Nanshe

[odalisque]

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.

In the imp: lemony florals, very heady and strong.

On skin and dry: Yup. It's lemon. Not foody lemon or lemon peel, I think lemon verbena may be right on. It smells like really, really pretty cleaning spray.

[anna1850]

Lavender and lemon. It's not bad but kind of so so.

 

It's OK but the best lavender scent ever is TKO.

 

Temple of Dreams I found somewhat similar to Nanshe but better.

 

2.5/5 Get TKO instead.

[mparker]

I just tried my imp of this last night. I can't recall them now, but I do remember having recollections of very vivid dreams when I woke up this morning. I also got a report from the boyfriend that I was so deeply asleep when he woke up this morning, that I looked flat out dead.

 

In the imp it smelled nice, but I had trouble placing notes. On my skin though, wow! Ginger. Fresh, juicy ginger! It's bright and beautiful, which is odd because I always find myself thinking that ginger oils smell more floral or foody and not like actual fresh ginger, but this - wow! There's a few other things in here too, a hint of lemon or something else citrus, and something fuzzy and slightly sharp in the background that seems to be in most of the sleep scents. It must be lavender, but it's not as strong here.

 

It's really gorgeous, but was already starting to fade when I fell asleep. That or my nose was drifting off.

[HamletsKeeper]

In the beginning this smelt like lemon-scented geranium then as it was drying down it took a much more rooty, herbal note which I recognised as lemongrass tea. A drink my mother always had dried leaves of in the house. Maybe it is lemon verbena but it smells more like lemongrass to me, especially when you a pull a husk straight off the plant. There's lavender behind it but it's really far behind it. Quite weird for a sleep formula as I find citrus to be very stimulating. I especially can't sleep with bergamot because it keeps my mind so active. There is some other floral there too but it's too obscured by the scent to be recognisable for me. As with the other Somnium scent I've tried somnus it has a smell I'm not really fond of, you can tell this is not intended as perfume as the notes really aren't that harmonius. It just keeps reminding me of the herbal teas my mother used to keep in stock in the house valerian being the other one and although this doesn't smell of valerian, I wouldn't be surprised if it was in there being a sedative herb. The smell is pungently herbal and very ointment smelling.

 

Sadly though I just don't get along with this one. As predicted its very mentally stimulating so I laid in bed for hours dead tired and unable to settle into sleep. I eventually washed it off then applied Somnus to knock me out and even then it took over 45mins to get to sleep. I don't think I'll use this oil again.

Edited November 6, 2009 by HamletsKeeper

[emily2531]

I smell cardamom, lemon and lavender. Not sure what else, but it's very unusual and soothing.

[Aldercy]

Lots of cleaning fluid reminiscent lemon, something sharp and medicinal like eucalyptus... maybe a tiny bit of rose? I don't get a lot of lavender, at least not compared to Somnus and Oneiroi, but I can see how its herbal sharpness might be lost in the eucalyptus for me.

 

Mostly a harsh lemon, though, which just doesn't do anything for me.

[skyelyric]

This is like wow ginger, like juicy, crunchy, just cut open a fresh root ginger, with a little spice (clove-ish) and lemongrass maybe in the background.

 

At first whiff it's more refreshing than sleep-inducing to me, but I love the scent so I've been putting a little on the backs of my hands before bed every night and I haven't been as restless, still the usual bizarre dreams, but much calmer and less violent than normal.

 

If you get a faint whiff it's a teensy bit reminiscent of the little hand cleaning square packets. Refreshing and astringent.

[voorishsign]

I've honestly never tried any of the Somnium oils and never thought to, but a forumite frimped me this

 

I received it this morning so I'll edit this review regarding whether or not it really does aid dreams once I've had the opportunity to test run this properly

 

In the imp - straight-up lemon with a hint of ginger.

 

On wet - the same, but a more complex mixture of the two.

 

Drydown - a sweet lemon/ginger candy smell. Probably quite pleasant to fall asleep to, but nothing to wear as a fragrance. I'm quite curious about its practical application though - we'll see about that tonight

[Roogna]

For me it's not a scent to fall asleep to. It smells strongly of lemon cookies or lemon-sugar cookies on my skin so I got rather hungry for girl scout cookies lol.

that's not a bad scent, but it was driving me crazy rather than helping me get to sleep.

but if you like lemon scents it's a good one

[Amaranthus]

I received this as a free sample and I love it. It smells like lavender and lemongrass. I've been slathering this on my pillow before I go to bed. Smelling Nanshe I can feel the tension draining out of my body. I enjoy a few minutes of warm, blissful relaxation before drifting off into a sound sleep.

