Ave Maria Gratia Plena

[Faerykin]

Ave Maria Gratia Plena

 

A pale, delicate, truly angelic blend. A scent created to emulate Adonis' halo of beauty: fragile, distant, and radiant. Rosewood with Sicilian lemon peel, red Mysore sandalwood, pale musks, sweet mountain sage and a dusting of lily, night-blooming jasmine and orris.

 

Swiped across wrists and along collarbone.

 

Initial Wet (8-8:30am): Light, bright and airy – not certain yet why this is a “men’s blend”. I can certainly detect the lemon peel – and there is a sweet wispiness of floral under it all. A very nice spring scent.

 

Initial Dry (8:30-10am): The sandalwood and musks are coming forth. A thick air of floral and almost incense is competing with the lemon peel. This is certainly becoming more masculine.

 

Throughout the Day (10am-on): I can no longer detect any specific notes – this has morphed into traditional men’s cologne. Albeit, a light, fresh, airy, somewhat-powdery men’s cologne … but men’s cologne nonetheless. Off to the Swap Pile!

[helarctos]

On me, it's nothing but lemony baby powder. The drydown is ... lemony herbal baby powder.

 

I really wanted to like it. Curses, foiled again by citrus.

[Rheliwen]

When wet, this one smell like spicey, powdery florals.

 

As it dries, it takes on a more soapy smell (thanks to the lily and jasmine). But lingering in the background is a wonderful sweet sage with a touch of rose and dry woods (like teak). Filling in the the holes is lemon, but sweet, innocent lemon, not the in-your-face kind.

 

Initially, I really loved this. Unfortunately, it lost most of the yummy spice on the drydown...and I don't want to smell like soap, no matter how gourmet the soap is

[tart]

On first sniff, Ave Maria Gratia Plena smells like the church I used to go to when I was little. When it dries, it is a light, airy floral, barely detectable. I'd say that it's a pleasant smell, maybe what someone would smell like after a bath. I think my mom would like it (her favorite perfume is Miracle).

[slave1]

In Bottle: Floral and wood.

On Skin: Sweet lily and jasmine with sandalwood. Pretty and feminine, very delicate as it’s description states. The lemon is faint and the musks give it a more spicy depth. I think this would be quite floral for a man but I’d love to smell it on my husband.

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: Generic perfume &....cough syrup? I think my nose is fucked up.

 

First on: Damn this one looked like I'd love it. It's almost exactly like Nyarlathotep.

 

Drydown: Like Nyarlathotep, it dries down nicely, but is completely different. It still smells like a generic perfume to me though, but I can tell it is a truly gender neutral, because I can imagine it being very sexy on the right guy. Swap.

[quikslvr]

Floral. White, shining, almost commercial jasmine floral. Nice, kind of sophisticated, but not me. Drydown turns a little funny--metallic, almost. Old-lady, a bit.

[zankoku_zen]

In Bottle: Sharp and smells like cologne. I think the lemon gives it sharpness.

 

On Skin: Smells like white flowers. Very calming and beautiful. I can smell some of the lemon. It has a fresh undertone to it for me.

 

On Drydown: It fades quite a bit on my skin after fifteen minutes, so this would be a scent to slather on. It is very peaceful and radiant. After three hours, you can really smell the sandalwood underneath.

 

Verdict: Another very lovely scent. Very floral. It makes me think delicate and goodly without being sanctimonious. On second thought, its very pretty but I'm not sure I can deal with the sandalwood undertone. Probably goes to swap.

 

ETA: After trying it again, I realise that the sandalwood is very prominent on my skin. Crud.

Edited July 30, 2007 by zankoku_zen

[JazzieCazzie]

BOTTLE: Very floral. Probably too much rose for me ... yet also really nice.

 

WET: Soapy (makes me think there is lily in here) and sweet. I think this would be the perfect scent to give a young girl who is just starting to wear perfume. It's a nice Sunday summer smell.

 

DRYDOWN: It just stays a little too strong too long for me, making me slightly queasy and I didn't apply very much ... so into the swap bin it goes. But I can see this being a very popular scent with people who love light white floral.

 

On a scale of 1-5 I would give it a high 3, very nice, just not quite right for me.

 

REVISITED FEBRUARY 2013:

 

Imp ordered from lab February 2013 as a re-order ... intrigued by the notes and thought I'd give it a post-menopausal try LOL.

 

In imp: Yes, still very floral, but in a good way, with the jasmine, sandalwood and musk offsetting the rose.

 

Wet application: Having read my previous note, this time I just dabbed a bit on one wrist, sparingly, and rubbed them together.

 

Drydown: This time it goes into the keeper box instead of the swap pile. It's a little more "sophisticated" and "feminine" than my usual everyday go-to favorites (I tend towards the dragon blood, the amber, the pepper, the ginger, the honey, the spice and the stinky hippie scents most of the time) but I think it would be a nice change of pace if I were dressing up for an evening out and wearing makeup.

