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sapurna – :
I real find this one magnifiscent! Not least because of the nutmeg, which has been one of my favorite notes since I was a child. It does remind me of childhood; my mother would have a cream with a similar scent, which was kept on a dresser in our room, I would sniff that cream before the midnignt, candles lit, it would be very warm and cozy in there. Later, my mother bought this perfume and I recognized the scent, which made me happy, as I had been wondering what the scent of that old cream was. Nutmeg! Rarely has she been wearing this, though.
ifvfy99 – :
When I was a teenager in the ’90s, I owned a small collection of Yves Rocher fragrances, and this was one of the most memorable. It was too heavy for me to pull off at 17, but I remember thinking that it was the most mysterious perfume in the world, that it smelled like a night in a mystical Persian city. I recently got a mini Ispahan from eBay, and while I’m fairly certain what I got is not the original formula, it’s good enough to bring back fond memories. Spicy, sweet, mysterious incense. The black urn-shaped bottle is perfect for what’s inside it, too.
I wish I could get a job at Yves Rocher and re-launch all the old classics for a new generation. For me, these fragrances just never lose their classic appeal.
invarbene – :
too much of nutmeg indeed (and it smells like brass), but I just can’t throw away an antique piece of fragrance art
qjp146speagoessenda – :
I recently purchased this blast from the past, something I wore in the 1980s at an unsuitably young age.
Ispahan is well crafted and curiously deceptive. It smells like a “night out” perfume to begin with with its spicy top notes, but evolves into a cosy floral with some wine/aldehydic accords.
I can understand the comparison with YSL Opium, but in my opinion this is only valid in the early stages of Ispahan’s evolution. After a while it diverges, when the floral notes become more prominent, making the perfume sweeter than Opium. Towards dry down, this smells much more like Hermes Rouge, and is the better for it!
I’m glad Ispahan is back in my life when it’s more suitable for me to wear it. I look forward to trying it out when it’s cooler.
kolek12345 – :
Yes, it evokes Opium, but it’s a dialed down, silky slinky benzoin version, not cigarettes and a jumpsuit cut down to here. I can see why this one is held in such high regard, it’s sensual, spicy without being overbearing, and I am convinced that it melds extremely well with just about anyone’s skin. Can we talk about the bottle? It’s like a gleaming cat’s eye in an Iranian alley.
Lavr0655 – :
I had this troughout my schoolyears and I wish I still had it..I love it! its warm and comforting and feminine 🙂
driver22 – :
It’s lovely, Ispahan – warm, sensual and deeply mysterious, exotic and oriental. Spicy at first, then sweet, and floral, and lovely. Very comforting and very strong, lasting all day and into the next, with its beautiful rich smells of vanilla and spices and lovely flowers and citrus fruits, and gorgeous incensy mystery. It’s a beautiful elegant and womanly perfume. And the bottle is absolutely wonderful!
Joslfz – :
I had several bottles of Ispahan from the Yves Rocher’s store. It was my first perfume and the most favorite of all. Lancome’s Climat was still hot on the market but when Ispahan came to play nothing was compare to it! There are a lot of great perfumes made by Arabians such as Amouage and some others, but Ispahan was like a true opium. Ispahan is a scent of the century. Seems like I can still buy a bottle in Moscow. However, maybe it is time to let it go and buy something new.
Plottergot – :
Dolche Dasha – A Great Initiative !!
I applaud you and wish that Fragantica would make a special section for us to give the signs of fake perfumes so we can get the originals we often love and often are willing pays a good price for.
jego – :
Dear fans of Ispahan!
I kindly ask You to visit the topic ‘Questions about vintage Ispahan Yves Rocher’ in the Vintages section of Fragrantica forum. If You have some information/pictures about genuine Ispahan, please, be so kind as to share it publicly in the topic. So many fakes of this perfume have flooded the Internet, though, it’s been almost 20 years since its discontinuation. We have a strong wish to find out the truth about this vintage beauty.
Thanks so much for any useful feedback in advance!
Will remove my comment later.
