Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener

[gypsysingleton]

Sassafras, vanilla extract, oak leaf, CO2 butter extract, and onycha.

Nice Twist on Root Beer Barrel Candy -

On Drydown it almost smells like THE ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM - It has that creamy tobacco feel - long stay and nice throw

[Honeygirl]

Bottle: olde fashinioned Root beer

 

Wet: Smells like those root beer barrels, but slightly more upscale. Goes on very light on me.

 

Drydown: This isn't medicinal on me at all, but I'm not sure if I want to smell like root beer or not!

Might try it layered with a vanilla scent, to see if I can get a root beer float out of it.

3.0 outta 5

[lysithea]

There is nothing like this in the general catalog.

 

Initially, there is the familiar scent associated with root beer. It's a real hand crafted root beer. Nothing overly medicinal or sharp. It's so round and smooth. The addition of the CO2 butter is honestly, pure genius! This note lends a lush creaminess to the blend, but manages to uplift it to the extraordinary. It's vanilla-esque, but not. It's sweet, but it's not. There is a slight citrus undertone that I can barely, barely detect on the backend of the middle notes. I can certainly tell that CO2 butter is one note that must have an accomplished perfumer's hand to make it sing. Too heavy of a hand and you'd get a smear of heavy oily mess.

 

I think that this blend will appeal to foodies and non-foodies alike.

Throw is slightly above average, but will depend primarily on application. Wearlength is above average. It does last quite well and pretty true on clothing (however, the root beer notes fade rather quickly...)

 

If you are looking for something different to add to your collection, do not hesitate to add this gem! Even if it's not your thing, I am certain that you will be able to appreciate the artistry behind it.

 

Bravo, Brian! I am glad to see more of your work available for the general catalog.

[savage_rose]

Creamy absinthe that fades pretty quickly. It's okay, and that's it...I won't be swapping the imp anytime soon, but I won't be buying a bottle, either. It smells pretty "meh" to me, although it's a different kind of blend.

[Jilara]

Yesyesyesyesyesyesyes!!! Why didn't I buy a bottle from the start?

 

Wet, this is a creamy, dreamy bottle of the absolute best cream soda immaginable. You can see the frothy head in the glass sort of creamy quality to it!

 

And then it amps up the vanilla and butter qualities even more, and gets something in the background I can't even identify, but it sure is GOOD. And finally, the sassafrass comes out to play. I was afraid I was going to get rootbeer, but it's definitely sassafrass, and just enough to lend intrigue and interest, rather than being a major player, letting the cream soda dominate the show while it adds a solid backing. Ohmigod this is good! I only wish real sodas (cream or otherwise) were this good.

[mooncityminx]

Me and the Sass are at a draw. Everytime someone compares some scent to root beer, I have to have it. It happened with Chokmah and now it happened with the Sass. What I always fail to remember is that even though I love root beer, and even though I love root beer candies, root beer has wintergreen. Wintergreen is the lurking evil.

 

In the bottle I am getting effervescent wintergreen and medicinal stuff.

 

Wet: Wintergreen, vanilla, root beer with amped wintergreen, wintergreen, wintergreen.

 

Dry: As it dries the notes blend a little better and the Sass becomes medicinal and masculine. The vanilla pokes out its head and yells 'hey' to the wintergreen. This stage, though not as offensive, is not light enough to be my style, though it would smell good on a man with the right chemistry.

 

An hour later it has morphed into something amazing. Vanilla and incense and some spice that I can't identify but love. It must be the Sassafras! It is glorious. If only I could have this from the start and not have to endure the torture of wintergreen. I've decided to hang onto my bottle and see if it ages into this.

 

Oh that the sassafras and vanilla might team up and smite the wintergreen, only time will tell.

