TKO

[Mountaingrrl00]

“Many things -- such as loving, going to sleep, or behaving unaffectedly -- are done worst when we try hardest to do them.”

TKO is a beautiful scent, but it hasn't worked for me as a sleep aid. (Fortunately, I have TAL Nocturne for that.) It is definitely a comfort scent for smelling on myself, and it's got such a nice edible/sophisticated balance, I want other people to smell it on me too. I think it's making me crave sweets, though.

[gaai]

Another kind frimp from the lovely PilotKitten.

 

I had to really get used to the scent of TKO......the lavender and sweet vanilla/marshmallow is somewhat unusual.

But last night I put some on my wrist and hands ( I sleep with them close to my face ), set the tv in my bedroom on sleeptimer and woke up at about 5 am. realizing I hadn't seen *anything* of the show I wanted to watch before going to sleep!

So it works and it works well! It doesn't make me sleep right through the night, but I've come to the conclusion that nothing except clean, fresh, island sea air does that.....so I'm happy to have my TKO imp....and when budget allows I will be getting a bottle of this.

[maribouquet]

imp: round lavender and something sweet and yeasty/tangy

wet: ditto

dry: Mmmm, bakery sugared lavender

 

I love this so freakin' much. The vanilla is light and warm and miraculously does not go plasticy on me! Yes, TKO works. It makes me sleepy and soothed, and though my mother doesn't smell like sugar or lavender, TKO smells/feels like a hug from my mom.

 

Five stars. Definitely getting a bottle or two.

 

Edited December 3, 2006 by maribouquet

[Ajila]

Smells - Lavender with a hint of cream/slash vanilla

 

Works - I haven't found that this helps me get to sleep much quicker, but once I'm out, I'm definitely out and it takes a fair bit to wake me, which is unusual. Great if I don't have to get up the following morning.

[beetiger]

Putting this on and lying down gives me the mental image of sinking into a giant lavender marshmallow. While Sleepy Moon and Somnus help my body rest if I am fidgety, this one settles my racing mind so that a tired body can fall naturally to sleep without worries chasing each other around in my brain and keeping me awake.

 

So thrilled with this blend!

[Voleuse]

On first sniff, I get a strong, almost alcoholic wave of sugar. On second sniff, I smell a lavenderish note. There's also a cool, astringent note in this, something that makes me think of metal, but isn't metallic. Interesting! It is a very gentle scent, calming, and it could definitely be used to aid in sleep. I'm not sure I like it, but it turned out to be quite effective for me.

[edenssixthday]

Panacea Elixir IX: TKO - Ooh, this is a really great scent! I was fully expecting a lavender or chamomile blend due to the purpose of this oil, but it’s not! It does open up with a hint of soft lavender, but its subtle and sweetened with a load of sugared vanilla. There is the sharp and astringent touch of eucalyptus or something similar, but that fades away completely as the blend dries on my skin. Upon full drydown, I can't smell the lavender, either. All I smell is ultra-sweet vanilla bean – it's the same vanilla bean note used in Snake Oil, but the blend is completely different from Snake Oil. The vanilla bean is buried in heaping mounds of sugar and somewhat reminds me of the scent of my Burt's Bees marshmallow cream. It's almost too sweet for my taste, and yet I can't seem to stop using it! While I haven't had much luck with it helping to konk me out at night, it smells so good that at least I'm happy to know how dang good I smell while I'm relax and try to fall asleep.

[Tess]

This was giving to me by the lovely hologhost to try and help with my post-surgery sleep issues. I simply cannot thank her enough for her caring and thoughtfullness. Thank you!

 

Scent - At first I thought this was a very odd sugar-herbal-floral, but after putting some on the front of my pjs, I've noticed that it's a sweet vanilla lavender. I don't know what it would do on my skin, since I would never try to wear it as a perfume, but the scent isn't overly distracting to me. It doesn't remind me of sleep, per se, but it is a nice scent. Light and sweet.

 

Use - Oddly, this did not immediately put me to sleep after application. In fact, I woke up somewhat! When I did drift off to sleep, I did seem to sleep deeper, waking up only when my alarm rang to take my medication or to go to the bathroom. I do feel much more rested this morning, which is a big improvement. Once the imp of Somnus arrives, I believe I'll try that one out together with this to see if the effects are even more obvious.

