By Designer

8 Best Smelling Versace Perfumes for Ladies

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Versace is a design house with a long history of elegance and success in creating fragrances for both men and women. In this post, I want to put forth eight options from their perfume line, which I consider to be the best of the bunch.

These are the ladies’ scents that I have plucked from the lot of them, and that, both perform well and have plenty of charm about them. I have linked out to my own personal reviews of each, where appropriate, and linked to each scent on Amazon.

What are the Top Smelling Fragrances for Her by Versace?

Most Popular Versace

Versace Bright Crystal Eau de Toilette Spray for Women, 3 Ounce– The most popular and quite possibly one of the best Versace fragrances, depending on your tastes. It is a juicy mix of fruits and florals that is bright and energetic.

Bright Crystal opens up with a juicy pomegranate note with yuzo citrus and an iced accord to make the whole thing seem chilled.

The peony is the main floral note here, with a watery and fairly light lotus peaking through, at times. Ultimately, it will boil down to being more about the peony and yuzu combination, with additional musk.

It does have a really sunny and upbeat disposition from the start and later some floral notes including, peony and lotus. Bright Crystal is a very good everyday wear option, as it will last over 8 hours, smells great, and has solid versatility.  Versace Bright Crystal Review

bright crystals

Lady Eros

Versace Eros Pour Femme Eau De Toilette Spray 3.4 Ounce– For my Eros pick, I think that I’m going to have to go with the EDT version. I was really surprised by how good this one smells.

It opens up with a cool raspberry sorbet aroma with lemon and a hint of orange. Actually, it’s a ‘frozen’ sorbet note and it does actually come across as being quite cold. The citrus is tart in the first 10 minutes, then, the raspberry takes over with its sweet sugariness.

The floral heart is a white petal accord of freesia, jasmine, and magnolia. Eros Pour Femme EDT is very bright and uplifting, with a deliciousness that is great for spring/summer.

The performance is okay, just not amazing. It’s fairly strong, but moderate in how long it lasts. Eros Pour Femme Review

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The Best Dylan

Dylan Blue Pour Femme– I’m not completely blown away by Dylan Blue, but it’s still a fairly nice fragrance deserving of a spot. It’s better than Turquoise, but may be replaced by the newer Purple, once it’s released in the US and I get to test that out.

Update: I like Purple too, kind of basic, but it’s less sharp than Blue. It has a citrus top with a freesia-led floral middle. Fruity, smooth, clean. It might be a good alternative to Blue for some people.

Blue kicks things off with a pretty sharp fruity mix of apple and blackcurrant. The sharpness will subside and this one gets more floral and somewhat sweeter than might be expected. Jasmine and Forget Me Not will stand out as the two main floral notes.

The opening isn’t my favorite, but the dry down is attractive. Dylan Blue will come off as a cleanish soapy or body wash kind of perfume. Performance is moderate, but there is plenty to like here. Dylan Blue by Versace Review

Concentrated Crystal

Bright Crystal Absolu- I had to include the flanker fragrance, to the above offering. Bright Crystal Absolu is a more concentrated version of the original. It has an added raspberry note, is sweeter, and somewhat less floral/citrus.

It still has the same notes, just the strength of each has been altered. It does have more power and longevity. Absolu should be the choice if, you want a fruitier peony scented perfume, instead of the more yuzu citrus/peony mix of the original.

Bright Crystal Absolu will last from 9-12 hours on the skin, and is absolutely wonderful, in the spring and summer months. This has become one of Versace’s best sellers.

If you can’t find this one, Dua has their inspired take: Absolute Crystal Glow.

Floral Fruity Daily Wear

Versace Woman By Gianni Versace For Women. Eau De Parfum Spray 3.4 Oz.– Flowers, fruits, musk, and woodsy notes. The plum and raspberry notes combine to give it a sweet aroma, which is then joined by cedar to give it a stronger and unique feel, it’s quite powdery.

Beyond that, you get the terrific rose note, and a bit of lotus flower in there also. Versace Woman is a bit musky, but doesn’t overdo it. The sweetness isn’t crazy heavy. but pairs well with the wood base and the rose which becomes a stronger component, during the dry down.

