Ava Luxe Perfumes No. 33 image courtesy of the brand

Moon, high and deep in the sky
Your light sees far,
You travel around the wide world,
and see into people’s homes.
Moon, stand still a while
and tell me where is my dear.
Tell him, silvery moon,
that I am embracing him.~ translation from Czech to English, Rusalka’s Song to the Moon (from Antonin Dvořák’s opera Rusalka)

Luna Worship Almery Lobel-Riche via wiki and Axa Luxe Perfumes

Whenever I catch whispers on the wind that artisanal perfumer Serena Goode has created a new scented wraith, I don’t hesitate: I order. Many years ago, I contended that Serena excelled in ambery, woody fragrances; that incenses were amongst her strengths. Her latest offering, Ava Luxe Perfumes No.33, is one more proof positive of that assertion: it is a master class in light and luminosity – and how to capture the holiness within that suffuses the aether, like a will-o’-the- wisp illuminating all within its realm of eerie glow. Her choice of illustration immediately brought to mind the haunting strains of Rusalka’s Song to the Moon: the intense longing of the water sprite who has fallen in love with an earthly hunter prince. Rusalka is an ondine – and she cannot leave the water, nor can she communicate with him – so she entreats the moon to disclose her love for him. It is this ethereal poignancy which informs No.33 and renders this perfume irresistible to me.

Selfie of Serena Goode

We certainly don’t lack for incense fragrances these days, I’ll grant you that. At Pitti last autumn I smelt a good many of them, and over the past 20 years or so, incense has infiltrated [sic] fragrances in one way or another, be they liturgical or subtle, beckoning tendrils enwreathed in heavenly blossoms (as in the case of Chanel No.22). Do we need another? In this case, I think there is room for a perfume as magical as Ava Luxe Perfumes No.33. Serena’s ability to interlace musk, silky amber, herbs, and woods is skillful and a sheer delight, quite literally: a weightless wonder that caresses the flesh and lingers for a remarkable length of time without ever becoming stale, metallic, or overbearing. I find that it’s not uncommon to encounter incense-themed scents which may resemble an olfactory ice-pick (and this from a staunch fan): ponderous, dull, and lacking the facets which endear this miraculous resin to us. These fragrances still possess the power to charm, but over time, the nose may weary of them. In No.33, we are given incense-as-prism – continually revealing new facets.

Freepik

I confess ‘material bias’. There isn’t a single element in No.33 of which I’m not fond, right off the bat. Its diffusive, glittering aldehydes engage with bergamot, lemon, and nose-tickling pink pepper immediately, then set about frolicking with a fresh green grass accord and the compelling, versatile herbal floralcy of geranium. Thus far, we find ourselves in a piquant, buoyant frame of mind – and this prologue will soon take a very different turn, inhabited by more shadowy denizens of the olfactory palette. Normally, that would intimate that No.33 assumes heft, given the inherent character of components – except that it doesn’t. Olibanum (frankincense) may be the prima donna showcased here, but the supporting corps de ballet surround her with the perfect foil: the pleasure of floral-inflected rosewood, gentle amyris, Atlas cedar – with its round, brightly balsamic aroma; and a very creamy sandalwood. Deft brushstrokes of labdanum and musk accent the composition with measured grace, softened by filaments of vanilla and vetiver – both of which contribute a delicate smokiness that only serves to flatter frankincense and her companions. No.33 is light of foot, which is quite different from being innocuous. I would analogize Ava Luxe No.33 to a dulcet murmur which hovers complaisantly about the physical and psychic being – ever-present, diaphanous, unswerving. In one’s perfume wardrobe there is always space for a uniquely intriguing incense which wears well in all seasons – on anyone.

Notes: aldehydes, bergamot, pink pepper, lemon, geranium, grass, olibanum, sandalwood, amyris wood, rosewood, cistus, elegant musk, labdanum, vanilla, ambergris, Atlas cedarwood, vetiver

photo by Ida

I purchased my flacons on Ava Luxe Perfumes. My nose is my own…

~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor

Please enjoy Ida’s The 3 Ava Luxe Perfumes you should be wearing here, Madame X, and Midnight Violet.

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