Love's Philosophy

[Honeygirl]

Vanilla, saffron, and cream.

Bottle: Cream

Wet: Very creamy and dreamy vanilla. I like it!

Drydown: If I try, I can get the rootbeer sniff that others get, but mostly I get vanilla which I really love!
4.0 outta 5

[iiinterstate]

In the bottle: Sweet foody vanilla.

 

Wet: sweet foody vanilla with none of the dreaded wintergreen I keep reading about.

 

Dry: I was really hoping for more depth here. Its just vanilla, like cream soda. Nice, but not awesome. Hopefully it will grow on me.

[lainevierge]

When I opened this for the first time tonight I let my husband sniff it and he said "It smells like birthday!"

 

Once I put it on I got the wintergreen everyone's been talking about. It was strange because it smells nothing like that in the bottle. The wintergreen faded to the root beer foam smell and now it's just a vague and sweet buttercream, not at all overpowering, and quite lovely.

 

So glad I got a bottle right away!

Edited February 26, 2008 by lainevierge

[Magpie]

In bottle: vanilla yum yum. I was worried that it would be a cloying, thick vanilla, like French Vanilla, which I like as a scent but find just too much after a while. Instead, it is lovely and creamy and sweet.

 

On, wet: Other notes come out and the vanilla lightens up to let them through. Blended nicely, though, so it isn't individual notes to a huge extent. However, after a few minutes the menthol-y minty scent begins to show through. It's actually all right, but not as nice as the vanilla version.

 

Drying down: The mint slips back underneath and leaves a beautiful vanilla, gentle and not cloying. It's changed a bit since the initial vanilla note, but in a good way. I know what people mean when they say it's not really foody any more, as far as a vanilla-and-cream-based scent can stop being foody - I suspect the saffron tempers it a little.

 

Overall, I smelled this and thought "five ml" (I got it through a decant circle), which is suprisingly impulsive for me.

[ultharkitty]

This is one of the strangest scents I have ever encountered.

 

In the bottle: Blue cheese. I kid you not. it really smells like blue cheese to me.

 

Wet: Overpowering smell of bubble gum, the kind that looks like a spiky snowball and tastes plasticky. If you don't know what I mean, it might be that this kind of bubble gum was only sold in the UK.

 

Dry: An utterly gorgeous, slightly naughty vanilla. The saffron comes out to play, and the plasticky and cheese notes have totally vanished!

 

I'm now going to try it in the scent locket... Hmm, I don't think this one is going to work unless on my skin. In the scent locket, it retains a whiff of blue cheese and a bit of the bubble gum scent. *leaves it for a while* Nope, it definitely needs the skin to morph into something enjoyable. It's sad that it doesn't have a great throw or wearlength, at least not on me!

 

All in all, this is a lovely scent, but one that really doesn't work well in a scent locket.

[girlygirl]

In the bottle: rootbeer float with a sprig of mint

Wet: mmm Vanilla. No wait, now there is some mint. No wait, now I smell ripe bananas?!?? Now I smell vanilla, brown sugar, bananas and something a bit spicy.

 

Very warm and comforting - reminds me of vanilla/brown sugar/banana/cream/cinnamon on old fashioned oatmeal (yes, I put all that on my oatmeal). I know that sounds like an odd thing to want to smell like, but it is actually good!

 

Dry: no more banana. Just creamy slightly sweet, very rich vanilla spice. *swoon*

 

Verdict: My immediate reaction is to make grabby hands and order four of these.

[suileach]

In the vial: Strong vanilla and something grassy.

 

On me: Huh. I guess this is the 'mint' everyone was mentioning; it smells more rooty to me, though. It is cool, crisp, and a bit green smelling, but it's not mint. That note dies in strength soon, though it's still detectable from up close. From 6 or more inches away, though, it's all cream soda.

 

It doesn't remind me of Underpants at all, but it does remind me a bit of Tombstone and, of all things, Western Diamondback!

[Rhowan]

~*~ Love's Philosophy ~*~

 

 

In the bottle: Fresh Cream, vanilla, and a hint of the wintergreen but it's more like a medicinal scent than wintergreen

 

Wet on Skin: oooh! This is very creamy. So yummy, vanilla cream! There is a pungent note at the tail end that I am taking to be saffron.

