Ave Maria Gratia Plena

[Honey]

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.

This scent is one of those that is so rich in ingredients and different layers that I have to sniff it for quite a while like other people would sip and slurp a good wine to get to its delicious core..

Bottle: I smell lemon peel; slightly bitter yet fresh, with a faint citrus note. That note is rather balmy, though, not acidic or sweet at all. Therefore to me it smells a lot like Nivea facial cream. Now that I check Nivea's ingredients via Google (Bergamot, Lavender, Rose and Musk), I seem to be quite close. AMGP has a very dominant citrus, musk and floral appeal to it. The sage sits there in the background; I am hardly able to smell it. But it adds another fresh, herbal layer to the scent.

Wet: Wow! There is only citrus and a strong waft of sage. No, it's mainly sage, all fresh and balmy. Still smells a lot like Nivea cream, though.

Dry: I wish it were less sage on my skin once dried down and more musk and floral notes. The musk gets through after a while, though, even if the citrus has taken a step back now. I rate this with 5 stars anyway because to me it is an everyday scent that goes with any season and projects an image of cleanliness, purity, freshness, beauty and reminds me a bit of my childhood when Nivea cream was the smell that made you feel cozy, loved and protected.[/size][/font]

[Lethran]

In bottle: I am not skin testing, as this has a plethora of things that go badly on my skin. Well blended, with lily dominant, and jasmine a close second. A distant third are the orris, rosewood, and lemon. The other elements are soft, but decernable. It’s a rich, lovely floral, with a darker undertow. It’s genuinely a gorgeous floral blend.

[Ghost of a Rose]

In the imp: The oil is a very pale yellow. Jasmine is the only obvious note, but here it is soft and mild, not overpowering the other scents the way it usually does. I can't identify anything else in particular, just a general impression of incense.

 

On me, wet: I don't believe it, I can't even smell jasmine at all right at first - mostly wood and sage. But it only takes a minute or two for the jasmine to show up.

 

On me, after 30 minutes: From about 3 inches away, the fragrance is a very soft and delicate rose-like and lily scent. With my nose right up to my wrist, there is a subtle sharpness of jasmine along with a faint whiff of wood.

 

After 1 hour: Faint scent of lily.

 

Ater 2 hours, it's pretty much gone.

 

Verdict: Elizabeth has done the impossible: created a jasmine-based blend that is indeed delicate and light. It's angelic, exactly as described. Floral, yet subtle enough for professional wear. Although the fragrance itself is elegant enough for a formal occasion, I wouldn't choose it for that, because its softness would be overpowered by the heavy perfumes of others. This would be excellent in a scent locket, so that it would last longer and hold all of the various notes. However, I particularly enjoy it on my skin after the first 30 minutes, when the jasmine has faded away. Wearing it on my skin vs. in the locket is like having two different perfumes, and I love both of them!

 

My rating: 5

[symbiosis]

In the imp: Mmmm, there are so many notes whirling together in this smell that no one stands out from the rest, and the result is simply divine. The play of rosewood and citrus is just DIVINE, and the florals aren't heavy or prominent, which is good news for me.

On my skin: Ahhhh, at first it's still the rosewood and citrus playing about on my skin, this bright, happy smell that practically dances off my wrists. After a minute, the jasmine chimes in with her soft, sweet florals. The lily comes in soon after that, neither of them feeling held back by the musks.

I was hoping for more in the rosewood/sandalwood and musk category, but my skin just loves to play up florals, and they had plenty of opportunity to do so with the lily and jasmine here. I'd say the note is slightly more lily than jasmine on me. Alas the florals don't calm down after wear, and I'm not big on wearing florals on my skin. I would be interested to see how this scent holds up in some other application - it smells great in the imp, just not my favorite on me!

[neuilly]

This comes off a bit soapy, which I think it somehow the jasmine. There's also a decent amount of rosewood, especially at the beginning. It smells like a nice soap, but not something I'd wear.

[elinox]

First Sniff: Soft, feminine, jasmine.

 

Wet: This is already light on me, jasmine and orris must not like my skin chemistry.