Edited March 3, 2010 by Amaranthus

[superpopkid]

Creamy lemongrass with lavender. Delish! I conked out within five minutes of application. Unlike Temple of Dreams, there was no trace left when I woke up from a sound sleep about 6 hours later. I don't remember my dreams, but it's not the oil's fault - my sleep schedule is totally wonky and that makes it harder for me to remember dreams.

Edited March 11, 2010 by VitaminA

[Venneh]

Tried this before bed last night; ended up being lavender and lemongrass in the imp, which turned into Fruit Loops on my skin, and then faded within ten minutes because of the lavender. Didn't really seem to affect the way I normally sleep, so I'm gonna pass on this one.

[ami226]

A very tart lemon.... Maybe with something herbal as well.

 

Whoa!! This really does smell like Fruit Loops!! Spot on!

[heywilma]

Stronggg, aged ginger, the kind that assaults your senses as soon as you cut into it. In fact this is doing that right now – I don't know if I could wear this, sleeping or not. But if you're into that fresh-cut ginger smell, this would be great.

[sunlitgarden]

Nanshe

 

Whoa! Astringent! Although I can pick out the lemon and lavender if I think about it, this really smells like ginger to me. Almost like pickled ginger you'd find at a sushi restaurant. It has a similar "palate cleansing" effect, except on my nose. Really clears out the sinuses!

[prisca]

the first impression is lemongrass, cumin and lavender. after half an hour I smell a little bit of incense in the drydown. unusual and captivating fragrance.

[Schmoozy]

Lavender and lemon balm. It's astringent, refreshing, calming and cooling. It has the amazing ability to instantly relieve tension so it has become one of my favorite bedtime blends. Especially in the summertime when it is hot and muggy.

[theseagrows]

did a search and realized i reviewed this twice, sorry!

Edited February 14, 2011 by theseagrows

[loubric]

In the IMP it’s very strong and spicy lavender. Reminds me of my friends aromatherapy oils.

On me it’s very minty and herby I can barely smell any lavender. After a little while it’s more lemony sweetness.

 

Very pretty and not at all what I expected. More subtle and light, def. something I want to try before I go to bed to invoke my dream interpretations!

(A few minutes later it seems to be getting even sweeter – LOVELY!)

[Suu4LC]

Well, I have been sleeping terribly lately, so I am curious as to how this will affect me. The other Somnium blends I have tried gave me weirdass dreams...

 

In the imp this is definitely lemon and lavender. Which is fine. Not like OMG THIS SMELLS GREAT, but pleasant enough. I am not testing this blend as a perfume, but as a sleep experience.

 

Yerp on my skin its sharp astringent-y lemon/lavender. Actually, sort of reminds me of lemony flutter Lush hand cream O_o

 

OK morning after. Yet another Somnium blend gives me weird-ass dreams! It's crazy! I had the most vivid, unnerving dream about being in class and everything I said started arguments with other students or the professor and people were laughing at me and ripping on me! It was awful! These blends give me a curious look into my subconscious, but I prefer peaceful sleeps!

[mxtine]

I tried one of the Somnium blends before, and it was sharp lavender which bothered me so bad I had to wash it off. This was a frimp from the Lab I think. It smells like lemongrass and fresh lavender in the imp. I also get Fruit Loops. Its a sugary lemongrass, lavender, bergamot and ginger blend. I keep the imp on my nightstand and dab on my pillow. I usually fall asleep quickly when I use the oil but as usual, I don't remember my dreams.

[jkfagtongpun]

This was a frimp - thank you! - and seeing as I don't like lavender as a scent to wear and it's a Somnium I figured wearing it to bed wouldn't be too bad. As I got into bed the husband said 'mmm, lavender orange tree'. It was kind of nice and soothing. A dreamtime scent it is, then.

[mymymai]

I get lots of lavender and citrus, like a blend between orange and lemon. It smells fairly good, but on me, it ends up smelling very antiseptic, like something you'd smell in a hospital.

[Psypomp]

This smells exactly like a brand of tea I used to drink, Yogi's Super Antioxidant Green Tea. It has that herbal scent, along with the notes of lavender and lemon that the other reviewers mentioned, but I'm also getting strong tea notes.

[ResinManiac]

Lemons. And I thought citrus was an "upper" not a "downer" aroma... The lemon is strong and drowns out the other notes, until I get lavender and then something I wanna call flax seed a little later on. Not my first choice for a scent, and yet I feel more calm after application. I'll use the imp for sleep but I'm not gung ho for a bottle anytime soon.