Love's Philosophy

[tura]

Vanilla, saffron, and cream.

I figure I love the taste of saffron, so why wouldn't I love the scent, too?

In the bottle: It took me a second to figure it out, but it definitely reminds me of a spicy cream soda.

Wet: omg!! this is definitely a warm, spicy vanilla.

5: Yay, it's the saffron finally coming out. It's official. I'm definitely a fan. It blends with the vanilla to make a nice warm, snuzzly scent. This is one of those scents that make me smile.

10 and on: This isn't changing much on my skin, which is perfect! Every time I sniff my wrist, I have an instant craving for a soft, comfy, fresh-out-of-the-dryer warm blankie.

I definitely love this, and imagine I'll be reaching for this quite a bit. But I found this new love one day after they came down --Oops!

So, if anyone didn't love it as much as they thought they would...

End result: love, Love, LOVE!

[Pika]

In the imp: Smells like vanilla cake frosting to me.

 

Wet on skin: Something sharp... I don't know how vanilla and cream can be "biting" but this kind of is!

 

A little while later: Ha! I was reading back through the reviews and it's *wintergreen*! That's just it! That funny biting smell in with the vanilla. I guess that's not what this is supposed to smell like... can't say it's winning me over yet.

 

A lot later: Stayed about the same, vanilla-y but with the wintergreen backing it, and now I can detect a bit of the saffron poking out in the background. But mostly I get the cheap vanilla smell others have mentioned.

 

Meh. I'm not a foody fan, so I wasn't expecting to love this one, but I kind of hoped I'd like it more. Oh well, more love and philosophy for others! *eyes above post *

 

 

Edited for typos... doh.

Edited March 25, 2008 by Pika

[LupaWulf]

Wow! From application throughout the day I have enjoyed a lovely creamy vanilla. It isn't too strong, just light enough to be noticed and glorious. Somehow Love's Philosophy just smells SMOOTH- not overly vanilla or cream but a smooth mixture of both that is absoultly delicious.

[cuervosueno]

This reminds me of the creamy vanilla which underlies the mint in snowblind. So I like that, but since I have Snowblind (and two bottles of Lick It as a slightly inferior substitute) I'm not blown away by this. It's nice--but I'm not crazy about it.

[Nia]

It's the first time, after trying about 300 BPAL scents, that I've gone "Ohhhhhhh!!!!!" after sniffing. It smells more complex than its three ingredients suggest, and when it dries there is an alcoholic hint. Absolutely delicious, I wish I had a bottle.

[enderfem]

Imp: saffron creaminess. A hint of vanilla. Very pretty.

 

Wet: Cream and saffron. The vanilla is like an afterthought. I have Tokyo Stomp for vanillaness, so I like this for what it is.

 

Drydown: Oh man. The saffron adds this really interesting tang to something that would otherwise be a vanilla-cream infusion that might be too feminine for me. I love this.

[luvmulder]

I love Antique Lace, and MB: Underpants is pretty good on me, though not mindblowing or anything. Anyway, I thought for sure this one would be a hit, but no go.

 

Love's Philosophy is cream mixed with bad, icky plastic vanilla. It smelled artifical to the extreme. Chalk this one up to the ever unpredictable BPAL vanilla/plastic issue. I really wish there was some way to predict which vanillas will go plastic and which won't. *Sigh*

[Victory]

I'm one f the fortunate ones, I think, whose bottle of Love's Philosophy (or maybe skin chemistry) doesn't have lots of wintergreen. In the bottle, LP is NOM NOM NOM buttercream frosting. It's almost TOO rich, but wow so good and I was almost worried it would be like that on skin and be too much. This is what I had wanted biggerCritters to be (now that bC has aged, it's its own perfume, but this had been my guess of what it would smell like). Wet, I can smell a breath of the wintergreen, but really only a breath and it's lying under the vanilla. As it dries, my nose separates the notes a bit and says, oh! the wintergreen is actually the saffron in disguise! After those few short moments I can't smell any wintergreen at all, it's saffron giving some bite to the vanilla and cream. When the oil is completely dry, it's straight vanilla cream. Having read the previous reviews, I was worriedly thinking do I smell chalk? Do I smell like a candle? I think this is what all vanilla candles DREAM of being. LP is a somewhat simple perfume when it's dry, but since hugely complex perfumes confuse my nose, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. I like it. I like it a lot. And it really lasts on me. A winner!

