Once Upon a Time

[Lorelai1945]

Our bedtime scent: French lavender, hops, yarrow, Roman chamomile, and a drop of vanilla.

I'm first?! This is a lovely scent, and it really evokes the sentiment behind it. In the bottle I get a lot of lavender, and it immediately reminds me of the lavender from Mysterious Warning. It's pretty sweet in the bottle; I can sniff the effect of the drop of vanilla. On my skin, the sweetness and any trace of vanilla fades to reveal a soft, herbal blend of lavender and chamomile. I can't specifically detect hops or yarrow, but they may be a part of what I'm reading as herbal, chamomile-yness. (It borders on a bit soapy, but it doesn't get quite get there.) It's very bedtime and relaxing and pretty. I wish it was a bit sweeter on my skin, but that is very much due to my skin chemistry, so ymmv. I immediately put a couple of drops in my bedroom diffuser, because this will be the most incredible sleepytime scent. I may use it that way and continue to use TKO for my skin bedtime scent. This is definitely perfect for relaxing and reading fairy tales!

[puck_nc]

Origin: Straight from the Post

 

Initial Thoughts: I love me some TKO, but it's always nice to have an alternative bedtime scent. And I always adore Beth & Ted's stories about Lilith, but this one especially resonated and made me remember those days when my now-teen son and I would read before bedtime...

 

In the Bottle: Fresh, herby lavender with just a suggestion of vanilla. Much greener than TKO with its slightly sugary-sweet quality.

 

Wet: Interesting. I get a blend of herbs that feels unusual compared to other herb-heavy scents I've tried. It's almost like the sun has come out and warmed them in a very cozy, pleasant way compared to the bottle. Perhaps this is the yarrow or hops, neither of which I've had a lot of experience with. I'm not sure I find it as soothing as TKO, but it definitely has a comforting quality to it.

 

Drydown: The vanilla peeks out, and the herbs get quieter. It ultimately doesn't have a lot of throw for me and stays super-close to the skin.. Again, I find it quite comforting, much more so than straight-up lavender tends to be for me.

 

Further Drydown: The vanilla seems to fade and I'm kind of back to that sunwarmed-herbs-in-a-meadow thing, skating a bit toward the soapy thing VioletFemme mentioned.

 

Verdict: I think this has potential for me as a soft, calming daytime scent, even if it turns out not to help me sleep.

 

ETA: And it really goes soapy after a while on me. Poo. We'll try the bedtime thing and see how it does there.

Edited October 1, 2015 by puck_nc

[IronMollyBlack]

TKO has been my sleep scent for years, so I had to give this one a try. To me it's a more herbal version of TKO. I can definitely pick out the chamomile. I don't get very much vanilla. I find that these type of scents get softer and just more wonderful with age. All the sharp edges are smoothed over. Although I really like the scent now, I think I will love it with some age on it!

[loubric]

In the bottles its all lavender and the ocean (salty almost).

 

On my skin it's a beautiful and soothing lavender and wild flowers (hints of the chamomile) I can smell a light sweetness which is probably the vanilla. As it dries down the chamomile is a little stronger but blends with the lavender beautifully. A very sleepy and beachy scent.

[Dark Alice]

Alas...The French Lavender is all I amp in this. I am so sad as this sounded wonderful. I smell like fancy, french milled lavender soap. Good for some...too floral for me.Off to the swap pile.

Edited October 15, 2015 by Dark Alice

[ellocentipede]

French-milled soap indeed! Freshly-scrubbed skin ready for stories and bedtime! I smell clean lavender and the slightly dusty yarrow, with nary a trace of chamomile or vanilla. I love this--especially as a bedtime scent!

[milo]

You cant go wrong when lavender is in a blend, for me anyways. Strong herbal lavender and a touch of vanilla. I honestly couldn't tell you what it was like after an hour because it put me out. Not as sweet as TKO, (and I like that one a bit better), and nothing beats Lilith Victoria for a masterpiece of a lavender blend, but this is pretty darned nice.

[savage_rose]

It reminded me of TKO only in that it was also lavender and was so soothing and reminded you of bedtime without even looking at the perfume name. It's a scent of sweet dreams and nocturnal journeys to imaginary kingdoms...sleepy, nostaligic, relaxing. I loved this one so much!