VovaA – :
This is NOT spicy like Opium, at least not the vintage version. This is a soapy floral aldehyde to rival Guerlain; powerful and long lasting; similar in scent to Liu.
enviflelo – :
Ispahan seems to resemble Opium a lot, but where I have sometimes trouble wearing Opium, I don’t have any with Ispahan on my skin.
An oriental flower bouquet, smoky notes and a trace of slight animalic sweetness makes this a very warm and comfortable scent. She is not overpowering, yet confident of her full aura. The nutmeg and benzoin in combination with the multiple vanilla notes make it very sensual, and the distant citrusses and flowers make sure it doesn’t get bold or obnoxious. I’m even more tend to store her with my skinscents.
I don’t wear her a lot, since she easily fades throughout the day, but I do love wearing her in autumn after a relaxing bath and stay indoors. Although she isn’t a big perfume, she is a rare gem in her class, and deserves her attention.
mcreaper – :
It was my favorite perfume for years…One day I ran out of it and simply forgot to reorder it from Yves Rocher. Switched to another brand, and totally forgot about it. Several month ago found a half full little pure parfum bottle of Rose Ispahan in my mom’s closet, which brought memories of Ispahan. Loved the smell – so warm, oriental, sensual! Lasted all day-long, do not need to reapply, but was not offensive and disturbing to others. Wish I have it again!
pitbull1 – :
No idea,have not test yet but what i know is about the name of it
Ispahan is a city in my country (Iran) and the pronunciation is Esfahān
Danu12345 – :
Ispahan, My first perfume my mom gave to me from my grandmothers box of treasures who had died before I was born. Ispahan to me is such a representation of this woman I never knew, and it has been close to my heart throughout my life. It is a mature scent, I didn’t wear it when I was younger but would sniff the tiny .5 oz bottle and sigh from love. Now, much-older me (mid 30s) still loves it and bought a 2.5 oz bottle off eBay for fear of running out. Ispahan, you sexy mysterious exotic woman of the night. She’s bold rich and lavish, not for the flippant or feint of heart. You can’t hold her, you can’t tame her, all silks and spice. Ispahan I can’t wait to get you on my skin again.
xnb508speagoessenda – :
Ispahan was launchend in 1983, not in 1977 as the description says !
Apologies for not posting a proper review, but I don`t know how else to get the description changed. Hope someone in charge will read this.
Guflon777666 – :
„Ispahan the Great”
First time we met, Ispahan and I, was at a friend’s house. She was in the middle of moving, and packing down her things was apparently something she had postponed for too long. When I came by she was trying to make all her stuff fit into the moving boxes she had bought for the purpose. I made myself helpful by emptying some of her shelves in the bedroom. When showing her some of the many bottles that were on her vanity she said “hey, you can have them”. So, among Byzance, White Linen and other jewels that are all used long ago, was Ispahan. A big bottle.
Having these was a real treat. Being a student with no money, I was so thrilled that a friend gave all these fairly expensive perfumes. So I made a big mistake by not being the least curious about the Yves Rocher bottle. I knew at that time that this was inexpensive perfumes and therefore I jumped to the conclusion that it was also uninteresting perfumes with no qualities. Oh dear, how wrong I was. Luckily, I became wiser 🙂
When finally I found it i the back of the closet and tried it I was stunned by its personality. It has great longevity, moderate sillage and an absolutely wonderful development. It starts out spicy, really spicy and a hint of vanilla. After half an hour the scent softens into a vanilla-nutmeg-tonkabean mix with tiny whiffs of flowers, and it stays like this for 3-5 hours. The last phase is vanilla. So lovely. The only drawback is that if you spray it too close to your face, your nose and mouth are overwhelmed with it and you start tasting it. So be careful.
I like the bottle. It is pretty simple and the colour is deep. I just wish that they would not use plastic. Glass bottles are so beautiful and classy so why on earth (I know: money!) do they make it out of plastic? But there is nothing wrong with the vessel here. It prepares the user for what is inside, in my opinion.
