Ave Maria

On the opening Ave Maria just smells like a fragrant white-floral infused Oolong tea to me. On the drydown it’s got a touch more of a sparkling white-flower and clean fruity sweetness, but still has that black tea note in the background. Don't sniff Ave Maria too closely the first time around--wait for it to really develop so you get the whole scent story. I really don't get much leather or wine--to me this is totally light and sweet (not to say without depth--what's reading to me as the tea note makes this genuinely so interesting). Which brings me to the listed notes, which totally puzzle me because to me Ave Maria is an endlessly fresh white floral and a hint of pear grounded in an aromatic tea (with the slightest hint of salt). She's sweet and pleasant, like a Jo Malone fragrance, but a lot more interesting. The longevity is also pretty great--the fragrance comes out slightly oily on the skin, which lends it very solid lasting power. It also probably goes without saying but the branding, packaging, and atomizer on this are stunning. I got a sample of La Mer with my order of Ave Maria, and I'm already plotting that as my next purchase. Casa Blanca from this house is also quite nice. Update: I sold my bottle. Though I still love Ave Maria, I think the fragrance is more beautiful as a creation than as a wearable fragrance. Let me try to explain. Ave Maria is truly gorgeous, but it somehow sits atop my skin rather than giving the illusion of emanating from within like my favorite fragrances do. It doesn't blend in with "me" but feels like something apart--a bit like when a dress looks beautiful flat on the hanger but then looks off when you put it on. Now that I think about it, this assessment holds true also for the four other scents I've sampled from this house. I've let my bottle go because while it's a creation I admire, I don't find myself reaching for it. I want fragrances to wear, not to admire on paper or on my shelf.

Absolutely in love! I missed the whole influencer trend talking about this so my opinion is entirely unswayed. I was at Blue Mercury to spray some perfumes on paper strips to bring home and this happened to be there. I was curious as I’m not familiar with House of Bo frags. The girl at the counter told me she could give me a sample of this because she loves this one. Unfortunately for me, I ended up loving it too and bought it expeditiously the next day. The opening is a like but not love for me. It’s a bit indolic and bitter upon first spray. For some reason the top notes stay on longer on my skin than on paper which is fine. I am in love with its development: Sweet, gentle, and elegant. It smells clean without the laundry feel. Very pure and sensual at the same time. Dry down is a skin scent but I don’t think it’s a bad thing. It’s a privilege for those allowed to be close enough to the wearer to smell it. It’s as if you bathed in very luxurious bath oils and effortlessly perfumed without screaming for attention. A very romantic fragrance. I can see why this is a lot of people’s wedding perfume. I don’t think this is generic smelling. I had a white floral phase when I was younger and wore a lot of different kinds and this is subtly unique. Not blind buy safe. White floral haters stay away. This is unapologetically white floral all the way through in spite of all that makes it unique.

Ave Maria is beautiful, but not for the reasons many reviewers are saying. It's true that the top is a beautiful white floral, primarily gardenia with a hint of jasmine. It's lush, heady, and strong. Very clean and creamy. But the dry down is where the magic happens and where it stops being simply "white floral" to me. I clearly smell the wine, and it's oaky. And I clearly smell something animalic (I assume the leather). The gardenia and jasmine are still there, but they're very soft at this stage, just providing a bit of sweetness. And it lasts for hours. On clothes, forever. But at this stage it also sits far closer to the skin, whereas the opening is all big loud white floral. I think the reviewers saying Ave Maria is just a soapy white floral or that it's too loud are not allowing themselves to experience the dry down, because this is definitely not just loud soapy white floral. It's warm and cuddly and sweet. I also feel like the overwhelming "Spring" and "Summer" votes are because people are rating it too quickly before they get to the dry down, because the dry down feels far more seasonless to me. I think you could comfortably wear Ave Maria at any time of the year. That said, while I love the unique journey Ave Maria takes me on, I have never spent as much money on a full bottle as this costs. Not to say it's not worth it in general, but it's out of my price range.

I purchased Ave Maria the moment it was released, as I’m consistently impressed by the artistry of the House of Bo. Their craftsmanship is evident not just in the scent compositions, but in the thoughtful design of their 30ml bottles—complete with non-slip feet that add a touch of both elegance and practicality. While the fragrance is said to contain a red wine note, I personally don’t detect it. If anything, there’s a subtle nuance that leans more toward a crisp white wine, but the Merlot accord doesn’t emerge on my skin. Gardenia is my favorite flower, and since true gardenia oil cannot be extracted, perfumers typically recreate it using blends of white florals like jasmine. That said, the gardenia accord in Ave Maria is remarkably lifelike—lush, creamy, and strikingly true to nature. I find it absolutely captivating. There’s an undeniable sophistication to this fragrance that I think will truly shine on humid summer evenings. It has a sultry elegance that pairs beautifully with warm air and soft light—I can already tell I’ll be living in it once the temperatures climb.. My only critique lies in its potency. While many enjoy bold, room-filling fragrances, I tend to prefer a softer presence. With Ave Maria, I have to be very precise in application—anything more than two sprays can easily overwhelm the space. It’s a powerful composition, best worn with intention.

