Tiziana Terenzi
Tiziana Terenzi
449 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Passion fruit and blackcurrant collide with bright lemon in a burst that's simultaneously juicy and tart, the fern emerging immediately to prevent any tropical sweetness from settling. Within moments, you're hit with an almost green, slightly soapy freshness—less "fruity fragrance" and more "crushed fruit in a garden."
The florals emerge with deliberate subtlety, the tea rose becoming the dominant voice whilst lily of the valley adds that characteristically indolic, almost powdery undertone. Sweet clover softens the arrangement, introducing a honeyed warmth that makes the musk and tonka bean begin their slow creep upwards, adding a creamy, skin-scent quality that transforms the composition from bright and fruity into something warmer and more intimate.
Sandalwood, musk, and tonka bean create an almost imperceptible base—the fragrance becomes increasingly vague and gauzy, clinging to skin with the gentleness of a whisper rather than a shout. What remains is less about distinct notes and more about a soft, creamy floral-amber halo that eventually fades to barely-there warmth, explaining the fragrance's notoriously poor longevity ratings.
Cassiopea opens as a peculiar paradox: an Extrait de Parfum that whispers rather than announces itself. Paolo Terenzi has crafted something deceptively delicate despite its concentration, a fragrance that prioritises transparency and luminosity over projection. The passion fruit and blackcurrant establish a tart, almost jammy foundation, their natural acidity cutting through what could have become cloying sweetness, whilst the lemon adds a sharp, almost cleaning-fluid brightness—think aldehydic clarity rather than citrus zest. Beneath this fruit-forward top lies the real architecture: a tea rose-dominated heart that avoids powdery cliché by positioning itself against a substantial lily and lily of the valley base. These florals don't compete; instead, they create a layered textile where the dewy greenness of fern frames everything in a slightly mineral, garden-fresh quality.
The sweet clover and tonka bean provide a creamy underpinning without turning dessert-like, whilst the sandalwood and musk create a skin-like second skin rather than a heavy base. This is a fragrance for those who find most florals either saccharine or aggressively perfumed—Cassiopea splits the difference, offering sophistication without severity. It's an unisex scent that actually behaves as one, never veering into traditionally feminine or masculine territories. The wearer here is introspective, perhaps slightly bohemian, uninterested in olfactory statements but acutely aware of quality. Cassiopea belongs to quiet autumn mornings, intimate gatherings, and that specific mood when you want fragrance as a private conversation rather than a public declaration.
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3.4/5 (101)