Nanshe

[theseagrows]

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 i smell lavender with a hint of lemon. on my skin i smell lemon verbena with a slight, soft sweetness in the background. at first it's nice, like a creamy lemon scent, which reminds me a lot of tarot: the star, except with lemon instead of lime. once dry however, i get a sour note behind the lemon. i think it may be white tea, which seems to go sour on me for some reason.

Edited February 16, 2007 by theseagrows

[Archaic Smile]

Yup. I get strong lemon and lavender, too. But despite the lavender, which my skin tends to turn into a not so nice soapy smell, I really like Nanshe.

 

As for it's influence, I've tried it twice so far before bed and both times I had a very deep restful sleep. However, when I woke the following morning I couldn't recall even the smallest detail from my dreams. This was very odd for me because I usually have no trouble remembering something from them even if it's just a flash of color or feeling.

 

Right now I'm thinking this was just a fun coincidence, but the next time I have a really bad day or I'm stressed about something I'm going to give this stuff another go. Like most people, my dreams tend to be really intense and chaotic when I'm under a lot of stress - I'd like to see what effect Nanshe might have on them then.

 

Thank you Labbies for the frimp!

[The_Merf]

In the imp: lavender and a light citrus

 

Wet: lavender and a very strong, sinus cleansing blast of lemon

 

Drydown and wear: The blend remains very sharp and clarifying--like a scent that cuts through fog--even as it dries down. While the blend is not soothing (in a dulling sense), it is very compelling. I'll have to wear this before I go to bed sometime.

[jmchau]

Lemon and ... pepper. I really don't get the lavendar, and the peppery scent is a surprise.

 

Overall impression is peppery lemondrops. Nice.

[CrazyPretzel]

Lemon is the strongest note in this for me. There's noticeable lavender but it's not too strong. Also there's a touch of spice -- my boyfriend was guessing ginger, I thought clove. Smells like lemony spice cookies after it tries down. Pretty tasty.

 

I've only tried this and Temple of Dreams in the Somnium collection, and on both nights I've slept terribly. Maybe BPAL to bed is just too exciting for me.

[ouch!]

This smelles like Lemongrass/Verbena with a slight undertone of Lavender.

It does dry slightly herby too...

It also has the strange note that I've smelled before in other blends...which is...trampled on wet flowers.. Sounds strange I know but it's the only way I can describe it!

 

I gave this to my psychic friend because I thought she might have a better use for it than me....so I might update if she mentions anything....

[aquazoo]

Very bright and lemony, unfortunately with a cleaning product edge to it. Play with it more when I’m not concerned with smelling nice.

[waternight]

In the imp: Like everyone else... lavender and lemon.

Wet/Drydown: The lavender and lemon are both strong. This isn't lemon fruit though, it's more of a lemongrass scent, only not quite as dry or herbaceous as I want lemongrass to be. There's a thick, almost sugary cast to the lemon in this, which I'm not loving so much. However, it doesn't offend me, so whatever.

Dry: The same, but softer. I've tried this and Baku of the Somnium blends, and they're both strong scents that don't morph much at all from wet to dry.

[Iceblink]

I got lemongrass from this and it's quite strong and very pretty. This is the first sleep blend I could see wearing as a fragrance during the daytime too.

I sampled just a bit of it last night and had extremely vivid, active dreams all night long. Even after I woke up from them I had trouble shaking the dreams and getting back into the real world. If this is an effect of Nanshe I'm going to wear this often, because I love having such complex dreams.

[alicia_stardust]

NANSHE

 

Nanshe is a gentle herbal lavender with an almost minty tone to it. That sits as the base and a bright, yellow citrus verbena sits on top. It is very gentle and calming.

[SarahScent44]

I put Nanshe on my wrists/forearms right before bed, as I usually sleep on my side with my hands drawn up by my face. It was quite strong - reading this thread, I realize that it was a lot of really herbal lavender and some lemon, which clashed on my skin. I remember thinking, "Well, don't judge this as a perfume."

 

I got this as a frimp - I wouldn't normally have thought of trying the sleep blends, as I'm one of those people that can fall asleep with the lights on and sleep through any number of disturbances. Wearing Nanshe, I slept like a rock; I didn't have any dreams that I can remember, but both of those things are fairly typical of me anyway. I think that I will pass this on to someone that will get more use from it than I will.

[erraticprophet]

Initial Impression: lemony

 

On Wet: lavender, lemongrass or verbena, and sometimes something minty or peppery

 

On Dry: zzzzzzzzzzz.. Never got to dry-down.

 

Final Impression: I had the most amazing and unusual dreams with this and have had much fun deciphering them. This stuff works! Also, I've never fallen asleep so quickly and had such a restful night's sleep before. Amazing!

 

Rating (on a scale from 1-5): 5. Definitely a big bottle purchase. I only wish I'd tried this sooner.

[bryghtrose]

Wet: Lemon & Lavender

 

On my skin: Whoa--- lemon. It smells very strongly of cleaning fluid for a few seconds, and then morphs into lemongrass, and I start to get hungry for Thai food.

[hkhm]

imp: lemon balm and lavender and... somethine else kinda herby, almost minty.

 

wet: this has the smell of antique candy, like old fashioned lemon drops or something. i can't wait to wear this to bed.

 

dry: tangy lemon drops.

