Opium Vapeurs de Parfum Yves Saint Laurent for women

Opium and her subsequent flankers appear to have gone through some major changes over the years. The original formula of Opium was a spicy, rich oriental. However the modern interpretation as we know it today, is much softer and more of a crowd pleaser. As a result, flankers such as, Belle d'Opium and Opium Vapeurs de Parfum, are not really spicy orientals at all. They have little to no relation to the spicy Opium from the by-gone era.

The only spices to be found in this composition, come in the form of pink pepper, (which is so zesty and sour that it could be mistaken for pineapple), and powdered nutmeg. Opium Vapeurs de Parfum is a surprisingly subdued floral, wearing almost like a skin-scent.

First of all, I love the bottle. It was such a shame that I didn't enjoy the scent enough to buy it. I would have loved to have displayed that powder pink bottle on my dresser.

I'm quite a fan of orange blossom in perfume, however the orange blossom note in Opium Vapeurs de Parfum struck me as a little synthetic. The floral notes in general were mildly soapy, with the nutmeg creating a smooth, musky blend on the skin.

I sprayed Opium Vapeurs de Parfum on my left wrist and walked around the shopping centre sniffing it occasionally. I found it pleasant but nothing outstanding. It's not worth the YSL price tag, at least not in my opinion.

Opium Vapeurs de Parfum is such a blasé fragrance. The projection is like a whisper on the skin, with the lasting strength being quite poor also. Not impressed. Opium is starting to lose its charm.

If Jean Paul Gaultier and Coco Mademoiselle ever got together, this would be their love child.

The same heady florals and vanillas, but like a rebellious teenager, it is brooding with its spicy dry down and smoky, incense notes. I much prefer my florals with powder or musk in the base.

Reminiscent of the original; I always felt like I couldn't quite pull that off; too dark and melancholy, as opposed to this one, it has the freshness, which did intrigue me and kept me sniffing at my wrist for quite a while. Lasting power not as long as the original, only 4 hours at best, not good for an EDP. I expect more bang for my buck!

I wouldn't call it a favourite, but it's wearable and pleasant. People would most likely ask you if you're wearing Mademoiselle or JPG Classique, because it's one of those "you've smelt it before" florientals. If these two didn't exist, I would probably be head over heels for this one.

It's nice enough for everyday, but no wow factor. I'm after a "what are you wearing, it's amazing" experience. Always on the hunt for a stand alone fragrance to add to my collection, not a hybrid or spin off of old classics, and sadly, this is one of them.

A stunning beginning with citrus and jasmine ...hard to pick individual notes because they work in synergy ...cant stop smelling my wrist ,and as it develops I get cozy and elegant incense notes.I just love this , oriental but fresh ..love ,love ,love .

Opium Vapeurs is feminine and elegant perfume. Beautiful oriental floral, fresh as many reviews here state, but not meaning citric or light. Vapeurs is fresh like smell of flowers in a large living room, the room is full of light and all the walls are slightly rose in color.

It's a smell of mandarin blossom mixed with incense, so light yet edgy. It reminds me of beautiful spring, family lunches and mirrors with golden frames. Smells like afternoon tea in spacious gardens, family fights and wooden chess board.

Reminds me on Elizabeth Taylor in Cat on Hot Tin Roof.
It is awaiting of future, mysterious, tempting and bright.
So beautiful and vivid.

Beautiful, beautiful fresh, clean spicy, incency fragrance- another YSL that suits to my chemistry.I love citrusy incence mixture so georgeus surounded with white flowers where orange blossom dominates.

Certainly reminds to Opium, which is not my can of coke.
Like Opium on spring diet!

un profumo sintetico , fiori frutta e colori , dopo un po diventa uguale a Fame di lady gaga, l'incenso e' finto, di opium non c'e' ombra, ne per effetto del profumo ne per somiglianza.
ma perche ysl si e' messo a fare profumi così? (dopo aver rovinato opium, e aver creato queste cose insulse)

First of all, this is not Opium. It bears no resemblance to the 1977 perfume called Yves Saint Laurent Opium, or any of its subsequent reformulations.

