Champagne And Opium

[suki]

As this was the one I was most hopeful about, I figured I'd start here...

 

In the bottle: The champagne note I remember is certainly present, and to my nose smells strongly like gingerale, as with the first batch of these scents from two years ago. but the opium is holding it's own, in a lovely, rich, slightly smoky way.

 

Wet on the skin: Where as in the bottle, the champagne had the edge at about 70-30, the opium is gaining ground and is now at almost a 50-50 ratio to the champagne. I want to say that at this point, I detect no other notes.

 

Dry down: Opium wins by a nose, in a 60-40 lead. The opium note by this point has become more stable, and is blooming into a sweet, almost summery version of itself. Don't get me wrong, this can definitely be worn through the winter months, but will be a fine treasure for sultry hot nights 7 months from now as well. The champagne is there, but it feels like a supporting cast member now. Which works for me, because in the past this note has gone horribly wrong on my skin.

 

In all: A keeper for sure, but I'm anticipating more subtlety in about a month, after it's had a chance to settle and blend more completely.

 

<3

[dixiehellcat]

Wet, the champagne note goes WHOA. Which is fine, because I like it & it likes me. But the opium note, as VioletChaos mentioned, is a rich smoky counterplay. I don't pick up any other notes either. On my skin the two blend beautifully. I'll wear this a lot!

[jizatt]

As a lover of both champagne and (bpal!) opium I knew I had to have this bottle. I was very lucky to find a pick up =)

 

So, not having given this time to rest, I ripped open the package and applied lightly The champgne is strongest when its wet, with a hint of the smoky opium I love from Mum Moon. (there it is complicated with many other things, including red musk, which I dont paritcularly like), but here the opium is glorious. The champgne fades out for me, and the scent warms to my skin, very hazy, but not exactly a soft opium scent. If you love the opium note, you NEED this bottle. It is the best opium I've found outside of Mum Moon =) If you love the champagne note, keep in mind that is not the strongest part of the scent (at least on my skin)

[thekittenkat]

In the bottle: Champagne and opium, very much so.

 

Wet: The champagne is fizzy still, but the opium swirls in the deeps.

 

The dry-down: As this dries, the opium note rises up through the sweetish bubbles. The fizziness is almost citrus-like in quality. Interesting, but it may need some time to age.

[crebbsgirl]

I would agree that this may settle and age wonderfully. Right now, the champagne is a little too bright here, but the if the drydown is any indication, this could be AMAZING! The opium note is sweet and smokey, and the champagne adds a light boozey touch to it. It's pretty good now, but I feel like it could develop into AWESOME!

[ljaylh]

I need to preface this review by stating up front that champagne usually does not play nice on my skin (it often produces a bitter, sour, nasty hairspray-like smell).. but I had to give this one a try, because I do love me some opium!!

 

So when first applied, yep - there's the champagne. And yep - it's strong, and very boozy, and not playing nice on my skin as usual. Checking again 10 minutes later and the champagne is still sharp and dominant, but I can smell the lovely sweet smokiness of the opium breaking through.

 

This reaches its best point for me after it's been on for 20 minutes - now the champagne has dried off a lot.. it's still there, and it's still got that boozy/fizzy dry/sharp top note, but the opium has now come to the fore. And it's exactly the opium that I love - soft, sensuous, smokey and slightly sweet. The longer I leave it on, the less noticeable the champagne is, which is exactly what I was hoping for. I agree with the breakdown VioletChaos mentioned - it's about 60/40 in favour of the opium.

 

Like others have mentioned, perhaps the champagne note will lessen its intensity after a bit of aging. So I'm putting this aside for a while and will re-test in a month or two.. right now, the pong of the champagne is a bit too much for me but ohhhhh the opium is too lovely for me to give up on it completely just yet

[raspberryswirlgirl]

I just had to say that the lasting power of this scent is amazing. The champagne is light, fizzy, and Sprite/GingerAle ish and the opium is sweet, deep and gorgeous.

 

Shocking at first...sooo much champagne & fizziness but as time went by, and the opium started swirling, I became smitten. Plus the last power was over 12 hours for me. Can't wait for this one to age, but I'll get alot of use out of this one right now.

