se kochat z vůně bez obav o naše zdraví.

Mon Paris Yves Saint Laurent

Chypre Fruity
Perfumer: Dora Baghriche, Harry Fremont, Olivier Cresp

The perfume opens with a burst of juicy fruits. You sink in with sweet strawberry, raspberry and pear but also tart orange, tangerine and bergamot. The middle is purely floral picturing peony, jasmine and orange blossom. The base is earthy and dirty with patchouli, white musk, vanilla, moss and cedar. The above together create a sparkly, yummy combo yet sophisticated and mysterious.

It is the type of fragrance that is fruity sweet but still womanly and chick. Mon Paris would make an appealing signature because you can wear it all year round, during the day but is elegant enough to serve as an occasion scent too. Have you smelled anything like that before? Probably yes. It is not going to blow your mind instantly but it is pretty enough to make a statement. I am not surprised why so many fragrance fans like it.

Fruity patchouli in a bottle. A delightful tasteful grown-up sweetness. 80/100

Discovery Box: New Arrivals 2020

Find the perfect fragrance …

Idole Lancome

I was very excited to try out Idole. The notes and the flacon were just luring me in.

Photo: douglas.cz

After the trial, the first words that came to my mind were soft, comfortable, intimate, girly; by no means fresh and crispy as you can read elsewhere. I felt subtle fruits, white flowers and vanilla right away. Later on, Idole gets a little bit more powdery, rosy and sweet what I like. It is a beautiful combo: The top consists of pear and bergamot, the heart of different types of roses and jasmine, the base of white musk and vanilla.

It is quite easy for Idole to please me because I love rose fragrances. To give you an example, Chloé Roses is not too much for me. However, the rose note is not dominant in Idole; on the contrary, it is in nice harmony with the rest. It lasts about six hours on my skin, on clothes more. Idole could be a wedding scent of a young bride, softer and milkier than the original Coach or Amarige Givenchy.

Fruits, roses and vanilla in hazy doses. Nicely done, harmonic, “non-harassing” yet ultimately feminine. 80/100

My way Giorgio Armani

I thought that My Way Armani would be similar to Idole. Nope! It is indeed a very pleasant fragrance but it is competing in a different field.

Photo: douglas.cz

It is easy to wear, light yet modern and exotic. The opening is sharper, the orange blossom is dominant. The dry down is less sweet but nicely exotic and curious. The lasting power is good.

The composition is made of orange blossom and bergamot at the top, tuberose and jasmine in the heart and white musk, vanilla and cedar as a base.

Recently, I don’t wear many night scents. I tend to concentrate on the office-friendly daytimers. My way is right in this alley. Although I think that this perfume is more suitable for spring and summer, I wore it predominantly in winter and it was so fine. No compliments were coming my way. This bottle is all about feeling in your element, free and fearless. It does not aim to attract the opposite sex.

My way can be easily anybody’s favourite daytimer. Like a breath, you cannot live without or your second skin. It is that addictive! 90/100

Angel Nova Mugler

So far, Mugler house fragrances haven’t been my cup of tea. I’ve found only Womanity quite wearable. Let’s see what this Angel Nova brings to the party.

Photo: douglas.cz

The first spray feels like delicious bubblegum; however, raspberry and litchi fade away quickly and the perfume is left with rose and wood. It is definitely not sickly sweet or cloying, just heavy. Angel Nova is a Woody Floral Fruity perfume. The vibe is almost masculine. I expected a better lasting though. I wore in outside in winter and the scent was gone surprisingly soon.

Nonetheless, can we compare Angel Nova to any other female/unisex fragrance? Can we compare any other Mugler scents to anything? I don’t think so. Their uniqueness is extraordinary and so is Angel Nova.

Practical? No, pretty hard to wear but one of a kind certainly yes. 30/100

Voce Viva Valentino

Photo: douglas.cz

What you get from Voce Viva (My voice) when you first sniffing it is orange, white flowers, vanilla and wood. Although the opening is sharp and elegant due to the explosion of orange, the scent settles to a  sweet, powdery and woody smell. You can’t help the feeling that you have smelled this combination before. Maybe The One by Dolce&Gabbana? Or a bit from Decadence by Marc Jacobs? It’s pleasant, don’t get me wrong but a bit too generic. It belongs to the Floral Woody Musk perfume family but still, it does not linger to my skin. The scent was gone in a couple of hours. It is not something I would personally buy but if I got it as a gift, I could wear it to work on a daily basis to use it up.

Voce Viva is an elegant fragrance for a lady who doesn’t give a damn about the fashion and beauty industry. She has more important things to do. If she wants to dress up, she puts on a nice smelling perfume like Voce Viva and is out the door. 40/100

Libre Yves Saint Laurent

It is obvious that Libre is a heavy and musky fragrance right from the first spray. I neither detect orange nor black currant. White flowers are dominant as well as lavender. I m not a fan of lavender but it can be a hit in a nice combo. Let’s see what this Oriental Fougere brings to the table.

Photo: douglas.cz

I must admit that the first hour is almost uncomfortable with Libre but when it settles, it becomes softer, sweeter and warmer. It takes time to develop and it is definitely an interesting one. The composition is similar to funky and underground Brit Rhythm Burberry, however, Libre takes itself more seriously.

This scent sends a message to people out there. It is about a strong, courageous and powerful woman. Nonetheless, I don’t see myself finding much use of it. It is too bold for me as a daytime fragrance and too unromantic as a nighttime one.

A boss feminine, nauseating, lavender scent for women with balls. 30/100

Opium Yves Saint Laurent

Photo: http://www.theperfumeshop.com

At first, I really liked it. I thought I finally found a great fragrance for night. Something that I could pull off. The scent is enchanting, balsamic, spicy and sweet. It lasts, my goodness. Only a small amount is necessary. But then I thought hmm, is this really for me? I’m not sure yet. I just thing it’s way too strong. It would come out better in winter, I reckon. It must take a bold personality to wear Opium.

Opium is a captivating scent, something you will remember. But be careful, an overdose could be social suicide 🙂 50/100

Parisienne Yves Saint Laurent

Photo: http://www.safirperfum.ir

Mmmm, I smell fruits – berries in particular quite strongly, flowers and powder. It’s certainly sexy and romantic at the same time. There is something strange to it; something I’ve never smelled before. What is it? I looked at the notes on the internet and found that vinyl is there, right at the top. Interesting! It certainly makes the perfume unique enough to be someone’s signature. Personally, I cannot decide whether I like it or not but I do value the fact that it’s distinctive.

A sexy, romantic and timeless fragrance; but most importantly, unique. Are you up for something different? Give Parisienne a go. There won’t be any regrets for sure. 60/100

@all: Are you a Parisienne lover or hater?