I was convinced I would never need another white floral fragrance until I smelled this. The first impression is this bright, airy freshness that instantly makes you think of clean skies after rain, but doesn’t smell watery or cold, but more pure and airy. It’s super delicate, but still noticeable in this elegant, floaty way. I personally don’t get any neroli but the gardenia is done beautifully, white floral perfection. Creamy, smooth, and completely refined. Not heavy or powdery, but radiant and classy. It gives the whole scent this graceful, angelic quality, like walking barefoot through a quiet, flower-filled chapel. Then the merlot note comes through, It’s not sweet or boozy, just this whisper of dry fruit that gives it depth and a subtle richness. Overall this is clean, feminine, and totally ethereal. It doesn’t try too hard—it just is. It’s the kind of scent that makes you feel effortlessly elegant, like you’ve got your life together even if you don’t.

At first i was worried that too many influencers were hyping this up because they may have been incentivized and though that maybbe true( not sure and dont care) i am getting nothing from making this review. I for one love it, i was scared with the wine note thinking it might smell like garbage (usually pinot grogio ) however, this is no average box wine. This is the GOOD STUFF kinda wine! I agree with other who say you gotta love florals, i am deff a white florals lover so its not hard for me to like this. There is a nostalgic feel about this scent, its giving me some vintage vibes however, not to be mistaken by your grandmas chanel N’5 type of vibes. Overall really impressed by this and enjoying it, im excited to keep sampling it, i personally havnt smelt anything that resembles this or at least i cant think of anything right now which makes me like it even more. will edit soon regarding its performance and longevity. Hoping its quiet beast :)

I really like this! I’m not sure if I’ll start to hate it because it’s so unique so I purchased a 10 ml with my 40 ml purchase of La Mar. If I end up making it through the travel sized bottle then I’ll buy a 40ml. It’s an incredibly heady dark feminine red wine perfume that opens with white florals in the background but then blooms into full on angelic white florals and neroli with the wine note taking a back seat. I know it says the wine is only the base note but this definitely opened with the wine note on my skin. Very “As Above,So Below” type vibe and I love how these two prominent notes juxtapose while working well together in taking turns to take center stage. The longevity is amazing! This is good for early equinox seasons’ days and summer nights. I love how heady both prominent notes are but it might be too much for me in the dead of July’s daytime heat and humidity.

It’s been a long time since I’ve had this much of an emotional roller coaster with a fragrance. Initial spray was awful. It smelled like extremely dry wine and it made me start coughing. I considered scrubbing it off but decided to wait for the dry down. That’s where the magic happened. It turned into an ethereal dewy white floral scent with just a hint of wine in the background which grounded the fragrance. The gardenia isn’t overpowering, rather a light, clean, and dewy gardenia. Gardenia is normally too strong for me, but this is so beautifully balanced that it doesn’t bother me. I love this fragrance. I can’t stop smelling my wrists. A beautiful piece of artwork. Feels very special. This is currently the top contender for my wedding day perfume. Just worried I’m going to have a coughing fit when I first spray it again.

This is an excellent, high quality fragrance. Ethereal and celebratory is what the house calls it, and I agree. It's very much a white floral with prominent gardenia, but the florals are rounded instead of sharp. That hint of floral sweetness and density reminds me of the style of Lauder's Beyond Paradise. Merlot, cashmere and a hint of leather provide a hint of spicy base for this scent, which seems to me to be slightly green as well. Sillage is average, which is great for me because it's more important that I can smell it, rather than others. It's also strong. One spray was sufficient to wear for 6 hours. I even swam for half an hour and found the scent still present! A hidden gem. Absolutely lovely.

I don't know why so many reviewers found an old woman in this fragrance, but be forewarned: she has a mean right hook. This scent packs a punch even through the packaging. But I /trust/ the woman this perfume describes. She is rich and classy. She owns a vineyard. She grows flowers. She likes all her clothes and doesn't mind having enemies. She has been outside and known the earth. She wears gold jewelry. She eats grapes off the stem. I hesitated in the face of her strength in the summer heat, and she took my hand, led me confidently into the drenching sunlight, and left me present, elegant, taking up space. This is not a mincing fragrance or a pass at playing forever young. This is powerful.

