Belle d'Opium

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. EDIT: 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.

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.

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 :)

By now, everything else has been said about Belle d'Opium. The smoke, the fruity notes, narcotic flowers - it's all in these perfectly detailed comments below. What I, myself, must share is this overwhelming nostalgia that just rushed over me. In the evening two spritzes of Belle, one in each wrist, and then. Then. Memories so vivid they hurt. It was winter, there was snow, evenings were dark, just dark. I had nightmares of forests I couldn't find my way out of - frequently. Cold, but there was a bonfire burning somewhere close by... if only I could get there. It was a dark phase in my life, not a period. I found my light soon enough, but for a while there I had no idea which way to go. But wearing Belle, I felt safe. Like I might have been in the dark, but would eventually be okay. I was strong and I had a purpose even if I couldn't quite grasp it yet. I was on the verge of finding out something great, nonetheless. I was a different person then, and now is now, but I do remember that time well. Wearing Belle now, I am overwhelmed both by the power of the perfume and the power of memories of a time that wasn't good but still makes a great memory. Because I was strong and I had a purpose and sometimes that is more meaningful than all encompassing happiness. Nostalgic and poetic, strong and powerful (the final form of beauty), above all else purposeful, that is Belle. And always way ahead of its time, offering you a glimpse into this... greater truth, whatever may that be for you.

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!