Ava

[bulletslc]

It’s always a bit weird with family. A scant two-hundred years old, there doesn’t 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.

 

I agree with the above review. The first time I wore this I thought "Flowerbomb". But Ava is so much better! Eye rolling to the back of ones head better. Yes, she is capricious and contemporary but orgasmic just the same.

[rawgirl75]

A sister of Butterflies, Flowers, and Jewels Attending and The Girl. Ultra feminine. Totally gorgeous. I feel beautiful just wearing it.

[Poenari]

I don't usually wear "white" scents, as they typically become sharp in my nose and go straight to my sinuses. In the decant, I can smell the musk and a lot of floral, and it's beautiful. Unfortunately, Ava's notes are too white and once applied, she slaps me in the forehead and flounces straight into my sinuses. Damn you, girl, couldn't you give me a break from your bratty immortal teenage nonsense?

 

Edited to add: review is based on retest of my aged decant that was purchased at initial release of OLLAs.

Edited April 7, 2015 by Poenari

[greeneyedgirl]

I love vanilla florals and Ava did not disappoint. Vanilla & tuberose are out front and I can barely detect the mandarin and almond, but they're there. Gorgeous blend!

[Alethia]

Thoughts before testing: This was the only one in the entire OLLA lineup that called to me. I've been trying to pare down my collection to only those oils I love love love and will wear on a regular basis. But this sounded too pretty to pass up, so I took a chance!

 

Wet: Vanilla musk that's reminiscent of Dorian and sweet almonds.

 

Dry down: The tuberose starts to peek out and I swear it smells like the musky part of Dorian mashed up with tuberose. Very feminine, very sexy.

 

Dry: Lovely vanilla musky floral. The tuberose isn't screechy at all, it's really beautiful. I didn't get anywhere near as much almond as I was anticipating, which is definitely a good thing.

 

Final thoughts: This feels classy and classic and very feminine. I can see the comparison with Butterflies, Flowers, and Jewels Attending; Ava smells like what BFaJA will grow up to be. Throw is moderate, staying power is 4-5 hours. I really love wearing this, and it's found a home in my regular rotation of perfume.

 

Verdict: Keeping, loving.

 

Edited for spelling

Edited June 16, 2015 by Alethia

[Minh Scent]

Well, Ava with that note list is nothing like I expected, which was a parade of tuberose. Instead, after starting off with a sophisticated vanilla musk, she settles into a veil of very light tuberose and a fruitiness against the vanilla. I cannot smell the mandarin or citrus at all, but get more of an apricot vibe, certainly not listed. This lasts long and is drop dead gorgeous. I do not think of it as such for a young girl, but for an experienced woman who has been around the world.Ah, but it isn't our Ava 200 years old? A drop in a bucket compared to Eve, but still, not an innocent school girl.

[ShowOrchid]

The first BPAL I ever fell hard for! I initially picked this up in my quest for finding a matching Eve for my Adam, and in my quest to Own All The Things!

 

Ava in the bottle and wet on my skin is vanilla musk before that tuberose starts opening it up on my skin. I get the edge of citrus as she dries down and she can last all day for me.

 

This perfume is one I never want to be out of. She smells incredible and age appropriate for me (Late 20s) and I think as it ages, it'll go just as beautifully.

[Catcircus]

I got to dab this on from a friend's bottle. Let me preface this by saying I'm not a huge vanilla/sweet/foody scent person.

 

I LOVE this!

 

It doesn't really morph on me. It's just a really really beautiful and fancy smelling vanilla musk with gorgeous florals and an air of brightness, which I'm assuming is the manadrin. It lasts forever on me and it's a really good *everyday* type scent. I've received several compliments and my partner loves it.

[FeralFae]

On the bottle Ava smells very sweet, inoffensive and floral. When applied on the skin and wet I caught a whiff of a really heady tuberose, but fortunately it dried down beautifully. It's sweet and floral and a bit sexy but it's not cloying or too girly I think. I'll cherish my bottle!

[Bassmastadroog]

In the imp it's a pretty vanilla, mandarin, almond, and light floral as described. I actually really enjoy the almond and vanilla at the start, because it's a little strong on the almond, and I think that gives it a poisonous edge :3. However, the entire scent fades down within mere minutes to a light vanilla lotion scent. It's still nice! I just don't think I need to scrounge for an expensive bottle now that it's OOS. Not unique enough!

[LizziesLuck]

This is so beautiful in the bottle, I could barely stand to skin test it, for fear that the orange will do it's thing on my skin and ruin it. But spring is officially here (even if the weather hasn't caught up yet) and I couldn't wait to test it any longer.

 

Wet: So far just as gorgeous as it is in the bottle - vanilla musk is dominant, mixed seamlessly with the tuberose, and orange provides a fresh undertone. I don`t get any almond on my skin, which is fine by me, it often smells weird on me (like fake cherry).

 

 

Dry: So gorgeous. So completely wearable. It`s sort of like a `main stream` perfume, but so much better. It`s a shame that this was so limited, because it would likely be the perfect `gateway BPAL` for a lot of women used to a traditional perfume. This is super classic, feminine, and altogether lovely. Glad I took the risk on the orange and almond. I`ll likely snag more of this if I can.