Versace Woman is soft, highly wearable, and has great subtle details added in. For instance, the hint of smokiness that underlies the woodiness. Again, not too heavy of a sillage, but good performance and great aroma.

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Bright Yellow Floral

Versace Yellow Diamond Eau De Toilette Spray, Yellow, 3 Ounce– It’s notes include water lily, mimosa, orange blossom, musk, and lemon. It’s a juicy citrus scent upon opening that settles down into something sophisticated, vibrant, and clean.

The usually strong Versace lemon note is made softer by mimosa and fressia floral notes.

Initially, it is more citrus, then becomes balanced, and then becomes more floral. All the while, Yellow Diamond keeps up an aroma that really does call forth the color yellow, to your mind’s eye. It is light enough and has enough performance to be worn at work or school or even casually.

While it is pretty linear, after the first 20 minutes or so, you get to experience all of the ingredients at times, within the framework of the composition. I like this one for a spring day, it does give you an outdoorsy feel, like walking in a grove or flower garden.  Yellow Diamond Full Review

yellowdiamond

Easy to Wear, Similar to Chanel

Versace Versense By Gianni Versace For Women Edt Spray 3.4 Oz– Versense goes away from the fruity/floral combination and airs more towards the woodsy/citrus.

The opening notes are dominated by bergamot and mandarin, while it gets later support from cedar and fig. It has a very similar aroma to Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche.

However, it is mostly a fresh and clean citrus wear, with some lily and the cedar note, as the solidifying force in the whole thing. A lime and lemon verbena wear with later elements of sandalwood coming in.

A great lighter choice for daily wear, especially during the spring and summer months.

Versense is very well put together overall. I enjoy the woody notes, that come through in the base. I think that they play extremely well off of the citrus notes. Such a clean and delightful fragrance. Quite popular.

versense

Popular White Floral and Currant

Versace Crystal Noir by Versace for Women – 3 Ounce EDT Spray– Crystal Noir opens up with a familiar and sharp black currant note, which is paired with fig, and a couple of floral notes (violet and tuberose).

The black currant and fig sit on top of the floral ingredients, as well as, a cream sandalwood/vanilla combination.

However, as it dries down, the black currant sharpness fades and other floral notes (jasmine) come in to create a bouquet effect. In the end, Crystal Noir EDT is a white floral fragrance, with woody undertones, and purple flowers in support.

The sillage is light to moderate but it has good longevity in the 6-8 hour range. Note: There are now two versions of this perfume, that are quite distinct from one another. I think that the EDT version is a tad better than the EDP.  Crystal Noir EDT Review

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5 Best YSL Black Opium Perfumes

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Black Opium is still one of the best selling ladies’ fragrances on the planet right now. Due to that fact, it has spawned a bunch of flanker fragrances trading off of the success of that name. This always raises the question as to which is the best Black Opium? In this post, I want to present my top 5 picks to vie for this title.

What are the Best Smelling Black Opium Perfumes (Ranked)?

The New Best

Black Opium Le Parfum– Coming back to update this list a few years later, I now think of Le Parfum as being the best of this series. 

This one is a very vanilla based version of the Black Opium style. Early, it is lighter on the pear and green mandarin, while also having a good dose of cinnamon to go with its various vanilla notes.

Much smoother and a cleaner presentation versus the original EDP. The coffee here doesn’t feel like roasted beans. Rather, it is like a cinnamon and vanilla coffee drink, especially early. The coffee though, isn’t too powerful in the mix, however.

Warm, sweet, and somewhat spicy. A well above average sillage and can last in the 8-9 hour range, making it also one of the best performers in the group. Le Parfum Review

Green

Black Opium Illicit Green– While the original Black Opium has better performance than this, I like the smell of Illicit Green more so. It reminds me most of Neon, from the series, but Green smells better.

It’s lighter and cleaner in the opening act with green mandarin, pear, and fig. You can very much tell that this is a Black Opium perfume, but has a bit of a different take, in order to make it distinct enough.

I get more coffee than vanilla in this one. But, that’ll be joined by fig, orange blossom, and patchouli in the dry down. Less of that initial freshness. Though, I still enjoy it. Performance is okay, just not great. Illicit Green Review

The Original

Yves Saint Laurent Eau De Parfum Spray for Women, Black Opium, 3 Ounce– I was never a huge fan of the original Black Opium EDP. However, it is still among the best of this line, overall.

