Poppy Soma

I’m looking for a way to start. Usually I begin a review in some clever manner, but it’s not forthcoming this time. Nor needed, I believe. I was very unsure of what to expect with this scent, as a lover of the poppy, in all forms, I’ve experienced so many perfumes claiming any association, and almost always with some disappointment. Not that classic Opium is in any way a failure, but it’s not what I associate with the poppy. I must admit I love the concept of this whole line, the poisonous flower. Beauty and death, a duality which I enjoy, especially as an eccentric gardener.. But, onward. This sample, holographic label, vivid blue, how does it all fit? What is the vision that pulls this all together? It seemed disjointed at first for me. Have you ever smelled the poppy flower? The beautiful, neon red-orange sweetness, strangely gentle, against the hot, vivid, too-blue summer sky? Almost fruity, but heady. The alluring, and mysterious black center, surrounded by enigmatic color.. I always enjoyed the feel of the paper soft petals against my cheek. Oh so fleeting. This is the beginning of Poppy Soma. Soft, as beguilingly beautiful as youth, soft, downy cheeks, carefree hair, perfect lines, and potential. Where will it lead? I was unsure, whether this imagined “fruitiness” (for there is no true fruit here, just a “juicy” imagined accord) would develop into something sadly basic, as so may are these days, or whether it would grow into something more and deliver what I crave. Now, the scent progresses, hours in, it holds its own, still strong, but more alluring, more rich. As youth blossoms into lush beauty, Poppy Soma captivates in its progression, from lovely, dewy potential into satisfying maturity. Green sapiness, gives way to a textural, sensual, heated, and heady fragrance. It rose each time my body temperature warmed. Like witnessing a lover, on multiple waves of ecstasy, it seemed a beauty to behold. Flushed again, & again. As in it’s namesake, for me, it delivered in narcotic intensity, and the desire for more. More, of the technicolor neon red-orange, too perfect to be without enhancement, the too intense blue of narcotic sky.. the drift beneath clouds, and sun on heated skin.. this is the Poppy which I’ve always wished for in scent. Which somehow delivers, oh so richly, but leaves me wanting more. I am absolutely enamoured of it. I see why it has been acclaimed so highly. It leaves me craving the brush of that perfectly, profanely, beautiful petal. Against soul and skin.

Poppy Soma smells like you've taken some white flower nectar and reduced it to a thick, gloopy syrup, added some warm spices and resins, and then using the compound as incense. It's sweet, spicy, smokey and with a gorgeous, sensual, heady floral note that truly feels both toxic and intoxicating at the same time. In the opening I can detect something that feels a bit green and fruity, that lifts the scent and gives it an almost edible quality. But overall this fragrance doesn't develop that much. It smells pretty much the same from the opening until the end, it just gets softer and a bit smoother along the way. And the flower notes fades a little. I already own and love YSL Opium (which is built around the same idea as Poppy Soma), and I must say that Poppy Soma smells more like opium than Opium. Opium is basically a spice bomb with nuclear strength, and Poppy Soma has a hot, spicy feeling as well. But, as I've said, it also has a lot more pronounced floral, syrupy and incensy nuances that kind of takes it to a whole 'nother level when it comes to smelling like poppies and opium. And it feels a little sheerer and a tad more airy than YSL Opium, which makes it stand out as a more true incense smoke, floating in the air, type of smell. It's simply stunning! Poppy Soma definitely takes me to a 19th century opium den, but because of its spicy, incensy quality I'm also getting associations to old temples , with priestesses guarding a holy flame and burning incense as an oblation to the gods. Or maybe even to the oracle of Delphi, who got her visions of the future from inhaling sacred fumes in the heart of the temple. This scent has won a price, as far as I know. And I have no problem understanding why. It's a fantastic creation. Longevity is strong, on my skin I can faintly smell it after 10-11 hours. Sillage starts strong and dries down to a solid medium.