Since it is discontinued but still sold on ebay for a reasonable amount of money, I would not hesitate to recommend this to everybody. This is really a great perfume. So good luck hunting.
bardin – :
I have had this perfume in my collection for a few years now and would never reach for it, then for some strange reason, on this cold winter morning, I came downstairs creving it as I went to put my coffee on. Somehow, I intuitinely knew that this is exactly what I needed to smell like today. I dabbed it on my wrists and began trying to guess the notes it had in it before I looked it up here to see how close I had come. Everyone has written such wonderful reviews that there’s really nothing I can add to describe the beauty of Ispahan. Every review seemed to pick out the various notes and moods that the scent evokes. The spices, the incense, the dark sense of mystery. The only thing I can add is what Action touched on in her review when she said that Ispahan reminded her of Ms Dior going out for the night. No one else has mentioned it and I don’t see it in the notes listed above, but shortly after I applied it, I got the distinct smell of oakmoss and a slight indolic (in a GOOD way-the jasmine?) note and even though Ispahan is not a chypre by structure, it certainly hints at one and Ms. Dior going out at night was the perfect way to describe it.
kalele – :
I was very fortunate to have crossed paths with one of these beauties (black matte glass bottle, looks just like the one pictured above; no box, so I don’t know what year it is from), recently. This is a bit heavy for me as I’m getting lots of spice (and I love spice, but wow!) and very little floral. When I first smelled it I immediately thought of a perfume from long ago, that my mother wore exclusively until it was reformulated (in the early 1980s? It was around that time, and then she switched to Opium)….and it is not in Fragrantica’s database. Correct me if I’m wrong, but this reminds me so much of 20 Carats by Dana, especially the opening. Mom never had a bottle of Ispahan, and I don’t know if she was even aware of it. I can see the fake fur coat with matching cap and clip-on costume jewelry earrings my mom wore back then, and I always thought it rather interesting how she spent so much time on her perfectly groomed 1950s styled eyebrows, and the dab of lipstick she would put on before going out (that was her makeup ritual; eyebrows, a dot of mascara, and then a bit of lipstick) (and she repeatedly stressed that the most important thing a woman should put on her face is the best moisturizer that one could afford). She would liberally splash on 20 Carats, and then light up a cigarette and head out the door. 20 Carats was my introduction to the beautiful world of perfume, and I’m reminded of it very strongly with Ispahan. Ispahan is very beautiful and it is a work of art, and though I don’t know much about it, I feel like Ispahan never got the praise that it deserves. I didn’t know what to expect when I tried it on, and all of these memories it is triggering are very powerful! I am grateful to own an Ispahan, but I don’t think I could wear it very often, as it reminds me too much of my mother (this is not a bad thing, but my perfume compatibility is not the same as hers).
phosa – :
They did indeed do a relaunch a few years ago, and it was indeed not like the original.
bobrokop – :
I wore this in the 70’s when I was a poor teenager and couldn’t afford swanky, designer perfume. It was as cheap as chips in those days and did I appreciate it’s beauty? No I definitely did not!!
How I wish I would’ve bought every bottle made and saved them until the day my now mature and all appreciating nose, would know how utterly glorious this little bottle of juice is!
Dark, sensuous, woody, spicy, sultry, mysterious, beautifully crafted and amazing longevity for an EDT.
This is as good, if not better, than YSL Opium (vintage) it is a masterpiece, although I don’t think it was created for that purpose in the 70’s. Yves Rocher got this just right when it was created.
Ispahan is a ravishing spicy oriental which dries down to a soft creamy base and lingers for a very long time.
Utterly delectable!! I just love it! I wonder if YR brought this out again, it would smell the same as the original? Probably not!
ong702Negeltzex – :
Me in primary. Going after school to girlfriends houses to do homework together. First thing we do after stepping inside the apartment – going to the shelf where “mother’s perfumes”…Every second one would have Ispahan. The name bewitches just as the smell itself.
