Perfume Reviews

Belle D’Opium by YSL

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Belle d’Opium is a Yves Saint Laurent perfume that I’ve liked for a long time. However, since it came out back in 2010 and is discontinued, I hadn’t come across any in years. Luckily, I saw a sample for sale online recently, and bought it to do a full review.

How does Belle d’Opium smell? Does it last long? Is it worth tracking down a bottle?

What does Belle d’Opium by YSL Smell Like?

Notes include: Casablanca lily, mandarin, gardenia, incense, pepper, tobacco, peach, rose, amber, patchouli, vanilla, sandalwood

belle d'opium review

My Full Review

Here’s how Yves Saint Laurent describes it: The thrill of bewitching, a new oriental. An overdose of rare and precious ingredients: the narcotic scent of Casablanca Lily blends with spice swirling incense and mysterious overtones of a Nargileh accord. A true olfactory manifesto.

An interesting feature of this perfume is the Nargileh accord. Basically, creating the effect of hookah, with a smokiness, spiciness, and tobacco note. Perhaps, even a flavored smoke with the mandarin, peach, and other fruits.

After that opening act, the next phase is a sweet white floral blend with a decent amount of peach lurking underneath the lily.

While it doesn’t feel as smoky or spicy, as it did at the start. The ‘Nargileh accord’ still does have a presence here. It’s a light tobacco at this point, without as much influence from the incense.

The mood really matches that purple bottle. The fruity blend is feeling pretty jam like, at this point. Almost boozy, with how it can come across on my skin. Just not a hyper-sugary sort of sweetness.

The white floral notes are a tug of war between the lily and the gardenia. Though, I do really like the balance between them. Jasmine, is around.

As we transition, the patchouli note and amber will come out more. It does have a ‘fruitchouli’ perfume smell for a good portion of the wear. I like it, I think that it’s a fine example of the type versus a lot of others out there nowadays.

The tail end for me, is a sweetish blend of more of the lily than gardenia. Amber with sandalwood, less of the patchouli, and perhaps a dab of vanilla to tie it all together.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This one does have some substance. It’s not massive, but it’ll leave a scent trail and can project quite far at times. It’s sort of weird. Belle d’Opium will feel like a strong fragrance, then, be absolutely light at other times.

All in all, it’s above average, but seemingly not capable of blowing the doors off with normal spraying.

The longevity for me is good, but not great by any means. Somewhere in the 7-7.5 hour range, on my skin. At times, you expect this to be more of a beast, but Belle never fully takes on that role.

Seasonally, Belle is built for autumn through early spring. Maybe late spring, if you live in a colder area. This YSL has a good amount of body and a thicker feel without being overly heavy.

Still, enough to it to where the heat and humidity of the summer months wouldn’t be too appealing.

Belle d’Opium is well put together, but not formal. It has a sensual and nightlife kind of vibe mostly, but not super serious or stuffy. A bit more than the usual casual fare, great for certain parties or evenings out for cocktails.

Overall Impressions of Belle d’Opium

Overall, do I like Belle d’Opium? Yes, this is one of my favorite releases from the women’s side of things at YSL. It was kind of a shorter lived fragrance, somewhat forgotten now, but it was a gem.

The opening with the fruits, hookah, and white floral notes is great. I love how the fruit notes come across here and the gardenia and lily play off of one another.

The performance is above average, but not too much so. It’s not exactly a weak point, since that aspect is still quite good, it just could’ve been better.

Is it worth picking up? Since the remaining bottle go for nearly $200 each, as of posting, it probably won’t be worthwhile for most people to get one for themselves. Collectors or just those who want to get deeper into the fragrance hobby, and missed this, could do well with this perfume.

My Way Parfum by Giorgio Armani

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My Way Parfum is the 2023 release from Armani in this My Way line of fragrances. I bought a sample of this a few months ago to test out and see how this edition held up and even if it was worthwhile to check out. After putting it through its paces, how did Parfum stack up? Does it last long? Is it any good?

What does My Way Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: iris, bergamot, orange blossom, vanilla, tuberose, ambrette, cedar

Click here to try: My Way Parfum

My Full Review

It’s been a long time since I’ve tried the original My Way. I wanted to do a comparison between and this Parfum version, but wasn’t sent the sample that I ordered. As such, I don’t want to try based off of memory alone.

This one opens up with some incredibly light citrus (bitter orange mostly) , that will be overshadowed by iris, orange blossom, and musk. Tuberose comes out more for me, later on.

However, it’s a musky and powdery mix, on my skin in the early stages. Between the bitter orange and muskiness, I’m not too keen on the opening.

But, the tuberose and vanilla move in to replace much of the influence of these opening notes, and I start to like Parfum much more.

It’s mostly about the tuberose and iris from here on out. Vanilla, is third and all of the other notes just provide various levels of support for the rest of the wear.

At some point, the tuberose takes the majority of the weighting from the iris, though.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This one does indeed have some power. While it’s not as heavy as Si Intense by Armani, which I also tested, it does have a better ability to project and leave a scent trail.