 

Drying down: This just continues to get creamier as it dries down. Still that pungent note at the end. It finishes the scent off perfect. It's not pungent in a medicinal or minty way, more like an sweet/herbal way.

 

Completely dried down: same as above but only BETTER!

 

Conclusion: A total perfect blend!!! I have to say that I haven't had a BPAL blend grab me like this in a long while!! It is vanilla-y without being fakey candle vanilla, it's creamy, warm, seductive, with that pungent end note that give it an unique end (without it, it would be a very boring creamy vanilla) The throw has actually gotten better the longer I wear it - which is highly unlike me. It is still going strong after an hour and that is highly unusual because my skin loves to eat BPAL in the first 15-45 minutes. I will write more later about how long it lasted but so far, this is definitely a WINNER in my book!

 

 

ETA (the next day): This was still going at 3hrs BUT all of the different notes had dissapated by then~ what was left was a plain but lovely vanilla - although it was lovely, it was boring. My hubby agreed. By 31/2 hrs, the vanilla turned into plastic-candle-vanilla and before 4 hrs,it was completely gone. I have to say though, that this has lasted much longer on me than most. I don't think that I will be buying that second bottle after all....

Edited February 27, 2008 by Rhowan

[simplyfunjhose]

Does this smell exactly like midway to anyone besides me? I just received a midway res in a swap and I swear I have nearly the same scent in Love's Philosophy....anybody else?

[lmaunu]

In the bottle, I smell some of the plastic-like scent that a few others have mentioned, but once on my skin, it smells like a creamy, cool, minty/wintergreen vanilla delight! The mint was surprise since I didn't get that from sniffing the bottle, and I love how crisp feeling it makes the vanilla.

 

I really like this scent, but the throw and wear are a bit below average. On my wrists, it faded after about two hours, although it did last a little longer on my neck and cleavage area. Love it, and will have to just slather it on a bit more!

[Dracoo9]

In the bottle: I'm not really sure what I smell theres....vanilla and some scent that I'm not really acquanted with so I'm assuming its the 'creme' because I know what saffron smells like (mmm saffron).

 

On: ...where is it? I had to put on three times the normal amount I put on to smell it but when I did it smelt preaty damn good but still a bit....odd.

 

After a few hours it began to smell kind of like vanilla coke. Which is weird for me because I dont like soda. It also smelt similiar to some Sweeties (i think thats the name of the candy?) that I use to have when I was a kid. Later in the day it did get a bit stronger before finally vanishing. I'm just sad that it had such a strange life span.

 

I like it but its not as good as I hoped it would be. But the boy likes it so we'll see.

 

Rating: 3.5/5

[pariahsdream]

Well this just confirms it- I need to stay far, far away from anything that hints of milk or cream.

 

All I get is buttercream frosting- sweeeeeeeeeet enough to churn my stomach. And then it's as if there are redhots smashed in it somewhere...I assume the saffron?

[Iceblink]

Vanilla buttercream frosting. This is one of the simplest BPALs I've ever sniffed! It's nice; the vanilla reminds me of the vanilla in Tombstone. I'm not sure if I'll need a whole bottle, though--straight-up vanilla is kind of...well, a whole lot of people wear vanilla perfume, and I like to smell different...however, having some of this around for layering might be a plus, so we'll see.

It's got crazy throw too. Mmm...

 

Edit: I wore this on Friday night, with the whole vanilla frosting effect (and I loved it and it lasted through 12 hours of sleep!), and then wore it again today, and this happens to be the last day of my placebo b.c. pills. The difference in this oil was HUGE. It had a tangy zing to it that I'm only guessing is the saffron, amped to the nth degree, but to my nose it had an almost lemony/citrusy feel. Blended with the vanilla it smelled like a rich lemony pastry. I think I'm just picking up the saffron oddly, but it smelled really really good. I've NEVER had a BPAL be this affected by a hormonal shift and I found it quite fascinating.

Edited March 5, 2008 by Iceblink

[DenMother]

This is unfortunately the worse experience of BPAL I have had in the 200+ ones I have tried. So disappointed. I ended up with a huge allergic reaction to something not sure what and it definately smelt quite plastic/chemical on my skin. My throat closed up the first time I tried it and I ended up in coughing fits plus had to get a ventolin (Haven't used one in years) I tried it again today to see if it was just a one off "having a bad day" type of thing but no I got the same reaction. Alas it isn't for me.

