Serena Ava Franco's Ava Luxe line of perfumes is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Her range is diverse and covers all the major scent types - green, musk, incense, floral, gourmand, spicy, fruity, chypre, tropical, fresh, Oriental - something for everyone. Unlike some other e-tailers who create numerous fragrances with outlandish descriptions and cheap ingredients, Ava Luxe smells like quality to me. I've already invested in the gorgeous wood/amber Palisander and the delicious Loukhoum. Will Gardenia Musk be next?
Gardenia Musk - gardenia and white musk. I am not a big fan of gardenia, or white flowers in general, but I must say this fragrance is quite yummy. The gardenia comes on strong for about the first hour or so, then mellows out into a sweet-tart and slightly effervescent note that blends beautifully with the light white musk. The combination reminds me of a grown-up version of one of my favorite summertime scents, GapHeaven.
Fig - fig leaves, galbanum, cedar, green vine, coconut milk. This starts out super green and very dry, grassy, with a pretty close approximation to the smell of fresh, slightly underripe figs. In the drydown, the coconut milk makes the scent creamy and sweet and rather more like vanilla than coconut. The greenness of the fig all but disappears at that point, however. Still, very nice.
Linen Musk - no notes listed. I was hoping this would smell like freshly-ironed cotton, but it doesn't. It's definitely a crisp fabric scent, dry, a little grassy, very fresh. The linen note seems a bit harsh at first, but in the drydown it is tempered quite a bit by a white musk that has a creamy edge to it. A fine, crisp, summer scent.
Moroccan Mint Tea - Chinese gunpowder green tea, mint, lime, bergamot, sugar. Stridently minty on top with a whisper of realistic-smelling green tea and the tartness of citrus. In the drydown, the mint fades out almost completely, leaving a sweet tea. Quite nice and refreshing in hot weather.
