Sissy, the Ascendant

[Balame]

SISSY, The Ascendant

Sassafras and smoke for black vulture feathers, and King mandarin and red musk for the deep red-orange of the vulture's face. Blue lilac and chamomile / opoponax and vetiver for the blue and black of her eyes. Vanilla bean and fig represent her innate goodness and instinctive kindness.

This is a cuddlier scent than I thought it would be. For as many notes as there are listed, it’s fairly focused on first application: sassafras, smoke, vanilla and lilac. It starts out sweet, evocative of a smoky root beer, then gets slightly sharper... I guess due to the chamomile.

As it dries it goes from being something familiar to a very “mystical” scent. The longer it sits the harder it is to define. It makes me think of a magical orb with smoky black tendrils and hints of deep blue fog. A little dark but not heavy. It’s not a “rawr” blend so if you’re iffy on vetiver I wouldn’t worry about it (I can’t smell it distinctly, so it's likely just contributing to the overall smokiness). The herbal aspect of the chamomile dies out as well.

It reminds me of a warm, comforting shadow. I think the opoponax helps give it a soft, indistinct vibe. In terms of “type” I’d say it’s an incense-y, purple/blue floral that’s almost a little candy-ish.

[Monday]

Listerine. Sassafras and woodsmoke, the other notes are very faint.

The sassafras and woodsmoke dominate the blend still. This isn’t a morpher, it just fades after half an hour.

[kakiphony]

In the imp: This is all sassafras in the imp to me -- which reads to my nose as a sweet herbal smell which reminds me of a cross between root beer and wintergreen. There might be a little vetiver peeking through there as well.

Wet on skin: This stays very like it smelled in the imp to me: An herbal sweetness rather like wintergreen (or birch beer! it smells like birch beer!) I'm not getting any of the florals, which is actually kind of odd for a wet stage on me.

Early dry down (10 minutes): As this dries, the lilac comes out to play just very lightly. It's still dominated by the sassafras, but I get a little bit of the florals at the very front of the sniff. At the back, I'm getting a hint of dark vetiver and a little spice from the red musk.

Late dry down (30 minutes +): This is one of those scents that really changes on me over time. While in the beginning it is all herbal sweetness, after a couple of hours what I am left with is darker, muskier, and more resinous. Luckily, I like all those things! I never got the vanilla bean or fig out of this. The sassafras and florals ate it during the wet phase, and the vetiver and red musk subsume it during the dry. This has moderate throw in the beginning, but upon drying becomes a much closer to the skin scent. I do still smell sassafras on my sweater (from the crooks of my elbows), but everywhere else has become spicy red musk with a deep vetiver note. There is a hint of sweet about this, but mostly it is just dark.

Final Verdict: I like this -- not quite as much as I loved Ginny, but a very close second. It's more interesting than Ginny in the wet -- sweeter and more complex -- but the dry down on Ginny was more complex on me. I expected this to remind me of organ grinder from the sassafras and the deep resins, but instead I was reminded of Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener. I can live with just an imp, but if I ever see a partial bottle for cheap, I'd nab it.

Reminds me of: Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener

[zankoku_zen]

Sissy was a big surprise to me. On wet, I got rootbeer, woodsmoke, a touch of lilac and what almost smelled peppery. It dried to a smoky, slightly musky rootbeer/sassafras blend. Very pleasant, very wearable.

 

It was sweet, cuddly, and prevented from veering into the foodie territory by the smokiness of it.

[Jangzonrice]

Sassafras with a smoky sugary finish!!! Love this, a must have is you love sassafras/root beer like me. I must buy a bottle!

[milo]

Creamy rootbeer at first, the REAL kind, that my mom used to make from the Hires rootbeer extract. It was pretty amazing stuff. After a bit, a smoky quality comes out. Doesn't really change from this, and even though I generally don't like smoke in my blends, this isn't inoffensive at all. I really like the sasafrass note, and I kind of wish the smoke wasn't there. A mild kind of blend, and I like it, but not enough to make an upgrade. Now black musk and this sassafrass note, I'd love to try.

[BoneBone24]

Sissy, the Ascendant... How do I love thee? Let me count the ways:

 

1. Sexy, sparkly sassafras. Fizzy, crackling, good old-fashioned sassafras. This stuff’s the real deal. It starts out pretty high on the medicinal wavelength, but quickly settles into something purely delicious. Dark, spicy, and woody, yet sweet, zippy, and bubbly too.

