Nocturne

[parrot_suspect]

Anoint the soles of your feet, your temples, Third Eye, pulse points and your heart prior to retiring. It aids in bringing on natural sleep, and helps ensure that you are not plagued by nagging thoughts and nightmares.

 

I've been an insomniac for years. It's rare that I don't have difficulty settling my mind down to sleep at night. I've tried several of the BPAL sleep blends. They are all helpful, in varying degrees. But nothing works so well as Nocturne. I follow the directions, applying dabs of it to the correct parts of my body, turn out the lights, and boom! I'm asleep within 15 minutes, and I don't wake up all night. In a way this surprises me, because this oil isn't something I'd wear just for the fragrance -- my skin amps the rose way beyond my personal preference. Even so, with the smell of roses (a scent I do not like) wafting all around me, I settle down to sleep so easily. It's amazing. If you have sleep troubles at all, you must get this.

[lahdeedah]

Hey, it's my first review! I've developed some serious sleep problems over the last year or so, from waking up during the night to just flat out bouts of insomnia. Used to sleep like a rock, through just about anything. When I heard so many successful reviews of Nocturne, I knew I needed to get my hands on it.

 

It's a good thing I happen to like roses-- what Libra doesn't-- 'cuz they amp like crazy on me. So after anointing myself before bed last night I was immediately enveloped in huge heavy roses backed with a hint of lavender and maybe a touch of something else-- it was hard to smell underneath the aforementioned giant pile of roses. I decided to read for a few minutes, and shortly I noticed the book feeling heavy in my hands. I was determined to finish the chapter, so I did, then turned out the lights and prepared to sleep. Within probably ten minutes I was out, I don't remember falling asleep, so I know it must have just whomped me over the head. Fine by me! I slept uninterrupted for a good 8 or 9 hours. Yay! Immediate love for Nocturne. I will add that I have also had good results with the couple of times I've tried Water of Notre Dame, but it doesn't seem to be quite so deep a sleep.

 

So if you're reading this and you need more sleep, unless you really hate roses, go get some!

 

 

[Lorelai1945]

I have been plagued with dreams over the last few months- ranging from the mildly strange to out and out terrifying. I've also had a lot of anxiety about starting a new school year and going back to work. Needless to say, I haven't been getting the best sleep. Last night I tried Nocturne for the first time. I applied it as specified- on the soles of my feet, temples, third eye, pulse points, and heart. It smells lovely! Like soft lavender and soft roses. It made me feel extremely comfortable and peaceful. I didn't immediately conk out or anything- I read for a while before turning out the light- but once I did commit to sleep I don't remember being awake for very long. I sort of woke up a little bit when my BF got up for work, but had no problem going back to sleep. I had NO dreams that I can remember. I woke up feeling rested and happy! This will definitely get frequent use.

[Balame]

In the Imp: Strangely NOT soothing, like lavender and pepper? Weird.

 

Wet: Jasmine jumps out supported by lavender, and something quite herbal in the background. The jasmine is super strong, so much that this is actually sharp to my nose. Not very good for sleep, I'd imagine, and especially since I'm not fond of very sweet scents either.

 

Dry: Baby powder and jasmine. It does lighten up a bit, but it's still far too sweet for me.

 

Overall: Good traditional sort of floral oil, and it seems to be helping people sleep, so give it a shot if that's your thing. But anyone who dislikes "cutesy" smells or feels heavier, more languid scents are better for rest, best to avoid.

[milo]

I'm not the best sleeper, so I'm always interested in trying things that may help my mind slow down. Tried this last night, after a busy overtime shift of 12 hours, so I was pretty buzzed. It took me awhile to fall asleep, but once I did, the sleep was pretty restful. Today, though, I couldn't 'wake up', until around 3 pm at work. I just felt totally sluggish all day, almost like I was drugged, and all I wanted to do was sleep, (I couldn't as I was at work),even though I think I got 7 hours or so that night. I'm thinking maybe I need to put this on in the early evening so it works by bedtime, as it was pretty hard to get through the day feeling so sleepy. As a scent, it is a pretty pink rose, kind of sweet and relaxing. I like the scent, and will have to try the oil again for sleep, though I'll try to use it earlier.

[OctoberGwen]

I have not been sleeping well lately, probably because my two young sons are still in the habit of crawling into bed with us in the middle of the night. We have a King, but adding two more people and a large dog that sleeps sideways across your feet makes for a very crowded sleep space. Most mornings I wake up feeling like I haven't even slept: tired, achy, cranky, gritty eyes.

