Somnus

[fathom]

Named after the Roman God of Sleep. This blend helps bring on deep, restful, natural sleep.

I got this imp as a giftie in my last order. I almost never have trouble getting to sleep these days, so it wouldn't have occured to me to try this one otherwise.
I did try it anyway one evening...
It smells clean and soapy, just out of the shower. There is a sharp herbal scent on drydown.
Like most nights, I slept fine. Can't say I noticed any difference, but then, I was asleep (haha).
Now if they would make a scent that would get me out of bed in the morning I'd be all over it!

[Gin]

Lavender and chamomile... the perfect sleep blend. Maybe some lily, too? It's rather subtle, but that's good because then I'm not focused on "what's that smell?" when I'm trying to fall asleep. I think I'll be buying a big bottle.

[QueenFae]

I cannot sleep without a dab of Somnus on each wrist and a dab on my chest. This is pure, lovely, soothing lavender. Sleepy time in a bottle. It soothes me after a stressful day and helps me to relax enough to fall asleep. I recommend this to insomniacs and people who stress out when they lay in bed, like me. I am almost done with my 5 ml, I need to buy more!!

[wildeblack]

Hmm. As in my review of "Temple of Dreams" my main interest in this scent was the use in helping me sleep. I received this as an lj purchase and it was a decant.

 

In the imp: The main thing, nearly the only thing I can smell is lavender. Lots and lots of lavender. Traditionally, lavender is a scent that relaxes the mind and probably the brain itself since the nerves that register scent travel far back into the brain itself. I regularly spray my sheets and pillows with lavender water. There is a small amount of an herbal scent backing up the lavender, I'm thinking either lemongrass or juniper but really the lavender is nearly overwhelming.

 

Wet: The scent is the same, lavender and a bit of a deep rich herbal. Makes me think of sleeping in a bower somewhere lined with leaves. Delightful.

 

Dry: Unfortunately I really have no idea what this smells like because I too was asleep by then and it was gone when I awoke.

 

Overall Impression: Definitely helps with the relaxation and mind stillness that is needed for dreamless sleep. However, I really found the lavender almost overpowering and I think I'll stick with Temple of Dreams for now.

[melrose]

I didn't get lavender or jasmine - on me, it's soft roses and a little lemon - wonderful. Very relaxing, and I keep thinking of a soft buttercup yellow color.

[Atalanta Pendragonne]

I must be a minority.

 

I was very hopeful about this blend... I'm a lifelong insomniac, and hardly any of the "foolproof" remedies or even prescription medications seem to help.

 

Well. Got an imp a few days ago. It smells nice enough, sort of sharp-herbal. I've tried it the last two nights.

 

I had even more trouble sleeping than usual. Trouble getting to sleep, waking early, and very disturbing dreams.

 

 

Definitely some crossed wires in my brain.

[wickedgoddess]

This is the third Dream Formula I have tried and they all appear to share the common notes of lavendar and something not particularly pleasant, that I am not familiar with. This is very similar to Oneiroi, but wheras that was strongly jasmine, this is a different floral mix. I think there is a bit of jasmine here too, but mixed with other white florals. It's sweeter and lighter than Oneiroi. As for efficacy, I slept sounder and longer than usual with both this an Oneiroi. If I had to pick between the two, I like Oneiroi better, but both of these are excellent blends in term of efficacy and scent.

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 3.

[tsarina]

The oil smells like a bu,per crop of fresh, damp lavender. There's something playing a supportive role, like a tea or another floral that's very subtle and rounds out the scent.

 

I fell asleep much more quickly than usual! If this pattern continues I may have to start hoarding a lifetime supply. I felt refreshed and not groggy when I woke up. Thank you Beth, for the gift of lavender sleep!

[pensive]

I wanted to give this one a couple days before I figured out what I could say about it.

pink.owl rocks as a swapper.

 

In the imp: It's pretty and its lavender. Normally I wouldn't be groovy on this but it's so relaxing.

Sleep factor: Knocks my tired little butt out

Dream factor: I'm actually dreaming, so I know I've hit deep sleep. Night one was weird.

Staying asleep: Not so great, currently. One, I'm a light sleeper. Two, I keep falling asleep on the couch.

Restfulness factor: I do feel a bit better rested when I do wake up, meaning I'm getting more out of my limited sleep hours. That's a plus.

Impression: Love the smell at bedtime. I love how it makes my pajamas smell.

Cat: Cat is not overly offended and still sits on me while I'm wearing.

Verdict: Will give another few nights test before deciding between 5 and 10ml. It's a keeper alright.

Update: It's 10ml in my future. It's not that I'm sleeping through the night or anything. It is however the fact I like what sleep I do get is completely solid. It's not quantity, but it is quality, which I think counts more in my book than being able to claim I slept for eight hours straight. I fall asleep faster too. Anything that turns my busy brain down in a nice, safe, completely natural way ..