[fiddledragon]

This is an amazingly soft sweet powdery vanilla-sugar-lavender. It's so happy and cuddly! I haven't tried it as a sleep aid yet, but I can very much imagine it working, especially for one of those nights where my mind is racing and won't settle down. My boyfriend accurately described it as "overwhelmingly cozy".

 

Interestingly, layered with Moxie it's pure joy.

[sookster]

OMG...straight sniff from bottle is sweet vanilla cream with

lavender swirled throughout...

once applied this beauty is still all about that heavenly vanilla cream

and lavender...and oh yes, my pretties, this works like a d-r-e-a-m...

 

so for any other fellow insomniacs out there, TKO is a must purchase to put

you into the deepest states of la-la land...

 

incredible job beth did with this one

[Eros]

A stunning blend in every way. Both in the bottle and on skin, the same rich vanilla others are getting and what is, imo, an exceptionally lovely lavender. I'd almost swear there's also a hint of marshmallow in this =) It works beautifully, too! SO soothing. I got this for STBH because he sometimes has trouble getting to sleep. Not when he's wearing TKO.

Well done

[waffelo13]

OH my - TKO is a gorgeous blend. As others have posted, it's a warm vanilla laced with lavender, and while there is a mildly sharp note in the background (our guess was pine or cedar) - it's no where near as sharp as Somnus. The warmth of the vanilla takes the edge off the sharpness, it's an afterthought.

It's delicious, I'd love to be able to wear it 24/7 - but I'll save it for bedtime only. I've been plagued with sleep problems my entire life, and with this blend I slept so deeply and actually... dreamed! (that rarely happens)

It was hard to shake the sleep from my brain when I first woke up this morning, but after I did - I feel great!!

Yay for Elizabeth and the Labbies for TKO - it's a keeper! Thank you SO much!

[gailnilsson]

All of the positive things in the above reviews hold for me. This is, indeed, "ridiculously good"!

 

On my skin, the vanilla comes out over the lavender making the scent soft. It fades on my skin after about 1/2 hour.

 

In my locket, the scent softened a bit from the wet stage, however, not nearly as much as on my skin. In the locket, the lavender stayed srtonger.

 

I love it both ways & I did sleep better than usual last night - I wore some on my arms and also wore it in my locket to bed. I am wearing some today since I loved it so much last night. Such an unusual scent!

[asciident]

No regular review on this one -- I won't be wearing it as a perfume. When I let my mind wind down (babbling about nothing in particular to my long-suffering boyfriend), it put me to sleep right away. It smells of light, I want to say airy, lavender and something sweet, maybe vanilla or straight up sugar.

 

I got good, restful sleep from it, but I wasn't anticipating problems like when I first tried Somnus -- I was sick -- so I'll have to try it again for that. Anyhow, this combined with Quietude should work like a dream for me.

[Victory]

So good. TKO is so good. On my skin, the lavender is fairly strong and sharp and it's only on my right wrist that the gorgeous vanilla appear, once the lavender departs. When I first smelled it, I thought chamomile, even though I'm not familiar with the scent; my nose picks up something else that's herbal along with the lavender. I've had it in my locket for almost three weeks now though, and after several hours of the lavender (good, it's not just my skin that makes it so strong and sharp), the vanilla lasts and lasts. I've had problems with some of BPAL's vanillas, which is a shame, since I love vanilla so very much, but the vanilla in TKO is perfect. Maybe because it's got the creamy/sugary aspect to it. So good. TKO hasn't helped my sleeping problems, sadly, but the vanilla wafting up to me from my locket's helped me stay calmer and more centered through some twists that life's thrown at me recently.

[alliekat13]

TKO is wonderful! I've been on a lavender kick recently, and TKO is a marriage of wonderful, sugary vanilla and astringent lavender (my fav notes ). At first this is a big field of lavender in the sunshine, strong and heady, and relaxing. Then the vanilla peeks it's head out, calming the astringency of the lavender. This vanilla is unlike any other BPAL vanilla I've smelled, it's rich and sugary, somehow fluffy, a bit creamy. It's indescribeable. After some time the lavender backs away completely leaving behind the gorgeous vanilla. Mmmmm mmmm good. Now I can't really testify of it's ability to help me sleep, but it does have a soothing effect on the psyche, taking you to a place where you just want to bury your head in this scent and let the world pass you by. I will definetely buy more of this. Love!