Nowadays, when I have a substantial collection of fragrances - both designer and niche, both likeable and challenging - it happens very rarely that a fragrance knocks me off my feet, so much that I decide to buy it on the spot. Yet, this is exactly what happened with Poppy Soma by Parfums Quartana. This American brand is relatively hard to find in Europe, as there are only a few stockists, scattered all over the continent. I'm in Ljubljana for a few days, and imagine my surprise when I found the entire Parfums Quartana collection in a new boutique perfumery in the old town. Oh yesss, I said, and the testing began. I ended up being most impressed with Poppy Soma and Bloodflower. (Please read my review of Bloodflower on its own page). Poppy Soma is a gorgeous dusty, spicy, resinous, oriental, sweetish floral fragrance. The imaginary poppy accord actually consists of rose, tuberose and jasmine. These are laid down on a smoky resinous blend of styrax, incense and labdanum. Although honey and animalic notes (except for musk) are not listed in the scent pyramid, this resinous component reminds me very much of Maison Francis Kurkdjian Absolue Pour Le Soir, especially of its honeyed musky incensey drydown. The third element of Poppy Soma - warm spicy (with red pepper, sichuan pepper and curry leaf) isn't so prominent - it is there just to make this fragrance a bit more interesting and to balance it out, by preventing the floral and resinous elements from becoming too dusty and cloying. Poppy Soma projects outstandingly and lasts up to 8 hours. It is a bit of a shape-shifter, but the incense dominates throughout its development. This is clearly a niche fragrance and not exactly a crowd-pleaser, so not something that should be bought blindly, unless you're a lover of heavy oriental florals, in which case you will find it absolutely enchanting.

O god, I can not belive I forgot to review this one... This is a masterpiece, not for everyone, but unbelievable. It is intense, hypnotic, alluring & smooth. Very smokey & very poppy/opium. It is the ultimate evenig-night perfume. It is perfectly blended and it has a smokiness that is completely different from what you can usually find, it is sweet, but in an modern, milky way. It it not to be considered a sweet perfume, but there is a warming sensation to it. Longevity is beast mode, but the silage is just right. Moderate and clear, if it was more it would have been overwhelming I feel, as it really lasts forever... On scarfs you can smell it for weeks. Poppy Soma has a story to tell and I love that in perfumes. Whenever I smell it I can find a twist to it. I find this to be the perfume for the contemporary femme fatale. Having said that it is completely unisex. Can not really say there are any clear flowers in here for me, it's a bouquet drenched in ecstasy, high on opium. It is more of a milky incense dance that evolves and lure you into the unknown. Probably not a safe blind buy. Although if you love dark, misterious orientals this should be for you and if you know Slumberhouse than give this definetely a go. Warning: Your nose has to be very well accustomed to incense for this one. EDIT: I have been using this for more than 6 months now. I love it, it doesn't have a season I feel. Also because for me this is my night choice, but with the colder months ahead I might try it as a day perfume as well. Truly unique. I would love to smell it on a man.

I am really digging Poppy Soma. I can't even put my finger on exactly why because it is so unique. I can't compare to anything else, and that's a good thing once you've sampled thousands of perfumes because they all start to smell the same.... First I will say it's very well-balanced on my skin. You'd expect peppery spices and white florals to overwhelm a fragrance, but that's not the case here. The white florals smell very natural, therefore not headache-inducing. In the top notes, I noticed a sweetness that was fruity, yet unrecognizable. Fruit mixed with vanilla? This caught me off-guard because there is no fruit listed. But this sweetness lasts the whole time, gradually becoming more subtle. After about 20 minutes, I noticed a vegetal spiciness that was incredibly pleasant. My car window was cracked, and I looked outside to see if someone was trimming shrubbery or something as, coincidentally, I was driving past the botanical gardens. But not close enough to smell the gardens! It was Poppy Soma. It was like herbs with just a hint of green bell pepper, crisp, aromatic, and fresh. The spice blend develops more thoroughly as the perfume dries down, as if each individual spice is slowly harmonizing with the others. It's a fantastic spice blend coupled with a smooth ambery, resinous base. The drydown is mysteriously sexy. Delicately Oriental in nature. I envision a gorgeous Asian woman with long black hair who has just bathed and wrapped herself in a silk kimono. Maybe reminiscent of a Geisha? Sexy but not sexual. I think Poppy Soma is beautiful.