With that out of the way, I actually don't mind it. It has almost a fizzy quality, with the orange blossom sparkling on a bed of incense. The incense isn't a heavy, churchy incense - but rather something that you would smell on a gust of wind. The perfume in general has a very breezy quality, forming a pleasant, light fragrance, perfect for spring/summer. I wouldn't classify it as a particularly sexy, femme fatale fragrance (like its namesake). It's more of a day/office fragrance, or for those that prefer the lighter fragrances in general. Weak to medium lasting power on the skin.

I don't find any similarity to the original Opium. Vapeurs is mostly orange blossom, with an underlying note of citrus, and hints of incense and spice. I think a person needs to ignore the supposed relation to Opium and assess this on its own merits, rather than make a comparison. They are completely different. This is a sweet and powdery floral, and I like it quite a bit.

Nothing fresh to my nose, just a strong, chemical smell of bath freshner... I fie not like the original and I totally dislike this one , too. It is hard to me to understand what is fresh in this! It is heavy, artificial and headache inducing. Sorry, no!

So fresh and clean...hardly something I expected from a fragrance with the name "Opium" on the bottle. Sadly, it's not as long lasting as I would've hoped.

Still lovely, though :) Not overwhelming, just right.

Don't look anything like the original Opium, which I consider too strong for me ... This is more catchy, light, youthful, fresh petals and white roses in the air ...

Yves Saint Laurent, Opium Vapeurs de Parfum 2012. Citrus accords from the Mediterranean including mandarin and orange blossom, 'fragrant fumes' waft from the tender salmon pink bottle that was once home to super elixir Opium.  Oriental citrus incense becomes gentle and caressing. Pink pepper in the opening give it initial sparkle, orange blossom and mandarin take it up a notch for a more enveloping  sillage. The Vapeurs edition has  less spice than the original and is thankfully low on the sugary calories , you can't go wrong.

I asked my brother to buy me Opium or Midnight Poison for Christmas, and this is what he came home with. I didn't notice that it wasn't actually Opium until after I'd opened it. Now I've got this huge bottle of EDT that's precisely the type of perfume I don't like - white florals and citrus just smell sharp and unpleasant on me.
The shop assistants probably impressed upon him that in the summer months you "need" a light, "fresh" perfume. No.

Guess I just have to put Opium back on my wishlist.

Finally I have it too, it´s heaven as previous reviewers said, like neroli and incense ideal encounter, l´Agent sinking into neroli and stuff...I am literally bathing in it, hope the passangers on public transport won´t faint...

Finally its mine !
- and I´m in seventh perfume heaven !!
Just got this by mail, tried it twice on paper since summer and just knew this is a smellME scent...
The red pepper and mandarin makes just such a beautiful entry, but there are lots to come..., speak about notes they blend and wipe the floor fo every new note making its announcement. The jasmine and orange flower are probably creating that Alien touch I get, but its the top and base that are most prominent on me.
It is quite heavy , so maybe not for every day use on everyone...
so I will put it on early in the morning getting myself ready for the day.
What great sillage and longevity too !
Of course it has vibes from the "old" opium flankers but this is a lot fresher and has its own tone.
I would say it is an Alien with incense and spice , if that makes any sence ?
I´ll tell you one thing , if I wasn´t such a decent girl I wouldn´t have written this review , telling you all about my new love, keeping it for myself...
but I know you all out there are craving for next love,next new signature.... -- so what can a perfume lover do but tell every perfumista whats her new love is, and letting you all try it for yourself !
This is it... - my new secret so don´t tell anyone , ok ?

First of all I have to say that I'm not a vanilla fan when comes to perfumes, BUT this one changed my mind. I've tested it yesterday on a blotting paper and I couldn't stop sniffing it. It is so well balanced, very classy, almost intoxicating scent.I have to have it.

I´ve tried it yesterday at Sephora "overflowing" with many other fumes being tested by pre-Christmas busy shoppers which rendered all the fragnances I´ve tested almost indiscernible until I´ve tried Vapeurs,this one nailed it, so pronounced, elegant,sexy, balmy, beautiful, powerful vapor indeed.

Almost hypnotic! Feels like heaven!

