Dusita | The Scented Hound

January 10, 2022
by The Scented Hound 2 Comments

Cavatina by Parfums Dusita

WHAT I SMELL: Cavatina opens with a lovely green barber shop bergamot that’s herbal, fresh and warmly inviting. It’s not too bright, nor too earthy, but it has a wonderfully familiar and comforting persona, and from first spritz the perfume sings with happiness and joy. As the perfume develops, a green floral starts to emerge along with a light clean and fresh soapiness and in short time a fresh and dewy muguet takes center stage. At this point, the perfume is neither loud nor quiet. Instead, it’s perfectly balanced in its freshness as it begins to grow and project along with just a hint of creaminess. As this happens, Cavatina begins to move to the more “bathtastic” with a finish that feels as if you just emerged from an exquisitely fragrant bubble bath. Continuing on, the perfume begins to center itself around a green jasmine accord which is soft and pretty as it’s wrapped up in a cottony musk finish. It’s all just so glorious; when you wear Cavatina, you can’t help but smile.

From the Parfums Dusita website:

Inspiration: Cavatina is music to the soul, a fragrant hymn to human compassion conducted with the spirit of “joie de vivre”. Starting with Pissara Umavijani’s love for vintage muguet-centered scents, she composed new floral accords that ended up dancing together in a melodious scent that became Cavatina.

Olfactive Notes:

The opening, a symphony of sparkling, invigorating citrusy notes: Calabrian Bergamot, Chinese Litsea Cubeba, Paraguayan Petitgrain greets our exclusive, resolutely modern Muguet Accord.

At the Heart, our very own Tea Rose Accord harmonically blends with fresh, seductive floral touches: Egyptian Tuberose and Jasmine Grandiflorum, Indonesian Ylang-Ylang.

The Base Notes, the airy muskiness of Indian Ambrette, the soft woodiness of Siamese Wood and the deep sensuality of Madagascar Vanilla.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: I can’t argue with perfumer Pissara Umavijani’s inspiration; Cavatina is “music for the soul.”

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE CAVATINA: fresh, spring-ish, joyous

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT CAVATINA: The Plum Girl, CaFluereBon, The Black Narcissus

BOTTOM LINE: It’s presently January, but when you wear Cavatina it immediately transports you to spring. Its clean and fresh muguet heart is just what is needed to take you away from the dark winter skies.

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Nose: Pissara Umavijani
Classification: Unisex
Expense: Starting at 150 Euros for 50 ml eau de parfum

January 2, 2017
by The Scented Hound 23 Comments

The Scented Hound’s Best of 2016

2016-6 2016 is already gone and once again I am running behind with posting. But before we head officially into 2017, I am going to give my wrap up on this past year. Now, I can’t claim I was able to experience all of the new releases this past year (actually, I don’t believe there were enough days in the year to accommodate all the industry had to offer)…but instead will cite which ones that I thought were special. So let’s get to it:

The best of 2016:

Rendezvous by DSH Perfumes – Dawn Spencer Horowitz continues to create incredibly memorable perfumes with her very distinctive signature style. With Rendezvous, she took a decaying floral and made it magnificent. These days it takes a lot to make a perfume hit me on an emotional level, but this beauty did. And I don’t think that this perfume got the love it deserves.

Stones by Atelier de Geste – When you take the green beauty of Chanel No. 19 and mix it with an earthy blend, you get the incredibly modern Stones. This limited edition perfume was a surprise to me and again I haven’t heard any buzz around it.

Mona di Orio Bohea Bohème – Bohea Bohème was perfumer Fredrik Dalman’s first creation for the house of Mona di Orio. The tea based perfume is a subtle testament to Mona’s legacy. Quiet and unassuming, Bohea Bohème is all about the quiet journey. I look forward to seeing what Fredrik creates next.

prizepage-image-image-2-dogphoto Lesquendieu le Parfum by J. Lesquendieu – 2016 saw the reemergence of the house of J. Lesquendieu. The classic line of legacy perfumes were once again available for the lucky few who can afford these beauties. Easily the best of the re-releases is Lesquendieu le Parfum. Uncomplicated, but oh so pretty, you can see why true luxury comes at a price. Smooth as silk…if only I could afford a bottle myself!

Arbolé Arbolé by Hiram Green – The release of Arbolé Arbolé came as a bit of a surprise as Hiram Green had launched Dilettante a few months prior. But I’m glad that he did release this very nostalgic velvety smooth creation. Hiram’s work is always top of the line…here he’s at his best.

