Baku

[slave1]

BAKU: Dream Formula II: 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. (Gender neutral)

 

In bottle: Pine? Not liking it at all… sorry…

 

On skin: The description of this scent made me want to love it… but oh my god. This is NOT for me. It smells like floor cleaner. Pinesol with a poisonous sweet note trying to hide that. After a few minutes it’s more like Windex… hmm… not liking where this is going.

There is a bit of a eucalyptus note… which I usually like, but this smells more toxic. There is also a bit of a lavender note hiding in back.

This is not a “fragrance” to me, I’m thinking since it was made for dreams, that’s the only time I should wear it. Lets see if it does ward off bad dreams, because if it does, it will be a lifesaver.

I’m thinking that making this into a linen spray for the bed would be the best idea.

[cindyrella]

Got this one in a swap, and I'm loving it. I never thought I would, but it's lovely!

It reminds me more of Lush's Ice Hotel than Angels on Bare Skin, and that's a great thing!

I really can smell the lavender and something minty, and it works great together. It smells calming, yet fresh. This would be great on hot summer nights.

[surf-tormented]

This oils stinks to me. It reminds me of another oil I used to own and has some properties of Ultraviolet. Off to swaps.

 

I'll return if I can remember the oil or why it reminded me of Ultraviolet.

 

I didn't wear it to sleep in, if anyone wants to know. It would have kept me up.

Edited April 5, 2005 by Madame Nyx

[leapylees]

I picked this randomly out of my imp box and tried it not realising it was a Dream Formula. Lavender, with a hint of eucalyptus; it reminds me of Badger Sleep Balm. Unfortunately it was also gone within half an hour. Oh well, definitely one to keep for night-time emergencies when I won't be awake to sniff it after the first few minutes (well, that's the theory anyway).

[shelldoo]

eucalyptus, anise, and lavander are the main notes i get. but i also get something peppery, and herbally besides the obvious notes, this is very fresh and clean smelling

 

i was intrested in trying this because i have post traumatic stress disorder and the sleeping pill prescribed for me have not been my thing because i can't wake up the next day i am excited to try this one for it's real "purpose"

[Phaedra]

Wet this smells herbal and clean. It goes on very lightly and smells a bit woody- bamboo maybe? This is a green, fresh, almost soapy scent. I've tried this a couple of times and it seems to have helped me sleep well. It's calming. I think I'll continue to use the imp and will try out some of the other Dream blends to see how they compare in terms of therapeutic effects.

*update- I've used this a few more times now. I don't know if I'm imagining it but it seems like as soon as I put this on I get a little dizzy. I've noticed a pattern in that it helps me fall alseep fairly quickly but then about 3 or 4 hours later I wake up. So far it seems that this happens every time. I want to try Temple of Dreams next and see how that one works.

Edited May 5, 2005 by Phaedra

[melrose]

Application: Eucalyptus mostly, but a background of other herbs and greenery - it's a little overpowering, but interesting.

 

15 minutes later: Whoa - licorice, and nothing but. Licorice and my skin dislike each other.

 

Drydown: Yum, eucalyptus and licorice are muted in the background. Mostly smells like wind blowing in a herb garden - very nice.

 

Far drydown: Powder, licorice, and eucalyptus. Not for me, but if you're a licorice lover . . .

[olympia301]

 

I didn't exactly say "eucalyptus" when I opened the vial or when I put it on myself. It smelled herby and warm to me. A general herbal-ritual sort of scent. But I tried a tiny bit out before bedtime and I had peaceful, wonderful dreams. I don't think this one was intended to be a perfume but I would recommend it as a sleep aid. Very nice and soothing.

 

Icon is an 18th century netsuke of the god Baku .

[amrita]

I love this! Baku is all lavendar and creamy sweet anise.

 

I put this on before I left work one day and ended up completely passing out on the bus and riding 15 minutes past the stop I wanted to get off at. I slept through the part of the ride on the freeway where the driver has to cross 4 lanes of crazy traffic in about 1/4 mi (which usually scares the crap out of me).

 

Since then I've restricted my Baku use to bedtime.

