Ave Maria Gratia Plena

[madame royale]

Was this His coming! I had hoped to see
A scene of wondrous glory, as was told
Of some great God who in a rain of gold
Broke open bars and fell on Danae:
Or a dread vision as when Semele
Sickening for love and unappeased desire
Prayed to see God's clear body, and the fire
Caught her brown limbs and slew her utterly:
With such glad dreams I sought this holy place,
And now with wondering eyes and heart I stand
Before this supreme mystery of Love:
Some kneeling girl with passionless pale face,
An angel with a lily in his hand,
And over both the white wings of a Dove.

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.

AMGP is overwhelmingly white floral, with the woods rounding it out. I can barely detect the lemon peel and none of the sage. Musk reveals itself in the dry-down. I assume this oil is inspired by the Oscar Wilde poem (of the same name) that he wrote in Florence. It is very much on the mark, as AMGP reminds me of something I smelled at the Farmacia Santa Maria Novella many years ago. Classic, feminine, old-world.

Around Easter, I love buying white lilies, as they are so beautiful and fragrant, but by the end of the day their scent gives me a headache. Unfortunately, this oil has the same effect.

[Effluvia]

in the vial: Creamy white flowers...but there's something sinister in there, something corrupt under all that innocence.

 

on my skin: I'm not a big fan of white florals, nor am I a big fan of jasmine. It makes me sneeze...this is a bit too traditionaly feminine for me. I'm going to give this imp to my mom, I think she'll dig it much more than I will.

[ChupaChup]

This was a generous freebie from the lab, thank you so much. When I first put it on, it reminded me of Old Venice and I was waiting for the violet and rose (which I am learning rarely work on me) to hit me in the face. But the scent never became aggressive like Old Venice does on me, so I went to look up the notes for each and found that although similar, AMGP does not have rose or violet, yay! As it dried, it became deliciously creamy and more reminiscent of Midnight, a favorite of mine. It must be the white flowers? I'm not a big fan of more heady florals but this one is soft and round enough to be a definite keeper.

[lorajc]

I got this as a sample. I really like orris, so I tend to pick the orris out of a scednt whenever it has it in it. I can detect the orris and jasmine slightly. This is a soft floral that is actually like a soft halo of scent and you can really picture this as a Greek Goddess' halo scent. It also reminds me of Old Venice slightly but only because of the orris and jasmine. Old Venice is definitely more heady than this soft floral and Old Venice has the fruits in it. Floral scents are not my favorite (I tend to like the spicy/resinous scents or fruity florals), however, I do enjoy to wear a basic floral every once in a while for variety and to feel more feminine. This is very nice for those occasions.

[VelvetSky]

I agree that this reminds me a lot of Old Venice, without the strong punch of red. This starts out as a creamy floral on my skin and dries down to a soft, sort of faintly herbal sweetness. I can pick up the sage and the sandalwood on the drydown, but it's mostly the white flowers that stand out in this blend. If white flowers get to your head (as others here), this might not be your best choice. If you love white flowers, this is it!

 

Ave Maria is a nice, every-day kind of floral, something you could wear anywhere. I really appreciate the Lab giving me this a freebie to try.

[feline.by.design]

Ave Maria was a freebie in the order I received last week, hats off to the Lab.

 

Hmm... sniff sniff.

 

This is a scent that smells okay on me. I'm not very entrhalled with it, probably just because it's not fully my cup of tea. It's a very feminine, floral scent. I actually don't get the imagery of "white" flowers at all with this one. On the drydown, I actually get something that smells a little like deoderant, which is weird. I'll try and blame that on body chemistry, since I've been at work all day.

 

I like wood scents, I like jasmine, I like sage... but something holds this back from being a scent I absolutely must have. I might pass the Ave Maria imp on to someone else, or I may keep it, but this is a scent that seems more suited to a mature woman, like my mother or my boyfriend's mother. Although the fragrance didn't fit me, I must admit that it's a very well-crafted fragrance that would likely make someone very happy.

 

Alas, that someone just isn't me.

 

-doreen

[AnnetteL]

First up, I must admit that I am not, on the whole, a fan of light florals. This was an generous extra from the wonderful lab.

