Love's Philosophy

[agirlnamedfury]

Vanilla, saffron, and cream.

 

2016 version:

 

True to the listed notes -- this is pure vanilla, cream, and saffron. Delicious!

[Gale]

I tried Love's Philosophy the first time it came out, and could not wear it. I was heartbroken. On me, the original smelled like wintergreen lifesavers for the entire duration.

 

This one is a very rich, creamy vanilla, with a sharpish medicinal note. I do not like it up close when I sniff my wrist, but the fragrance wafting around me is to die for. So much so that I will likely get a second bottle before the Lupers depart.

[quintessentially]

This scent was almost entirely all saffron for me. From opening the decant to first application, it blasted a bitter and unsweet odor into my nostrils. Vanilla and cream came in after a few minutes but it was still very much saffron. The cream kind of curdled I'll be swapping this!

[sunlitgarden]

2016 version:

In the decant: I can definitely understand the comparison to cream soda here. There's a sweet vanilla and something that smells effervescent. There's also something about it that smells almost medicinal/band-aidy to me? Not really a fan of that aspect.

On my skin: Unfortunately, that "band aid" aspect amps up right away. Is this the cream being sour? I don't know what it is. It starts to smell a teeny bit spicy, too, which I'm assuming is the saffron? I am not really familiar with saffron as a spice individually, though I know it's used in Indian spice blends.

As it dries: less "band aids" and more root beer or cream soda.... but the "band aids" thing never totally fades.

Not for me, sadly.

[Mountaingrrl00]

The 2016 version, on me, is sweet, sweet vanilla with an undercurrent of sarsaparilla. It's kind of like a foodier Tombstone.

[LadyLuckless]

I've been dying for a bottle of this since I received a tiny drop as a swap gift way back in '09. Despite some sharpness fresh out of the bottle (which I know will round right out with some aging) Love's Philosophy remains my perfect vanilla dream! Creamy, rich, divine, and will become more so with age. So happy to finally have a bottle of the scent that was #1 on my wish list!

[Teamama]

I got a decant of 2016's Love's Philosophy, and it's so fabulous, I ended up buying a partial bottle.

 

It's got something in it that has a variable response to my chemistry. The first day I tested it, I was underwhelmed; the next, it was a hallelujah vanilla cream party. During the first, meh test, I got a lot of the "wintergreen/root beer/Ben Gay" note on application, and it took a looking time to go away. Subsequent wearings have been free of that curse.

 

This has medium throw, but incredible staying power. I get a lot more vanilla than cream, and only a wee bit of saffron.

[porcelaincrypt]

I bought a full bottle of Love's Philosophy blindly and don't regret it at all! A great purchase.

 

Cold sniff: First thoughts were...nice, something warm, autumn/Xmas like about this. It definitely smelled familiar to me. It came to me that it smelled like this decor piece I bought for my mom for Christmas back in high school. It was a silver bell, shaped like a star with potpourri inside. It now resides in my grandmothers home and whenever I'm there I always take a whiff and the scent is still mildly there despite being purchased like 15+ years ago. This smells exactly like that and I like it. In the bottle is is mild and not overbearing at all.

 

Skin: On my skin it smells the same, just like the decor, basically like vanilla/spicy scented potpourri in a decorative bowl. I really like, but not quite at the love mark. On a scale from 1-10 it would be about a 7 or 7.5. Prob 7.5. I think I want to use this in a diffuser because I would really like my home smelling like this during the winter months but on my skin it's just a tad strong.

 

I can absolutely smell the cream soda scent that others mentioned in some of the reviews. There is a hint of sweet vanilla fizz. I wasn't getting wintergreen at all and find it interesting that a lot of people did. With the idea in my head now, the more I sniff it I can almost get it, or see how others have! I do rather like wintergreen so for me it is a welcome note.

[nolifeking]

In the bottle: sharp vanilla

 

Wet: Wintergreen rootbeer! Now I did not see that coming At this stage, the cream is starting to go a bit sour.. uh oh. I fear the worst...D:

 

Dry: this one seem very sensitive to any change in my skin chemistry.When I first tried Love Philosophy, I caugh a cold during the day ( because why not. Eh. -___- ) and the vanilla reeked of playdoh mixed with sour cream...horrible! And it lasted forever! :X Had to scrub it off...

 

Now feeling better, it became instead a delicious vanilla cream with a bit of saffran throw in it. ♡

I don't think I'll reach often my bottle but I'm starting to like it though!

[lucycat]

Love’s Philosophy smells like the world’s best vanilla candle on me. That is, the cream goes a little waxy, but not in a way I mind. I’m surprised by that, because the cream in Boo, one of my favorite vanilla-and-cream blends, doesn’t turn waxy at all. I can pick out the saffron, especially when this is wet.

 

I can see why so many people have compared Love’s Philosophy to cream soda, though I wore this soon after testing Champagne Lace, which, with its carbonation note, reminded me of cream soda even more strongly. I would have loved to get the wintergreen that others have described, but alas, no.

 

Love’s Philosophy is a snuggly scent with minimal throw; even after a not very strenuous day, I had to reapply in the early evening.

