I went to the launch party of Opium at Studio 54.......they had long stems of thick bamboo painted red and black and tied w/huge silk tassles at a juncture ...all over the main floor with hand painted silk lounge pillows scattered about..no expense was spared in the decor and it was a very grand event........a magnificent flush of opulence........what a night...thank you for bringing this one to life again...i do remember the original bottle of parfum was in the short cinnabar plastic covered bottle with the black braided tassel and black rounded cap...luxurious and rich and heavy in the air...........what more could you want.........Im thanking my brain for this sweet moment.
Thank you for this review! Wonderful to see the love your viewers have for this one. As someone who loves spicy perfumes, vintage Opium was the ultimate.
In the early 80s my mum had the little gold Opium solid perfume pendant, hidden away in her bathroom drawer. To my memory she never wore perfume but kept this little gem nonetheless. I was completely captivated by it. No wonder they called it Opium. I've been immersed in collecting/learning about fragrances for about 5 years now...recently (after a long search) I purchased a small bottle of the original 1977 EDP (which I prefer to the EDT) and I will treasure it forever. IMO the best designer fragrance ever!
I have one of around your vintage there which as has been said is identifiable by the style of bottle - less design on bottle and box and removable lid. I Recently was able to buy a bottle which is 1981! It's incredible. The really early ones have a built in "spray" in the lid which isn't removable. Mine was untouched old stock and the box smells really old and musty but the juice smells perfect. One of my most treasured fragrances. ❤
Came home early to work from home the rest of the day. LOL, clearly not! Opium is proof (to me) that you can recognize a masterpiece but not be interested in wearing it yourself. Aaaah the good old 80's!! Thank you for this journey back in time.
After watching your video I was inspired to go on a search for this vintage masterpiece. I was fortunate enough to find & purchase a 1984 EDT & Parfum set in box from eBay. Then an Opium Secret de Parfum from 1993 came my way, I feel so blessed to have been reunited with this beauty ❤
Do you by chance have recommendations of how to buy vintage bottles online? Anything to look for or avoid, aside from identifying fakes. Thanks for a great video. I remember loving this in high school in the ‘80’s and when I smelled it in a store a couple of years ago, I couldn’t fathom why.
Opium! My love!! Thanks so much for this Mr.P. I have a 25ish year old bottle that I sniff almost every week just for the sheer pleasure! I think that for almost all vintage perfumes still around today, one of the reason the smell isn't the same is the abandon of carnation. People and brands seems to be frightened it will smell too old school. I miss carnation in modern perfumery! Thanks again for this treat 🌺 Top 10 carnation perfumes?
Great episode! I have a small bottle of a vintage opium. There’s not much left in there, my mom let me have it. 🙏🏽 I would love to get, add more vintage stuff to my collection but do not know where to get them. There are several vendors on EBay and other re-sellers but no idea if their stuff are genuine. Where do you get yours, Mr P? 🙏🏽
I don’t have a specific seller I could recommend, I’m afraid. I’ve used eBay a fair bit. You just have to take the plunge and hope for the best, sometimes.
Ahhh thank you for this ... I think I love (the original) YSL Opium more now than I did back when I got to know it! It was a lot to handle ;) But I still have the 2 minis I got as a gift with the purchase of perfume (the first YSL Paris probably) in the eighties, and they still smell lovely!
A dear friend just gifted me an old partial bottle of EDT like yours so how timely of a review. It’s intense and beautiful! Lot of patchouli to my nose.
I have a bottle of Opium from around 2003 which I love and use sparingly. I just saw someone posted on fragrantica that Cartier is bringing back Must de Cartier. Have you heard anything?
I hadn't had the opportunity to catch you live🥲, Opium had an aura of danger, I was in my early teens and wore Anaïs Anaïs my first perfume, Opium was much more expensive. To add to your collection you might next get the secret de parfum, a myrrh heavy (Fragrantica refers to it as red myrrh whatever that is), it's an interesting variation, my bottle is a splash cinnabar though and rather unwieldy.
