Yves Saint Laurent
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Pink pepper provides a brief, spiky fizz before the coffee-pear combination crashes in—the pear reads almost syrupy, like tinned fruit, whilst the coffee is dark, slightly burnt, espresso-machine bitter. Orange blossom lurks beneath, adding a creamy, almost raunchy floral undertone that hints at the white floral assault to come.
The jasmine blooms fully now, rich and indolic, tangling with that persistent coffee note that refuses to fade gracefully. Bitter almond adds a marzipan quality whilst liquorice brings anisic sweetness; the overall effect is of a florist's shop next door to a café, scents mingling through a shared wall, neither quite winning.
Vanilla dominates completely, supported by the soft-focus blur of cashmere wood that creates an almost skin-like powderiness. The patchouli is barely perceptible, a faint earthy whisper beneath mountains of sweetness; what remains is a cosy, slightly cloying cloud of vanillic warmth with ghostly traces of coffee haunting the edges.
Black Opium feels like mainlining espresso at midnight whilst wearing last night's perfume—a deliberately excessive, unapologetically sweet shot of white florals drowned in coffee and vanilla. Honorine Blanc built this around a coffee accord so thick it borders on liqueur, cutting through the sweetness with bitter almond and a generous dose of pink pepper that keeps the opening from collapsing into pure confection. The pear note is fleeting, almost irrelevant, whilst the orange blossom adds a narcotic, indolic edge that prevents this from reading as simple gourmand fare.
What makes Black Opium divisive—and beloved—is its refusal to behave. The coffee never fully integrates with the jasmine; they orbit each other in deliberate tension. The vanilla is absolutely massive, bolstered by the cashmere wood (essentially a synthetic designed to amplify sweetness and softness), creating that slightly powdery, almost marshmallow-like quality in the base. Patchouli provides a whisper of earthiness, though it's far more decorative than grounding. A touch of liquorice weaves through the heart, adding anisic sweetness that some find cloying, others compelling.
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4.1/5 (15.8k)