The Agony of Heartache

[yeahbutnobut]

The Agony of Heartache

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

 

In the decant: sage-y blackberry, like Bitter Moon or Bewitched meets the Oblation. Has the potential to go either way.

Wet on skin: oh no, this seems to be the blackberry note that turns to cat pee on me...

Dry on skin: cat pee. That's pretty heartbreaking. The scent is predominantly blackberry, not the nice Bitter Moon one but a blackberry which doesn't like my skin. The scent is definitely reminiscent of Bitter Moon and Bewitched thanks to the sage, which is the same fuzzy warm sage from Corazon. The lime adds a sharp, crisp tartness and makes the blackberry note even more acidic, the lemon blossom is more delicate, almost like lemon fruit meets orange blossom. The patchouli adds a lot of depth and darkness, but sadly, this blackberry, bitter and sour, smells like blackcurrant fruit pastilles mixed with 'essence of feral tomcat'.

After a while: bad kitty has sprayed all over the sage shrubs, it seems. The lime and lemon fade and the blackberry, with that dark patchouli undertone and sage, is dominant. Sure, it does smell fruity and juicy, very sharp like real blackberries usually are, but I still can't get over the way my skin chem warps this into feline urine.

The sage comes out a little more, it's a balmy sage, almost spicy, very warm-definitely a desert sage note. But it doesn't detract from the 'bad kitty' blackberry which is still prowling the scent.

The blackberry does eventually leave, with a soft smudge of incense-like sage lingering. I really like this sage stage. It smells like warm evening air scented with herbs and a bit of smoke. this is after a few hours of evil blackberry.

Verdict: this is my least favourite of the A/E scents, and I knew from the start that the blackberry would turn on me. And turn on me, it did, oh boy. As soon as this hits my skin, it smells like a tomcat had just marked his territory on my wrist. And not by rubbing against me. This was like the Oblation, a mix of herbal blackberry which smelt less like a wild bramble bush growing into a herb garden, and more like some stray kitty had sprayed all over the herb patch. The sage note was lovely and warm and I really like the way it turns to incense and that 'warm summer's evening' scent after a few hours, but throughout most of the scent's duration, cat-pee blackberry rules over the scent. There are some blackberry notes I like, but some I don't, and this one is one I had to pass on to someone else.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? no. I love cats, but not smelling of their pee.

[gwynethr]

I also get cat pee for the first long hour or so. It has a lot of throw, so that's not great. But I left it on the second time, just to see what would happen if I could get past cat pee, and it softened considerably. I get no citrus at all, but it smells much better after a few hours. Now the question is: which lasts longer, me or the perfume? Because apparently, if I can outlast this it turns into a good blend!

[alicia_stardust]

This is a deep and rich scent. It's a bit heavy. The blackberry sits the strongest and I get the sense of thorny, dark blackberries. Beyond that there is a strong layer of patchouli. Those two play off of each other for a while, then the citrus comes out to sit on top of those two heavier notes. I don't individually detect the sage but I am sure it is lending itself to the deep, rich scent that I detected at the beginning. This is a work of art.

[jolarocknrolla]

Well i sniffed this first without looking at the notes and i smelled LIME. Let me tell you, if there is patchouli in there it is FAR in the background somewhere. I'm kind os shocked that the blackberry didn't go foul on me as blackberry tends to, maybe it was the lime that counteracted it?

 

The result has a sharpness to it that is hard to describe. it's a lot like Bitter moon. It's not sweet and not quite fruity, it's mostly tart but in a good way. i'm really surprised by this one!

[azhriaz]

Blackberry and lime rind are very noticeable in this blend, but I am also getting cat pee... and sniffing it is causing me to cough and it feels harder to breathe... eek! I've never had that reaction before.

 

The herbal/berry/citrus combination is very interesting, but I think the negatives are just a bit too much for me to handle.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Herbs, citrus, and darkest patchouli. The sage and patchouli are almost terrifying.

 

Wet: Yay, blackberry! Much fruitier. The sage is still very strong, but the patchouli has softened. The citrus is still light, but definitely lime-y. A light floral note.