[skyelyric]

I straight up adore this. On first application I get a nice herby lavender, but it fades pretty quickly blends in with the rest of the notes. I do get the soapy impression that a couple of other reviews mentioned, but it's the best kind of soapy--this is tumbling out of the bath into freshly washed sheets, clean and inviting and just a little sweet. I got the TKO atmo to try in the same order as this, and I have to say, as a bedtime scent for me, Once Upon a Time wins hands down.

[d0gbones]

I bought this in the hope that the lavender would be way back in the mix because the other notes were too good to pass up.

 

In the bottle: straight, herby lavender. Uh oh.

 

Wet: Minty?? That's weird. I like it. Second sniff and the lavender is gone, seems to be going the sweet, herby way I'd hoped it would.

 

Dry: very soapy. The lavender is peeking back in, but the other notes are mostly lost in the soapiness, which is a shame. There's the slight suggestion of chamomile, but it's like handmade chamomile soap more than anything else. Still, it's a lovely one though and the lavender is mild enough not to give me that sicky feeling, so I'll keep it as an out-the-bath-into-bed scent.

[zankoku_zen]

Soapy TKO. There's something here that smells soapy and I just can't get rid of it. I get hints of lavender and vanilla.

 

In other ways, if this were a detergent, hands down it would be amazing. As a perfume, too dryer sheets for me.

 

SAD PANDA FACE.

[LiberAmoris]

Once Upon a Time is definitely soporific, a true sleepytime blend. It's also a little 'soaperific', because the lavender, hops, yarrow, and chamomile create an 'herbal bouquet' that mirrors the scent profile of many fancy natural soaps. The vanilla is very, very subtle—if I didn't know it's in here, I don't think I'd be able to detect it.

 

I'd hesitate to wear this again during the day because it honestly is knocking me right out and I may have to grab another cup of coffee (although I'm oddly relaxed at work, so maybe there's a net gain?). But it will go in my little box of 'sleep blends', and will get good use on nights when I need help getting and staying asleep.

[Musamea]

in the imp: sharp chamomile and lavender, astringent and somewhat medicinal

 

wet: the sharpness in the imp smooths down immediately into a blend of chamomile and lavender

 

dry: oooooh, I was worried this scent would stay super-sharp, but as it dries the vanilla comes forward and melds the lavender and chamomile together into a really soft, light scent. It's almost herbal and almost soapy, yet something keeps it from moving too far in either of those directions… it almost, almost smells the way your skin does after a day at the pool – warm chlorinated skin with the last vestiges of your aloe-coconut sunscreen, and the languid full body relaxation of lying sprawled out in the sun poolside after a good swim. That description is probably super unappealing, and yet I can't stop huffing my hand and can totally see why this makes for a sleepytime scent. I'll use up my decant, and this makes me want to check out some of the Lab's other sleep scents, particularly TKO, since other reviews note this scent is TKO's less sweet, more herby cousin.

[Haltija]

I don't like wearing this during the day.

 

I like wearing this to bed because it immediately calms my brain enough to make me sleep very easily. It's comforting in the same way that you get comfort from reading a sweet bed time story. It's extremely herbal, quite sharp actually when it's first applied. The lavender is incredibly strong and good thing I adore lavender. I detect the yarrow trying to peek through but it doesn't make itself completely well known at all. When it's fully settled all I have is a herbal mixture of lavender and chamomile with only the tiniest drop of vanilla. I will save my decant for those times when I really need to comfort myself to sleep.

[sarandipitee]

Man I love this one. It's pretty much straight up herbal lavender (I LOVE all lavender but prefer a more natural note over a sweetened one) mixed with chamomile. There's very little vanilla that I can detect.

 

It's simple and perfect for bed time. The scent softens and loses some of the herbal edge with drydown.

 

I'm going to hopefully be able to snag a back up before the Liliths come down.

[LizziesLuck]

I bought this with the intent to wear it at bedtime. It worked out perfectly for that. Though I do love it, this isn't something I would wear during the day.

 

It's gorgeous herbal lavender and chamomile. It does go quite soapy on me, but a I wear it to bed, I am totally fine with this! I smell like clean lavender soap, and it's a very relaxing scent. I love this. Have hardly reached for anything else at bedtime since I got it. The label art is adorable.