This one is truly elegant & young opium. It is warm and spicy, such a nice smell. Smells a bit oriental, unusual. On my skin it's pretty heavy, not for everyday use, needs this special occasion. I like it very much, much better than the other from the Opium family. Could be my purchase in near future. Wearing this one, I feel sexy and sophisticated in some way. Thumbs up, YSL!
(my Fiancee likes it too, he says it smells sexy)

To me, this perfume is a lighter and more everyday version of the original Opium- and it's fantastic! It has some of characteristics of Opium, but lighter and balmier than the original. It still smells very exotic and still is very strong, which I like.

Something strange! Opium is not that we are used to. Probably I should long to smell, look for notes ... But, I do not even want to guess, a dusty, light cologne. Doily immediately flew into a bin in the store

Opium Vapeurs de Parfum is lighter and more wearable version of regular John Galliano Eau de Parfum. The John Galliano has a unique and extremely beautiful incense note that makes the fragrance sophisticated. In Yves Saint Laurent they took this incense accord and surrounded it by a lighter and generic fruity powdery veil. Nonetheless the result is nice as well.

iwas in the airport trying many perfumes when isaw this perfume and my hand was full with other perfumes so isprayed it on my sleeves and ihang my clothes and forget it next da ysame cloth iwear there was nice smell ido not from where itried to remember and it was that opium and the thirde day it was also there with
same sillage although idid not smell first day so it will be my next purchase for sillage and longtivity
please who said this version is not long lasting it is more than long lasting the new thing iwant to add that this perfume has different smell depend on the type of clothes you wear itried on my cotton clothes and stays about three days and give me beautiful smell and itried on fiber clothes it stays for two weeks but the smeel was sharp and keep on going with the same tone never get lower thanks for reading

I love this perfume...I can feel the incense note...very well

I feel as though they created this version simply for the (predominantly younger) crowd who invariably whinge about the original being too heavy, strong or "old lady" in presence. This is a much lighter, fresher and modern take on the original. To me, it was exotic and powdery, quite summery and fresh, but wound up taking on the feel of an interesting smelling soap. Lasting power wasn't fantastic, but better than some edps out there on the market. Average - moderate appeal, but will quickly lose it's audience when the summer months are over.

The trick with this one is to try and disassociate it from the name "Opium". Vapeurs opens up with vivacious and unbridled citrus, orange blossom and the juice of smooshed up jasmine flowers. A healthy dose of pink pepper to spice things up and you've got yourself an almost unisex, vaguely soapy, damn good perfume. The nutmeg and incense doesnt come into play until much further down the track, by which stage sillage is waning. Longevity is surprisingly good, in fact its actually a bit strong at the start and could be overhwhelming if you got too trigger happy. Definitely reminds me of the old Priscilla Presley fragrance Indian Summer- extremely similar, but Vapeurs is a tad fresher.

A lot of negatives on this one... I feel the opposite! The original Opium feels really old-lady-like, so at first I did´nt really have an interest of trying this. But since the bottle kind of appealed to me, I did anyway. And I was happily surprised! A mysterious, sexy, soft scent that feels younger than the original...

Tested this one out today and am in love! It smells like incense and musky sandalwood but the jasmine, vanilla and oranges give it a feminine flair. It's not too heavy or overpowering, just a gentle breeze of incense. I love the smell of Hemp shops and this one captures that glorious smell fantastically! Will be purchasing this one.

I am a lover of Opium. Unlike many others, I feel YSL is making some much-needed changes in order to bring the Opium empire into the 21st century and connect with the people of today. Newsflash--The 70's Are Over! Vapeurs is a wonderful addition to the Opium family as a "Legere" sister of Opium. I was excited to try this perfume because the notes indicated it could be heavy on orange blossom and jasmine with a warm, softly spiced base. Opium Vapeurs delivers on its promise.

When I first sprayed, I smelled a lot of orange or tangerine. After 10 minutes I smelled the back of my hand again and was shocked at how much it had changed. It became much less citrusy and gained a significant amount of nutmeg and white florals. Another ten minutes went by, and BAM, it was exactly what I'd hoped for--sandalwood, nutmeg, vanilla, jasmine, and incense. Something about it is a tad masculine, which is quite sexy in my eyes.

