TKO

[treska]

"Many things -- such as loving, going to sleep, or behaving unaffectedly -- are done worst when we try hardest to do them."

This smells like a soft, pillowy lavender-marshmallow hug. I wouldn't have thought that I would like anything with lavender, as it's not one of my favorite scents, but this is just wonderful. It's comforting and delicious at the same time.

How does it work for me? Well, let me tell you about my night yesterday. I decided to completely restore my iPod, as it had been acting up. What I forgot was that in addition to music, I'd been using it as something of a glorified jump drive for all of my graphic-intensive school work (working on my master's in architecture). Including all the images and layouts for my portfolio that I'd been working on for weeks. That is due for review at the end of the month. All of which is now gone because idiot me forgot to back it up (I do have some copies on my computer, but they're old and recreating everything will take a lot of time and effort, assuming I remember what was there and what the layout actually was).

So.....worst night in a long damn while. Tears and bitter self-recrimination. All I wanted to do was go to sleep and worry about things in the morning. Not only do misery and stress tend to keep me up, I'd had a nap earlier in the afternoon so it seemed like I was destined to be awake until sunrise, feeling wretched. I'd just received my Panacea imp pack earlier that day, so I thought I'd try TKO because if there was anything I needed, it was to be knocked out.

I confess, it did take me about an hour to actually fall asleep, but I was able to relax right away and the time before sleeping felt almost like a meditative trance. I felt peaceful, not stressed (ok, denial had something to do with that as well ) I managed to get a very good, restful, refreshing night's sleep and woke up ready to deal with the debacle. Well, mostly ready. But better than if I'd been up all night sniffling and berating myself.

I definitely need a bottle of this. I don't think I can survive the rest of grad school without it.

[alianthe]

In the bottle: sweet and cool, comforting and gentle, a lavendar pillow to fall into, with a hint of something higher and sharper calling your name and something deeper and darker behind them twining around you and drawing you down. Just one sniff isn't enough to knock you out, but it soothes and softens.

 

On my sleep mask: I slept easier and deeper than I've slept in years. Even after a month of insomnia, I woke up the next morning with the very first music of the alarm, and danced into my clothes.

 

On me: The lavendar and that deeper element I can't name come to the fore, and before I have it analyzed, I'm out.

[Lit Chick]

This stuff is AMAZING. How did I ever live without it? Truly.

 

Quietude had been my sleep blend of choice until I had a tragic spillage accident. And while Q was very good - it did not always work. I would get a window of peace and tranqulity - but if I did not get to sleep during that time then I was just going to smell nice for my insomnia.

 

This - this worked so differently. My brain turned off. I was still functional - but my brain was already in shut-down mode. I was so realxed and easy. I dozed off, and then the husband came home. I got up, had a chat, and when it was bedtime again I immediately fell dead asleep. I practially sleepwalked when I needed to go to the bathroom, and again fell right back into deep deep sleep. DH's alarm went off, which usually means I'm up - but I was able to get my extra hour of full snooze before mine went off. This is unheard of!

 

I woke up still in a trance. I was not fuzzy at all, but that was the best night's sleep I've had in ages and I didn't want to let it go. My body stayed relaxed, shoulders down, for a good few hours afterwards. It did take much longer than usual for my mind to rev up to full alert. I wasn't sleepy - but just very chilled out.

 

Plus, it smells like heaven. To me, it was a spicy vanilla scent, very creamy, with a hint of herbal every once and a while in the initial stage. When I made DH sniff, he said it smelled like chocolate. I can see that, actually. Milky chocolate. It's delicious, but not foody (in other words, yum, but did not provoke a craving for sweets like every other food blend currently does).

 

This is a MUST HAVE.

[Eemia]

This is my sexy sleep fragrance. My go-to scent for when my boyfriend is sleeping over. Although every night I rotate between Baku, Oneiroi, Sleepy Moon, and Somnus as well, TKO is the only one that I think smells alluring. My boyfriend always comments on how pretty I smell when I wear this at night, so now I only wear this particular sleep blend when I'm around him.

 

It's such a soft lavender with a sweet overall scent. Very warm and blurry, but with that weighted sensation that creamy notes usually offer me. The creaminess doesn't seem distinctively vanilla, but that's what I'm reminded of. And I have convinced myself that I smell ylang ylang too, which is one of my favorite notes.

