Pain

[Nadirah]

Wicked and vicious! A sharp, cruel blend of lavender and pennyroyal.

Its pennyroyal and lavender and I love this one. Its the kind of scent you use when you are feeling down, it will help to bring you back up. Very *minty* from the royal but not in a spearmint way. You really just have to smell this one!!

EDIT: Added Lab's description --Shollin Edited September 16, 2007 by Shollin

[byrdie]

One of the first set of Imps Ears I ordered, I suspect that I was very curious about what pennyroyal smelled like.

 

wet ~ Herbal and somewhat minty. It reminds me of cough drops.

 

drying ~ It lightens and reminds me a bit of Lush's Black Magic, but not nearly as strong. It makes me wonder if there's geranium oil in here.

 

dry ~ Wow. The scent is almost gone. It mellows into a minty, Demon in the Dark type of scent, but you have to get close to catch it.

 

verdict ~ I like this one enough to try it again the next time I use Lush's Demon. Whee!

[JazzieCazzie]

I like the scent in the bottle and on my wrists, much more minty than lavendery, but I've tried it twice and in both cases it was virtually gone within a half-hour ... not sure if everyone else has had the same experience or it's just one of those things where it evaporates on me but would last longer on someone with a different body chemistry.

 

When on, a very clean scent ...

[sirensongsouth]

Hmm..... From the imp's ear I smell spearmint. Wet and on my wrists I smell spearmint. Once it dries down I smell ...... spearmint with something else. I don't get lavender from the scent, just spearmint and something that gives it a sweet juicy edge. This is not a good scent for me, but it is minty fresh!

[jj_j]

Oooh! Spike of pennyroyal, right up the nose - but in a good way. The lavender really softens the bite of pennyroyal (and considering lavender's often astringent tone, that should tell you how sharp pennyroyal is on it's own), leaving a bright, fresh, and clarifying scent that's a little like good furniture polish and a lot like a wake-up call for me.

 

Different, dramatic, and a remarkably down-played, delicious version of what I was expecting. Well worth a try ...

[Fulltiltredhead]

I get mostly spearmint from this too, and I love it. I put it down the sides of my neck and it feels cool - I feel like a Peppermint Patty commercial. This is going to be perfect for the dog days of summer, and great for the office when I need to chill and gather my wits.

 

It's nice layered with Old Paris, too.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Chilly white crispness of mint, colder, darker and more regal than Mad Hatter. If it’s possible for something to be white and dark at the same time, Pain is it.

 

Wearing: There’s a sharpness to this scent that gives my nose a chilly tingle. I’m not in love with it immediately. The scent itself fades very quickly, but if I put my nose to my wrist I can still feel the tingle – I can’t smell anything, but it still makes my nose cold.

[shriekingviolet]

Initial Impression:

Very sharp and herby, almost medicinal.

 

After Wearing It:

Wet, the pennyroyal in Pain is powerful and pungent all but drowning out the lavender which peaks out timidly from behind. It's an herbal and almost minty smell, that's reminiscent of vapor rub and homeopathic remedies. As it dries, the roar of the top note becomes softer but remains sharp. The lavender gains more strength but still stays in a supporting role. Both notes retain their characters for the rest of the lifespan of the oil, which wasn't too terribly long on me, fading out to a whisper at the end but still managing to make quite an impression at low levels.

 

Final Thoughts:

This doesn't really seem like something that would be worn as a perfume, but more as an aide of some kind. It might prove to do well with helping people with sinus problems, head colds or problems focusing. Will have to experiment with this in a burner for less cosmetic purposes.

[Astarte]

Its name is very apt I tried on a tiny dab on my elbow and its the sharpest mint scent to smell. Although I can smell the lavender the penny royal note is predominant. My intial impression is that it's wonderful, and this will be a glorious scent to use with bathwash to wake me up in the mornings.

[saintpaulia]

I absolutely love lavender and mint combos, and will frequently recreate that scent in the bath. It's very reminiscent of Lush's ice hotel, discontinued.

 

The lavender, while usually soothing, is more clarifying when coupled with the pennyroyal. This is perfect for mornings or stressful times.

 

It's herbal and sharp at the same time, with a hint of sweetness.

[Tesseljoan]

I don't know what pennyroyal smells like, but from Pain I can guess it's minty, but more in a dry, woodsy way. The lavender peeks out after about half an hour or so. In spite of its sharpness, this really is a lovely scent.

[Morrighana]

Initial: Mmm...minty. Very promising.

 

Wet to Dry: Unfortunately, the lovely mint is gradually taken over by the lavender. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad thing! It turns into quite a nice, herbal scent---it's just not what I am looking for in a perfume. I wish the mint had stayed to play a bit more; that would've made it a great summer scent for me. That said, it would still make a great spring/summer scent for someone else!

[Scylla]

In the vial: sharp, herbal, minty and medicinal. Kinda reminds me of a dental office!

 

Wet: Minty and somehow metallic, with lavender in the background. Someone else mentioned that it smells like a homeopathic remedy of some sort, and I would have to agree.

 

On drydown: Well, the mint is fading a bit, and the lavender is coming to the forefront. I'm not a huge fan of lavender, so I will likely swap the full imp.

