Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener

[flyingpizza]

Valuable in relieving the vapors and in reversing depraved conditions of the system!
Doc Constantine’s tonics will make you happy, hale, and hearty!
Sassafras, vanilla extract, oak leaf, CO2 butter extract, and onycha.

I am the absolute worst person to start off this review thread, but it seems like I received my order pretty quickly, so I gotta share the love!

This is brilliant. To me, this is just like picking sassafras leaves and crushing them in your fingers. The smell of the taste of chewing those leaves, if that makes sense. It's not crazy foody and sweet (and I say that as a generally non-foody fan), but sweet in the way that sassafras naturally is.

There is a slight feeling of effervescence to me, and an undercurrent of a vanilly sweetness. This has great staying power, and I couldn't stop sniffing myself--my husbeast said "I want to drink you!"

Thumbs up. Edited May 2, 2008 by Shollin

[Leopard403]

Root beer! In the bottle, on my skin, wet, dry: Lovely bubbly root beer!

[suki]

in the bottle: yummy, sassafras-y goodness! delicious root beer-iness!!!

 

wet on skin: the sassafras blooms, becomes sweeter, richer, but also more like the root, less like a soda pop affair. it's *really* good!

 

dry down: wow. it's so medicinal, but just because it smells SO exactly like sassafras root! the throw isn't strong, interestingly. this scent stays pretty close to the skin, which i think gives it an air of mystery somehow.

 

in all: this is GREAT. it makes me really anxious to try the other Doc Constantine formulations. i can only imagine that the others are going to be as good and true to their properties as this one is.

 

 

 

 

[lmaunu]

Yes, this is definitely pure root beer! It reminds me of those little root beer barrel candies you get at Claim Jumper restaurants, but so much better! The vanilla gives it a nice undercurrent, along with some richness and depth. Yummy!

[citharadraconis]

Yum. This is terrific. First bottle I've sprung for from the Lab unsniffed, and it was the right decision.

 

In the bottle and wet, yep, it's root beer. Delicious. As it dries, it acquires a little more complexity--it's still root beer, but it's the REALLY GOOD home-brewed kind with real sassafras, not too much sweetness, and a wonderful herbal bite to it. There's something earthy and almost incensy grounding it (the onycha?), the oak leaf gives it a woody, rooty smell, and the vanilla and presumably the butter are adding depth to the sweetness of the sassafras. I was worried because I can't stand overly-buttery scents and BPAL vanilla often turns to ChapStick on me, but there's none of that here. I want to drink myself.

Edited May 3, 2008 by citharadraconis

[kimmer]

I am in heaven

 

The perfect rootbeer scent, but even better.

 

It's like Tombstone weds Morocco and has a baby rootbeer float.

 

Thank you, Labbies - I am thoroughly in love with this scent!!

[scarletgenesis]

In the bottle: ALLLL Root Beer! But a more complex root beer... like one from a micro-brewery.

 

Once on: This is like Love's Philosophy with Root Beer added to it on me. I get some creamy vanilla with the sassafrass note.

 

Also, I think the oak leaf serves to make the 'root' part of the root beer scent more pronounced, because there's a not-as-sweet note in here that is earthy and gorgeous.

 

SO happy I got this. I predict a forum favorite out of this one. Also glad it is GC! And oh.....I can only imagine the gorgeousness when this ages.

[Megara]

Yep, I agree with everyone else. Root beer, plus a little creamy loveliness underneath. When wet, a little bit medicinal, but in a good way. When dry a really nice vanilla sweetness with a root beer touch. But not like mass produced root beer, more like the homemade stuff you get at Ren faires and such. Really nice. And very wearable.

[devilbunnyart]

I love this. Just like everyone says...It smells like root beer, but the really high-quality stuff.

 

Smells creamy and bubbly and sweet, but also earthy. Love!

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is tombstone minus the cedar...

 

once applied very, veeeeeeeeeeeery sassafrassy with creamy vanilla...

great throw...