I spent the afternoon at a charming cafe today. A warm, barely noticeable summer breeze would drift by, carrying the most beautiful scent with it. I looked around and saw a wall full of jasmine nearby. Opium Vapeurs has the same effect with regard to scent and projection. It's quite magical! It's as though I never left the cafe.

Like its namesake, this perfume's drydown is worth the wait. It's a delicately spiced perfume. It tickles the senses and makes the perfect summer oriental.

Indeed "Opium"s are the portal to the Far East moods, look like souvenirs from China and the Forbidden City and variety in editions are the approval stamp on it.
Beside, "Kouros"s does the same in Indian mood with incenses and woods as well as "M7"s with Middle Eastern spirits.
Wow, was Mr. Saint Laurent French?!!

I don't like it at all. It's just an intrusive, heavy, sickening and old-fashioned perfum. I really can't stand it.

Update after some years: I like this very much, its old-fashioned aura really intrigues me now.

first opium parfum which I love very much and I'd i want to buy it !!!super feninine luxury elegant oriental-flover becoze i feel the oriental smell there somewhere .Its sooo much good kvalite so long lasting and special its sooo much everithing i want now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE this!, and I also like the "old" (heavy?) Opium!
So to all lovers of the old an haters of the new version... It's possible to love them both!
I think it's mature, feminine, balmy, fresh, and sensual at the same time.
I think you can wear it anytime, anywhere... People ask me what I wear, and not because they think I smell Like Hell!! haha but because they like it its suits me.
it is not just another fragrance, I find it a unique delicious perfume.

Getting acquainted with a scent is exciting, surprising, a journey of discovery and sometimes disappointing .... It is one of my favorite things to do and sometimes you hit a small treasure.
Vapeurs de parfum van YSL is such a treasure, I call it deliberately no opium, because I think it has its own personality and it is no small sister of the mighty opium from the 70's.

I adore this! It's sophisticated and feminine. I was overjoyed when I saw this duty free at London Heathrow! A must-try (with an open mind) as it bears no resemblance to the original - and that's OK.

The way pink pepper and nutmeg are used here makes this perfume very similar to lots of others. Pink pepper comes through very noticeably since the beginning, together with the fruity mandarine note. Later, nutmeg and incense seem to take over the lead of the other notes. Longevity and sillage are not great. Although I tend to like pink pepper very much, not so in this perfume. I find it common, lacking character, and not particularly pleasant. It is nothing to to with the original Opium, but I never liked it very much either. I do have the greatest respect for Jean Louis Sieuzac, though, the creator of the original Opium, but not for having created it, but rather for what I consider two of the greatest perfumes of all time, Oscar de la Renta and the 1989 reformulation of Madame Rochas.

This is as politically correct as the original Opium wasn't. Vapeurs is a little sweet, a little citrusy, a little powdery, a little bit of this, a little bit of that. Obviously Opium fans are disappointed. But Vapeurs de Parfum was not made for them; it's supposed to take market shares from Shalimar Initial and Coco Mademoiselle. It's not about creating a perfume; it's about the marketing consultants advising: "Why the others should get all the pie from the cute little pink perfumes? YSL is entitled to a piece too!"

The best thing I can say about is that it doesn't last long. I really, really don't like it.
I appologize to all of you who do like it, but there is nothing here for me but screechy, peppery harshness. I don't get ANY jasmine, which is a shame, because I love jasmine.
I do get a little bit of incence, and when the fragrance dries down some amber as well. It has a soft drydown, not annoying like the opening, but nothing special either.
Positive thing is it wasn't that strong (and I LIKE strong scents), because if this would have had the strength of an EDP, it would have completely knocked me out.

I got a sample vial of 4 ml of Opium de Vapeur. I like it with a opening of pink pepper but fades within one minute and gets followed by the incense. Then the manderin orange kicks in with the orange blossem and amber. its soft sweet and a hint of spice but on my skin mostly soft sweet. I have sprayed at at 6 in the morning but by 9.30 its completly gone. So it doesnt stay around. Its a shame because its beautiful and i would have bought it but the longivety is the issue and reason why i will not purchase it. Sigh.

