Pain

[Toby]

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

Wow, is this strong! I got a bit of this on my thumb as I was opening the imp to try it on, and I could smell it immediately.

As others have said, it's a very minty scent; really, more mint than lavender. Very quicky develops an odd kind of bitterness that I suspect is from the pennyroyal (I don't know what that actually smells like). It reminds me of... bandages? You know how bandages smell when you peel them off your skin and they've been there for awhile? Like that. And that is such a weird image association, and this imp is going off to swaps.

[BrightRedScream]

Woah...this is a good headache killer!

 

However, as this dries down..it goes into a very strong minty, herbal blend that in a strange way reminds me of a combo of Vics Vapour rub and drying paint...

NOT a good thing.

 

I think this needs to go.

No questions asked.

[fiddledragon]

Ok, I apparantly can't wear (or just don't like) pennyroyal. This is a lot like Utrennyaya on me -- the mints blending with odd floral things. I like lavender, and it's under there somewhere, but the pennyroyal goes weird and band-aid-ish on me after spending a long time being nauseatingly minty. I've heard this blend can be excellent for migraines...I'll keep it around and see if it helps. At least it'll provide strange disturbing scents to distract me from the migraine! And I was all set out to like this one

[RaeiNarcissus]

I got this as a frimp, and in the bottle, I was like, wow, this is really minty. On me though, the lavendar and the pennyroayal acted in a not so pleasant manner, and the mint became so twisted and nasty that I had to wash it off. This one is going in my swap pile, for sure.

[dnipbhsw]

This is minty and medicinal. It reminds me of an ointment my Chinese grandfather used to use, and not in a good way. This is interesting and refreshing, but not my thing.

[supremegoddessofall]

All pennyroyal, and it's beating the lavender into submission. Not for me.

[elka_knits]

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.

 

OK thats it. I was trying to figure out what it reminded me of. Not that I would know of course In the bottle I was woah ick yuck does anybody like this ick yuck. It took me a couple of days to try it on. Within 20 mins it is much mellower and I keep sniffing. Came to read reviews and realized FS hit it on the head. At this rate I expect it to be totally gone within the hour. For this lack of staying power all I can say is thank you thank you thank you. Tho it might be nice on some smouldering hot day to cool one down.... Maybe mixed with witch hazel as a rub to combat the heat or a fever. It does feel very cool. I guess I might get another imp of this come summer. Mine was an almost empty imp thrown in with a purchase.....

Edited December 11, 2006 by elka

[Lala]

I put a drop of this on the inside of my arm, and up wafted, ammonia? WTF? Nope, not doing this. Ran straight to the bathroom to scrub this one off.

[Roses Ablaze]

Mixed feelings, mixed impressions. I don't smell any lavender at all, so I can only assume that the candy-y, minty, green...medicinal? note I do detect is the pennyroyal. On my skin the medicinal and green qualities fade, and it turns into those cheap mints you get that dissolve into powder in your mouth and bear no markings. Dunno what they're called. I can't decide if I like this one or not, although I must disagree with the person who said that pennyroyal is more masculine that spearmint.

[maribouquet]

This fades very quickly on me. The lavender here is straightforward, and the pennyroyal gives Pain a minty feel that reminds me of Penthus.

 

It's not really me, so off to swaps it goes.

[monsteralice]

Wet: Sneezeworthy, very medicinal.

 

Dry: Still medicinal, but not as strong. More a doctor's office than an Urgent Care Center.

 

Duration: Pretty faint at 2.5 hours.

 

I can't decide if I'll keep the imp or not. It disappeared just as I started to really like it.

 

ADDED Dec. 5:

 

When first applied I get a minty fresh scent. Since the blend isn't listed as containing mint, it must just be my nose playing tricks. When dry the lavender takes over, then shortly fades away, leaving an earthy green scent. Doesn't last very long, maybe 3 hours on me.

 

Not for me, so into the enabling box it goes.

 

Fact of the day: Did you know that pennyroyal is an abortifacient? Might mean that this is one for the pregnant to stay away from, but that is probably overcautious.

[The Perfumed Ferret]

Sharp and herbal.

 

 

While I won't be wearing this every day, I think it will be very helpful in dealing with migraine headaches and concentration in general.

 

I really like it.

[phedre]

In vial: Minty! Must be the pennyroyal. Lavender.

 

Wet: lavender comes to the forefront. Spearminty pennyroyal, slightly sweet.

