Black Opium - 82 - Intense

This Intense edition of The Essence Vault's No. 82 amplifies the coffee-vanilla concentration in an attempt to close the gap with YSL Black Opium's genuinely impressive longevity, and on that front it succeeds better than the standard-strength version - the espresso-dark opening and sweet vanilla base both project further and last longer. What it still can't replicate is the original's layered complexity: Black Opium threads bitter almond and licorice through its jasmine-orange blossom heart to keep the sweetness from becoming one-note, and this Intense take leans almost entirely on raw coffee-and-vanilla sweetness without that bitter counterpoint. The white floral heart is present but subdued, more a supporting note than the co-lead it is in the original. As an evening scent built for maximum projection at a fraction of the price, it does the job, but it wears its dupe status more obviously than the softer, more nuanced full-price original - a case of louder standing in for better.