Love's Philosophy

[Dymphna]

Vanilla, saffron, and cream.

This is just glorious in the bottle. My first thought was that it smelled like heavy, thick, real whipped cream flavored with real vanilla. Then I sniffed again and it smelled like cream soda! I made my husband take a sniff and he agreed. It even smelled fizzy!

Unfortunately, once it hits my skin it goes through a brief plastic phase and then turns into something very similar to the way Tombstone smells on me, but without the beach-y vibe. (To me, Tombstone smells like the remnants of a driftwood fire on a cold beach, plus a hint of vanilla.) It's just so dry and smoky--I'm assuming it's the saffron that's doing this--and only barely vanilla-y. After an hour or two, it becomes smoother and more creamy, and smells once again a bit like cream soda. But it's nothing at all like I expected, and nowhere near as vanilla cream-like and Underpants-y as it was in the bottle.

I'm so disappointed. This was one of only two of the new Lupercalias that sounded so good to me I bought a bottle unsniffed rather than waiting for decants. (Fortunately, the other one, Anactoria, smells wonderful on me.) I'm so sad that a scent based on this poem by this poet with these notes doesn't smell right on me. Not fair! I'll keep it to try again, I suppose, and hope that a bit of aging will help. Hey, it took nine months for Underpants to work on me, so I guess you never know.

[vividdreamer]

Wow, I'm glad I didn't order 2 of these.

 

Ditto plastic. Ditto cheap vanilla candle. Ditto "HOW could this happen with such wonderful notes?"

 

I can't decide between letting it age or putting it up for swaps. I'm SO glad that my other two Lupercalia purchases--Red Lantern and Sapphics--are gorgeous on me. And that's the irony of it all, because they were the ones I was worried about...I was *certain* Love's Philosophy would be 2 (or 3) bottle worthy!

[mandragora]

Wet, this is uber-sweet. It's like the vanilla-swirled cream reached out from the bottle and smacked me in the face . Dry, it reminds me a bit of Underpants without the dusty note (sandalwood, maybe). The sweetness tapers off on further drydown, making it a lovely, creamy skin scent. It's pretty, I'm glad I have a bottle.

[HappyLoveJoy]

Yep, milky wintergeen and glade vanilla candle. Luckily for me the wintergreen note disappears completely. There's a short stage inbetween the two extremes that smells like some kind of suntan lotion with a creamy coconut note. The final drydown is actually still pleasant to my nose and I have to admit that I like it after all. Warm, sweet, creamy vanilla with a touch of something that reminds me of what rice pudding made with coconut milk would smell like.

 

still puzzled as heck about the wintergreen note *scratches head*

 

 

ETA: See above where I said I liked it? Well, today I have worn only Love's Philosophy and I have officially fallen in love with it. That wintergreen note is still not something I care for but it must be doing something good somewhere, plus it disappears completely after a while. There was a brief whiff of a familiar scent and I think it's Obatala. It's got coconut and milk and that shea butter note which reminds me of suntan lotion, so in my scent memory it has some of the same DNA as Love's Philosophy even if they don't share the same notes. Tonight I also realized that the drydown smells like one of my very favorite things to eat--- whipped cream! It's the richest, creamiest vanilla whipped cream my skin has ever tasted. Consider me smitten.

Edited February 9, 2008 by HappyLoveJoy

[Athenae]

I see where people are getting wintergreen, because that's what it is, wet, but then it turns rich vanilla on me, rich and spicy and deep and true. I've never had a BPAL cream note not go sour on me before. Milk Moon and Candy Butcher both went straight to rot on my skin. This is like slathering myself in vanilla buttercream frosting. It's got the throw of Underpants on me without that sickly-sweet sugar undertone, and I'm desperately, hopelessly, utterly in love with Love's Philosophy.

 

A.

[alicia_stardust]

Barq's Creme Soda with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. =)

 

That's what I smell during drydown, instead of whatever wintergreen phase others are finding. I smell no wintergreen at all, just a creme soda/root beer sort of smell that is enveloped in vanilla.

