Ava

[ririchu]

Its always a bit weird with family. A scant two-hundred years old, there doesnt seem to be anything that roots Ava to her past. Her scent is utterly contemporary, and, like her personality, it is impulsive, capricious, and dangerous. Voluptuous and brittle, lovely and toxic: sheer vanilla musk with tuberose, red mandarin, and the sweet poison of white almond.

This starts off as very "ripe" tuberose, buit that is mainly because I amp tuberose like crazy. That fades pretty fast though and I am left with a beautiful marshmallow floral with a hint of musk. It does smell very mainstream-y. I do not get much almond or rose.

[roseus]

I get mostly gauzy, fluffy, ephemeral vanilla musk with just a tinge of sweet, creamy tuberose.

[cinderfallen]

So interesting. This smells completely different on me the several times I've worn it. The first few times, perhaps because the bottle was fresh, I got a lot of the mandarin--it radiated a citrus heat tempered by a tang of tuberose. Now, recently, I've been getting a poisonous veil of vanilla layered with only a faint floral/mandarin haze that makes this smell like a cousin to Chanel's Chance. 

[Soupy Twist]

I wore this today because I'm trying to actually wear my collection instead of just hoard the bottles, and this has really changed with age. It's no longer Sexy Vanilla but just the musk from Antique Lace from beginning to end. If you like the musk from Antique Lace, an aged Ava may be your jam. I did not at all care for it, so, like OLLA's Adam and Eve, I have to kick Ava out (to swaps).

[feyofthefellwood]

When I was a kid, I had this sheer white scrap of cloth that smelled of faded perfume. I used to like rubbing it between my fingers and just enjoying the gauzy texture (wow, those were simpler times). Anyway, that is what Ava reminds me of, a gauzy, pale, floaty wisp of a thing. When I first smelled it, I thought it was just okay. My go-to "fancy vanillas" are Zorya P, Inez, and BFJA, and Ava is more reserved in sweetness than those. (My bottle is also of indeterminate age, so maybe that's why it's pretty mellow). It does remind me of a toned-down BFJA, which is unapologetically lush florals. But as I wore Ava, I began to appreciate her magic. She's floral but not overpowering, vanillic but not sugary. She makes me feel pretty, sophisticated, and confident. A little mysterious, even. On days when I want to feel feminine yet badass, I'll definitely gravitate towards Ava. I also think Ava is understated enough for work (I don't slather though), which is nice. 

[warriortwo]

Ava is a little frustrating, because if I put my nose to my skin, it's a bit sharp and the notes clash. There's something in there which smells like ashes. However, when I go about my business, I find myself catching whiffs of something fun, and I remember it's there. It's got that same amberish sweetness of a perfume like Tabu, or a BBW scent from years ago called Sandalwood Fig. Much like Ava, it's kinda cute, sexy and dangerous at first, but soon becomes annoying.

Edited February 15, 2021 by warriortwo

[windbourne]

This was never going to be a favorite of mine because I cannot stand tuberose. 😂 Buuuuut it's not bad and I don't hate it. It's a somewhat thick vanilla musk at first -- I have a very, very old ('95 or so) vial of Moroccan Vanilla Musk from a long-gone local oil blender, and it reminds me of that at first -- but then it lightens up and becomes the tuberose-vanilla very modern concoction that I expected it would be. I don't find either mandarin or almond as separate notes, it all blurs together into a sweet floral Perfume Smell. It's a bit impressive to me, tbh, that Beth can make all the wonderful weird atmospheric and unusual blends, but still be able to construct the ones that wouldn't feel out of place spritzed out of a fancy glass bottle and representing a first big splurge into the wild world of adult perfumes for some young person. For me, personally, it's fine. I could wear it, but it's not really very me.

[Misspouki]

I'm mind blown by how good this is. This smells like a very expensive perfume. Truly fit for Ava and that triggered a memory right away.  I was at a bus stop and a very sophisticated old lady ( 92 years to be exact) sitted next to me. It was strange because when I looked at her I thought well I don't think I've ever seen someone so sophisticated taking the bus🤣 She was perfect from head to toe and smelled amaaazing. When I looked at her I actually asked if she could tell me the name of her perfume! She smilled and told me it was Flowerbomb and that it was a gift from her daughter. I saw someone here compare that perfume to Flowerbomb and there is a similarity for me. But the difference is one was clearly made for a very old vampire and the other one will always remind me of that beautiful old lady who then entered a limousine and left me waiting for my bus. I feel Ava is the younger complex version of flowerbomb. More rich for sure.

