Bitch

[edenssixthday]

Snappy-quick PMS relief.

I have to say, my bottle of Bitch arrived just in time. It arrived not as I was suffering from pre-menstrual malaise, but mid-menstrual malaise, and let me tell you, it works for that, too. Yay!

The scent is very different from the other Panacea blends. I am having a really difficult time identifying the individual notes, but it's highly herbal, and there is something in it that reminds me of camphor or eucalyptus, without the sinus-clearing quality that camphor and eucalyptus scents usually seem to have. I think there is a touch of citrus in this blend, but I can't for the life of me figure out which one, as it's very subtle, and a background note. I keep thinking I might be smelling some lavender, but as soon as I think I smell it, it is overwhelmed by the herbal quality of the blend, and I'm unsure if lavender is an herb used in this blend.

Overall, it's not a pretty scent, and definitely not something I'd ever wear as a perfume. It's a very natural and organic scent. It reminds me of the wellness section of Wild Oats with the scent of all the organic and herbal blends floating around you. There is one herbal note in particular that is really strong, and I'm hoping that someone else will be able to pick it out because it's driving me crazy enough that I'm tempted to head over to Wild Oats and start sniffing things until I figure out what that herbal note is!

This blend initially has amazing throw when it's wet, and as it wafts around me, I find the scent very calming and soothing. While I can't speak to its effectiveness against menstrual cramps, I can say that with respect to moodiness, irritability, and the general feelings of languor that often accompany my cycle, it is particularly effective. I don't feel nearly as sluggish, my temperament seems a bit more calm and relaxed, and in general, I just feel better.

I definitely recommend this. I definitely will keep using this. I definitely wish I knew what that specific note is that I can't quite place. Edited September 14, 2007 by Shollin

[shelldoo]

I agree w. much of the previous review. bitch is herbal, and I wouldn't really wear it for scent, unlike tko, which if I could remain awake while wearing i would wear it all day. but i also get a hint of a floral note in bitch, something springy, maybe honeysuckle? something i know but am drawing a blank. anyway the herbs are definitely the frontrunners, the floral just pops up occassionally. but i agree w/ edensixthday that it does remind me very much of my local herb shop. that mishmosh of herbal scents. and it works very well, for it's intended purpose. i recieved it just when i needed it most.

[fairy]

I didn't have PMS today but by bottle came so I had to test it

 

Like the people above me wrote, it's not exactly a pleasing scent. It has a sharp, bitter, citrus scent that almost doesn't work. Almost. But something about it does work.

 

I've had great results with other Panacea oils so Im going to trust that this will come in handy for me later this month But this isn't something I'd wear just because. Then again, that's not the point of the oil.

[Little Bird]

I feel like I've smelled "Bitch" somewhere before (ha that sounds funny). It's definitely a sinus-clearing sort of herbal scent. It threw me into a sneezing fit and made my nose run when I first put some on. It really bothers me that I clearly know this smell from somewhere, but cannot place it. This almost smells like dill pickles, almost like lemongrass, almost minty, almost herbal lavender... but never quite any of those.

 

On me, wait, I know what this is (or at least what one of the notes are)! Chamomile. It smells very strongly of the Roman Chamomile singlenote that I had once upon a time. There are some other sharper herbal notes in here as well that are kind of ruining the chamomile for me though...

 

I think I'll stick to fragrances like Lump of Coal for my PMS-relief, lol. Chocolate makes me much happier than this sharp herbal blend.

[Shannihilation]

TRB is due to arrive tomorrow and I am feeling irritable and moody and kind of just "blah" today so I decided that this would be a good time to try Bitch for the first time.

 

In the bottle this is very strong. It's very herbal smelling but with a definite floral overtone. I just can't figure out exactly what. One minute I think roses and the next I think lavender. I'm also picking up a note similar to eucalyptus or camphor maybe... And I'm almost positive that I am getting some Chamomile in here too. And something else that I know I've smelled before but I can't place what. It's really bugging me! I'm really tempted to run upstairs and start sniffing all of my bottles to try and place it.

 

On my skin it's pretty overpowering. I've not had it on for very long though. The scent is almost unpleasant but something keeps it right at the edge of being kind of nice. If I put my nose right to my wrist and smell, it's not good. But when it just wafts up and I catch just a hint of it, it's very nice. Still a floral herbal scent. Heavy on the herbal.

 

It is making me feel more relaxed though. In fact, I feel so much more relaxed and mellow that I'm tempted to go and take a nap.

[aidenraine]

I definitely have PMS today... moodines, verging on depression (without cause), anger at random things that don't deserve it.