Parfum doesn’t degrade as fast as that one and it also has a higher peak, in terms of its reach.

On skin, this one gets me about 9 hours of wear. On clothes, it’ll go on and on like many other fragrances. But, it’s still very good just on skin alone.

Seasonally, this one is great pretty much year round. Probably avoid wearing Parfum on the hottest days. Outside of that, it has enough substance and balance in the colder months, but not getting bogged down when its slightly warm.

It’s nothing that’s going to be for the nightlife or that is particularly sexy. However, it’s good for day to day wear, work, casual, and things of that nature.

Overall Impressions of My Way Parfum

Overall, do I like My Way Parfum? Somewhat. The opening isn’t all that great, but I do like the dry down. The musk and iris in the beginning, is not something that I really liked. Even if, I tend to love iris as a note. Just doesn’t work for me here.

It does get better when the iris and tuberose start to blend and the other notes fall by the wayside. It’s a lovely white floral perfume at that point, with some cedar freshness, and less of the ambrette.

The performance seems to outstrip the actual smell itself. Like, the performance is quite good, but the scent is pretty good but nothing remarkable.

It’s worth a try, if it sounds interesting to your personal tastes. But, I don’t think that this Armani is going to be one that everyone needs to get a bottle of. There nothing here that most people would miss out on, but not trying My Way Parfum.

Fame Parfum by Paco Rabanne

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Fame Parfum is the follow up to the original Fame release from Paco Rabanne. This one was released in 2023. I got a hold of a sample of this newer perfume, in order to test it out, and review it for the site. How does it smell? Does Fame Parfum last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Fame Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: mango, jasmine incense, musk, pink pepper, bergamot, patchouli, sandalwood, benzoin

Click here to try: Fame Parfum

My Full Review

Fame Parfum definitely does smell quite a lot like the original. One of the main differences that I notice, is an amped up mango note at the start.

The one in the original was short lived. Here, is sticks around for longer, and this Parfum version is a bit of a heavier scent. Still, I don’t find it to be completely enveloping.

Early, it’s a blend of sweet and spicy, with the tropical fruity influence having the upper hand. Then, things will shift and I start to get more patchouli and jasmine on my skin.

The pink pepper is still there a bit, the mango will also hang around. However, neither has the same level on influence for the rest of the wear.

For me, the dry down is mostly about the jasmine and sandalwood notes. There’s still a light fruitiness, some incense hanging about, and fuzziness from musk and benzoin.

Feels like a warmer and clean kind of perfume, with some different weightings versus the original Fame. This is sort of a Polo Black style, but for women. Lots of overlap in the notes between those two.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Fame Parfum does have slightly heavier profile than the original, which was pretty moderate. However, the projection here is much better and sticks around at this higher level for a longer bout of time.

Not massive with how it’ll go across a room, but still above average and it’ll take a good while before it starts to degrade into a skin scent.

The longevity here is really good and indeed better than the original. On my skin, it’ll last somewhere in 8.5 hour range. On clothes, it’ll go into the double digit range pretty easily.

The good thing about this fragrance, is that it can basically be worn in all seasons. The tropical nature of the smell is great for warmer days in spring and summer. While, it has enough substance with its heavier notes to do well in the cold.

I’d probably stay away from the extreme heat with it, but Fame Parfum does walk the line, and manages not to turn terrible in most climates.

Like its forerunner, Parfum is more of a pretty daytime wear. Not a formal fragrance, but it could work for just about anything else you’d want to wear it for during the warmest days. It’s attractive without being super sexy, a romantic, or nightlife wear.

fame parfum review

My Overall Impressions of Fame Parfum

Overall, do I like Fame Parfum? I think that this is an improvement versus the original (which was decent). Though, it’s not far and away better than the previous incarnation.

It’s clean and tropical, with a great use of the mango note, early on. After that, it becomes much more of a floral and fruity blend with a good amount of sandalwood coming up from the base.

This Fame line has a similar style to the Mugler Goddess entries. This one is about equal to the EDP of that, but I prefer Goddess Intense to any of them. Again, they’re only similar and not the same.

All around, I think this is good and worth checking out if you like the original or anything of this sort. It’s not amazing, but Parfum does everything well and has no obvious weak points.

Vanille Abricot by Comptoir Sud Pacifique

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Vanille Abricot is a fragrance from Comptoir Sud Pacifique which has been popular for a long time. It was released all the way back in 1993 and is still going strong. I’ve been planning on doing a whole host of reviews of scents from this brand and got a sample of Vanille Abricot to kick things off.

How does it smell? Does Vanille last long? Is this classic fragrance worth a try?

What does Vanille Abricot Smell Like?

Notes include: jackfruit, papaya, apricot, sugar candy, vanilla

Click here to try: Vanille Abricot by Comptoir

My Full Review

Here’s how Comptoir Sud Pacifique describes it: An irresistible accord that is velvety, sensual, rich and fragile. A subtle contrast between tender fruit and a bitter heart note. Just like the sun at the exact moment when it dries the myriad drops of water on your skin after a dip in the water and when it burns the teakwood under your feet on the decks of sailboats anchored at port.

