Opium Poppy

[butcherbaby]

Opium teaches only one thing, which is that aside from physical suffering, there is nothing real. A bitter, soft, fragile flower.

oh.my.GAWD.
all i can say about this is, i LOVE it. i mean 'i want to marry it' love it. as soon as i put it on, i recognized it as the note in pisces '08 that brings that scent together so wonderfully for me. this is beautiful, rich, and heady, and went from my skin to my big bottle want list literally seconds after i swathed it on. i've been holding off on making an order til i sniff my way through the pile of imps on my desk, but i just may have to buy a bottle of this right away. or two. i wonder how well it ages?

i don't know what opium poppies smell like in real life, but i do know i really, really love that note in perfume. the st laurent variety has been my favorite for years. i associate it very strongly with my grandma because she wore it all the time, and my first taste of it was from her bottle. my grandmother was an amazing, funny, beautiful, glamourous, artistic, and liberated woman- an ex-flapper who smoked, drank, cussed, made whoopee, cut her hair, wore blue nail polish & red high heels, in an era where it was NOT ok for girls to do that, espcially in the small panhadle TX town where she lived. she kept her modern & brazen attitude all her life, wore the best clothes ever (turquoise & hotpink were her favorites) and amazingly gaudy jewelry. she was my my role model growing up and i loved her dearly. the scent association with her is positive and happy while at the same time grounded with the memory of her decline into alzheimers and her passing 19 years ago. i think i'll wear this next time i vist her grave, and anoint her marker with some. i think she'd like that. Edited May 29, 2008 by Shollin

[alicia_stardust]

This smells like many opium blends, but there is an added sweetness to it that brings to mind large and soft poppy petals. Lovely, evocative, and spot on. I'm keeping this one!

[Myrrha]

In imp: spicy, warm.

 

Wet: still spicy. A bit flat somehow, like there should be more to the scent?

 

6 minutes: WOW!! Now the scent is rounder. I can smell clove as well as the floral scent. It seems to be doing nice things with my chemistry, although it smells too strong. Wait, when I don’t smell my wrist directly but just sit here and let it rise off of me like steam…it smells amazing. Is there some vanilla in here? Something creamy along with the spicy floral.

 

20 minutes: It does seem to be doing well with my chemistry. It smells beautiful. I can’t pick out individual spices anymore. Either I’ve gotten used to it or it has settled down some because it no longer smells so strong. Although there is a definite “floral” note it doesn’t sit on top of my skin and smell fake like most florals but seems to sink in somehow. It might be a little overbearing for work but it isn't as strong as the old 80's YSL scent. It is lovely.

 

1 1/2 hours: It still smells lovely on me and seems to have sunk into my skin so it smells like me only wonderful.

 

 

--Myrrha

[Jetby]

Opium Poppy

In imp: Strong, wet floral scent

Wet: Floral soap -- there is a lot of throw

10 minutes later: Floral soap and smoke/incense

20+ minutes later: Doesn't smell as much like soap now. It's more of a spicy floral. It's still pretty strong.

 

I don't really like this, but I'm not a big fan of florals. I don't think I've ever had any perfumes with poppy in it before so I'm going to assume that is what the floral smell is. It's a really strong perfume. Kind of headache inducing. It doesn't smell bad, just not my thing. I do think it smells better after it has had a chance to dry down. It loses the soapy, powdery scent and evolves into a nice spicy/incense and smoke smell along with the floral. I don't like to smell like flowers though, so not a keeper for me.

[voodoocatwoman]

I have no idea what poppies smell like. I DO know that this fragrance on me is warm and creamy florals. It is OK but nothing to shout about.

[moon_lemming]

So... can it get me high or what.

 

 

 

No, I'm kidding. KIDDING. In the imp, Opium Poppy is... OH MY GOD NO. So we meet again, baby powder. Okay, I will try it out in case it morphs into something wondrous.

 

This is horrible. I mean, I'm sure it smells good on somebody, somewhere, but it is this awful, deadly sweet powder scent on my skin and it is giving me a pretty fierce headache that feels like the beginnings of a migraine.

 

Maybe I'm allergic to something in it, I don't know. It's not going near my skin again, that I DO know.

[Bamels]

This is my first poppy tryout. I have some incense sticks in opium and adore the scent so have high hopes for this one. Sniffing the bottle I can smell a sweet scent, not heavy, but not light either. It doesn't smell very floral, but reminds me of my Uncles' house who always has fresh flowers around.

 

Once on I can smell my Grandparents bathroom?? I can't even explain the smell of this one! Not hideous, it's a nice smell, but I don't want to smell of it. Probably a mixture of different lotions and potions.

 

When dry it smells a bit soapy, that slight imperial leather smell that I got with penthus. I'm dissapointed in this one, maybe I should just carry my incense stick around with me instead!

[vikitty]

This is what that scene in The Wizard of Oz would have to smell like. On acid. Seriously, the poppy is amazing but it's a bit too strong for me.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Soft, sweet, and slightly bitter.

 

Immediately on skin: This is a soft, sweet opium floral scent. It’s got a floral feel to it, then the opium scent hits which isn’t overly smoky at all. This is slightly medicinal, but that’s the scent of the opium.

 

After a little while: The slightly bitter narcotic scent of the opium faded a little and the floral feel of this has gotten stronger. This is a slightly sweet, flowery opium scent now. This scent is very well balanced between the smell of the flower and the smell of the opium.

 

Overall Impressions: This is very pretty, and slightly narcotic smelling. It’s intoxicating! When I smell this, it really does bring to mind this particular flower, though I’ve never smelled it in real life. It’s a womanly, bright opium scent.

