Perfume Folly

So, I finally got to try Opium eau de parfum.  What a green thing I am, when it comes to perfume concentrations.  Why was I so silly to think that a higher concentration would mean a stronger version of the same scent?

I'm going to explain so that no one else makes the same mistake I did.  Being a perfume novice is not bad--but you don't want to spend $60 on something that disappoints.

Eau de parfum is a stronger fragrance than eau de toilette, but not only that--it is a completely different fragrance, at least to my nose.  And not the kind of different that I like.

 

 

Opium eau de parfum, when first sprayed, is rather heavenly.  One can smell the citrus notes and the spicy florals.  But dry-down is disappointing, to say the least.  What happened to the amber and vanilla notes that make Opium an oriental fragrance?  The dry down just smelled like...Soap.  I guess I should have listened to my intuition, as I didn't like the bottle much.  Looks like a stick of liquorice is stuck in it.

Today I'm going to try to get the eau de toilette.  While not as strong as I may like, it actually smells like the Opium I adore, with an addictively sweet dry-down of vanilla and tantalizing amber, and a hint of spice.

Vintage Perfume Obsession

Recently I was given Shalimar by a friend.  They were two sample bottles of the Eau de Toilette, and I was so excited, as I have been wanting Shalimar for a while now.  My grandmother wore it, and the smell of it reminds me of her.  I am fascinated by the fact that a perfume from 1926 is still admired by many--and its fragrance does not seem "dated."  It makes me feel so classy and enigmatic when I wear it, and the vanilla in the base note is not too cloyingly sweet.

 

One of the sample bottles looks something like this--so cute!

Another perfume I am absolutely obsessed with is Yves Saint Laurent 'Opium'.  I don't own any of this and it's driving me a little crazy.  The fragrance is so mysterious, spicy/sweet, and...addictive.  Absolutely one of the most seductive fragrances I've ever smelled.  I want to save up and buy some, but I'm not sure if I want the eau de parfum or eau de toilette.  I tried one back in December that I just loved, but I'm not sure which it was.  I tried this eau de toilette recently, and did not find it strong enough.

 

"EdT" spray I tried a couple days ago.

The very first opium I tried was spicier, lasted a couple weeks on the scarf I sprayed it on, and it came in a lovely glass bottle.  But there's a version of the eau de toilette that comes in the same bottle--I don't know which one is for me!

The one I really loved looked something like this...