Edited June 6, 2005 by pensive

[Loligo]

Who cares what it smells like? ;-) I have a high-strung kid who refuses to believe that she needs an afternoon nap, and the two times I've tried Somnus on her, it's practically dropped her in her tracks, like a rhino hit with a tranquilizer dart. Go, Somnus!

[heartbreakangel]

My first review, so please bear with me.

 

In the Imp: Lavendar. Very strong, as lavendar tends to be. I was slightly iffy at first due to this lone fact.

 

Wet on skin: Softens quite a bit. All I could smell was the lavendar, though it became much more pleasing to the nose.

 

Dry: It became so soft I could barely tell it was even on my skin at this point. This caused me to get up and reapply. Within about ten minutes after the fest of putting it on, I was out cold.

 

For the first time in a week, I got six hours of solid sleep, despite my insomnia, without the aid of taking something that would knock me out somehow. This gets a huge thumbs up from me.

[blood*rose*flowers]

WARNING: Do not use while operating heavy machinery, do not drive a vehicle, hold seriously deep conversation, try to watch TV or do anything but climb into a yummy, comfy, bed with wonderful pillows while wearing this oil.

 

In the bottle I get LAVENDAR, lots and lots of lavendar. As I apply it it seems like this oil has a slightly different cosistancy then I am use to with Beth's oils, but I go ahead and apply it to my chakras, chest and shoulders. I was told that the chest was a great way to apply but since I am a side sleeper I actually found that having applied it on my shoulders I was able to smell the oil easliy without having it anywhere on my face.

 

As it goes on I find the scent a bit heavy at first a little too floral for me and a tiny bit medicinal. But I quickly find myself feeling ok about the scent and the lavandar grows on me and doesn't seem so cloying.

 

Ok now I am waking up its morning I am a smidge groggy but wow I slept all night and I am very happy!!!

 

I have been under a ton of stress lately (haha tends to happen as you get a month or so from getting married ) and this really helped me get to sleep instead of spending hours in bed making lists and thinking about junk. I also was able to stay asleep instead of waking myself up with thinking in the middle of the night. I also really like the fact that it didn't seem to interfer at all with my dreams or dream cycles.

 

If you have some sleep struggles I would definetly suggest giving this oil a try it really seems to get the job done!

[telesilla]

Why it was on my list: I have insomnia, so yeah, 'nuff said.

 

In the bottle and wet: Lavender and something almost lemony. This is a bad time to test this as I've been up for about 24 hours at this point and would like to have been asleep a while ago. But I'm more tired than sleepy and I'm trying to get the last of my reviews in.

 

Drying down: Oh well. *tosses in swap pile* I don't care what other notes are going on; there's rose in here. And rose and I rarely agree.

[emz83]

Lavendar and something...it's vaguely linen-like and a bit soap-like, but it's all soothing, and using this usually sends me into sleeping for 10 hrs straight.

[Siren29]

Smells like lavender and something abrasive. Gave me a headache rather than made me sleepy.

Edited April 29, 2009 by Siren29

[inbigtrouble]

Wowza. I just put this on a few minutes ago while reading in bed, and now I am heavy-lidded.

 

The strongest note in this is definitely lavender; no doubt there. I *think* I smell something slightly citrusy/lemony, but I am not sure. While I usually think of citrus as invigorating, this is soothing and calming to me. That's why I'm not sure if my sniffer ir right. I also think I smell a light floral note in the background, maybe some honeysuckle?

 

I really, really love this. I think a 5 mL will have to be in the works, soon.

[DarcyPennell]

This is the second Somnium I've tried (Oneroi was the first) and I find it not as pleasing to smell, but intensely effective as a sleep aid. I put it on last night while watching a movie, thinking it would help me unwind. Fifteen minutes later I was dozing off too much to focus on the movie. Had intense dreams and woke up this morning feeling fresh and well-rested.

 

The scent was strong lavendar and some kind of floral that went soapy on me. I think it might have gotten less soapy as time passed, but since I had passed out I'm not sure. It's not actively unpleasant, but not something I would choose to smell like. But the scent isn't the point for this one. The Somnium blends are amazing. I have Nanshe and Temple of Dreams on order and I can't wait to try them.

 

ETA: I made the mistake one night of putting this on and then getting distracted and not going to sleep right away. After about a half hour the soapiness got a lot worse. So bad that it was irritating my nose and I had to wash it off. Because of that I have to downgrade my ranking to "like."