 

2. The smoldering, lingering smokiness that occupies the base of the blend. Smoke with a touch of fiery red musk. Like an ever-burning passion buried deep beneath the surface. This is surely what Sulu was talking about when he said: Ohh Myyyyyy

 

3. Magical sweetness courtesy of the courtship of vanilla and vetiver. The vanilla brings an enticingly creamy sweetness, while the vetiver tempers it with an earthy and raw animalism. Together, they form the blend’s come hither stare. This combination doesn’t always work on me, but this time the unlikely duo is performing beautifully.

 

4. The zesty juiciness of mandarin. Bright, zippy, and clear, this little fruit adds a good-morning-sunshine energy that wakes up the darker notes.

 

5. The dainty little lilac fairy that flits about, saying to the other notes “let’s be chaotic-good guys, okay?” She’s darling and girly and constantly pushing optimism.

 

6. The witchy goodness of herbs and resins blended together in a glorious spell. Smoldering and earthy, these notes ground the scent perfectly.

 

7. The sassafras again. Seriously, guys, this stuff is so, so good. There’s a reason I keep calling this one ‘Sissy, the Sassafras Strengthener’ in my head!

 

 

Clearly this one was made just for me

10 out of 10 bones

Edited February 6, 2015 by BoneBone24

[stubbornfire]

Sassafras has no chill. It just sort of jumps you as soon as you apply this. Fortunately, it's followed soon after by some things that are soft and relaxed. I guess lilac and chamomile? I think I'm catching some vetiver but no smoke or red musk.

 

Oh, yeah, that's vetiver, it starts to step up a bit after applying, nice. Still no vanilla or fig or musk, but the sassafras has calmed down just a tad and is mixing really nicely with the other present notes.

 

I'm not too worried about what hasn't shown up yet, as what has is really interesting. I can't say pretty, exactly, but it's really neat. It's not very strong on my skin, but that's no surprise. It's a bummer that it feels like it's going to fade extremely fast, but it's a nice scent. Sort of brash but huggable.

 

I don't think I'll need a bottle, though I may just end up getting one anyway if the Pretty Deadly scent line keeps working out for me, for completeness' sake.

 

3/3 so far.

[Little Bird]

In the bottle and on my skin at first, this is like a glass of cold root beer and the scent of smoky mesquite bbq (that savory-smoky type of vetiver). I get a little bit of woody fig and vanilla as it dries down, and then it's like a cold root beer float + mesquite bbq smoke and wood ash. It's really strange and not exactly pleasant smelling on me. It winds up smelling more gritty, ashy and dirty on me over time, and I don't like that at all, especially mixed with the foodie qualities and a thick, creamy, sweet lilac that goes cloying. It makes me feel kind of sick to my stomach.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Wow, this is so interesting! The different notes swirl in and out. I get what smells like anise?? Then sassafras. It's crazy. This scent is crazy. But it a good way? My nose is confused and I don't know what to think. I can't decide if I love it or if it's weird or intriguing.

 

 

Dry: This is really unique. I really like it. It's hard to pick out what I am smelling, but the scent overall is dark, sweet, and mysterious. It's compelling and different and I think I should have a partial bottle at least.

[Spaztic]

A wonderful smokey root beer scent! Like drinking root beer while sitting by a campfire

Love it

Plus I had the idea to try and make a smokey root beer float with this by adding vanilla dominant oils and it works wonderfully (especially if you find it too dry on it's own, as it is rather dry)

Today I tried this with Stekkjarstaur and it is soooo yummy

[sasqa9]

Root beer barrels!

 

It opens with a sweet candy burst, fizzy and medicinal. Yum! As the root beer fades, I get a hint of something like bubble gum before it settles down into a pale fig. I barely detect smoke. It fades quickly, but a sugar sweetness remains on the skin a long time.

 

In summary, it's simple root beer candy.

 

For a root beer scent, I prefer Morocco (which leans more towards cream soda) or Tombstone. Tombstone has less sassafras, and more leather vanilla. Sissy with Tombstone might be a good combination.

Edited March 12, 2017 by sasqa9

[Lucchesa]

This is one of those creations that Beth has clearly put a lot of thought into, and there is a lot going on, so many complex notes working together in concert. And I got... rootbeer. Super pleasant, snuggly as all get-out, but I was hoping for something a little darker, more intense.