 

It sounds like it has interesting notes - sandalwood, musk, sage - but they are very light. I *can* detect the sandalwood, in fact it gets more noticeable and interesting as the fragrance wears, but overall this is mostly just a floral blend on me. And as with many BPAL white florals, slightly soapy in conjunction with my body chemistry

[Lady Jane Grey]

Hummm....I have mixed felings with this one.

 

 

Wet: lemon and Jasmine bleandign for a nice sweet sour smell.

 

Dry: Strong rosewood...almost too strong...It could just be today but I was having head aches from the smell. But too much rose for me. but nice none the less.

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Rich and elegant floral. Radiant and distant are well applied in the description.

 

Second Impression: Another gorgeous floral. The sage and orris take center stage for awhile then the jasmine peeks out. Well blended, the jasmine is only playing a supporting role. The musks and woods soften the greens and florals to keep them from being sharp.

 

Final Analysis: Ave et al. is very feminine and elegant. I don't think I'd want to smell this on my husband, it would be like him wearing some other woman's perfume. I like it on me. I'll really enjoy my imp.

[Northernminx]

In the bottle, sandalwood and a sort of incensy floral.

 

On me this never really picked up and remained very subdued and light and mostly, sadly, sandalwood. I am not a huge fan of sandalwood and while I don't mind it when it blends properly with other notes, when it overpowers a scent I'm outta there.

 

This never got that knock down sweetness of a white floral scent for me but rather remained wispy and wistful and while pretty, not overly impressive for me. Into the swaps with ye!

[Vaniclion]

I had high hopes for this one, truly. I had this scent image in my head of a powerful angel, wings the color of pewter, eyes gray and knowing. Fresh from the imp, it has a bit of a powdery scent that reminds me of Anathema. Likely because I was just a’sniffin’ it.

 

On drydown, however, the lily and jasmine come to the fore, with perhaps a bit of the orris and sage. Sandalwood isn’t one of my big book scents, and I was hoping for more musk and lemon. Lemon and white musk are really one of my biggest scent combos, I think. Altogether, I won’t say that this disappoints, because it is so finely crafted a scent… it’s just not me or what I was expecting.

[sarahj]

Ave Maria Gratia Plena

 

Received as a freebie in my first order.

 

in vial: I smell lemon, musk, and a bit of sage.

 

Wet: the lily starts to overpower the other scents.

 

Dry: lily and jasmine...a very nice floral, but the other scents have disappeared. Too bad, as I am very fond of lemon scents.

 

This fades after about 5 hours. I really like this for a light, floral scent. It will be on my list of "possible" big bottles to buy.

[pekeana]

In the vial: I smell musk and sage, but when I pull away from the imp, I smell lemon peel on top of musk.

 

On me: I smell the sandalwood and rosewood beneath a lot of musk and sage. No lemon peel or floral to be found, aside from a hint of rose that doesn't actually leap up and scream "SMELL ME!"

 

This is pleasant enough, but I feel the beginning of a headache coming on, so it'll have to be washed off soon.

[pkwench]

Ave Maria Gratia Plena

 

Vial: woody and floral - mostly floral

 

Wet: A bit sweet, very floral with a musky twinge to it.

 

After 10: White musk, white floral, floral, floral, and more floral. You know, it's really nice to sample scents like this. Not only does it give you a chance to find out what smells good on you and such, but it also helps, I think, to train a person on what their body chemistry does to certain scents and what scents they truly enjoy. And I'm learning that overtly floral ones are not my thing. I like them resiny or fruity. Knowledge is good. Let's see what this one does after a bit longer.

 

After 20/30: The white musk is actually dominating the florals a bit now, which is good, but it's still not an outstanding or special scent on me. It is very pretty and feminine though and on the right person, I think this would be divine. I, however, am not that person.

[omly]

There is something about the combination of white musk and the florals that reminds me of department store perfumes. Not that there is anything wrong with that, it just isn't really my thing. I was hoping there would bemore lemon peel, but I was never able to pick it out. This was very sweet and white. It reminds me more of a wispy white mist than an opaque white. Unlike many florals this remained soft and sweet and not overwhelming. Unfortunately it's not for me though.

[Astarte]

Initially on my I can smell the jasmine as the most prominent note in the blend followed closely by a wooden accent tied in with lilies. As the scent settles my nose can detect traces of orris to balance out the blend and give it an unearthly sense.