 

I'd still give it a high 3 but I'm a tough grader.

Edited February 18, 2013 by JazzieCazzie

[Scarlettfish]

Another scent I never expected to like - it was a freebie, in fact - but it turns out I love it. It is perfect for me...floral, with a nice sandalwood and musk undertone. And I can smell hints of the Sicilian lemon peel (and that's nice, as a gal with a Sicilian background!). Definitely on my big bottle list...it's so nice it could be my signature scent.

[Sara]

Initial sniff: Very floral and bright with a hint of something darker underneath.

 

Swipe: The florals kind of explode on my skin in the face of the almight jasmine (thank you Mi-Go for giving me the ability to identify this very animal flower), which is a very dark, raw, animal, almost stinky kind of flower. Me thinks we're going to have a love/hate relationship in the future.

 

Drydown: Ah, jasmine seems to have the rose qualities on my skin as well, which is to say that it beats the living shit out of everything else leaving nothing but itself in their places. So I smell jasmine. It's not as strong as Mi-Go, but it's the only thing I smell...maybe there is a little bit of lightness on the outskirts.

 

Overall: Jasmine, jasmine, jasmine. On one hand it's ok and I don't mind it...on the other it annoys me. It smells too animal. I might hold on to this imp and I might not. Dunno.

[vyvyan]

Man's blend? Maybe their skin is vastly different than mine, 'cause I got light, light, light feminine florals, with just the *tiniest* hint of woods somewhere far in the back.

 

For someone who doesn't mind smelling like flowers, this would be lovely.

[dcmo]

This is very floral (mainly jasmine), and although it's a light scent the flowers pack a punch and are slightly headache inducing. As it dries, it does take on a slightly soapy scent as well. Unfortunately not for me.

[brownbear]

Lily and jasmine borh can take over on my skin. Luckily they didn't completely overpower this scent. I didn't get any lemon and hardly any rosewood, which is fine. The woods make the florals more interesting. I find the combo of musk, sandalwood, and jasmine generally a sexy combo. I doubt this will be my signature scent or anything, but it is really nice as a subtle sexy, feminine, everyday kind of scent for me.

[ashtonrose]

A scent to be worn to mass. This embodies the scent of an angel. Beautiful and I adore the sandalwood and rosewood. Not sure of the lily, but it is beginning to blend with the other notes and send dreams of heaven my way.

[sophia_helix]

This was a freebie, though I'm embarrassed to say I don't recall what forum sweetheart sent it my way.

 

In the bottle:

 

Um. Rose-type floral, with a musky, earthy background that must be the incense. I'm rotten at identifying "sweet" blends.

 

Wet:

 

Ooh, now it's sharper, and I think the lemon peel is coming out. There's definitely rose in here now, and it smells like *real* rose, not perfume rose, with that extra depth of sweetness. This is much more like I thought Venice would be (and has a lot of the same notes).

 

There's also orris, which does not bode well. Orris loves me far too much, and I do not love it at all.

 

Drydown:

 

How do you spell perfume disaster? O-R-R-I-S. At least in my case. I still have that rosy sweetness lurking behind, but the bulk of the smell is alll orris, all the time. I hate this freaking scent. Why does it love me so?

 

This just got more and more like sickly-sweet soap as it wore on. I finally had to scrub it off, but I can still smell it.

 

Wah! This had so much potential in the vial, and I was excited about it. :D

 

 

Bonus Dude Review!

 

I made my husband try it on, and while when wet it was ecstatically spicy and woodsy, it quickly dried to exactly the same smell I got. Is it the blend, our noses, or our similar chemistry? A mystery. *g*

Edited July 22, 2005 by sophia_helix

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 2/5

Summarised in a word or two: Lemony.

 

In the imp/bottle: Jasmine and lemon peel thrown over a mixture of lily, sage and sandalwood.

 

On skin, wet: Warm lemon peel and jasmine; everything else has faded away.

 

On skin, dry: Lemon and jasmine -- nothing more, nothing less. Not a bad combination; a fresh, relaxed kind of scent.

 

Conclusion: This would be very nice in an oil burner, or in a shampoo/conditioner, but nothing I'd wear on my skin.

Edited December 19, 2005 by Aredhel

[Lori]

Wet: OMG, this is just the loveliest blend of flowers. First off, I smell lilies and what seems like white roses. This is what I think the Madonna would smell like. (Mother Mary, NOT the "performer") I can see Her, in Her long, blue robes, reaching out to me, with a sweet, loving smile.

 

As it dries, the night blooming jasmine comes out. I am not the biggest fan of jasmine, as my nose can get stuffed up from it, especially if it is so strong. But still, this scent is lovely. It smells as if it belongs in a church, with the sun’s rays streaming through the stained glass windows, and there is a young girl, dressed in white, praying before a lit candle.

