Pain

[Celogrl]

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

This is incredible! I have always loved Pennyroyal and am really bummed that I can't find it anywhere. Pure Pennyroyal oil is the BEST stuff for menstrual cramps IMHO. You just rub it into your abdominal area and it's warming and soothing. But I digress... I'm in love with this inspired combination. It doesn't have the 'bite' I thought it might, but it's still spiky and a 'notice me' kind of smell. It's refreshing and peppy. I only wished it lasted a bit longer. This may be a big bottle purchase. Great job, Beth and lab! Edited December 9, 2005 by Shollin

[coulrophobe]

In the imp: sharp, minty pennyroyal.

 

On. Still pennyroyal. I love minty scents - to my nose, they somehow manage to be soothing and invigorating at the same time. I can't smell the lavender very much, which is OK, as it's an iffy note at best for me. The initial sharpness wears off, and I'm left with a mellow minty herbal scent with an underlying sweetness.

 

Reminds me a lot of Mad Hatter, another pennyroyal blend I find comforting. I just wish the minty scents would last longer on my skin.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: wow. a very interesting scent. the lavender and minty-smelling pennyroyal are a refreshing and calming combination. i'm definitely going to need to try this as a headache remedy.

on: this is gorgeous. very strong lavender and pennyroyal. lovely.

1 hour later: much softer. still the minty-smelling pennyroyal.

2 hours later: very light and soft.

overall: this is very nice. i'll definitely be keeping my imp.

[knudbrox]

I got this as a frimp with my last order. After having a friend try it and love it, I too had high expectations.

 

I said to myself, as I was trying this, "I like lavender, I like pain... surely I will like this scent." Oh, how wrong I was, friends.

 

In the bottle, it's gorgeous. It's sharp lavender with a green undertone--probably the hints of pennyroyal. It's clean and crisp and lovely.

 

On me, within moments--seconds--all the lavender turned and fled, leaving only the horrible mutant stench of pennyroyal. I could not get to the bathroom to wash it off fast enough.

 

On my partner, who tried Pain moments later, it came up purely medicinally antiseptic smelling. Poor luck.

[valentina]

In the imp, this is a very pungent blend. I know everyone says pungent, but that's because it's the perfect word. But it's a good pungent; it's intense, sharp lavender along with the pennyroyal herbal mintiness. I like this smell, because when I go out to my herb garden (when it's not winter - sigh), the real scents are pungently green and alive.

 

OK, now that I'm done with my little garden reverie, I'll continue... when I apply Pain, I get that same sharp, alive scent. After a half-hour or so, it begins to soften, and after an hour, it's a very soft scent, mainly lavender with a bit of minty undertone. It's really very similar to what would happen if I opened up the stems of herb plants and ran them across my arm -- it would be very strong at first, and then would mellow down into something very pleasant. For that reason alone, I love this scent. It's like a little bit of early summer in a bottle. There's no pain for me in Pain!

 

And I'm editing this to add something else that I remembered after I wrote this -- a few years ago, someone who knows quite a bit about flower essences told me that pennyroyal was considered useful for maintaining and protecting one's psychic boundaries. I think the sharpness in Pain might include a energetic bitchslap to all those psychic vampires that hover around your personal space!

 

valentina

Edited January 21, 2006 by valentina

[theseagrows]

i got this as a frimp from the lab- not something i normally would have chosen. not that i don't like lavender, i just don't wear it in perfume much.

 

this smells like lavendar + something herbal, which is the pennyroyal, but prior to this i'd never smelled pennyroyal. it seems all most grassy-minty-tea like. but not minty in the traditional sense.

 

it smells better as it fades, but then my skin eats this one right up.

[Abbie]

In the bottle: Unlike a lot of previous reviewers, I get lavender first sniff. There's a bitter, fresh-scented undertone which must be pennyroyal, and I'd swear some geranium in there too.

 

First on: Still mostly lavender, but there's something about this that smells... automotive? Like motor oil and tires? It's very subtle and I had to really stretch my brain to get it, but its def. there on me.

 

Dry: Like, half an hour later? Gone.

 

Overall: I might try this as a shampoo/conditioner and see if its a better laster, cause I love lavender.

[Thaleia]

Frimp from the Lab. I had this on my wishlist, and then saw it under recommendations for boys ... but I've just begun to realise that traditionally masculine blends do actually smell okay on me. I love the way lavender blooms on my skin, and after trying Mad Hatter, I like pennyroyal, so.