 

I need me some Bitch.

 

Fresh out of the imp, my Bitch (ha) is really sweet on me. Joy Mojo sweet. *double checks the label* Yep, it's almost like the aroma of pear tea. It's wafting around telling me to mellow out and buck up.

As it fades, it's almost a bit like coconut. I've smelled this before- in a candle or toiletry shop in the mall.

 

Pressing my nose to my wrist makes me want to sneeze.

There's definitely something in here under the sweetness that smells like body odor on me. I keep thinking my wrists stink (of b.o.) and are ruining the sweet smell, but no, it's Bitch.

 

 

 

Body chemistry is weird around this time of month.

Can't believe I am smelling someting so different from everyone else! Odd.

[Nisaba]

A lot of people have said they don't particularly like the smell of Bitch. I have to say, I love it. It is very strong, possibly the most throw of any BPAL I've tried, so you only need a touch, but it wafts around beautifully. There's one note in particular that is driving me absolutely bananas trying to put my finger on it, it's so familiar - someone else suggested camomile, but I'm really not sure.

 

Hmm, while writing this review I've put my nose close to my wrist a lot more than I have while wearing this oil previously. Don't do it kids - there is something sharp and astringent close up, especially if you're a slatherer. On my other wrist I've barely put a dot and *sniffs* that smells lovely, just as nice as the throw. I don't get the camphor or eucalyptus other's are smelling - on me it's a very soft heavy scent, rounded and comforting.

 

And Bitch is definitely kicking my PMS into place - I've been an utter irritable cow these past few days, and Bitch has helped soothed that grrrrrrrrKILL knot that's been living in my chest most of the time. Thank you Beth; I, my boyfriend, and everyone within a five mile radius of me, are all very grateful for Bitch.

[PilotKitten]

Ick... maybe I should save this one for when it's that time of the month or something, because right now, it's not smelling all that great. It has a minty note to it that smells nice, but there's some sour backnote that I just can't get over. We'll see how it works for PMSing later though... I hope it gets better because I'd already ordered a bottle of this before my samples got here.

[PurringPulsar]

Bitch

 

In the imp: a sharp green scent reminiscent of either an evergreen note or a herbal note. Could be a sage-clary sage maybe?

Wet on skin: a strange ‘herbal infusion’ scent with a hint of fermented fruit.

Dry: hmm, unusual but not bad. I now think there may be some camomile here, as this smells like a herbal tea of sorts. Yeah, definitely camomile. I also get a greenish note which may be clary sage, which apparently is a good pre-menstrual herb. Someone said palmarosa…I can’t remember what it smells but I think that’s the lemon-green-rose like note I’m getting. There’s something reminiscent of Hemlock in here as well. I don’t get geranium though-if it’s in there, it’s hidden under everything else. But this smells like one of those ‘woman’s tea’ herbal infusions, a really medicinal scent in the herbal, non-chemical way. It also smells a little like fermenting fruits.

After a while: there are times when this scent veers close to rotting fruits on me, but thankfully doesn’t actually smell like it’s gone off. I don’t know what causes this scent but I’ve noticed it in other BPALs. There’s now also a strong pine like scent, or fir, something reminiscent of winter forests, along with camomile and grasses and fruit and wine.

It smells like that for an hour but then regains a camomile tea scent. I’m amazed at how much this smells like herbal tea, and I’m sure I also smell a hint of honey now, but this quickly fades. Then I smell rosemary.

Verdict: scent wise, I’m not sure I’d wear this as perfume. It smells like herbal tea and herbal remedies, like an infusion of camomile and sage and other mystery herbs, like a traditional remedy for that time of month. It turned to fermenting fruit and pine on me though, which was odd…but then turned back into herbal tea, which is very pleasant. The overripe fruit bits I wasn’t sure about. However, I think this has caused a real personality change. Despite the monthly miseries I usually get, this stuff seemed to get me out of the normal antisocial mood I get at this time, and I was very friendly to my other flatmates when usually I would stay in my room away from others. So it seems to work with effect, I’ll have to test this stuff on cramps. I don’t need a bottle because I think the chocolate scents are better premenstrual cures but for effects, it seems to work.

Emoticon rating: for scent, for effect

Is it a keeper? I’ll keep the decant.

Edited October 25, 2006 by yeahbutnobut

[Galatea]

In the Imp: Green herbal, ever so slightly floral.

 

Wet: I have to say I love this scent. So many of the other reviews mention camphor or eucalyptus-like smell to it, but I don't get that at all. I do get a healthy dose of chammomile herbal lushusness, and it is wonderful. It's very green-herb, with just a hint of creamy floral sweetness to it. Very intriguing and calming and nice.