Ispahan seemed to me a Persian king sitting on his dark blue velvet cushion (as old Ispahan ones were nested on comfy blue velvet) listening stories of love and adventures from his Scheherazade
Will always remember my first taste of it – dark, seductive and whispering, dry nutmeg and intoxicative ylang-ylang, it’s a twilight fragrance, glittering in a southern night
OBELIX – :
Actually it is just like the name (Ispahan) a big beautiful city in Iran, full of beauty and mystery.
wow it’s intoxocating. thank you yve rocher….
sizov.i.ko – :
This fragrance dances like a black snake out of the bottle and glides across my skin, caressing me, enveloping me in it’s sexy dark mysterious scent. For me, dancing is literally like praying, and the right music can truly inspire the divine in me.
I have been a professional bellydancer for over 20 years. When I first began, I started with the music of George Abdo, the most classic of all bellydance musicians. Years later, he became a fundamentalist and destroyed all of his own master recordings. Bellydancers around the world wept at the loss of this beautiful mysterious exotic vintage bellydance music.
Somehow, Yves Rocher has managed to bottle all the mystery, joy, and magic of George Abdo’s music in this simple black bottle. I feel like crying for having been reunited with an old flame, and at first whif, I was immediately inspired to dance! I dabbed my wrists, put some smokey black kohl on my eyes, put my costume on, cranked up the George Abdo, and undulated this scent all over me! I’m in heaven!
yurist_26 – :
After loving the look of the packaging and bottle, reading the reviews and looking at the notes I knew that I HAD to have this too rare gem. We should really start a write in campaign to Yves Rocher to bring this beautiful lady back. Along with some others they have foolishly discontinued. Anyway.. Back to Ispahan.
Of course my bottle is kind of old. It’s the half ounce so no spray, just put your finger on the top and tipple some out. And at first sniff the bergomot hits like a turned alcoholic twist. Not very good but not choke me up bad either. And very quickly the ylang ylang is just THERE. Along with the sweeet mimose. So a lot of yellow florals in this otherwise sweet and spicey oriental. I know there’s vanilla in it but to me that takes a back seat to the most delicious nutmeg scent ever ever ever. There I was, at the restaurant, celebrating my birthday, and I could hardly get my wrist off of my nose!
And I actually got good longevity off of this! That’s really rare for a YR fragrance on me.
This fragrance truly is a masterpiece from YR. They’ve had some along the way. And for some reason they get discontinued. Unfathomable to me. If you can find this…. Let me know.
Winter1HP – :
I cannot even remember now how Ispahan came to me but my bottle was a hand-me-down when I acquired it in the 90’s at just the right time, in my early 20’s going through a post grunge hippie thing and it blended with me and my silks and velvets beautifully. Quite possibly it was the first quality perfume that I owned.
I imagine a woman with dark, long tresses and nutmeg brown eyes that flash with golden ylang sparks. She has lips a la Rossellini that play with mimosa smiles and rosy sultriness. She’s unconventional, an artist, a spirit dancer, a deep pool of dark water and she leaves men in her wake, the unintentional side effect of mixing elusive cool and silken, golden flowers and with a warm, vanilla mystery wrapped in velvet spices. That’s Our Lady of Ispahan.
My bottle was matte black glass, I think from the 80’s. I’ve seen pictures of bottles like the one above which has a line or groove running around the bottle just below where it says Ispahan – I think that indicates the re issue, my bottle didn’t have it. I’m not sure what the differences are between the black vs blue bottles or the matte vs glossy bottles. I think the glossy bottles had a more domed lid.
Also, mine was dab on; the design of the screw on lid didn’t allow for an atomiser. I think if you had some of the vintage juice decanted into an atomiser the experience might well be goddess like.
If I see any vintage on the market I’m snapping it up!