 

After it dries it becomes a lovely, creamy, rich vanilla with an almost boozy quality to it. There is a hint of the exotic behind there; a warm saffron spice. This really is quite beautiful. It's a bit on the foody side for my tastes, but the richness of the vanilla after the drydown is definitely wooing me.

[euterpe414]

This is seriously the ultimate comfort scent

 

I get the 'wintergreen' phase at first, but it lasts for less than 5 minutes; I'm then left with an amazing, creamy, true vanilla that lasts forever. I don't really detect very much saffron in this- I suspect, though, that the saffron and cream together is what made my nose think 'wintergreen' at first. Anyway, it is a lovely scent, just like a warm, fuzzy hug, and I am very happy to have purchased a bottle!

[etienne]

I really wanted this to be the delicious creamy scent it sounds like it could be but sadly it wasn't to be...

 

Wet on skin I get something smokey, quite medicinal. I can see why some people are getting wintergreen from this. This stage lasts a long time and after it has gone, I'm left with a plastic-y vanilla. I know that vanilla is a note that either works great on me (think aged Snake Oil sexy vanilla or Perilous Parlor foody vanilla) or turns really plastic-y.

 

I'm going to hold onto my decant in the hope that it will get better with age but I won't be ordering any more.

[Frills]

This works amazing on me.

 

In the bottle it reminds me a lot of Mr. Nancy, minus the lime; or Haloa; or maybe even Beaver Moon. Sort of a creamy, cheesecake scent.

 

Once it hits my skin, though, it turns vanilla and--yeah, that wintergreen scent people were talking about. Which wouldn't bother me, but it fades in about three seconds flat, anyway. Then it's just creamy vanilla and oh man it's so good. It's not a fake scent at all on me, just very soft vanilla with a touch of saffron.

[sixthsentinel]

Whoa! This reminds me of Tombstone. Like, a lot.

 

Wet, I thought it was going to be a no-go because it was super sweet. Within a few minutes, though, it began to kind of remind me of BPAL Egg Nog, except with a fizzy edge, like someone had poured some soda in there or something. But as it dried down, it continued to mellow out & turned into a vanilla-drenched Tombstone on my skin, a bit less rugged than the real thing. Hm. I never would have figured. I am loving this hardcore.

 

[ravenfeathers]

in the bottle vanilla creaminess, like a fine whipped frosting

wet on skin soft saffron dusted over the same frosting, the somewhat sharp organic grassy smell of the saffron keeping the rest from being cloying sweet

dry on skin orgasmic vanilla! this is such a wonderful surprise! it's all the things that i've learned to love about haloes without the sandalwood, which has always been right on the edge of being a deal breaker for me in that blend. so softly feminine and splendiferous!

 

there's not a phase of this that i don't adore and i'm so absolutely chuffed! the throw is quite good for scent this delicate and i'm going on three hours with no change in strength of throw.

 

as an aside, i don't smell anything in the least bit minty here in any stage. and i was prepared for it to turn to play-doh on me like egg nog, but not even for a millisecond.

 

one of my daughters claims it smells like mint on her (and she hasn't heard about any reviews or anything here), but when i sniffed her arm, i got a huge waft of saffron and nothing minty. i think it's the saffron that's throwing out the "mint" notes that people are getting? anyway. i'm not getting it at all.

 

ADDED March 6:

 

over in livejournal, someone noted that her two bottles of love's philosophy smelled different and asked if anyone else had the same experience. one was vanilla ice cream, one was soft and minty. when i got home from work, i checked my unopened, unsniffed bottle and LO! it was minty! my first bottle is not minty at all. they were ordered together on the same day of the update. so, let's review the second bottle, which is almost an entirely different scent!

 

in the bottle flat, somehow, with a bland smell of vanilla. it's sort of... stale, almost? and a whiff of wintergreen.

wet on skin blast of wintergreen! holy crap, you guys were right! i've been trying to figure out for weeks where all the wintergreen in the reviews was coming from. now i know.

dry on skin erm. okay. mint is all gone now, but it's gone kind of plasticky and, yes, indeed, it smells like generic candle. :D

 

throw is negligible. which is okay, because it's getting a band-aid like odor now. what the...?

