Question:
Quote: Originally Posted by mikeperez23 Shisha for me today - first reactions:
Powder
Then is it chocolate...anyone else getting a mocha chocolate note from this..?
Then something else sweet - very nice
Why isn't this classified as a gourmand, I smell like sugared icing
I'm headed out into the Miami heat - let's see how Shisha performs in the 80 degree heat... Yes, me too. The honey turned to caramel rather than straight chocolate, but the hint of choc was there lurking. So far I have tried Loukhoum, Opoponax, and Shisha, and I would call all three of them sweet gourmand on my skin.
Be careful in that heat, you'll turn into a creme brulee. Don't stand still or a passing stranger might hit you on the head with the back of a spoon.

Answer:
Don't have sufficient samples to dive into the glorious Ava Luxe week...
Hey, wait a minute [[[furious shuffling through multiple bags of sample vials]]] Aha!!! I have "Firewood" and "Cafe Noir"!!! I'm in for the wood/resin and gourmand Ava Luxe days!!! Why do I have a sinking feeling that by the second sampling week this fall I will have caved and gotten additional samples? Or "worse"?
This is going to be fun!

Answer:
I snuck a spritz of my daughter's
LOVE'S TRUE BLUISH LIGHT
onto my left wrist. Sort of a musky vanilla, quite nice, sweet, in the family of Angel but less in your face, Angel always has a gritty undertone for me that makes it borderline naughty imo. True Bluish Light is more like a cashmere shawl of ocean melding into sky. Calm. Nice.
Notes : White Vanilla, White Amber, Milky notes, Musk.
After a bit of drydown, the amber is coming through...divine.
I love Ava Luxe and have a myriad of samples, but will not be able to comply with the type of the day, I can see it now....though I am Himalaya bound, enthralled and enchanted, I know I will enjoy at least reserving a patch of skin for some Ava sampling throughout the week.
Here is my first impression of MADAME X from a past post - Madame X has become my Holy Grail Musk fragrance, and my first impressions have remained consistent after a month of living with it:
"I also am now in love with MADAME X...delightfully complex and musky this frag is experienced by me as a multi layered concoction, like swimming from the shallow to the deep sections of a pool and back again with light filtering from above...warm, deep and VERY SEXY...not overwhelming, close to the skin. A very grown up musk with so much more to it."

Answer:
Shisha for me too then.
First impressions are powder, warmth and definitely chocolate. Albeit a smoky chocolate if that makes any sense at all. Hint of vanilla. It's nice, it's subtle but for me it would be an evening fragrance not a daytime one.

Answer:
It's Incense Rose for me today. So far I like it a lot. The rose was intense at first, and being a man I was wary of that, but then it settled down and the "incense" tempered it (it smells oud-like, I think this is a take on traditional Arabic Rose Oud perfumes). It's very soothing, and the rose note gives it an almost chilly crispness while the incense boosts it with warmth. It's probably better for slightly warmer weather, because it seems in limbo between hot/cold.
It's somewhat like the feeling immediately after walking inside after a winters walk and sitting by the fire; you're still chilled, but with the fire next to you, you know you'll be warm soon enough... just not yet.
This is definitely unisex, with the oud base seeming more masculine to me, so any men out there, give this a try. It's definitely unlike anything commonly available.

Answer:
hi all,
Starting off the Ava Luxe week with Sweet Amber Wood and Madame X. I'm a newbie here so forgive my first attempts at reviews ( I hope to improve with time, but doubt I can ever get as poetic as some of you:-)))
Sweet Amber Wood: Very soft...first moments were beautiful and then it settled on me to a very pretty warm scent that seems to stay close...very light on me and I like it as I am a fan of Sandalwood which I am picking up in this
Madam X: GORGEOUS!!! This is deep and rich and very sexy...and I can't add much more to all the fantastic raves about it so far...stunning!
Shisha: I get chocolate from this as others have mentioned...sweet and powdery with a teeny hint of spice EDIT:: nice dry down and long lasting for me
Viva: Listed as a floral-oriental...it's interesting on me, since I am not a floral person though this isn't "me" but it's heady and rich and rather "green" at the same time