Lovely. Ethereal - floating on a breeze type scent. At the top it's very soft, floral - gardenia followed quickly by jasmine. In the mid notes the neroli comes through well, but keeps that softness in the "rain" notes. There is a continued comfort smell in the base, soft woodiness with the hint of wine underneath which complement each other so well, a slight sweetness but never overpowering. Beautiful. Like you're wrapped in a soft cashmere shawl in a flowing sundress sitting on your veranda with a glass of wine- it's a late spring day and all the flowers are in bloom - a light rain comes and goes leaving a fresh dewy-ness all around you. I love it.

Perfection. Simply beautiful. Perfection in a bottle. Ave Maria is the definition of refined elegance, light yet powerful, comforting yet uplifting. The composition feels effortless: a radiant opening that immediately captures attention, followed by a smooth, airy sophistication that lingers beautifully on the skin. It’s the kind of scent that turns heads without ever being overpowering. Feminine, graceful, and timeless, Ave Maria is truly a masterpiece. If I had to describe it in one word, it would simply be perfection. Like a 90s OG supermodel in jeans and a tee. Not trying too hard but is marvelous! Just wow.

I really didn’t want to love this one as much as I do, but alas, Ave Maria is gorgeous and everything I want in a perfume. If I had to pick notes to make my dream perfume this hits almost all of them. Heady floral petrichor, sophisticated and pretty, it’s stunning and I hate that I want a full bottle. The notes that come through the most for me are the jasmine and gardenia in the opening, then the rain, and finally it dries into a lovely warm oak. This is enjoying a light, velvety smooth glass of Merlot on a garden patio on a late spring/early summer evening while the rain from earlier in the day dries off.

This is pretty.. creamy white florals and a touch of wine. That’s really it. It’s blended well but I don’t get any of the other interesting notes. I like it and will definitely wear it on occasion, but I wouldn’t buy a full bottle.. even if it was half the price. Wearing this again and I can actually smell the rain note they were going for. It almost smells like wet gardenia petals and fresh air. Kind of like a damp, ozonic, white floral. I’m not picking up the wine at all anymore. Still pretty. Still not worth the price or a full bottle for me personally- but I appreciate it for what it is.

If I was a gorgeous water nymph, stepping out of a sparkling, crystal clear pond, this is what I would smell like. It's so good! I don't get leather at all, but the wine and gardenia are there and delicious. It's very much a summer scent, but I've been wearing it all winter trying to beat that seasonal depression. It's super unique IMO, not synthetic in the slightest, just an aquatic floral that I could 110% see being somebody's wedding perfume. Longevity is also great, HOB can be a little hit (la mar) or miss (rosario - but still smells good) in regards to longevity.

As a white floral lover, specially Jasmine and gardenia this fragrance had me swooning. Upon initial spray, I definitely pick up on the wine . On me, the wine note is very short-lived. It lasts about a minute or two then I’m left with the most beautiful mix of white florals. I don’t pick up much on the neroli thank God because it’s not my favorite, but I definitely get this beautiful mix of gardenia Jasmine and orange blossom? It is creamy comforting, but fresh at the same time perfect for the upcoming seasons, this is a must buy for me along with Rosario.

I put this next to symphony, and this blows it out of the water with symphony, like this is so pretty!!!! I get the wine note is pretty loud at the beginning, but don't let that deter you because an hour in you will get the most beautiful smell of white florals that is honestly so so so stunning, and so unique, I love this fragrance down like if I had to throw away everything else and only pick one, I'd pick this it's so beautiful. The other day the lady standing next to me said she wished she could stay next to me all day just to smell me haha

Smells in the same vein as Chanel Gabrielle (Essence or Parfum). Beautiful, yet not groundbreaking. Sillage is average, leaning skin scent. Longevity is good, lingering for over 6hrs on my skin. The “wine” accord, alongside the oakwood and leather, is vaguely reminiscent of Hermes Barenia. However, it does not smell leathery nor boozy. It’s a white floral through and through. As much as I understand this is beautiful, for the price it’s being sold, I’d perhaps consider Gabrielle Essence over this one.

I wasnt expecting to like this one as much as I did after reading reviews, but this is such a well balanced fragrance. Creamy white florals with some depth from the wood notes and possibly the wine. I honestly don’t pick up on the wine or pear that much, which is a shame because it sounds like it would’ve been an interesting combo. It smells wonderful on sun-warmed skin, very clear and clean and breezy. Packs a punch, with decent projection that could be cloying if you’re sensitive to white florals

As someone who does NOT like gardenia in fragrances, I LOVE this scent. It's actually converted me into a gardenia lover- that's how well done this is. And it is definitely gardenia forward, but there is something so warm and soothing in the dry-down. Ave Maria is the creamiest most comforting gardenia fragrance I've ever smelled. It is sophisticated and gives you a nice scent bubble. My favorite house of bo fragrance was always Rosario but now it's tied with Ave Maria.