Dana O'Shee

[jasmine]

... Offerings of milk, honey and sweet grains were made to placate these creatures, and it is that the basis of the scent created in their name.

This is a highly popular scent, so I'm interested to see how this goes.

It's underappealing on the wand, with that faintly Play-Dohish scent that I associate with skin musk. Once applied, though, this doesn't have the murkiness of skin musk scents -- there's a faint layer of it, but the milk flows above it in a clear, sweet vein, and there's a shimmering hint of honey above the milk.

In fact, almost immediately, the little bit of murkiness I detect fades out. What remains is startlingly subtle. I need to be within two inches to smell it recognizably. Any farther away, and there's nothing there. (I used to use a honey-scented soap that was a bit like this, actually. Not Lush, but a miscellaneous brand that I picked up in an Asian market.)

And that's it, for the moment. It's... subtle. Really subtle. I'm going to give it some more time and see if it does something interesting.

It's a bit less subtle now, but still hardly obtrusive. I see why Alice lovers like this: it has that same "I've been in a milk bath" quality. Alice seemed a bit sour on me the first time, while Dana O'Shee doesn't, but I liked the flowers and innocence stage of Alice, and Dana O'Shee doesn't have an equivalent. It would be a tossup if Dana O'Shee weren't so reclusive, but darnit, have some presence!

I'll come back to this another time and see if I like it better.

[ClareN]

I mainly pick out the almond-essence note in Dana O'Shee. To my nose, it is surprisingly fresh and "clear" rather than warm and milky as other reviews seem to suggest. Alongside the almond, there's a strange fake fruit (maybe pear) note that I didn't expect. It keeps reminding me of some cheap shampoo I must have used once - I don't know the brand, but I can't stop thinking "shampoo".

 

Negative associations with cheap bath products, cleaners, air fresheners, etc. are guaranteed to ruin a perfume with me - it's happened with several BPALs and even an expensive Serge Lutens fragrance. Dana O'Shee is pleasant enough, but the shampoo note would probably stop me from wearing it often and I knew I couldn't get over that unfortunate association, so I swapped it away for Baneberry.

 

Lasting power is short. If you like it, you'll probably want to wear it in a scent locket.

[Alchemy21599]

Wow, this scent was much different than I expected! In the vial the oil smelled like strong, sweet almond. On my skin, it still smelled like almonds, but not as strong. I don't care for almond scents, so this is off to swaps.

[n3m3sis42]

In the imp:

It smells very similar to this sweet almond massage oil I have (and love).

 

Wet:

Still smells the same, for about 5 minutes until it totally disappears. Comes back in about 5 or 10 more minutes, very subtle, milk and honey with a touch of almond.

 

Dry:

The same. Very pretty, but very subtle. I will try slathering and see what happens.

 

Edited to add: The scent of this did come out a bit more as it dried down further. Mmm, caramel.

 

Second edit: I actually wore this to work yesterday, and while I did have to slather it on, it had much more staying power than I'd expected. This scent is light and beautiful on me. It's definitely foody, but not oppressively so (although I like foodies so maybe I'm not the best judge). My husband loved this on me as well, so I will definitely be ordering a full bottle, possibly right now.

Edited August 2, 2007 by n3m3sis42

[shushca]

Someone mentioned Play-doh and I have to admit that's what if first reminded me of. I absolutely love the softness this scent has on me, it feels round and warm but still, very, very subtle.

 

Unfortunately, I split half of my imp over my pillow as I was putting it on this morning, I suppose at least my pillow will smell lovely this evening!!

[Rovylern]

When I first put this on, there's a burst of dark, juicy, almost overripe cherry that fades almost immediately; if I don't raise my wrist to my nose immediately, I completely miss the phase. After the momentary cherry phase, it immediately settles into a warm, creamy milk and honey scent that is grounded with just a touch of oatmeal. It's not a terribly strong throw, but when I move my hands you can definitely smell it in the air and it seems to last for ages on my skin...I wore this for ten hours without a single re-application. This is the first scent that someone else has noticed on me (without me pointing it out), and I was complimented three different times while wearing it at work today. I would love this as a room scent, too, and I'm seriously thinking of going out and buying an oil burner just for that. It just has a very inviting, comforting, calming feel to it. It's official, Tokyo Stomp now has some stiff competition for the top spot in my growing arsenal.

