DUSITA
LA RHAPSODIE NOIRE
2022
PERFUMER
Pissara Umavijani
coffee
rum
cigar
clary sage
lavender
mimosa
broom
jasmine sambac
patchouli
oakmoss
oakwood
vetiver
sandalwood
tonka bean
vanilla
‘One night, I was crossing the Pont-Neuf listening to “Rhapsody in Blue”. Suddenly, my imagination was fuelled by images and sensations of the “City of Light” in the 1920s. I decided to create a nocturnal, vibrant fragrance dedicated to Paris of Les Années Folles.’ – Pissara Umavijani
I love quite a few of Pissara’s works, especially her florals, which are often prominent. As someone who’s also a gourmand lover, I was at first highly looking forward to La Rhapsodie Noire. After seeing some initial reviews, I was a bit more apprehensive about loving it. Unfortunately, my final thoughts are closer to not loving it indeed.
The style of this fragrance, as others have remarked on, is in the direction of Kilian Intoxicated in the opening. It’s a very specific and interesting ‘gourmand’ direction, with a weird combination of soapy/shaving cream and gourmand to my nose at first. Another fragrance in this direction is Zara Intense Dark Exclusive. This Dusita has a more textured and contrasting feel than those mentioned above and I feel it moves on to a full-on gourmand quicker.
There’s a roasted, nutty quality in particular in the opening, which I enjoy. On the other hand, the sweetness doesn’t fully work for me in the first 1-2 hours. At times I smell coffee, caramel, pastry, which are all nice, but there is something in this mix that feels like it belongs in a JPG Le Male flanker. I think maybe it’s the combination with the lavender that pulls me towards Le Male. That facet also recalls the Nishane Fan Your Flames X flanker, that was a big miss for me.
The lavender is a weird kind of defining factor here on one hand, because it’s very prominent to my nose, when I look for it. But at the same time, it gets so gourmand, that if I don’t pay specific attention to the aromatic tinges, I could just look past it and forget its there. The same goes for the slight vetiver tinge in the drydown. Both give this fragrance a slight masculine leaning pull in my experience, but I’ve noticed more women enjoying La Rhapsodie Noire in my circles, so take that for what it is.
As it dries down, you get the full gourmand-woody experience. The roasted quality lingering on, the sweetness having no eccentric distractions and the base quite woody. Very similar at this stage to fragrances like Teo Cabanel Oh La La or Versatile Paris Croissant Cafe (which is more lactonic to me). Which is to say, quite lovely, cozy and addictive, albeit quite linear. And this lasts for hours; I’m writing this first impression after about 7 hours and the last couple of those have been like this and the scent is still very noticeable and I presume it will go on for a while.
Overall, hard to go wrong with the drydown if you’re looking for a roasted, coffee-ish gourmand, but I can imagine the opening not being everyone’s cup of tea (including mine). As far as the quality of ingredients and textures go, this feels a bit more conventional than most of the Dusita’s that I’ve smelled before. It’s just not the style that I’d go to Dusita for first, as the brand has some lovely florals that feel more elevated to me.