 

I tried again today, and this time I had a little more attention to pay to the various phases. (I also didn't have Prosperous Flowers on the opposite wrist to swoon over.) So wet, yes, definitely smoky sassafras, made even sweeter and more snuggly by vanilla, but this time I noticed that it quickly became darker around the edges with vetiver and opoponax, that syrupy cola opoponax. I got the mandarin this time, so now it's a smoky orange-cola rootbeer. With vetiver. Really great, in other words. Red musk decided not to show up to the party, which is fine, because it's not always all about red musk. This is not floral on me at all, maybe a tiny bit herbal, and I honestly can't make out the fig either. But it's a major comfort scent.

 

My aunt asked what I was wearing and said she really liked it! And that was roughly 2.5-3 hours after application. Keeper!

[Aveya]

Source: Lab

Preconception: The only note I see is Vetiver. Pusling red. My death note I'm trying so hard to understand.

 

Imp: ... So hey there, vet. Wet basement on the menu today? Maybe we can stick to like, happy prairie grass instead, huh?

Skin: Rootbeer! That's fun. For five seconds. Then smoke billows up. Then someone threw vetiver into the bonfire and started drinking rootbeer again. Quit jumping around and let me smell you.

Drydown: Actually a pretty cool scent. Once I get over my vetiver issues, it fizzles together into a nice blend. Citrus-spiked root beer, bonfire smoke, a general vibe of sweetness.

 

Verdict: Youth group bonfire. Good intentions, youthful pep, naivety in abundance.

[doomsday_disco]

I had the boy try this one on at Drag Con, and we both thought it smelled like root beer barrel candies on him. Since I also thought that about Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener, which I was considering upgrading to a bottle since my imp is almost gone, I decided I should test them against each other to see which one was more up my alley.

 

In the decant: I get the sassafras and smoke.

 

Wet: Sassafras reminiscent of root beer barrel candies with a wisp of smoke. The sassafras in this one is much more potent than it is in Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener, actually. That scent is much more vanilla-ed. Red musk often takes over scents for me, but I am not getting any of it here. After a few minutes, I get a little of the mandarin note. After a few more, the mandarin becomes more prominent, but still isn’t nearly as strong as the sassafras.

 

Dry: The sassafras continues to reign, and the smoke is still present, but not super strong. The mandarin note remains a main player as well. I get some of the vanilla bean now, adding a sweetness to the scent. The red musk has now come out to play, but it hasn’t declared dominion over the other notes. There’s an herbal quality to the scent, which resides in the background.

 

But then the red musk asserts itself, and I get a lot of red musk and mandarin now with a much fainter sassafras. Why ya gotta do this to me, red musk?!

 

Much later, when the red musk believes it has had its say, I am able to detect the opoponax.

 

Verdict: I thought I’d just compare the two scents with sassafras in them and decide which one to get a bottle of… but Sissy starts off like smoky root beer barrel candies and becomes a complex sassafras scent that morphs, while Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener is a simplistic sassafras and vanilla scent that’s more like a root beer float. I may end up having to get bottles of both, but since I liked the early phase of this far more than the dry one, I’ll hold on to my decant and see how much I reach for it first. (Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener, on the other hand? I’m going to need a bottle of that one as soon as possible. I love the vanilla in it, and the sassafras in it lasts longer on me since there aren’t lots of other notes there to compete with it.)

 

*edit* I decided against a bottle of this one. I thought I might get it anyway despite the red musk if the boy would wear it (he enjoys root beer scents and it smelled better on him than it did on me), but he just wasn't reaching for it, and I know I won't reach for it over Tombstone, Outlaw, or Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener.

Edited July 3, 2018 by dementia_divine

[RoseThornAndOak]

I'm not sure how to feel about this. Straight from the Lab in the bottle it was straight up smokey, creamy rootbeer. Uhhh...Excellent? About a week from then, I tried this on, and it was strong, heady, slightly smokey rootbeer with red musk. I didn't catch much fig, citrus, lilac, or even vetiver (kinda glad on that one). Later on the red musk peaks out and dries down mostly red musk, but inbetween I could smell a bit of chamomile if I searched for it. It doesn't really come off fruity or floral. It's mostly about the rootbeer and musk. It is an odd combination, and I have nothing else like this in my collection. It could be a very distant cousin to The Phantom Calliope. Hell, this could be a Carnival Diabolique blend. Infernal Rootbeer Stand?

 

I'm going to hold on to it and see if it's like Van Halen, where you can't decide whether you love it or hate it. I decided to love Van Halen, so maybe Sissy the Ascendent will go the same way?