 

Dry: As it dried, I got some lily peeking through but it’s still so very light on me. As it dries, I’m definitely getting white musk from this. And I just know it’s going to fade softly away.

 

My Reaction: If this were a color, it would be such pale lavender purple as to almost be white; almost, but not quite. It’s definitely evocative of calm, serenity and peacefulness. However, one (or maybe more) of these notes just fades too quickly for me to keep this. I’ll do a re-test, but it’s just not for me.

 

Rating 1-5: 2

[Xue_Bai]

Bought full bottle from Lill. As I am a jasmine and sandalwood fiend, couldn't pass this up.

 

Bottle: Blend of florals with a hint of sage.

 

Wet: Just a nice mix of lily and jasmine, not too strong, not heavy, just fresh.

 

Dry: Still mostly a delicate mix of lily and jasmine, but there's now a citrus-y slightly sweet wood scent underneath that must be the rosewood and sandalwood with the lemon peel. Not getting any musk really, and I have no idea what orris smells like, so it might be in the florals. Can't pick out the sage anymore, but there's a nice freshness to it as compared to being a sweet floral.

 

After numerous hours, this does go into a soft powder close to the skin, but it's not like baby powder at all. Still fresh and delicate, light and clean.

 

Overall, I like this scent, even if I don't love it nor do I prefer it over some of the Lab's other oils with jasmine. However, this blend it completely inoffensive to everyone in my family and at work. It also seems like it would work for most weather conditions. This makes it a good go to floral for close contact situations or more professional situations. Happy to have a full bottle of it just for surprise situations or if I want to go with a more delicate scent.

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: Floral. It's a very pretty floral, with an almondy hint of almost sweetness.

 

Wet on skin: I'm getting hints of the sage and the woods, but the strongest note in this is jasmine at the moment. Regular and night-blooming jasmine tends to go a little sweet on me, but if it's trying here, the woods are holding it back nicely, so the floral sweetness isn't too overpowering.

 

Dried down: The sandalwood's coming out even stronger here. If the lemon peel is here at all, it's peeking out from behind sandalwood's giant hoop skirt (I've been looking at a lot of Victorian references lately. The jasmine's still there, but it's peeking out on the other side of the sandalwood, though a little further out than lemon peel.

 

Throw: This one's got a little throw, but I'm getting that almost almondy jasmine from earlier. It's really pretty.

 

Verdict: **** I'm actually really happy with this. It may take awhile, but I think a bottle might be in my future. It's a light, gorgeous scent, albeit maybe not one I'd wear everyday, and probably not one I'd wear in small, enclosed spaces (I could see it giving me a headache in that situation.

[Saffrin]

Imp: Incense floral. In the same family as soapy, without the soap smell. Weird. Must be the white florals.

 

 

Wet: Sage and wood, tempered by florals and musk. It slowly starts making its way closer to creamy smelling soap, but the woods and musks seem to be holding it back?

 

 

Dry: 40 minutes later, and not sure with this one. It seems to have mostly disappeared. I smell some sandalwood warmth, and a bit of soapy still, but it is very soft, and disappearing fast.

[welcometothefamily]

Frimp from the lab.

Awful, overpowering old lady flowers :/. No....just no.

[BlueberryPie]

There is a little bit of wood and citrus when the scent is VERY wet, but it almost immediately dries down to a very....generically pleasant and inoffensive floral scent. Almost like run-of-the-mill department store scents. On the one hand, I'm glad this didn't turn into old lady like it did on so many other people. But on the other hand, the reason I buy from BPAL is to have unique scents that you can't get from anywhere else. So it feels like this defeats the purpose a little.

 

But I guess I can't complain too much. This'd be perfect to bring with me to wear around family members when I go back home. It's safe, and it smells expensive. So hey.

 

This has very nice staying power on me (I can smell it on my wrists all day), but also really light throw (I need to press my nose right into my wrist to smell it). Over all, I'm not upset that I bought a bottle, but I don't think I'm gonna buy another one when this one runs out.

 

SCORE: 6/10

 

 

[cinnamonster]

Wow!! This is fab. The orris is amazing, but wait

...