[n1k1ta]

At first, Nanshe was cheap candy. Strangely akin to limey Lemonheads. Not bad, but it didn't smell like a typical BPAL perfume. Then it turned to Lemon Pledge after thirty minutes. Within two hours, I had pencil shavings. Nanshe all but disappeared after four hours. Blaaaah.

[ImperatrixMundi]

Nanshe smelled like a very astringent and medicinal herbal potion, with maybe something a little lemony. It does no really smell like perfume and was too sharp and bitter to put on my pillow.

More lemongrass would have been nice, but no, not from this imp.

[gchris]

Since I do not use oils for utility purposes I will only be reviewing the scent.

 

In Vial:lemon, pine, cinnamon

 

Wet: All previous notes with the addition of olive oil and rosemary. Smells like a cooking blend.

 

Drydown: Sweet lemon drop and cinnamon. I have never smelled this combination before. Interesting.

[seamor]

On me, shrieking lemon/citrus peel/lavender with a foundation of anise. The scent is oddly relaxing, considering its sharp intensity.

 

The next morning it seems gone, but I try to wash it off, just to make sure. When I put on another scent, it is overpowered by anise that can only be a remnant of Nanshe. Frustrating. I wonder how long it will be before I can wear another scent without smelling like anise?

 

Don't get me wrong - Nanshe is not an unpleasant scent, even though quite sharp. It's just not for me.

 

Update: A day and a half later (having washed thoroughly several times in the interim) I apply my old favorite Marquise de Merteuil, only to find that it re-awakens that sharp lemon/lavender scent, and I cannot smell the Marquise at all. I simply cannot get this Nanshe stuff off my skin.

 

Update 2: Gods! How do I get this OFF!?!?!?!?! Two days!!! Everything I put on smells like anise or Lemon Lavender Shriek! Has Nanshe cursed me?

 

Please, please, PLEASE, does anyone know a scent removal ritual of some kind? Nanshe seems to have become a part of my skin! [Closeup of wrist skin showing creeping veins of moldy, greenish-purplish corruption ...]

 

Chrysanthemum Moon was no match for her. She whacked Al-Shairan! Sol was eclipsed by licorice.

 

Can nothing save me from the awesome power of Nanshe?

 

Please, please, PLEASE ... HELP ... ME ........... [trailing scream, falling into darkness ...]

 

Update 3: She's gone, I was finally able to soak this scent off in a long bath with white vinegar. Ah well, this has doubtless been a mild example of the folly of playing with ritual concoctions without focused intent. I'm fortunate it wasn't something worse.

 

I have to note that, throughout this experience, I do not remember having had a single dream. Maybe Nanshe kept hanging around because she was having trouble getting through to me?

 

Uh ... unless this is a dream .... [hollow laughter fading into the distance ...]

 

So, sometime when I want to use oneiromancy, and have three days to work with it during which I won't be anywhere that anyone else can smell me, and I decide I can tolerate smelling like anise and Lemon Lavender Shriek the whole time, I may use Nanshe again.

 

But probably not.

Edited February 17, 2008 by celtimor

[djsiberia]

it actually smells like ginger. i used it in combination with somnus and had some pretty interesting dreams. not going to get a bottle, just going to use up the imp. it seems to have helped me sleep a bit better, but i get the same effect as just by using somnus alone. i thought it might help with a deeper sleep with the whole REM thing...

[alsatia]

Expectations: I'm a little biased against this scent without even trying it, as I think I received it as a misreading of one I actually requested. This is silly, because if I actually believed these things work for the purposes described then I'd absolutely use this one.

 

In vial: Citrus and sweet spices.

 

On skin, wet: Blah, it's lemon Pledge. I'd place a large bet that there's grapefruit in this mixture.

 

On skin, dry: Inhaling this cools my throat and nasal passages. It's slightly less Pledge and more lemon cake frosting now.

 

After time: The scent is calming down quite a lot, but is still overwhelmingly lemon.

 

Conclusion: I certainly wouldn't wear it as perfume. I'm open to trying it before bed, but worry that I wouldn't be able to get enough of the scent off upon waking and would be stuck smelling lemony all the next day.

[marared]

I got this as a freebie with an order of Danube. It's a lemony-lavender assault in the imp, but on me, it smells like bitter lemon with a leafy/woodsy scent like a bush... might be the ginger. It's interesting!

[brit_brat100]

Since I'm not using this as a sleep aid, I'm only testing for scent. This is a very potent lemon herb scent. The boyfriend seems to like it though. =)

[Ravenclaw79]

Funny how everyone gets such different things out of this one.

 

I tried it today, and my reaction was "lemon? No, wait... BERGAMOT!" The entire time, even after the drydown, it was a cup of tea, Earl Grey, with maybe the tiniest hint of lemon, like a wedge perched on the edge of the teacup.

 

I kept sniffing myself... tasty.

[Lethran]

In bottle: Oddly familiar, but I’m not placing it. Really it smells like my spice cabinet with medicinal roots thrown in. Lots of ginger, I’d bet. Wet: Oh the glorious ginger, with something sweet and spicy underneath. I’m really liking this. Dry: Clove, I’m guessing this contains clove. So clove ginger with something pleasant, but vaguely Chinese medicine under. It’s still made of win as far as I’m concerned.

[sadtomato]

A sweet lemony scent in the bottle.

On my skin, it smells like lemon pledge.

I just can't handle it