Chanel No. 5 L’Eau – Light and refreshing and sparkling with modernity. This No. 5 flanker is superb even if you’re not a big fan of the original. This perfume just makes me so incredibly happy.

L’Atessa by Masque Milano – Unique is hard to come by these days…L’Atessa certainly is with its yeasty champagne fizz which gives way to a lovely powdered floral drydown. Add that to the most exquisitely redesigned signature perfume bottle, Masque Milano has hit it out of the park with this release.

The perfumes of Parfums Dusita – Perfumer Pissara Umavijani debuted 3 perfumes in 2015, but I didn’t experience them until this year…so as far as I’m concerned, they’re part of this year’s “best of.” So which one is the best? Hard to say which one I like the best, the sensual white floral, Melodie de L’Amour; the refined Ouhd Infini or the modern fougere Issara? I can’t choose because all three deserve recognition. There are two new perfumes in the line which I have yet to experience…this time I won’t wait a year to do so.

The worst of 2016:

I don’t like doing the worst because perfume is an individual taste…what you might not like, others may love. But there was one perfume this past year that just hit me incredibly wrong and that was…

Tauerville Fruitchouli Flash – This super sweet and thick concoction gave me a cavity by just smelling it. Sorry Andy.

So given all of these beauties from this past year, what did I end up wearing for the most part? I really pretty much stuck to the classics. My most worn perfume of 2016 was Mitsouko, the parfum extrait, which I just craved over and over again. The 2nd most worn perfume was Chanel Beige which is just so easy to love. Maybe 2017 will provide me with a new classic that I won’t be able to stay away from.

Happy New Year from The Scented Hound!

August 1, 2016
by The Scented Hound 21 Comments

Issara by Parfums Dusita

WHAT I SMELL: Issara’s opening is warm and mysterious focusing around a heavenly dreamlike pine and cedar. It also feels gently masculine along with a sense of confidence and security. In a short while, there’s a light barber shop vibe that emerges, like hair tonic. This helps to make the perfume feel neat and trimmed without feeling stuffy. As the perfume continues to develop, there’s a buzzing and humming radiance that moves the perfume from the barber shop to the more herbal topped with just a hint of flattened booziness. There’s a consistent green that sits at the base, but more of a forest vs. a floral green. I find at this point that there’s a real beefiness to the fragrance. But as soon as I say that, out bursts a more sparkling pine tinged with a light sugared amber and honeyed tobacco. Here the perfume resides in the most perfect of states for a lengthy period until a light musk is added to the mix which doesn’t detract from the overall state of grace. Where other perfumes lose their sweet spot at the heart, Issara keeps on giving throughout. Absolutely wonderful.

From the Parfums Dusita website:

A one of a kind fresh Fougère fragrance for the free and independent spirit – the scent with a sense for inner freedom. A fabulous perfume evoking fresh summer mornings, lush green fields, an invigorating breeze blowing through the pines …

At the Top: Brisk, fresh green Pine stirs the senses and blends joyfully with subtle, soft herbal notes for a walk in nature!

The Heart : A rousing Coumarin accord delivers the pure country-fresh fragrance of new-mown hay, with rich balsamic notes of the forest from Vertiver Bourbon, and the intimately mellow scent of Sylvester Pine Leaf.

Base Notes : Played by a trio of spontaneous, earthy aromas — magical Musk, a woody Oakmoss and an extremely rare, rich natural Ambergris

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The perfume for the Millenial man. It’s a traditional male scent with a modern and softer edge. It could easily be worn at the office (buttoned up), the virtual office (buttoned down), a night out with the boys or at the grocery store with the kids.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ISSARA: easy, comfortable, nod-to-nostalgia

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ISSARA: Megan in Saint Maxime, Kafkaesque, The Scented Apprentice

BOTTOM LINE: I am typically a bit skeptical when I keep hearing raves about new perfumes that seem to sweep through the various perfume groups on Facebook and other sites; but Parfums Dusita with its first trio of debut perfumes really delivers on all fronts. Melodie de L’Amour is a beautiful deep and narcotic white floral that is sensuality in a bottle and Ouhd Infini restores my faith in the use of oud which has been so completely overdone in the last couple of years. I’m having a hard time deciding which one of these three is the true masterpiece in the collection. Maybe they all are?!

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Aromatic Fougere
Nose: Pissara Umavijani
Classification: Unisex but leans masculine
Expense: $295 Euros (approximately $330 US) for 50 ml parfum extrait