As a student nurse earning a very meager salary in 1977 I bought a bottle of Opium because it was the perfume to have! I can’t say it was a favourite of mine and it certainly wasn’t for colleagues and patients!!! Dear me! Looking back I must have been mad to subject them to such a powerful, cloying perfume in that environment 😂. I think it didn’t take long before I refrained to wear it for work and replaced it with Chanel Crystal! I’m sure many heaved a sigh of relief!
Hi there, I'm so sorry, but I don't really have a schedule. I try to fit the videos in and around other commitments. I frequently broadcast at 1700 UK time on a Sunday, but that isn't a firm schedule. I try to give as much notice of videos on the Community tab on UA-cam and on Instagram.
Persolaise. Look at the bottom of your bottle. It should say either Parfums Corps or Sanofi. Parfums Corps is first. Sanofi is second in the timeline. The Gucci Period started in 2003. What you have is the Gold Round Cap. The Gucci is a flat removable red. Either the Parfums Corp or Sanofi is excellent. Before Parfums Corp is the non-removable red. The non-removalbe red goes back to the beginning. Now I have a Gold Cap with the batch code beginning 2003. They used the boxes and bottles interchangeably. I have two non-removable reds. 4 Parfums Corps and 2 Sanofi Gold Caps. All EDTS. I also have a sealed Secrete. I have a couple of those 7.5 travel sprays that date way back. Now I am going for the Gucci period. You are looking for the first number on the bottle. That's your year. Then you are looking for the bottle/distributor for the decade. With the boxes for the real old *, but as a degree sign. in 1980 it went to % by volume. Between the boxes of the non-removable red and the Gold Cap, look at the foliage Also, look at the black and gold lines. So here's my assessment my friend. Your Gold Cap was sent in a different but earlier box. Or, most likely, YSL used an older box. Parfums Corps ended in 1993. I have a Parfums Corp1995 bottle and I love it. Persoliase, you just have to deal with it, because the scents are unmistakably the remarkable Opium. You have a wonderful bottle and a pretty good condition box. I'm happy for you. happy hunting and best wishes.
I loved opium and wore it but then tried and preferred cinnabar and opium became my best friends signature scent and I never wore it again . I have bought and worn shocking too .
I wish the original Opium was available today because it was a really interesting perfume. I used it, but couldn't really find myself wholeheartedly liking it... However, to this day I concider Estee Lauder's "Cinnabar" a way better perfume than Opium. Cinnabar has a playful, juicy, uplifting, warm spirit while Opium has a lazy, drowsy, dark, patchouli drenched suffocating vibe. Sadly I never felt any carnation from it, because I love scents with carnation.
Love Opium, I wore it for years when I was fragrance buyer at Sephora even if it ranked #75....meant it was more "mine" and less likely to smell on anyone else.
@@Persolaise We have to have a chat about that! Was from 2001 - 2008, I was very instrumental in putting key programs together that they still use today (rollerballs for example!)
Do you know what would be a fun topic? What about doing a run down of perfumes that are lovely but have the worst marketing and bottle? There can be even special awards for the funniest ones, the most pretentious, the most impractical, the most juvenile, etc..
Yes..thank you for reviewing this scent..as you say, it was a very well crafted artistic creation,and it was the first fragrance that was really brought to the public's view in a new and full blown advertising campaign. This period of time in perfumery was an amazing era for perfumers doing extraordinary work and had free reign to more of an extent than ever before. As we look back on this time we could say that it was perfume's time in the world to say..what we do here in this field is important and worth our attention like no other time in terms of its reach. Millions of people became aware of fragrances en masse. What a time for the richness of compositions and visibility and use. At that point of time the perfumer's palette was more of an open range of ingredients to explore and present. We all survived with a great sense of accomplishment and lifted the art of perfumery to new heights. Today, sadly many financial business decisions supersede real creativity and many scents today are copies of what is mass appeal. What we get now is what sells rather than art in many cases. There are fewer large corporate powers or conglomerates creating unique rich smelling creations..Only the "couture " houses get the backing for some creativity. Thank you for reminding us about this truly iconic perfume.
