Pain

[claudia6913]

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

I got this as a generous frimp from the lab, and honestly, I'd never looked twice at this scent. I like more ... diversity in my scent blends? Definitely not a floral girl, and that's what I had assumed this would be.

However, when I opened the BPAL box, I got a nice whiff of mint. Very mild, slightly floral, but nice. It had a sharp edge to it, but it was, for the most part, softer than I expected BPAL mint to be.

In the imp it is pure Altoid mint. That strong, sharp, almost overpowering mint scent. However, once on the skin and once it gets a chance to dry down a bit, it's more like an old loved Altoid mint tin that you keep things in. And you know you inhale deep everytime you open that little tin because it still smells so much like the mints it once housed. THAT is what Pain smells like to me. And, quite honestly, I love it. Much to my surprise.

This really is NOT a floral. Perhaps ... mint in bloom, maybe, but definitely not flowers and petals and anything overly soft.

Oh Boo! Within 15 minutes of putting a tad on my hand, the scent is almost completely gone. At least, I can't smell anything on my skin, though there is a faint whiff coming from ... somewhere. I think a drop or two splashed out of the imp when closing it. Perhaps a nice candle out of this ... mmmm. Edited May 29, 2010 by Shollin

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Wow! I think I really don’t like pennyroyal. It’s like dentist mint toothpolish on steroids with a lavender undercurrent. It is well named and the sharp and cruel moniker works for this. Given my intense reaction in the bottle, I’m thinking skin testing would be unsafe.

[meredevachon]

Frimp from the Lab.

 

In the imp: Medicinal, herby, minty. Strong

 

Wet: It's just what it said on the box (figuratively speaking, of course): pennyroyal and lavender.

 

Dry: Astringent and medicinal. I used to make a salve for my grandmother's muscle aches that relied heavily on lavender and various mint essential oils. This reminds me of that. If I try to get any closer/sniff deeper than what I get just wafting up, it makes my eyes want to water. It doesn't change much over the course of a few hours.

 

I'm not sure whether to keep this as a pick-me-up for when I'm all achy and/or sluggish, or pass it on to someone who would wear it more frequently.

[brilliantcat]

I'm testing this as a bedtime blend, believe it or not. I know it's a smack you in the face kind of scent but one of my medications has the horrible side effect of causing stuffy noses and I can't and don't want to rely on yet another medication to unstuff my nose, especially with a tachyarrhythmia (fast heart rate) and high blood pressure. Decongestants are a no-no. I thought the kick of the pennyroyal coupled with the lavender might make the perfect nighty night blend for me.

 

In the imp it's very herbal-mint from the pennyroyal. I haven't figured out just what mint it smells like to me, but it's got an herbal and almost dusty sense to it. I learned from Mad Hatter that I like pennyroyal but this is a rip-roaring pennyroyal, not a background note. It's kicking me in the face but it IS unclogging my nose a bit. Excellent! Maybe my snoring won't scare the cats and keep my husband up.

 

It's got fairly strong throw and that's where I smell the lavender. Sniffing up close, everything but the herbal minty godzilla that is the pennyroyal is obliterated. However, I don't feel energetic. I actually feel calmed. So much so that I slathered myself in it after the teeny bit I tested with warmed up. I'm surrounded by a cloud of icy mint and I can actually breathe through my nose! And I can sense the lavender wafting around me like a soft floral hug. So far so good! Let's see how I feel in the morning.

 

Edit: I figured out what it smells like to me! It smells exactly like Sleepytime tea! No wonder I love it. Granted there's no chamomile or valerian, but chamomile turns to powder on me and valerian, if I recall, smells rather nasty. Well that explains why I associated it with sleep

Edited July 12, 2010 by brilliantcat

[SophieCedar]

Whoaow! Great frimp from the lab. I always looked at this one but never ordered it.

Wet: pennyroyal is strong here, rooty, green and bittersweet.

Drydown: the pennyroyal has burned off a bit leaving an effervescent minty lavender. Ironically pain is quite soothing! This could honestly be added to the Somnium set very easily.

[Gold Dust Kitten]

Sharp spearmint in the vial. I don't know what possessed me to put this on but now it's more of a spearminty-lavender. I don't like this as perfume; but it would be great for aromatherapy. It definitely woke me up.

