Monday, May 19, 2008

Everybody Loves A Limited Edition- Ava Luxe Sacred


There are people who start getting twitches in the credit card area as soon as they learn that something is a limited edition, limited quantity, here-today-gone-tomorrow, buy now or forever hold your lemming. Sometimes, I'm one of these people.

I know I'm not the only one who reached for her purse within minutes of receiving the Ava Luxe newsletter about the new creation, Sacred. The email promised high quality rare materials, exclusivity and a cute bottle. I had to have it.

The bottled arrived quickly and it was as cute and as potent as expected. I liked the first whiff of a dense, herbal potion that's almost chewable. While very different, it has a similar feel (not smell) to the opening of Ambre Sultan. It becomes a potent herbal rose. Not a pretty, girly rose, but a dark goth one, which I actually prefer. The problem for me starts as the rose withdraws and the myrrh takes center stage.

Now, I like myrrh. It's the main player in my beloved and discontinued L'Eau Trois, but the Diptyque fragrance is very dry and has a warm, dusty element. Here, there's a musty thing that takes over and makes the scent uncomfortable, especially if you make the mistake of underestimating the potency of this oil and over apply. It can become suffocating in large doses, and at the risk of sounding like Luca Turin, I'll also say that somewhere in the never ending dry-down the whole composition and structure falls apart.

I remember my first tries of Regina Harris' Frankincense Myrrh Rose Maroc. It took my a long time to get it, but eventually I learned to love this very complex bomb. Sacred, despite several common notes/ingredients, doesn't smell anything like FMRM. It's not as complex or exuberant, and it lacks the sex appeal. However, there's no denying that the quality is amazing, and that the myrrh overload might be a trick my skin is playing, as it is known to amplify this note. I'm not giving up on the bottle just yet, but I'm going to be very careful in applying it, since it's not a husband-pleaser and the scent lingers even after a shower.

Ava Luxe fragrances are sold through the artist's Etsy store, which was where I bought my bottle ($75). It seemed that the first batch of Sacred was sold out within two days, but now there are four more bottles available. Look under Limited Edition in the Pure Parfum section.

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