1978 yılında Beyrut’tan gelmişti, şuanda Türkiye’de bulamıyorum, daha sonra aldığım klasik opium, ysl den çok az kaldı … en az 10/15 yıllık, kullanmaya kıyamıyorum, yeniden üretimde görmek istiyoruz, nereden temin edebilirim…
I went to the launch party of Opium at Studio 54.......they had long stems of thick bamboo painted red and black and tied w/huge silk tassles at a juncture ...all over the main floor with hand painted silk lounge pillows scattered about..no expense was spared in the decor and it was a very grand event........a magnificent flush of opulence........what a night...thank you for bringing this one to life again...i do remember the original bottle of parfum was in the short cinnabar plastic covered bottle with the black braided tassel and black rounded cap...luxurious and rich and heavy in the air...........what more could you want.........Im thanking my brain for this sweet moment.
WOAH!!! You went to THAT launch?
How utterly amazing.
Thanks for sharing this story.
I have the original vintage bottle you described. Still smells wonderful!
Thank you for this review! Wonderful to see the love your viewers have for this one. As someone who loves spicy perfumes, vintage Opium was the ultimate.
It's too gorgeous for words, isn't it.
In the early 80s my mum had the little gold Opium solid perfume pendant, hidden away in her bathroom drawer. To my memory she never wore perfume but kept this little gem nonetheless. I was completely captivated by it. No wonder they called it Opium. I've been immersed in collecting/learning about fragrances for about 5 years now...recently (after a long search) I purchased a small bottle of the original 1977 EDP (which I prefer to the EDT) and I will treasure it forever. IMO the best designer fragrance ever!
Yes, the solid Opium pendant! I had a couple when they came out. The beautiful round disc with the black chord and fringe. :) The memories. LOL
This is wonderful. Thanks for sharing.
I have one of around your vintage there which as has been said is identifiable by the style of bottle - less design on bottle and box and removable lid. I
Recently was able to buy a bottle which is 1981! It's incredible. The really early ones have a built in "spray" in the lid which isn't removable. Mine was untouched old stock and the box smells really old and musty but the juice smells perfect. One of my most treasured fragrances. ❤
Ah yes, I think I remember that 'integrated' spray.
Came home early to work from home the rest of the day. LOL, clearly not! Opium is proof (to me) that you can recognize a masterpiece but not be interested in wearing it yourself. Aaaah the good old 80's!! Thank you for this journey back in time.
Yes, interesting point. I think for me Angel proves the same point.
After watching your video I was inspired to go on a search for this vintage masterpiece. I was fortunate enough to find & purchase a 1984 EDT & Parfum set in box from eBay. Then an Opium Secret de Parfum from 1993 came my way, I feel so blessed to have been reunited with this beauty ❤
Oh, how wonderful. I should try to track down a Secret myself.
Thanks for watching.
Do you by chance have recommendations of how to buy vintage bottles online? Anything to look for or avoid, aside from identifying fakes. Thanks for a great video. I remember loving this in high school in the ‘80’s and when I smelled it in a store a couple of years ago, I couldn’t fathom why.
I'm afraid I don't really have any watertight tips, but this site is excellent: raidersofthelostscent.blogspot.com/
@@Persolaise thank you!
Opium! My love!! Thanks so much for this Mr.P. I have a 25ish year old bottle that I sniff almost every week just for the sheer pleasure! I think that for almost all vintage perfumes still around today, one of the reason the smell isn't the same is the abandon of carnation. People and brands seems to be frightened it will smell too old school. I miss carnation in modern perfumery! Thanks again for this treat 🌺 Top 10 carnation perfumes?
Yes, the issue with carnation is that it has to be created through the use of eugenol, which is severely restricted.
Thanks for watching.
I bought both books based on your interview with Michael. They have arrived and are sitting on my coffee table waiting to be devoured!
I so hope you enjoy them.