 

Ranking: "like" (would be "yowza" if I could guarantee I'd fall asleep before it went all soapy)

Edited September 26, 2005 by DarcyPennell

[Ajila]

Wet on me this was pure lavender. Dry it was predominantly lavender, but with other florals in the background, I'm not good with florals, but rose is definitely involved, the same sort of rose as is in Delirium. This didn't send me off to sleep any faster than normal, but it did make me feel more rested as I was lying there trying to get off to sleep. I did wake up feeling rested and I slept longer than I would have expected, so on the whole I would call this a success.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: This is much lighter than the other dream formulas; lavender is not the dominant note. In fact, at first sniff I can't even detect it; I soon find it nestled amongst other florals in a light and delicate blend..

 

On me: Heavy floral, although I'm not sure I can identify any of them. Perhaps jasmine? This is definitely the scent with the weakest lavender, which is good to me because I'm not crazy for lavender. This also works quite well; it has me yawning already. Fantastic!

[Khaman]

Wow, did this ever remind me of a herbal-scented sleeper's eye-pillow I used to have. Very crisp, very cool, very soothing. I definitely got a whiff of something rather citrusy at some point, and other scents on first application seemed to hover around the notes of lavendar and eucalyptus. I have no idea if eucalyptus is in this blend, but that's what the scent recalled for me.

 

It also genuinely helped me relax and rest better. I wore it last night in bed, with an opening shift at work today as I write this, and traditionally, I sleep AWFULLY on nights before an opener. While I would not claim to have slept perfectly on this scent, it was a marked improvement, and that's the best I can ask from anything. Not really a scent for casual daywear, but damn is it nice at night. I think I'll try it on further nights (after I give Oneiroi a shot) and see if the relaxing effect of this scent is cumulative and I learn how to sleep like a normal person again.

 

(also posted this review on LJ, in the comments of another user.)

 

In nutshell: ADORED this one. May end up with a bottle someday, if my instinct is correct about continuing its use.

[matilda]

I bought a 5ml of Somnus unsniffed to aid my grad school inflicted insomnia. At first I was a bit disappointed with the decision because the sharp herbs actually bothered me to the point that I think they kept me up longer. I stuck with it for several nights and became accustomed to the strength of the blend. Now, due to the scent and likely some sort of Pavlovian response, I can only put this blend on right before bed because it makes me too sleepy to do pretty much anything! The actual smell of Somnus may not be my ideal blend, but it's become a nighttime must.

[Nemesister]

i didn't get any of the jasmine that most other people got from this....which is a shame as i love it! this to me is lavender with something herbal behind it. i thought i could detect rosemary rather than florals. can't tell you what it's like once dry as i tend not to be awake when that happens

[cranberry]

A 5 ml of Somnus was among my first orders to the Lab - what an effective sleep aid. I've tried all the Somnium blends and while it's a toss up between Somnus and Oneroi, I still love Somnus.

 

Very sharp, stong lavendar blast. Herbal underpinnings. Then I'm usually out like a light.

 

For a number of reasons, last night I ended up going to bed around 4:30 AM - before dropping off I set my alarms for 10 AM and put on some Somnus.

 

This morning was the first chance that I've gotten to smell it's drydown! I was sitting here reading about the update and I kept smelling this smell that I didn't recognize. Then I realized what it was! It turns into a much softer floral, with touch of powder, and kinda spicy - like someone went and threw in some carnations. Has a bit of a deeper base, almost a bit musky. It's lovely!

[crazyredhead17]

I ordered an imp of this for my sister, who's been having bad insomnia for many months now, as her anti-depressant made it hard for her to sleep. She hasn't found an anti-anxiety drug that lets her sleep that doesn't cause her anti-depressants to stop working.

 

So she tried out Somnus to humor me, thinking that if prescription stuff wasn't going to do it, nothing was. Lo and behold, she slept better.

 

She has no idea what it smells like dry, as she's not awake at that point, but wet she can smell lavender, juniper and soap.

 

When my sister get's enough sleep, the whole house is happy.

[leftofcenter]

My first review, so I picked an easy one!

 

Somnus works like a dream! (So tacky, I know). I had my fingers crossed when I ordered this one, hoping it would help just half as much as it really does! At first I was a bit apprehensive, because upon application I actually become more alert and awake for about 15 minutes, and then it takes over and has its way with me...

My mind and body let go of tension and slip into deep slumber. I usually need to get up once in the night because I drink so much water, but I must fall back asleep as my head hits the pillow!

For the first time in...ages... I remember what its like to get through a day not groggy and exhausted!

Thanks Beth, this is amazing stuff! (I really want to try Oneroi too, now!)

 

Oh yeah, and regarding the scent--- definitely strong lavender, and I think the herbal is eucalyptus, maybe? Hm. I think I might dampen an old piece of cloth with Somnus and throw it into the dryer with my sheets