adelina2008 – :
I am simply binge-buying this one: any ISPAHAN parfum extrait I come across on ebay inevitably lands in my perfume treasure chest, at ALL costs! For starters, there’s a sentimental value in it for me: my late mother used to wear it on special occasions ( I believe, this was the only pricey (according to the USSR standards) perfume she ever owned – got it as a present from her boyfriend who had brought it from Italy in the late 80s, so it was a WOW item to have on a nightstand!) I, as a child , was facsinated by how unique my mother smelled! I am confident that this smell chooses its wearers, because if the skin is not moist enough to absorb the bordering on acid bitter notes at the opening – you are doomed. The drydown is plain strange: it’s blue grapes and cold breeze with mimosa all over it, and once it settles – it’s just too complex and beautiful for me to even attempt to break it down into single notes! I have now aquired a few pure perfume bottles ( that’s the concentration my mom had ), and been simply too afraid to properly try it out – soooo scared that my body chemistry will let me down! A little dab on the wrist is all I could brace myself for, and it did not disappoint:such a sophisticated, very ladylike, aristocratic I dare say, fragrance! I imagine black cashmere tight sitting polo neck dress, vintage rings, a proper hairdo (the one we nowadays could not possibly manage even with 2 right hands at our disposal). It just has CLASS in it, in a very good standoffish way: understated, yet not mixing with the background. The new formulation was AWFUL. This was what I bought at 1st (was simply easier to get than the vintage!) and I rue the day: it really is just brown alcohol with some sulphur in it – NOTHING like the old velvety version. Highly recommended for all those who like old school perfumery with an unusual twist. The matt galss bottle and the packaging are simply THE BEST: the holy grail that Yves Rocher once got hold of.
TAG2011 – :
beautiful scent!
arepleHap – :
I just saw this on special on strawberry.net and was curious so checked the reviews here – checked back and yep, they seem to have the original formula because it’s the black bottle and packaging pictured above. (Also, the packaging looks as if it’s had a few knocks over the years!) Anyway, I took a punt on it and the bottle arrived today. At first sniff I thought “hmmm, this is okay, but I don’t quite understand the fuss, it smells a bit like something my grandmother might have worn out to a really fancy dinner”. After a while I started sniffing my wrist every few minutes just to enjoy the smell. As the evening wore on I realized that I absolutely loved it – even though I still think its something my grandmother would have worn out to a really fancy dinner, that’s actually a really great way to smell!
It’s warm and calming and elegant and luxurious and frankly, a bit more womanly than the Escentric Molecules or Comme des Garçons I normally wear. But it’s winter here in New Zealand and I think I feel an Oriental obsession coming on to get me through the cold months. Since it sounds like its hard to get hold of, I’ve just gone back and ordered a second bottle because its there, it’s reasonably priced, and I’m now completely under its spell.
85-10 – :
First,I want to say thank you,nopasho ,for your present to me,a big bottle of this perfume !
The perfume is very rich,I cant say that it is similar to opium or to cinnabar cos I don’t feel any clove there,but I feel a lot of incense,very cold at beginning and walking today under rain with +12 degree I don’t felt it very well on me .So ,Ispahan likes a hot temperature.
After 3 hours I feel a lot of natural sweet vanile with rose,ylang -ylang ,the mirth and … mint !yes ,cold-cold mint.
I’m immagine the darkness in the cold night when I’m wearing this mysterious legendary perfume,this kind of association…
Longevity is great, I feel all the night on me this spicy beauty.
llp659speagoessenda – :
I cannot believe my luck when I found this beauty in the back of my mom’s closet. It must have been there for years. My mom is not into oriental scents, so I got almost full bottle of vintage one in the black bottle all for myself. I remember wearing it back when I was 20 years old. I always liked this scent but now I truly appreciate its unique beauty. Ispahan is a sultry, dark and deep oriental. I have many other oriental scents including Shalimar but this one stands on its own. It is bewitching and beautiful. The black bottle that looks like an ancient vase that was discovered somewhere in Egypt after 4000 years of being hidden from the human eyes in the pyramids fits great for carrying this wonderful perfume.
The scent opens right away with a strong, dark and sultry citruses and ylang-ylang. There is no day or sunshine in this perfume. It is all deep and dark starry night with haunting melody coming from afar somewhere in the desert. There is almost leathery and incense-y quality to this perfume right from the start. I also smell some spices, perhaps nutmeg. The scent develops beautiful with ylang-yland becoming more buttery and mixing with slightly sweet vanilla notes. The final stages are gorgeous vanilla (not like in a cup-cake) but woody and incense-y. The sillage and longevity are excellent. I am also impressed how well this perfume survived the storage. My mom must have had it for decades and it still smells just like I remember it.
