Reviews of Opium pour Homme (1995)
by Yves Saint Laurent

Very similar to a cheap bottle of Brut a relative owns (and I sampled). Sort of a cross between root beer and and minty toothpaste, possibly with some spices mixed in. Horrible stuff. It may be that on my skin, some fragrances don't seem to "progress," such as Kouros. They just get stuck in a stage that is nauseating. In any case, for vanilla, I suggest Ignition by Lomani (or Jaipur EDP if you don't mind forking over a lot more money). For an oriental that is spicy but well-blended, contains nice rosewood, a little amber, a little sweetness, and is not nauseating (unless you spray too much, of course) I suggest Carven Homme. If you want pungent spices and cedar, go with Cuba Red. The ultimate oriental for men is Witness by Bogart, though. There are just too many better choices that Opium.

It's horrible -- wouldn't even use it as a room spray. Comes on really harsh and synthetic with a sort of sour spice aroma, then settles into vanilla, but still the sourness persists. I suppose you could call it edgy or difficult and I'm all for that sometimes -- but it's just plain unpleasant. Could be used if dropped in hot water and inhaled when you have a cold.

From a House that brought us Live Jazz and M7 Fresh, it's hard to fathom.

I do my best not to incommode those who like a fragrance, but I'm compelled to say something about this one.

Opium and Opium Pour Homme are polar opposites in quality. Opium, in all its concentrations, is one of the finest fragrances ever created. Opium Pour Homme (both concentrations) on the other hand, is one of the most disappointing fragrances I've ever worn. It starts out with the same minty bubblegum note that works so well in Opium, though this note isn't executed nearly as well in Opium Pour Homme. In Opium Pour Homme, there is an intriguing, fairly dynamic interplay between notes for forty five minutes to an hour, but the development isn't nearly what one expects based upon the opening. The fragrance quickly turns into a relatively (for YSL especially) generic vanilla bomb with average construction at best. What I'm left with after an hour or so is an abundance of surprisingly average vanilla just sitting on my skin (along with some mild spice and cedar). It's the only YSL fragrance that I truly dislike. I find it substandard and adolescent, and I'm amazed that it was ever released. Perhaps not monumentally awful, but not far from it.

I've always loved the original Opium,and even though it's for women, I've always thought there was something very sexually "male" about it. But I was too chicken-s*** to wear it. When it was announced that Yves was bringing out "Opium for Men" I was truly excited.
At last I could get my Opium mojo on and not feel like a girly-man. I even bought it blind from one of those department store bill envelope offers (without the benefit of a test strip). That's how much I wanted it. I just knew it was going to be a MANLY version of the original. And I just knew it was going to be great!
As I was eagerly awaiting the arrival of my new purchase through the mail, I was driving along in my car one day when a bus pulled up next to me. I turned and who was pouting out at me from the ad on the side of the bus but a naked and coy Rupert Everett. Eccch!
And OHMIGOD he's pushing opium--I mean Opium for Men. Now I was worried. This was not a good omen. I mean, who could be more insincere and full of themselves than him. Who could be more of a girlyman? This did not bode well for the cologne.
My Opium for Men finally arrived and now, with some reservation, I opened the box. I smelled the juice. "Gee," I thought, "This doesn't smell anything like the original." It wasn't bad though. I decided to give it a go. And at first I really liked it. But as the minutes progressed into hours and the hours turned into an evening, I began to hate it. I mean, I could tell what they were going for but...Gadzooks it was sweet! And nothing to temper that sweetness. I used to work next to a candy factory and you could tell what they were making on certain days because the smell would envelope the neighborhood like an atomic cloud. Opium for Men smelled like the candy factory was making Tofifay or one of those other candies that old people love (even though they usually pour them into a candy dish and then never touch them for a couple of years until they have to chisel the candy out and throw it away...but I digress).
Suffice to say, my Dad, who was 3000 miles away at the time, got an entire 3.3 ounce bottle of cologne for his birthday. And I bought a mini of Opium for Women and started wearing it around the house. Maybe someday this girlyman will grow a pair and take it outside.

Not strong but too classy and old-school.But anyway it is much fresher than the feminine edition.Even though i like fresh vanilla, this one is truly disapppointing.

The great thing about this is that it really lasts all day. Even after a shower, there's still a hint of the vanilla on your skin. The bad thing is that it's an utterly disgusting stench, and I can't get rid it!

It smells really interesting in the bottle, and when you spray it on, there are all kinds of crazy spices in the air for a few seconds. Then as it settles, it's just this sickeningly sweet nastiness that haunts you and makes you feel like a drag queen all day long. At least it does on my skin. After an hour or more, when it really fades it becomes tolerable and even nice - a more "manly" and mysterious kind of aroma, but otherwise it's just very feminine.

It's a very good idea, very badly executed. I'm sure there's some other fragrance out there that is strong and spicy and wild like this, but in a good way...

Also I wasn't impressed with all the sodium benzoate and other preservatives and chemicals listed in the ingredients. Those things accumulate in your body if you wear cologne every day, and it's particularly bad if you put it on after shaving when it gets quickly into your blood.

The initial blast is like a mix between, let's see... a mix between rootbeer and pine needles. Don't worry, it does get a little better as it dries down. Well, sometimes. The drydown is quite inconsistent to me. Sometimes I dig the dirty yet sweety oriental nature of this frag, and sometimes I wonder if it really makes sense to smell like I've hidden spice bags in all of my pockets. The latter feeling tends to win out because of an really annoying citrus note that stands out and provides a clashing bitterness. Overall not horrible, I just don't think it is that great either. This is definately not a safe blind buy! Based on the opinions on this site, the EPD sounds MUCH better, perhaps lacking the annoying citrus note. I'd like to try that out sometime and see if it delivers where this one falls short