The Anti-Saloon League

[Antoinette]

Our version of a Black Cow, a 1920s virgin thirst-quencher: sarsaparilla and cream.

I went to C2E2 because I wanted THIS scent. Alas, it was sold out before I even got there. Since then, I have hyped this thing so much in my mind that I was afraid it could never live up to my ideal. Happily, it DOES! And then some.

In the bottle : Sarsaparilla, smells a bit spicy.
Wet on skin : Same.
Dry down : It gets creamier and creamier. Vanilla cream root beer. I'm infatuated.

I was telling my husband, who kept giving me weird looks because I couldn't stop smelling my arm, that it's like I spilled a really creamy, yummy and rich root beer on myself except that it wasn't sticky so I didn't have to wash it off! Hooray!

Honestly, if this were available to order I would hoard it like nobody's business. http://www.bpal.org/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/wub2.gif

Eternal thanks to the lovely person who sold this to me.

[Lorelai1945]

In the imp, this smells a lot like Love's Philosophy- very creamy with vanilla and some spices, but there's also a hint of...maybe something medicinal?

 

When it's wet, the medicine smell is gone, and I get spicy, creamy root beer. Good root beer, though- not the kind you can buy in a 2-liter. It's like root beer deconstructed- I smell the cream and the spice and even a fizziness, almost. But it's not crazy sweet, and that's not a bad thing here.

 

When it dries, I continue to smell some spice and cream, and it almost feels clean- not soapy, but just clean and creamy. Like aloe kind of.

 

This is nice. If I could, I would probably buy a bottle. However, knowing what they go for on Ebay, I'll be content with my imp.

[edenssixthday]

The Anti-Saloon League - I love this! Love it! Love it! Love it! It's one of my top 3 scents of 2010. It opens up with a perfect balance of sarsasparilla and cream. It's sweet and delicious, like a root beer float. The cream perfectly balances out the sweetness of the sarsasparilla. The scent is so pretty. I don't usually like foody scents, but this one is awesome! On my skin, it lasts and lasts and I get gorgeous wafts of an almost vanilla-like sweetness around me. It's really wonderful and I'm so glad it didn't turn to plastic on me as I feared.

[bluerose]

In the bottle: Straight up sarsaparilla. No cream.

 

On the skin: Creamy sarsaparilla. Yum.

[lilacea]

I was really surprised to see the changes this went through upon wearing. Wet, yup, creamy but not heavy, heavy cream, and a bit of spasparilla. Nowhere near the tonne of sasparilla you'll get with SSS. It's lighter and softer than that. Then once it settles into the skin, it does something very interesting. It becomes surprisingly sexy and soft and perfumey. It's skin hugging and understated, which I quite enjoy. It has a really gentle spice and a sweet super pale floral vanilla aspect. It is quite delightful, and mis almost unisex. Not sure how often I would wear this though, one because I have such a teeny amount, and two, it's so soft and elegant, and most days I usually don't go for that. But I can certainly see the appeal of this and will be saving for those days I want to feel quiet and soft.

[zankoku_zen]

Sasparilla and plastic cream. Unfortunately the BPAL note turns to plastic on me. It does smell like vanilla cream plastic though. I bet this smells delicious on the right skin chemistry.

[jencallisto]

In the decant: Spicy-sweet dark.

Fresh on the skin: Sweet cream, powder, something sharp.

5 minutes in: Rounding out, still a bit powdery. Oddly fruity.

10 minutes in: Creamy and dark. Quite nice.

15 minutes in: This is really, really pretty! A little powdery for me, but warm and creamy in a not-plasticky way and really very nice.

30 minutes in: Pretty, creamy, warm, dark. Still like this.

45 minutes in: Creamy, sweet, dark, warm, light. Still nice!

1 hour in: Going a little plasticky around the edges, unfortunately.

2 hours in: Still creamy and dark, still kinda plasticky. Hrm.

3 hours in: Mostly fuzzy plastic, maybe something that's sort of a bitter musk. Sad.

4 hours in: Faded sweet musk.

5 hours in: Fuzzy and almost gone.

6 hours in: Tiniest hint left, but basically gone.

 

Verdict: Quite pretty until it turns to plastic and musk. Wish it stayed at the half-hour to 45 minutes in version of the scent.

 

One phrase: Dark cream.

[yokaitenchi]

Non-creamy rootbeer (sarsaparilla) is a touch masculine. Strong but short throw of an inch, and it quickly shrinks to the skin

[milo]

This really isn't at all what I was expecting. I find this to be a more masculine, spicy Haloes, not as creamy or as complex as Haloes, though this one is certainly multi-faceted in it's own right. My expectations were basically a rootbeer float, but I don't really get root beer at all. This is very masculine, and definitely not me. Off to swaps.

I am quite hormonal right now, so maybe I should give this another shot in a few days as my impressions are quite different from others.

[grrrlennyl]

On: Fizzy and sweet and creamy. Delicious.
1 hour in: Very, very dark, but still sweet and creamy.
2.5 hours in: I can't really put my finger on what this smells like. It's definitely dark and slightly sweet, with a creamy feel.
3.5 hours in: This is really herby, sweet, dusty, and still hard to describe.
5 hours in: Still pretty, sweet, and dusty.
Overall: This is interesting, but I don't think I'll be trying to hunt down a bottle.

[mxtine]

Well, I'm pretty lucky to have caught this BPAL unicorn.