Overall score 9/10. Why YR discontinued this??? I love this beauty.
Xeroxkyhio – :
i have to agree with malia……of all the scents..and i have tried many…nothing is as delightful and original as ispahan…even though for me its staying power was not long…..i would love to use it again…….
wralpinna – :
The small, blue Ispahan bottle has been with me for “all my life”. I use it for special occasions like Christmas and New Years Eve. It is a unique fragance, I have always thought of it as “spicy” rather than “floral”. Love it!
sirguest – :
Which one is the vintage one, the black bottle or cobalt blue? I have a large mini (about 1/2 ounce) in a deep blue bottle. It’s not what I expected, must be the reformulated version.
iluxin – :
This is similar to JHL by Arams. JHL has a strong sandalwood note and Ispahan has a softer floral quality, but otherwise they are quite similar (JHL is a bit more complex).
Chuvash668058 – :
I was very lucky to find two 75 ml vintage bottles of this piece of art. One for my sister – who is an enormous fan of Ispahan, she missed it and craved for it for years.. And as for me – I love it now even more than 15 years ago. All those years noone has come up with a fragrance which comes a little close to this magical and unique creation. Pity..
Ispahan takes a very special place among all beautiful orientals.. Truely DIVINE!!! I treasure it.
lykyan1983 – :
my mom used to wear wintage of this perfume. I found it too heavy then but now I’d love to have it again…
Vuctuatty – :
Unfortunately the new one does not even come close to THE masterpiece vintage.
skiff880 – :
This is a lovely, warm and spicy oriental which seems to form an olfactory bridge between Opium and Cinnabar, in my opinion. The Chinoiserie in its’ presentation and the scent are very much ‘of the essence’ of its’ sisters. Cinnabar came out a year later and it would seem that Yves Rocher pipped Estee to the post with this one. It is easy to wear and there are definately more notes than those above, including incense and maybe some cloves. I was lucky enough to pick this up for £6 at an antiques shop (75ml) so I’m very happy with it!! Sillage is good for the first hour longevity not great – will try it on fabric maybe (EDT)
DECAMERON – :
I’m currently wearing vintage Ispahan while drinking green chai with almond milk and brown sugar so 3 of my 5 senses are enveloped with warm spicy caramel. Don’t mistake this for saying that this gorgeous scent is as simple as a cup of tea but the coincidence has sharpened my thoughts as to what the “formula” may be. Some detective work with Coco and Nuit de Noel (you’d never mistake Ispahan for either of those but they share some DNA) makes me love this gentle scent even more.
This is a quiet, demure, elegant scent. The vanilla seems toasted and caramelly; the amber is warm and radiant; the florals are abstract but sweet. There’s certainly cardamon, mace and ginger. I also smell tonka bean and a subtle incense. This perfume warms you in the snow and feels like a fur cape in Siberia. I obviously appreciate and love this juice that’s quietly going extinct.
Sillage: ladylike 1-3 feet
Durability: 2-3 hours, not long enough
Fabulosity: ermine
Price to value ratio: irrelevant
10/10
ChaykoFFsky – :
And this perfume has A LOT in common with Gala Loewe. They are almost identical. So to get a better idea of the notes that are in this perfume, just take a look at the notes of Gala Loewe. You can see there that it is an oriental animalic perfume.
LOVE IT!
pvg – :
Just got a small black vintage bottle of Ispahan today and it’s definitely the real thing! Very warm and spicy. The vanilla is not so prominent. I detected the florals right away and then the oriental spice sets in. The perfume itself is reminiscent of yesteryear.
Lovely!
mihalperman – :
Wauw Nephiira what a WONDERFUL review!! You inhereted the perfume collection from your grandmother? HOW WONDERFUL!!
fedtildwlt – :
I had this one given to me from my grandmother’s perfume collection when she passed away. I’ve tried many different oriental fragrances since, looking to find something that smells like “Ispahan”, but nothing ever comes close. It’s a warm, wonderful and absolutely enchanting scent, and my most treasured perfume. And considering the fact that I actually hate all oriental perfumes in general, I think that explains just how magical “Ispahan” is.
fomenkomixa – :
So I today discovered that the vintage Ispahan is like an oriental version of Miss Dior vintage!! They really are a like, only Miss Dior more a typical chypre and this one oriental. It is like Miss Dior is going a night out downtown!