[poisons_sanity]

I too, get a bit of the mint. It's a very creamy mint, though. I was just hoping my skin didn't amp it up. Fortunately it didn't. After it dried, it turned into a really nice creamy-smokey scent. This would be what Antique Lace mixed with Black Opal would smell like.

[lostluckkitten]

Count me as another who either got a "good bottle" or whose skin chemistry this one works with. Which is a relief after reading the reactions some had

 

I was worried at first, because when I sniff the bottle, it is so THICK and "buttery" smelling. Like someone mixed butter into heavy cream then mixed in a whiff of saffron. I also got some of that "fake" vanilla smell that many are reporting. I got my bottle five days ago, and didn't pluck up the courage to try it until today. I was really afraid it would be horrible on me.

 

I decided to just go for it this morning, and when it first hit my skin, I did get that fake smell, and thought "oh no." But low and behold, my skin took it, amped the saffron, and morphed it into a light, lovely vanilla-saffron smell. I get no wintergreen mint at all - just sweet, warm vanilla (reminds me of B&BW Warm Vanilla Sugar), with the saffron poking through and giving it a nice kick. It has a close but decent throw on me. I've had it on for two hours now, and it's still behaving. I hope it continues to do so!

 

I am so glad that this was a winner with my chemistry, because I really wanted to like it. And I do!

[Kelism]

This was very "cake" or frosting to me, but in a good way and a not terribly foody way, if that is possible. I rarely sniff the bottle because most things smell very different to me in the bottle vs on my skin, but it smelled pretty much the same to me in the bottle/wet/dry.

 

It's a very soft and creamy to me and I had no hint of wintergreen or fake vanilla or plastic. I really like the soft vanilla in Reagan but it just died so quickly on me and had no throw. This has a similar vanilla feel, but has more staying power (and of course the creamy aspect to it).

 

I like!

[CordeliaSeduced]

I don't really know what I was expecting from the description, but this surprised me. In the bottle, I was smelling cake batter, or vanilla frosting. Not the kind of synthetic vanilla you get from a can of Pillsbury whipped icing crap, but the kind of vanilla you might add to a homemade buttercreme. Once on my skin, something else started to come out...I'm assuming this was the saffron, since I've never outright sniffed saffron and thus cannot be 100% certain. In any occasion, it added a depth to the vanilla that I was not expecting. I was slowly getting the impression of vanilla cake batter with whiskey added to the mix...and then it hit me: this smells exactly like creme sherry. Or rather, it smells to me like what creme sherry tastes like--warm and spicy and sweet and creamy all the while cause enough sensual confusion to give me a decent buzz.

Upon drying, it softened to a brown-sugar vanilla creme once again reminiscent of baked goods. I managed to smell it all day, but no one else commented on it, so I'd suspect they didn't get any of the throw.

All in all, I definitely enjoyed it, but am not terribly broken up that I didn't get a second bottle.

[icing]

Long before I fell into the world of BPAL, I had been searching for the perfect vanilla, buttercream, saffron blend…. When I first found out about Monster Bait: Underpants, I’d had high, really high hopes, but alas, the sandalwood in that blend attacked with epic strength, the vanilla fled, and I was forced to continue my search.

 

As you can imagine, there was, ah, great elation when I read Love’s Philosophy’s description, when the Lupercalia 2008 update struck.

 

Now, vanilla still tends to vanish on my skin, so this blend is more often than not an… ‘are you…. actually… there?’ faint kind of scent, and my inconsistent chemistry is constantly altering the dry-down, but, what I can smell is worth every bit of that squirm-in-my chair and almost squeal glee that hit, when I first read the update announcement.

 

One version is a subtle, creamy (just enough for a slight hint of richness and depth, in what would otherwise be lightly, hint-of-vanilla scented skin), with that same light golden glow of warmth, peace, and satisfaction that I picked up from the saffron in Underpants.

 

Another version I pick up features an ice cream vanilla (the kind with actual vanilla in it, along with the tiny, dark flecks of seeds) that sort of floats above my skin, but if I actually put my nose to my skin, I smell that almost leathery, slightly alcoholic, dried, but slightly moist vanilla pod smell.