 

in the end....this *is* my beloved tombstone minus cedar...me likey but

me likey tombstone more

[Ina Garten Davita]

Bathtub Root Beer in a bottle!

 

Creamy, spicy, fresh with a thick, foamy head. I am so in love with this. Smooth and refreshing. Ahhhhhh!

[Brianne]

I am in heaven

 

The perfect rootbeer scent, but even better.

 

It's like Tombstone weds Morocco and has a baby rootbeer float.

 

Thank you, Labbies - I am thoroughly in love with this scent!!

 

 

I couldn't have said it better - I LOVE LOVE this blend!!

[scotchgrrl]

Again, I am amazed at what my skin and body chemistry do to BPAL scents. I always seem to get the second notes, things further down the list.

 

In the bottle: medicinal sassafras

 

Wet: cream soda

 

Dry: cream soda

 

I like cream soda. It's the vanilla and butter that come to the forefront on me. I like this scent. It's warm and sweet. It's got a nice throw, not too big, not to small and seems to have a bit more staying power than some that I've used.

 

Edit: OOooo... I was hunched over some work on my desk and when I sat up I got a huge whiff of sassafras billowing up out of my cleavage...I'm soooo happy!

Edited May 6, 2008 by scotchgrrl

[naeelah]

The general consensus is that this smells just like root beer, and I have to agree. It does morph a bit -- sometimes it's more sharp and herbal, sometimes it's more creamy -- but still, root beer. (A good one, I should note.) The vanilla gives it a sweetness, but I wouldn't call it a sweet or foody blend.

 

Maybe it's more accurate to call this sarsaparilla. Root beer often has a licorice-like quality, and that isn't present in this perfume. It's all bright, creamy sassafras. Stimulating, indeed!

 

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to last long. After about an hour, most of the sassafras had evaporated, and it smelled like a faintly herbal, creamy vanilla. But it's really fabulous while it lasts.

 

Those who are afraid of the butter note shouldn't worry. I never smelled butter in this. It seems to behave rather like a cream absolute.

[penemuel]

Sweet creamy high-end rootbeer -- it's definitely the good stuff. It's everything I was hoping it would be, both in the bottle and on my skin.

 

Definitely also the Sassafras root and not the slightly lemony leaves.

 

This is a delicious scent -- and now I want a good bottle of root beer!

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Woody root beer.

 

Immediately on skin: Wow… root beer! The other reviews weren’t kidding. This isn’t nearly as sweet as the drink though. This is a drier scent with a bit of wood and a slight amount of vanilla in the background. This also has a sharp medicinal twinge to it in the background which I don’t really enjoy.

 

After a little while: The medicinal quality to this really faded within about 20 minutes and left something very intoxicating. This has strong sassafras, but it’s not overly sweet or syrupy. There’s a nice woodiness as well as the vanilla lingering in the background. This is not really a creamy scent, though it does have that element in the background. It’s more woody and dry than creamy.

 

Overall Impressions: This was a pleasant surprise. I didn’t know how I’d feel about this, but it’s quite interesting and dries down to something very lovely. It smells a bit like root beer, but it’s much more complex and deep. This is a drier scent with some woodiness and that lovely vanilla coming in behind. Very different and rather interesting! I don’t know how much I’d wear this, but I can see it as being one of those scents I’ll occasionally get a craving for.

[iiinterstate]

Reading the initial reviews I got a little worried...I love root beer, but I don't think I want to smell like it.

 

For the first minute or so, I smell nothing at all. More worry, because that is weird.

 

Then there is a lovely rich decidedly root beer scent, but not nearly as sweet as the soda. Definitely sassafras, definitely vanilla, and definitely a little bit of butter. And still somehow not too foody! I'm glad I ordered a bottle unsniffed, this is unusual and awesome.

[alicia_stardust]

This is very much like the reviews say. It smells like root beer to me, but it's very thick and refined. As the oil dries it takes on a stronger vanilla tone and I think it's the CO2 butter extract that makes this into more of a creme soda than root beer. The sassafrass has a nice rooty quality to it once the CO2 butter and vanilla ease up a bit. It has a strong throw and a little goes a long way.