I absolutely love Opium, so I can't wait to try the Opium Vapeurse de Parfum!! I have the Belle d'Opium and the Opium for women and between the two I much more prefer the Opium for women. It is stronger and more spicy. I can actually still smell it on me the next day. I have been wanting to try the Cinema by YSL, I am curious how the Cinema will compare with the Opium?

I have tested it this morning and i'm so surprised i loved it since i usually hate all the "Opium something" scent except the beautiful " Opium Fleur de Shanghai" from 2005 .
I don't feel much pink pepper in it ,( it's a note that i usually dislike and yet i'm loving this cent .)
Just like Elie Saab and Yves Rocher's "Tendre Jasmin " there is a beautiful Orange Bloosom / Jasmine combo ( i guess this is getting trendy? )warmed by the incense and the amber however .
Not surprisingly all the Opium lovers hate it , i predicted it right away , it's really not like the man-eater original Opium , but those who hate it may like this scent , like i do .

I find it worrying that the only word you can read on the bottle label, apart from the name of the brand, is "Opium". On the box, we can only find the expression "Vapeurs de parfum" some two centimeters below the word "Opium", and in considerably smaller lettering. This is very confusing. Is L'Oréal trying to fool uninformed users into buying this fragrance instead of Opium? On top of that, the differences between the two bottles are not very remarkable.

The differences between Opium and Opium Vapeurs de parfum ARE remarkable, though. With a very noticeable pink pepper undertone (lately so much in vogue), Vapeurs is a watered down, more conventionally "feminine" makeover of the classic, fresher, lighter, more flowery and citrusy. Even if its development is rather linear, it lasts 2 hours on my skin. Not bad for a summer flanker, I guess.

For me Opium VDP is just shallowly pleasant while the preformulated Opium is deep and ravishing. I began this review complaining about the fact that the bottle and packaging were misleading, but maybe they aren't so if they simply want to make us think this fragrance is "Opium in pink"... :(

I think that this perfume is nice, yes it is light and doesn't have much similarity to the orginal Opium, but it is a good introduction to the Opium scent, especially for younger women. It stays on well but does'nt seem to develop like its original namesake.

It's an ok light sweety smell, neither to love it, nor to hate it. What makes me angry though, is the name. They could have named it everything except Opium. Belle d' Opium was enough. Not again the same mistake.

This is another disappointment since L'Oreal bought out the great YSL and proceeded to ruin their brand. I would not buy this if it was by Kate Moss or Paris Hilton, if I like a scent and find it good quality for the price, I'll say so. This smells much like decent quality air freshener. It's harsh, 'white floral' screeches up to my headache centre along with some unsubtle citrus. It has no definition or development and is in my opinion, another nail in the coffin for the great scent brands of the world.

Having read so many reviews, I am surprised to find that on me this smells like Opium light. Not a watered down, or weak version, just, lighter. Like Opium for beginners. On me is is very spicy with a ton of incense, cushioned on soft flowers. I think if you find the original too strong for you try this one. It is a more wearable version and I like it a lot better than Belle d'Opium, which I find almost as heavy as the original, just with more white flowers.
Staying power with this one is just as good as the original Opium I might add, a good 12 hours on my skin and still distinct and the bottle is really quite pretty.

I love this. One of my other faves is Chanel coco mademoiselle and this is similar. The opium version! I can't agree with the other reviews. I love this. Maybe they shouldn't have called it opium as I don't think it is anything like the original which is probably why opium lovers don't like it.

Claudia26, I couldn't agree more with you. I love Opium and I wear it all year round. I don't need to spend a fortune on a watered down version of it just because the temperatures rise every summer (paying a price for it that has not been reduced or softened like the juice, by the way). You're right: the only difference lies in how you apply your perfume in hot weather. But "Opium" seems to be a magical word and l'Oréal keeps associating it to other more run-of-the-mill creations in the name of profit, especially when recent summer launches like Saharienne have not proved commercially successful at all. I'll always stay faithful to Opium, whatever the temperatures and the soft flankers offered every summer! :) (as long as I still have some; I treasure two bottles of the pre-formulated Opium and hope they last forever, but that's another story...).