I'm really digging this house, and I'm really impressed so far. I like the fact that different fragrances are created by different perfumers and you don't have the same base in each, yet there's something linking them to each other, and it's not just the concept of poisonous flowers, it's how they actually smell. I also really like the descriptions, visuals and art/movie/music references used to direct our experience and perceptions - they are memorable and really stand out. From the first sight, the line leans gothic, but I would say it's more of a grunge of the fragrance world - it's that kind of pain and darkness and sex and intensity. In terms of how the fragrances smell, the floral aspect is a little bit unusual for me personally because I don't usually wear florals, but there's so much more going on here that I wouldn't say it's the center of these compositions - just a nuance that makes them edgy and strange. Most of them are very intense (but inviting) in the opening, and subtle and mind-blowingly beautiful in the drydown. Really carefully done bases. Poppy Soma has the most beautiful smoky base. Smoky, transparent, a little seaweed-salty and round. The opening is a little challenging for me in the first few minutes because of some flowers that I can't really put my finger on (narcissus? neroli? carnation?) and some pretty intense spices (cloves?) and something like whiskey, which altogether makes it a little bit masculine for me, but the smoke starts winning over pretty soon and lures you in, and oh my god, that smoke...

I received a lovely discovery set of 9 samples from Joseph Quartana of Parfums Quartana. The series is called “Les Potions Fatales” and explores the treacherous beauty and intriguing lore behind nine of the world’s most poisonous flowers. Joseph got the idea from an episode of Breaking Bad where Walter White whips up some poison made from lily of the valley. Intrigued yet? It certainly got my attention. I decided to try the 2017 Winner of the Fragrance Foundation’s Parfum Extraordinaire of the Year Award - Poppy Soma. Good place to start, right? Poppy Soma features sichuan pepper, curry tree, red pepper, gardenia, jasmine sambac, red rose, incense, labdanum, tuberose, styrax and musk. Shew! And let me tell you, it packs a punch. While an EDP, it fully comes across as extrait. But louder. It’s dense and rich and full. And immediately grabbed hold of my senses. This is no wall flower that’s for certain. Poppy Soma is original and quite brilliant, a dark and spicy resinous floral, musky, smoky and almost drug like, it’s quite extraordinary and almost hypnotic. Sensual, leaning femme but completely unisex. Why are people not talking about this entrancing fragrance? It’s HUGE and wicked as the night, luxurious and intriguing. Like sleepily lying in a bed of poppies at 3am. Parfums Quartana has my full attention. This is a fantastic fragrance. Original and like nothing else.

Poppy Soma is rich and dark. If it were a color it would be in the hot pink to deep sunset orange range. It is likely to be a polarizing scent because it is so unique. I've never smelled anything in the market like it. This is one of those intense fragrances that I think really shine in extreme cold or heat. It will get you noticed, but I still go with four or so sprays on my skin. Even though it has a muscular oriental vibe, it still smells remarkably modern and linear. I can see why a good chunk of the population would not be drawn to something designed this way. I mean, the whole Fatales line is based on flowers that kill. I don't wear it very often and therefore the small bottle is perfectly sized, but when I want an edge during an intense day or night, I'm happy to have it within reach. Everything about this line is well-designed including the presentation. I'll be checking out the others.

This is a high quality warm spicy very sexy fragrance. There is nothing animalic about it, it just draws you in with its subdued adult sweetness into the depths of its composition : starting as I mentioned sweet floral and turning into this edible something a bit musky and sweaty close to the skin scent. Not annoying not a bit not at any stage of its development. I will edit the review if anything changes, as I am wearing this for the first hour only, but totally smitten by the intimacy of it: perfume for the night out with further mean intentions - good luck putting this to the right use:-) Edit 2 hrs later: rekindle me of Amouage Memoir woman with a modern twist of subtle resin. Still big love!

I love white florals and well-made Orientals, though I don't honestly intend to smell like the "curry tree", the sweet incense or szechuan pepper, which put the soma in "Poppy Soma". Intensely sweet, classically spicy, unapologetic. The vegetable spiciness vacillates between being annoying and comforting. Beautiful, soothing, addictive, evolving...The creamy white florals make this something I love even in moments that I find this composition not to be my cup of tea. This and Hemlock are my favorite I have smelled so far, out of the Parfums Quartana collection. This one is the smoothest, in my opinion.

I’m incredibly fascinated by this scent! It comes across in the opening as spicy/green-fruity, but there’s no fruity notes listed, so it must come from the jasmine and tuberose, and bit of rose. As it settles it mellows, feels a little sweeter, kind of fooling the senses with narcotic qualities as it sinks its claws into you, anchored by musky tendrils of smoke, light as a feather. This is amazing in the cold, and I anxiously await summer temps to experience it in the heat. This fatal potions line (I’ve smelled all but 2 yet), was truly ahead of its time. If you haven’t sampled the line, please do.

