The Agony of Heartache

[ivyandpeony]

Purple sage, red patchouli, blackberry, lemon blossom, and lime rind.

At first, I'm scared, because sage does this crazy thing on my skin: it turns into a band-aid smell. But I don't even smell sage in the bottle, just fruit and patchouli. As this dries a bit, it's rich blackberry brightened with lime, but softened with herbal notes - I barely smell patchouli. Very pretty, very interesting, and one of those that immediately makes you wonder what it will be like in a month or two because of the fresh brightness of the fruit and the wonders that can be aged patchouli. I'm really pleasantly surprised by this one!

[mountainwitch]

Mmm . . . This is a darker one, never mind the "stark white ink" on the bottle. It actually reminds me of the Trick fragrances from the Halloween Inquisition; it's got that same kind of dark, intriguing sexiness. And blackberry . . . I love blackberry . . . It also reminds me of Bitter Moon--must be that blackberry and sage--but without the piercing or smoky quality Bitter Moon had for me.

 

I can't usually wear patchouli, but this is one of those really happy exceptions. The citrus doesn't take over, either; sometimes perfectly good scents have been ruined for me by something vaguely lemony (lemongrass, verbena, bergamot, whatever) getting too big for its britches and deciding to run the show.

 

I'm really loving the Heartache.

[QueenFae]

Oooooo la la, this is some lovely Heartache!

 

When I first applied this, I smelled a weird bitter, almost sour note in the background. I was scared, I thought this wouldn't work on me. Then, five minutes later this beautiful, deep fruity glory appeared. It's a rich, dark fruit; with a thick, sexy undertone and a kiss of citrus in the background. The sage was apparent when I first applied it, I think that's what threw it off for me. But now, the sage is gone completely and it has become blackberry and red patchouli with a lemon under current.

 

On the dry down: god, this gets better the longer I wear it! The blackberry is sweeter and the patchouli is a bit more resinous/earthy. This is absolutely gorgeous. I could swim in gallons of this!!

 

[minnalavender]

I received Heartache, not what I was hoping for. I have enough of it already.

 

First sniff from the bottle: Mmmm. Beautiful blackberry and sage! This reminds me so much of Oblation and Bitter Moon, two scents I adore - this is a good sign! On my skin, the blackberry and sage still dominate, and oddly enough, I don't smell patchouli. I like the Lab's patchouli, too. It's very sweet on me - no bitterness at all. Can heartache be sunny? This is! It's so pretty.

 

The initial notes stay true in the drydown as well. I'm so glad I received this blend! Unfortunately, it seems like heartache is just perfect for me.

[theling]

I was hoping for pretty much any ecstacy blend but got this one... oh well!

 

To me this smells like a cross between purple phoenix and bitter moon... It has a lot of the same notes as bitter moon - mainly the blackberry and sage, but there is something giving it a "purpley scent". The patchouli in this comes out a lot in the dry down. Overall it's a nice scent if you liked bitter moon (which i did).

[shelldoo]

in the bottle: interesting. almost bitter blackberry, and patchouli

 

wet: all bitter blackberry...blackberry waltzes a very fine line between the fruit, and smelling almost like cat box...so i am watching this very carefully...right now i am still at fruit so here is to hoping....

 

as it dries the sage is closer to the front but is it still mostly blackberry. the patchouli is adding a grounding earthy note, that keeps this in check. i am a sucker for patchouli.

[Little Bird]

The combination of lemon & sage in the bottle smells kinda like lemon pepper seasoning. Lemon pepper and hints of the lab's tart, bitter blackberry note.

 

On my skin... The lab's red patchouli is really iffy on me, and it's awful in this blend. It quickly amps up and smells like body odor in the worst way. A definite arm pit sort of smell. The bitterness of the blackberry and the strange lemon pepper seasoning mixed with that BO is not a good impression.

