The only regular member of Lush's catalogue, that possesses the scent of American Cream, is the aptly named conditioner, which for vegan fans, is off limits. I cannot tell you the number of times I was given strange looks for walking around a Lush store with a bottle of the conditioner, sniffing it whilst browsing, before popping it back on the shelf and making a quick exit. I loved the beautiful, unique scent, but just wasn't prepared to break 'vegan-edge' to try some. So when I stumbled upon a brand new bottle of the now-discontinued American Cream Liquid Perfume, I was ecstatically happy, and no doubt the local Lush employees were too.
American Cream is a scent modelled on the creamy vanillary milkshakes popular in diners during the 1950s. Released as a limited edition forum-special at the end of 2010, it's scent has been composed carefully to replicate the fresh smell of strawberries and milk, and although I wouldn't say it smells like your typical milkshake, it definitely has a playful, fruity fragrance like no other perfume.
First impressions of the scent are that of a musky vanilla mixed with the sweet, floral undertones of sage and just a hint of lavender. There is a sweetness to the scent that lends itself to the strawberry reference, however, it's not a natural fruity smell that you would immediately associate with the berry. The nuttiness of the vanilla is definitely at the forefront here, and this at least, is very natural smelling and fresh. However, the fragrance is somewhat dominated by the herbal notes, which gives the perfume it's warmth and makes the scent very wholesome.
I actually find this fragrance very difficult to describe, as it's unlike any scent I have smelt before. It's definitely a very feminine smell, and one that would be best suited during the colder months of the year. American Cream gives off a very comforting, homely smell, which means it would come across as rather cloying and heavy during the warmer months.
For those of you that have the privilege of being able to use the American Cream Conditioner, it does indeed smell identical to this; Lush have definitely managed to replicated the infamous scent successfully in liquid perfume form. The only negative aspect about this perfume, is that unlike the conditioner, which holds a very dominating and long lasting smell, the perfume is more reserved, which means the scent is somewhat lost during use.
I found that the perfume's scent remains strong on your skin for a good few hours after application, but by about the fifth hour, I could no longer smell the perfume at all, which was rather disappointing. This would work wonders next to the body lotion of the same scent; giving your skin a 'top up' of scent throughout the day. But as a stand-alone perfume, it doesn't hold it's ground as strongly as I was hoping.
If Lush were to bring American Cream back as a forum special, in the coming years, I only hope they revamp the fragrance and give it the longevity I was hoping for.
Quantitative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol, Perfume, Vanilla Absolute (Vanilla planifolia), Clary Sage Oil (Salvia sclarea), Lavender Oil (Lavandula angustifolia), Benzoin Resinoid (Styrax tonkinensis pierre), Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool, Coumarin, Methyl Ionone.
Vegan?: Yes.
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