Opium pour Homme (1995)
by Yves Saint Laurent

So, when are they going to come out with L'air du Temps for men?

Well, graded on a curve this is ahead of M7 and PI and Raw Vanilla but far behind other Orientals , such as Signature by St. Dupont, Bulgari Black and--oh, too many to mention.

An ok wood/pepper--or is it tobacco?--accord keeps it from being too cloying. but 'nice' is about all one can say of this one; unlike its great namesake for the ladies.

Oh dear. I imagine this is what Norman Bates would wear, while playing with dead things in the attic.

Yves St. Laurent Opium pour Homme.

I used to love wearing this out to bars and clubs in the 90's and it was very often my preferred scent for those nights.
What I loved about it was the spicy and sweet mix that was like nothing else I owned at the time. The pepper note in the heart was always a favorite and once it would settle into the vanilla and cedar at the base it would be the olfactory soundtrack to the end of a fun-filled evening.
What Basenotes has helped with is my appreciation of the top of this fragrance. I don't remeber ever noticing the currant, at the top, cut ever so slightly by the anise. Now, these notes blossom right away and then fade into the spicy, hot heart of this that I still enjoy. I remember the base being more vanilla laden in my younger days but lately it is the cedar that dominates with the vanilla playing a supporting role and thus making it less sweet than I remembered. Either way this scent is still a favorite and while I have come to discover others with this spicy heart I like more (Ormonde Jayne Man, Patour pour Homme) this will be a baseline scent for me.

Opiates by nature are highly addictive, but this was an exception.An excessive number of components were vying for control from the outset, and the sense of imbalance remained through the drydown. It would be unjust to suggest that Opium was completely unwearable, but it seemed jarring to co-exist with it..This was rich, floral and doused in a blizzard of booze. The top and middle notes produced a cacophony that I will happily never have to endure again.

let me begin by stating that I really tried to like this one. and while reviewers often say that and I'm sure you're tired of hearing it by now, it's true! I really took into account the positive reviews on this one!

however, when I tried it on myself, it just didn't work on me. when I first sprayed it on, it was kinda sweet, and I thought "meh, it's ok" and would save my thoughts for when it started drying down. and boy oh boy, was the dry-down horrendous.

it gnawed at me....a really gnawing, cloying STRONG fragrance. oriental is right, it smells just like the sauce they put on sesame chicken! too sweet, also! it gave me one hell of a headache, and the worst part was that I had this experience at the mall! I certainly got reactions. people giving me weird looks, ha.

bottom line: didn't work for me. definitely try before you buy. and DEFINITELY don't blind buy.

This was the very first cologne I ever owned. My freshman year in high school was when I first tried it on and I loved every moment of it! All the females in class were blown away by this scent. The fellas on the other hand despised it, but had to concede that I stepped my game up excellently! A great all-around fragrance for home, office, school, and even the lounge. The key: wear it in small amounts on your pressure points(neck, wrists, etc.) and allow it to dry before you dress. You will get double-takes all day.