 

Drydown: Poof! Disappeared. It's too bad, because the initial sniff was lovely.

[Pika]

Got as a free sample from the lab...

 

In the bottle: Whoa, that'll clear your sinuses! Minty and medicinal. Should I really put this on my skin?

 

Wet on skin: Ok, I did it. Very herbal and medicinally. Not sure I like smelling like vapor rub.

 

A little while later... I may have judged harshly at first, the lavender is poking out and I do like lavender... the mintiness is OK, I guess... "invigorating"?

 

Much later... Faded away pretty quickly, but the lavender held on softly.

 

 

Not too bad at the end, but is it worth the "pain" of the first part? I could see this as an energizing morning bath wash, but not something to have around regularly. Probably a swap contender...

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I've been curious about Pain--whether it does hurt your nose or if, like Dirty, it smells like the *solution* to the name, so to speak. I have a headache right now, so here goes!

 

Pain is very strong; I put on just a tiny dab on my wrist and it floated right up to my nose. It smells like an herb garden--fresh green mint and lavender and something very like chamomile; is that the pennyroyal? It softens down at once. I quite like it--not as perfume, but to clear my head. It's like a strong cup of herbal tea; it reminds me of my beloved Tension Tamer. My head actually feels a little better. Cool!

[forspecial_plate]

Sharp and herbal, minty eucalyptus at first. Then the lavender comes out pretty strongly, which I like. I'm not sure I would wear this with any regularity, not because it smells bad (it doesn't), it's just not really my thing. Although it has lavender, I think this would wake me up like a sharp little pinch.

[cassandrakfreaq]

wow. this is not for me at all. It is brutal to my nose.

[vegasblueblood]

This one came as a frimp from the Lab and I try all the oils out. Pain is a sharp minty herbal oil, very strong in the imp and immediately after applying. I didn't get any lavender at first, just this very strong medicinal mint. I've only had it on for 45 minutes and it's already faded away and is almost entirely gone. It came on very intense and left just as quickly as it came, this oil!

[Extispex]

I do love the scent of pennyroyal. I always have. In the imp, I get mostly pennyroyal with just a hint of lavender swirling in the background. On my skin, this is almost ALL pennyroyal. The lavender is but a fading sigh. Pain is a scent as brutal as its name, and I like it... but as a perfume? More testing required.

[steffanina]

Pain-

 

In Bottle: Minty; pepperminty like tea tree oil.

 

Wet: Heh, that really works with the name--this is such a sharp scent. Not quite as biting as a doctor's office but there's something medicinal about it.

 

Dry: Not strong at all. A lightly herbal mint that fades rapidly.

 

Overall: Fast fader, but interesting: I might keep my imp around to sniff.

[funkmoppet]

Whoa that is some brutal mint. It's super-medicinal. Not a smell I like unless I'm using it for that purpose, and even then it's out of necessity.

 

It takes a while for the lavender to get a look-in, and when it finally does, it's still dominated by the mint. This is a great interpretation, but not something I want to smell like.

 

Definitely not for me.

[mimulus]

Dayum, that is some strong sh*t! In a really delicious way, though...

 

I kind just want to huff it, I bet it's good for a head cold.

 

On, wet: I actually kind of like medicinal blends. It's like a green resin or something. Quite sharp, just like the name implies.

 

Drying: This remains, as stated before, strong sh*t. Not really office wear. I might like to wear it walking in the forest, though. It smells clean, but not in an astringent way.

[MaidenGenevive]

Pain

 

A bitter lavender mint with a hint of licorice. This has a sharp astringency and is overall unpleasant, so I'm going to wash it off. No extended review here. As an aside, it fits it's description and name well. Pain is sharp and unpleasant.

 

[1 - Hate]

[hkhm]

imp: minty lavender. is this what pennyroyal smells like? sharp, clear mint...? i think i've found a new favourite note!

 

wet: very strong mint and lavender. the minty smell gives it that tingly, cold feeling which shoots the lavender straight up my nose.

 

dry: this fades quickly and the lavender just vanishes. which is fine, i'm not terribly fond of lavender and i get to sniff pennyroyal all afternoon. i can't believe i didn't know pennyroyal smelled this minty good! yum!

[lainevierge]

Wow, I can't believe how many people are not into this blend. Pain has become my favorite bedtime imp and lately I've found myself wishing for a 5ml when I feel like slathering myself in sleep. The minty/earthiness (pennyroyal?) and lavender is so calming.