 

Dry: After about 30 minutes of dry down I start to get a bit of a minty scent from it, it replaces a bit of the intial herbal quality. The mint is sweet and light and not at all sharp to me. This reminds me a lot of Arcana's Anodyne.

 

Throw: B+ on the throw, it's pretty damn good.

 

Overall: I really like this one, if I didn't have a 10ml bottle of something that smells very similar I might wear this one more often than just the one day a month I'm a ragaholic, pmsing, bitch from hell. I'll have to wear it on a crampy day and see if it helps with that too; if it does, I might buy a bottle just to help on that one day a month.

 

Rating: ++

[redlisse]

I really, really suck (as a general rule) at picking out individual notes, but I swear that Bitch is almost straight-up chamomile. Chamomile tea even, with a smidgey-smidge of anise and maybe a touch of orange peel. I can almost taste honey - not because it's actually in the blend (I doubt it, as I turn even the most unassuming of honey notes into a cloud of syrupy sweet) but because I always add ridiculous amounts of honey to my chamomile tea.

 

In the bottle, it's much more herbal and sharp; it's only after a quick drydown that Bitch turns into a cup of chamomile tea. I have no idea what the dominant note I'm smelling is until then.

 

As for purpose - Bitch doesn't so much make the PMS go away as it makes it sort of optional. My hormones are vicious raging monsters right now, and frequently I feel like I have no control over what's coming out of my mouth, and my eyes seem to cry without me, and I'm prone to illogical temper tantrums (not like yelling screaming ones - I pout like a toddler). This blend doesn't make those urges any weaker, much less suppress them entirely; instead, I have a little bit of distance. It gives me the ability to say to myself, "I am being very unreasonable here, and this is a silly thing to cry over," and if I make an effort, I can stop.

 

So...not a big, flashy miracle, but still very helpful - this Panacea is subtle and soothing as a mug of chamomile tea. I don't mind the scent, but wouldn't wear it as a perfume (though it lends a relaxing herbal edge to Snow White's vanilla sweetness) - but I don't want to be without it during this time of month. I very much like the fact that the effect is quiet and subtle, actually.

[supremegoddessofall]

Smells like fruit on top of marijuana resin. Ick.

[Ajila]

Smells - Geraniums

 

Works - It's hard to say given how erratic my periods and related symptoms are at the best of times, but it's definitely soothing, without making you shut off completely so it's good for work.

[Voleuse]

Hm. This is a eucalyptus-type herbal, tinged with clean sweetness. There's a warm floral note, very subdued, that I can't identify. It makes me think of tea, and overlooking a garden just as spring turns to summer. A little sneeze-inducing, but also very balancing. It's a joyful scent, to my nose, a warmth seeping into my skin. I really like it--and the scent memory is a good distraction from PMS. *g*

[maribouquet]

I really, really love this. For one thing, it really helps with the weepy/exhausted version of PMS I'm wrestling with at the moment. (I'll have to try it on the RAGERAGERAGE version another time ) It is a very uplifting scent.

 

I smell something lemongrassy/eucalyptusish/minty, and can pick up fennel in the drydown.

 

I love love love this stuff, and now that there Bitch bath bombs (!!!) I think I'm going to order myself a crate full.

[LauraB]

It's not "that time" for me, so this will probably smell completely different in 2 weeks, but today it smells like a box of turkish delight!

 

Seriously, on me this is rose, lemon and icing sugar with a faint huff of angelica.

 

It's very nice and totally unexpected.

[siddal]

I have had great luck with the Panaceas, and Bitch is no exception. Im not crazy about the scent, and yet there is something about it that makes me want to keep sniffing it! I would agree that this is definitely a chamomile and green/herbal scent. I also seem to detect a spicyness that makes me think of ginger and a slight citrus note. I really did feel soothed and more calm after smelling this. I didn't really care to wear it as a perfume, after the first test application, so today I put some on a tissue and have been sniffing as needed.

[kythryne]

This smells like rose geranium to me, with a hint of other sharp herbals -- lavender, maybe? -- somewhere in the mix. It's a very clean, herbal scent, not something I'd wear for perfume, but I happen to love rose geranium and I've always found it calming.

 

As for its intended use... it works. I have rather horrendous PMS, and it works wonders for calming me down and restoring sanity. Definitely a keeper.

[bookandbroom]

The throw on this puppy is such that I could smell it before I'd finished getting the mailer open.