 

And yet another version, that’s not as faint as the above two, but is still somewhat light, projects a deeper, smokier spice scent than the one in the ‘saffron glow’ dry-down. I’m not sure what spices I’m smelling, and the smoke melds so perfectly, but it’s ever shifting, and this dry down is so beautiful and intriguing, it’s everything I had imagined Snake Oil would be like (I have gotten hints of a spicy vanilla in Snake Oil, but most of the time, SO’s mostly sugared amber on me).

 

Other times I get a dry-down that smells like the sugared, raw-dough smell of Midway: Ressurected…. Which is devoid of vanilla, but still nice, so needless to say, I’m quite pleased with this blend… I’m infatuated with it for the glorious dry-downs, I still enjoy it in the less complex ones, and amazingly, no matter what my chemistry does to it, it still smells great.

 

I’ve mixed some of my Love’s Philosophy into an unscented body lotion, and whenever I’ve dabbed one of my other adored blends over my lotion rubbed skin, they seem to develop more when layered with LP then they did on their own, and if it’s a chemistry day when Love’s Philosophy is strong enough, the notes of the layered blends meld together gloriously, and just sing at a whole new level of amazing. (Think, ‘what is that awesome smell?’ ‘…oh, it’s me!’) Love’s Philosophy is a definite favorite, that I never want to be without!

[angharad]

NOM NOM NOM. I feel so dirty for typing that, but it's how I feel about LP. This is one of those scents that makes you open your eyes wide with surprise and smile every time you sniff it. While still wet on my skin, it's a thick, golden, creamy vanilla, very foody. Someone above says there's a spicy cream soda scent, and I definitely agree. As it dries, the cream is more pronounced, but after the oil is completely dry and has been sitting on my skin for a while, it disappears. All that's left now is a very sugary vanilla. The throw is a bit stronger than average and has good lasting power.

[SmileCat]

Oh my. This is a very warm, glowing, golden scent. Nothing soda-like or sparkly or ice cream or frostingish. Not a hint of wintergreen. All rich vanilla and saffron.

[Maidenhell]

In the bottle: Sweet cream cheese frosting

 

Wet, on skin: Sexy rich bourbon vanilla

 

Dry down: Exotic! There is a faint grass & floral scent swirling around the bourbon vanilla.

 

This is very pretty and yummy and will be great for layering. xoxo

Edited April 18, 2008 by Maidenhell

[Lirion]

I think this is the first scent that really hasn't worked for me.

And I had such high hopes too.

The cream note smells curdled on my skin - and doesn't sit well straight out of the bottle either.

Eventually it fades to a fairly lovely vanilla, but the initial phase lasts too long and is too strong to make this one for me.

I've only worn it once where it's even gotten to that stage, the first time I had to wash it off.

[edenssixthday]

Love’s Philosophy – I wanted to love this one so badly. It sounds absolutely divine. In the vial, however, it has a pungent, sour smell, kind of like baby urp, only sweeter. When I apply it to my skin, it’s instantly spiced up by the saffron, and I love how unique it smells – it’s all vanilla and saffron initially. However, as it warms up on my skin, the cream note creeps forward and it’s evident that the cream note is the one that gives it the sour smell before I apply the blend. This is also the point when I notice the overall scent starting to turn to plastic, something vanilla does on me on the rare occasion – not often, but often enough that I know it’s the vanilla in this blend that is the plastic culprit. It kind of smells like plastic ice cream for a while, but it eventually loses the ice cream flavor and smells like plastic, just plastic. I am going to take the rest of the decants I bought and use them in my oil burner. I have a feeling this is going to make a freaking DIVINE room scent!

[kakiphony]

In the imp: Cake batter.

 

Wet on skin: Boozy vanilla with the hint of something almost fruity behind it. The slightest hint of plastic sweetnes -- like the old, scented Strawberry Shortcake dolls.

 

Early dry down (10 minutes): Vanilla, but there's something scorched in the background. Can this be my first experiece with the dreaded burning plastic scent so many have fallen victim to? It will make me feel more a part of things, but I'll also be awfully sad. I was so hoping this imp could replace that beloved Underpants that I was forced to sell like a ruthless capitalist when I was working part time last year.

