Sweet Morphine

This is one of the perfumes here that makes me excited to read the reviews. Sweet Morphine seems to evoke the poetic, and the very personal in reviewers here. The reactions are so extreme, they tell me Sweet Morphine is a masterpiece. Unfortunately for me, my nose tells me it's a masterpiece, too. I would splurge happily on a bottle, as a special treat, if this cost $100 less...but, this is tempting me to splurge unhappily on a bottle of this...because I'll be haunted by Sweet Morphine if I don't buy it! I have a sample of Sweet Morphine that I'm savoring. I find the longevity to be quite good, but it's difficult to tell, because I'm using such small amounts, due to having only 1.5 ml to test with. As another reviewer mentioned, I have noticed a "baby wipes" aroma a couple of times, right upon application. I almost wish it retained this smell, because I definitely do not want to smell like a diaper change. But, no, that smells disappears as soon as this melds with my skin, and my skin seems to mock my initial impression. My skin sends me a fragrance of a unique balmy, slightly syrupy floral...I think, "What IS that note?" I needed the word association from the given notes to recognize the lilac, because I haven't smelled actual lilac in decades. Sweet Morphine does not have the bright, fresh "purple" lilac of, say, Pacifica's French Lilac. Sweet Morphine reminds me quite a lot of what I think of as the "pinkish-blue" lilac in my beloved En Passant. Sweet Morphine has a lilac note, but it's not a lilac scent. I can't imagine anyone smelling me thinking I smell like a garden from childhood. The pink-blue lilac floats on a cloud of cream, yet it's surrounded by a paradoxical lightweight dark vanilla. It's sexy because it's different. There is not a single "department store" or "designer" fragrance that smells anything like this. Like En Passant smells like En Passant and nothing else, Sweet Morphine is its own singular self. I LOVE the name "Sweet Morphine". It opens up so many opportunities for interpretation. It's unlike the self-fulfilling "Hypnotic Poison", nor does it tell you what you should expect, like "Totally White", or "Benevolence". It leaves the imagination boggled...does it smell literally like Morphine? Is it supposed to connote the effect of opiates? Is it calming? Is it a response to rampant opiod abuse? Is it supposed to be cheeky and rebellious like "I Am Trash" or "Fat Electrician"? In my case, the "morphine" part means "highly addictive". This is a scent I crave. It makes me react.It's unique, unusual, unmistakable, and slightly mysterious. It creates a mood. It makes me notice the details in my surroundings. It's one of the perfumes the reminds me why I am so in love with fragrance.

Archivist-I don't think the acetone smell is necessarily indicative of an old bottle because I get it in the opening as well. That said, I've also had issues with non-manufacturer samples so who knows? But I digress. So yes, Sweet Morphine opens with a blast of "scented nail polish remover" smell, which I actually don't hate, if mainly for nostalgic reasons. Within a few minutes, the lilac really starts to come through for me and then is softened by the mimosa (a note I LOVE). I like it a lot more as a perfume in its own right at this point, but the magic hasn't arrived yet. After 3 or so hours, all the notes soften until you can't really tell them apart, and it becomes simultaneously one of the coolest/iciest fragrabces I've ever smelled, while paradoxically remaining warm. I've gotten that effect only from FM L'eau d'Hiver and SL Tubereuse Criminelle, but both are still far warmer than Sweet Morphine. It's like warm soft flowers, but frozen over. There's nothing aquatic or mentholated or green though, it's just refreshing and cold, somehow. It's very interesting coupled with the name, because morphine is generally associated with warmth (take a look at YSL Opium for example) but if you've ever had a serious enough injury to get intravenous morphine at the hospital (or if you're experienced in that way otherwise, lol) then you'd know that when that shot hits, the initial rush is actually a very cool if almost icy feeling that simultaneously feels warm, tingly, and calming-exactly how this smells. This perfumes coolness also has an almost clinical quality to it, adding to the parallel. If YSL's Opium perfectly captures the scent, feel, and experience of smoked opium, then Sweet Morphine is a perfect replication on par with YSL of clinical IV morphine. I'll be honest, it was the name (as well as the stunning pink bottle) that caught my attention. I was curious if "Sweet Morphine" was just a gimmick to add some edge, or if this fragrance actually had anything to do with morphine. Well, this sure is no gimmick. Take it from a reckless athlete who has broken many bones and been attached to many subsequent morphine drips. At the dry down, it reminds me so much of morphine that it's my perfect scent to just chill/not have a care in the world, and spend a nice quiet evening with tea and people and animals I love. Good stuff.