 

Dry: Dries very quickly. The sage takes on a sort of minty note; it's quite astringent. The blackberry and lime fade, and can only be detected close to the skin, while the floral note has disappeared entirely, such that the patchouli seems stronger again relatively.

 

Summary: Sharp sage and patchouli. Raw and masculine, and too rough for me. Strong throw and moderate lasting power

Edited March 2, 2008 by fairnymph

[tartchef]

OK, I can see how some folks got cat pee... the blackberry & sage combination is very astringent & dry, and I had about 10 minutes of touch-&-go with this one. Fortunately, the faint whiff of ammonia was just that, and we're back to berry canes & herb gardens baking in the hot summer sun When I first applied, I got a big cloud of soft, powdery citrus - the lemon blosson & lime, apparently. Pretty, but not quite my thing, at least not this early in the year... The drydown is really something, though - Sarada's right, the patchouli is what pushes Heartache into the realm of the divine, providing a beautiful deep earthy base that contrasts so nicely with the sharpness of the sage & the tannic sweetness of the blackberry. A summer gardener's scent, just the thing to drive away the grey gloom of early March

[thatpirategirl]

Oh wow, at first I get the blackberry like mad, with a little zing from the lemon and lime. At first it smells exactly like gummy bears and makes me hungry for sweets. I'm not getting any cat pee at all. As the patchoulli comes out, it calms the fruits down a lot and makes it more earthy and resiny. Still, this is by no means the scent of heartache for me. It's so bright and fruity! I think fruity notes often amp on me, which would explain why my description seems nothing like anyone else's.

 

Pity this is discontinued, because it's one of my new favorites. I'll savor my imp!

Edited May 26, 2008 by thatpirategirl

[filigree_shadow]

When I first put this on, I have to admit that my very first impression was this: "Gross." It did not smell good. At all. I think it was the sage that I was having trouble with because it smelled very herbal and kind of medicinal.

 

As it dried, though the blackberry came out a lot more. It's softer in this one than it usually is on me and actually balances out that purple sage pretty nicely.

 

My skin has a little bit of trouble with red patchouli, so in the end I don't think this one's going to work for me, but it's too bad because I enjoy the blackberry in this. Smells good with sage and lemon blossom.

[gingiemay]

Wet in imp - Sage, lime, light patchouli. Very nice.

 

Wet on skin - Sage and patchouli, but it’s very mild and not quite so... potent. Usually I don’t like patchouli.

 

Dry on skin - The patchouli has softened, and there is a little blackberry in there with the sage and lemon blossom. A rich, complex scent.

[zankoku_zen]

This is sagey blackberry patchouli. So it's very sage, very berry, very earthy and very not me.

[angelicruin]

Sniffing the bottle, I get mostly patchouli and citrus.

 

Wet on the skin, it's still patchouli and lemon/lime citrus....as it dries more, I definitely smell the sage....still no blackberry though.

 

 

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Light herb, light citrus.

 

Wet: Still herbal and citrus, with not a very distinctive scent on me. I look forward to the patchouli developing; I usually do quite well with red patchouli.

 

Half an hour: A hint of sage and some very floral touches of lemon. Very soft and unexpected; I was anticipating something sharp and bright. I've noticed that the Agonies in this series don't typically work on me, whereas the Ecstasies work great. Maybe there's a lesson in that somewhere.

 

One hour: A little fruity now, perhaps the blackberry coming out? But still remarkably gentle on me.

 

Three and a half hours: This one never went anywhere on me, really. Trade pile.

 

[rayvn1]

This was a ninja frimp in a package sent by the amazing and lovely tartchef. I'm so glad I got to try this one! A light, sharp scent - it represents heartache pretty darn well. It goes a bit plastic on my skin, unfortunately, but the main scents are dry lavender and sweet blackberry. I bet on the right person this is great

[Gin]

The Agony of Heartache

 

What? My nose has officially gone insane. You know what this smells like? Cedar. Maybe it's the sage + blackberry (if it were blackberry leaf) but it smells just like cedar. I like cedar, but don't want to smell like it. I'll pass this one along.

[sirensea]

My first impression of this oil is... sage! Really, really strong sage. After a few minutes, it dries into something very juicy and tart, a ripe blackberry surrounded by lots of soil and green leaves.

 

Pretty, but not for me.