[malanna]

Gack, on first application, this is sharp, astringent and minty. If I kept on sniffing it the first hour, I would've had a massive headache. After powering through the first hour, it's calmed down and I suppose the thing that is taming the mint-feeling is lavender. This faded completely after three hours on me. It is a bit cool, yet it has a bit of a humid feel to it, like it's a humid fog hanging out by my skin.

[pkwench]

Pain.

 

Vial: Another minty one.

 

Wet: Minty and woodsy. Something like bamboo? No, I guess not, but it's quite herbalesque.

 

Drying: It smells like a altenate universe mint.

 

After 10: Something more woody is emerging along with the mint and if I think about what I'm smelling and force the brain to ignore the mint, I can, yes, catch a whiff of lavender.

 

All in all: Very nice, very clean, and very refreshing. But, like Calliope and Nine Mysteries, the minty smell is dominate and, consequently, on me they all smell very similar.

[spaceprostitute]

I like this, but I don't think I would ever wear this as a perfume, which is what I do with most of my oils simply because I don't have the time or energy or creativity to do things like room sprays or soaps or candles or what have you. There's a very medicinal, herbal quality to this, like a mint tea or a homemade vapor rub, that sort of hangs in the back of the throat long after you take your nose away. The mint (not spearmint or peppermint, Vicks VapoRub mint) fades ever so slightly and gives way to lavender. It's astringent, but less so as time goes on.

 

I'm normally not a fan of lavender, but this is making me rethink that. Normally, I wouldn't keep more than an imp of this on hand, and I probably wouldn't purchase it again, but this is a good one to keep on hand when I have migraines or or nausea and so I might consider a 5mL bottle.

[sarada]

You may have gathered by now, that this is a minty scent! I had no idea that pennyroyal had such a strong minty smell, I was expecting more lavender but I happen to like mint as well. Pain is a good name, as this is a crisp smack of a scent, an icy spank on the bottom, a whipcrack in the snow. Since I am trying to find lavender when I smell it, I can detect it in the distance, a faint whisper of a scent lurking beneath the surface.

 

When I put this on my skin it actually tingles, like it does when you use Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap in sensitive areas. A nice tingle! It's really energizing to feel that minty spark crackling around you. After some time it does mellow and is tamed by the lavender. A nice mix! Definitely for the mint fans, and chillingly appropriate for winter, or when you need to wake up your sense of smell after a cold.

[Kaowolfie]

This was a gift from the Lab, and I'm so glad they gave it to me! I might need to buy a bottle of this.

 

Right off the bat, it's MINT. It reminds me of the way I smell after one of my biannual hackings away at the mint in my side yard. It's a little strong, even with the tiny tiny dab I put on, but nice.

 

After a few minutes the lavender pokes its head through, accompanied by a softening effect on the mint. It starts slowly (over the course of ten minutes) becoming a sweet mint smell, almost like mint leaves muddled together with a bit of sugar, with some bruised lavender on the side. It's a very calming scent, and I like it a lot.

 

Unfortunately, my skin is eating it, the way it always eats herbal scents. :/ This would make a really nice bath scent.

[harlequin]

Wow. I put this one on before coming to work completely forgetting what was supposed to be in it. I was definitely picking up a dark mint scent from it, but other than that it was just... sharp, and somewhat herbal.

 

Now that I know what's in it, that herbal smell is definitely lavender. It's amazing how once you know what something is, it smells somewhat different. what was just a sort of vague herbal is definitely now floral as well.. nifty.

 

It's interesting, though, because for a little bit while I had it on, I swear I was picking up something peppery and biting, but a few minutes later, it was actually somewhat creamy.. though, as it turns out, that was right before it vanished completely.

 

Verdict: It's interesting, but not something I see myself wearing. I've already come across a few scents that are kind of similar (or at least in the same neighborhood), that are just more "me"..

[Aurelius]

This smells like mint and rubbing alcohol on my skin. It's bright and somehow cold. I really like this; it does remind me of pain. I'm not sure how often I'll wear it, but I'm very happy that the lab included this in my order!

[sagitare]

Oh, hell no. Astringent, medicinal - think Vicks combined with A-535. Yeah, not good on me. There might be a hint of lavender somewhere in the background but it's just overpowered by the harshness of the pennyroyal.

 

I can only hope this one fades from me as it's seemed to have faded for everyone else!

 

Swap, swap, swap.

Edited March 18, 2005 by sagitare

[anmorata]

Pain:

Wet: Whoa! Sharp evergreen? Probably the pennyroyal. Definitely strong lavender, too.

Drydown: *sneeze* *sneeze* sneeze* this scent does not fade at all. There's a light mint in the background.

Longterm wear: Not for me. I just can't. It makes me sneeze too much. The lavender reminds me of an herbal shop, but the pennyroyal just kicks my ass. Off it goes.

[cormeretrix]

in imp: owwie! owwie! my nose, owwie!

 

yep, definitely painful.

 

on: was washed off almost as soon as i put it on; apparently, pennyroyal ALSO hates me.

 

*goes to add pennyroyal to the neverending list*

[shelldoo]

this is sharp, and definitely is pain, but not a horrid pain, it is a good pain, very minty (pennyroyal i presume) w/ a ever so light hint of lavander

[slave1]

In Bottle: Sharp pennyroyal and lavender.

 

On Skin: Wow! This is interesting. Very pungent… the pennyroyal I think. The lavender softens it a bit… But I do think this scent is too sharp for me. A good eyeopener though!