Belle d'Opium

I don't really like the basic Opium nor floral-first scents usually, but this is really beautiful! Love it! Coming here because I got an old sample from a neighbour who found out I was into scents, and only discovering now that it's been discontinued. That's a shame!

Out of all the Opium perfumes, this is my favourite. One of the nicest tobacco scents out there for a woman. Love it.

How could such a masterpiece be discontinued? I guess it wasn't marketed enough. It's the only Opium that I like. Alberto Morillas in my opinion is the best perfumer, I have so many of his perfumes in my collection.

I found a sleeve of samples around 2013 at Goodwill. I loved Opium back in the late 80's. I was hoping it would smell something like the original but nothing close. I couldn't believe how bad it was, just a mess of muddy base notes. Sharp in a blunt way. And each one of the samples sadly the same. Well, after all these years of sitting in a box I tried one of the samples and now it smells like a perfume, still strong but now wearable for me. Now some separation and dynamics. Hard to describe...kind of an inky fruit on the top, little bit of a citrus middle, then the heaviest amber incense. I'll need to layer it with something to thin it out / lift it up. Though it is fitting this chilly desert night. I wouldn't wear it in the daytime, nothing office safe or cozy. But it's holding its own next to the fire pit, so I'll hang on to a few and sell the others so someone can experience it also.

Just bought this from my local perfume shop that known for its vintage perfume collections. I have Opium EDT 2009 version and Opium Vapeurs de Parfum in my collection, so when I saw Belle D'Opium being forgotten and placed on the back of the shelf, I immediately bought it. It is a beautiful fruity-patchouli combo, but somehow it reminds me of Katy Perry Killer Queen due to some similar ingredients. They both have fruity notes, jasmine and patchouli. I know some people would say it's not similar, but for me personally, it smells really similar. At least on my body chemistry. I tested them on my wrists, and they smell pretty similar. The only difference between the two is Belle D'Opium turns into a sheer smoky incense scent, while Killer Queen turns into a praline-y scent. On the contrary, I also tested Belle D'Opium on my clothes and it smells different. The tobacco is more noticeable along with the spiciness before turning into amber-y scent. I hope the spicy tobacco phase would last longer. Do I love the scent though? Absolutely. I've been through fruity-patchouli combo perfumes, and I love them all. So sad that YSL choose to discontinue this beautiful creation.

I remembered being obsessed with this when I smelled it on a strip in Vogue in high school. I then researched it and realized it was supposed to be a modern flanker for Opium and got so annoyed when Black Opium was released instead and took over since it had no connection to the original. I just ordered a sample of this 15 years later and it definitely still feels more connected to the original and has a really nice tobacco, incense and white floral that modernize it. However, after reading the comments I now also see the nail polish remover comparison unfortunately lol but this still feel like a modern version of the original with a bit of Lovely Patchouli in there as well so I definitely appreciate it for that!

Finally I could smell this modern "unicorn", it was a forgotten dusty single box lying behind all of the Black Opiums at the perfumery. The plastic wrap had been opened at some time so I got to test it (on skin): it was very different from what I was expecting. I didn't smell any white florals, but instead a blast of peppery ripe fruits, very sour, almost rotten. The drydown was far better, a velvety, sweet patchouli and amber. Moderate longevity and strong projection the first couple of hours.

La prima volta che lo ho provato, nel 2010, non mi aveva colpito minimamente. Successivamente mi piaceva abbastanza, la parte iniziale non era particolarmente piacevole, odora di petrolio,di qualcosa di confuso e blu. Però si dissipa rapidamente e viene fuori un mix dolce e alttrettanto confuso di fiori e frutta non ben identificabile. Passata questa confusione della multiforme nota di testa, arriva un cuore finalmente decente; incenso bianco fumante,pepe bianco e tabacco. Questa nota fumosa dura a lungo, ed è molto bella. Quando si dissolve si passa al fondo, la scia è fruttata, forse troppo,e non particolamente interessante. La sua resa dipende da giorni: a volte mi piace molto, soprattutto quando esala l'incenso bianco e quelle note di pepe sensuali. Altri giorni è troppo fruttato.

I got a sample because of all the positive reviews on here. I know many people love this so I’ll try to not be too negative. I don’t know if the sample is off or if it just doesn’t work with my chemistry, but all I can smell is finger nail polish remover patchouli. I do like patchouli, but not when it’s the only note I can smell and it’s overbearing. Not blind buy safe. Interesting that the review below compared it to Badee Al Oud Amethyst. I haven’t tried it on my skin, but I didn’t care for that one either.