 

This does smell like a divine scent for a man, but on me, it's too heavy for a white floral and it doesnt quite balance out.

[octopusgrrl]

In the bottle: light and floral

 

Wet: lily and jasmine

 

Dry: oh, yuck, there is something about this scent once it dries that reminds me of diapers, and does it ever put me off. I can't smell it up close, but everytime I move my head I can smell it - ugh!

 

Verdict: no, I really don't like how this smells on me at all - I don't even want to give it another chance. This is the first BPAL oil that I'm quite happy saying goodbye to

[Shollin]

First sniff: Very strongly floral, and very pretty. There’s an interesting undercurrent of something darker and more mysterious.

 

Wearing: Sweet jasmine above, with a hint of white musk underneath. If the scent of Magdalene were white rather than purple, it would be very much like Ave Maria Gratia Plena.

[chai_girl]

My experience was very similar to SarahJ's:

 

Wet: Lily and sage...a pungent and green...kind of a sharp high note...not too sure about this

 

 

Dry down: A soft light floral with a strong base of sandalwood and a touch of floral. I think this is definitely a gender neutral because I can see this going just as well with silk as with flannel...

[glampyre]

Ave Maria Gratia Plena

 

On my skin, Ave Maria is a beautiful incensey floral. It's darker on me than others describe above, the sandalwood and musk being much more dominant than the flowers.

 

I really like it, I love sandalwood and find that the florals in Ave Maria compliment it well.

 

I have not yet tested it in a Love Potion way...I'll let you know.

[malanna]

I expected this to be more of a light, wispy white floral. I mean, it is, but it's not as straightforward as I had thought it would be. I agree with glampyre--it is an incense-y floral. I hadn't thought of it as that, but it makes sense. It doesn't smell like incense, but it has a grainy, slightly spicy quality that makes incense fit. There's definitely something lurking in the background--I think it's the musk that makes the spicy graininess lurk, rather than parade in the foreground. This was really light to begin with, but it's still there in its second hour.

[vitawash24]

Oh, I thought I would *love* this one.

 

 

I so didn't. I think it's the sandalwood that turned too powerful on me. I should really just not try the floral blends, they do scary things on my skin... I keep detecting gardenia and I don't think it's even in there. It's perfume paranoia! I know it's supposed to be light but on my skin it just isn't. What a shame! I might try it as a room scent before swapping it, though.

[grrrlennyl]

ave maria gratia plena

 

at first: this was a freebie from the lab. i can't really pick anything out of this scent. i guess i can smell a bit of floral, but that's about all. i'm not sure about this one.

on: i think i smell the lemon peel, watery florals, and something else i can't quite place. this is lovely.

half an hour later: all sorts of woods and flowers together. i can't pick the individual notes out, but it's very pretty.

1 hour later: this is still beautiful. i'm picking the jasmine out more, but there are definitely a lot of other scents around it.

2 hours later: this smells richer now, almost like chocolate. it's a little sweeter, but heavier, too. this is very nice.

4 hours later: even sweeter, like honey. this is lovely.

overall: this is really interesting. i love how it changes while i wear it. i probably wouldn't have picked this out on my own. i'll enjoy using my imp, but i'll have to see whether it grows on me before committing to a bottle.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Ave Maria Gratia Plena came as a surprise extra from the generous Absinthe. Hmmm. My nose is perplexed, yet pleased. My favorite white flowers are mixed with sandalwood and musk, which are notes I think of as masculine. But then, this one confuses me anyway, since I don't know what the title, "Hail Mary, Full of Grace," has to do with the Lab description's reference to Adonis, Aphrodite's (male) lover...maybe I missed something in Wilde's poem. I will give up and consider it the scent of an androgynous angel...a gentle, beautifully blended scent.

 

The musk and sandalwood became more prominent on me than the white floral, with just a whiff of sage creeping in, so I don't know if I will wear it often. However, it's certainly lovely enough to keep and dab on for those rare, angelic moods.

Edited October 26, 2004 by Laurel_the_Woodfairy

[Fulltiltredhead]

I love this one in a hot bath. I'm thinking of ordering it just to make bath oil and a scrub. The hot water amplifies the scent and it's sooo creamy and soothing. Heavenly.