[madscientistdh]

In the bottle: Minty! Peppermint with something a bit muskier rounding it out.

 

On my skin (wet): Definitely still mint, my brother told me I smelled like a candy cane after discovering that I was not, in fact, brushing my teeth...

 

Drydown: Mint softens down, a little of a playdough sort of herby scent comes out... I've never smelled lavender act like this, so I'm assuming it's pennyroyal!

 

Verdict: Smells like candy canes, but dies down really quickly on its own. I'd wear this when I want to feel clean and wintery, or to clear my mind. I'll use the imp up eventually, but I probably won't get a 5ml bottle.

[reconditarmonia]

Smelling it in the imp it's incredibly lovely and herbal - not as in "This is a Herbal Perfume" but as if I actually went out to the garden and rubbed a sprig of lavender between my fingers. Unfortunately, on my skin it goes to a metallic pennyroyal and then fades within a few minutes.

[imaginepageant]

Review from 2005.

 

In the Vial: OW! Seriously, that's what I thought when I first breathed this in, without even realizing... this is called Pain. This is sharp, strong, biting. I'm not sure exactly what lavender or pennyroyal smell like, but I guess this is it. It's minty green, like eucalyptus, or some other plant I can't quite put my finger on. It could also be taken as slightly medicinal, though it's too green to really be astringent.

 

Wet: It calms down and isn't as KAPOW as before, but the green mint is still loud and clear, and it's growing even more medicinal.

 

Dry: Now I know what that other plant was: basil! How strange! The green mint is still there, but overall, this smells like a basil leaf just plucked from the garden.

 

An Hour Later: The sharpness and strength softens immensely after an hour, so that it ends up still the same green mint and basil smell, but much fainter and not half as painful to my nose.

 

Overall: It might be nice if it didn't remind me so much of basil, but as it is, I can't imagine why anyone would want to smell like this. This is definitely not a wearable oil.

[calivianya]

This is a very sharp, high pitched pennyroyal and lavender scent. The pennyroyal is very minty indeed, and very powerful. The lavender is a milder background note in comparison. Something about it starts to smell a little metallic on the drydown, probably the lavender as sometimes the Lab's lavender does a metallic thing on my skin. I'm not sure whether I'll be keeping my imp at this point.

[Balame]

In the Imp: This sounds like quite the interesting combo. To start I get a very sharp and herbal mix of both notes right out of the imp.

 

Wet: This is a mint. Straight up candycane, but intensified to the extreme.

 

Dry: Very medicinal now, not candy-like as before. Metallic. I don't think I've ever smelled pennyroyal before, so for sure it's the main culprit. It's completely overwhelmed the lavender, in fact. This very much works for its namesake, because I can easily take myself to a torture chamber filled with metal instruments. Kind of creepy! If you want to make people uncomfortable this would do the trick.

 

Overall: Metal and an icky sort of oral medicine. Like cough syrup but just the chemicals, not the sweetness. It's not pleasant by itself, but I wouldn't shy away from other oils with pennyroyal in them, now that I know what it smells like. I actually think something that sweetens it a bit, or at least lends something darker to tone it down, would make it more tolerable and fun.

[anaengel]

I got this as a frimp in a package a couple weeks back. I really do wish it lasted longer. Though it does work great at work chasing away the smells in the office there. Maybe I can put a donation box together to get the guys to chip in for a bottle to use there. Hey, they agreed that it was the best they've smelled the place.

 

When I smell the imp, it's a completely sharp, in your face, mint smell. Somewhere in the back, I get a whiff of lavender. It's very faint and almost overwhelmed by the mint. Sniffing it helps the caffeine keep me awake at the we hours of work. But, I can only have that from the imp itself.

 

I put in on my skin and the mint tames itself. I get more of the lavender out moments after it hits my skin. It's very pretty and not very strong on my skin. Very cooling. Though for the first minute, I do get a bit of sting. As it dries, it gets softer and softer, the mint going away more and leaving behind lavender, until that is all I smell. That fades also after it dries.

