Nanshe

[Amazon]

The Babylonian Goddess of Dreams, who bestows the power of Oneiromancy onto her priests. This blend opens up psychic sensitivity during sleep and aids in the understanding and correct interpretation of portents and symbols.

Ooo, I'm first to review this. I am not too good at this so bear with me.

In the bottle: There is the strong scent of lavender and not much else.

Wet: As soon as it goes on, out comes a strong lemon scent, maybe verbena. A combination of the two on the skin, very nice smelling.

On the drydown: Still get a very heavy lemon scent, the lavender has faded a bit into the background.

Dry: Scent stayed true from wet to dry, strong on lemon with lavender in the background.

I love both these scents alot and often use lavender at bedtime. This will definitely be a scent I use for sleep and probably one I will use in the summer as well. A very nice blend.

[Northernminx]

Strong herbs and lemon. Oh look lemon...ow...stop beating me over the head..ow...hey!

 

Yah the usual lemon problem on me. There's a little bit of lavender and something very strong and biting that I can't place but my usual battle with citrus won out and I'm forced to swap this one sadly

[velvet]

i dont smell lemon at all

its something else.... i know this smell lingering in the background... so familiar. something like iris maybe?

 

i love this scent, the lavender is heavenly and whatever else is in it too (i cant tell)

 

definetly a keeper, dont know about a big bottle yet... but maybe

 

*edit to add* It must be bergamont!!! yes i think that is what it is instead of lemon

Edited December 13, 2004 by velvet

[chai_girl]

I used this last night. I got the lavender at first then then lemon came out stronger. As I drifted off to sleep, it was a lemon, herbally lavender scent. Very soothing but not your normal "sleep" scent.

 

I'm not sure if it was the thunderstorms that rolled in at bedtime, the fact that my daughter crawled into bed with me and kept kicking me all night, or Nanshe, but I kept waking up all night long with really strange dreams that I couldn't remember as soon as I woke up.

[darkling]

In the bottle, Nanshe smelled very sharp and similar to the dream oils Baku and Somnus.

 

On my wrist, it was a sweet, warm lavender with an edge of sharp lemon.

 

I am very poor at identifying particular scents but I could swear that Nanshe has lemongrass in it. The particular sharpness of the lemon reminds me strongly of food flavored with lemongrass.

 

I have had extreme difficulty sleeping the past few weeks but I felt tired as soon as I inhaled this scent. It is strong and pleasant simultaneously.

 

I have worn it twice and slept well both times with no bad dreams.

[ebonykawai]

OK, both times I've worn this I've had THE SAME DREAM. That's freaking me out a little bit.

 

I put a dab of this on each temple before going to sleep. I definitely get the lavender, but I'm not sure what this citrus is. It doesn't smell like lemon to me because I hate lemon. It's slightly different and really quite soothing for some reason (usually citrus and I do not get along).

 

I won't be wearing this as a perfume for the same reason I don't wear the voodoos as perfumes. I'll be really interested to see just where my weird dream stuff is going when I put this on again!

 

ETA: Darkling: lemongrass! I think you're right!

Edited November 23, 2004 by ebonykawai

[antimony]

To me, this one smelled like lavender and bergamot.

 

The citrussy aspect of it, felt like it kept me in a lighter, less deep sleep. For this reason, I would hesitate to wear it again at night, but it seems like the perfect thing to put on to take a nap, so as not to feel all groggy, overheated and disoriented afterwards.

[sihaya09]

I definitely smell the lemongrass and lavender with a slight green edge-- almost a hint of ozone. It's not necessarily a sleepy scent to me, but it is a very pleasant one, and a comforting one. I wore it twice in a row to bed and noticed that I had restless dreams, but I had a hard time holding on to them. It's definitely made me more interested to try the rest of the dream oils. However, I did have the problem where I coughed a lot when I wore this-- as sometimes lavender worn too potently can do to me. I'm going to try it out as a room scent or maybe use it in a dream pillow. It's such a lovely scent-- it'd be a shame if I couldn't wear it.

[phaedrine]

To me, Nanashe was VERY lemon, but fresh lemon, not like lemon pledge, with a very strong herbally scent thrown in. It didn't really smell like lavender to me, but more like basil.

