Wow, that title is a bit of a mouthful, isn't it? It sure took me long enough to type it! Back a few weeks ago, when The Body Shop was having one of their 40% off deals I snapped a few products up, and one of them was this. This made the rounds on blogs a few months ago and I was intrigued. I was familiar with and liked the original White Musk from The Body Shop, but a Smoky Rose version? Would that be better? As it turns out I believe it is but it is not a replacement... think of it more as a winter version to the original, like the commonplace summer versions of popular perfumes. Similar to the original, but with enough of a twist to make it stand out in its own right - this is this perfume summed up.

I bought this perfume blind; I had never smelt it before, had no idea of its lasting power nor how long a 30ml bottle would last me. However, I did take a look at the notes and they sounded incredible. The top notes are Bergamot, Pink Pepper and Blackcurrant; the heart notes Smoky Rose Accord, Tobacco Accord and Orange Flower, finished off with the base notes Sensual Musks, Immortelle Flower and Olibanum. The Orange Flower and Pink Pepper notes appealed to me the most; in all honesty I wasn't sure I was going to like the 'Smoky Rose' element at all. I used to consider myself as not a fan of rose scents, but more and more recently I find myself attracted to just those and this is no exception. When the scent is first applied to the skin there is the definite fruit hit from the blackcurrant, which is quickly followed by the tobacco accord as it starts to settle. When the perfume has fully dried down it is then that I can smell the Smoky Rose combined with the Sensual Musks. It is the most complex fragrance that I have ever come across, which I consider to be very impressive seeing as I work with higher-end perfumes on a daily basis!


This scent is a beautiful fragrance for winter; it's warming, alluring with just the smallest hint of spice from the Pink Pepper. I believe that it is one of those perfumes that works closely with the individual's skin, and each person will be able to pick out different notes from it. It may be mistaken for being a scent for more mature ladies but don't let the name fool you; it is just as much suited to a younger audience as it is for old, and I think that most women would appreciate this. Also worth mentioning about this fragrance is that it contains cruelty-free, synthetic White Musk; normally extracted from glands of a male musk deer, it's comforting to know that no animals were harmed when producing this fragrance. Despite being impressed by the scent however, I was disappointed with its lasting power. On my skin I could barely smell it on me an hour after application, even though I have the Eau de Parfum. It does tend to last longer on clothing, but not by much. That being said, this could just mean that it works really well with my skin; they do say, after all, that if you can't smell a perfume on yourself then it is the one for you. I have not tested this theory however so I can't be too sure whether this one applies to me or not!

This is a fragrance that will take you by surprise - I have never smelt anything like it before and it is truly unique in a market with literally thousands of perfumes. Achieving this whilst remaining cruelty-free is something quite special; well done, The Body Shop!

The Body Shop White Musk Smoky Rose is available in both EDP and EDT forms. The 30ml EDP  is £13 and the 30ml EDT is £10 - I would recommend the former. It is available both in store and online.