 

This lasted only two hours until there was no scent on me at all. Nobody else noticed it after that also, so I know it went away. I had to reapply more than once to get through the day. I loved it while it lasted, but can't see reapplying that often. But, I did cheat and put a couple drops on a sheet of paper and laid it by the filter to the air conditioner at work. It smelled so wonderful and we got both the mint and lavender scent from it. It lasted a long time that way. I see it getting used from time to time there. Like I said, I'd consider a bottle for work, but only if I can get the guys to chip in. Otherwise, I'll just stick to this imp.

[Kayah]

Let's see.. how can I describe pain.

 

From the moment I opened the imp, it was sharp and cold like the edge of a razor. It sliced its way through my senses and opened a wound.

 

I could not even bleed, but it was as if I was held on the edge of consciousness, the scent driving me over but also holding me with its fierce talons.

 

 

Pain, very simply, is painful.

 

 

I once put it on, a year ago.. when I first got it as a frimp. Today.. I did not have the guts to put it on my skin. It is headache inducing, gut wrenching and soul ripping.

 

The lavender is beautifully sharp, and the pennyroyal is incredibly fierce.

 

If you like being stabbed by a perfume and left to bleed... give pain a shot.

[zagadka]

Cccccold.

 

Like everyone else has said, first whiff in the imp and on is just overwhelmingly minty. Its like mouthwash, it stings your nose and throat. Guess it lives up to its name right off the bat.

 

I don't get much lavender in this, which is disappointing because that is one of my favorite scents (and the only floral I can wear).

 

After a very brief dry down, it becomes a little more earthy. I smell dry sticks and mud in the background behind the light mintiness that is hanging around. No lavender to be found.

 

Very interesting scent, not something that I would wear, but definitely will keep in my box for novelty's sake.

[whitsunweddings]

In the imp: I'm not familiar with pennyroyal, but this honestly smells just likes peppermint candy.

Wet: The mint has gone a bit more herbal.

Dry: Just strong mint on me, no lavender at all. Would probably be good on a dude, but I might just think that because it reminds me of my breathmint-loving grandfather. Also, my cat went nuts when I wore this, so I looked it up and pennyroyal is in the same family as catnip. It's also toxic to kitties! So be sure not to let them lick you while you're wearing this.

[Wren12]

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

 

In the Imp: Wooh, mint, mint mint. Pepper. Mint.

 

On wet: Yup, that is very minty. It is a sharp mint sent, more of a peppermint to me. It must be the pennyroyal? I'm glad to have smelled this because if this is what pennyroyal smells like it's a good intro. Some herbiness in the background...

 

On dry: The mintiness recedes a touch and the pepper comes more to the foreground. They both last for a good long while, with low to medium throw.

 

All in all - I didn't get any lavendar whatsoever from this, and I am just fine with that, I don't really care for it. The sharpness of the smell was appealing to me, enhanced by whatever was causing the preponderance of pepper over mint. For some reason this makes me think of the aftermath of pain, when a wound is being well cared for. Almost antiseptic, but not in a bad way. I like it, but don't need a bottle of it. Although it was a good one to try when I was feeling logey this morning pre-tea!

[Lady Midnight]

I've worn this twice and I had the same experience both times. Initially it smelled minty but after a couple of hours it turned into the smell of spoiled food. It was absolutely foul. Ah, well, at least now I know to avoid pennyroyal like the plague.

[hexnut]

PAIN

 

In Vitro Yellow oil. Tested blind, but I knew this was Pain from the first sniff - minty! A penetrating smell.

 

Wet Strong pennyroyal, no lavender yet.

 

Drying Twenty-eight minutes on this was much less powerful. There was a soapy note and the whole thing was slightly sweeter. As the scent faded it was pleasantly minty and I detected some possible lavender. Five hours after application I could smell faint mint, and when I checked at seven and a half hours it was gone.

 

I like this even though I'm not sure how I'd use it. When I was a kid our cat wore a "natural" flea collar that was soft rope soaked in pennyroyal, and I enjoyed the smell even then so I have no negative associations for this scent. With its initial jolt and and an unobtrusive drydown, Pain could be a good workday morning perfume.

 

 

57

[kolibri]

Lab frimp; had in my collections since Sept 2010.

