Mar 28, 2002 02:34 AM
10666 Views
(Updated May 23, 2002 12:34 PM)
A funny thing happened to me in 1977. I was making my way through the make-up section of a Holt Renfrew's, (an expensive store), in Vancouver. A lady came up and asked me if I would try Yves Saint Laurent's new fragrance called 'OPIUM'. I don't try any perfume because they turn rancid on me and I spend hours in a bathroom trying to wash out the stink.
When I said, 'No thank you', to the lady she asked if she put a drop of it on a cotton puff would I at least smell it. I agreed to that and once I took one whiff of it I fell in love with Opium. I told her it was lovely but I couldn't try it as I had this problem with perfumes they make me smell like I was a 'lady of the night', (read covered with cheap perfume).
She told me this was a new type of perfume and assured me that it would not smell any different on me than it smelled on the cotton ball. I rubbed a bit on one of my wrists and waited 10 minutes. She was correct and I smelled wonderful. I took out my wallet to buy some and she told me I couldn't! Apparently Ives Saint Laurent was doing a test on this fragrance. As I had tested it she asked me to fill out a form that included what I thought of Opium and my home address. I thought that if the Company decided to produce the perfume they would send me a sample.
One Month later a box arrived from France. When I opened it there was a complimentary bottle of Opium. The letter that accompanied it explained that 100 Women had tested Opium and we were each receiving a numbered bottle, (mine is number 44), as a thank you.
When he introduce Opium to the public his ad showed a model, (Sophie Dahl), nude. Opium was banned in the U.K. for a while.
THE BOTTLE:
The bottle has an amber colored glass oval shape. On the side is an oval clear glass so you can see the perfume inside. The cap is the orange color you see in the desert and the top of the cap is gold.
THE SCENT:
I find that if I put on the perfume that I can still smell it on my wrists the next morning. Some times I use Opium Eau de Toilette, (it's cheaper so I use the perfume for special occasions and the eau de Toilette every day), when I go to bed at night the fragrance still smells as strong as when I first applied it.
To me it smells very Oriental as I can smell roses, carnations, sandalwood, pepper, lily of the valley and cloves.
I ALSO USE:
Opium eau de Toillet, bath soap, talc and body cream.
Opium also makes a Men’s line and I gave it to my Husband who loves it, (for once we agree on something).
THE DESIGNER:
Yves Saint Laurent was born in Algeria. He worked with the designer Coco Chanel to learn fashion designing. He opened his own garment shop and then branched out to making other items, (such as perfumes), before he sold his Company to Gucci, (in 1999).
THE PRICE:
It costs me over $65.00 CAD so I wait until I can buy it duty free for about $30.00 CAD. I know it's expensive but I'm worth it.
SOME THOUGHTS:
No fragrance is right for everyone. Since Opium came out there are a lot of newer fragrants and it has almost been forgotten except by people like me who wouldn't give up their Opium for all the rupees in the world.
If you are looking for a new fragrance why not give this 'oldie but a goodie' a try.
©LL