 

Late dry down (1/2 hour): As usual, my left and right wrists have done totally different things with this scent. On the left wrist, I have something smokey and vanilla (rather like Arcana's Devilish, but a bit sweeter) with the barest hint of plastic behind it. On my right wrist the scent is much sweetier, much creamier, and the back-not is powder rather than plastic.

 

This has turned out to be pleasant, but with any real WOW factor. It's the kind of scent I could see layering, but not having my husband swoon over. On the whole, I'm no longer sad I failed to buy a bottle. It's nice, but probably not so "me" that a bottle is necessary.

[delicate_fangs]

Yikes! I get mega monster wintergreen here. Not sure I can wait it out until the drydown -- and I *like* wintergreen.

 

*cries*

 

Drat. Drat drat drat.

 

Oh, well, somebody else will probably love it.

 

Edit: This stuff sure has staying power. And now it smells like plastic doll hair on me. Dratted skin chemistry!

 

Edited again: And now, more than twelve hours later, the waft has turned into something beautiful. However, I won't have the patience to wait out the earlier stages. Off to swaps it goes.

Edited May 11, 2008 by delicate_fangs

[donnatron]

Bottle: Old fashioned cream soda.

 

Wet: The cream warms, and adjusts to smell more like a natural skin musk on me. The vanilla warms up a bit and the saffron lends a golden overall scent to the blend.

 

Dry: Warm, creamy and delicious. This scent is glorious--I can't believe it took me this long to try it. It's a soft skin scent that just cries out for cuddling and warm blankets.

 

Throw: Personal.

 

Overall: I just received it a few days ago, but I've already started hoarding. What a glorious, glorious scent.

[djsiberia]

i passed this up for some strange reason. i think because i thought it would be sickly sweet like O. good thing i finally caved in a got a frimp

 

wet: vanilla and cream

 

dry: nom nom nom nom - i can't stop stiffing myself. can i possibly love this a lot??? why yes, i do...

 

i love it so much i had to get 2 bottles right away from an iso. never again will i pass up vanilla, saffron and cream.

 

i think this is the only scent that i've worn 2 days in a row and then opted to wear it again two days later.

 

it's delicious and i don't get any plastic scents from it.

[scotchgrrl]

This is the first scent that someone in my office has noticed. I have pointed some out to 2 of the gals before, but today, as I walked up to a desk, the gal sitting there exclaimed "wow, you smell great". And I did.

 

I don't get a hint of mint at any point, just vanilla and cream, nice and sweet, with a hint of something warm in the background. For me, this is pretty much the same in the bottle, wet and dry. I'm going to need some more of this!

 

 

ETA: This one was in the first package from my Summer SW. Thank you sweetie SW!

Edited June 2, 2008 by scotchgrrl

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Sweet, sweet creamy vanilla, my God that smells good! I moaned a little when I first smelt it

 

Wet on me – The waft remains that same gorgeous vanilla custard, but close to the skin there’s a medicinal/herbal scent I can’t identify

 

Dry on me – This stays, on me, a fantastically enveloping vanilla scent

 

Overall – I like this a lot

Edited May 26, 2008 by Ajila

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 5/5

Summarised in a few words/smilie: Spicy vanilla.

 

Preconceived notions/pre-review thoughts: I really and truly want to hate this, because I hate falling in love with LEs. Alas, I fear I shall love it. Vanilla, saffron, and cream? How could I not?

 

In the imp: Sharp saffron and sticky-sweet cream. I may just be able to dig this not-liking-LP thing after all!

 

On skin, wet: Much the same as in the imp. Overly sweet cream and a very tangy saffron. There's a distinct coolness, but I don't believe it's a mint note.

 

On skin, dry: A lovely, spicy vanilla. The cream and saffron have calmed down and agreed to play nice with each other, and the result is nothing short of divine.

 

Conclusion: When I first tested this, I told myself -- I convinced myself -- that while lovely, I wasn't wowed by this. Over the past two days, however, I've found myself going back to my partial decant, sniffing and sniffing and sniffing. I finally wore it again this morning, and however much I may want to deny it, I am entirely in love with this. Dang it.

Edited June 1, 2008 by Aredhel