 

ETA: I don't know if it has aged already, or if it's my chemistry that has changed temporarily for my monthly affliction, but lately I have been slathering and it is so good. I'm getting just root beer with vanilla ice cream on top and then eventually just vanilla. I hope it has aged and it's not just temporary for me. *slather*

Edited June 4, 2008 by Tempest

[meaganola]

Hmm. I really, really wanted to like this one. I love root beer, and I love wintergreen, so I was operating under the theory that whichever one I got would be great, and a combo would still be great. Alas, I am ending up with a weird band-aid-and-slightly-buttery-linament combination. I wish I could swap this one, but I already mixed it with perfumers alcohol and put it in a little sprayer, so it's just going to sit there and taunt me until I think, "Well, maybe I was just having an off nose day," and give it another shot. I'm still waiting for a day where I really like (rather than merely tolerate) Love's Philosophy, though, and I have a feeling SSS will be the same way. On the up side, it doesn't last all day. Oh, it's still hanging in on my shirt, but on my skin? It's long gone.

[Reaver]

Hello, and welcome to the world of GC Loves Philosophy. It's so similar! Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener is BRIGHTER somehow. More summery. Loves Philosophy is sweeter.

 

Vanilla with a green edge. Not herbal really, but bright and fresh. I was expecting foodie, but it's not. It's quite remarkable how many things it reminds me of, but nothing I can quite place. I have no idea what root beer is, so I can't say anything about that comparison but it's ice creamy and lickable.

 

Conclusion - A bottle to replace Loves Philosophy, but happy with my imp until then.

8/10

[zomathesadist]

when I read the description, I thought, "Root beer? I don't even like drinking root beer! Why would I want to smell like it?" I mainly just got the imp because of all the fuss about it.

 

I dabbed it on yesterday, and yep! ROOTBEER! but the good stuff. this isn't any A & W--this is the gourmet stuff in the glass bottles made in small batches. the kind that's way more spicy than sweet.

 

wet on skin: see above. something kind of sharp comes out--maybe the onycha or the oak leaf? whatever it is, it keeps it from getting too sweet. I was unsure about it at first, but the roommate said he really liked it.

 

after 10: vanilla comes out to play. this is really unique.

 

now, the interesting: I honestly didn't really think I liked it that much on me. But the roommate LOVED it, and when I went to work, my manager (who hated White Rabbit on me, and now calls me Jackrabbit ) LOVED it! so this is a scent that gets people's attention.

 

another sidenote: I'm a bartender in a VERY busy Asian restaurant. I move, I sweat, I get the smell of soy sauce and garlic in my hair and that's what I usually smell like. But I still kept catching sniffs of it. And when I woke up this morning, the ladies still had a lovely smell! this one LASTS!

 

in a nutshell: sweet rootbeer smell made more complex by the leafy sharp notes. not cloying in the slightest. impressive throw, even more impressive wearlength (all the way through Mother's Day dinner and a good nights' sleep!)

[akiko]

 

Imp: sassafras. Which doesn't quite smell like root beer, but it's a descriptor that people know.

 

Wet: Sassafras! And something sweet - the vanilla, likely.

 

Dry: Poo, the sassafras is gone. But the vanilla lingers, and something creamy (the butter extractive, probably). It hasn't gone cloying yet, thankfully.

 

I bet this would smell really good with Tombstone.

[maribouquet]

I am not sure what to make of this one. The first 20 minutes are kind of a mess on me - I like the sassafras, but I mostly get a morass of grease and powder and general huh?-ness. The sassafras fades, but that is okay because I end up with a sort of cakey yet sophisticated vanilla. But the drydown is oddly powdery. I'm not sure that this is going to work for me, but it's truly an interesting blend. Will try it again.

[phantasmmysteria]

I really don't think there's much I need to add to this -- it's already been said!

 

I will say, however, that while this does start out smelling like the best root beer imaginable, the subtle morphing that it undergoes on my skin from wet to dry is really magical. And the drydown -- which winds up smelling like very expensive cream soda -- is to die for.

 

I need a big bottle, straight away. For sure!