 

 

In the imp: Ascerbic. And so minty fresh, you can taste the coolness at the back of your tongue when you take a whiff. There's a crushed herbal greenness with a lighter halo, like someone stepped on a wildflower.

 

Wet on the skin: All of the above, and a woodsy-leather underpinning. The overall effect reminds me of herbal tea, cleaning products and old church pews.

 

Dry: Vaguely minty, with a tiny hint of crushed flowering herbs. Very little throw.

 

Later: The memory of a cough drop. Reapplication needed, because the scent is almost gone.

 

 

 

Overall: I wasn't sure I'd like this one. The first wearing, I was pretty underwhelmed. But upon subsequent wearings, I can see the benefits. When I asked others to smell it (on my skin), they tended to be either indifferent or meh about it, but they became sober and focused during our subsequent interactions, a reaction I found interesting. My only real gripe is, my skin eats this one and I had to reapply several times through the day.

 

Additional tests needed: In a scent locket. On closely-worn clothing. In hair.

[bonk]

Got this as a frimp with a purchase at C2E2.

 

The smell is very hospital to me. It reminds me strongly of cheap mouthwash as well. In the bottle, it was very biting and overwhelming. On the skin, it smells like a dentist appointment. It's actually kind of alarmingly similar--which I guess is appropriate for the name "Pain".

 

On the skin it smells like the flouride tooth polish and the rubber gloves of the dentist. It's very strong to me and recalls those thoughts.

 

It's a very weird scent and one I probably won't wear unless I felt like being reminded of a teeth cleaning. On my skin, the mint settled on dry down but left behind the latex rubber of the dentist gloves.

[FriedaLove]

Wet on skin: Whoa, Nelly-Mint! The Pennyroyal is all that I smell because this is very much like spearmint when first applied. It soon starts to calm down, back away, and submit to the lavender though it still makes its presence well known. I didn't hardly get any lavender at all from this, it's more of a clean scent than anything on me. After two hours I smelled absolutely nothing. I reapplied to reassess and got the same results. A little disappointing, I really wanted to love this one as I love lavender.

[Deliciousness]

Got this as a frimp from my last order - thanks Labbies

 

In the imp: A strong medicinally herby mint

Wet on skin: Whoa! My wrist is screaming at me "MINT MINT MINT and some other unknown herbs" ; The other unknown herbs, must be the lavender within the blend.

Dry down: Medicinally minty, slightly menthol like scent. Fades quickly.

 

This blend screamed at me from my imp, screamed at me from my wrist, then went mute after an hour.

Glad I got to try out this scent, even though it didn't really agree with my olfactory sense.

[mermaidsdream]

I wanted to wear something this morning, so I opened my "let's try me" imp box, reached in, and grabbed this imp.

 

Appropriate, given the week I've had.

 

In the imp: something sharp, almost minty. I'd originally sniffed, put it back, kept grabbing other things, and then coming back to this.

 

Wet, applied: mint with a bit of ... metallic oil? lubricating oil? It's sharp, different, but surprisingly pleasant.

 

Drydown: An hour later, it's gone. I'm a slatherer, not a dabber, so for this to have faded as fast as it has, I won't be keeping it.

[Quillifer]

Pain was one of the first imps I was given by my dear friend who introduced me to BPAL. I remember thinking then, "Well it's quite a powerful smell but I really can't imagine wanting to wear it as perfume". Over the next few months I kind of liked it but never really wore it much, and several times nearly gave it away, chucking it in with a swap.

 

I am now so, so glad that I kept it! The last few weeks I've been ill with a heavy cold which is as serious as a bug can get and still but just a cold. Pain has been a real saviour to me: I find it bracing, comforting, truly medicinal, and really indispensable. I put it on my wrists then sit at the keyboard, and after a few moments the scent reaches me and it's like a magic pill kicking in. I find it lasts well for me.

 

Sadly this is the only blend I know so far where lavender works for me.

[MiasmaResonance]

This is a scent that I would never have tried based off of the notes but upon sniffing it was just lovely!

 

It's very sinus clearing and spa-like. Sadly, I don't know if it's because of where I applied it (top of hand instead of inner wrist as usual) but it smells a little off. I get the metallic hint too as another reviewer mentioned, probably the pennyroyal. Divine in the imp though.