 

Rose is coming, rose is taking over. I know jasmine and orris are cowering somewhere but rose is expanding like Harry potter's aunt, but POP! Rose as suddenly gets pushed aside, jasmine is taking centre stage. This blend is weird! Noooooo, now it's lily. Or more like LILY!!!!! It's giving me a headache. Dammmit.

 

Ok, now it has mellowed, and we're only five minutes in. What a morpher! I'd like to add this to body cream I think. It has a vintage feel.

[ResinManiac]

Orris always comes off as unbearably dusty(?) and aged on me, it's bizzare, I love it in powdered form but can't stand it as an oil. Add to that the terrible sickening lily (it actually makes me l ) ghost that fills out the rest of the scent and it becomes totally unwearable. Odd that, considering ars amatoria just about always ends up being a winning category for me....

[JuliskaMarie]

In the imp: Woodsy, soft, warm & earthy. I can pick out the sage, sandalwood & lemon peel, but the rest is really well blended. I'm a bit worried that this might be too woodsy for me!

Wet on skin: I have no idea what's going on, but this just went really strange & not in a good way. Orris & sandalwood maybe?

Dry on skin: Oooooohhhh! That's WAY nicer than wet & in the imp! Soft, delicate rosewood-musk mostly, with hints of all the other notes in the background - JUST enough to give this a really beautiful effect! You can really only pick them out if you're actually trying to find them.

After a few hours: Much more faded & the sandalwood is a little more noticeable, but otherwise about the same as dry.

Verdict: This is really lovely! It definitely suits the inspiration! Jasmine normally amps on me (I love jasmine, so I don't mind), so it was weird that I could barely smell any in this!

[Jeni Mullen]

HUGE disclaimer: This was a frimp and I really don't like flowers. I just have to test everything!

 

 

My scent palette: I'm a foodie that doesn't tend to like the lab's vanilla scent unless there's something sugary in it. Eat Me is one of my favorite scents along with Captain Lilith (more boozy but still sweet). I am slowly finding out that I don't like woods in my scents. I love FOREST smells (like pine needles, juniper, leaves, moss and grass) but sandlewoods, rosewoods, and things like cedar or oak just don't do nice things on me. I love Magnificent Autumn, Samhain and Druid! I like spices too as long as they aren't kitchen spices (like mint and sage). Frankincense smells a little like sage so I haven't been too happy with that in my blends either. Scherezade and Sapphics are my go to spice oils. My biggest no-no are florals. Lavender and Jasmine, ylang ylang and peony run rampant. That said, carnation and sometimes rose can be quite nice on me if they're toned down. I also am not sure about my take on citrus. Lime is overwhleming (but I liked it in Lily Witch despite the leather). Bergamot is nicer. Leather and hemp tend to give me headaches.

 

In the bottle: Sharp jasmine, you can't mistake this smell.

 

On my inner elbow, wet: Yick. Jasmine tends to kick anyone else's butt when it's in a blend on me and it's doing that right now.

 

Fifteen minutes later: If this had honey and leather, it would likely have hit ALL of my no-nos. I don't smell the sage still, or the lily (which is one scent I do like in a floral). There's something acidy with the jasmine... Okay, checked the notes and that might be the lemon? It does NOT smell like the flowery lemon air fresheners you can buy, it's very, very heavy. I'll blame the musk on that. And the throw is phenomenial.

 

Thirty minutes later: I washed this off after 15. I can still smell it and I used oil fighting dish soap. I'm going in for a shower when my other tester scent on the other elbow has finished.

 

Verdict: I knew going in that I would not like this scent. I don't like sage or heavy florals or sandalwood. Now that I have washed this off, I get the sandalwood on my skin and actually, it's NOT UNPLEASANT. The florals have kicked down. If what's on my skin now was an atmo, I'd buy it. If you LIKE jasmine or heavy florals with a lot of throw, I really do feel like this is the blend for you.

[dementia_divine]

In the imp: I can pick out the rosewood, sandalwood, sage, and orris. I am not particularly fond of sage and orris, so I am hoping they won't be prominent on my skin.