May I ask why do we need summer versions of a perfume?
The only difference (from what I understand) is that it doesn't last as long as the original, or weaker sillage.

Couldn't we just apply it in smaller amounts?

I love Opium, and I don't want to wear it (and I don't) only during winter, and in the summer to smell like soap, or floral fruity, so called fresh scents.

I think we should wear the perfume we love all year round, just the quantity applied should be different, no?

oh my goodness!! I just tried this today, only on paper though! It smelled generic, cleaned up, run of the mill perfume of the day and very un opium like!! I can't believe they did this! Make the perfume by all means but don't slap on the opium name because this has absolutely nothing to do with the old classic!! I personally think belle 'd'opium was as far as they should go with it, that one wasn't bad even if the opium name on it was questionable, it was still a nice perfume, a bit different and still retained some spiciness and good dose of patchouli! but this one is a completely different animal. Opium had been cleaned and rinsed and niced up and lost all personality and uniqueness its a travesty!! :(

I tested this on back of my right hand and ck one summer 2012 on left hand.I immediatly fell for this one,pink pepper and mandarin combination obviously works with my skin chemistry.Its lasted 5hrs+ on me so far and still going strong!. Its a winner in my books and i'm loving it enough to want to add it to my "want list".I'm a huge fan of the original but I can even appreciate this Opium flanker.

Its not that it doesn't smell of Opium (I like Belle D'Opium) to me this smells off. I am sure it will work in some peoples skin. In paper strip to me, smelled like a mixture of perfumes that have gone off. I was with another two peope and neither of them liked it. I do have the real vintage one and I love it.
I have a vial with this one and I am very hesitant to trying it on my skin...

Edit: I got the courage to apply on my skin and it smells MUCH nicer than on the paper. I get sweet flowers and then the incense straight away, a few minutes later the woods come in. I think this could be a great autumm perfume.

But I totally agree with others that this shouldn't have been called Opium, because with that name you can't help it but compare it with the original one, and I think if you manage not to compare it, and take it as a totally different one it would be a totally different experience. Unfortunatelly I can't separate them.

Before everyone gets all dismissive of this scent, remember IT DOESN'T HAVE TO SMELL 'LIKE' OPIUM.
It's lovely as a stand alone fragrance.
Original Opium is magnificent in it's warmth and richness, in fact it's my favourite scent. I was given a pre-sale sample last weekend of the vapeurs and was surprised by how much I liked it. It reminds me more of their 80s Male scent - Kouros, more than Opium which is no bad thing.
It leads with a strong mandarin citrus and dries to reveal more dry spice mingling with the mandarin, a little more complex and much less feminine than it's parent.
I see people talking about it being too light, in comparison to 'opium' of course it's light, it's supposed to be, hence the word Vapeurs! It does however have staying power, it lasted several hours on me.
If you see this odd little loveliness as nothing to do with the original, you might like it very much. I will be getting a bottle when it comes on sale next month, definitely.

The only eau fraiche I have used is chanel chance eau fraiche . It really lasts! Thats the exception.

Amazing bottle!! I'm very happy to see a light version of Opium, I love the fragrances of Yves Saint Laurent!

whaaaaaaaaat?? a "ligere" version of THE oriental perfume Opium :|
whyyyyyyy????? f***in' L'Oreaaaaaaaaal :|
:'( nooooooooo
opium is just the heavy, ambery, spicy, sexy, and incensy scent that we love, and so much people hate, that's opium
and now, this "brand" is trying to destroy opium's soul to sell it for the mass??
i'm crying!!! poor YSL, he's going to reborn only to die again 2 times when he see this :'(

Another proof, along with all the sport releases fever, that clearly says out loud that modern perfumery is taken over by marketing people, craving more money, more money, more money.. Poor YSL..

Anything that says Legere or fraiche , I stay away from, never any lasting power, I don't have time to spray my perfume all day!
If I could also add how ysl last few new releases have been beyond average. Sad but true. I don't buy perfume to wear a watered down version of something that evaporates in 20 min. To pay 60 euros for this is ridiculous!

It smel amazing, but doesn't stay long on the skin :(( it's really an EDT Légère

I was actually wishing that they release an intensive version of belle because it is so light but this is really promising !!