 

I've used Nocturne as recommended for the past several nights, and I have to say that I have awakened feeling pretty damn good. I don't notice that it helps me fall asleep any faster (which isn't generally a problem anyway, but I have TKO for those occasions.) However, I definitely feel that I am sleeping better.

 

Once applied, I mostly get rose. This stuff could smell like gasoline, though, and I'd still use it. It works. I've experienced no grogginess the next day, either.

 

 

ETA:

Nocturne has become a workhorse TAL for me: I use it pretty much every night. Part of my nightly ritual is anointing myself with it and I sleep like the dead. Every night. And when I wake up, I feel rested. No grogginess.

 

It's wonderful.

 

And here's the real kicker: last week my husband, who is the most non-magical person I know, was complaining of not sleeping well, so I anointed him with Nocturne. The next morning he said that he slept "like a rock." The next night I asked if he wanted it again, and he said yes, please. He left on a trip, came back yesterday, and last night asked for the Nocturne! So yes, people: you don't have to be a believer for it to work.

 

And it works like a motherfucker.

Edited July 13, 2013 by OctoberGwen

[Magycmyste]

I'm not going to bother with my normal scent review for this one, other than to say it's a dark, rosy smell to me (which I'm perfectly fine with).

 

I've been using this for about three nights now, after using Anthelion, TKO, and Somnus, respectively to get a bit better sleep. They all helped, in their own way, but I have to say, Nocturne is the first one that's helped me sleep well at night (even on nights where I didn't feel really tired already, going to bed), AND lets me wake up naturally without feeling groggy. (My cat woke me up a few times - she likes to come up and lick my face (which I try to discourage, and I pet her until she goes back to my feet or settles down again. Even then, though, I was able to wake up to pet her without feeling too groggy, and able to go right back to sleep.) Admittedly, I don't think I've had the kinds of days lately that would lead to those really restless nights during this time, but it's hard to predict when those are going to be. I also think, for Somnus and Nocturne, at least, my fiance hasn't had a sleepless night with me when I'm wearing them yet (he may believe in the aromatherapy properties, at least, if not the magical properties of nocturne). Actually, for that matter, I got really tired in the middle of the day yesterday, and napped while he was playing video games. I didn't have any caffeine either, but I don't usually sleep too early or easily when I've been able to nap during the day, and last night, I wanted to go to bed fairly quickly.

 

I'm hoping it won't cause me to start oversleeping, but I do feel like I've been regularly getting a good night's rest more than in the past. Three nights may not be a lot to go on, but it's enough to make me take notice.

 

Edited to add: So, I met a friend at a coffeehouse last night to work on our manuscripts and catch up, and I had a chai latte. I'd also had an extra (albeit somewhat milky) cup of coffee in the afternoon in addition to my first cup in the morning. I grew up drinking coffee and tea, and never had any issues with the caffeine, but at some point (I think undergrad), I stopped drinking it, mostly because no one was making it (my parents make coffee every morning). In grad school, I started drinking tea again on a daily basis, and after graduating, started drinking coffee again on a near-daily basis. Somewhere in that period of time, I realized that my caffeine tolerance was apparently shot, and that if I drank anything stronger than white tea after noon, I would be up REALLY late that night, and not be able to sleep. Sometimes that was a problem, and sometimes it wasn't. I do think my caffeine tolerance has gone up again (which I like, since I never remember to order decaf, and I love my coffee and tea), and I did start getting tired not too much longer after I'd been going to sleep the previous nights. It took me longer to get to sleep than it had the previous nights, but not by too much (maybe took me 30-45 mins), and once I was out, I did not wake up until my fiance woke me up in the morning to tell me he was leaving for work. And I fell asleep again and woke up feeling rested.

 

TL;DR version - Yeah, this stuff works. Even when I've stacked up the caffeine against it.

 

And just a thought - this could be pretty useful to people trying to establish a decent sleeping schedule.

Edited July 31, 2013 by Magycmyste

[theseagrows]

let me preface this by saying that i often fall asleep just fine, i just can't always stay asleep. i tend to wake up in the middle of the night and then have trouble getting back to sleep. i finally had a chance to try this one the other night. i did the anointing as directed and i slept soundly and deeply, though, it took me a bit longer to get to sleep than it does with TKO, which as the name implies, tends to knock me out quickly. nocturne seems like mostly rose and lavender to me, with maybe something softly herbal underneath. despite using it a second time on my wrists/temples when i woke up around 4am, i did toss and tur a bit, but overall slept fairly well. i had crazy, vivid dreams as well, though i cannot recall the details now. i definitely want to try this again sometime soon and try to do a dream journal to see if it had any affect on my dreams as well.

