Smoky Poppy
Body Shop (2015)

I own a couple of The Body Shop's men's fragrances (White Musk Sport, Kistna), and although those are arguably unisex themselves, it's safe to say that the intention is for Smoky Poppy to be feminine but I found it pleasant, as a man. It had the cosmetics smell that I found to be inherent in Egoiste and Dior Homme Intense and some other popular men's fragrances, but Smoky Poppy leans more toward the floral as opposed to the sweet. The scent itself is a mixture of its signature poppy floral smell with a spicy/woody mix of notes, and arguably some smokiness as well, though I find the best descriptor to be a "spicy floral."

Probably not something I would often wear but intriguing for the body shop price ($15 for 30ml). Also, the projection and longevity are substantial. Lastly, it seems to be discontinued, as far as I can tell, as it's no longer on the company website, so it's a nice little option to have as something different.

6 out of 10

It reminds me more of Ninja than YSL's Opium (though it does have a smell rather like an opium den which I actually did smell once long ago). That's probably not surprising since Ninja was also a less expensive homage to Opium, just from the 80s. But since I did love Ninja as a kid and it's been discontinued, I really do rather like it. Not much sillage (which you wouldn't expect from a polite Body Shop frag anyways) and it only lasts a few hours but it's fun.

Smoky Poppy = Opium; a lighter version thereof. A rather generic oriental fragrance. Not the usual Body Shop fare.

A sharp, spicey opening evaporates in short order giving way to a very synthetic, rubbery smell after about an hour. Rather sickly. After a few hours it doesn't smell too bad but by then it has practically disappeared anyway. Very much a pale imitation of Opium. Not surprisingly, for a cheap fragrance, projection and staying power are weak.