[oneiromantics]

AWESOME bedtime scent. I almost always wear TKO to bed, but I'm thinking of snagging a bottle or two of this to put some variety in my nightly routine. Wet, it's very lavender-heavy, which I like. But as it dries, the chamomile and bitter hops emerge and make it into this delicious herbal blend. To me, it smells kind of like the sort of aromatherapy oils that would be used during a massage at a really high-end spa, in the best way. Highly recommended if you want something that's in the same family as TKO but less sweet.

[Eemia]

I would have loved this no matter what, but I'm so glad that the scent itself is beautiful. I adore lavender, and certain bpal fragrances (Somnus, Fairy Market, TKO, Twilight) have been staples for me in order to fall asleep and combat chronic insomnia. This smells like clean, herbaceous lavender and golden, dry grassiness. It's light and sheer and has a tea type of association for me, which might be the chamomile (even though I never drink chamomile tea). This is very gentle, with skin-scent type of quality. It's soothing, but there's a charming spirit to it with the sweet vanilla. I love the vanilla addition especially, as it's a pretty, feminine touch that makes this a favorite for me to wear during the day as well as for bedtime.

 

This has particular sentimental appeal for me as well since me dad read to me every night as a child, without fail. Even when he was away on business trips he would call and read to me over the phone, or would create his own made up stories on a little tape recorder that I could play at night if he couldn't call. Later, as I grew up, we read together side by side on the couch. And when I moved out of the house for college, we sent books back and forth and then talked about them together like our own little book club. It's a memory I hold very dear and I think it's so lovely that the Lab and the Trading Post have shared such a sweet memory like this with everyone.

[freyasfae]

*sobs* I got this from a Lilith decant circle, and love, love, love at as my bedtime scent, but I missed the date before the Liliths went down so I didn't get a bottle! I loved the herby lavender with a touch of vanilla, it just made me feel so snuggly and happy. Okay, as a BPAL newbie, I have learned my lesson about finding BPAL/BTPT LEs that I love. Until then, I see people mentioning TKO a lot as their bedtime scent. I tried Somnus, but it was too lavender for me. I liked the touch of vanilla and softness in OUAT.

[brineydeep]

This is TKO's less sweet, more herbal sister. I get a good amount of sharp herbs from this blend overtop of the lavender but without any of TKO's marshmallow/vanilla sweetness.

 

We have a new oil diffuser in the bedroom and while I prefer TKO at night, the husband definitely likes this one better. It's such a nice blend that I have no problems reaching for this instead.

[Convallaria]

Very, very herbal. Opening is a mix of lavender and chamomile. It reminds me of linen spray. Drydown is something "clean" and barely-there on me. Wear length is very short.

[Little Bird]

I like my lavenders to be creamy, cool and sweet, but this is a sharp, dry, herbal variety, made sharper, dryer and more herbal with the addition of the chamomile. The chamomile smells like yellowy, dried herbs, almost sage-like and sour. I'm not getting any vanilla, so this isn't working for me.

[Lucchesa]

This was a very cheery and upbeat lavender on me -- not soporific at all. I think the hops and yarrow added to the bright, sharp herbal feeling. I was hoping that the drydown would reveal the chamomile and a touch of vanilla, but Once Upon a Time really didn't last long on my arm very long. It was gone within an hour.

 

I will try it again as a bedtime scent, as it may affect me differently at night than it did in broad daylight. I so wanted to love this one!

[tinyvulture]

Like listening to a classic princess fairy tale at bedtime. Regal, elegant, and happily ever after to dreamland. This is mostly lavender, sweetened by vanilla, plus herbal undertones, mostly chamomile. Flawless sleep blend!

[doomsday_disco]

Oops. I see I never reviewed this.

 

I typically love the Lilith lavender blends, and I remember this being an herbal sort of lavender scent. I don't recall getting any vanilla from it, and I don't get the TKO comparisons. I ended up giving my bottle away, because even though the scent itself was pleasant, I had worn it to bed during a troubling time in my life, which led to me associating the scent with nightmares whenever I smelled it.  This is probably the only scent that was ruined for me by negative association, but fortunately, Beth continues to make a lovely lavender scents to look forward to every year.