Love's Philosophy

[KaliVerra]

Vanilla, saffron, and cream.

Whore'd up cream soda float... the Queen Bitch of All Vanillas! *Licks arm... makes out with arm...*

Oh! You still here?

Yup, keeper! Hoarder, even!!

[cinderfallen]

I get that wintergreen chalky note on first whiff, but it dries down to--"Do YOU want to smell like a boozy vanilla cupcake today?"

 

Yeah. If you do, then you want Love's Philosophy. That is all.

[milo]

I love the smell in the bottle, a beautiful vanilla, with a hint of spice. It lasts about an hour though, and then the spice disappears, and it is more of a plain, but very nice vanilla. I wish it lasted longer in the "spice" vanilla stage, but overall a very nice scent, and I'll probably be hoarding the imp.

[writergal969]

Sniffing this in the vial it smells almost floral, slightly creamy and a little tangy.

 

Wet it's becoming over sweet and...oh my...plastic. I like vanilla, I really do. There is nothing better than a bowl of vanilla bean ice cream...but something about the lab scent for vanilla is overly sweet and plastic on me! *cries*

 

Dry: Barbie dolls dipped in vanilla.

 

So I guess vanilla really ISN'T a scent for me...*sigh*

 

1/5...and off to the swap piles with ye!

[mgrazulis]

In the imp: buttercream

 

Wet on skin: French vanilla, saffron

 

Drydown: a hint of mint, smidge exotic with the saffron layered with vanilla drenched cream. This is a fairly straightforward scent but with the saffron and mint, it is quite luxurious, almost intoxicating The saffron and mint seem to ground it keeping from being too foody. The throw is nice, too. I'm not getting the plastic vanilla candle smell that others mention.

 

Hours later: Wow! This has really lasted all day long. Most vanilla amps up on me. This stayed very mellow.

 

Although this gourmand type scent is wonderful, I don't see myself running to the imp box for this one. It's a very likable fragrance. Just not high on my 'to wear' list!

[jwhxtna]

IN THE IMP: Cheap vanilla, like a vanilla candle, with a hint of bitterness in the background. Is that the saffron?

 

WET: Like cream soda, but a bit plasticky.

 

DRY: Creamy, but cheap vanilla, a bit plasticky. Much later, it smells like vanilla ice cream.

 

I'm so sad, I really wanted to love this one, and I've never had a problem with vanilla before. Is it the cream? The saffron? I think I'll try this one again another time.

[TooMuchTemptation]

I love most of the BPAL fragrances with a cream note, so when I got the opportunity to swap for this one, I did.

 

Wet in the bottle, I get a big whiff of the cream note that I love so much, backed up by something faintly and sweetly medicinal. It also smells-fizzy. As if the liquid in the bottle was carbonated. On the second sniff, this smells sassafras-y.

 

Wet on my skin this gets very butter creamy, and the vanilla comes out more strongly. I can see where people might sniff this and think "wintergreen", but my nose says hey saffron! Hey sassafras! It threatens to turn plasticky for a second, but then doesn't ever really go that far.

 

It's dry on my skin now, and I smell like an expensive root beer float, or a sexy cream soda. It's actually kind of nice. It's not an every day scent, but I love the creaminess of it, and the freshness that the saffron-sass (Sassa-fron?) brings to it.

 

Later, it smells drier, less buttery, and more vanilla confectioner's sugar creamy. Fluffy and soft. Me likey.

[Deidre]

First off, for someone who studies philosophy and who thinks it's the most awesome and interesting thing to study in this world, well, a perfume with the word "philosophy" in it's name is very appealing.

Anyway.

In the bottle, this smells sweet and creamy with a medicinal tang to it, which must be the saffron.

But then, as soon as this gets on my skin, the medicinal smell fades incredibly quickly and the it morphs into a warm, soft, creamy vanilla. I can't pick out either the cream or the vanilla; it is perfectly blended into one round, and, well, warm and comforting scent.

