Black Opium Intense

Black Opium is a less sweet, more aromatic version of Black Opium, that much is true. The initial blast is the most avant garde part of the scent, as the absinthe translates into a double dose of alcohol, combined with the initial alcoholic blast from the fragrance composition itself. It is not unpleasant and translates into a very zesty scent. Unlike a lot of people, I smell the coffee quite clearly in this fragrance. I would not say that is it a *pure* coffee fragrance, because it is not. But the note is there and it provides a sturdy support structure (along with vanilla) for the rest of the notes. About an hour into wear and the absinthe and berries have disappeared, and the coffee, vanilla, and licorice combine to give a sweet, aromatic (almost spicy) scent. What I love about this fragrance is that though the vanilla feels spiced/aromatic, it never really veers into true "spice" territory, so I feel I can wear this fragrance in any season. I think this fragrance is more complex that people give it credit for. After all, it is a flanker and it is a flanker to an INFAMOUS party girl, sort of basic fragrance. But I think the Intense version really gives that bad girl, femme fatale vibe. It's sweet, but with a little extra something. And yet, it's not totally inappropriate for day time wear either. I really, really like this fragrance. And, not that it matters, but it's among my husband's top 3 fragrances for women that he has smelled. I hope this does not go the way of Nuit Blanche and get discontinues, because in my opinion, this is the strongest, most attractive offering from the line. From start to finish, I really enjoy my wear of this and I am never sad that I put it on. For those curious, I am an over-sprayer. I put on 5 sprays of this fragrance (one on each wrist, one on each side of my neck, and the back of my neck), and I get overnight longevity out of it. I think during day-to-day activities, where this skin is more warmed and the oil will disappear faster, I am anticipating about 6-8 hours of realistic wear. I'm happy to have this as a part of my collection :)

YSL Black Opium Intense edp: I Actually Couldn't Wait To Get My Hands On This New Black Opium Fragrance!! & I Sure Wasn't One Bit Disappointed Either!! Firstly The Bottle Is Absolutely Stunning Set In A Dark Blue Glass Bottle With Inlayed Silver Sparkle Which Deffo Reminds Me Of A Cloudless Cold Clear Night & Standing Gazing Up At The Twinkling Star's!! As Some Other Person Asked "Why Did YSL Not Call This New Release "Black Opium Nuit"? As Personally I Think It's More Suited To Evening Use!! Although This Follows On From Where The Original Black Opium Left Off,You Deffo Can Smell That Black Coffee Note In It's Heart!! This Time Around In This Version YSL Have Added Blue Absinthe & Boysenberry & That's Why The Glass Bottle Is Done In This Fetching Dark Blue Colour!! I Think It's The Blue Absinthe & Boysenberry That Gives This Fragrance A Unique Twist On The Original As This One Adds A More Medicinal Note That Others Have Picked Up On & Maybe Dislike!! Personally I Love It As It Gives This New Black Opium A Minty/Menthol Kind Of Opening to it!! The Heart Notes Then Kick In After About 30mins & I Can Deffo Pick Up The Sambac Jasmine,Orange Blossom & Strong Fresh Black Coffee Note!! The Base Has Sandalwood,Liquorice & A Raw Vanilla Aroma Followed By The Most Beautiful Soft Spice Aroma For A Different Twist On It!! Personally I Find This Version Not As Sugary Sweet As The Original & Very Different With The Added Blue Absinthe/Boysenberry,Liquorice & Raw Vanilla Note!! I Also Find The Longtitivity To Be Excellent At Around 16+ Hours!! Have Already Wore This Stunning Beauty Twice Now & Received Really Lovely Compliments From Family Members To Total Stranger's!! But As Myself & Other's On Here Have Said The Name Intense Does Absolutely Nothing For This Stunning New Fragrance!! & YSL Should Have Deffo Called It Simply "Black Opium Nuit" When Daylight Ends Let New "Black Opium Nuit" Take You Out Dancing For Hours!! So Yes All In All It's Deffo All In A Perfumes Name!!