[nightbiscuit]

If Riding the Goat is the smell of my grandfather, then Opium Poppy is definitely my grandmother. This scent is soft, billowy, powder light and fresh. A pale, musky floral. Spooky.

[Iceblink]

A light, pretty floral and not the opium-y intenseness I was expecting; delicate and simple. Nice!

[rayvn1]

This is a sweet, delicate floral. It's a great "going to bed" scent and I think it did help me fall asleep last night because it was so soothing I probably won't get a bottle, but this can join my calming-flower-imp group.

[maika]

In the imp, sweet, floral and...dark. No other way to describe it. Totally intriguing, and going to make it's way to my wrist very soon!

 

Wet, still very floral, but that's to be expected. There's nothing sweet and innocent about this floral though...it's deep and lush and fresh - there's a tiny hint of fresh greenery underneath it. There's also an incense note floating around in here too. This is beautiful!!! If it dries down as well as it appears to be promising to, it's definitely going to make it's way to my big bottle list.

 

Dry, the floral is still in place, along with the incense...and while the green hint has disappated, there is a musky undertone that has blended it all together beautiful. Definitely going to be on the big bottle list.

[cymbeline]

Smell alike: Y. St Laurent Opium (or any other strong smoky fragrance like Guerlain’s Shalimar)

 

Color impression: velvet and deep regal red

 

On me: Not a sleepy scent at all in my case. It has this smoky feeling that suggests dim rooms full of languid opium smokers. But it also bears this lady-like note, hushed yet still very screaming for attention in the background.

 

Wearing: According to me, that’s a quite demanding scent. Not for everyday, but it will do the trick with a black dress and diamonds! (well, let’s just say with any sexy AND affordable evening gear )

[Champagne]

It`s more perfumey than the classic opium perfumes . It reminds me of my middle school when I put Opium every day hoping to be considered a hottie. I `m an adult now and the opium note is not for me anymore. For sophisticated women.

[RottenLullaby]

In the imp; reminds me of a perfume I used to wear...I cant think of the name has a headachy smell to me tho.

 

On my skin; Still the same perfumery scent, gives me a headache, I can smell a bit of floral.

 

dry down; powdery floral.

 

Overall; I wouldn’t wear this because it gives me a headache. Maybe it’s the the florals, because I have a opium oil that I used to love, this just dosent work on me.

[Lyrical]

In vial: a rounded opium scent. I like opium in general so I look forward to testing this on my skin.

 

Wet on skin: rounded, juicy, dark and smoky - a grown up scent. Reminds me of Vechernyaya without the patchouli.

 

Dry on skin: still the same. Sexy! After a while it becomes a little more spicy. I like this, although I don't think it's for the faint hearted!

[milo]

So I was wishing to try more scents with opium in them, and lo and behold this landed on my doorstep (literally), well in my mailbox, I guess. So it smells to me like opium is actually incense, or the other way around. You learn something every day in the wide world of bpal! I love incense, which is a good thing, and opium poppy fits the bill very nicely, a heady, fragrant, sexy scent. Well at least I know now where to get my incense fix when my Midnight on the Midway, Midnight Mass, and other blends run out.

[nenia]

heady warm and comforting. Sweet & dry. I get a whiff of bandaid smell every so often, there was another oil that did that to me but I don't recall which at the moment..I think it might be lilies and spices. When the bandage smell isn't present, it's a pleasant bright scent..my sinuses cannot handle heady scents like this though.

[Coldfire]

 

 

 

 

 

Imp: definitely a flower. Pretty but not overly sweet or powering

Wet on Me: still flower…but with a kind of powdery vibe to it.

Drying Down: this fades out very fast…like a hazy memory

Dry: went with the wind this did. Like a high you vaguely remember.

 

[WidgetAlley]

Frimp from the Lab.

 

Imp: That's the opium note I remember from Laudanum, definitely. A sharp, biting, almost peppery floral with a clear, almost aquatic aftertaste. It's sweet but spicy, kind of medicinal and brown-smelling. A LOT like Laudanum to my nose, opium must really be the dominant note in there.

 

Wet: Weird, an almost citrussy floral with a definite burning paper or tires component. Yuck! So strongly bitter that I can taste it. Oh, wait, now it's turning into baby powder and soap and rubber with a hella strong through. Awesome. Perhaps it's just the power of suggestion, but I do feel really, really sleepy now.

 

Dry: A hazy, sleepy floral with strong hints of baby powder. It's giving me quite the headache too. Gonna have to go with a big ole "NO!" to this one.

[savage_rose]

The forum just ate my review post, so I'll just say this is overwhelmingly perfumey on me, but might fare better on your skin if it plays well with the BPAL opium note. I love Slippery Poppy Tincture, but this is nothing like it .

[SeaLady]

I was hoping for a bright red scent, juicy like a poppy looks and alluring because of the opium aspect.

 

But it struck me as being white floral.

And I got from my friends

"It smells like the soap at my grandma's house" and:

"It smells like my grandma's bathroom. . ."

 

Dang. Off to the swap pile, poor Opium Poppy.

[angelicruin]

Sniffing the imp, it's sweet poppies.

 

Wet on my skin, I now smell a bit of smoke mingle with the poppy note. Becomes a bit more smoky before it's fully dry. I like it, but I'm not sure I would reach for it on an every day basis.

[crebbsgirl]

Heady floral here. The opium/poppy is smoky, dark and prominent, calling to mind Mum Moon and Sleepy Moon. Soporific. As it dries, a softer creamy edge comes out, tempering this nicely. I'll have to retest this one I think. It was nice, but a little too perfume-y for me on the outset.