YSL Black Opium

After some Olympian standard hinting to himself about this perfume, I awoke to it gift wrapped for a recent anniversary with my customary "but how did you know?!". Cue a shrewd look from himself and off he went to make me tea and pancakes. He's a good'un. But back to the perfume at hand. I'm a big YSL fan and have in my time loved several scents from them but nothing has come close to the intoxicating beauty of Black Opium.

Designed with a "glam rock aesthetic" in mind (that'll be the black and silver glitter encrusted bottle then), you'll find your olfactory senses are hit with key notes of black coffee for a "shot of adrenaline" (the brand have actually described this as addictive, so that makes sense too), white florals "to instantly seduce" and vanilla for "sensuality". 

Any perfume I've ever loved has had a good old whack of vanilla in it so it's not surprising that I can't stop sniffing my wrists every time I wear this. I can't say that I got the coffee but I definitely did get white florals and a hint of something darker with it…which I now know is coffee. 

Something new every day, eh?

The beauty of the bottle and the technical stuff aside, this is not for those who love sickly sweet scents; this is a strong, sexy perfume, best suited for night time (although I wear it all the time cause I'm a rebel like that) and probably best avoided if you don't want to seduce passersby just with a swish of hair across your neck. 

Yep, it's that good. 

It is also pricey at €57 for 30ml, €78 for 50ml or €93 for 90ml. Having said that, it's a higher end eau de parfum that lasts throughout the day (I can still smell it on my coat days after wearing it) and is well suited for gifting your loved ones with (thanks Mr Fancy Pants!).

Have you fallen for Black Opium too? Should we start a fan club?

XX