[JazzieCazzie]

Received an imp via swap from the lovely Olympia and am forever in her debt, because I'm not sure if I would have thought to get this on my own (though now that I am in love with both this and Somnus, I just ordered imps of Nanshe, Temple of Dreams and Oneroi to see what I've been missing on the rest of this line ... lavender lover that I am) ...

 

My first thought was lavender and mint ... Lush's Ice Hotel is one of my favorite products but I never quite took to Pain, which many folks told me was the closest BPAL equivalent ... so for a little while I was thinking that Baku is what I HOPED Pain would be ... and in fact I still do get the lavender/mint scent ... BUT then the fennel came out and I realized that Baku is even closer to being the perfume equivalent of WAVING NOT DROWNING, my absolute single favorite Lush scent and the one that whenever there is a "what should we make next" thread, I always write in "WAVING NOT DROWNING PERFUME"!!!

 

Now I don't have to ask for it anymore because it exists right here ... however, like a few others have said, the only downside is it's not something I could wear all day because of the obvious soporific effects of it ...

 

Am planning a big bottle purchase sometime this summer, once I've had a chance to go through ALL my incoming and existing imps (now have five outstanding orders so am hoping I'll have more than a few on my list) ... this is the first one on that list, though I did just order two more imps to tide me over

 

REVISITED FEBRUARY 2013:

 

So after test-driving a few other imps today that were all washouts, I decided to do my revisit of a tried and true scent to help me trot off to dreamland.

 

Imp from Lab -- cannot remember when I ordered it.

 

IN IMP: That absolute blessed lovely light lavender with just a kick of "something else" that gives it complexity and golden lightness.

 

Dabbed on both wrists and in the crooks of both arms as well as cleavage. Almost bedtime.

 

WET: Now that I have been able to recognize the fennel Waving-Not-Drowning notes I wonder how I could have ever wondered exactly what else was in it? Surprisingly, I do not get ANY eucalyptus or lemon from it, but the frequency of their mentions in reviews makes me think they must be there, they just don't amp up on me.Just complex lavender.

 

DRYDOWN: This is absolutely bliss in a bottle. Clean, lovely, golden lavender joy. How a scent can be supremely relaxing and uplifting at the same time is a Beth-wrought miracle.

 

OVERALL: Truly a 5. Not sure why I don't have a big bottle. Next major purchase I will get two, one for me and one for my daughter who has been having issues (as I so often do) with sleep, nightmares and headaches. She's not a big perfume person but I think Baku would work wonders for her quality of life as it has mine (plus she lives right near the Lab and DD).

 

Now if ONLY ONLY ONLY Puddin' would consider making THIS as a candle!!! It would be so divine.

 

RE-EDITING AGAIN JULY 2013:

 

So since my last review, I have added two more Lab imps of Baku to my box, as well as a 5 ML bottle ... and have also been using it very specifically as a sleep aid as well as just a lovely scent.

 

I finished up the imp I had reviewed from and opened a new one and will say that the fennel/anise/licorice-like note is MUCH stronger than it had been in my Baku of old, when the scent is wet. To the point that it probably overrides the lavender.

 

Not to a bad extent, but I do prefer the lavender first, everything else second version.

 

As it dries down, it is much less prevalent. And I'm not sure if it's a slightly adjusted blend, or simply a matter of my older imp having been more aged and, as a result, less "licorice-y." But I thought it was worth mentioning here in case there are people who are really anti-licorice.

 

Also, and this may or may not be something worth mentioning in a scent review, but from an "effect" POV, oh myyyyyy this is wonderful. I apply a bit to my pulse points and my "third eye" about a half-hour before turning off the lights and have slept more deeply, for longer periods of time and with vivid but often quite wonderful dreams. Thank you, Baku, for eating my nightmares.

Edited July 31, 2013 by JazzieCazzie

[Reinaluna]

Baku: This has got to be one of the weirdest blends that I have tried from BP. I smell eucalyptus/mint? Then it just disapears compleatly. Interesting, needless to say no bottle for me though.

Edited May 24, 2005 by Reinaluna

[Gin]

I’m surprised others are smelling anise in this. I got mostly lavender… and then I was asleep. I may have just been unusually tired (I haven’t been sleeping well lately) but this seemed to relax me much more effectively than Somnus.

[iliadawry]

Bottle: Lavender and eucalyptus.

