Baku

[thelaurenator]

Our Nightmarebane. Named after the Baku, benevolent Japanese spirits that eat nightmares. In Japanese tradition, nightmares are gifts from malevolent spirits; when you wake up from one, you may call, "Baku, please eat my dreams!", and if you are virtuous and merciful in spirit, the Baku will devour the evil, transforming it into a blessing of good fortune.

Definitely lavender and something else. I don't think it's eucalyptus or anise, but it's... something like that. I put two tiny dots of this under my nostrils before bed, and fell right asleep. It was amazing... and normally I have a lot of trouble getting to sleep.

[Iceblink]

Wet, smells just like Oneroi, Somnus, and Temple of Dreams...dries down into anise and lavender. This faded faster than any of the other sleep formulas have on me. I always have weird dreams so I can't tell if this made any difference in that department (and I didn't really want it to!) but it's a nice enough blend to dab on at bedtime. Restful.

[skepticism]

It's pure anise on me, blech. I can definitely smell the lavender and eucalyptus underneath, but those notes are waayyy down there. I practically have to attach my nose to my skin to detect the latter notes, and by the time I find them I already have a headache from the licorice smell.

[sirsaber]

Huh....this is a very interesting scent. I smell eucalyptus, a hint of anise and sage. But it smells pretty awesome. It reminds me of an oil I got from the American Indians to help sleep better. I love the smell of eucalyptus and sage a lot and anise is ok. This is quite nice. A keeper for sure.

[vikitty]

I wanted to like this but it's overpowering anise on me. I like anise but only if it's complimenting something else!

 

Up for swap it goes, sigh.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Sharp herbal lavender and maybe eucalyptus and some other herbs.

 

Immediately on skin: This is a very sharp lavender scent with a little of what seems to be eucalyptus. It’s very herbal. After just a few minutes anise comes out and hits me with a strong liquorice note.

 

After a little while: This calms down a little and that strong anise note fades. However, this is still very strong on the lavender (which I like for sleep blends) plus some light eucalyptus and maybe a touch of lemongrass.

 

Overall Impressions: I didn’t try this out when I was going to bed, or after a nightmare, so I can’t review it that way, but it does have a very calming herbal lavender scent. I don’t like anise and it was pretty strong at one point, but it faded nicely quickly.

[jencallisto]

In the imp: Holy bristly lavender, batman! This reminds me of the lavender tea I sometimes got in China, once it got all oversteeped and bitter, but with that extra methol kick. Surprisingly appealing, actually.

Fresh on the skin: Wintergreen forest, sharp and intense. Still kind of bitter, but somehow it's actually making me really happy as I breathe it into my lungs.

5 minutes later: Good god, there's some serious throw going on, and the waft is all mentholated anise, head-clearing and comfortably delicate. I don't really like the taste of licorice anise except in Chinese five-spice, but this scent is lovely.

10 minutes later: Wow. My chest is all tight and I'm on just this side of light-headed, but it feels really good, like Baku is clearing out all the crap in my system, both physical and mental. The scent itself has also gone a little sweeter, balancing out the bitter. Mmmmm.

20 minutes later: This has softened down and warmed up a lot, and I feel a little like I just had a nice massage, all relaxed and loose, and will a clear, open mind.

30 minutes later: I just realized that I've been unconsciously sitting up straight and rolling my shoulders and working the kinks out of my back for the last ten minutes. The fact that I can hear all the little knots clink as I move is conclusive proof that I'm infinitely more relaxed than I was half an hour ago. Damn. I don't know if it's psychosomatic or what, but I think I'm in love with this stuff.

1 hour later: Soft, soft lavender with the perfect methol-anise overnote hovering above, sweet and light.

2 hours later: This has faded out to almost nothing, just a little fresh lavender left.

 

Verdict: Despite the relatively short life of the actual scent, I really loved this, and I'm sure I'll be feeling the related physical and mental relaxation and cleansing for hours. The first frimp I've tried so far, and a very happy surprise.

Edited October 28, 2008 by jencalllisto

[milo]

I didn't know this was a dream formula until I searched it, as this was a frimp from the lab. It really doesn't change too much to me from wet to dry. Kind of a herbal, minty, licoricey, and as another reviewer noticed, a eucalyptus note. This is quite refreshing, and I can see this being a really great scent for when you're not feeling well, wanting a nap in the afternoon. It is kind of a "cleansing" scent to me, and very comforting at the same time.

[Aldercy]

Baku is probably one of the most complex oils I've ever experienced. It's almost shocking.

 

First explosive scent is anise. It's a very rich, multi-faceted black liquorice smell which I find pretty delicious. It's twisted, a little woody... like the roots of a wise old tree or something. There's a dull, dreamy herbal quality to it and a slight bite of dusty paper/parchment. This oil has a strong personality in this initial phase-- it's a bit strange and dark, but it's a comforting darkness. It's on your side, you know? Good for scaring away monsters.