 

Drydown, soft and floral, the blend is coming through nicely, but is very faint, now. Like the hush at the end of a prayer. Beautiful!

 

The only thing I would disagree with in the description is that it definitely smells like a woman’s scent to me, and not a man’s.

[gingersnapp]

This is a strong floral blend, but it is a fruity floral (if that makes any sense) so I don't mind it as much as some other stronger floral blends.

 

As usual, the jasmine takes center stage, with the lily and orris coming in a close second. But it's the lovely mysore sandalwood that grounds this and gives it a spicy, somewhat fruity depth instead of letting it turn to powder like flowers usually do on my skin. There isn't much in the way of musk, lemon peel, or sage, but we'll see how this continues to morph as the day goes on.

[Little Bird]

This is a very classic white floral blend on me. Perfumey and similar to the cheap floral perfumes you can get at places like Walgreens. I don't get any lemon, sage, or sandalwood out of this. No spices.

 

Ave Maria Gratia Plena is all musk and white lilies when it hits my skin, but an artificial, sharp, soapy lily that doesn't really smell at all like real lilies. In the drydown, I think I can detect some sour jasmine laying about.

 

Gives me a headache.

Edited April 3, 2013 by Little Bird

[PurringPulsar]

Ave Maria Gratia Plena

 

In the imp: a slightly soapy floral, with a bit of wood and something tangy-the lemon, probably.

Wet on skin: soft lily and jasmine. This is really quite nice. There's also a little bit of lemon and wood there.

Dry on skin: mmm, this is really quite lovely! Soft white flowers of lily and jasmine with a lemony tang and a little hint of something dry and wooden underneath. I'm also getting a slight herbal vibe from the sage. It's a well-balanced blend, and very ethereal.

After a while: this then becomes a gentle musky floral. I think the white musk is coming up now, adding a soft and powdery touch to the lily and jasmine. This is a clean, white fragrance. It reminds me very slightly of Peitho, but not as sweet.

Verdict: this is a very pleasant and nicely blended scent of soft, sweet, white florals, a woody base, a bit of lemon and a soft white musk. It's a gentle, ethereal scent, it seems to fit the description of it being an 'angelic' scent. It's surprisingly lovely. Not sure if it's an outright favourite, but I really like it for now.

[sookster]

Upon application this is a delicate rosey and lemony blend...then the musks and sandalwood peek around the corner followed by the jasmine....pretty but this one is a bit too florally for me....and when that darned jasmine comes out, all the other

lovely scents are left far, far behind.

dumb old chemistry

[teaketcha]

Ok, I was originally interested in this blend to try on my honey. I put it on his wrist and a few minutes later asked him what he thought. He said "its almost gone and i dont really like it, not like Vicomte." Well, he doesnt have the patience to wait a scent out like the addicts do, and so that is that.

 

Now I try it for myself...

 

Wet… Herbal clean ALMOST soapy but not in that bad soapy way

 

Drying… Lots of herbs and crisp smelling flowers swirled together, its like a beautiful clean spring morning that’s sunny and nice enough to put the laundry out on the line. It’s like the scent of that spring breeze mixed with dryer sheets and free, pure, crispness, warmed just ever so slightly by the spring sun. Would make a most most gorgeous room scent or linen spray especially when you’ve got cabin fever from winter, I think, to give that feeling of the first day you can open the windows after winter. It’s so beautiful!

 

Weird… my nose feels a little like its burning inside from this… what could that be (PM me if you know maybe)? I did have a diaper moment, as someone else mentioned, but I feel like I sussed out the things that made me feel that and it went away quickly.

 

After Awhile... Powdery fresh clean herbally loveliness. I am definitley going to make this into a wonderful room spray. It will serve its purpose best as that in my case. (Yeah because it turned powdery and kind of old on my skin later!)

Edited September 13, 2005 by ketalady

[carolinachiquita]

I wasn't sure on this when I first applied it - It was too flowery/rosy on me - even though there are no flowers or roses in it! It is quite nice now when it died down but it wasn't very strong I.e. I have to sniff my wrist to smell it. It is pleasant but it isn't a "wow that’s me" perfume.

[karintheswede]

in bottle - feminine. A little dusty. Very floral

 

wet - this reminds me of a perfume my grandmother used to wear. Very feminine. Pretty heavy for a floral.

 

dry - very pretty floral. Too traditional for me, I think. Smells like my grandmother's closet, which isn't a bad thing. Something reminds me of mothballs. Makes my sinuses itch.

 

Later - the mothball went away, and it's a beautiful, subdued floral, grounded by the woods.

 

Will I wear it? I don't know. It's lovely about an hour after application, but until then I'm not fond of it. At all.