Pissara Umavijani | The Scented Hound

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

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