 

In addition to being a pretty fragrance, I do feel more relaxed when I wear this. I usually put it on a few hours before bed so I can enjoy the soothing quality while I wind down. It does help me to stay asleep more continuously, although I don't fall asleep as quickly as I do with Somnus. Normally I am a very light sleeper, and I wake up constantly. But I don't have that problem as often when I wear this to bed. Once I fall asleep there is a better chance that I will sleep in one or two increments instead of ten or fifteen. And I can continue to feel feminine and lovely while I am sleeping.

[Dinerdulcinea]

Sadly, on my skin, the vanilla and lavender on this one do not play nicely together. It is rather unpleasant and too strong for about 4 hours+...then it finally comes to an agreement and is not so bad, but I don't think I can wait 4 hours+. And because it is so strong (even only using a little bit) and because the two notes don't play nicely together on my skin, I don't find it restful.

 

I don't think I have ever had a scent take quite so long to morph into the final stage.

 

Oh well, not for me.

[luckybuzz]

This stuff is amazing. I totally get the sugary-marshmallowy-lavendery scent that other people describe. I don't usually have problems falling asleep, but my husband does. I've been putting TKO on our pillows at night, and I'm dropping off as soon as my head hits the pillow (and sleeping even harder than I usually do), but he's been falling asleep faster too--and commenting on how much he likes the scent, too (and has encouraged me to buy a bottle, which is never a bad thing).

 

I'm a fan.

[dzurlady]

This is a very soft, fluffy scent. In the vial it smells of vanilla and lavender. I thought I smelt some mint, but I think that was just my nose getting used to the combination of vanilla and lavender together, which was unexpected. After I smelled it a few times though I got used to it. The vanilla is stronger on me, and lasts longer. Sometimes I get a lot of throw, sometimes very little, and I could still catch wafts of it the next morning. As for whether it put me to sleep or not, the jury is still out - I'll have to try it a few more times.

[Ohmaude]

Lavender and vanilla sweetness with a cup of chamomile tea. It truly knocks my socks off and puts my ass to bed. It's equally fantastic on my skin, in the bath or in my oil burner.

 

However, it seems to umm, excite the couple of fellas who have been around my bed to smell it. heh. So a word of caution if you plan on using it in mixed company! (Not that I am complaining!)

[Honeygirl]

Bottle: Herbal lavender

 

Wet: Hmm, that's the best smelling clean mint I've ever smelled. And I don't like mint.

There's a hint of citrus underneath the mint that's ingruiging me.

 

Drydown: OMG, Yum! This is a gorgeous well crafted scent. It's lavender, it's citrus, it's vanilla, it's mint. And it works. It is a very calming scent. I slept really well and will definitely buy a bit bottle.

4.0 outta 5.

[hkhm]

imp: lavander and...? something else i can't quite place.

 

wet: strong, sweet lavender. i prefer my lavender more crisp than sweet but this is nice and relaxing.

 

dry: a bit crisper lavender than before, much more what i like.

 

i normally drink an infusion of lavender when i'm having trouble sleeping so i may buy a bottle of this to augment those times. very nice blend.

[Mamacat]

I can't believe I haven't reviewed TKO!! It was probably my first BPAL true love.

 

In the bottle it smells strongly of lavender and sugar. Very sharp and sweet.

Wet on my skin I get a creamy sugared lavender.

Dry it smells very much like marshmallows with a strong lavender note.

 

After I've had it on for hours and hours, the lavender fades away and I'm left with a sugary, creamy vanilla. I wear it more

as a perfume than a sleep blend. Sometimes I wear it to bed but I don't have much trouble sleeping right now so I have

no idea if it's effective or not.

[ND¢]

First off, it smells lovely. Fresh, soft but pronounced lavender on the inhale-- wet, the 'marshmallow' (my mother said it was like a sweet baked-dough smell) comes out on the exhale, which is a nice meditative touch. In with the lavender, out with the sugary-softness, and when it dries it's like a sweet, well-rounded marshmallow dough with lavender mixed in. I certainly haven't been having trouble sleeping since I used it first!

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

i've had this for months - soon i'll need to order another bottle.

 

i ordered this to begin with unsniffed and just about as soon as it was up on the site.

i've never slept well - even as a toddler i didn't sleep much (i was quiet and happily entertained myself for hours. i just didn't sleep-- so don't worry, my mommy didn't suffer. much.)

 

i hate peppermint. can't stand it. and i don't like lavender (it and peppermint are cousins, y'know).

far too many vanilla and "creamy" type scents smell like plastic or play-doh on me.