I do think that Neon, listed below, smells marginally better. Though, EDP has much superior performance.

If you haven’t tried this one by now, the opening act can be kind of a mess. White flowers, vanilla, and cedar are kind of just thrown at you.

But, it does get better as things move forward. When the coffee and vanilla fully take over, with some pink pepper thrown in…this is really very nice.

The performance really separates this one from the other flankers. 8+ hours of wear on the skin, easily, and often hitting 10+. It is also stronger with its sillage.

Again, you may find that the others smell better for you than the original, but this brings the total package. Black Opium EDP Review

Best Smelling, Decent Performance

Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Neon EDP 2.5 oz 75 ml Women NEW– If the coffee and vanilla are too much for you in the original EDP, Neon could be an option, as those notes aren’t nearly as strong.

This one opens up with a nice mix of dragon fruit and mandarin essence. It is energetic and a bit tropical and just not as heavy of an experience as EDP. For the beginning of the wear, it is the fruit notes with a stronger orange blossom and jasmine coming through.

The next phase, is quite a bit like the original. Slightly different weightings of the notes, with a very similar smell. It isn’t a completely weak scent, it spends much of the wear as pretty moderate, and will last for close to 7 hours. 

If this one, were just a bit stronger, it’d be another spot higher for sure. Still, it’s a good fragrance. Black Opium Neon Review

 

 

Most Unique

Black Opium Intense– Based on the name, you might think that this would be an amped up version of EDP…but it’s not. It’s actually much softer, but with 7-8 hours of wear.

What it does have going for it, is a unique blend that utilizes blue absinthe and licorice. It’s smooth with that licorice aroma being prominent throughout. This is all sitting on the coffee and vanilla, which is a different sort of smell, yet kind of familiar during the dry down.

Is the uniqueness amazing? To me, no. It’s pretty good, but even switching things up like this didn’t move it to the top of the list. Black Opium Intense Review

Shelter Island by Bond No. 9

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Shelter Island is one of the summer fragrance entries from Bond No. 9 New York. One, which goes more into the aquatic camp, with its use of seaweed. It was released in 2014.

I bought a sample of this a while ago, for testing and to see how I actually got along with a that marine note, that I generally dislike. How does Shelter Island smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Shelter Island by Bond No. 9 Smell Like?

Notes include: lemon, black pepper, seaweed, lily, oud, musk, sandalwood, amber, myrrh

Click here to try: Shelter Island

shelter bond review

My Full Review

Here’s how Bond describes it: quietly daring, sparkling-clean, unisex, rife with nonchalant beach-time exotica.

Shelter Island opens fresh and bright with a spiciness via the black pepper. The lemon is a light spritzing on top of the marine accord that features seaweed.

The aquatic aspect isn’t overpowering here. Sure, it’s dominant, but balanced out by its surrounding notes. I’m glad I didn’t get a massive seaweed note, that makes you smell like some sort of marine life.

The lily will come in with its waxy aroma, which pairs with the emergence of the resinous myrrh and amber notes in the base. These three, really seem to keep the seaweed in check, and don’t allow this to be just a salty oceanic fragrance.

The lemon and black pepper basically fade completely. This is an aquatic and beachy oud-floral in the middle. Starting to get musky and taking on a bit of a sun tan lotion scent. At this point, it’s more like sitting by the shore than being in the water itself.

That will continue, as this becomes woodier and muskier in the dry down.

Still somewhat aquatic, with a mix of the woodsy notes, a musky aroma, and that amber and myrrh still a bit detectable.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This Bond fragrance opens up with plenty of initial punch. It’ll leave a slight scent trail and project well enough off of the skin. It’s definitely above average in the first hour or so.

Thereafter, Shelter will be much more moderate, before lightening up in the back half of the wear.

While it isn’t a massively projecting nor heavy sitting fragrance, Shelter Island does a good job at sticking around. On my skin, I can still detect it up to about 9 hours. Which is plenty for what most people are going to use this scent for.

Seasonally, this is a spring and summer wear. Mainly, for the warmest days. A good change of pace from the pure citrus perfumes which usually inhabit those months. A solid marine and wood aquatic for something different.

