Ispahan

„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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

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)

I have a small bottle of Ispahan I've owned since the early 90s. It came as a gift with purchase of a large bottle long since used and gone This is an incredibly beautiful and sensuous scent, but deeply personal. You can smell it, but unless someone leans close to you, it is your secret. The similar Opium was everyone's secret. I don't wear it very often as I want it to last so I can revisit the scent. My collection is a bit out of control, but once I use up a few more bottle of things I'm not going to replace, I think I will look for something close to Ispahan. Maybe Youth Dew...

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

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.

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.

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!

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!

If vintage Opium and vintage Byzance had a baby, this would be the result. A deep and sultry oriental that would likely be considered "mature", but sexy is a state of mind, regardless of age. Mine is a mini, but would love a full bottle some day.

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!

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!

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.......

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

I really feel like this is a dupe for Tubereuse Criminelle without the big opening of car smells. Am I wrong?? Well, since Ispahan came first, I guess it's not the dupe.

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.

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.

Wauw Nephiira what a WONDERFUL review!! You inhereted the perfume collection from your grandmother? HOW WONDERFUL!!

I had this troughout my schoolyears and I wish I still had it..I love it! its warm and comforting and feminine :)

They did indeed do a relaunch a few years ago, and it was indeed not like the original.

Unfortunately the new one does not even come close to THE masterpiece vintage.

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).

Vintage Ispahan by Yves Rocher is heavily influenced by Estee Lauder's Youth Dew and Cinnabar: rich honeyed spices balanced with orange peel are strong on opening. The dry down is slightly sharp until only a whisper of spice remain. YR perfumes typically start strong and end up as a mere hint of scent, and Ispahan is no exception. This is a bonus for those who can't tolerate powerful spice scents like the ones mentioned above. Without the monster sillage and lasting power Ispahan is fine for work, and safe for casual encounters. I happen to like big spicy scents, and YD and C will always be my favorites. Ispahan is a lighter version of the heavy hitters. The scent is also surprisingly unisex. It's a women's perfume that's not particularly feminine, the florals aren't strong enough to make this exclusively for women's use. Ispahan has a lot of fans, and flankers, too. The rose version sounds interesting, maybe I'll try it. RN I'm happy with this lovely vintage scent, my only regret is not buying earlier.

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!

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.

I remember this fragrance well--I often purchased it with the 50% off sticker from the Yves Rocher magazine. Was nice warm light amber fragrance but nothing to write home about. I don't understand the comparisons to Opium which was my sister's signature scent back in the day. The only thing they shared is both were amber fragrances although in Ispahan's case it was a technicality and not a true characterization. As I recall Ispahan was so weak I used to POUR it into my palm, rub my palms together and pat it over my neck and clothing, twice. Also it did not last. Avon made stronger and more lasting fragrances back then. Why this has all the rave reviews here is beyond me. Yves was the mail order version of Prince Matchabelli in the late 80s.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Gorgeous smell! I was lucky to find it. First, it nocks out all your olfactory receptors with a blast of spices and spices, after 5 minutes it starts calming down and beautiful flowers come out. Oriental? Yes, classic oriental fragrance without tonns of oud, saffron and rose.

This one smells like you're in middle of desert doing belly dance. However it is for mature women more, I say that as someone who prefers slightly lighter scents. If you love strong perfumes with hint of oriental world this one's for you.

too much of nutmeg indeed (and it smells like brass), but I just can't throw away an antique piece of fragrance art

ancien parfum de mon enfance mais qui m'a vraiment marqué de par son sillage et sa force, convenait plutôt à des femmes de caractère, vraiment oriental pour hiver et automne

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.

Postoje mirisi koji ne postoje samo na koži — oni žive u sjećanju, u ladicama prošlih dana, u raskoraku između onog što smo bili i onog što više nismo. I upravo takav je bio ovaj Yves Rocher parfem —dragulj iz vremena kada parfemi nisu morali vikati da bi bili primijećeni. Otvarao se toplom jednostavnošću — možda notom zrelog voća, možda nijansom mediteranskog cvijeta, možda nečim što ne znaš imenovati, ali što te pogodi točno u onu točku gdje ti nedostaje nježnost. Nije to bio miris koji pokušava biti nešto drugo. Bio je iskren, možda i previše za današnje standarde — skroman, ali dubok. Otkrivao je slojeve bez arogancije. Na koži je ostavljao trag doma, osjećaj meke haljine u kojoj si čitala knjige pored prozora ili jutra kad te ništa nije boljelo. Danas, kad ga više nema, shvaćaš što si imala. Nema ga na policama, nema ga u katalogu, nema ga u sustavu. Samo još poneka bočica na nekom forumu, možda već i isparila, kao duh nekadašnjih dana. A ti, kad prođeš kraj nekog tko ga je nekad nosio, zadržiš dah — jer znaš da ne miriše ta osoba, već tvoja uspomena. Yves Rocher je s tim parfemom stvorio više od mirisa — stvorio je most između duše i svakodnevice. A kad nešto tako tiho ode, ostavi za sobom tišinu koja odzvanja. To je zapravo bio prvi parfem koji sam namirisala. To više nije parfem. To je nostalgija u staklu.

28. january 2021 Ispahan is a legendary Yves Rocher fragrance, many people seem to love it but to be honest, even though i have had it forever in my posession i have almost never tried it or worn it. I really do not know why, but i always heard it resembles Chanle nr.5 (which in fact is not true at all) and i was never bothered. I knew i have it, yet never reached for it. So finally i tried it and worn several times and here what i can say: Upon a first application (i have a spray edt bottle) it instantly reminded me of vintage "Byzance" by Rochas (not the modern reedition), but with some spicy notes from "Opium" by YSL. WHile the spicies from Opium are very present, i do think it tends to lean more into Byzance category somehow. To be honest it is just a mix of both, so you know it is good. My only complaint is about it ́s rather soft projection and modest lasting power, but not every fragrance should be a beast. I would say it is not my favorite from Yves Rocher, though i love both Byzance and Opium, but i truly enjoy it. The notes do not make sence to my nose, i would put completly different ones into the pyramide, if i hadn ́t known these. Now i see why so many people enjoy it, but for me it lacks a bit of "ovahness" :)

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.

Yes it is called the exact same name ! I found it on Ebay . I was looking for the Russian version of Magie Noire , called Magic Night . I found several sellers of Russian perfumes. The reviews of Ispahan by the buyers at EBAY ( look under buyer feedback ) look good . It seems to have a following . I ordered the Magic Night ( similar to Magie Noire ) and Red Moscow, very similar to L’heure Bleue . I have heard recent reports from buyers that they are both rich and long lasting . Also , Novaya Zarya makes a scent called Opus , similar to Opium. They also have the license for Magnolia, another Yves Rocher hit . They also make a scent close to the original Climat , marketed under two names “Kuznetsky Most “. And Clima . There is another scent quite similar to Midnight Poison , Belle De Russie . I am waiting for my order to arrive . I posted this because I read members that were lamenting the loss of Ispahan . ( I have heard that Magic Night is similar to the ORIGINAL Magie Noire . I have a friend who purchased it and loves it . )

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.

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

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).

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..?

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.

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!