 

Very sharp and herbal in the vial. Minty lavender, but not in a healing sense, but rather more fierce and pugnacious. Definitely a masculine blend, and not relaxing in the least, as lavender and mint tend to be.

 

It's a very 'guy' smell on me. The lavender and pennyroyal are fighting it out on my skin, and I'm not sure who's winning, but all I can say is that if I want something to clear up my sinuses, this'd be it. After a while, it turns into a dying, angry lavender scent. Sour and bitter at the same time. Pennyroyal is winning, and lavender is rrarrrrangry. It doesn't seem to like me, and I feel a bit of a headache coming on, now that my sinuses are completely open and letting the scent of Pain in. 3.5/10.

[Wench457]

Pain ITB: spicy, like peppermint. Guess that's the pennyroyal.

 

On: very sharp and minty - then it smells just like walking into a Borders bookstore - like being surrounded by paper. How odd.

 

Dry: very unsettling, like a camphor and mint scent. Painful, in fact.

Edited February 19, 2006 by Wench457

[filigree_shadow]

Yow. Minty, but a medicinal mint. Is that what pennyroyal smells like? I'm not sure if what I'm smelling is lavender... I can't really figure out what this smells like. It's really well blended.

 

But it's making my nostrils curl. OK, I'll be honest. It mostly reminds me of, um, poppers. Not that I know what that smells like... But I take a big whiff of my wrist and get light-headed. Definitely can't wear this as a fragrance.

 

ETA: After 30 minutes it's GONE. Completely. I can't even tell where I applied it.

Edited April 17, 2006 by filigree_shadow

[LiberAmoris]

Yep, Pain is everything other reviewers have mentioned: pungent, medicinal, astringent, and yes, a little painful.

 

But I think I might keep my imp around because this might be exactly what I want if I have a headache or feel a bit nauseous. It's head-clearing stuff!

[juniperus]

Bottle: oh sharp, ouch! lavender with a touch of mint.

Wet: lavender definitely in the lead. I like lavender.

Dry: the lavender has faded and the green sorta-mint remains...

Later: this reminds me of the smell of ragweed and other non-grass portions of my yard as I mow them..that sharp greeness. Do I actually amp pennyroyal? What a, er, pain!

[zenvodunista]

a freebie in a swap, i'd not tried Pain yet. now, i do like The MAd Hatter quite a bit, and his Pennyroyal is a dusky dusty one.

 

to my nose, the Pennyroyal and Lavender combine to make a perfect mint. i put it on my skin and got a chill which was fun! the scent though disappears within 5 minutes for me.

 

this is one that i'd get and use in a lotion or a soap for the dog days of summer. or a body wake-up spray

 

n.

[urbanruralferal]

Pennyroyal, hello!

This is mostly pennyroyal on me, with a something a wee bit woody in the background. It is a light wood, like pine. the wood comes out in varying degrees as it dries down, but the pennyroyal rules the show. Pennyroyal is a bit musty, or something. Just a tiny bit *sweaty*.

I can taste it on the back of my throat. I think one might like to wear this when one is congested...

 

The image here is a great big dance studio, bright, with well worn, but clean, wooden floors. there aren't any dancers in it at present, and it is cold.

So maybe the Pain here is of a searing muscular variety. "Go for the BURN!"

 

I won't keep it. I much prefer the pennyroyal in Mad Hatter.

[littlefarmgirl]

Pennyroyal, mint, why does it smell almost creamy? No lavender, which is sad, I love lavender.

Wow it's gone! It's only been on fifteen minutes!

[dragonryder]

This smells very strongly of freshly tanned leather. No scent of lavender at all, not a good scent on me.

[karengypsy]

In the vial: Lavender and mint.

 

On me: Still lavender and mint.

 

Verdict: I don't really like the way it smells on me. The pennyroyal is making the lavender much too tangy. I prefer a bit of a softer lavender. This definitely won't do for me.

 

Rating: 1/5

[midnight_aeval]

Oh ew, ew, ew.. chemicals ew burning my nose and eyes.. Really, I haven't come across a BPAL scent I *hated*- but this would be the first!

 

Right off the bad when I opened the vial I gagged. I quickly snapped the cap back on and some oil got on my finger- ew-ew-ew- (ok, so I'm being dramatic!) DH, sitting on the couch beside me exclaims "WHAT IS THAT SMELL?!" I tell him I think it's cleaning chemicals. "Well fix it! It's burning my eyes!" LOL I've never gotten such a response from him about a scent, but unfortunately it wasn't a good one.