Another gorgeous anomaly. This actually reminds me a little of Sì by Armani because of the spiciness - except this perfume smells 2x as expensive. It’s very greeny to me and natural, I can picture smelling poppies at 2 am under the bright moon. Quite addicting to smell, I keep going back to it and it takes me to another place all over again. It lasts forever and the projection is extremely plausible. Definitely willing to pay the price for a full bottle of this and a few others!

Wow. I ordered the giant Quartana sampler set, and honestly didn't pick this one out beforehand as something that would particularly resonate with me, but I loooooove it. Incense-forward, sweet, and dark. I'll certainly be seeking a full-size of this one.

An absolutely brilliant composition! Smooth but also spicy, and very rich. A bit heavy in the opening, could be cloying to some. I love it though!

Dreamy is what word id use to describe this fragrance. Award winner for a reason.

Retrying Poppy Soma from Parfums Quartana is a treat. Like Midnight Datura, it's one of the entries in the Les Potions Fatales line that actually feels quite floral dominant, whereas most are more blended though named after central floral ingredients. Poppy is a provocative ingredient for me, reminding me of heroin, opium, and poppy seed bagels all the same, but when combined, in this perfume, with other white florals that seem common to the Quartana line (jasmine, tuberose, rose) and others (gardenia, styrax) and rounded out with some musk and mixed pepper. It's overall quite seductive, creamy, sweet, and above all, floral. The pepper does not seem to weigh heavily on my nose, the blend never seeming particularly spicy, but the musk comes out significantly in the dry down, in my estimation, as the scent shifts from sweet and sharp to mostly sweet. It's a stronger performer than most of the line, as well, bold and dense for several hours before finally starting to thin out. Priced at $185 for 50ml, Poppy Soma is on the higher end of the line’s pricing. I would enjoy smelling this more on a woman than on myself, as that's simply how it feels on my skin, a bit unnatural for me, ever so slightly too floral, but it certain is quite the composition and lives up to its having won the 2017 Fragrance Foundation (Fifi) Award for Perfume Extraordinaire of the Year. Certainly a worthy try from the line. 7 out of 10

Poppy Soma has really grabbed my attention. This is how you get creative with amber, it’s so excellently executed and so impressively creative. It hints at the classical amber accord, but lacks the vanilla - rendering it far less sweet or edible. Instead, it favours a dark sappy nature by way of copious amounts of labdanum, creating a dense, leathery effect. It’s smoky, spicy and resinous, with just a hint of a rather stunning tuberose note. The floral aspect is very subtle, and thankfully not overpowering, everything is balanced wonderfully. I’m really impressed by this, I haven’t quite decided whether I want a bottle, as I really need to love something and feel a need to own it, with a collection of my size. But this certainly should not be ignored.

right...i read the reviews before sampling this one and honestly was expecting a show-stopper. I don't like my perfumes too spicy (yeah, looking at you clove and cumin), nonetheless with Poppysoma i feel massively underwhelmed, no oomph. I admit, the only reason I reached out for this was the chili note which i love and adore in my PG Coze. Sadly, on me the floral notes are much stronger than the pepper, chili or incense or even the amber altogether. Which is fine, Poppy soma would still be a quality floral in my book BUT alas I wasn't looking for a sweetened floral. Right, time to stop moping, wipe my tears and thank for the experience. P.S. The sales assistant said it was so spicy/chilli driven on her that she found it hard to tolerate.

Sprayed onto a piece of paper, Poppy Soma is complex and fascinating- to my nose, well balanced between floral-spicy and funky resin. I thought it was weird enough to be interesting, and pretty enough to be wearable. Of the sample set, this was my immediate favorite, until I wore it on my skin. Styrax, styrax, and only styrax. I sprayed last night before bed, and 13 hrs later, i still smell like wednesday evening mass. I had the same experience with ELDO's Marquis de Sade. I like resinous scents, but with my body chemistry, the resins tend to dominate. very sad.

This is front-loaded with a lot of styrax and a lot of labdanum, more so than is typical of perfume. I do love the raw materials in isolation, so I definitely do not object, BUT (there's always a but), its really this two-note, two-material affair. I'd be just as happy putting some of my own styrax and labdanum in a dilution of alcohol, maybe 2 parts styrax resinoid to 3 parts labdanum resinoid, and get a similar earthy, treacly, sultry effect. Be that as it may, it's the best from the bunch from Quartana that I sampled this evening.