I love this. I love this. It stays that way for hours, and I can't stop sniffing myself.

Keeper, hoarder (I guess this will age well, too)! I have tracked down three bottles of this already, and I'll look out for more...

 

ETA : almost two years later, I still love this as much as the first day! It's simple and straight-up, warm, sweet. It hasn't changed much with aging; the saffron is a bit more prominent in the bottle (=medicinal sharpness), but it fades completely on the skin.

Edited April 20, 2010 by Deidre

[ouch!]

Yum!!

 

This is soft scented...but with alot of throw.

 

The saffron is only apparent for me right at the beginning. The cream is sooo nice. It reminds me of Murray Mints. A very very buttery creamy smell with the saffron there too.

On dry down the vanilla starts to amp (As ALWAYS with me and vanilla) and it wafts quite a bit...2 people have mentioned they like it so..yay! I smell like vanilla ice cream.

 

When it's dry the vanilla and cream have almost gone..the vanilla is there still but it's not the lovely creamy vanilla that was there before.

What it leaves behind is a slightly vanillary sharp smell...which must be the Saffron left lingering on the skin!

 

It's definately lovely.. Glad I got to try it.

 

Edited July 30, 2008 by ouch!

[Stephanie]

I was lucky enough to buy this off of the wonderful YoakeNoKami! Thanks girl!!

 

Wow...this is beautiful stuff.

 

It's the most gorgeous, thick creamy vanilla. It is a bit fizzy, at first, but this dies down and then it's all cream and vanilla on me.

 

It's not a candle-y vanilla--it's a foody, custard-y vanilla. And it's totally yummeh!

 

I'm off to hunt down more of this stuff!!! I just wish I bought this the first time around!

 

 

Please Beth, offer this again someday??

[CrazyPretzel]

Glad to see other folks thought it was minty at first too, and I'm not losing my mind! I applied it, got the minty-chalky effect, went 'meh' and kind of forgot about it. Half an hour later I'm walking to the post office to mail my Switch Witch package and catch another whiff. Hmm, vanilla cake frosting! Richer, even - bourbon vanilla.

 

For those of you wondering, yes, the saffron/vanilla combo in here *is* reminiscent of MB: Underpants. It doesn't have Underpants' delectable sandalwood, but I can see this one having a happy cult following of its own nonetheless. I'm glad I have a bottle!

[maika]

In the imp, intensely creamy vanilla. This is like really good quality vanilla icecream.

 

Wet, vanilla and saffron. Ths is good - while I don't do foody, conversely, I adore vanilla. And so far, this is sweet and pure and good.

 

Dry, the saffron is the most detectable note. The cream and vanilla are still there, but the saffron is what lifts this from being just another vanilla scent. But the icecream smell is there too. Not really effectively describable, because the idea of saffron icecream doesn't cake sense to me, and really it isn't. It's saffron and icecream simultaneously, and yet not...for example, right now, the icecream is most obvious, but a minute ago it was the saffron. I'm really enjoying this. I think I'm going to have to hunt some more of this down as an indulging myself scent. I couldn't wear it every day, but I can see where it could fit for me. It's weird though...this is vanilla, saffron and cream, and yet it's not the slightest bit foody- which in itself makes no sense either, given that it's also reminding me of icecream...And that? Makes me ridiculously happy!

Edited August 24, 2008 by maikastar

[jewelbug]

Bottle: Super creamy vanilla deliciousness.

 

Wet: Vanilla cream...like buttercream icing. Reminds me strongly of the vanilla note in dragon's milk, with just the tiniest drop of spice.

 

Dry: Yes, very akin to dragon's milk on my skin. The vanilla verges on waxy or plastic, depending on that particular whiff.Lasts ~7 hrs.

 

Overall: Rich and creamy and I can see lots of people liking this. But on my skin its too close to candle wax, and a bit plastic-y under the vanilla buttercream. It reminds me of dragon's milk very closely.