 

the sound of clattering you hear after i post this is me going to put my original bottle in total lockdown mode because i'm not risking it with cats or kids knowing that it's a delicious minority! here's hoping my back-up bottle mellows out and starts to match her sister.

Edited March 8, 2008 by Shollin

[Lunaliquid]

In the bottle

 

Wowza!!! As previously mentioned by many; this is vanilla frosting in a bottle. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

Wet

 

Oh no, plastic. Say it ain't so!

 

Dry

 

Thank the goddesses, this dries down to become the most gorgeous, well-rounded, and simply put ravishing of scents. It's very much like a more subdued version of Black Lace on me, complete with the smoky and boozy elements of Black Lace. WIN!

[mystery213]

Wow, it is the funniest thing! At first, in the bottle this was a bit plasticky to my nose, which I attribute to the cream, as some blends with cream seen to do that on me (one of my favorites- Beaver Moon '07 comes to mind). However, I slathered away, and was immediately rewarded by the smell of... are you ready for this??

 

RED LICORICE ROPES AND VANILLA CREAM SODA!

 

Seriously folks, this was dead on with my skin chemistry. This was a total flashback to those giant 3ft ropes of licorice I coveted as a child- I looooved red licorice in all forms as a child... no surprise that I lean towards very sweet and foody/candy like blends. This satisfies these cravings on many levels, and will become part of my ever growing collection. So pretty and sweet and girly and...mmmm...candy.

Edited February 13, 2008 by mystery213

[Christine Daae]

In the bottle, as many have mentioned, this is a yummy, buttercreamy vanilla. It’s very buttery, actually.

 

Wet, on my skin – yeah, I get that wintergreen note, too. It smells a little bit like Wint-O-Green Lifesavers, which I love and can consume by the bagful if left to my own devices. Not exactly what I was expecting from this blend, though.

 

Oddly, I had my betrothed sniff this just after I dabbed a little on the inside of my forearm last night, and he just smelled the buttery vanilla frosting. I waved my arm around and said “but it smells like wintergreen!” and he said he could smell a little of that if he got really close but mostly just the frosting smell.

 

If I let this sit a while, the throw is definitely more along the lines of what I was expecting – sweet, creamy, buttery vanilla with just a hint of something grounding it. If I stick my nose up to where I applied it, I do get the tiniest hint of the wintergreen note, but it fades as I let this one get acclimated to my skin.

 

After a bit, I really, really like this one. The throw is pretty much exactly what I was hoping for, hopefully the weird wintergreen thing will age out of this.

[theal8r]

Bottle: Oh. No. It smells like... like... KAOPEKTATE! Chalky, minty... anti-diarrhea medicine... wtf. There's a definite plastic undertone. I have some serious misgivings about this one.

 

Wet: minty vanillia with a weird twist. The plastic smell is amping a bit, but not too bad. Mostly just weird, and I really wasn't too sure about this at all.

 

Dry down: funky vanilla candle that my grandmother had in her linen closet. But... it took a long time, bt it finally settled into a really mellow, warm and creamy vanilla with just a little twist in the undertone. The throw is excellent, I'm not totally overwhelmed with vanilla.

 

I'm still not sure if I like this, but I did move it from the swap pile to the "hmmmm" pile. There is something about it that seems comfortable and soft... But not a grab me by the throat with scentlove. If nothing else, I have been as intrigued by a scent like I am by this one.

 

On one wrist I layered this with some Red Lantern (okok, it was an oops) and it was OMFG amazing.

[zenvodunista]

WHOA - BUTTERCREAM ICING!

 

Now that time has passed, it's still pretty buttercreamy but with a hint of something smoky and spicy in the background. I'm going to let this age a bit before I pass judgement.

 

N.

[tartchef]

In the bottle: um, hello, suntan lotion, who invited you?

 

Wet: ah wintergreen, I heard you were coming... definitely vanilla wintermint LifeSavers at this stage. Not bad, just... odd.

 

Once it dries down a bit, the medicinal notes fade, and I'm left with a thick, creamy vanilla frosting note. It even has that slight salty tang that commercial frosting has, straight out of the can. At a different stage in my cycle, I'd want to dip potato chips in this

 

I'm not going to make a final statement on Love's Philosophy until I've worn it a few more times, but I think this will be passed onto a better home - I was a pastry chef back in the day, and spent enough of my life smelling like icing that I don't feel the need to anymore...