 

It was very clean and crisp and refreshing.

 

As far as the dream oil aspect - while I was wearing it, I couldn't remember my dreams at all. This is very odd for me, as I always have complex, involved dreams that I remember in the morning.

 

I'll have to try it again to see what happens!

[Lina]

In the imp: Something spicy and it makes my mouth water.

 

Wet: Bitter lemon and herbs. My skin is burning slightly!

 

Dry: (5 hours) Faintly citrus scent left.

 

 

I did not read the description before I sampled this oil so I had no idea it was a dream formula. I will review it again after I wear it for the sweet slumber.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Such a familiar smell...I know I've come across this combination before. I believe this to be lavender and either bergamot or lemongrass; at the moment I'm leaning towards lemongrass. For some reason, the scent makes me think of food, but no one food in particular.

 

On me: This is a very interesting oil. It really helps jog my memory of dreams - when I wear it or dab it on the pillow before bed I recall things quite clearly. I'm also more 'in control' of my dreams - I am able to make choices that alter the dream's path. But I can't say this helps me understand the dreams any better. Perhaps that's yet to come...

[Fulltiltredhead]

I get lavender, freshly cut grass, and verbena. The oil itself is very light textured and the scent is light but penetrating. It goes straight up into my head when I smell it, and feels refreshing and soporific at the same time - I smelled it and felt uplifted while my eyelids suddenly felt heavy. It has an addictive quality in that I keep putting my nose to my wrist, as something in it nags at the edge of my memory but it won't come to me what the scent is.

 

I've put it on my temples, third eye, and forearms, so I should be breathing it heavily throughout the night. We'll see what there is to tell in the morning.

 

I like the scent well enough to wear as a perfume. It's clean and bright.

[pekeana]

Oh my goodness, Nanshe is heavenly.

 

In the vial, I get lavender and not much else.

 

Once it touches my skin, it explodes into the most beautiful, bright, uplifting lemon peel and slightly herbal scent. Maybe a hint of floral? Lemon verbena gone awry?

 

I'll try this out tonight as a sleeping formula, but I need a bottle of it now, because it's just so lovely. It's soothing and uplifting, even as it's bright and brassily clean.

[omly]

In the bottle Nanshe had a spiciness that didn't seem to bode well, but I was totally wrong. The lavendar is the top note while it is drying, but then there is this elegant lemony-herb smell. The color of this lemony smell is the closest I have found to June Gloom, although otherwise they are fairly different. This scent would make a wonderful linens spray, and I suspect a bottle is in my near future.

[couscous]

Nanshe is a gorgeous herbal lavender- a really lush lavender single note spiked with rosemary and lemon, I think. I loved it and am buying a bigger bottle, but its very much an either/or type of scent. You either love lavender, or you hate it.

 

I love it, and this is the best of it's kind I've smelled. I will use it as a "Pallet cleanser" between my normal BPAL, since it is sharp and cleaning.

 

Those who don't like to wear it as a "perfume" could use it in lotions, conditioners, and even as bedding sprays, and it would be elegant and calming.

 

Give this a try!

[Shollin]

First sniff: Lavender and green. Most of the lavender scents smell very similar to my nose – the other three dream formulas (minus Baku, which was all licorice) and Psyche fall into that category too.

 

Wearing: I’m yawning already, and I’m not sure if that’s because I’m wearing Nanshe or because it’s four in the morning… oh, hey, there’s lemon in here too. That’s new. This blend of herbalness is the sort of thing I always think would taste great as a tea.

[reina]

ooh, lavender! now, I'm really not a big lavender fan, but this has a certain sweetness to it most others don't have, might be verbena or something else, like sweetened Earl-Grey tea. two notes I usually don't go for, but this blend smells really good on me. If I were a man I'd wear it.

 

what's more, I suspect my dad will love this!

 

ETA: it fades into something sweet that reminds me of some rein. Amber? I don't know, but I think it would smell better on a man. On to my date. it's a bit too sensual for my dad.

Edited January 18, 2005 by reina

[angelblue]

this is the second of the dream formulas i've tried. first impression. it burns slightly. not a really good sign but i'm not choking and wheezing yet.

 

wet- VERY lavender and bergamot and lemon. not really a good combo for me.

