37°56'N 30°57'E - Isparta Les Destinations 2023

The large drugstore chain with "M" in my lakeside town has been renovated - today I was in for the first time in a long while and was surprised to see that they have new brands, including many niche fragrances… I am learning more and more about scents, but there are of course many that I still do not know - so I remained curious in front of the Les Destinations counter. Contrary to what the name suggests, it is a German brand. One bottle was named "Isparta," the city in Turkey known for its roses: rose water and rose oil from the Turkish rose… Curiously, I sprayed the fragrance first on a tester and then on my skin - and I was quite taken…
Rose perfumes are so diverse - and I find it most beautiful when the rose does not come across as too sweet and cloying, does not remain too linear, but is embedded in many other accords that highlight its multifaceted side… It is not a floral rose that you get here, but rather the impression of rose oil, which quickly merges with pink pepper and then also with berry notes. After one or two hours, a berry, woody note remains on my skin - beautiful, unobtrusive, close to the skin, it does not turn soapy or sweaty on this hot day… it reminds me a bit of Jo Malone's Blackberry and Bay, similarly spicy but in a very natural way, not so synthetic…
Beautiful, a candidate for purchase!

Roses have always been a bit of a middle ground for me between ugh, go away or mmm, very nice! I associated them with my grandma's apartment, which seemed to have a bowl of rose petals in every room. I went through a phase where I wanted to smell at least a hint of rose in every fragrance. By now, I have rather distanced myself from that; if a rose scent doesn’t smell “real” or just smells like soap.

Roses are so diverse and they are the perfect way to express your emotions when you are too shy or want to say something without words! I love you! Congratulations, innocence, joy, tenderness, happiness … etc.
If you were born in June, then rose is your birth flower.

Isparta speaks through the rose in many languages. It is spicy-honey-like, sour-sweet, woody, peppery, musky, a bit floral, a bit fruity. It is underscored with balsamic green earth and has tobacco-like undertones. Not a pure rose, not a pure rose scent. But for my nose, it is real and the fruitiness sparkles beautifully and is refreshing like Ahoi-Brause Light. Perfect for hot days. Perfect for rose lovers and perfect as a gift.

Thank you, Don, for this wonderful opportunity!