[nevermore]

I can see why there's so many reviews of this already - it's lovely. It's pretty much what I was expecting, mainly vanilla bean and a bit of spice from the saffron. The vanilla isn't going plastic-y either, which is a problem I have with some vanillas. It reminds me somewhat of Underpants (which also has the non-plastic vanilla), but much less sweet. I can see topping this up with a dab of Grog to emulate it though.

 

Luckily, I'm not getting any of the minty scent that others are getting, which I'm okay with. I am getting a bit of a "chalky" scent, but it's not too noticeable, and I think it'll go away with some aging. I'm quite liking Love's Philosophy, and glad I've got a bottle of it.

[arcadelane]

in the bottle and on my skin this smells like a coke float with very vanilla ice cream. its making me crave one too. it doesn't morph at all and lasts fairly well. still not decided on how much i like it.. but will have to try burning this one. i'm still on the hunt for my perfect vanilla.

[Melenass]

This scent is exactly the one that I hoped to find in Black Lace: Cremoso, sensual and subtle.

[Cheri]

Love's Philosophy is everything I was hoping it would be. When I first tested it, I smelled a little of the wintergreen everyone's been talking about, but that left almost immediately. I must really amp vanilla because the throw is strong.

 

In my opinion this is better than Underpants, and definitely better than Black Lace. I wish my husband was here to smell it, instead of working second shift on Valentines Day. He likes vanilla anything, so I'm sure he's going to love it. I think this would layer nicely with other scents, and I can imagine it with a little aged Snake Oil or Smut. Very yummy!

 

Edit: after wearing this for over an hour it settles down a lot and I smell more of the saffron. This is more Underpants-like, but better.

 

I had to take the out. Sweety did not like this at all, and said he doesn't smell vanilla. He made a nasty face and said he didn't like it. Guess I'm doomed to wearing only a few scents that he likes, but that won't stop me from trying them.

Edited February 16, 2008 by Cheri

[suki]

i have waited very, very patiently for this to arrive, and i have extremely high hopes for it- let's see if it lives up to it's hype!

 

in the bottle: sugar buttercreme. wonderful!

 

wet on skin: the saffron is coming through loud and clear and bringing with it the cream. the vanilla so far isn't amping out of control on my skin the way it usually does.

 

dry down: a gorgeous blend, a great balance between those three elements. i'm getting little hints of the wintergreen everyone is talking about, but it works really well in there, doesn't overpower it at all.

 

in all: Everything i had hoped for MB: Underpants and didn't get- i'm SO getting some back up!

 

 

[Esmeria]

Bottle: Gorgeously strong vanilla, like the thickest most luscious cream you ever smelt/tasted.

 

Wet: Well, it lost some of the lovely but it still smells good.

 

Few minutes later: Umm, I don't think I like this one. It doesn't smell anything like it did in the bottle which is just shit.

 

Half an hour later and onwards: No, it's not for me. It's gone a bit plasticy and reminds me of something in Snow White (another no-no).

 

Can anyone say devastated? I was so looking forward to this one

[Elilara]

To me (both in the bottle, and after time to dry down) this was like a Cream Cheese frosting candle (with a nice fakey chemical undertone) saturated in another dose of raw vanilla extract. Admittedly, I kinda liked it at first because I adore vanilla, but it's just so... LOUD. Nothing subtle here. Other than the vague lime scent I'm getting from it somehow.

 

Too much for me. Luckily, it's heading to a better home soon

Edited February 15, 2008 by Elilara

[valentina]

What's there to say about this scent that everyone ahead of me has said? Not a lot. It's very much like Monster Bait: Underpants without the sandalwood. For me, that is a reason to celebrate, for sandalwood can be a bit sour on me. Love's Philosophy does indeed have that buttercream frosting smell, but there's a darkness on the edge of town. I think that comes from the dry, exotic smell of saffron, which rescues this scent from entering into the realm of the cloying and adds an element of sophistication. It is rather straightforward, yet is very lovely. I am going to enjoy this very, very much!