[slave1]

STIMULATING SASSAFRAS STRENGTHENER

 

In Bottle: Very light rootbeer

 

On Skin: This is sooooo sweet and tasty! It’s like root beer and crème soda mixed. The sassafras is the obvious dominant note. The vanilla is creamy and the oak is woody and deep. The butter is nice and adds to the deepness without being sickly or heavy. The onycha is dark and resinous but not overwhelming, it has a nice stickyness. I was worried this scent would be overly sweet and too rootbeery, but it is actually lovely and not strictly rootbeer. It’s has many levels and is so unique and captures interest right away. If you wear this, I’m sure you will get comments because it’s unlike anything anyone else might be wearing around you. It has a light throw and average wearlength. A hit with me for sure!

[tartchef]

I'm with iiinterstate on this one - the concept sounded cool, but I have an aversion to smelling too much like dessert (flashbacks to my days as a pastry chef & coming home reeking of buttercream/chocolate/burnt caramel...). I needn't have worried, though - S³ is far more than just a nice rootbeer scent...

 

Straight out of the vial, yes, there's the vanilla & rootbeer & cream soda that everyone's talking about... But very quickly the oak steps up & cuts through all the sugar with a deep, burnished leafy note - it plays the same role as the teak did in Glowing Vulva, a touch of umami to bring things down to earth. The rootbeer finally admits that it's actually sassafrass, and a touch of tangy butter peeks out - cultured European butter, not the pale supermarket stuff. What's really getting me is the onycha - it's part of a snail shell, how cool is that?! It's adding a faint resiny note that's working so nicely with the sassafrass & oak...

 

I expected this to be a forum favorite, and it looks like I'm right - but I didn't expect it to work so differently, and yet so well on me. Ultimately, alas, I think the butter note will be a deal-breaker - I appreciate it intellectually, but am having a difficult time not visualizing my hands smeared in Plugra

 

I'll pass my imp along for someone else to try, but I may try & track down a bit in a few months from someone who's aging a bottle, just to see if the butter element calms down...

[spanishviolet]

The only question is, why didn't I just buy a bottle in the first place instead of going for the frugal imp option???

 

It does smell a lot like Tombstone, but without the cedar that one day decided to go all wrong on me. It recaptures the early days when I was able to wear Tombstone without cedar stomping all over it, and loved it.

 

A deliciously dry root beer, no scary butter scent on me, that dries down to a faintly spicy cream scent. I want to roll around in this & exude it in waves - but I only have an imp, so my coworkers are safe. For now.

 

Also, I don't find it particularly foody - foody's kind of a turnoff for me, and I love this.

[sfsassy]

Fizzy Rootbeer Goodness! I love this blend. It's one that I can slather all over and not think it's too much.

Getting a bottle for sure.

 

The drydown is more complex than just strait rootbeer too. LOVE!

[tinyvulture]

just like a cold, sparkling root beer on a hot summer day, SSS has arrived at my door just in time to help combat the texas heat. light woodsy and incense notes make the Strengthener a little darker, a little more complex, but really, they are so faint that i hardly notice them. just think of a tall, bubbly, chilled glass of root beer and you have this scent. i will be slathering this on for the next several months.

[strangemodegirl]

Reading all these wonderful reviews makes me super sad. Something in my skin chemistry did not like this at all. It smells wonderful in the imp and at first it was all root beer and vanilla.

Then it turned to plastic. I have never had any problems with vanilla turning on me, so it's got to be something else that's doing it, but I haven't a clue what.

[Josh]

I love this one. This is most definitely the Root Beer version of Love's Philosophy, like a medicinal vanilla cream + unsweetened root beer. For some reason I was expecting something like Snake Oil since it also has a somewhat root beer-ish note to it (at first, before it ages), but this definitely seems like a spicier cousin of Love's Philosophy. The more it dries, the better it becomes.