 

When I opened the bottle, I got a whiff cream and something woody that reminded me instantly of Glowing Vulva (someone upthread mentioned Haloes which is also similar to GV). When it's on my skin, I can tell that it's not teak, but there is an element of masculinity in here. I can't say this is a foodie scent at all. It's like a dry sarsaparilla-and-cream cologne. OK now it's getting better. The cologne has mostly evaporated and it's the sarsaparilla-and-cream I hoped for. I really need to let things rest before I review.

 

ETA. I wasn't sold on this at first, but I re-tested again today and it works. Faintly sweet sarsaparilla & cream, and a little musk. It's beautiful.

Edited May 16, 2011 by mxtine

[TulaMontage]

This smells like my burly manly man when I smother him in creamy moisturisers hahahah! It is quite masculine on me, but I adore cream too much to care. Its WONDERDFUL!

 

I also smell note similarities with this and Underpants. Anyone else get that?

Edited June 5, 2011 by TulaMontage

[angelamaria]

In bottle: mmm, creamy sarsaparilla. Definitely rootbeer-y, slightly cologney. yum. Foody, but not overly so, with just the right amount of sweetness.

 

Wet on skin: this doesn't change a lot on my skin from the bottle smell; I'm not sure if it's creamier, or "bubblier"--it seems to be both at different whiffs. As it dries, the bubbliness and the cologne-y-ness seems to be disappearing, but it fluctuates between perfectly creamy and very slightly plasticky. I tested this on two places, my wrist and my arm (where I usually wear my oils; since I work on computers wrists tend to disappear quickly). The one on my arm does not seem to be developing any plastic, or it's very faint.

 

Dry: oh wow. This actually seems to work! It's not "sweet" on me; it's faintly sweet, but in a rootbeer sort of way instead of a cake/treats one...which is probably why it's not screaming plastic on me! My wrist does have a pinch of plastic if I sniff hard and think about it; but the bit on my arm is perfect, even after a whole day of wear. Dry, it's creamy rootbeer with a bit of ginger, but in a soft, smooth way.

 

Verdict: yay!! I finally have a foody blend that works on my skin. It's lovely and yummy without being over the top, which is just what I love. Yum.

[porcelina]

i'm sooo happy my husband hunted this down for me! it was my favorite birthday present this year! we actually went to c2e2 last year, but by the time we got to the bpal booth, the anti-saloon league was all gone!

 

it smells awesome in the bottle... just fantastically creamy and delicious. once applied, the root beer comes out and it smells like a root beer float. or root beer ice cream. or root beer candy and cream. any combination thereof. no matter how you look at it, this is great! but somehow, it manages to avoid being a super foody scent- this is more gourmand than foody; it smells more like a sexy-root beer based perfume than an actual beverage, and that is the edge that makes it awesome.

 

my only complaint is that it fades more quickly than i like. but that's okay... i'll just keep slathering.

[hammy]

In the bottle - SARSAPARILLA! Oh, and some cream.

 

Wet - The spiciness of the sassafras cuts straight through the milky cream, which all but disappears on me. That’s fine; milk notes rarely work for me anyway. I was hoping for a little vanilla action, though I'm OK with this as is.

 

Drydown - This sarsaparilla apparently has something to prove. It's super aggressive, and something about the milkiness clings to the scent even though the cream has mostly disappeared. The blend turns a little sour and plastic on me -- typical of most milky notes when paired with my skin chemistry. Honestly ... for a root beer fix, I'd prefer Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener or Slaugh to Anti-Saloon League. I know them’s fightin’ words in these here parts, but I can’t help it!

 

Verdict - I feel the need to confess that I am a root beer whore. Root beer, sarsaparilla, birch beer, everything in that general family. I REALLY wanted to love Anti-Saloon League, but unfortunately it didn’t satisfy me. Besides souring the blend, the milky aspect turned the sassafras away from sarsaparilla territory and toward the lighter Mug or A&W brand root beers. I’m a fan of the darker spicy brews myself. Combine that with the fact that my skin ate the scent inside of 15 minutes, and I’ve got one for the swap pile.

[chrisann]

I'm compelled to re-do my review on this perfume. I think my first test must've been a hormonal thing, b/c it faded quickly to a light, powdery, amber/vanilla skinscent on me. Which was pretty and soft, but not wow'ing me,

 

SO happy I did a re-test a few weeks later! It's AH-mazing on me! It's a gorgeous, fuzzy, cream soda-ish vanilla skinscent. You don't wear it, rather it hugs around you in a effusive halo. I don't get a decisively "root beer" vibe from this, but I'm totally okay with that. Last week I got 10 new bottles of a combination of NAVA and BPAL in the mail. All I want to wear is Anti Saloon League.

 

Oh! And I get many compliments when wearing this too! I had a guy exclaim, "Girl! You smell good!!"

 

Yes, yes I do. Do not hesitate it lasdo'ing a bottle, should one cross paths with you. It's a glowing gem!

Edited September 16, 2016 by growwild

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Creamy root beer float, with a hint of herbalness. It's less sweet than a true root beer float, but still sweet enough. Somehow that keeps it from being overly gourmand, too.

 

Dry: Lovely. Sweet and creamy, but with that sassafras herbal bite that keeps it from going over the edge into foodie territory, at least to me. A gorgeous summer scent.

[JTobias]

Love's Philosophy with a kick; this ish is fantastic; I have three decants and I'm desperately ISO of a bottle to home them in!