Ava has just become on of my favorite bpals. 

[phantasmmysteria]

This has long been a favorite BPAL of mine, not the least of which because my stage name is Ava.

I'll echo the other posters who have compared this scent to Flowerbomb. I own both scents, and fresh on my skin the two are so similar I would be hard-pressed to tell them apart. Ava eventually dries down to a very lovely floral & vanilla musk combination that my skin loves and wafts around me whenever I move. Unlike the character, I don't get anything "off" about this scent except for the fact that it doesn't *really* smell like a standard BPAL blend; it's definitely BPAL's take on a contemporary perfume however, and in that regard I think Beth knocked it out of the park.

[Cali]

Very pretty! First thought that comes to mind is liquorice and currants (which, doesn't make much sense reading the notes, but hey). 

It's similar on me (it doesn't morph on me from the decant) to the ol' madame moriarty, just slightly more mainstream-perfume-y. It's got a floral note i could've sworn i smelled in la vie est belle and black opium, which in both cases is not a bad thing.

I also concur with the dorian resemblance mentioned earlier, it's got something fougere-y in there that's soft and slightly "creamy". Guessing that's partially the vanilla musk? Won't need a bottle since like i said, moriarty scratches this itch for me, but it's genuinely lovely.

[wordortwo]

I'm surprised I've never written about this one. I have a bottle purchased in swaps.

 

Ava is one of a few perfumes that converted me to vanilla. I love the heady, fruity, sultry nature of tuberose, and blended with vanilla it becomes a little more innocent and pretty. The mandarin and almond add sharpness and creaminess.

 

This is a grown-up scent that immediately brought me back to the 90s. Like @Cali I am reminded of Black Opium. (Edit/correction: I actually get Opium vibes rather than Black Opium).

 

I don't wear this often enough, probably due to that big early 90s perfume association -- I remember those perfumes as big, brash, room-clearing scents. But Ava is more gentle than that.

Edited January 20, 2023 by wordortwo

[QueenProserpina]

Ava is back in stock!

So luscious! First impression after spilling a third of a brand-new bottle: a lovely, golden, sophisticated blend of sweet, soapy florals I haven’t encountered before, bright citrus, gentle vanilla, and a slight bitter edge, almost minty and reminiscent of toothpaste, that must represent the almond. Reminds me of expensive shampoo! The bitter note is now taking over to an extent, an ashy component I can almost taste, but I expect that it will balance out with aging. I’m getting bitter almond, which is settling into a more pleasant base note, and a hint of vanilla on fabric and bright, glowing, syrupy, fruity florals of dessert-like, jammy lushness and mouthwatering sweetness and tangy citrus on skin, with the vanilla slowly peeking through throughout. I definitely understand another reviewer’s comparison with BBW’s Sensual Amber. At the same time, the aggressive sweetness of the tuberose and citrus put me in mind of a peach or apricot Jolly Rancher. The Lab has captured Ava's combination of excessive girlish sweetness, wild whimsy, and bitter, poisonous, selfish impulsivity.

Edited May 26 by QueenProserpina
Additions

[lilacea]

Ava is indeed a beautiful white floral, reminds me somewhat of Zorya P and the Vanilla of Antique Lace. But like the character, this is indeed a youthful and uncomplicated, but not in a bad way. Mostly I get the vanilla musk combo initially, with the florals coming along as it warms. If I huff right close to my skin, I get a touch of redness from the mandarin, but that barely comes out in the grand scheme of things. There's no perceptible bitterness to me, the almond lending to the creamy notes. After wearing this for some time, I start to think about the scene where Ava drinks Ian and feels sick, this sort of encompasses the entirety of the scent for me. It's very pretty, but devoid of any complex heart. 

[Weirdgirlpilled]

Ultimate pretty-girl perfume. Really something special, the blend of florals, something a little vanillic or musky, definitely get the flowerbomb references. it smells a bit like department store perfume but there’s something more…. special about it? i feel girly and kind of princessy but also confident in it. love it !