[jmchau]

I like it. Like most I get a vanilla sugar scent, but it's a burnt (not black, but like burnt sugar syrup) vanilla sugar scent. The lavendar that most mention I don't really smell, but I do get an astringent herbally smell at first.

 

Nice, but very sweet. I have been really tired so I tried this the past two night. seems to work well.

[ariosa]

Holy crap. I don't know what is in this exactly, other than what others have mentioned above, but the person at the beginning of this thread who said that it made her feel like her head was emptying out totally has this bang-on. I breathe in, and my thoughts float away. This is on just for testing purposes right now, but bedtime will soon be in order if I continue to huff away as I'm doing. I find Somnus just too distracting to lull me to sleep, but damned if I haven't found my sleep blend in TKO. Of course, I've yet to put it to the test -- more to be added later.

[GothicMissManners]

The people who have described this as lavender and marshmallows are spot-on, as are the people who say that TKO is a very "cozy" scent.

 

I've suffered from insomnia all my life; I have very vivid memories of staying awake all night when I was 4 or 5. And it's done nothing but get worse as I get older. I have a prescription for Ambien, but I don't like to use them because I don't want to HAVE to take them to fall asleep. Every night I take calcium, magnesium, 5-htp, and melatonin, and even that combination doesn't always work. There are far too many nights where I lie awake, listening to my brain whirr.

 

TKO works. I've been testing it for a week and a bit now, and it works. I dab a little on my temples right before climbing into bed, and I drift off to sleep within half an hour or so, which is unheard of for me. Even on a good night, it normally takes me an hour or so to wind down and drift off, no matter how tired I am.

 

The real test of TKO's prowess will be this coming week, when I'm suffering from PMS. My insomnia always worsens right before my period. If TKO can help me fall asleep during that time, I will be indescribably happy.

 

-Jilli

[Martini]

My husband loves this scent for sleeping...well...me wearing it for our mutual benefit...

 

The lavender is definitely there, but my favorite part is the next morning when I wake up and I smell like sweet, soft, fluffy, puffy marshmallows...not in your face sweet but a marshmallow hug! A big, warm hug! Gah...I love it and so does he. He's already made me buy 3 extra bottles, so we don't run out.

[eleventhousand]

Lavender poundcake...and really, really strong.

[angharad]

Sugar-coated lavender, mmmmm. This is so very pretty. It's very sweet going on, but after a while it softens, and there's the barest touch of a medicinal or herbal smell. I'm learning that I really like lavender sweetened up, so I love this just for how it smells. The fact that I sleep like a rock every time I wear it to bed doesn't hurt a bit. This basic scene plays out every night that I've worn it so far:

 

Me: *dabs TKO on wrists and inhales deeply, smiling*

TKO: You will go to sleep.

Me: No, I still have too much stuff to think about and worry about and ponder and...

TKO: You will go to sleep.

Me: But...!

TKO: You will go to sleep.

Me: *falls over and starts snoring*

TKO: Muahahahaha!

Edited June 28, 2007 by angharad

[sleepingdahlia]

I try all the sleeping blends and dreaming alike. Especially keen on Nocturne (TAL) and Somnus.

Surprised at how much I'm enjoying TKO, my meds make me so tired that I feel I could sleep all

day and at night it's a battle quieting my mind down to rest. Easier to worry during a long night than a busy day I spose...ok on me it smells so delightful and relaxing. To me it smells a lot like making rice crispies treats, that wonderful smell of melting vanilla marshmellows combined with lavender and they compliment each other so well. Seems summery and light and not at all cloying with the sweetness. Definitely it relaxes me and will gladly scare up another bottle to add to my arsenal.

[presotm]

I'll add another vote for creamy sweet lavender drying down to yummy marshmallow goodness. I do think it's helping with the sleep part too!

[Phaedra]

Wet this is a sugared lavender. It's like fresh lavender buds. It's softer and less medicinal than Somnus which is more like dried lavender to me. This is soft and creamy on my skin. I think there's some warm vanila in here too. I've been using TKO for about a year now and love it!! It works very well- beyond that really- it's THE BOMB!! Sometimes I like to use it with Somnus. That is a very powerful combo! TKO helps me fall asleep fast and Somnus gives me a long lasting sleep. Anyone who has trouble sleeping has got to try TKO!!! Stellar job Beth!