 

Wet: Still, lavender and eucalyptus. It's astringent but calming. But -- horror of horrors! Anise! Scurry to the computer, check reviews when I should be sleeping, I must be imagining! Alas, not imagining.

 

Dry: The anise overpowers the scent for me. Though I left it on all night, I woke up with itchy wrists and a splitting headache. This one is going to the Beloved, who enjoys all things licorice, in case he has nightmares.

 

Sniffle. And I need baku to chase off my bad dreams, too.

 

/ili

[wickedgoddess]

This is the fifth and final Dream Formula that I have tried, and I must say, I love them all. However they are all too close to buy all of them; one should suit my needs just fine. The more I try, the harder it becomes to choose just one.

 

Preconceived Notions - I tried this just to be a completest, based on the reviews I really wasn't expecting to like this one.

 

Wet - lavendar and eucalyptus. This one clears my sinuses and opens up my crown chakra. As it dries I get anise and a touch of mint.

 

Surprisingly, this one slightly edges out Oneiroi for my favorite of the Dream Formulas, although I would love bottles of both of them. I already have a big bottle of this one the way!

 

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

 

Edited for clarity

Edited June 7, 2005 by wickedgoddess

[oakmoss]

I've used this a few more times now.  I don't know if I'm imagining it but it seems like as soon as I put this on I get a little dizzy. 

 

Yes! That happened to me too. The initial impression in the bottle was that the scent was so light and ephemeral that I would need to use a bit more than usual to get me through the night, so I applied it to wrists, temples, and fifth chakra (where dreams originate, according to some traditions). I often have anxious dreams and occasionally full-blown nightmares, and since I started using the BPAL oils at night I've noticed a definite change, so I was looking forward to trying the sleep blends.

 

I didn't get the anise/fennel connection, but the lavender was there, along with a floral I couldn't identify -- linden, maybe? I invoked as suggested: "Baku, please eat my bad dreams!" When I woke in the night for the second time after major anxiety dreams, I had the thought that if you weren't having nightmares in the first place, Baku starts munching on your head! I think I will tuck this one in the nightstand drawer in case of nightmares, rather than taking it as a preventive dose, and see if that makes a difference!

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Sharp herbs and aquatics is all I can think of here.

 

Just On: Wow, this is really sharp to my nose. Could that be anise? Maybe, maybe not, it's not quite the licorice scent I associate with anise.

 

An hour or two later: This stays pretty sharp, and I'm not sure if I like it.

 

Around 6 hours: It's fading, but still got that edge to it.

 

12 hours: It's gone now.

 

Overall: Goodness, this is certainly not a scent for me to wear as perfume, as it rather stings my nose. I had no real dream or sleep differences that I noticed either.

 

After reading other reviews: Ahhhh, I think fennel is the culprit for the stinging sharpness. I really couldn't pick out lavender, and I didn't get lemon out of this either.

[Little Bird]

So many dream/sleep products have lavender in them. This one does too. I don't dislike lavender, but I prefer it to be sweeter and creamier, where it's more herbal smelling here.

 

Baku starts out all herby lavender with a bite of minty/medicinal eucalyptus. Then, after a few minutes, this morphs into a strong anise/black licorice with hints of medicinal, menthol eucalyptus. Not a keeper for me.

Edited June 30, 2010 by Little Bird

[QueenFae]

Eeek, smells like black licorice layered over lavender! Not a good combo folks, this one doesn't like me at all. This one is unfortunately going to have to go the same way Nanshe did. I guess I'll have to stick with my Somnus and Oneroi.

[hangingfire]

Baku has the distinction of being the first BPAL I've tried that really disagreed with my skin. Not just "enh, nice, not for me", but "oh god, this won't work at all."

 

In the imp: It started out so nicely too -- gorgeous lavender, very crisp and clean. Quite strong in small doses, too.

 

On, wet: Still lavender, very nice.

 

Initial drydown: Hmm. Licorice. Still, it sorta works...

 

An hour later: ...oh, this won't do. It's pretty much gone now, leaving behind a scent that reminds me of nothing so much as a clean bathroom. I like clean bathrooms, but I don't much like smelling like one.