 

Baku reveals its lighter side after about 15 minutes. It turns to a cool, vibrant blue sort of scent which hit my nose with the cold, clear force of menthol. It's somewhat minty, slightly citrusy, but mostly dominated by eucalyptus. These sensations mixed together and softened into a lovely calm scent with undertones of the original woodsy liquorice phase. No lavender at any point for me.

 

There must be anise and eucalyptus (and probably lavender, though it seems totally fickle), but I would love to know the actual full set of notes in this.

 

I didn't have any nightmares, but I've only used it one night so far. Amazingly strange and enjoyable blend though.

[jehrichardson]

Lavender! WOw wow wow. I generally don't like the lab's lavender, but am a huge fan of it in general. This is lavender perfection, with the camphorous sting, and herbal astringency, and floral perfection. This is the smell of cleanliness, wholesomeness, sunshine, and sweet dreams.

 

Most certainly going on the bottle list!!

[lilirose]

Tested in my oil warmer rather than on skin, as I find the warmer to be more effective for the Somnus blends.

 

I would swear this is a clone of TAL Peace. It’s soft lavender, nearly pure, with some other gentle scent that reminds me of hay or something similar. I'm not getting the anise note others have mentioned, which is good, as I don't like anise at all.

 

And throw: OMG! I used less than a quarter of a ml and I can smell it throughout my house.

 

For effect: I cant yet say whether it prevents nightmares, but after putting it on the warmer my daughter was asleep in ten minutes- it often takes an hour or more to get her to go down at night.

 

Verdict: I love it- it’s my favourite of the Somnium blends so far, and think it will be one I’ll need to have on hand at all times.

[diamondstars]

This is very peculiar.. I can smell lavender and HAY!?

 

I like the idea of Baku though so I'm going to keep it and hope it will stop me having nightmares!

[Argentwolf]

I've been applying this every night before I go to bed for about ten days now...and for the most part I'd say it works really well. This is the first of the Dream Formulas that I've tried -- I didn't know that you could order them as imps, until someone in a decant circle thoughtfully included this.

 

The scent is predominantly lavender, with a strong thread of eucalyptus underneath it, and hints of anise here and there. They mingle to create a very medicinal odor -- as a perfume, this would be really bad, but as a component for relaxation and sleep, it's *very* useful. The strident quality of it is actually soothing...it reminds me of when I'd get colds as a child and my mom would smear Vicks on my chest and under my nose -- that same sort of 'OMG this is strong...but it's helping, so yay!' feeling.

 

By morning, it has worn off, so I never smell it when I get up...though I often can smell traces of the other perfume I've been wearing the day before. This is the perfect medicinal blend -- it does its job, doesn't interfere or interact with anything, and then evaporates.

 

The vast majority of nights that I use it, I can be asleep in under fifteen minutes, and sleep all the way through the night with no interruptions. While I rarely have trouble sleeping anyway, this past month I've been having lots of problems with anxiety and such, so Baku has been a blessing.

 

Anyway -- if you are skeptical about the Dream blends, know that I too tend to be a skeptic, but as far as I'm concerned, this stuff works pretty well. I highly recommend it and hope that it brings comfort to whomever tries it.

[Reaver]

Lavender/mint/anise. And not a nice anise. Far too sharp to be a pleasant sleepy scent! This stuff makes me want to sneeze and I don't think I'll be wearing it to sleep.

 

Also, my nightmares are pretty cool so I'm not worried about NEEDING it if it smells this... odd. It's not something I want to smell like during the day and snuggly = musks or amber and this is just too 'high-pitched' for that.

 

3/10. The anise tones down and becomes alright. If it wasn't for the rest of the notes, I'd keep it just for the anise. But no. Swap pile. Too many lavender scents already.

[Bluestocking]

I can't say that I have frequent nightmares, but I've had a lot of trouble getting restful sleep lately, and I got a frimp of Baku in my most recent order, so last night, already anticipating another tough night, I thought, "Why not try it?" I'm a huge skeptic, but I decided it couldn't hurt to give it a shot, and so I dabbed Baku on my wrists and temples last night before going to bed.

 

Now, I'm not going to lie. Baku is not the most lovely BPAL scent I've ever smelled. It's potent, and it smells mainly of strongly herbal lavender and equally strong anise. However, I wouldn't say that it's a bad smell, and in fact, I have some very strong childhood memories tied to lavender and anise, so I found the combination to be very calming and reassuring. Pungent, yes, but in a mind-clearing way.

 

Interestingly enough, I had the most solid, restful night of sleep last night that I've had in weeks. I didn't toss and turn, and I woke up feeling refreshed. Only time and repeated use will tell if it really works for me, but I'm definitely intrigued and would recommend it to others. Mind you, I don't think I need a big bottle of this and I'd never wear it as perfume, but I'll keep my imp.

 

Another bonus: as strong as it is, Baku seems to disappear while I'm sleeping, as though it was never there. When I woke up, the only thing I could smell on my wrist was a little whiff of the Glasgow that I wore yesterday.