Edited February 16, 2011 by raspberryswirlgirl

[Geminirubyshoes]

This is my favorite out of all the Champagne scents. It is such a gorgeous mix of th effervescent champagne fiz and sultry, smokiness of the opium. The fizziness fades somewhat fast on me but the opium lingers around longer Love Love Love!

[yamiko]

In bottle: Champagne with a bit of oomph behind it. The opium kind of makes it darker, in a way.

 

On me: At first, the opium is like, "OH HEY, HERE I AM ALL UP IN YOUR NOSE." But then it calms down a little bit so you can smell the champagne again. It's fizzy, smokey, slightly metallic deliciousness.

 

Overall: I'm not a huge opium fan, but I do like this. The opium and the champagne complement each other nicely. It's a pretty decadent-smelling scent.

[zankoku_zen]

Sexy champagne! That's what this is to me. It's the same fizzy note, but blended with something smokey and sweet. Sexy.

 

I think I may like opium after all.

[Blood onmy hands]

I don't like bpal's champagne note (either smells like cleaning fluid or it goes cloying and pukey smelling on me) and I usually can't wear opium either (too sharp), so this scent didn't really have a chance with me. I thought that it would be similar to Stardust, which also has champagne and poppy, but this is sweeter and not as sharp as Stardust is on my skin.

The champagne is sweet (too sweet) and slightly citrussy & fizzy at first, and the opium is like sharp, hazy white smoke hiding underneath the booze. The scent goes on strong, but is pretty light and subtle by the half hour mark. Not for me...

[mxtine]

Imp: Fizzy tonic water. Like a gin and tonic.

Wet: Same.

Dry: I can still smell the gin and tonic sharpness, but I detect a bit of smokey opium beneath.

 

The "fizzy" aspect of this perfume never allows the lovely opium to shine through. That's really unfortunate.

[Invidiana]

This one is like the afterparty scent of this year's champagnes. It's a slightly dry (but not overly so) champagne note with that realistic fizziness that Beth does so well, shrouded in opium smoke. As time wears on the opium smoke comes to the fore though the champagne never really disappears. Putting my synaesthesia into play here I'd say it's a dusky mauve color like I imagine the curtains of one of the Marquis de Sade's rooms where he actually did smoke opium, whip a couple bare bottoms and drink plenty of booze in the process. This is for a woman who knows what she wants and doesn't play around. Mysterious and sophisticated.

Edited March 31, 2011 by Invidiana

[cfrancesca]

Opium and fizzy champagne, an odd combination to my nose. Though I like both notes separately, together they are not working for me. It's a sharp, powdery, fizzy, dry mess on my skin.

[grrrlennyl]

Champagne and Opium

 

On: Effervescent, light champagne with a bit of darkness underneath

2.5 hours in: Mostly sparkly champagne.

7 hours in: Still fizzy champagne.

Overall: This is pretty much champagne on me the entire time.

[Roogna]

VERY strong champagne and heavy opium - you really need to like both notes to like this

 

and

 

it BURNS my skin!!!! *flails*

instant reaction

I washed it off immediately and my skin still burned for another hour

[brilliantcat]

In the bottle: Fizzy champagne with a hint of something darker.

 

Immediately after application: The champagne fizz is almost immediately cut by resinous, smoky opium. It takes a moment to settle down.

 

Warming up: Bubbly opium. I'm not sure the cheery fizziness of the champagne is melding well with the opium. I like my opium to be dark and murky and sitting in a corner tempting you with its seductive wiles, not floating in happy, bubbly champagne.

 

Fading: Champagne with a hint of opium.

 

Faded: Average throw, average wear.

 

Overall: I am SO disappointed I thought I'd love this one like crazy but it's just not working on me. Woe!!!!!!

 

Rating: 2/5.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Shimmery, dry champagne. I don’t smell the opium outright, but there is a darker, smoky something grounding the champagne.

 

Dry/Drydown: It teeters on the edge between bubbly-sweet and edgy-clean, with a masculine darkness trying to sneak in too. Definitely unisex, definitely sexy. The mix of crispiness and smokiness is fascinating. Intoxicating, alluring, and sophisticated. Hours into the dry phase, the fizziness dies down and a smooth base of glassy smoke remains.

 

 

 

 

Any fan of champagne is bound to like this one, as well as fans of Gnome and perhaps R’Lyeh too.

 

9 out of 10 bones