Wet: Alas, I get a blast of sage at first, but then the rosewood overtakes it. The lemon peel is starting to peek out, and I'm getting the sandalwood, too. I can also smell the lily. It is quickly becoming a predominantly floral blend. The orris has made an appearance, too. Alas, it seems to be getting stronger over time.

Dry: Florals and sage accompanied by pale musk and a faint trace of lemon peel.

Verdict: Not for me.

[Veronica]

The red sandalwood comes out way too strong on me, drowning out all of the other floral notes in the background. Something else--the orris or the jasmine--goes a bit sickly sweet. This smells lovely in the bottle, alas it is not for my skin chemistry!

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Faint flowers.

 

Wet on my skin: Sugary lemon, rosewood, and flowers.

 

Dry: As this dries, the lemon peel and rosewood begin to fade a little, giving way to the flowers and musk. I can pick out the jasmine. This is a light, soft, feminine floral with that edge of sugary lemon. It's pretty, and while I don't know how often I'll wear it, I definitely WILL wear it when I'm in the mood for something calmingly springlike.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet, this is lovely - lemony and somehow spicy. But it immediately dries to powder. Sweet soapy powder. Not for me!

[lady_pandora]

This starts out wet lush floral with lily and what I thought was narcissus at first, but then that note resolves into the night-blooming jasmine. And hooray, I apparently don't amp night-blooming jasmine quite as much as regular jasmine, because I get more than one note here! But between the lily and jasmine, they totally take over. It kind of morphs back and forth which one is dominant--the night-blooming jasmine, or the Dove-soapishness of the lily. The light musk may be involved too, though I can't pick it out specifically. I don't get everything I hoped for, but it's pleasant and pale and innocent, and I like the symbolism, and I don't think I have anything else quite like this in my collection, so keeper, at least for now.

Edited December 14, 2015 by lady_pandora

[freyasfae]

A really beautiful floral on me, but despite the "dusting" of lily, the lily is very prominent at first, in fact, it is all lily, but after several minutes, it calms down a bit and the jessamine and orris come out to play. Eventually, the sandalwood and musks come out, but this was overall largely a lily scent for me.

[Kmye Chan]

In the imp: white florals, and something herbal (I thought lavender, but it must be the sage).

 

Wet: strong jasmine, which my skin tends to amp, lily, a touch of sage and bitter citrus from the lemon peel.

 

Dry: the sandalwood and musk peek out, but this remains predominantly jasmine and lily on me.

 

This is pretty and delicate, a nice soft white floral that reads feminine and demure. Not something I'd wear, but pretty.

[Mokiefraggle]

Sigh. I have finally encountered a BPAL that I truly just find to smell like cat pee. I don't know what it is in this blend, since I've worn other blends that involved one or more of those notes, but something about them together somehow went wrong. It might be the lemon peel versus the usually fresher, jucier citrus notes, but I just don't know. All I know is that I've tried it on multiple occasions, and it's not changing. It smells funky and a bit too cat-pee-ish in the imp, and it still smells funky and off when it's on my skin, so I'm done trying it.

 

I think I got this once for my mum, so I might see how she liked it. Maybe it's just this imp, or maybe it's me and she'd like another.

[Casablanca]

First up on my skin: lemon, jasmine, lily, and musk. On the second sniff I get lots of rosewood and a little sandalwood. The third sniff smells like iris, a little powdery. On the fourth sniff, I get a hint of sage. Ave Maria is a kaleidoscope.

I was afraid the lemon would overpower this, but the flowers, musks, and rosewood are also heavy hitters. I'm experiencing this mostly as a woody floral, complex and pretty.

I like this more than I thought I would. But it's a little perfumey floral for my taste.

[gloame]

This has that Easter flowers scent I love (in theory), but these flowers have been sitting in the window for a few days. They feel dry. I do detect the rosewood underneath, and I got a fair bit of the lemon while wet and during dry down, but I'm not detecting any sage. When wet, this is a lot soapier than the final drydown, which is great. It's not bad, but it's no Peitho for me.

 

Actually, upon reapplying, I can smell the sage when wet, but it totally fades on me by the time it's dry.

 

I definitely get a church vibe from this, and I can see it as a nice atmosphere blend for the diffuser during the spring.

 

4/10