I received a sample of this perfume with an order. It sat in my sample bin for over a year. When I received a second sample, I decided to give it a try. I already had the original Black Opium and the Black Opium Nuit Blanche. I sprayed a tiny bit of the sample on me, my grandson and a cotton pad. I wasn't very impressed. The next day I kept getting a whiff of a pretty, sweet smell and I didn't know where it was coming from. I realized that the cotton pad where I sprayed the Intense was source. Two days later, I could still smell the fragrance. I decided to try it again. What I realized is that this particular flanker is very sensitive. Wearing it after bathing with two different soaps result in two very distinct scents. How well my skin is moisturized greatly affects the longevity. The fabric type of the clothes I'm wearing also affects the scent. That issue isn't as prominent with the other two Black Opium products that I was currently using, probably because both Black Opium and Black Opium Nuit Blanche are more dominant fragrances. Bottom line is that I ended up purchasing a full-sized bottle. The first spray is a little bit overwhelming, and to me, not very pleasant. However, the scent totally changes as it dries down. It becomes a sweet, more feminine fragrance. I like the sweetness. This BO is very long lasting on me (as long as my skin is moisturized) and the scent gets better with time. I spray my perfume on my skin, yet the fragrance lingered for a week on a shirt that I wore. It isn't as seductive as the Black Opium Nuit Blanche, nor as heavy as the original Black Opium, but it's good in it's own right. I like it, but it's not on the same level as the two versions I already own.

The Blue Fairy Black Opium Am I dreaming? I’m lost in a twilight forest when I come upon a clearing under a big leaf maple tree. Nestled beside gnarled roots lies a wooden bowl that looks to be filled with berries soaked in some type of liquid. I bend down and take a sniff, and the unmistakable scent of absinthe fills my nose. “But it’s blue...” I think. This has the unmistakable look of an offering, but I’ve been wandering for so long and I’m so hungry. Before I can stop, I’ve greedily stuffed berries in my mouth. Boozy and ripe, the juices escape greedy lips and travel down my chin. Immediately I feel guilty. But also? I feel strange. Fireflies have come to gather beneath the tree, as well. As I watch, their light coalesces and a blue tinkerfairy steps forth. It’s immediately clear she’s not happy. Hot and fast her words burst forth. I don’t understand them, but one thing is clear. I shouldn’t be here. She takes my hand. “Am I small?” No answer comes, as we walk beneath a now terrifyingly large canopy. After some time we came to a garden. Monstrous pale blooms glow in the moonlight. She leads me to a viewpoint. Far in the distance, the orange glow of dawn is breaking on the horizon, a thin golden band topped with sparkle-star studded blue black night. As I take in the beauty of dawn, the blue fairy tips her hand into the milky nectar of the night bloom, and motions me to do the same. We sit together and sip the morning sap of poison flowers, and slowly, the world comes into focus. I realize I’m not lost any longer. And the blue fairy? She’s gone.

Interesting complexity of this. It can get too cloying if you spray too much. I like original EDP too. Intense is smoother, less fresh, and confusing in a good way. I am intrigued by these blue fruity notes that make it swap between blue koolaid, blueberries, cake, touch of play-doh and a sweet cappuccino. Sadly the play-doh lingers on me a tad. The bottle is beautiful and almost cosmic. I loved this more at first, but I'm probably more of an original EDP gal. The original EDP seems fresher, lighter, and a tad sharper but not in a bad way. Count me fascinated! Edit 3/19/22: I was crazy for doubting this before. I love it now and am so sad it'll be discontinued. It is a bit powdery, but not in a bad or overly mature way. It's a deeper, coffee version of what I wanted Lince by Tiziana Terenzi to be. It has less coffee and is less earthy than Illicit Green IMO, and it has a higher sweetness for a flanker, rivaling Nuit Blanche in spiciness and sweetness. But Intense is deep, dark, and mysterious. Like a chocolate chip cookie, it has the vanilla base and "interesting" morsels inbetween. It's another weird flanker of BO, which I like. A win in my book <3