 

It's a tough one to pin down. What it reminds me of is my grandmother's garden - a soft, fuzzy, edged citrus that smells like crushed lemon balm leaves; a floral I am almost certain is geranium (it smells a bit like the Mrs. Meyer's soap that has geranium, which is a scent that almost makes me inexplicably uncomfortable); and a note that puts me in mind of rose hips, though I have no idea if that's what it is. Like an old garden and a cup of sharp tea. Does it work? I'm not sure. I was having a terrible, PMS-y day, though, and by the time I'd read for an hour with a dab (only a dab and I could smell it intensely) of Bitch on my wrist, I didn't even mind that I needed to head off to book group and hadn't finished the damn book.

 

I can't imagine ever needing a bottle of this, but the Panaceas are gold for me so far; TKO is love. So I think I'll trust that this does its job and hang on to my partial imp, which should last ages.

[AEris]

I've tried Bitch a few times over the last couple of days, and whether the effect is placebo or not, I have much more control over my moodiness when using this aromatherapy.

 

I agree with everything that has been said about this scent already - strongly green and herbal....pine sap, citrus zing, and black licorice. I only saw one other post that mentioned fennel, so maybe that black licorice is a chemistry thing, but I definitely picked it up. And, of course, chamomile. Not the sweet floral chamomile tea that I drink at night, but a pungent, sharp chamomile.

 

Bitch smells medicinal, but oddly pleasant as well (so long as you don't stick your face in it when it's fresh on your skin, as others have also pointed out).

 

My boyfriend likes this scent a lot. I like its freshness and herbaceous air, maybe I'll get a little jug, we'll see : -)

 

Bottom Line: Herbal and sharp but still friendly. And hey, it works on my inner Bitch!

[Dinerdulcinea]

Bummer. All I get from this is a kind of sour, wilted and rotting rose-like smell...so it did not soothe me.

 

Edited August 18, 2007 by Dinerdulcinea

[AutumnQueen]

I agree with everything that has been said about this scent already - strongly green and herbal....pine sap, citrus zing, and black licorice. I only saw one other post that mentioned fennel, so maybe that black licorice is a chemistry thing, but I definitely picked it up. And, of course, chamomile. Not the sweet floral chamomile tea that I drink at night, but a pungent, sharp chamomile.

 

I'm glad someone else got black licorice from Bitch, because I thought maybe my nose was crazy.

 

I didn't actually wear bitch, I just sniffed it in the imp when I was feeling particularly weepy or horrid last week. It definitely helped with the mood, but I cannot actually wear this blend. It smells too much like licorice, which makes me want to gag a little. If it hadn't improved my mood the way it did, it would have been straight to the swap pile with this one.

 

Unfortunately, I'm hitting the horrible crampy day today, and guess where my imp is? At home, packed up for my airplane trip tonight.

[hkhm]

imp: very herbal and strong. almost with a citron spike.

 

wet: like a very strong herbal, cintronella soap. this smells very clean to me and, therefore, very calming.

 

dry: this stays a sharp, crisp herbal citrus throughout. it just fades in intensity.

 

the first time i ever smelled this blend was on my boss, the one who introduced me to bpal in the first place. it smelled way different on her than it does on me but it really seems to work. yet another one for the bottle list.

[theseagrows]

this stuff is strong in the bottle, so i tried just the tiniest amount on my wrist. it's softer on my wrist actually, and i really think it has geranium like previous reviewers have said. it's very herbal, like tea. i have some pms tea actually, and it kind of smells/tastes almost just like this. later on, anise comes out and combines with the geranium. there is something lemony in the background too. not a very pretty scent, but it does seem to do the trick. it makes me feel more calm and grounded.

Edited December 13, 2013 by theseagrows

[LuvMuskHunySukl]

I am not a bitch. I am not your bitch. I rolled in the grass and dug in the mud and climbed the trees and ran thru the fields. Collected the scents and the smells of the fruits and flowers. Laugh and scream and cry and dream. Stand still while the winds wrap me up and throw me low and the waters cover over me and the salts of their blood and the rust of my own join together and unite after this material world kept us apart. I am not a bitch. I am not your bitch. Howling and scrabbling and licking and stabbing. Caught the spirit, nicked its skin, caught a drop of what was within.

How can it be described? Herbal. Not weedy or harsh. Mother Earth’s green kiss. Barefoot stomping thru the lush vegetation. Live vegetation. Breathing out their thick, juicy freshness. Wet. Not a dry herbal.

This is the most incredible thing ever this. I cannot stop wearing it – any day every day- any time all the time.

And my boyfriend likes this smell on me very much.

Maybe I am a bitch and it suits me just fine.