 

In the drydown, the citrus notes and sage here are just too sharp on my skin... paired with the dirty patchouli (and I love regular and black patchouli)... this really smells like sweaty arm pits on me

[edenssixthday]

The Agony of Heartache – This is a deep, rich, and heavy scent that reminds me a lot of Trick #2 in it’s berry-patchouliness. The red patchouli and blackberry blend together to create a heavy, dark scent that is slightly sweet, yet rife with desolation and sorrow. This is the perfect scent to describe the feeling of heartache, as it really does give one a feeling of melancholy and distress. The lime rind adds the slightest zip of tartness to the blend and the sage provides a touch of herbal dryness that keeps the patchouli from being too dark and brooding. This is a very powerful scent and a tiny bit goes a very, very long way. This isn’t the kind of s cent I would comfortably wear to the office, as it’s a bit too heavy, but perfect for a night out. The staying power is very long, but it definitely softens up the longer it’s on my skin.

Edited February 14, 2007 by edenssixthday

[midnight_aeval]

This scent does not remind me of any other BPAL scents; it's very unique.

 

I know fresh spearmint sprigs isn't listed as one of the notes, but that is exactly what I smell! Could the blackberry possibly be "blackberry leaf"? I'm reminded of trotting through my grandmother's garden when I was little, stepping amongst her numerous spearmint plants. She kept them around to put in tea, and this is exactly that smell (to me at least).

 

As it dries down, the herbal is toned down and a touch of sweetness appears.. I get no patchouli, just a fruity/herbal scent. The citrus in it is not heavy at all like citrus usually is in perfume blends.

 

Nice scent, great memories.

[Em-]

Mmmm...this was one of the scents I, erm, hinted to the goblins that I'd be quite happy with, so I was definitely not disappointed to find a wee dram of Heartache in my post V-Day box.

 

At first, this is all sage and a mix of blackberry and citrus, but the patchouli is starting to bloom as it sits. I really love this.

[slave1]

THE AGONY OF HEARTACHE

 

In Bottle: Medicinal and fruity

 

On Skin: Wow, this one is strong. The sage comes to the front, very minty and a bit medicinal in feel. The patchouli also offers an earthy planty feel. The lemon blossom and lime rind are tart and meet the sharpness of the sage headon and battle for the top spot. Sage wins. Very interesting scent, but there’s one catch that kills it for me. Blackberry. It seems blackberry and blackcurrant love to turn super funky on me… and that super funk is the smell of cat pee. So again, here it happens as usual. The scent has completely turned to cat pee on me. It crushes me, but at least I know what notes to always avoid. Super strong throw and long wearlength.

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

deep patchouli

 

On me:

When I first put it on, that sage is CRAZY out of control! I mean WOAH. Back the eff off, Sage, I'm serious. It's VERY medicinal smelling right now - I get the patchouli in there also but mostly it's just this crazy sage.

This sage smells like Vick Vapo rub, for real. Straight up menthol/eucalyptus blast!

 

After this is dry on my skin, I start getting faint whiffs of fruit - the blackberry I believe, it doesn't seem citrusy to me. It's mostly still that Vicks smell though.

 

This scent has been on me for a long while now and it still smells like Vicks Vapo rub. I am guessing that's the sage, as it is the only note listed that I do not have a lot of experience with. I was really hoping for more patchouli and blackberry here.

 

Final note:

This blend just smells crazy on me, that sage is so NOT getting a long with my skin chemistry.

 

 

ETA: By the time this blend is fading off me, the sage final settles down and it becomes more patchouli + fruit. This is a very late stage though.

Edited February 17, 2007 by Brianne

[tempestteapot]

Heavy sage. I don't even get the patchuli that loves to amp on me.

 

Even drying down it's heavy heavy sage. I smell like the dried flower section of Michaels.

[prunesnprisms]

This actually worked really well on me. I get lemon, lime, and a bit of blackberry. If it weren't a super-rare, I'd probably look for more of it.

[eviltemptressdq]

well, I was part of a decant circle for all 6 Inquisition scents (run by my Enabler, the wonderful HennaFairy), so I will review them all!

 

Heartache: I was very curious as to how this one would smell. The notes are unique, and some are things I love, some are things that don't work... But in the decant? Delicious! Fruity with patchouli. Berry, really... Unfortunately, although this smells good when I *first* put it on my skin, it goes all wonky after a few minutes... sort of turns sour. So sad!!

[sarada]

Fresh out of the bottle this is mind-blowing! I love sage, and this is a gorgeous one -- so fresh, herbal, earthy and green. The sweetness of the fruits, particularly the berry (blackberry and sage:always a winning combination), grounded by my beloved earthy sweet dirty patchouli.

