Opium Eau de Toilette 2009

Luca Turin gave OG Opium a five-star masterpiece review with the nominal description of “Spice King” and called it “unquestionably one of the greatest fragrances of all time”. That review was in 2008, prior to this 2009 reformulation about which there are more complaints than praise. Let’s just get it out of the way: yes, yes, of course it’s not like the original, nothing from decades ago ever is, and so say we all. But for a bright aromatic spicy myrrh-carnation-centric oriental, it’s pretty damn good. This lives in my top 5 and is easily the longest lasting perfume in my entire wardrobe. Aside: if you take the EDT and add a spritz of Estée Lauder’s Youth-Dew, that comes close to the OG Opium of my 1980s olfactory memory. There are always layers you can add to fill in remembered olfactory gaps but not everyone likes to do that. Turin has a couple points about OG Opium: (1) it was made with drydown materials so didn’t have an arc of progression and (2) “Opium said one thing and one thing only, with tremendous force. While this was the most cogent statement ever made by balsams, one does tire of it. “ Does one? He wrote that in 2008, and this reformulation, I believe, addresses his complaint. There is a progression. A very very slow evolution, to be sure, but that’s what makes it brilliant. It takes time. I’ve put drops of Opium on cotton for my scent pendant and can still smell it weeks, possibly even months, later, just slightly changed. The progression of Opium is more like the grinding and erosion of tectonic plates than the evaporation of volatile aromatic compounds. There is far more going on in this scent than the 3/3/3 structure would indicate. There is spice and floral and citrus and balsam and a constant interplay between bright and dark. Myrrh is a complex accord on its own, and this one has been fashioned with loving spicy care. The more I smell other myrrh fragrances—and I have Opium Legendes de Chine, which is almost entirely a myrrh accord—the more I come back to this bright-dark scent. Compared to the more powdery balsamic EDP, the EDT has more tart spiciness and the citrus top stands out in contrast to the darker notes. That contrast is exactly what I prefer in a perfume. Van Gogh painted with colour oppositions, grunge music works based on a whisper to scream auditory surprise, and black and white is such a sartorial basic that even infants are drawn to it. Renaissance painters call it chiaroscuro; it’s the realization that we can only recognize light when there is shadow. I have tried to find similar perfumes with the same myrrh and spice and citrus-floral contrast. I finally just surrendered because there is nothing like Opium, past or present. It’s a solid love and I keep coming back to it year after year, decade after decade, especially when that ominous phrase — “Winter is coming” — crosses my mind.

OPIUM EDT: In this reformulated version launched in 2009 I can clearly detect the Opium DNA, however in my opinion, they are only reminiscent of the Original OPIUM from 1977. Now, the similarity of OPIUM and Opium Edt is not only in the spicy sweetness but in the structure of the perfume. Some notes such as plum, clove, peach, laudanum, coconut and the animalic power of ambergris were removed from the current formula. And despite being slightly similar to the original fragrance, little by little it is possible to perceive the hereditary connection between the two. EDT opens in a brilliant symphony of fresh, green, effervescent, somewhat citrusy and slightly soapy notes of lily of the valley, quickly merging into a somewhat spicy and floral balsamic heart. As time passes, the fragrance settles, the smells with soapy and creamy nuances persist throughout the life of the perfume, intertwining with incense, and despite the aromatic softness it continues to maintain good intensity. As in the original structure, here too everything is harmoniously rounded by two main notes: opoponax also known as "sweet myrrh" with an amber-vanilla-balsamic scent profile and especially Myrrh (balsamic, warm, spicy- aromatic and sweet) that envelop and soften the bouquet of creamy and intense jasmine and carnations in amber, incensed accords, intertwined with vanilla notes (vanilla and benzoin), sweetening the entire composition and adding aromatic richness to it. The woody and earthy notes of patchouli and vetiver move alongside the amber and always smoky accords, presented in just the right measure. Imparting refinement, depth and beauty to the drydown. Despite the reformulations OPIUM EDT is technically still a good Perfume, perfectly orchestrated and balanced. The smell of Luxury and Extreme Elegance remains. An absolutely intoxicating perfume! The substantivity on my skin reaches 10/11 hours. The latter close to the skin. With moderate to mild diffusion and sillage.

I recently got the Opium EDP and became completely addicted (I have written about this at the Opium EDP page). Shortly thereafter I just had to buy the "new" Opium EDT as well, getting it at a good price in the holiday sales. I also own an older Opium EDT (in the bottle with the rounded golden cap), which was the incentive for me to test these newer versions. Both the "new" EDP and EDT are quite far scent wise from my older EDT (they share the strength though), but each is excellent on its own. I think the new EDT comes closer to my old EDT: they both have that dryness about them; the incense, and the spiciness. The new EDT additionally kicks off with citrus and an alcohol vibe that is neither in the older EDT nor the new EDP. It also lets the white flowers shine through more clearly. To me the new EDT seems more complex and mature compared with the EDP, but less resinous, less sweet, not so ambery, and not as cosy. Almost as if the EDP is a rawer and less refined version of the EDT, although more fun with its Coca-Cola and cinnamon-buzz opening and adding depth where the EDT is all breadth. As someone else has mentioned, you don't necessarily need both the new EDT and EDP, they are quite similar anyway, but I will enjoy and wear them at different occasions, and in different moods.

I am so in love with Opium eau de toilette! It's just stunningly gorgeous and classic. Now that fall is drawing nearer by the second, I am craving this so badly! Upon the first spray, I receive the intoxicating mix of carnation, myrrh, incense, and a beautiful powdery vanilla on the dry down. This toilette lasts as if it were an EDP! It can be worn by anyone/age/sex/gender, and honestly, it is far more interesting and alluring than most of the more "now"/"modern" scents I have come across thus far. I own the EDP right now and with my purchase, received a few samples from the store's Opium tester bottle which is the toilette, and I can't get enough and will probably be back to purchase the EDT next so that I can have both in my rotation to wear for different times of the day, occasions,etc. but they also mix beautifully and create a memorable trail. When wearing the EDT to work with just a few sprays, I have already received many compliments from coworkers who are my age, so in their mid thirties as well as complete strangers chasing me through the grocery store to ask "what beautiful fragrance are you wearing?". Opium makes me feel confident, warm, alluring, and mysterious. It is a true masterpeice, and I am grateful they still have it on the market.

Opium’s warm, resinous spiciness is, without question, its dominant accord for at least the first couple of hours. It's a type of spiciness that is both sharp and broad: a punch to the nose, unapologetic and smoldering hot. But Opium also has a luxurious underlying base of amber, sweet florals, and vanilla, which round the fragrance out beautifully, grounding that potent spiciness and adding depth and breadth to the composition. Without enough sweetness, Opium could've easily been a shrieking nose-deafener, while, with too much sweetness it could've become cloying and syrupy. But the balance here is just right, in my opinion, creating a gorgeous combination of brash elegance and warm coziness. Glamor and languor. After a couple of hours, Opium mellows considerably. The amber and vanilla become prominent, while the spice and florals keep the composition warm and lush. Opium is a sexy fragrance in a very timeless sense. It’s passionate and sensual, yet it caters to no one but the wearer. It’s sexy like a tall, beautiful, dark-haired woman who builds a fire in the hearth and sits beside it naked, enjoying the heat, with no one else around. Ask me any day of the week and Opium will always be in my top three.