 

but this... this is like the *idea* of lavender and the *idea* of creamy-fluffy-sweet mixed with st. john's wort or chamomile or some other gentle herby smell.

in the bottle, that almost-lavender is the strongest note...

but when i wear this (every night on the tops of my hands and in my hair) all the notes blend into a softer (smooshy, cozy, snuggly) blend that isn't necessarily going to knock me out, but it is comforting and relaxing.

(it also blends rather nicely with American Cream conditioner, so after i wash my hair and then TKO my hands, i smell quite yummy!)

 

i've also turned this into an alcohol-spray that i keep in my purse - for stressful situations away from home.

[grashopper8]

This is a scent which doesn't have much of a precedent in my mind, it's a strange one but oddly pleasant.

 

In the imp, it's a creamy marshmallow with a hint of lavender.

 

Once on, the herbal notes evaporate quite rapidly, and TKO becomes pure sugary, um....sugar....duuuh, it just smells like sugar, I think. It's hard to describe, I've never smelled a perfume that had this quality before..

 

My fiance said it smells like "cotton candy...but, like, cotton candy bubblegum..."

 

It's pleasant, but doesn't necessarily calm me. I'm not sure whether I like it, but I will say that it's unique!

[tartchef]

TKO: Does What It Says on the Bottle

 

Seriously, I can't review the dry-down because my ass was asleep in 30 seconds. I rarely have trouble sleeping, but it still takes me a few minutes to settle... not anymore! What little I was conscious enough to sniff was a delicious blend of lavender & vanilla marshmallows - sweet & soft & ultimately comforting, but in no way cloying... This is going in my toddler's nightlight diffuser pad - the true test of TKO's powers will be to keep him asleep through clanging radiators & cutting molars...

[girlygirl]

Wet: mmm, herbal lavender. Not sharp at all.

Dry: lavender vanilla marshmallows!

 

Delicious! I used it on a particularly tough night. While it did not make me sleepy, it did cause an overwhelming urge to close my eyes. I will try again on a less anxiety-ridden night and see how it goes.

[greymatter]

Wow.

 

I'm generally a skeptic when it comes to herbal remedies and such, but I do know that lavender does have a calming effect, as does chamomile. Unfortunately, I hate lavender. When I got a panacea set on LJ, I was mostly interested in Grr, Oof and Ugh. The fact that TKO came with it was incidental. I really didn't expect to try it, much less fall head over heels.

 

Beth, if you read the reviews, know that you are a goddess.

 

I have PTSD and often have night terrors/flashbacks/nightmares and I don't sleep well at all. (And yes, I know the fact that this is written at nearly 2 in the morning looks odd.) However, I put this on about 5 minutes ago and the calming was immediate. I've gone from panicky/wired to calm and restful and verrrrrry sleepy.

 

And for the first time in ages, I think I'll go to sleep now.

 

Thanks.

 

(Oh, also: it's not a lavender-heavy smell on me. It's soft, sweet, gentle and ... yeah. Just nice. <3)

 

ETA: YES. This works. I wouldn't be awake right now except I have to get ready for school. *sigh* On the plus side, my skin has the sweetest smell this morning. I smell like a marshmallow!

Edited November 15, 2007 by greymatter

[Catmint]

I am totally addicted to TKO! I've tried many many sleep blends, including TAL's Nocturne, and while Nocturne does have a relaxing effect on me, I really don't like the dried roses/potpourri smell very much. I also don't like the in-your-face, herbally-sharp lavender which many sleep blends (like Somnus) have. TKO is perfect -- the lavender is soft and powdery, and combined with vanilla sugar it's just the most amazing, comforting, relaxing scent. Also very sexy -- my DH loves this scent on me, while Somnus gives him a headache and Nocturne makes him think of "old ladies."

 

I've suffered from severe insomnia my entire life, and TKO works wonders for me. It doesn't knock me out, but it relaxes me enough that I'm able to drift off to sleep after an hour or so, and my mind isn't madly racing for that hour either. Who knew that a little bottle of oil could totally change your life???

 

ETA: in reading some of the other reviews, I see that many people have commented on how TKO quiets your mind and stops the racing thoughts/anxious worrying that tends to plague insomniacs. If, like me, that is what keeps you awake all night, definitely try TKO!

Edited November 25, 2007 by Catmint

[lisabella]

Ok, I'm not the only one who got a stuffing scent from TKO.

 

imp - incredibly sagey

on me, wet - stuffing!

on me, dry - stuffing!

 

I don't get lavender or vanilla or marshmallow! I'll let TKO hang out for a bit and see if it or my nose changes. Right now, though, I need to go make some StoveTop.

