YSL Opium

So, SO, SO disappointed with the new fragrance of Opium. I had no idea there was a new formulation until I opened my new bottle. It smelled so COMPLETELY different on me (even irritated my skin slightly) that I Googled 'Opium' and saw the multitudes of complaints. I too have been wearing Opium for 30 years - it's the only scent I've worn - it's 'me'. Any ideas on how to be sure the "vintage" bottles of Opium being sold on EBAY are the real thing. I'm GUTTED!

I have used Opium since 1980's and have always received compliments. My recent purchased Opium does not have the same scent, and I no longer receive compliments on how nice it smells. I've stopped wearing it because I don't like the scent when I'm wearing it. I don't even know what to replace it with, since I have not found a scent I like as well as the old Opium. PLEASE BRING IT BACK!!

Let me start by saying I have used OPIUM perfume for over 30 years and adore the scent. I have had many compliments and always purchased a new 100ml bottle each year.

I purchased a bottle recently only to find it's been reformatted due to the IFRA restrictions on spicy ingredients (eugenol and iso-eugenol). These ingredients have been removed and replaced and there is now a chemical smell to this perfume. I've also suffered with a rash on my inner wrist area where I apply the perfume. Can't confirm that the perfum is the cause but I haven't used anything else so it seems logical to assume the perfume is causing this rash.

I want others to know about this change so they can make an informed choice on whether to purchase the perfume. Had I known I wouldn't have wasted £70 on this perfume as it doesn't smell anything like the old one.

My advice would be DON'T BUY IT especially if you loved the old perfume.

2012: I've worn Opium for almost 20 years. I love it, and utter strangers compliment me on it. The change in bottle shape and format seems to coincide with a complete change in formulation. This is NOT the 'old' Opium. Top note is acrid and bitter. The top note lasts for over an hour. A nasty, unpleasant smell. As well the entire scent experience is no longer 'long-lasting'. 2 hours later - it's entirely gone. Given the 'new' smell we should be happy. I'm searching for the 'old' bottles to put in my refridgerator. I know it won't keep well, but I will never buy the new version again.

Opium perfume is a complete 3D experience, a symphony for the nose and for the brain, and is well worth the price. Don't bother with the eau de cologne though which comparatively is merely pretty and shallowly reminiscent of the real deal.

I discovered Opium in October 1977 on the day I turned 13 when my grandmother who was more suited for being my Auntie Mame gave me a bottle of the perfume for my birthday. Yes, the perfume!- tassel and all.

Opium changed me, transformed my whole world, and the way I perceived it. In Opium I discovered the scents of the whole history of the world. It sparked my love for perfumes in general, and for the art of perfumery.

Back then I wore this scent and daydreamed about adulthood, freedom, art, all the places I'd see- Cairo, Bangkok, Tahiti, Madagascar (have only seen three of the four so far.) and of all the great things I'd do, many of which I'm still working toward to this day.

I realized I was a lesbian while wearing this scent. I wore this when I first kissed my first girlfriend. I wore this on the night when we made love for the very first time. She later left me for a rich boy with a Mercedes convertible. But it was the eighties, so who could blame her? Fortunately complete heartbreak did not overpower my intense love for this scent.

No one ever had to tell me to apply it sparingly. A tiny dab between my breasts would last an entire day and night- or possibly longer except that I shower at least once a day. Opium is a powerful and long lasting fragrance- not something to bath in and constantly reapply. too much is a very bad thing.

In those days, Opium spoke to me of sophistication, faraway climes, and limitless possibilities. Today it reminds me fondly of innocence and youthful wonderment. My inner child still lives there like a genie inside that tassled bottle. I can visit her anytime I want either in that first dried up bottle my grandmother gave me which I keep, or in the new one on my dresser.

Opium does tend to smell differently on people depending on body chemistry. It smells completely different on me than on my own sister, for example. On me, it starts with bright sunshiney orange and fresh carnation that becomes intoxicating jasmine. Out of that comes the hook that wraps around the brain for me- the black pepper. That pulls me forward into something mossy, resinous and ancient that I equate with the smell of old libraries and maps directing one to an Indian bazaar. There, incense reigns, the old and very good stuff the magi bore- with spices and oh endless patchouli.

As an adult, I tend to wear Opium at night and in the autumn and winter months. As a girl and young woman, it was the only perfume I wore.

/>Opium is a striking perfume rich and heady perfect for winter nights. Smells like patchouli musk and possibly the scent of leather .

I love the so so sexy smell of Opium. When i was looking desperately for something that smacked of Oriental with a bit of spice i could not find the one until i found Opium and now i am happy.

It is warm, powdery and sensuous. Strangely, the eau de toilette seems to last longer than the eau de parfum, which I have been buying recently.Men are attracted to you whilst wearing Opium. The body cream and lotion are superb. My tip is to spray fragrance FIRST then apply the lotion or cream to "fix" the fragrance and prevent evaporation.

Don't pay shop prices! Cheapest usually online, and keep an eye on ebay for bargains.

Whenever I wear Opium it seems to make me feel very special and sexy. On special occasions when I am all dressed up and I put on Opium and I walk into a place I feel special and on top of the world. My children and grand-children recognize that it is MY perfume.