[purplegirl]

I loves me some Love's Philosophy...... it isn't what I expected at all, but in a good way. When I first dabbed it on, I got the mint some folks were talking about....I think I might be in a little weird but I really liked the initial wintergreen mint blast - it reminded me of Certs for some reason! But it lasted for a blink and when it hit the road, what was left behind was a tangy, zippy rootbeer that eventually turned into a rootbeer float, with the most creamy vanilla ice cream on the planet. Such a cozy scent!! The throw wasn't too strong which I would've liked, but all in all, it's a winner!

Edited September 22, 2008 by purplegirl

[Avery]

well, I just got my long awaited bottle of Love´s Philosophy yesterday, so I guess some might consider it aged. When first on there is an unpleasant "tang" to the vanilla that I can´t quite place... it brings to mind the similar sort-of medicinal sharpness that Mr. Nancy´s entry brings with him, minus the lime. In about 10 minutes that tang goes away, and I can smell the wintergreen that people keep mentioning. It isn´t too strong, and I don´t mind mint, so that doesn´t bother me... rather like one of those chalky after dinner mints in this stage. and THEN it morphs into the yummy warm ice cream soda scent that many mentioned upthread. There is not a lot of throw, but it is a warm and delicious personal scent with a rootbeer-y undertone that I really enjoy. I sniffed my wrist a lot at this point. Anybody going in for a hug would get a pleasant whiff. The cream soda vibe hangs out for a long time, too.

 

I wore Love´s Philosophy yesterday, and today stumbled on my stored bottle of Beaver Moon (I just moved) so I went for the slather with the Beav (one of my favorites). I just sniffed myself with the Beav, 10 hours or so post application, and I can smell a *very* similar smell to how Love´s Philosophy dries down on me. I can´t really see needing *both* of these, but since they are both LE I´ll be hanging onto them and using LP intermittently in order not to run out of my beloved Beaver.

 

[Electric Maenad]

Wow - I can't believe I forgot to review this. On first application, there is a bit of something besides the vanilla - somewhat sharp, almost a bit sour, which I'm assuming is the saffron. Having never smelled saffron by itself and not being hugely familiar with the scent of wintergreen, I'm assuming that this is what everyone else is talking about. After it dries, though, it's just straight-up vanilla. It's not quite so rich as the buttercream comparison that some people have made, but it reminds me a lot of vanilla custard (homemade, not the mix kind). I love vanilla in any form, so this is very, very good. It also layers really well with Scherezade.

Edited October 9, 2008 by Electric Maenad

[Leopard403]

Root beer? Seriously?? Maybe I'm getting that hint-of-mint, too, and it's coming out as root beer. I don't dislike it, but it's sad to think I've been scouring the swaps pages for ages trying to get my hands on this, and when I finally do I smell like soda.

Particularly when I can wear Sassafras Strengthener on the days I want to smell like soda.

[Salsa Shark]

As soon as I put this on, I notice that sharp scent a lot o people were calling 'mint'. It doesn't smell green to me though, more like the sharp medicinal edge that some vanillas do when they're not working that well with the added bite from the saffron. It does warm up after a while, and thankfully doesn't go that plasticky.

 

It's a nice, soft creamy vanilla. Definitely a light skin scent - the throw is minimal and it's nowhere near as rich or warm as Glowing Vulva. It's a great simple everyday substitute though.

[Kittenmorag]

In the bottle- Oh, DAMN, Vanilla. I'm a diabetic, and this oil in the bottle near killed me with it's sweetness. The vanilla is enriched by the cream, making it a full, rich scent. There is an edge to it, though, that I can see being a slight problem on the wear. This smells like the sort of thing that you'd want to keep to sniff only, not to wear all the time, otherwise it might make you ill.

