Steppin' Out with Tiziana Terenzi Chimaera

5h (edited) • SOTD 🍊

NOTE: Instead of a Scent Of The Day, I am introducing a fragrance I wear for going out on a date, attending a party, or simply enjoying the evening.

In my first post of 2026, I will discuss my final fragrance purchase of 2025. I heard about Tiziana Terenzi Chimaera for years, but I never smelled it until late October. If you are not familiar with this Italian family fragrance line, Tiziana Terenzi has several thematic lines, with the Anniversary Collection being its most prestigious and opulent.

What makes the Anniversary line unique is that co-founder and designer Paolo Terenzi harvests raw materials each year to make no more than 1,000 bottles of the fragrance. As a result, each bottle is dated with a specific vintage year.

As for the juice, Chimaera is a spicy, balsamic leather fragrance that mimics the myth of its namesake: a creature made of many parts that shouldn't work together, yet somehow creates a terrifyingly beautiful whole. Chimaera has one of the longest note pyramids in niche perfumery:

TOP NOTES: leather, Tolu balsam, saffron, black pepper, bay leaf, thyme, lemon and soil tincture

MIDDLE NOTES: honey, red pepper, carnation, iris, sage, peony and magnolia

BASE NOTES: agarwood (oud), caramel, tobacco, leather, cashmere wood, patchouli, labdanum, benzoin and Canadian balsam

The scent profile changes incredibly during its wearing cycle (which lasts 12-plus hours on my skin): It changes from sweet to smoky, animalic, balsamic, floral and even citric through its phases. Even though it is dense and lasts for 12-plus hours, there is an "airy" pine and floral note tucked inside that keeps it from feeling muddy.

And then there is the presentation.

Unlike the standard Terenzi cylinders, the Anniversary Collection comes in a massive, weighted matte black wooden chest (see pictures). It’s a literal jewelry box that features a hinged lid that opens with some resistance. Moreover, the bottle is nestled into a velvet-lined alcove.

Additionally, there is a built-in LED light that illuminates the bottle when you open the lid, making the gold accents of the label "glow" from within. And finally, there is a small drawer containing a booklet that details the "birth" of that year's batch, emphasizing the artisanal, limited nature of the scent.

Overall, an impressive fragrance with an incredible, beautiful presentation.

NOTE: The notes breakdown chart is courtesy of Fragrantica. The images are my photos (NOTE: The bottle of Chimaera is a 100 ml bottle, to give a perspective of the presentation box's size).

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