 

 

 

[crebbsgirl]

This was a very herbal lavender. Green and purple. Something was a little sharp here, but the blend was calming nonetheless. I fell asleep almost immediately after my head hit the pillow (not something that happened when I tried TKO), and I had dreams, but they weren't nightmares. All in all, this blend worked for me!

[CynicalPink]

Imp: Lots of lavender. Maybe some mint too

 

Wet: Okay there's anise in this...that's alright. I'm sure I can handle it. I've eaten an entire bulb of fennel on my own this shouldn't eb a deal breaker

 

::USED OVERNIGHT::

 

Drydown: Well I had no reason to be afraid of the anise. It faded before I went to bed. By that point it was mostly mint and lavender. The lavender is a pretty dry kind, more like Pontia than the much wetter, sweeter lavender in Oneiroi. Problem was that it faded on my just as quickly as Pontia. But overall, the lavender mint combo was really quite nice.

 

Overall: Very nice, but I think i like the sweeter, heavier Oneiroi for my sleepytime scent

[Kikkervisje]

Wet: Ok… This smells like lavender and… menstrual blood. I didn’t know that was possible from a perfume oil. I’ve tried it twice on separate days, because I didn’t really believe that it could smell like that. It does. This is the first BPAL scent I’ve tried that it is just… utterly repellent to me. (My other 2 problem scents have been the overpowering honey note in Jezebel and the overall scent of Bordello, which is headache inducing for me.)

 

Dry: Moves down to an herbal scent. The throw is medicinal, but not unpleasant. I definitely think eucalyptus, fennel, and lavender are all quite likely notes. Soft. I can see how this could potentially be used as a sleep aid.

 

Wear Time: Maximum 4 hours on collarbone.

 

Overall: A bit more herbal than I like. That said, it is pleasant, if slightly astringent, after the disturbing “blood” phase. I’m not sure what note caused that on me (maybe the eucalyptus since it’s the most likely top note and that phase ends quickly?), and I highly doubt that’s a typical body chemistry response to the perfume oil. I can’t see myself going through that a third time, though, even if it dried down to the most spectacular scent in the world. In summary: Probably better on nearly anyone else.

[Jenn2D2]

I rec'd this as a frimp in my last order, and just now finally researched where it was from (and its use). It was perfect timing - I've been having insomnia and weird dreams all week.

 

In the vial: screaming lavender with a hint of sweetness underneath.

 

Wet: bright lavender, tempered with a smoky-sweet note underneath. Very quickly, the lavender gives way to a light note of tobacco and lemon.

 

Dry: on my wrist, the lightest scent of sweet tobacco and lemon remain, on my collarbone the lavender is still there, but tempered by the other smells.

 

This scent did disappear quickly, fading even as I fell asleep, leaving just the barest smell of lavender on my pillowcase when I woke in the morning. It was such a lovely smell, and I slept like a brick. I think I'm going to have to order a bottle or two!

[Veronica]

All I get is mild eucalyptus before this scent completely disappears on me. I definitely want to skin test this again, as it sounds lovely. Hopefully the second round will go better!

[tragedy]

I used to like lavender in all forms, but as I get older my nose is changeing and I can tolerate less and less, this is one of those, its a strong lavender, it does die down, but the sharpness of the lavender remains, to my nose its almost vetiver-ish, not for me at all

[angelicruin]

In the imp, very lavender.

 

On my skin, I'm only getting lavender with this scent.

 

Very nice and relaxing. BPAL's lavender note always makes me sleepy.

[annanwater]

Trying this tonight to see how it works on my nightmares, but as far as the scent...

 

I adore it, but I am a freak of nature. Anise does not smell like licorice to me...it has always smelled like Bigelow Earl Grey tea (which I think is better in taste and smell than any other Earl Grey tea I have ever encountered). I do not know why this is, but I am not complaining. I hate licorice, and love Earl Grey tea. This is mostly anise, but with touches of eucalyptus and lavender. Very relaxing, not at all strong. I've been pressing my nose to my skin trying to get more of the scent...it just seems to get better the more I smell it. It was a little strange when I first applied it, but it soon calmed down into this pleasant scent that reminds me of the gentle lapping of water on the shore of a lake. Not sweet, but very light and pleasing (maybe this is the way Elizabeth Bennet smelled).

[Ankica]

Lavender.

That's all.

 

[donnatron]

Imp: Lavender and a mystery scent that I never would have identified as anise without the assistance of y'all. There's another sharp, herbal scent in here. I wonder if it might be valerian? There's something kind of unpleasant about this blend and valerian is pretty rank but effective.

 

Wet: Strong lavender and something mentholated. Eucalyptus or a mild sort of mint.

 

Dry: Zonks. I put this on with a batch of test imps just to see how they smelled and I've been nodding off at the computer. This might have something to do with the fact I haven't been getting enough sleep for the last few weeks but this just came out of the blue. Will have to do a full test tonight to see. The scent isn't great--strong lavender with that unpleasant herbal edge but if it knocks me out properly, I'll suffer through it.

 

Throw: Strong.

 

Overall: I think this is a terrible perfume oil but an excellent aromatherapy oil. Will use up the imp.