First of all I owe you an apology for being quiet for so long – at the end of April I got sick and had a lot of covid symptoms like fever and coughing. I got tested and the result was negative, meaning I simply caught a more nasty spring cold. I’m still coughing a bit but overally I feel fine. Other than that I suffered from lack of inspiration and deficiency of new samples to test and possibly review.
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The idea of “my brand” or “not my brand” is not new in the perfume world but I believe that for me it was Undina that introduced this term to my fragrance dictionary. I have a list of “my brands” in my head and for these brands I’m always eagerly anticipating the news about upcoming fragrances or events they organize. Parfums Dusita, despite being a young niche brand (only 5 years old now) quickly gained a worldwide recognition. Currently rocking 12 perfume I also became a fan of Pissara Umavijani compositions. There are small exceptions and today I’ll talk about those.
Le Pavillon d’Or is not my kind of perfume and probably that’s why I haven’t smelled it earlier than over a year after its premiere, which took place in 2019. The composition starts with a sweet & green honeysuckle note – a nice, vegetal scent with hints of honey and hay. After a moment an aromatic mint joins, making the fragrance fresher but far from the toothpaste territory. The scent it gives off is more dry, herbaceous. Orris root adds a touch of earthiness that gradually evolves into more rooty & buttery facets typically associated with iris in perfumery. Heart of Le Pavillon d’Or offers a bounty of green notes. Boronia – flowers native to Australia, offer a fragrance that is slightly honeyed but also feels dusty and aged. Thyme adds a herbal impression that seamlessly transitions into fig leaf accord. You know me and how little of a fan of fig I am when it comes to my perfume. Here this leaf feels dusty too, with undertone of tree sap and something milky underneath. Heliotrope makes the fragrance feel smoother thanks to the creamy floral nuances it adds to this Dusita creation. Hints of frankincense are noticeable just like wisps of smoke floating lazily in the air. The drydown is a woody blend of oak wood – an accord created by Pissara herself. To my nose it really smells like some wooden barrels. Additionally sandalwood intensifies the perception of the woody notes in the base. Like all Dusita perfumes, Le Pavillon d’Or is a very pretty composition. It just doesn’t speak to me like her other perfumes do.
Cavatina is the most recent Dusita creation that joined the brand’s portfolio at the end of this April. As explained by Pissara during Instagram live launch event, the perfume is heavily inspired by vintage Diorissimo. The perfume opens with a very fresh & clean manner. Muted, citrusy scent of bergamot blends with some sparkling fizziness that smells like aldehydes, although they aren’t mentioned among official top notes (but they are in the heart). Slightly woody scent of litsea cubeba (a kind of aromatic shrub) marries with the scent of petitgrain, paving the way for the biggest star of Cavatina. Lily of the valley in Cavatina smells uber-realistic which is not an easy feat knowing that muguet cannot be naturally extracted at an efficient level. Pissara combined a number of other materials to create her own LOTV accord which smells like an open field full of tiny, white, bell-shaped flowers. Heart of this perfume is what makes it bloom – literally. Innocent smell of tea rose plays with tuberose & jasmine for a grand white floral experience. Cavatina is gentle but has a carnal side as well. Ylang-ylang adds an element of solar creaminess to the blend. In the base heliotrope gives off an aroma that sits between creamy tonka and smooth florals. Ambrette and cypress introduce a bit of greenness. Everything is topped with elegant vanilla that feels slightly oriental and a bit gourmand, it compliments the lily of the valley heart beautifully. I’m sure many people will find Cavatina special but it’s a very specific perfume that will find a niche in the niche. Not everyone will love it given that white florals are polarizing among fragrance lovers.
As they say – you can’t love them all. I don’t think there’s anything to be ashamed of if the brand you love and support releases a perfume that doesn’t fit your taste. Afterall perfume is very subjective and things like that are bound to happen on regular basis. You’ll love one perfume more, the other one less. But that doesn’t change the fact that I love Dusita for creativity & ingenuity in raw material use, but most of all for Pissara who is one of the warmest & the friendliest people in the industry. If you tried Le Pavillon d’Or or Cavatina, do let me know how much you liked them.
Chemist in the Bottle 
Such a calm, well balanced review. I suppose fanship of a perfume brand is similar to that of a film star – you can still admire them, even if they appear in some movies that you don’t care for.
I am sort of drawn to Cavatina because of the comparison with Diorissimo (although it’s only the vintage Diorissimo that I like). But there are also some notes that I am not keen on ….
Do you think it’s possible that you might actually have had Covid? They do say that some people test negative when they clearly have had it. Whatever it is though, keep on getting better and take care.
Thank you sweetie. Yes, that feels quite similar with actors and roles they play – you might not like some.
Cavatina is a pretty perfume but it’s not for me as I don’t fancy muguet in perfume generally. Later I can send you a sample if you’d like to try it.
About covid, I hope this was not the case for me. I’d prefer to believe that it was a cold. I had similar infection 2 years ago and the cough lasted for a while after I was cured. This time it might be similar.
I’m very eager to try Cavatina, as muguet is a note I love!
Hope you find it beautiful when you have a chance to test it.
I really liked Le Pavillon d’Or (and bought a full price bottle of it, which says a lot). I will give Cavatina a try when/if I get a chance, but it has to be something spectacular for me to pay a premium price for a lily-of-the-valley perfume. But we’ll see.
Not liking most of the brand’s perfumes (it’s definitely not “my brand”), I am becoming the brand’s fan: even though I don’t like those perfumes to wear myself, I appreciate the quality and originality of those perfumes. And I like, own and wear two of their perfumes – the above mentioned PdO and Splendiris.
I know you do – and once again thanks for the sample 🙂
It’s good to hear that you’re becoming a brand’s fan even though you were not convinced about the brand earlier.