 

On the wrist- The slightly cloying sweetness is tempered out by a bitter note- the saffron comes out to play. The whole thing becomes mellow, full yet innocent- it reminds me of when mum makes cakes and fudge and stuff. I'm almost expecting a spearmint or peppermint note from the icing. The shape of the scent is very delicate, and doesn't have a lot of throw, but that's probably for the best- those who are close enough to catch it deserve to enjoy it

 

Overview- Definately an indulgent scent, it lasts for hours, and will have people that catch a whiff of it following you around like a bakery cart. I sometimes get scent-triggered headaches, and this one looks to be so rich that it might trigger one on a bad day, but if I can get past the first five minutes without ripping my nose of, this will be one to keep me very happy the day through. I'm glad I took a chance

 

=^..^=

Edited November 6, 2008 by Kittenmorag

[mhickle]

Super crazy sweet in the imp...but not in a bad way. It just really hit me - thick, creamy vanilla. Rich, delicious icing. It stays that way wet, then does go slightly plasticky on me for a little while, but then mellows into, for the most part, a softer version of its first lovely vanilla scent. Every so often I get the slightest whiff of plastic, but really not much, and only every so often. It's kind of weird like that.

[zankoku_zen]

Okay, so I really get buttercream vanilla icing from this. Makes me think of cupcakes and that delicious icing.... Mind you, there is no CAKE in this. Just icing. It's a little on the sweet side on me, and just a little plasticky (either the vanilla or cream) but it isn't as bad as I thought it could turn out (cream is usually a death note).

 

I think the saffron adds just the right amount of 'spice' to keep this from being too sugar sweet.

 

If you're a foodie/sugary/sweet lover, I would definitely recommend this one to you.

[PersephonesChild]

Like everyone else, I got really excited over this blend when it first appeared, and promptly ordered a bottle. Before my bottle arrived, I got a chance to try some and a meet'n'sniff... and I knew I was doomed. Even in the bottle, it smelled like plastic to me. On my skin, it didn't have a prayer in the world. And I'm not that disappointed (OK, maybe I was really disappointed at the time!) But I agree with the description that it smells a lot like a glazed doughnut-- which just isn't my kind of scent in the first place. It's too simple, and too foody.

 

I'm pretty sure it's the saffron note that killed it-- it also didn't work for me in the The Great Sword of War of Baghdad, although those two both had other notes that didn't help matters.

[ljaylh]

I only recently discovered this beautiful blend when I spotted it in a sales post.. read the description and thought ayup, that's for me! I have now developed serious hoarding issues with this one.

 

In the bottle: Mmmmmm I feel like it wafts out of the bottle and envelopes me in a velvet cloud of creamy sweetness but that saffron is just poking its finger at me saying "hey, I'm here!"

 

On my skin, wet: This is lush, so creamy, it feels warm and somehow comforting. The vanilla is now all around me but not in a strong "bakery" kind of way, just a sensuous mysterious way. The saffron's tickling my nose.

 

After it's dried: Oh boy, this is really something. My skin must love this - the cream is still warm and velvety and the vanilla has mellowed out to be really lovely - on me it's gone very dry and musky, not too sweet at all. The saffron's definitely there now, just giving the whole thing an edge and beautifully balancing out the sweet creaminess - that's what's making me keep sniffing my skin.. not just sniffing, I'm INHALING this - it's just gorgeous.

 

Love's Philosophy just agrees with me - it stays on for ages.. as it fades, the creaminess and all the notes still stay but it just all softens and mellows out very evenly rather than suddenly disappearing. I love the way the fragrance follows me around - it never takes over, it's just like the feeling that stays with you after a warm embrace.

 

My plan now is to continue hoarding it like a crazy person because I never want to not have some of this near me.

Edited December 17, 2008 by sunshinedaisybliss

[SeaMonkey]

On, i get mint. When it dries, it smells like a cheap vanilla candle. Note to self-no more cream blends for you

[tehriaz]

count me in with the wintergreen crowd. it's not really even minty - if it was, it wouldn't be this horrible. it's just a harsh artificial weird chemical smell. I can't trade this away fast enough.