[Anne Taylor]

Ava was the only OLLA (besides Eve and Cafe Mille et une Nuits) that I was interested in. The almond was a complete gamble for me since I;m generally not a fan, but I'm glad I took it! It's barely there at all and Ava is overall very light and feminine. When first applied, it was VERY vanilla-heavy, but within minutes it blended away.

 

I recommend trying to get your hands on some Ava if you're just getting into indie perfume brands as an easy stepping stone in. Not a very risky scent to try and since all these notes are found in more mainstream perfumes, you have a general idea on what it'll smell like.

[celestia]

♔ Ava

 

In the Bottle: Strong perfume-y and airy vanilla musk with light, creamy sparkly and ethereal florals

 

Wet: There is a reason this was one of the first scents I sought immediately upon returning from my many-year long hiatus. Ava is this pale airy ribbon of creamy, slightly shimmery florals fronted by some white/pale pink tuberose, and shrouded in a delicate-yet-somehow-fairly-strong airy vanilla musk. It smells like a more complex, richer, and fuller bodied version of Viktor & Rolf’s Flowerbomb, as no doubt been identified so many times before me. The sparkly, shimmery element that lends to an almost translucent quality of effervescence does not come from what I’d detect as the mandarin. I wouldn’t say it comes from the lab’s champagne or the lab’s citrus either- it smells almost crystalline without any iciness- something akin to the sweetness and sharpness from the freesia in Butterflies, Flowers , and Jewels Attending (BFJA). It also has the gentle creamy white vanillic floral I get from The Girl. I do agree with reviews suggesting it as the lovechild of BFJA and The Girl. I don’t get any white almond, and I don’t get anything remotely akin to citrus- not even to suggest mandarin. It honestly does not smell like much of its scent description at all.

 

Drydown: Even on the drydown, it is absolutely breathtaking; an effortlessly contemporary classic. The vanilla musk prominent and still and lends to a somewhat sweet, powdery and airy-vanillic floral. It's not a buttery or foodie vanilla like in Edith Cushing or French Vanilla SN, nor is it a madagascan vanilla bean type of vanilla in Antique Lace. It's not a rich vanilla- but it's strong and blended with the florals, it excites the scent profile incredibly.

 

Ava is an easily appeasing scent for the mainstream and therefore easily popular for the masses, because of its similarity to an already existing commercial perfume that is equally popular and well-received. And even though both scents might be considered ‘flirty’ territory, due to the richness, complexity, and depth in Ava, the scent affords a maturity that Flowerbomb does not. It is an elevation on top of what most of us know we like.

 

TL;DR: Perfumey vanilla musk and shimmery tuberose, blended with nondescript creamy white and pale pink florals.

Edited April 16, 2017 by celestia

[Foodie]

First a backstory.

 

I got Ava as a frimp in a private swap/sale. It came in a tiny bottle and there was so little in the bottle that not even a drop would come out through the rollerball. I put it away with my other imps without ever testing it.

Fast forward to the OLLA re-release. I was super curious about how Ava smelled now that I actually had a chance to buy a bottle. So I dug up the tiny rollerball bottle and took a razor blade to the top to pry it off. Success! I upturned the bottle onto my inner arm and waited 30 seconds before I sniffed...

 

OMG. OMG, OMG OMG. This is heavenly. When someone (multiple people, actually) reported eyes rolling back in the head and sighs of pleasure... YES. This is what happened, uncontrollably. Gorgeous creamy floral. Sweet floral (I'm guessing this is the tuberose) with a fantastic non foodie vanilla. I should mention that the other reviews stating that Ava smells like mainstream perfume scared me but this is no mainstream perfume.

 

I immediately ordered two bottles, which is crazy because I really can't afford it after already making an order of Eve, which I've never tried but every single note is normally a win for me. BUT AVA.

[Casablanca]

From the 2018 restock:

 

"Sheer vanilla musk" is the perfect summary of Ava's dominant note on me. It has a shimmery quality, pale and a bit warm, like cream-colored lingerie in candlelight.

 

Surprisingly, the tuberose and almond, both of which often take the lead for me, are quiet and restrained. I get a little more tuberose than almond, but they're both mild and well-blended into the vanilla musk.

 

I love working with red mandarin in making soaps and lip balms, so I looked for it specifically here. It's present, especially in the early phase, but also faint and well-blended.

 

Mostly this is sheer vanilla musk on me. I'd guess that in a few months, the other notes will be rounding things out a bit more.

 

Love it.

[writergal969]

Oh I have a winner. A true winner. My #1 BPAL is The Girl, and this....this is The Girl's older sister who still has that air of mystery, a soft vanillic floral, and something seductive (I think the description said voluptuous?) and mature. Ava is so beautiful. She definitely has the same 'floriental' vibe but Ava's got more vanilla behind it and it just feels sexier than TG on me.

 

After wearing this for hours, they both smell very similar on my skin and I'll have to test them against one another tonight. It's just that wrist-huffing mystery note that made me fall in love with The Girl in the first place but updated and fresh with some delicious vanilla.