 

I’m happy I bought a bottle of this unsniffed.

Edited May 23, 2016 by lucycat

[PeculiarHeroine]

This is a perfect, vanilla touched cream with just a wee dab of rich saffron, which warms up the whole thing, and keeps it from being too sweet. Very subtle, but very sophisticated.

[JTobias]

I am always so torn with this blend; I had the original in 2008 and this 2016 version is the same on my skin: vanilla saffron creamy goodness that turns to a slightly band-aid/plastic drydown.

[Casablanca]

Freshly applied, this is the custardy vanilla of the lab's French Vanilla Single Note blended with a thick cream, soft saffron, and, weirdly, just a little carbonation and sassafras? To my nose, at least, BPAL's French Vanilla SN is pretty but with a waxy tone I've run into in one of my own plain vanilla oils, and don't love. Love's Philosophy is like a vanilla candle's more sumptuous (and a touch presumptuous) next-door neighbor: creamy and lush and better-than-thou, yet somehow charming and excusable. I spilled some of this on my forearm once, and reveled in the cloud of cream.

Love's Philosophy doesn't change after drydown on me, except to soften. I like it, even if it's not the absolute best vanilla ever.

[Spaztic]

This one opens smelling like Birch Beer (which is like a slightly minty Root Beer) and stays that way for about 15-20min

Then it dries down to a creamy vanilla that somehow smells slightly chilled with out still being minty anymore, like you took vanilla cream out of the fridge

I really like it in both phases

I wish it lasted a bit longer on my skin though ( I only get a few hours wear)

[brilliantcat]

In the bottle and wet, I get a weird wintergreen rootbeer/cream soda mashup that I'm definitely kinda diggin'. A few moments on my skin and omg we have nostril searing not-quite Ben-Gay! If there was actual burning involved, I'd say Tiger Balm because it really does smell more like that, herbal instead of medicinal. I am a sad panda I'll give it the benefit of the doubt because none of these should be bad notes in any way on me and based on other reviews, this might take a bit to calm down. Nope. Nopenopenope. I gave it hours. It went play-doh, then rancid. I have NO idea why. Something just isn't meshing well when it really should be, like I said these are really REALLY good notes on me. I suspect the saffron isn't playing well with the cream because I've noticed it can be touchy. Ah well. At least I got to experience this blend which has been on my bucket list for awhile now

[Atrous]

2016 version:

 

I've got mixed feelings about this scent.

In the wet stage it starts out sharp and acrid. I smell acetone.

 

Once dry, the acetone aspect goes away but is replaced by the faint smell of band-aids.

I can smell all the notes listed too: vanilla, saffron, and cream. The part of the scent where these three notes combine is really wonderful.

However; I can't get past that lingering band-aid smell hovering under my nose.

 

Its too bad really.

[Missy_killer]

2016 version

 

In the decant: This is a weird smell... First sniff is vanilla and then.. Mint? Pine? A bit astringent and not at all what I expected from this.

 

On me: So freaking weird. Pine and mint with an almost dusty smell. Vanilla is typically very dominant om my skin, so I'm surprised I don't smell any in here. There's also something that reads as commercial perfume, maybe alcohol-y? For a very short while the vanilla makes an appearance I get vanilla ice cream with pine. And then a blast of saffron. And then it goes back to dusty pine and mint.

 

This is not at all what I expected and if it doesn't change with some aging, it is not for me.

[fenharel]

2019 version:

 

soft, warm, comforting. the vanilla and cream combine to give it a distinct custardy feeling. There's no coconut in it but something about it reminds of me suntan lotion or sunscreen, in a good way. The saffron gives it a rich, sturdy base that keeps it from being one of those' clouds of pure sugar fluff' scents. I don't get any medicinal, plasticy, astringent or wintergreen smell as mentioned in previous year's versions. I also don't get any sort of 'curdled' note which I sometimes get from cream heavy scents and was worried about - for instance, Snake's Kiss, which I was very excited about, smelled like cottage cheese on my skin. Perfect throw - I can smell it even when my wrist isn't shoved into my nose, but it's not overwhelming. Think I need a bottle of this

[SophieCedar]

2019:

Ok, either I finally get it with the whole Love's Philosophy love or this 2019 version is quite different. Either way, this year we've finally come together for a valid friendship.  Its sweet rich vanilla scented figurines wet, then smooths to the floofiest awesomest vanilla cream musk... of the best kind. I'm having tea with dolly inside my brain and I wanna stay here. Screw getting old. I'm totally in for a bottle of this and will cherish it.

[h_yeti]

Love's Philosophy 2019 version:

Super super creamy, sweet vanilla straight from the imp and when wet. The cream dies down as it dries and the scent overall becomes lighter and less like straight-up vanilla ice-cream until I'm left with soft, sweet vanilla. I agree with SophieCedar, this vanilla is floofy! It actually reminds me slightly of Stimulating Sassafrass Strengthener but more vanilla-y, less root beer-y. Like the softer, creamier version. Beautiful vanilla scent!