[funkmoppet]

I'm freakin' loving this!

 

The milk note scared my off trying this blend earlier, but it's a fine background note here.

 

Wet, it's almond. Marzipan on the wrist. Followed by oats. There's not much by way of morphing as it dries, it just gets creamier as the milk kicks in. The honey is barely-there, the sweetness really only coming from the almond.

 

It's like a big bowl of almond porridge, drizzled with cream and a little honey. The lack of sweetness makes this a "foody" blend I can definitely do. Love it!

 

Might just add it to the bottle list.

[robozwil]

When I first put this on I felt like it bit my nose. For some reason all I could think of was coconut schnapps - if there is such a thing. I had read the reviews telling of a fragrance that smelled like Snowcake and dared to dream. Upon drying - there it was! Just like taking a big old bar of Snowcake and inhaling deeply through the wrapper. The scent is so lovely and almondy. This is definitely a keeper. I'll take a big bottle please

[Megara]

In the imp this reminds me exactly of Caswell Massey's Cold Cream Soap- very almondy and delicious.

As I wear it, I am reminded of dry, boxed cake mix mixed with Caswell Massey's soap!

 

This is beautiful and light and feminine. The throw isn't tremendous, but I can still smell it 8 hours after I put it on, even without sniffing my wrists. Nothing turns wonky or sour, as most milk oils do on me. So glad, because this is absolutly gorgeous. NEED a big bottle of this one!

[JenM]

In the imp: sweet, sweet. Almost like bubblegum, undercut with honey and sugar.

 

On the wrist: My first thought is that this would be really good layered with an amber. Fades fast on the wrist.

 

Half an hour: I can only smell it by snorting my wrist. Utterly gone. Bother.

[stasha]

Very very almond-y in the imp which is kind of scaring me off. I don't get any creamy milk notes yet. Once it hits the skin though I can definitely detect milk and honey easing the almond into a tasty, comforting scent. I can tell it will have staying power but it's still light enough where I don't feel over powered.

 

Normally almond and I hate each other but this has been the best try so far. I probably won't buy a big bottle but this will be a beautiful winter scent.

[mollipop]

the grains and honey come out a lot, but the milk is barely there. maybe powdered milk, but definitely not a cold or warm milk/cream. it's very sweet, and reeked of cherry and marzipan right out of the bottle. that however faded quickly. it smells like sweet almonds. it's a bit weaker than the only other two i've tried (O and Obatala)--i had to search for the area on my arm where i applied it.

 

i could smell the play-doh, and i could also smell this out-of-the-box plastic smell. only faintly though.

 

it's lovely and comforting, but not my favorite. a 4.0/5.0 on my scale.

[kopper]

Dana O'shee is sweet and purddy in all the right ways, with a marachino (sp) cherry in it!!!

 

Wet: sweet, delish, cherry and almond

 

On Skin: read above

 

Drydown: read above

 

DELISH!!! The only qualm I have is staying power, but I'll just reapply, so no problem whatsoever. Love it!

[CrazyPretzel]

Got an extra-large decant of this as a frimp in a purchase from squirrelmonkey; thank you!

 

In the imp: almonds & cream, a slight plastic note.

 

Wet on me: YUM! Plastic disappears quickly beneath a wave of sugared almonds. Honey is a sweet note distinct from the sweetness of the almonds.

 

After five minutes: The almond mellows out into a wonderful creamy cake-like scent. This is totally delicious and very much me!

 

Drydown: I don't have a bar of Snowcake sitting in front of my right now to make a comparison with, but as far as I can remember this is just what Lush's Snowcake soap smelled like: lush, creamy, sweet marzipan. Not cloying at all and very moreish.

 

Wonderful!

[greencat03]

in the imp: Honey and milk, hint of almond. Very very sweet. There's something in here that kinda reminds me of Play-doh (?) but not in a turn-off-y way.

 

on me: sweetness damps down a bit, Play-doh-esque note is gone, and now instead on almond, I am getting something grain-y. This reminds me of the delicous Polish honey mead I had once.

 

after a few mins: now the milk has come to the fore, making for a very pretty subtle scent.

 

Overall: loooove this scent. It is a happy, happy scent, and even has good throw, which is unusual as my skin tends to tenaciously cling to scents

[naiade]

"Hey... so, why do you smell like sweet play-doh?"