 

Ironically many of the notes listed in Ava are not always great on me. I am #blessed that this one worked. So. Good.

 

I bought two bottles blind and I'm a slow-use BPALer but I'm going to need one more at least. I can see wearing this every damn day of my life. <3 <3 <3

 

[lady_pandora]

Ava is a blast of vanilla in the bottle, and then mostly vanilla-almond in the first moments after putting it on. This is the best almond has ever behaved on me. It doesn't go cherry and it doesn't go play-doh. The vanilla-almond combo reminds me of nothing so much as some icing my mom made for a cake recently, which was mostly vanilla icing but had this amazing hint of almond to it.

 

It then gets weird for a few minutes--I've heard before about tuberose going "rubbery," and I've never had that happen until Ava. There are a few minutes where my skin smells like a balloon. Thankfully, this is brief.

 

It settles down into a soft vanillic floral. Close to the skin, it's more vanilla, but as I went about my evening, the throw kept surprising me with wafts of creamy white floral. I don't get much of the mandarin. The later stages are smoky white petals, reminding me a little of Zorya P, which makes me wonder if this will age as amazingly as ZP has, picking up even more complexity over time.

[puellacaerulea]

2018 reissue: In the bottle, Ava's mostly tuberose and mandarin to me, with something bitter floating in the background (the almond?). Once I put it on, the vanilla and almond amp up and sweeten right away -- I can no longer specifically pick out the tuberose and mandarin, but they're definitely there in that the vanilla/almond combo is definitely not foody. It morphs very little after that -- I'm still getting a really gorgeous vanilla/almond/sophisticated floral, without the bitter undertone I got in the bottle. As of now, I've had it on for about 3 hours and it's barely faded. This leans a little more traditional/mainstream than most BPAL I've tried, but it's really amazing. I've never gotten a backup bottle of something before, but I'm seriously considering one in this case.

[suki]

In The Bottle: A beautiful vanilla musk. It reminds me of something I smelled many years ago in a shop somewhere in Europe, either Paris or London, so in the bottle, it feels like a very gorgeous high-end parfum.

 

Wet On Skin: Warm and light vanilla skin musk. Gorgeous.

Dry Down: Based on description, I was assuming this might be similar to my beloved Pink Wig Spray. And in some ways, because of the tuberose and vanilla musk (obvi.) it is. But it also is very much its own thing. It's warmer and more sultry and, for some, the foodie aspect of PWS's vanilla might be overwhelming or cloying whereas the vanilla here isn't foodie in the slightest. I'm not sure I get a sense of the scent being ungrounded the way Ava as a character is, I think there

d have to be more of a "cotton candy" aspect for that. But this scent is really a joy to behold and I'm SO glad the second release occurred so that I was able to snag a bottle at long last.

[Fiam]

Blind purchased, due to the hype. The notes were not attractive to me so I did not expect this magic that is Ava.

It does remind me of Butterflies, Flowers & Jewels Attending.

Believe!

[Soupy Twist]

2018 release:

 

Sheer vanilla in the bottle. Goes on wet as the vanilla from Antique Lace, which I LOVED wet, and turns a little powdery as it dries, but not in a bad way. I like this! It continues more into Antique Lace's musk, but not all the way. I think this is what Antique Lace was supposed to be but never materialized on my skin. No almond, no florals. Not a lot of throw either, alas; it's very close to my skin. But on my skin it's ooooowee baby!

[joopjoop]

Sometimes things are coveted and beloved for good reason.

 

Ava is indeed all that and more - tuberose, almond flower (almond is present, but nothing like the foodie almond extract that I get in a lot of BPAL scents), and a touch of mandarin over a translucent, dreamy, dry vanilla musk. I am not a huge vanilla fan and can only take it in small doses in select non-foodie blends, but it is the star - and it is perfect - here.

 

Gorgeous. I'm a believer. If you are tempted - get it! (but maybe wait until I can order a back-up bottle 'k?)

[mandragora369]

2018 release

 

I'm torn with Ava. It starts as a soft scent but the almond note slowly takes over. Even my bf smells the almond note.

 

Sweet, soft and almond, no floral note.

[RedPersimmon]

2018 version.

 

Wet: Fruity floral vanilla. Hint of plastic

 

Dry: No more plastic. The almond is too well blended to bother me. Mandarin-tuberose dominates.

 

Drydown: Like Flowerbomb. Fruity-floral vanilla musk. Yum! This one and Streets of Detroit are my favorite of the OLLAs.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: Musky vanilla tuberose. A bit strong on the rose for me.

 

Dry: Oohhhhh... okay... now I'm understanding the love for this.

 

The tuberose has calmed down a bit; it's still there, but it's no longer the dominant note. It's a lot of warm musky vanilla, with a touch of rose. I can't identify the almond or the mandarin, but they may just be adding to the sweetness of this blend.

 

I like this much more than I thought I would. If you're afraid of anything rose-related the way I am, I would still recommend hunting down a decant of this; you may be surprised!