 

10 minutes later-the lavender and bergamot have faded. lemony smell is pretty much all that is left.

 

dry- it's just...gone. nothing. like i never put anything on at all. as for giving dreams...nothing. slept like a log for four hours and remember nothing at all which is kinda unusual in itself since i do dream heavily and evne when i don't remember the dream, i remember the feel of the dream. think i'll try this one after i've had a nightmare and see if it removes the dream feelings.

[inkstone]

This was a very sharp lavendar on me -- sharp, herbal and green. There's a note in here that's vaguely lemony, but as it didn't go to insect repellent on me, I don't think it's the usual lemon note.

 

Otherwise, this knocked me out and made me very very sleepy.

[minilux]

Nanshe is the lavender scent that I have been looking for for ages. It has the herbal spicyness of an actual lavender plant which does not, however, appear in lavender essential oil. I do not get any lemon whatsoever, and I love lemon, so I probably wouldn't mind if I did smell lemon. I'm wondering if there's some bay in there to account for the spicyness. Whatever it is, I love it!

 

As for my dreams, I have been having some pretty bizarre and vivid dreams recently, but they also might be the result of too much cheap red wine.

[xoe]

Nanshe is my favorite of the dream blends. The lavendar is just beautiful there is a bit of lemon or some kind of citrus and a little bit of some sort of herbal spiciness to it. Just as everyone else has said.

 

I definitely appreciate both the scent and the effect. I can still remember my dream from last night, and part of the dream was me explaining to myself what the recurring symbols in my dreams mean. That was pretty darn nifty!

 

Another one to go on the big bottle list! This one combined with baku would be great. Or, I mean.... wear this one, and keep baku at the bedside. If a horrible nightmare ensues, douse on the baku and ask him to eat the dream. Sort of a delete button, or escape hatch. At least, that's how I plan on using them.

[pkwench]

Nanshe

 

Sniff: Wow. I think it just opened up my sinuses. This is a crazy thing to say, but it almost reminds me of linseed oil-which is something I would call a very happy smell.

 

Wet: Linseed and witch hazel. It’s a very WOW! sort of astringent scent. But there’s something underneath it. Let’s see what it morphs into.

 

After 10: Lemon, linseed, and witch hazel. LOL It’s still very astringent and what I would have initially said was a wake-up blend seems to be calming down a little. There’s even a faint tea note, I think. I can see sleeping with this on. I don’t know if it’ll produce any dream clarity, but it’s a very, very bright and clean scent as far as perfumes go.

[Julilla Regina]

Oooh, lavender and..citrus? I'm not sure what kind of citrus, but this smells delightful. I wouldn't wear it for a daytime perfume, and that wasn't my intention when I bought it. I bought it to wear to bed, and I think it's a perfect bedtime scent. It's soothing and not cloying or sticky smelling. It smells clean as you slip between the covers of your cozy bed. Bonus is, my normally scent hating SO hasn't complained a peep about it.

 

I sleep fairly easily, so I don't know how this would work as a sleep oil for those with difficulty. I did notice that when I wore it, both nights I crashed hard. I had good, deep sleep. I love this. I'm so glad I got a 5ml. I even put a little in my salt water spray that I use to perk up my hair.

[Lucretia]

This is much more lemony than the other sleep scents. And i guess lavander, but it blends deeply with the citrus and it smells weird on me. This is not nearly as sharp than the others, and a bit sweeter, more mellow perhaps.

As for sleep, I had some sort of dreams, can't recall them anymore though.. hmm... I prefer the sharper ones, they knock me out faster it seems.

[Nepthys]

In the imp this is mostly a sharp green lemongrass with a milder intrusion of lavender. On me, though, it is almost all lavender with a pleasant herbal afterthought. It's a decent enough scent but I only wear it right before I go to sleep so...

 

Now. I've only had this a few nights and it's true they involved a partial eclipse with the moon in Aries, but still, my dreams have been complex and meaningful. Unfortunately they're so complicated that it's difficult to remember them all but I've been waking up with a true feeling of refreshment, like my consciousness worked out whatever it needed to, and I got a good night's sleep besides. Because this seems to affect my insomnia as well as my dreams, I think I prefer this to my other sleep oil, Somnus.