[jaeyne]

In the imp it smells like ghee. Wet and for about a half an hour, wintergreen, then vanilla candle. Really strong and lasts forever, even through washing dishes.

I had ordered a bottle prior to an imp coming my way on the basis of those who reported lovely buttercream. Alas, I don't have their chemistry!

Off to the swaps!

ETA: Borrowed "alas" from DenMother, whoops.

Edited February 29, 2008 by jaybird

[dawna]

In the bottle: This is such a wonderfully different vanilla. It isnt too sweet, it isnt sour at all. There is something grounding it, which I imagine is the saffron.

 

On the skin: Ok I was baffled at first when I read reviews saying wintergreen.. but honestly, its there. Its strange but its there upon application. Vanilla and wintergreen... and cream.. Its not bad to me though. I actually like this, a LOT. Its making the scent a lot less sweeter than it could have been.

 

On drydown: Ok now this is where the beauty of this scent comes forward. I am getting a cream soda scent LOL But see, I LOVE that scent. I am not a huge fan of the taste of cream soda but I can sit and huff the scent of it all day. Its vanilla cream soda on drydown.. and now that its been on for a while, I am getting a coconutty note that is blending with the vanilla cream note.. and that is gorgeous to me. This is a huge morpher. I wonder what it will be like in 6-7 hours.

[dragonlady]

Oh. My. God.

I have found my BPAL holy grail.

I don't even know how to describe it, aside from saying I am in love!

 

In the bottle I don't find it very appealing, it's very sugary vanilla, though I detect a hint of freshness in the background. When it hits my skin, the freshness takes over and there's no vanilla for a couple of minutes. That's definitely the wintergreen stage. I don't mind it, but it's not what I want from this scent.

 

Of course, shortly thereafter, this becomes Heaven in a Bottle^TM (or technically on my skin.)

I get wafts of vanilla, with an almost saltiness keeping it from going too sweet. I confess I was worried that this was going to be too sweet (both vanilla AND cream? it was risky), but the saffron is doing wonders. And I have no idea what causes the wintergreen, but man, am I glad it's there.

I get an almost beachy quality from this scent, though I have no idea why. It doesn't smell like sunscreen, the sand, the ocean, the trees, or anything that can be considered beach-like. But when I sniff it, I think of the beach. I guess it's just the 'salty' tang I get. Or maybe because both make me happy.

 

I see several backup bottles in my future.

Also, lasts all day long, with decent throw. Not to be slathered before a long car ride. Crap, that means I have to wear something else tomorrow.

[sprocket21]

Wow, when I first read the scent description I thought "There's no way I'm not going to like this!" Well, it's not the first time I've been wrong. The wintergreen others have mentioned was very strong - it was very medicinal and reminiscent of toothpaste on me. It made me feel ill and I had to go wash it off X_x.

[xoe]

The lab's vanilla rarely ever works on me.

I thought this might be an exception.

In the imp [decant] it is rich vanilla, and at first on me it is cupcake.

Then vanilla does the strange thing that it does on my skin.

I can see where people get wintergreen too.

Sort of a chalky like milk of magnesia smell or something. Not quite right for me.

[agnusdei]

Love's Philosophy smells like vanilla cream in the imp, but with a bite of something I can't place that smells a little... off? I can see where other's got mint/wintergreen as there is certainly a cooling quality present, though I'm assuming it's just the saffron being a little strange. Thankfully any funky business disappears once it's been on my skin for a few minutes, as which point it becomes a delectable foamy vanilla with just a touch of saffron. This is no doubt the lovely cream soda aroma that's been mentioned, it's sweet and smooth and utterly addicting to sniff. Things just get better from here on out as the vanilla develops into the most rich and true heavy whipping cream type scent. There's nothing fake or plasticy on my skin, just deliciously thick frothy peaks of vanilla cream adorned with saffron, yum! It's still going strong after a few hours, and when it finally does fade it's into the same sugared vanilla scent that remains on my wrists the morning after falling asleep wearing Snake Oil.

 

I always think I'm not much for the foody scents, but then things like this keep coming along to throw me for a loop. Love's Philosophy is everything I'd want in a dessert type scent without any of the cloying sweetness I would expect from something that's been described as smelling of buttercream frosting. It's amazingly delicious and I can see it layering fantastically with some of the residents of my perfume box to add an extra oomph to the vanilla factor. I can imagine Schwarzer Mond + Love's Philosophy coke floats already...

