Fresh Cream Soft Suede

Cozy, leathery , boozy and vanilla-ey. These are the words/feels i would describe this perfume as . I think this is a more mature version of the warm cashmere scent but it still has that sharp sweetness with that added suede/leather note which makes it unique . I really like this and love to layer with other vanilla scents.

At first sniff, I let out a sigh that seemed to reverberate throughout the house. Back in the early 90's, when Bath and Body Works was catching flame, and their now iconic scents were still well crafted novelties, they released a line called Vanilla Delights. These cologne bottles were made from brushed aluminum, in an attempt to validate their "Heartland" era, and there were a variety of vanilla scents. One was called Vanilla Musk, but there were others: Vanilla Sherbet, Vanilla Mocha, Vanilla Berry, and Vanilla Bean. I believe there was also a Vanilla Tobacco, but after extensive research online, found nothing but record of Vanilla Sherbet and Vanilla Musk. Everything else about this line seems to be expunged; lost into the ether. I will tell you, in the 1994 I received all of them one Christmas, in a gift pack, and have managed to even pass some on to my daughter. Little did I know I was holding a collector's item! However much love I still have for those memories, I can personally explain why Vanilla Sherbet still remains available to purchase. It wasn't great. Who could have anticipated a kiwi, pear, vanilla experiment would not catch on?! I realize this is the long way around the tree, because you are reading this to learn about Fresh Cream Soft Suede, and not the ramblings of a later-aged woman. (Let's connect the dots and see why that indoor sigh was so prophetic.) This stuff takes me back to those golden days of Midwest country chic, and the scents that Bath and Body Works produced were actually quite phenomenal! Philosophy has managed that skilled, yet casually approachable scent with this number. Top notes are sweet and boozy. And while I'm not much of a fan of smelling like I've been drinking, here it works, thanks to laconically applied caramel and musk. Milky sweet vanilla also helps to transform this scent beyond cliche. I'm reminded of those colognes from my youth, and a smile oozes across my face. The structure is linear, it appears legible, maybe even a bit insignificant. I shrug thinking the moment has gone, and then, like an accordion expanding out, the heart brings a smoky, teetering on incense like note, along with a surprising tangy leather. Ah, true nostalgia! Some sort of sorcery contorts this compositional moment into a sticky tobacco vanilla. I feel like I was finally allowed in the parlor with the men, drinking aside fruity floral notes of tobacco burnt variously, and with the utmost refinement. Final stages rest easy with an amber musk, and day dreams of my adolescence. So nicely done Philosophy! This fragrance won't change the world, or influence any r/evolution within its field. It will, however, feel comfortably confident, yet soft enough to cuddle with. I don't mind that the longevity is moderate; I really enjoy reapplying through out the day - for the opening chords, if for nothing else. Besides, cutting the tune periodically, creates a choir's round, which I indulged in today, much to my enjoyment. Ultimately a skin scent, it requires your permission for others to truly experience the nuances it conjures, and isn't that the true mark of class? Remaining aloof, defined by your own discretion.

I love this enough that I have a back up bottle! I discovered this only recently after coming across Fresh Cream Warm Cashmere. The two scents are pretty similar, but just like you’d expect this one has a soft suede accord. I love it. I don’t get screeching tires or melted rubber thankfully! I’m happy to report that to my nose this is a vanilla with creamy soft suede. I don’t find this to be lactonic at all, but the notes are blended in a “creamy” fashion. There are nuances of whiskey and caramel woods all the while smelling sweet and fresh in a white musk clean skin, but better kind of way. :) It is incredibly refreshing to be able to enjoy a fragrance that is so affordable. I find it lasts a few hours and is cheap enough that touch up sprays are fun!

August 2020 Finally! This came out in 2018 so congrats, Fragrantica, on getting your head out of the sand :P This is the second flanker to the pillar - Fresh Cream - and probably my favorite of the line. It opens with the Suede accord which comes across as Rubber. Screech. Yes, it's more rubbery than the "leather" accord in Bulgari Black. But soon, the Whiskey, and then, the Vanilla/Caramel comes over and it's really delicious. I go back and forth and whether that screeching Rubber is worth having to wait thru for that drydown. I think so but YMMV. If you want something similiar but w/o the 'suede', I highly recommend Whiskey Noir by UO Gourmand line. It has the same Whiskey, Vanilla, and Amber but wirthout the "suede".

If you are familiar with Fresh Cream Warm Cashmere, just delete the fake butter note that smells like a Buttered Popcorn Jelly Belly and substitute musk and whiskey, and you get Fresh Cream Soft Suede. A pretty nice combo! A rather like this flanker of the original Fresh Cream. Of the Philosophy Fresh Cream line, my preferences: 1) Fresh Cream (nice), Fresh Cream Soft Suede (also nice), Fresh Cream Warm Cashmere (don't like at all, smells synthetic). I love Philosophy products and own (the original, plain) Fresh Cream and Snow Angel perfumes and enjoy those. The original Fresh Cream bears some similarity to the Soft Suede, but Soft Suede has more musk and complexity, and less sweetness.