[zankoku_zen]

I was mildly surprised that Nocturne smells like rose. I get a more rosey version of Water of Notre Dame if that makes sense. I tend to associate watery rose blends with anything Venus related, but the energy and vibe are different.

 

I do have to say that I slept pretty soundly, but woke up just a bit groggy. I used Ebon Nights the night before and I feel like at this stage, I may have a deeper resonance with Ebon Night. They both have similar yet different vibes. Nocturne to me feels like a comfy quilt, Ebon Night feels like a cloak of darkness you can sink into. Ebon Night may be in fact be more intense than Nocturne upon reflection. It's like Nyquil and Extra Strength Nyquil (not that I'm advocating using nyquil as a sleeping aid, unless of course congestion has you coughing so much you can't even sleep).

 

I will use both sleep blends again in the upcoming days and post whatever edits I have.

[KatyC]

Unfortunately I don't get any of the notes mentioned in previous reviews from my bottle of Nocturne. No lavender, no rose, maybe just the slightest hint of jasmine. I get a strong, sharp citrus, a bit like those mosquito repellant candles. I do amp lemon terribly, so there must just be a small amount in it and my skin is ignoring every other note.

 

So, to me it doesn't smell great. BUT. I've been suffering a bout of insomnia after coming off some medication that had amazing sleep as a side-effect. I'd been getting at most a couple of hours sleep a night, and when I did sleep I had extremely vivid, violent, creepy nightmares. But this is proving so effective, for the past 3 nights I've fallen asleep within half an hour and actually stayed asleep until morning. The nightmares have gone, replaced by my usual odd but not unsettling dreams

 

It's totally different from my usual sleep scent, Anesthesia, in that the actual smell doesn't comfort me, but something about it just plain works. I'm so glad I've got a bottle!

[morpheus0013]

I'll be honest: I didn't think this would work. Not that I don't have faith in TALs--I do--but I've never had any sort of "sleep-inducing" blend of ANYTHING help me. I've had sleep issues since I was 15 years old, and nothing works for more than a few days, not even medication.

Nocturne works.

It doesn't knock me out, it doesn't bring on immediate sleep. What it DOES do, at least for me, is calm my GAD/ADHD brain down enough to allow it to rest. It's not a blend I would use unless I had time to sleep, though.

As far as how I use it, since that can be important with TALS: I anoint myself with it. More points than the description directs, and solely on instinct, but it becomes a ritual part of using it and if I skip any I can't relax til I fix it.

[velvet]

Initial smell: okay, not sure. kind of strong in a heady floral way.

 

after about five minutes: get it off of me. This does not work well for me at all. something about it just makes me anxious. The smell, the general feeling. I'll stick with Ebon Night, thanks.

[biggnerd]

Soapy rose with maybe some chamomile? 

[Cali]

I concur with biggnerd above me; a dry, soapy rose and something slightly herby. Nice, but wayyy too light for my taste.

[elka_knits]

no idea what is in this and I finished my bottle a while ago.  It was either gifted to me or suggested to me by a fellow forumite years ago and I purchased it from them.  Vague much.  Either way it worked.

 

I think it was a rosy chamomile lavender scent.  I would do the anointing and fall asleep quickly.

 

Keep in mind I take a lot of things to help me sleep.  I spray my sheets with a Demeter's Lavender or TKO or something of that ilk daily. I take prescription pills for my insomnia and Benadryl on top of that.  I scent the back of my wrists and collar bone with one of my sleep blends {Anesthesia, Somnus, TKO or NAVA's Lavender Santalum}. I also use TKO massage oil or a Lavender infused oil {from local farm} sometimes so yes.  One more thing.

 

It took me a long time to get through my bottle despite the instructions to anoint from sole of foot to third eye.  Mainly because  I was using it as a sleepy time scent instead of as a magical elixir that would help me sleep.  That is to say; initially I just cycled through it as if it were a scent like TKO or Somnus & I got low on my bottle I stopped using it regularly. Fairly recently I thought eh this is almost empty might as well use it up and wore it *with another scent such as TKO or Somnus* instead of on its own. And I felt myself sinking into deep restorative sleep.  I was waking up refreshed and couldn't recall waking up multiple times during the night or any dreams for that matter.  I am adding this to my shopping list and will be looking at any other sleep TAL she has because woah.  I might be able to medicate less. ( I used to take 3 will make you drowsy scripts every night and am down to 1. My goal is to not be reliant on them.)  🙂

 

Edited August 31, 2023 by elka_knits
for clarity I hope