Great episode! I have a small bottle of a vintage opium. There’s not much left in there, my mom let me have it. 🙏🏽 I would love to get, add more vintage stuff to my collection but do not know where to get them. There are several vendors on EBay and other re-sellers but no idea if their stuff are genuine. Where do you get yours, Mr P? 🙏🏽
I don’t have a specific seller I could recommend, I’m afraid. I’ve used eBay a fair bit. You just have to take the plunge and hope for the best, sometimes.
@@Persolaise I’ll give EBay a shot, maybe I’ll get lucky! 😁🍀
Ahhh thank you for this ... I think I love (the original) YSL Opium more now than I did back when I got to know it! It was a lot to handle ;)
But I still have the 2 minis I got as a gift with the purchase of perfume (the first YSL Paris probably) in the eighties, and they still smell lovely!
Treasure the minis!
Thanks for watching.
A dear friend just gifted me an old partial bottle of EDT like yours so how timely of a review. It’s intense and beautiful! Lot of patchouli to my nose.
Enjoy it!
I have a bottle of Opium from around 2003 which I love and use sparingly. I just saw someone posted on fragrantica that Cartier is bringing back Must de Cartier. Have you heard anything?
Yes, I've seen this info too.
I hadn't had the opportunity to catch you live🥲, Opium had an aura of danger, I was in my early teens and wore Anaïs Anaïs my first perfume, Opium was much more expensive. To add to your collection you might next get the secret de parfum, a myrrh heavy (Fragrantica refers to it as red myrrh whatever that is), it's an interesting variation, my bottle is a splash cinnabar though and rather unwieldy.
Ah, I’ll see if I can find it. Thank you.
final i have one...thank you for review ..
Thanks for watching.
As a student nurse earning a very meager salary in 1977 I bought a bottle of Opium because it was the perfume to have! I can’t say it was a favourite of mine and it certainly wasn’t for colleagues and patients!!! Dear me! Looking back I must have been mad to subject them to such a powerful, cloying perfume in that environment 😂. I think it didn’t take long before I refrained to wear it for work and replaced it with Chanel Crystal! I’m sure many heaved a sigh of relief!
Well, had I been a patient, I would've thought you smelt amazing.
I am new to the channel and would like to know what is the schedule for the live sessions?
Hi there,
I'm so sorry, but I don't really have a schedule. I try to fit the videos in and around other commitments.
I frequently broadcast at 1700 UK time on a Sunday, but that isn't a firm schedule.
I try to give as much notice of videos on the Community tab on UA-cam and on Instagram.
Persolaise. Look at the bottom of your bottle. It should say either Parfums Corps or Sanofi.
Parfums Corps is first. Sanofi is second in the timeline. The Gucci Period started in 2003.
What you have is the Gold Round Cap. The Gucci is a flat removable red.
Either the Parfums Corp or Sanofi is excellent.
Before Parfums Corp is the non-removable red.
The non-removalbe red goes back to the beginning.
Now I have a Gold Cap with the batch code beginning 2003.
They used the boxes and bottles interchangeably.
I have two non-removable reds. 4 Parfums Corps and 2 Sanofi Gold Caps. All EDTS.
I also have a sealed Secrete.
I have a couple of those 7.5 travel sprays that date way back.
Now I am going for the Gucci period.
You are looking for the first number on the bottle. That's your year.
Then you are looking for the bottle/distributor for the decade.
With the boxes for the real old *, but as a degree sign. in 1980 it went to % by volume.
Between the boxes of the non-removable red and the Gold Cap, look at the foliage
Also, look at the black and gold lines.
So here's my assessment my friend.
Your Gold Cap was sent in a different but earlier box.
Or, most likely, YSL used an older box.
Parfums Corps ended in 1993. I have a Parfums Corp1995 bottle and I love it.
Persoliase, you just have to deal with it, because the scents are unmistakably the remarkable Opium.
You have a wonderful bottle and a pretty good condition box.
I'm happy for you.
happy hunting and best wishes.