[dixiehellcat]

Wintergreen? Really y'all? How weird. I get none of that at all. I'm another who doesn't go for foody scents, but this one works on me! It starts off very vanilla cream, but after just a few minutes a hint of something sharper or spicier peeks thru--the saffron, I assume. This is nice. Gonna have to order me a bottle, even if I have to wait a while for the backorder.

[naeelah]

Wow, I'm surprised but not surprised that this already has 4 pages of reviews!

 

In the bottle, it smells like vanilla icing! Wet, I get a lot of the much fabled wintergreen. It overpowers the vanilla briefly. Luckily, the wintergreen aspect fades within 5 minutes, and gives way to a sharp, chemical kind of herbal smell. This dominates for maybe another 5-10 minutes.

 

It fades little by little, letting the rich, sweet vanilla take the fore. It's definitely very sweet and buttery. The saffron still has a little bit of a chemical smell, but the sharpness is subdued by the vanilla, and it actually provides a nice contrast. That chemical sharpness continue to fade, and about an hour later, the saffron mainly has a warm, very lightly spicy quality. Actually, saffron reminds me a bit of cardamom, in that it has a mint-like quality without being minty. It's spicy and cool at the same time.

 

But the saffron just gives the vanilla something to play off of. Sweet, creamy vanilla is definitely the main quality there. 5 hours later, all I smell is buttercream. I think this will age fantastically!

 

Throw is a bit better than average, wear life is quite good.

Edited March 4, 2008 by naeelah

[twilighteyes]

In the bottle:

Buttery sweet mouthwatering vanilla.

 

Wet on skin:

On the second try, I *really* slathered* it on. Like.. a LOT. It was so wet, it was running down my arm. And that was the point where I could see people think it is a little minty while it is wet. Maybe wintergreen minty. Weird!

 

Dry on skin:

It is a little reminescent of Snow White but a warm, snuggly, Snow White. Snuggled up in a goose down comforter with a hot mug of vanilla milk. Now that it's dry, all I get is warm vanilla, cream, and a touch of something else that must be the saffron. YUM.

 

I could smell this ALL DAY LONG. Decent throw.

 

:D

 

I'll be ordering more bottles of this before it's gone.

Edited March 9, 2008 by TwilightEyes

[zomathesadist]

i have to admit: I had really low expectations for this one. when I got it, I opened it, took a whiff...and IMMEDIATELY wrinkled my nose, and put it away. it took me over two weeks to muster up the desire to try it.

 

in bottle: pure butter. yuck. with a hint of vanilla.

 

on skin: butter note disappears immediately! thank god. now the vanilla comes out. it's a sweet, light, inoffensive vanilla. not tremendously unique, but a great deal softer and less obtrusive than most vanillas I've smelled.

 

after 5m: oh, there's the spearmint! hmm. odd. it kind of reminds me of those after dinner mints that in pastel pink and green and white. odd thing to be reminded of, but there you go.

 

after an hour: about the same. mild spearmint, mild vanilla, no more troublesome buttery smell.

 

 

not one of my great loves. everything about it is...MILD. there's nothing that really grabs me in it. with so much fabulous BPAL, i can't really see myself wearing this one all the time. I have, I think, far too intense of a personality to wear something so...meek-smelling on me. (JUST on me! ONLY on me! I would love to smell it on someone that it's dead sexy on!)

 

In a nutshell: mild vanilla minty smell. the cream note is not overpowering. moderate throw, LONG wearlength.

 

sidenote: Although I really don't think too much about the way this smells on me (it's not bad, it's just not fantastic) I went to lunch with a friend today JUST after having applied it. When I walked up to the counter, the girl immediately started sniffing the air and said, "god...something smells so good."

 

I just gave her a Mona Lisa smile and threw some extra singles in the tip jar.

[LunaLovegood]

OMG I almost passed out when I sniffed it on the imp. It smelled like licorice to me, which I absolutetly abhor.

Dry on the skin, it morphs beautifully to a soft vanilla and cream scent. Its very nice. I will be getting a bottle

 

ETA: 3/12/08: I wore this recently again to try it on for all day.

UNfurtunately for me this gave me a head ache. It smelled exactly like a vanilla candle, and the scent would not fade. Definitely not getting it.

Edited March 12, 2008 by LunaLovegood