This is a unisex fragrance, maybe leaning slightly masculine, in the early stages. But, that will balance out, as you move further into the wear.

It’s a niche and fairly casual fragrance for daytime wear. Shelter Island isn’t going to be one that you’re very likely to wear for dates, nightlife, or formal occasions. For those outdoor summer events, it can be a fine choice.

Overall Impressions of Shelter Island

Overall, do I like Shelter Island? It’s pretty good. I never thought that I’d be the target audience for this Bond No. 9, once I saw the seaweed and oud notes together.

However, I was sort of surprised that I wasn’t indifferent towards Shelter Island, and that it had its enjoyable moments for me.

The seaweed, really came through here. It’s front and center, but doesn’t overpower everything else. Very fresh and marine done right, where so many other scents with this note have fallen flat.

The longevity is also great, especially for a summertime scent. Sure, it’s not a massive beast of a fragrance, but this one doesn’t quit early on you either.

The downside? Well, the price for the largest bottle, is currently $300 as of writing. As such, Shelter Island probably isn’t a perfume that most are going to want to buy on a whim.

If you want a beachy aquatic with sun tan lotion vibes, this Bond does a good job at hitting the mark. Find a way to get a sample of this stuff, if that sounds like something you’re after.

Black Opium Le Parfum by YSL

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Black Opium Le Parfum was one of the two Black Opium flanker releases in 2022, along with Illicit Green. This is one that I’d heard good things about, but hadn’t gotten to test it out. So, I bought a sample in order to put this YSL through its paces.

How does it smell? Does it last long? Is Black Opium Le Parfum worth a try?

What does Black Opium Le Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: pear, cinnamon, green mandarin, jasmine, orange blossom, solar notes, vanilla, coffee, and patchouli

Click here to try: Black Opium Le Parfum

My Full Review

Here’s how YSL describes it: an unexpected high rush, exalted with a quartet of vanillas. Its iconic coffee accord associated with white flowers amplifies an ultra-sensual and audacious femininity. This new creation transforms the original signature into an ultimate pleasure.

The opening of Le Parfum is already sweet, with the vanilla being very present at the start. It does have a ‘quartet’ of vanilla notes, so, that’s understandable.

But, early on I get a good deal of cinnamon in the mix. Much lighter on the green mandarin here versus Illicit Green, and even not too much of a pear influence.

With that cinnamon, the vanilla, coffee, and general warmth this does have a coffee drink sort of vibe and not just beans. With that, the coffee note is diluted and isn’t as strong overall.

To me, this is much smoother and less messy than the original Black Opium EDP.

I’ve also seen Le Parfum get compared to Vanilla 28 by Kayali. Not really the same. That’s more linear, thinner, and has that brown sugar note which sets it apart from this. Plus, it lacks the same level of spice that is present with the cinnamon.

That spice, will relent as we move along. The usual jasmine and orange flower floral heart will begin to emerge, but never fully overtake anything. It’s still a warm/sweet/spicy blend of the vanilla and coffee notes. Just, with a light blend of floral notes.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Black Opium Le Parfum is strong for an hour or two. Well above what you get with most of the others in this series.

Le Parfum will leave a scent trail in your wake for sure and it can seemingly project up to a 7-9 foot radius, at least initially.

Thereafter, it’s pretty moderate, but noticeable. I did test this once side by side with Illicit Green, and Le Parfum, was the only one that I could smell between them.

On my skin, Le Parfum sticks around close to nine hours. Somewhere in the 8-9 range, with maybe a touch of it still lingering for a short time thereafter. The performance is quite good, but not elite.

Seasonally, Le Parfum stays in the autumn and winter mode. Not going to be one that holds up all that well in the heat and humidity of the late spring and summer months.

This is still very much a Black Opium scent. Still has its sweetness, not very formal, etc. Though, it is somewhat more mature and has a decent versatility to it.

This one would be great casually, one to wear out at night, etc. You can also wear it to school or certain workplace environments. That’s going to have to be your own call, however.

Overall Impressions of Le Parfum

Overall, do I like Le Parfum? I do. To me, it’s the best of the Black Opium lineup. I have yet to try Extreme, have the others, and Le Parfum out does them all.