Wow! Soft, fresh florals are not usually my type but this actually kind of blows my mind! I guess I shouldn't be too surprised though, since the five most-votes notes (lilac, mimosa, heliotrope, iris, vanilla) are among my all-time favorite notes, but still, I tend towards gourmands and orientals, even chypres. Florals can be perfectly nice but usually don't wow me like this does. Now, as a few others have mentioned, the opening does kind of remind me *just a tad* of nail polish remover, but strangely enough that does not take away from the enjoyability for me. Instead, this strange but frankly fun little accord just makes Sweet Morphine all the more unique. And unique it is, it's actually unlike anything I've ever smelled, yet is oddly reminiscent of something very familiar at the same time. Not a perfume, but maybe a divinely scented face cream? But the best, and I mean BEST part is without a doubt the drydown and the scent that lingers on your clothes. Spray this on your skin AND clothes! Trust me. It's hard the explain, but it's the softest, freshest, most wonderful trail I've ever smelled the day after spraying it and this stuff is loooong lasting so you will smell it the next day, and you won't have to sniff your clothes directly, it will still waft from them nicely a good 24 hours later. Many times after wearing this I've wondered what that divine smell I was catching whiffs of was, and it was always this. Aside from the scent, I really love everything else about this perfume too. The bottle is gorgeous, especially the hot pink color of the juice. It literally looks like a gem. And the name is fitting too, because this has a sort of cold, sterile air to it dueling with a soft sensual warmth that actually does remind me of being at the hospital with a morphine drip. Which sounds really weird, but it's actually strangely pleasant-kind of like being on a morphine drip at the hospital lol. This one is now a beautiful member of my favorites shelf and one of my most worn fragrances. It's suitable for all types of weather and all occasions. One of a kind; easy to love yet hard to put a finger on. I will be trying more of Ex Nihilo's fragrances thanks to this gem. Floral haters, do not be scared. Everyone should try this.

First test....hmm, I like it Second test....oh wow, this is realllly nice Third... this is love. *swoon* I'm afraid of a fourth wearing, I may not survive this composition ;) It's a scent both new to me and familiar at the same time. I don't think the familiarity is anything I ever wore, so I don't understand the memory tug, but I feel it. It carries quite the affective punch for me, fortunately it's a gentle delivery. On my skin, it becomes stronger (not too strong) as it develops from top to heart, not the reverse. Sweet Morphine is not new or innovative. It's not a challenge. It was, however, nearly perfection on the windy day I wore it. I think it might be easier for me to talk about what I didn't find in Sweet Morphine. There's not a single floral note that stands out as dominant to my nose. Not the lilac on top or the heliotrope holding the base. The heart is a floral who's who, listing mimosa, iris and rose. but it's the blend that's the standout. I don't find it exceptionally powdery either. The powder is what I was seeking when I tested it. There's just enough to detect but it's not the defining accord to my nose, despite the votes to the contrary. Sweet? From the vanilla and an unlisted cherry or raspberry I think, but not so much so that sweet warrants a place of honor in the name. So what did I find in this composition??? Something lovely and right for me. Will Sweet Morphine take away my pain? Nope, but it will take away my money some day soon :)

Sweet heaven. I have been looking for a wearable fragrance that can work both day and night, that can be worn daily and is different enough to be memorable and I believe I have found it. I received this as a sample with a Lucky Scent order and was hesitant to even open it because of the name. "Sweet Morphine". I don't like sweet fragrances as they tend to be cloying and give me headaches. This fragrance is so far from what I would typically categorize as sweet. I also have never been terribly fond of lilac scents but this perfume is composed so well. It is very hard for me to find scents that don't bother me at some point as they open up and dry down but this one is gorgeous from application to end and is complex in it does change character. It is both soft and deep at the same time. This is a sophisticated fragrance but is not a big, bold matriarch of a scent. Simply gorgeous. The only negative is it doesn't last very long on me but that's typical of most scents I wear so will most likely purchase a bottle anyway.