 

This is mucking around in the garden on a warm spring or pleasant summer day, the sun warming the rich earth as your hands, stained with berry juice, fumble with the soft, leathery sage leaves.

 

The sense of elation that I get from the early stages probably has a lot to do with that sharp, eye-opening citrus, combining with the bubbly, fruity qualities. It would be far too fleeting if not for the grounding patchouli. Another absolute winner. I have managed to line up about a half a bottle's worth of this so far and it will serve me well into the warm months! This is a sage-lover's dream -- provided you also like a bit of fruit and dirt!

[juniperus]

Or in my case, the agony of emo.

 

Bottle: blackberry, citrus, and sage

Wet: more of the sage...with the blackberry behind it reminds me of the local farm market, there is often someone there selling herb plants amidst all of the local fruit growers...

Dry: sweet and light, but grounded by the patchouli so the sweet doesn't seem too...much.

Later: the sage and berry are still at the forefront..a little sweet and fruity for me but intriguing. It's curious on me.

[melissadragon]

The Agony of Heartache:

 

Imp: All sage (clary?) and patchouli - applied to side of right wrist

Wet: Citrus! Tiniest bit of berry sweetness

Dry: Mm, nearly all blackberry! With a nice touch of sage to temper it a bit. The dread citrus is all gone! And didn't leave behind any trace of powder!*

Verdict: Keeper.

 

* Usually, anything citrus goes first to lemon then to lemon-scented powder on me.

[dronzeka]

Okay, finally an Inquisition that works on me! This is quite lovely. Initially, I get quite a bit of the lemon and lime rind - and it's distinctly the rind, citrus-y but not juicy like the fruit itself. Then there's a little period where the patchouli seems to be undecided about whether it will smell like petrol or not, but thankfully, this passes quickly. I'm left with a lovely blackberry-sage scent with maybe just a little hint of citrus (if you know it's there). If I whiff really hard, close to the skin, I get a tiny bit of patchouli-going-wrong, but overall, it ends up sweet and warm. I don't feel compelled to get a bottle, but I'm glad I have the imp!

[little_galaxie]

Patchouli and citrus fruit. Not that it's any fault of BPAL's, but that is the ONE combination that makes me gag and my eyes water every single time. I should know by now to stay far, far, away from this combination, but silly me, do I ever learn?

[siddal]

this is very pretty, and reminds me a lot of The Oblation. Both Oblation and Heartache smell like Bitter Moon in the imp, to me. While Oblation is more honeyed and sweet on the dry-down, Heartache retains a touch of bitterness, which is appropriate :-) A very complex and lovely blend.

[supremegoddessofall]

Definitely fruity - I get more blackberry than anything else. There's sort of an air freshener quality here that I'm not sure about. Not sure that it's for me.

[storme]

In the imp: medicinal sharp sage, patchouli and blackberry. Reminds me of Bitter Moon, somewhat.

 

On me, wet: sage and not a lot else, maybe the faintest hint of blackberry.

 

On me, dry: man, this is really faint - a tiny amount of sage-citrus-blackberry, the merest whisper of patchouli.

 

Verdict: Ah well. I think I'm fundamentally not a blackberry-scent person anyway.

[dreadeddragon]

I got this as a sniffie, so there's not much to try, but I'm attempting anyway.

 

In the bottle: blackberry & sage. A bit medicinal, but I sort of like it.

 

First on: Cat pee. Very faint cat pee. My cat just peed on my blanket today and this is what my bathroom smells like after using Nature's Miracle on it.

 

Drydown: Cat pee with sage. I need to wash this off.

 

Overall: Um...no.

[Naamah_Darling]

Oh, man. This is a relentlessly tense and drawn scent. Sage and lime give it a high, sharp scent in the bottle, but there is a promise of depth.

 

On, the sage and patchouli combine to make a smell like . . . uh-oh . . . here it comes . . . yeah . . . that's rabbit urine.

 

I think this is one for the swaps, my friends. On me it has almost no throw, is nearly nonexistent even close up, and what I can detect of it smells like ammonia. If I force myself to linger and really sniff, I can detect what smells like a wonderful fresh herbal scent.

 

Alas, the only "heartache" here is the heartache caused by smelling like pee.