[inurbanus]

I'm afraid I'm going to have to be a dissenter -- Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener smells like shaving cream to me. In the bottle, I can smell a little bit of the sassafras; it doesn't smell quite like root beer, but it's close enough that I can tell it's there. This is mostly an herbal blend, and while there's some sweetness that I'm guessing comes from the vanilla, it's actually quite dark and murky. I was expecting this one to really "lift" on my skin, but that isn't the case. I'm going to chalk it up to wonky skin chemistry.

 

2.5/5

[Tulliver]

Well, root beer's not so widespread over here, so I can't say it smells like that to me. However it does smell very very much like dandelion and burdock - and that's NEVER a bad thing so far as I'm concerned.

 

It doesn't seem to have a madly long life, sadly - three hours tops - but this is just another justification for me to get a scent locket or four.

 

I have NOTHING negative to say about this at all. It's lovely. Sweet and dark and just... lovely. This entire category is an utter delight.

[kelpsoda]

I forgot a very important fact when I bought an imp of this: the smell of root beer gives me a headache. This is very much like good root beer, a bit creamy, sweet, sassafras, but not too foody. It does give me a similar vibe to love's philosophy. If that's your thing, then this might be the perfect scent, but it just doesn't work for me.

[forspecial_plate]

I can't resist reviewing this even though I just got it today.....

 

It starts out with a rush of sweet vanilla and sassafras, almost too sweet and rich, like a root beer float. But after just a few minutes, the notes settle down and start to interact, and it really is great. Light and effervescent, but the oak leaf comes forward to give the scent a solid backbone. I'm with Tartchef.....I thought of Glowing Vulva, but much lighter, and not powdery which that scent verges on. Nearly a "Root-beer flavored Glowing Vulva"..... ....but more than that (where else can I get away with typing that, and everyone knows what I mean??).

 

The butter note is really not heavy to me at all.....I can smell little flashes of it, and it's more like a butter vapor to my nose, which sounds totally weird, but it makes sense in the overall composition of the scent.

 

Bottom line......Laudanum is still my favorite sassafras scent, and I already have a big bottle of that, so I don't need more of this right now. But I am tickled pink that I have an imp! I want to always have this around for when the mood strikes me. It's a stimulating concoction, indeed.

[Mamacat]

Wow, this one is good. So good. It's really like an adult root beer. Who knew I wanted to smell like root beer? The vanilla in it is very good and full and rich - not plasticy at all.

[greenranger]

Applying from the imp I got rootbeer and a vivid flash of vanilla.

 

Wet on me, rootbeer.

 

Drying, hmmmm. The rootbeer has stepped back and there is something...it smells slightly buttery, maybe?...which could be the CO2 butter extract? Or it could be me picking up suggestions from the note list.

 

It's actually very light and airy at the moment. More the carbonation or atmosphere wafting off of the rootbeer than the rootbeer itself. Except that it has changed a bit and it isn't really rootbeer; It's a potion with sasparilla in it. I'm tempted to think that maybe my skin isn't messing around with this one.

 

Except that the only place that I applied it where I can still smell it is on the back of my hand. My elbow and wrist have almost nothing.

 

It's fading.........

 

Later:

Well, it hasn't vanished completely, but, it is more airy and light than I was expecting. Someone else compared it to Tombstone, but, to me, Tombstone is settling down to a cedar and vanilla scent that is too earthy to be easily compared to this, even though a few notes are similar. I do tend to amp cedar though, so someone who likes this AND doesn't get so much wood from the scents might try Tombstone.

Edited May 26, 2008 by Aerinha

[pennydreadful]

This is FABULOUS. Creamy yummy rootbeer. I wish it stayed on my skin longer - I guess I'll have to buy a bottle so I can slather repeatedly!

 

edited to add: PLEASE make a soap of this! It would be so refreshing for summertime.

Edited May 27, 2008 by amber a

[moderngypsy]

My skin tends to do strange things with any kind of creamy-type scents. Either it amps them all to texas or it sours them and makes me smell like sour milk.

 

So I was dubious, and ordered an imp first.

 

That imp? Dry. Completely DRY. That says something, since it takes me forever to go through an imp, usually.