This is amazing! So kind of you to take the time to write this. Thank you.
i just missed this by 30 mins lol, caught the end of the brut/old spice one. grabbed my original formula opium to sniff along!
Ah, wonderful.
Bottle is from the 90’s. What’s the first number of the batch code from the bottom?
I have the edp from ten years ago and that is not bad at all. The vintage 80s has a distinctive sandalwood.
It was such a heavenly scent in its original form.
I loved opium and wore it but then tried and preferred cinnabar and opium became my best friends signature scent and I never wore it again . I have bought and worn shocking too .
It's tricky when someone we know adopts a scent we love, isn't it?
Just Got This one a month ago...beautiful...just a different all Orange cap.Remember that smell from the 80',no doubt.:)
It's so special, isn't it.
one of my favorites fragrances
It's a classic.
@@Persolaise you explained detail ...thnk u
I wish the original Opium was available today because it was a really interesting perfume. I used it, but couldn't really find myself wholeheartedly liking it...
However, to this day I concider Estee Lauder's "Cinnabar" a way better perfume than Opium. Cinnabar has a playful, juicy, uplifting, warm spirit while Opium has a lazy, drowsy, dark, patchouli drenched suffocating vibe. Sadly I never felt any carnation from it, because I love scents with carnation.
The battle between Opium and Cinnabar continues.
Thanks for watching.
@@Persolaise, oh my, what a future aspect 😂
i have 6 vintage bottles ,, i just adore vintage opium. its my signature scent, it makes me feel....sacred
Yes, it’s such a shame.
Love Opium, I wore it for years when I was fragrance buyer at Sephora even if it ranked #75....meant it was more "mine" and less likely to smell on anyone else.
What, you used to work for Sephora? What was that like??
@@Persolaise We have to have a chat about that! Was from 2001 - 2008, I was very instrumental in putting key programs together that they still use today (rollerballs for example!)
You should hunt for a vintage bottle of Y by YSL. It is a magnificient composition of orris and vetiver.
I did used to have an old Y extrait -- gorgeous chypre.
@@Persolaise Oh how wonderful! I did not know YSL made it into an extrait.
Do you know what would be a fun topic? What about doing a run down of perfumes that are lovely but have the worst marketing and bottle? There can be even special awards for the funniest ones, the most pretentious, the most impractical, the most juvenile, etc..
Oh gosh... the mind boggles.
I fell in love with my girlfriend she wore this and knocked my socks off.
It’s a gorgeous piece of work.
I love it. ♥️
Me too.
I may have gotten the cap color incorrect..i stated black but it may have been a round gold color...i dont recall
Never mind! You were at the launch!
Yes..thank you for reviewing this scent..as you say, it was a very well crafted artistic creation,and it was the first fragrance that was really brought to the public's view in a new and full blown advertising campaign. This period of time in perfumery was an amazing era for perfumers doing extraordinary work and had free reign to more of an extent than ever before. As we look back on this time we could say that it was perfume's time in the world to say..what we do here in this field is important and worth our attention like no other time in terms of its reach. Millions of people became aware of fragrances en masse. What a time for the richness of compositions and visibility and use. At that point of time the perfumer's palette was more of an open range of ingredients to explore and present. We all survived with a great sense of accomplishment and lifted the art of perfumery to new heights. Today, sadly many financial business decisions supersede real creativity and many scents today are copies of what is mass appeal. What we get now is what sells rather than art in many cases. There are fewer large corporate powers or conglomerates creating unique rich smelling creations..Only the "couture " houses get the backing for some creativity. Thank you for reminding us about this truly iconic perfume.
1978 yılında Beyrut’tan gelmişti, şuanda Türkiye’de bulamıyorum, daha sonra aldığım klasik opium, ysl den çok az kaldı … en az 10/15 yıllık, kullanmaya kıyamıyorum, yeniden üretimde görmek istiyoruz, nereden temin edebilirim…
I’m afraid it’s very difficult to find.
Thanks for watching.