I really do like that opening hour or so. Not only do you get the power, but also, the spiciness and warmth is really quite captivating. It’s still very good after that, but I like the coffee, vanilla, and cinnamon together.

If you don’t like the original Black Opium, you might not like this one. However, I do think it’s more tolerable in comparison, and less likely to get annoying like that can for some people.

Though, Le Parfum is no guarantee to change your mind about this series.

It does still have that heavier sillage, so, Illicit Green might be a better fit, if that was one of your bigger problems with Black Opium.

If you do like other Black Opium releases, I think that you should definitely try Le Parfum out. It obviously has similarities with the original EDP and others, but it stands out as being a slight notch above the rest of them.

Black Opium Illicit Green by YSL

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Illicit Green is a Black Opium flanker that was released in 2022. I bought a sample of it recently, to try it out again, after having encountered it twice before. This time, I wanted it for a full review.

How does it smell? Does it last long? How does the YSL compare to the original Black Opium and others?

What does Black Opium Illicit Green Smell Like?

Notes include: green mandarin, coffee, vanilla, pear, fig leaf, fig, orange blossom, jasmine, patchouli

Click here to try: Black Opium Illicit Green

My Full Review

Here’s how YSL describes it: The sensual addiction of black coffee gets multiplied by a pulpy and creamy fig. An unexpected and long lasting shot of energy, awaken by the zest of a green mandarin. The new Black Opium eau de parfum Illicit Green is a bold and delicious creation for a luscious femininity. 

Illicit Green starts out lighter and cleaner, in my opinion, versus the original Black Opium EDP. With that, the opening has always felt pretty messy, especially compared to this.

Here, I get the green mandarin note, some of the pear. But, what really comes through from the jump is the fig/fig leaf. This opens greenish, somewhat fruity, with plenty of the coffee note already peaking through.

Really, the pear and mandarin are adding a sparkling brightness to the mix and some sweetness. However, those two note are never particularly massive on my skin.

I dig its freshness and its less heavy and cloying than many of the others in this Saint Laurent series.

As we move along, the fruitiness that is there will tone down. You will get more of the vanilla and coffee that the original has. For me, the coffee is the stronger of the two throughout.

That, with: fig, jasmine, orange blossom and some patchouli.

The final dry down is a light coffee aroma, with the vanilla, and what’s left of that fig and jasmine note. Kind of sweet, soft, with a bit of a powdery feel to it all.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Illicit Green has a pretty good start, with how it projects and the trail it can leave behind. That first hour, it is very noticeable to me, while wearing. Spraying it on a shirt, I can still smell Green from 5-7 feet away.

It’s a lighter to moderate scent, that isn’t going to bog down on you. I have sprayed it alongside, Le Parfum, and that Black Opium flanker easily overtook this one in terms of what I could smell.

The longevity is pretty mid. 4-6 hours of wear, on my skin. I cannot seem to get Illicit Green to go beyond that range. Maybe that’s not too much of a problem, if you don’t overpay for this perfume.

Seasonally, even with its softer appeal, Illicit Green still isn’t built for summer. Autumn through springtime, it might come across as too much with the heat and humidity. But, a good deal of versatility otherwise.

Illicit Green isn’t a formal fragrance, nor is it a ‘club beast’. It’s attractive and the cleaner vibe with this can make it better able to fit into situations that the original and others might not.

Overall Impressions of Illicit Green 

Overall, do I like Illicit Green? I do. Out of the series, it reminds me most of Neon. Both of these perfumes are lighter, but Illicit has the fig note and less orange blossom. I would choose this one over Neon.

It’s also better than: Nuit Blanche and Intense

I like that mandarin and fig-laden start. A good blend of sweet, greenish, and enough of that Black Opium DNA to stay on brand with it.

The dry down is good. Nothing that truly stands out, but a softer rehash of the others from this YSL line.

One complaint that I do have, is with the performance. It is a lighter fragrance, but the longevity, really isn’t where it should be. 4-6 hours is pretty mediocre, whether or not I enjoy the scent.

If you find a lot of the Black Opium flankers to be too heavy, this would then, be my first pick out of the bunch. Though, if you really didn’t like any of them, I’m not sure that this would change your mind.