Cavatina

I went to the garden centre with my dad this weekend, and chose a small pot of lily-of-the-valley. It is coming into bloom at this time of year, and in my pot, the little white bells are emerging from their tiny green buds. Their distinctive clean, green-tinged white floral scent, innocent rather than carnal, encouraged me to buy it. I chose Cavatina from my Dusita discovery set today at random, only to discover that it is a lily-of-the-valley scent, as crisp and clean as the bells in my new pot. Cavatina draws obvious comparisons with Diorissimo, the original and never-bettered lily-of-the-valley scent. It is almost a soliflore, but here the muguet is enhanced to perfection by other notes playing second fiddle. Cavatina (a musical term meaning "simple air") opens with lush, creamy white florals. I get tuberose initially, rounded out by jasmine, but after a short time, the muguet becomes dominant, green, clean and slightly waxy. The other white florals serve to enhance it, and the bergamot adds a hint of freshness. It is perfectly judged - every note plays its part. As it develops, it becomes more powdery, with rose emerging in the backbone. Muguet remains king, but the rose serves to complement it here. Some ylang ylang adds sweetness as it develops further, but it is restrained. Cavatina becomes musky as it dries down, sweetened by just the right amount of dry vanilla. Soft woody notes ground it here. It fades to a musky skin scent. Sillage and longevity are moderate. It is feminine, best worn in spring. Aptly named, Cavatina is a simple, melodious scent, bright and beautifully rendered. As the lily-of-the-valley note must be synthesised in a lab, it is a testament to the skill of Pissara Umavijani, given how accurate and realistically it is rendered here, not to mention how it is enhanced by the other well-chosen, perfectly-placed notes. A modern perfume in a classical style, this is a worthy successor of Diorissimo. Excellent. 4.5/5.

I’ve had the opportunity to wear Cavatina yesterday. I spent the day in my garden planting zinnias, coleus, cosmos and gladiolas. I made three bouquets of purple and white lilac, weeded and raked. Through all this activity Cavatina projected like a diva and stayed with me—a full five hours of toiling in the dirt. And that’s kind of unusual for a Dusita perfume as I have a hard time making it to the three hour mark with many others from this brand (Erawan and Splendris). Granted, this perfume felt more formal, but Lily of the valley often goes that way. I always associate this flower and scent with Easter and my catholic mother. Beyond its religious connections (white being purity, Mary’s tears, etc) Lily of the valley heralds the birth of spring and death of winter. The opening is fresh and citrusy thanks to the addition of bergamot and other notes I can’t identify (there are other flowers in this composition but I only identify lily of the valley). There’s also an exotic feeling to the mix, I’m not sure what Siam smells like but it could be that combined with Ylang? Dry down brings out a mellow vanilla and and some warm wood notes. Pissara handles florals like a maestro, the perfectly named Cavatina fits nicely in the Dusita repertoire of lush florals. For fans of this flower, you are in for an olfactory treat.

This one is beautiful, my first by Dusita. It’s a lot like Diorissimo but gentler and less pungent. The notes are elegant and remind me of spring with its distinctive white floral notes. It is definitely well-composed and balanced, and maintains a beautiful balance through to the dry down. I read in an article somewhere how true lily of the valley is so hard to capture, and this fragrance was applauded for succeeding in that. It doesn’t last more than 3 hours for me though, unfortunately- but I did use a dabber and I got my sample from a third party. The only drawback is that to my (disclaimer: very amateur) nose, it lacks the wildness that Diorissimo has, that sometimes I miss. It reminds me more of a home scent vs a truly outdoors scent- kind of like a painting of beautiful scenery with swans but without the reality of actually being out there. But I think that also makes it more delicate in a way, otherworldly, and a much safer scent. While I prefer wilder interpretations, this is a beautiful and quality one. I have a feeling the more I wear this and get to know it, the more I might grow to love it and want to get a full bottle.

This is super lovely! Near where I live, there's this beautiful natural forest preserve and, in May, the entire ground is blanketed by lilies of the valley in the wild. The smell walking through that place is intoxicating--both for the concentrated muguet and the way the flower intermingles with greenery, wood, and dirt. The muguet note in Cavatina has some of this greenness, while still feeling like a "fleshy" "3D" muguet--like picking up a stem of them and inhaling the waxy little bell-like flowers up close on an outdoor walk. There's also a beautiful citrusey aspect to this that makes it feel unisex. Much like Le Labo's Tubereuse composition is actually a long lasting eau de cologne type formula with a fleshy tuberose heart, Cavatina feels like a beautiful muguet note amplified over a background of eau de cologne freshness. Definitely worth a look for fans of the genre, and even for folks (like me) who really love the smell of muguet but have a hard time finding a muguet scent that works well on them.

Okay... I didn’t expect myself loving this fragrance! I don’t normally enjoy white floral perfumes. LOTV and jasmine typically give me headache and make me nauseous. I got a few Dusita samples and have been testing them currently. When I first tried Cavatina, I thought it is just another white floral centered perfume without giving me headache. But after the second and the third time tested on my skin under hot weather, I could not stop breathing in this alluring scent I was wearing! It is so well-balanced and elegant. I think the hint of citrus at the top and the base sandalwood make all the difference. Quality is excellent! When I am wearing it, I feel like a bunch of airy but vibrant white flowers dancing in front of me. A more subtle type of scent on my skin that last about 4-5 hours. White floral lovers, this one is a must try!