[nevermore]

Sharp, herbal lavender and the vanilla that doesn't go plasticy on me. It doesn't so much put me to sleep as shut my brain off. If I can't sleep, it's because my brain is going a million miles a minute. TKO shuts off that bit of my brain, and I can go to sleep nicely. And when I get up in the morning, there's still a good amount of vanilla scent left on my skin.

 

I've used about 2/3 of an imp in the past month - I definitely need a big (huge! gigantic!) bottle of this!

[alexandra]

In the bottle: soft lavender, vanilla and and an undertow of sage-based incense.

 

Wet: smooth, sweet lavender, no spikiness. This isn't friendly though, I feel oddly detached as I climb into bed with it on.

 

Dry: most likely lovely but I have no idea. I've worn this for the last few nights and felt my limbs drag themselves deep into the mattress, heavy yet weightless. A strange, not unpleasant sensation. I really feel quite decadent at this stage, like I'm giving myself up to the king of vanilla vampires. I am asleep within ten minutes of applying it. I would advise popping this on after any kind of bed-based naughties if you wish to be awake for them!

 

The next morning: Very difficult to drag myself out of sleepiness. The delcious smell lingers on the skin until mid-morning and on the sheets until I wash them, making me all relaxed and hypnotised if I go anywhere near my bed.

 

And?... A potent potion indeed...

[filigree_shadow]

[...] but the person at the beginning of this thread who said that it made her feel like her head was emptying out totally has this bang-on. I breathe in, and my thoughts float away.

 

Wow, that's just what I was thinking when I put this on. It's incredibly relaxing. My insomnia problems mostly are because I can't stop my mind from thinking (about stuff I want to do, or stuff I didn't do, or things I should have said... you get the picture). When I sniff this, my mind relaxes a lot. My head almost feels cloudy.

 

I'm sure it's lavender and some sort of soft sugar, like most people are saying, and I like the scent better than the other blends I've tried for sleeping.

 

I want a bottle of this for sure.

[suileach]

TKO lives up to its awesome reputation. I've been using it as a bedtime scent ever since I got my bottle, and my bedding is hence constantly scented with it. Num.

 

I'm another one who doesn't normally like lavender, but the other notes in this blend gentle the harsh, licorice-y edge that lavender usually has, making it really lovely. Likewise, the lavender stops the creamy, sugary notes from being *too* sweet. The scent always remains on my skin through the entire night, and is still there in the morning.

 

Effect-wise, I didn't notice much of one until I went to bed earlier than normal one night. Often, I stay up until I'm almost too tired to crawl into bed, so I crash hard...but when I go to bed at an earlier time, before my brain has atrophied into mush, I notice that TKO helps lessen the urgency of my thoughts - I am a bedtime worrier who cannot stop thinking about the terrible things I've done, not done, and may do in the future, so anything non-addictive that slows down that train of thought is an excellent thing.

 

Hoorah for TKO! It's also insanely good in a hot bath - it has almost as much effect as my prescription muscle relaxant, I swear.

Edited December 27, 2007 by suileach

[willowtreeling]

I really really like this. In the imp, it didn't smell too impressive. I love lavender, but it didn't smell that great, as far as lavender goes imho. However, on it smelled amazing. Sweet and sugary without being foody. Lavender usually energizes me and this is a lavender for relaxation...this is baby lavender. I need a big fat bottle of this immediately.

 

ETA: sometimes, i get this sage-y turkey dressing undersmell that is surprisingly not upsetting;) I must also state that this delightful scent is a very good anti-depressant and puts a smile on my face every time

 

ETA, again: my mom has been depressed because of my father passing away this summer....and she has restless leg syndrome. So she has some trouble getting to sleep some nights. She was complaining, so I gave her some TKO and she conked out and said she slept really well:) I don't know if the effect was psychological or not, but I am buying her a bottle with my next order. She needs her own--we can't share!

Edited January 17, 2008 by willowtreeling

[erraticprophet]

Initial Impression: sweet vanilla and lavender

 

On Wet: marshmallows and lavender

 

On Dry: more vanilla-y/marshmallow-y, lavender

 

Final Impression: I really love this stuff. It works! It knocks my extremely restless child out within a half hour each and every night (smells a bit more sharp lavender on her, less vanilla/marshmallow). She's addicted. I find it very relaxing and soothing.

 

Rating (on a scale from 1-5): 5! I'll have to make sure to always have some of this on hand.