@For the love of: I recently smelled Bade'e Al Oud Amethyst by Lataffa (the dark blue bottle) and it's pretty much along the same lines. Not a dupe, but it strongly reminded me of Belle d' Opium. In fact, I tried it on at the perfume store and I immediately thought about it, and then I got home and my boyfriend smelled it on me and said "hey, I know this perfume!", because I own a bottle of Belle. So Bade reminded us both of Belle!

Wish I could still get this fragrance. The flavours were really my vibe. Please some one recommended a alternative please

Try Roohy Tehbak by Rasasi. Prety close alternative if you cannot find the OG

This is my favourite perfume of all time; discontinued much too soon! I have grown a stupidly and unnecessarily large perfume collection as a result of trying to find anything similar that is also still on the market or something that is as intoxicating, sensual and playful that I like equally. No luck. Warm spicy flowers on a bed of sweet deep vanillary smoke. *sigh*. I wore this when I was 21 and never thought of it as mature, though I wasn't - and still am not - super girly, innocent or ultra-feminine, and so I only found it irresistibly sexy and loved it that way. It lasted all evening, all night and into the morning on me. It was a perfect day-to-night scent with the dry down being the most sultry and delicious. Beats any niche perfume today. Clearly, I am in love with this creation and still upset about its discontinuation almost 10 years later. So I'm here looking up favourite perfumes of other disappointed super-fans of this masterpiece to try to end this endless search for a replacement 😢

I love how Belle d'Opium smells but unfortunately it does not last very long on my skin. I am mad about the longevity and the sillage. I expected a lot more coming from 'a flanker' of THE Opium...but maybe YSL should have just created a new perfume for this one. It's a nostalgic, smoky jasmine and I like wearing it on rainy and moody days because I feel like that's the vibe. It's vintage in a good way, like searching for a classic vinyl in a London store. Smells niche, expensive, I feel like this is how 'Jasmine et Cigarette' should smell like. To make it stronger, I layer it with Magie Noire and the result is quite interesting and powerful.

Love and heartbreak. How can they stop producing something so beautiful as the Belle Opium? I'm lucky to have one bottle in my collection. Can't forget the first time I tried this and how much I fell in love with it instantly on a duty free store, just when I was bored waiting my flight and trying to pass the time. I regret not buying it back then at that instance cos it took me so long to find it again. I like this smoky but jasmine forward vibe more in the summer even though I know in its DNA it's a winter fragrance. Brat summer vibes come alive with such dense perfumes in the heat lol.

I did my first review years ago, when I first blind bought it at 28. I still keep half the bottle because I absolutely loved it but I didn't think it was for me. It's a UNIQUE perfume, it smells like no other I've ever smelled before. To me it's a blend of incense, gardenia and casablanca lily. Yesterday, at 34, I was showing my collection of perfumes to my bf and he loved this one, which came as a surprise because I thought he would brush it off as "old person's perfume" (because it does smell mature imo). But there's the beauty of it, it's mature, opulent, well-rounded, but not " old smelling". My bottle has settled after years now and the scent became richer. In my mind, I picture a woman shaman wearing it (probably due to the incense note); a mystical, feminine, mysterious woman. I don't think this is a perfume for the masses, as not everyone would be able to appreciate it. It's not fruity, not "girly", not popular: it's premium, unique, sensual and memorable. I'm glad I never got rid of the bottle.

Just added a vintage bottle of this to my collection. This is an absolutely stunning perfume for a grown up. I guess this would be considered a woody floral fruitchouli in the vein of Coco Mademoiselle which I personally find screechy and not well blended. This should never have been discontinued in my opinion. Happy to have it, and will wear it with joy.

Belle d' Opium could have been called something else without using the name Opium. And if it had been, it would have saved many people from confusion and disappointment. How to describe it? As a patchouli floral? The description would not be complete. However, reading the reviews before purchasing it blind, I could not imagine what to expect from it. It starts floral, but the 3 flowers listed cannot be distinguished separately. The patchouli in this composition is a camphorated patchouli, like I have never encountered before and which adds ice needles to the white petals, making them shine like diamonds. I do not find amber, vanilla or peach here. Maybe they would not have fit. But the white pepper, with its dry smell and the incense completing the profile of a unique perfume, and fit perfectly. It remains linear, somehow constant in intensity, as the hours pass. Clearly, it's the Snow Queen's perfume!!! In her palace, she has collected several bottles in which the Aurora Borealis is supposedly enclosed, so that she wouldn't be left without it in case of discontinuation.

smells like an extremly attractive confident woman who can ruin your life, extremly long lasting however can be confused to a man cologne

Beautiful! Masterpiece! Niche quality. Bring it back!!!!! This one, Sensuous Noir from Estée Lauder and L. I. L. Y from Stella McCartney are my all time favorites,and all shares a nice woody base, which leans a bit masculine, and which I adore.