 

Still, I did like the lavender. I'll have to give this another shot as a pillow scent. Husband is not crazy about lavender, though, so I'll have to use it judiciously.

[aidenraine]

I tend to have a lot of really vivid nightmares, so I'll have to give this a second chance at bedtime.

 

Just trying it the lavender leeps out at me first, and is very strong. I smell nothing but lavender for some time.

Next a bit of anise kicks up, and since I hate anise I was a bit grossed out. I really wanted to wash this off.

 

Oddly, it seems to be fading very quickly on me. I applied it less than 30 minutes ago and it's almost entirely gone!

 

An hour later I can't smell it at al!

 

I'll have to test this dream thing though, because otherwise I'd be swapping this.

[cranberry]

Initially it is very strong eucalyptus. I also get lavender and fennel or maybe anise. Maybe a drop of jasmine. As time passes, the fennel/anise scent grows stronger and it gets sweeter. It smells almost edible, like licorice herby candy. As a scent, I like it better than Somnus. But I still think that Oneroi smells the best of the Somnium oils (and is amazing effective).

[Torrilin]

In the bottle, this is a sharp clear pure lavender to me. This is good, I *love* lavender. In fact, just sniffing the bottle relaxed me after a good hour or more of fighting with the LA mass transit system.

 

I smeared a good sized dab on my elbow around 1.30 pm, and it's now about 6 pm. As far as I can tell, the scent is gone. While it lasted it was a soft, soothing skin scent. I'll have to test it more, but as a soothe the anxious Kalli scent, I think this is *it*. It hits me with a lavender hammer and sticks around for 3-4 hours giving me tiny wafts of "calm down kiddo".

 

(no, it didn't make me sleepy.)

 

EDIT (Jul 13, 2006)

 

I should've just bought a 10mL of this. It's still the Lavender Hammer of Calm, but a fresh batch has more anise to go with the lavender. It's slatherable, soothing, and considering how much I dislike the taste of anise, it's surprising how much I like the scent. The creature seems to not mind this, so I'll try it a few more times and come to a decision.

 

Kalli

Edited July 14, 2006 by Torrilin

[Sara]

Sniffles - Lavender of course. Maybe some other sleepy-time notes that don't shine out as much, or that I can't identify.

 

Swipe - The lavender comes out more, along with other notes, but after about two minutes the whole thing explodes in *licorice*..ewww! I loathe licorice with a passion, but the bf said it was nice and asked me not to swap it away. *shrug*

 

I wasn't awake for the drydown, but this was a nice scent to fall asleep to. The lavender and (mostly) licorice was a nice change from the stinky poop smell coming from the snake section of the bedroom. Hopefully they'll be calm enough today to clean cages and there won't be a stinky poop smell for the BPAL to overpower.

 

As for doing what the oil description says..*shrug* I don't actually believe in any of the hocus pocus parts of BPAL, and I think belief is what's really important in making it work. Belief clouds your interpretations and/or wills the results to come out in your favor (of what you believe the oil, ritual, etc.. to do). So maybe that's why Baku didn't keep me from having a small nightmare portion of my dream last night. Or maybe the thought of wearing Baku to keep nightmares away is what brought it on, dunno. I don't have nightmares very often at all, so I find the latter to be more likely.

 

Overall - it's a lovely scent to sleep to, but I wouldn't confuse it for more than what it is.

[LunaDragonGirl]

After trying Nanshee and having that SO not work on me (lemon pledge anyone?) I was a bit hesitant to try Baku, but Somnus is lovely, so I gave it a try.

 

In the imp: lavender...yummy lavender...I want to say similiar to spike lavender essential oil as opposed to the other, (augustafolius I want to say but I know I'm wrong).

 

Wet on skin: Very strong lavender...almost like I swiped on essential oil. Stays that way for about, oh, ten minutes....then....wha??? licorice? Licorice with a background of lavender...then the licorice morphs to something more akin to fennel or anise.

 

Drydown: Varies between a topnote of licorice/anise/fennel with a bottom note of lavender.

 

Nice, but I'm much happier with Somnus.

[SeaMonkey]

This is very herbally. Pine and anise. Its an odd combination, but it works really well. I had been having a bout of lexapro inspired fucked up dreams and the first night I tried this, no more bad dreams.