 

Bottle arrived today, and yep, it's rootbeery, sassafrassy, creamy yumminess, with no amping of the butter and nothing different from the imp. And I love it so so so much. Lasts forever on my skin, doesn't do any of the weird breaking down, just smells fabulous from start to finish.

 

This one is on my top ten now, probably for good.

[euterpe414]

On me this smells just like a rootbeer float- creamy vanilla and bubbly, sassafrass-y root beer. The sassafrass mellows a lot during the drydown, and once it's been on my skin for a while (ie: over an hour) it reminds me a bit of Love's Philosophy. Perhaps Love's Philosophy at the ice cream parlor or on steroids, I dunno... This is definitely it's own scent, though, and, like a previous poster said, very unique in the general catalog. If you're like me and wanted a sassafrass scent but found Laudanum to be too heavy, you should give this a try. Also, if you already love Love's Philosophy and the dearly departed Chokmah, then you MUST try this- they are all closely related scents. I think SSS would be appealing to gourmand and non-gourmand fans alike since the 'butter' note is not prevalent and it's really maintains a buoyant feel throughout most of its skin-time. I don't usually hoard GC bottles, but I think I may be going through this one very quickly.... it is truly delicious and slather-worthy!

[theal8r]

In the bottle: I want to eat this. Srsly.

 

Wet: OMG, vanilla rootbeer float -- so cool! Such an unusual smell! I want to lick my arm! (why are you staring at me...) Like someone above mentions, this is really closely related to Love's Philosophy, but not quite. The sassafras is stronger and the scent is not quite as delicate.

 

Dry down: spicy, creamy vanilla. Not femmy, but not masculine either -- just pleasant. It sort of smells like walking down a dusty road in the late, late summer. There is something... not quite minty... blooming... and you're eating an ice cream cone. Wonderful throw, not overpowering, but present.

 

 

I didn't really expect to like this one. But I do!

[theseagrows]

smells like vanilla and sassafras (root beer)..so maybe like a root beer float? i love this, it's kinda creamy-foody but i can go there with this scent. not sure i'd buy a whole bottle, but on occasion this will be the perfect scent!

[aessedai]

This is like a sip of bubbly root beer on a summer day, in a saloon with faded yellow curtains, worn thin, fluttering in a warm breeze.

[Miss Lynx]

I got this as a frimp, and it didn't appeal to me initlally as much as Nostrum Remedium did, but I actually like it the better of the two. I was worried that the sassafras would make it too root-beer-ish, but really the vanilla is the dominant note here. There's definitely a touch of sassafras, but less than there is in, say, Laudanum. Mainly it's a warm, earthy vanilla, with oak grounding it.

 

The reference to "CO2 butter extract" initially confused the hell out of me -- I wondered if maybe CO2 in this context was some kind of shorthand for cocoa (as in, CO2 = 2 x "co" = "coco"), because the idea of carbon dioxide butter just didn't make much sense to me. But apparently (based on googling it, anyway) it actually refers to butter oil, extracted using caron dioxide. The things you learn via BPAL... Anyway, I can't really pick up butter as a distinct scent in here, but at least it doesn't have that horrific fake-butter smell that's in a lot of the foodie scents.

 

I also initialy had no idea what onycha was, but apparently it's a form of snail membrane(!) which the ancients for some reason put into incense, either as a fixative for the other scents or possibly for its own scent, depending on what source you read. I have no idea what it's supposed to smell like -- one source said that if not prepared properly, it smells like fishy burnt hair, but nothing about what it smelled like if it was prepared properly. Another source said that several other incense ingredients were sometimes referred to as "onycha" even though they technically weren't, including gum tragacanth, spikenard and labdanum. The latter might make sense here -- it's a warm, deep, musky resin-scent, and I could see that being part of this one.

 

All in all, this was a pleasant surprise. Not necessarily likely to become a top favourite or anything, but it's pretty nice, and the vanilla doesn't doesn't seem to be turning into Play-Doh on me the way it sometimes can.

 

Grade: B