 

I shall avoid pennyroyal like the plague.

[AliBabble]

pain is all bright and jagged mint, at first - refreshing! very soon tho, it turns into more of a turpentine smell on me, then it kind of softens and gets mintier again....i've always liked the smell of turpentine, but i'm not sure i need to smell like it...i think i like scents to make me smell a bit softer. however, pain really gives a bit of a "kick" or "jolt". kind of good for waking you up, when your energy is sagging...

[purrbox]

gack! fresh burst listerine. mint *explosion* horrible.

 

i am a firm believer that mint has no place in perfume, and this scent is no exception. sometimes i can tolerate mint smells in say, a foot scrub or lotion or what have you, but as a perfume, no way. and this one in particular doesn't just smell minty- it's got a distinct listerine odor, complete with the faint undertone of bad breath that you'd use the listerine to cover up.

 

one of the worst i've tried yet. the name is apt, because this is truly painful to my nose.

[elspeth]

I can really smell the lavender in this. I think the pennyroyal makes it smell kind of minty in a way. I agree with other posters who have said that it reminds them of Demon in the Dark soap. It has that sharpness to it but it isn't an unpleasant smell. I can't imagine wearing this everyday but it seems like it would be a cool scent to wear in hot weather.

[edenssixthday]

Pain - This is a very strong mint scent both in the vial and when initially applied to my skin. Mint is only second to jasmine as my olfactory nemesis, so I’m instantly reviled from the first moment I apply this blend until the mint finally fades. The mint reminds me strongly of the mint in Tulzscha that I strongly disliked and I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that there’s pennyroyal in Tulzscha, as well. I’m very familiar with the scent of BPAL lavender, but I can’t detect it at all in this blend. I believe the scent of the pennyroyal has completely overpowered it. The scent doesn’t last on my skin. At about the 90 minute point, I could barely detect it, and by the 2 hour point, it was completely gone from my skin. The only time the throw was strong was when I first applied it, and I find it overwhelming, but as soon as it dried down, it began to stick very closely to my skin.

[ND¢]

In the bottle: Sharp. I'm sure what I'm smelling is the pennyroyal.

 

On me: Pretty much. The pennyroyal is huge on me, and the lavender is lost. I really wish that hadn't been the case. It didn't smell 'balanced' (not that, given the description, I'd really expect it should.) It really is a cruel sort of smell. Not unpleasant to smell (though also not well suited for me); I'm just amazed how accurately the scent represents the name.

[maijasu]

I could have sworn that this had peppermint in it, but I see now that it must be the pennyroyal. I honestly couldn't smell the lavender at all, just a strong mint, fading quickly into something that just smelled rather "off" on my skin. I can see how it might work for headaches, nausea, and the like, but I still think it will do better in a new home.

[PurringPulsar]

Pain

 

In the imp: minty lavender. I know it's the pennyroyal causing the mint effect but it smells more like peppermint in here than the greener pennyroyal scent I've encountered.

Wet on skin: fresh, cool, piercing minty lavender.

Dry on skin: whoa. Screaming miiiiiiinty lavender, with a touch of green herbs. This is very fresh, almost medicinal in scent, but on me there's a hint of something grey and even metallic about it. It's not as pleasant as the lavender-pennyroyal in Mad Hatter. This is icy, without feeling, calculating and emotionless. Very cold indeed…and ever so intense.

After a while: lavender and pennyroyal are very short-lived notes on me so I was expecting them to disappear altogether. But, though they fade considerably (pennyroyal vanishes completely) the lavender seems to stick around, lingering on the skin in a faint, soft, powdery, pale scent which actually reminds me of Waving not Drowning…and it also smells like violet, which is odd. But I do like it, and I like it better than the initial wet stage.

The scent disappears completely within two hours.

Verdict: at first, this was a cold, cruel, biting mint-lavender. Not a comforting one, this was grey, grim, metallic, very piercing. It was cold, like a bitter winter wind. Not painful though. This scent smells more numb than Numb, ironically. The drydown, despite it's faintness, is a lot nicer, a soft lavender with a hint of violet (?) to it, a lot calmer than before. But due to it's lack of 'grounding' notes, the scent does disappear in a nanosecond-I mean, a couple of hours. One for swaps. I have other mint scents I prefer.

Emoticon rating:

If you like this, try: Mad Hatter, Numb

Edited September 28, 2006 by yeahbutnobut