HAHA!
januszek – :
The quality of this perfume is second to none. I agree that it is dark and sensual, mysterious and most of all MAGICAL. This scent evokes mysterious powers to those who wear it. I am a collector and can truly say that I have never tired of this one. When winter comes, it calls my name. The warmth and wonder of it reminds me of crawling into a warm bed or lingering in front of a warm fireplace. The wonder it provokes is truly inspiring. Such a shame that Yves Roches will not return it to its natural glory. A loss for them no doubt. Heaven blessed us with this one.
impumCagSpoug – :
Hi Cinsot!
Great review on the Ispahan! Just wanted to let you know that the vintage Yves Rocher range contains very complex perfumes with many many notes. The sad thing however is that Yves Rocher has not been open about the fragrance line in the past, so the notes cannot be found that easy. Thankfully Yves Rocher is communicating more info on the notes and Noses that work on their current perfumes, but as far as the vintages go, I am glad they can still be found when you look hard enough. The notes and noses of those lost beauties remain a mystery though…
Good luck!
Action
warlike – :
It’s a classic elegant oriental fragrance, I love it very much, great quality.
wlp871speagoessenda – :
No this perfume is indeed nothing like Opium, and I agree too, it is an oriental on it’s own, with an extremely good quality. It is in the family of Shalimar, but not the same.
Good luck!
Action
RatiborX – :
From the moment I put this on I was intrigued. It’s anything but your standard vanilla/floral perfume. It’s mysterious, smokey, incense like, and old. It makes me think of a middle eastern woman dressed in flowing black attire, her sheer black veil revealing only her eyes. The bottle fits the scent very well. I’m not sure I will wear it out, most likely it will remain a guilty pleasure. For the mystical woman who dares to break the mold.
gffffsd – :
My mum had this one when I was little. I recently discovered a tin of cream perfume in her boudoir. I love it, it’s so dark and elegant.
pis151InsuffBooni – :
my mother ordered this perfume without knowing how it smells…she never really used it and it ended up in our bathroom as an airfreshner XD
to me this smells similar to Chanel nr5, because they both smell really strong and ‘old’ but this one is more oriental
MariusV – :
Allways when I see the bottle of this one i think of when I was a little child and tasted it.LOL =) I wanted to see if the taste was the same as the smell.It wasn´t =)
Dogadov65 – :
For those who like Opium but think it is too strong and spicey, Ispahan is a right thing.
If someone is coming to Belgrade, you can still buy a few old black bottles here 🙂
snaiper81 – :
I just love this scent and wish they had not discontinued it. From what I can see on the “reissue,” they have also altered the scent somewhat, so I’m not sure how the “new” version compares, but the original version is lovely, the spice doesn’t overwhelm the dark floral, but they twine together and create a unique scent signature. It also lasts a LONG time.
Someone asked about finding it on eBay – if the photo is the one above, then it is the real thing. I managed to get a nice big bottle of Orchidee from eBay (a luscious Yves Rocher fragrance that is also discontinued).
vfrc1868 – :
Spidercat, there’s now re-editions on Ispahan, Venice and Vie Privee (in Europe, don’t know how things are elsewhere) ), check your nearest YR shop or their website.
SkoRpion – :
Many years ago, Yves Rocher had a small shop in the Argyle Arcade in Glasgow.
This was my first encounter with the perfume, Ispahan. I fell in love with it immediately, and it became the only perfume I wore.
It was so dark and velvety and sensual.
And, of course, one day the shop closed down. And, then I heard that they had discontinued Ispahan.
I moved on to Opium, and to Chanel Coco, as I prefer the Oriental scents, but I have always missed Ispahan.
But, I am curious, I occasionally see Ispahan on sale in ebay… has anyone bought any.. are they the real thing..?