 

Le sigh. Will try again, I am determined to like this one.

[Dinah]

Oh, this is lovely. All those comparisons that it smelled a lot like LUSH's Snowcake are completely correct, only something in this makes it a bit less harsh and almondy. It's a softer, more rounded, comforting scent, and I'm very glad the honey in here behaves itself. I think I need a bottle of this, it is perfect.

[eclecticaurora]

Well, I first got an imp of this back in 2004. I ended up giving it away to a child with multiple disabilities. I used to work with her and she couldn't see or hear, so I thought about scent stimulations. I brought in different scents for her to smell during our sessions together and she seemed to really like Dana O'Shee, so I gave it to her. Two years passed and I remembered how much I liked that scent and how much I really love the BPAL milky scents, so I went ahead and bought a 5mL.

 

I AM SO GLAD I DID! I got the package today and had it ripped open before I even got back to my apartment from the mailbox. As soon as I was able to sit down so as not to spill the oil I put some on...and instantly I was floating on a river of milk. The scent reminds me of a nice cool milk bath, so on these hot days we're having I'm sure it's going to be a comforting feeling. Not only will this scent be comforting, I'll have to be careful because this scent is intoxicating too! I could definitely see someone being led astray due to this scent and it matches the concept so well! A huge plus is that it isn't cloying or heavy (I've had to change up my oil applications due to this change in temperatures) and performs wonderfully in this heat! Anyways, if you love BPAL's milky scents (Obatala, Alice, Sudha Segara, etc.), then you'll love Dana O'Shee!

Edited September 8, 2007 by eclecticaurora

[jbzoellner]

This is LOVE in an imp for me... creamy, almondy, milky, YUM!!!!

[Victory]

I can't believe that I haven't reviewed Dana O'Shee yet, but it looks like I haven't- madness! I've had my bottle for a year now and I haven't noticed much change in the oil but perhaps that should be kept in mind. Dana O'Shee has hardly any staying power on me at all- it's gone in around a half hour so it's an oil I wear to bed because not only is it comforting, I also don't mind that it lasts such a short time because I'm asleep. The opening fanfare of almond is wonderful, but then I am an almond-lover. When the almond recedes, the milkiness comes out. I don't smell much grain or honey, though they're probably enriching the milk, and this stage is really quite short before the scent disappears. Dana is really quite a tease, but she's a lovely one.

[Christine Daae]

In the imp, this is faintly almondy sweetness.

 

On my skin, it's almost the same, with a bit of the creamy/milky note I love so much in Alice.

 

There's hardly anything to this scent, on me! It's very subtle and sweet, and that's really about it. I don't get any one scent after the almondness dies down a bit, it's all just like a big sweet mush. It's really nice and comforting, though.

[KaliVerra]

Nummy creamy almond milk looooooooooooove fest!

 

Delicate, comforting, nurturing... This one just kills me - and it BLENDS so well with others... give it a spin!!

 

x's & o's

Kali V.

[Styx]

Dana O'Shee (transparent colourless oil)

 

Imp: plasticky.

 

Skin: The moment it hit skin, this turned into almond milk: The powdered almond drink my sister used to drown herself in, or make chinese puddings out of, except the sweetener isn't granulated sugar but honey. This is very sweet, in a high-pitched gourmand way.

As the scent dries, the almond scent turns into grains. The honey and milk stays stable.

Sadly on my skin, there was a faint rubbery scent that sat in the back, so this did not work for me.

[ravenfeathers]

in the bottle omg, i want to have sex with this scent. it's like oatmeal and honey and almond and *drools* it's seriously killing me with its pretty.

wet on skin *tries not to gnaw off own arm* this is the scent you wouldn't want to wear around those people who want to eat anything that smells like yummy food. it would incite cannibalism.

dry on skin NO! yuck, it smells like milk. the oats and honey and almond are still there, but there's an icky creamy agent just arrived to make my stomach turn slightly.

two hours later just a whiff of honey.

that milk smell really turns me off this one. which makes me want to cry. fortunately, i already promised it to my mum anyway.

[jaeyne]

Now that I know what the notes are, I can pick them out (cherry almond when wet, fading to creamy honey) but when I tried it on clueless, I just thought it smelled soft. Almost like Bonny Bell's Skin. Very white scent. On me, almost no throw and lasts about 2 hrs.