This scent would blow out the market if it was presented in a niche bottle at 300+ bucks today. But imagine, this was presented by a designer brand years back. Imagine how lucky we were. That's all I'm going to say about Belle d'Opium.

The first two times I used this perfume, after the great joy of finding it in a small perfume store knowing that it was discontinued, I began to doubt whether it had been a good purchase. I even considered selling it. Neither its sillage nor its duration, which I usually give a lot of importance to, seemed satisfactory to me. But luckily, before selling it, I spoke with a good friend who told me that I had to try to enjoy the perfume for what it was. And that changed the way I felt about it. I changed my mind because it is an intoxicating perfume of amber, tobacco and incense that makes me feel comforted and elegant. And that feeling... it doesn't matter how long it lasts because it is unique in my perfume collection and I love it. Of course, it is a shame that its scent is not longer lasting because it is a seductive perfume that would be perfect for an event or to use on nights out if it were not for the fact that it will probably disappear too soon. On my skin it has a moderate to soft sillage and lasts about 3-4 hours. Personally, I enjoy it on short dinner outings or when I feel like having a special moment to myself after a long day when I get home. I would not buy it again but it has not left me indifferent and it will have a memorable stay in my collection due to its very special smell. I hope over time to find something similar that is more projective and durable. Smell 8/10 Duration 3.5/10 Sillage 5.5/10 Quality/price 4/10 Versatility 4/10 Packaging 8/10 Would I buy again? No

Not my kind of scent, but it is nice. Strong.

Belle d'opium è stato il primo tentativo di rimpiazzare il vecchio Opium,infatti è comparso nel 2010,un anno dopo la riformulazione e il cambio totale di Opium. Io lo ho sempre visto come un profumo a se stante,non un ripiego. Lo stile è completamente moderno,frutti opulenti,patchouli vanigliato,ma il cuore è veramente stupendo,fumoso di incenso e pepe bianco percepibili a lungo sulla pelle,ancor più dei fiori elencati che non riesco a decifrare. Ma non importa. Il profumo deve essere visto come il risultato di un insieme di odori che collaborano come un orchestra e non come singole note. Belle d'opium è stato a sua volta sostituito da black Opium anche se questo è molto più fine e molto più affascinante,ma io sento che ne condivide molto,la base è la solita. È ormai fuori produzione da un decennio ma se ne parla ancora. A me piace,da indossare ogni tanto specie in autunno e inverno.

LIKE MIDNIGHT DIOR

Dark fruits, smoky incense, creamy liqueur base. Quite sexy, would be a perfect date night perfume imo. Not really entirely in the femme fatale character - sultry and mysterious but still approachable enough to keep others leaning in. Drydown oddly gives me vibes similar to Guerlain's La Petite Robe Noire although it doesn't share any of its cherry/licorice notes. I've got a decant of this and wouldn't mind sparing a pretty penny on a cute miniature if I can find it but probably wouldn't commit to a 90ml bottle of this.

This was one of my favourites from the early 2010s. Vampish, opulent and intoxicating, yet reserved. Ultra-femme yet with a knowingly masculine undercurrent. It could be bold and strong on one person, and mysterious and aloof on another. Expertly blended, it's a harmony of lush white florals (the lily and gardenia notes are almost a hybrid, rather than distinct from one another), ripe, nectarous fruits (I get a plum-berry accord that's difficult to discern), enveloped by a silken sandalwood. Imagine, if you can, these notes as if burned as an incense stick and then that scent bottled and given the "French perfumery treatment." Lasting power is excellent and smells incredible on clothes; a scarf, for example, as it's an autumn-winter evening scent through and through. And a very classy one at that. For me, it's a classic "little black dress" date night scent. However, I think a lot of men could pull this off very well, too - especially now that women's fragrance is focused very much on desserts and sugar (I must admit, I miss the days when perfume smelled like perfume). I sorely wish YSL had not discontinued this one.

Baiser vole with a red lollipop and incense accord

More is like male aromat. Don't like it and fortunately was gone away quickly from my skin.

I am not sure whether I own a fake or not. Still love the scent. It is very fuity but not any other way I have ever smelled a fruity perfume.