The vanilla and sugar candy are prominent from the start. I was expecting there to be a strong representation from the fruit notes, but they don’t seem to get the top spot, at least on my skin.

I do get a slightly tropical smell and the apricot itself is distinct. However, this is a warm and sugary baked goods kind of aroma. To me, Vanille Abricot is like a cookie. It’s more sweet, rather than being juicy and fruity.

The dry down is a sugary vanilla with some slight hints from the fruit notes. Very simple perfume, but enjoyable.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This Comptoir Sud Pacifique perfume doesn’t have a huge radius of projection, nor does it feel like a heavy perfume, even with its sweet and sugary scent.

It will hit maybe the six foot mark as far as its peak reach. Then, it will end up being a more intimate fragrance, in the 2 to 3 foot range for much of the duration.

On my skin, this perfume will stick around for 5 to 6 hours. Doesn’t want to go beyond that, it seems. Performance is middle of the road with Vanille Abricot.

Seasonally, this is light enough and has just enough of a fruity influence to be fine in warmer weather. I wouldn’t call this a pure summer scent, but it might work on certain days. Mainly, a more mild autumn and spring day would seem appropriate to wear this.

It can be worn by any age group. It’s not so immature that it is limited to teenagers. It’s light enough to be worn in a lot of different scenarios, but may not always be formal enough. More of a daytime wear versus a nightlife star.

Overall Impressions of Vanille Abricot

Overall, do I like Vanille Abricot? Yes, it’s not a complicated fragrance or one that is going to appeal to everyone, but if you like sweets…this Comptoir perfume delivers the goods.

This one is less about the apricot and much more tilted towards the very sugary vanilla note. Still, even with that being the case, Vanille Abricot is a scent that can be enjoyable from time to time.

The performance is pretty average, so don’t expect much on that front. It’s a nice smell that more than likely isn’t going to last the equivalent of a full work day.

It’s worth checking out if this sort of perfume appeals to you. The price for a bottle usually isn’t too high, so, a blind buy might not be too much of a stretch. It may be too boring for some or too sugary for others.

But, Vanille Abricot has stuck around long enough to have capture a mass audience, so it’s pretty darn safe to get without a lot of regret.

Twilly d’Hermes Eau Poivree by Hermes

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Twilly d’Hermes continues to spawn flanker fragrances from its popular name and formula. Today, I want to write a bit about Twilly d’Hermes Eau Poivree which was released by Hermes back in 2019. How does this perfume smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Twilly d’Hermes Eau Poivree Smell Like?

Notes include: pink pepper, rose, patchouli

Click here to try: Twilly d’Hermes Eau Poivree

My Full Review

The pink pepper comes on quite strong in the beginning. I wasn’t expecting a heavy spice, when I first tried Poivree, but that’s what I’ve gotten each time.

That will calm down, but then, Poviree will move into its earthy, woodsy, rosy phase. The patchouli note is quite strong in the mix. The spice of the pink pepper does soften, but the rose note isn’t massive on me.

It’s a lighter and lovely rose, paired with a powerful patchouli note, and the pink pepper. There is some sweetness here and this isn’t completely a patchouli play throughout. Just be ready for something a bit on the rougher side in the first hour.

Later, it will dry down with more rose , and it’s an easier to appreciate basic floral perfume.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This one does start off with some punch. The pink pepper and patchouli phase, really does have some good reach and ability to leave a scent trail. As I’ve said, it does have a heaviness to it.

Then, it will become a slightly above average projecting and lighter moderate perfume. It will sit pretty much in that 3-4 foot range for most of the wear.

On my skin, Eau Poivree will stick around for up to 6.5 hours. Somewhere within range of that number, each time that I’ve tried it. It’s okay, but nothing really that going to blow away your expectations.

Seasonally, this Hermes seems like it can fit in well, pretty much anytime outside of the height of summer. It wouldn’t be too awful then, either, but I think that Eau Poivree would be at its worst.

Autumn or any mild weather, is ideal for this.

So, Twilly d’Hermes Eau Poviree, isn’t a perfume for everyone. It lacks a lot of the mass appeal that you get with the original. Some are going to be turned off by the patchouli and/or pink pepper.

Others, will think this one comes across as being too mature. It definitely seems to skew that way, at least it’s style is more of an old school flavor. Plus, it’s a daily wear type of fragrance and nothing built for nightlife or romantic wear.

Overall Impressions of Eau Poivree

Overall, do I like Twilly d’Hermes Eau Poivree? It’s fine, but it’s not my favorite from these Twilly perfumes.  The original EDP and Eau Ginger are both better fragrances than this one. Poivree will have a much more limited fan base versus those two.

I like the back half when the intensity has fallen a bit by the wayside. The opening is fine, but the pink pepper and patchouli come on too strong for my taste.

That balanced rose, sweetness, and patchouli part of this one is nice enough.

Still, it’s a fragrance with an okay performance and one that you’d probably want to test out before committing to a full bottle. For the retail price, Eau Poivree isn’t going to be one that most people will want to pick up.

It’s fine, not great, and not a true mass appealing fragrance.