Answer:
Today's fragrance was...
Shisha
Having just recovered from an allergic reaction to a spicy perfume, I only dabbed a little Shisha on at first. I did not get much in the way of tobacco from this, nor smoke. The initial blast was very sweet and pungent, but settled down very quickly to a warm, spicy amber with a hint of wood. However, it faded quite quickly and I reapplied a couple of times over the course of the day.
The next application started more like boozy fruitcake. I got dried fruit, honey and alcohol. It is a little reminiscent of a Lutens though nowhere near as in your face as something like Arabie. Whereas Arabie is very tenacious in its spiciness, Shisha softens quickly and becomes more mellow in character.

Answer:
Oh My! If my first day of Ava Luxe Week / Appreciation is anything to go by I am going to end up with quite a few full bottles of this range before long. phew!

oh, just ignore that sobbing in the background - that's just my empty wallet.

Today was Oriental / Amber and I chose:

Amber Essence
Quote: Originally Posted by Ava Luxe Website A blend of three different ambers and labdanum. An exotic raw amber fragrance.
Notes: Light Amber, Dark Amber, Labdanum, Myrrh. Oh - My - Gosh! This is just divine. Rich, Smooth, Luxe - a virtually perfect straight Amber. Actually this is better than plain amber this is all about the dark smokey sexiness that is labdanum. Perfect balance.
I cannot even find the words to adequately describe this beauty...

The opening is soft but sillage and presence do build up on the skin so it is best not to over apply. There are three main stages that I can ascertain, though they are so perfectly blended that the transition is seamless. First it is amber, a surprisingly light golden amber that is quite lovely. Then the scent sweetens as the dark amber emerges. Just when it seems that it may get too sweet the wonderfully dry slightly leathery labdanum steps forward and holds everything in check. Please don't think that this means that the scent is boring or bland - far from it, especially with the slightly bitter edge of myrrh which is only noticable in the last dry down.

For those of you that adore Ava Luxe Madame X and Donna Karan Labdanum but find that they sit too close to the skin with little presence / sillage; and those of you who adore the liquid amber luxury of Le Labo Labdanum but due to location and money can only dream of owning a bottle - you should definitely get a sample of this. You will not be disappointed.

Luckily SO also loves it on me. I see a full bottle of this in my near future - yes indeed-dy!

out of

PS: The longevity of this is amazing! Just when I think it has finally gone (after a little activity, warmth, etc) this beauty revives and once more...

Answer:
I wore Amber Essence today, too! This is definitely full-bottle worthy for me. I agree wholeheartedly with moondeva's excellent review, and I am glad she beat me to it (reviewing) because I do not think I could be nearly as eloquent as she.
Tomorrow I will choose between Loukhoum and Little Love for gourmand day. Or perhaps I will take turns, one in the morning, the other in the evening.
This is fun!

Answer:
I'm ignoring the Gourmand day and wearing something else. The ones I have tried so far, including the Oriental Ambers from yesterday, have been too gourmand for me. I don't like that level of sweetness on my skin. I have the White Chocolate sample, but have consigned it back to the box untried.
Today I am wearing Venus Sands which is billed as Tropical/Floral. The notes are
Gardenia
Jasmine Sambac
Waterlily
Island Orchid
Comoro Ylang Ylang
Bergamot
Nutmeg
Clove
Thai Coconut Milk
Vanilla
Amber
Incense
Sandalwood
Against my expectations this is very nice. I love perfume that exudes warmth and this one certainly does. The coconut is subtle enough for me, much better managed here than in other so-called Tropical scents I've tried for curiosity. I ignore the whole tropical-holiday-island background. That's my idea of hell, so it is just as well that the incense and gardenia are more pronounced in this sample. It's lovely.
I'm happy to keep this on all day.