Dana O'Shee

[ErinZ]

... 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.

Wet in imp:
sweet almond

Wet on skin:
slightly powdery, sweet almond

Drydown:
Turning to oat flour and powder. Soft powder with a gentle tinge of almond

Wearlength:
Detectable 12 hours later, but not without getting very close to the skin.

Final impression:
It reminds me of a foaming milk bath I once used, with a bit of a floral vanilla element. Not quite what I was expecting, but I do like it.

edit to add: The more I wear this, the more I love it Edited June 18, 2008 by Shollin

[Zira]

Tried out Dana O'Shee today. In the bottle it smelled great- sweet, milky and quite nice. On me, it turned into a sweet essence-of-almond oatmeal cookie dough smell. Quite nice, really.

 

However, I'm allergic to almonds. Hm.

 

Thankfully, no allergic reaction- it's probably just the combination of scents. On the one hand, I like it, on the other hand, I get that weird twinge of fear each time I sniff it that goes along with "omg allergy trigger!". So... gorgeous, but I'll probably only wear it rarely.

[jizatt]

I tried this the second time tonight - and I was right, I adore it. O didn't work on me, so it made me very happy that this one did. It must be a different honey here, because O and Alice both went bubblegum on me. -- I did write down the first time that this faded quick on me, but most of these do, so...

 

 

It reminds me of a foaming milk bath I once used, with a bit of a floral vanilla element. Not quite what I was expecting, but I do like it.

 

I had, between the first and second tries, bought some new bath stuff called Skin Milk. It smells *exactly* like Dana O'Shee! This might be the one you were talking about?

Edited May 30, 2008 by CaudaPavonis

[brsis]

Initial thoughts: YAY MILK! I really like the milk note, and I'm hoping for a sweet milk scent for when Milk Moon is too fruity for my needs.

 

In the imp: Have I got the right imp? Because this smells overwhelmingly of marzipan! Good thing I don't amp almond...

 

On the wrist, wet: Still very almondy. I'm not really getting anything other than almond... and we are not best friends...

 

Fifteen minutes later: Faint Bakewell tart. This had a lot of promise, but I don't think it's something I'm going to wear - or even layer. I don't get my beloved milk note at all - just day-old Bakewell tart. Not unpleasant, just... not me.

 

Verdict: Swap pile

 

Tl;Dr: Bakewell tart, heavier on the almond when wet. Not got great lasting power.

[ForeverSweet]

I have worn this randomly when out, when I needed something to throw on and couldn't pick something. However, I can't remember anything about it - so I am going to sit down and properly review it.

 

In the bottle: This is actually surprisingly strong. I get a strong note of honey - sweet and almost acrid with just a bit of almond scent hinting around it. Definitely very sweet! More excited to try this on, though.

 

On wet: This reminds me of something but I can't place what. The honey and grains are still very strong here and mainly the notes I get. Like delicious, warm oatmeal in the morning with a lot of honey in it. I have managed to remember what it reminds me of. During the winter I always boil milk and honey for drinking. This is almost exactly this smell, only as if I had thrown extract of almond in there with it. This would be the resulting smell. It is very sweet, warm and inviting.

 

Dry down: This warms up on dry down and the milk notes begin to come out, taking away the acrid heavy smell of the honey. It starts to blend beautifully and this is one of the first scents that properly moves on me. Even as I sit here, I can smell it. This is the perfect scent to pass somebody by with. It is sweet and alluring, its like walking into the kitchen on a spring morning. It fits its name very perfectly - as this highly invokes images of offerings to the Dana O'Shee, not quite what I can see the Lovely Folk invoking scent wise, but this does cover the offerings to them quite nicely.

 

 

Final Thoughts: This isn't the sort of scent I would probably wear out. It is more suited for warm nights in, cuddling with your significant other. In fact, more than anything it makes me want to cuddle with boys and eat sweet, delicious comforting foods. This is a lovely scent, I probably will not wear it often but I will keep it for those special occasions. This is a GREAT autumn scent and I will definitely use it once it comes around again. :') It definitely invokes the image of sweet, fall foods being cooked on cool crisp days. Yummy!

 

Edited to say: I like the throw and lasting on this. I tend to gravitate towards very faint, soft scents. So a lot of them have barely any throw at all. There are scents out there with stronger throw and staying power - but this is quite nice. Putting it on, I can smell it around me comfortably. This is almost like wearing antique lace but with more throw. I imagine the lasting time would be longer as well.

Edited June 15, 2008 by ForeverSweet

[milo]

So I ordered Dana about a year ago, as I was/am a big fan of the Lush perfume Snowcake, and I heard that this was a good sub. When I opened it up, all I smelled was straight up almond extract, it didn't smell anything like snowcake to me. So the first time wasn't so great, but hey a year later and I decided to try it out again. What a difference a year makes! It still smells of almonds, but the initial sharp smell disappears after a few minutes and this gorgeous creamy scent wafts everywhere around me. I don't know how to describe it, only that it is nothing I've tried before ever. There is like an almost vanilla'y floral, cream, and a touch of almond, but very well blended to make it's own unique scent. Very nice!

[Tilby]

Sweet, light and honey goodness. It has that creamy undertone that is sexy but very feminine and girlish. A perfect summer scent. I cannot wait to get a big bottle of this.

[Heeroluva]

In the bottle it's cream, honey, and bitter sweet tea. When wet it get more of a sweet note to it. When dried it reminds me a bit of oatmeal with honey and butter, a slight vanilla note also. I think I may have a new favorite.

[Coldfire]

Imp: Almond/Cherry. Very sweet.

Wet on Me: That overpowering, over

sweet almond/cherry scent is all I can discern

Drying Down: Now it's honey and Rootbeer?

Dry: The root beer is gone, the almond/cherry

is gone anow it's just sweet. Honey sweet.

Nice as an imp, not really going to be a bottle for me.

[kjirstiben]

I really want to like Dana O'Shee. I like the idea of it very much... and yet it's not working with me!

 

In the bottle: Cherry/almond

 

Initial application: Sweet, almondy but not overpoweringly so. A light and fresh sweetness.

 

After a while: (when slathered) ...very, very faint. Sweet... I think...

 

Later: Completely gone.

 

For whatever reason--probably a combination of my skin chemistry and the scent's lightness--this completely disappears on me, even when slathered. I think I only smelled it for about 45 minutes today, and I used a lot of it! Sigh. Oh well, it was a nice thought.

[gnl]

In the bottle: Almond/cherries.

Wet: The almond/cherry dies down a LOT. Unfortunately it means that the scent gets a whole lot lighter too. Anyways, I get a lot of grain and milk now. A warm cereal/oatmeal-y scent.

Dry: The cherry is creeping back in a bit but nowhere near as strong as it started out. Just a hint under the oatmeal scent.

Verdict: Not as strong as would like, but it's very nice and warm and comfort-y. Reminds me of Sudha Segara without that hint of whatever it is that tends to give me a little bit of a headache. Definite keep.

 

4/5

Edited October 18, 2008 by gnl

[spicecandy]

(first review!)

 

In the Imp: I get a lot of cherry in the imp. Hm.

Wet: Cherry marzipan!

Dry: The cherry has dried off, mostly, leaving tasty honey-y marzipan. I love it.

[mylogicsaysburnsendmeaway]

Dana O' Shee is a beautiful milk, honey, and oatmeal combo. The story behind it bought me the most on getting me to try it out. Beth gets me with the mythic perfumes.

 

But sadly, I don't think I can wear this perfume because it reminds me of a milk and honey handsoap my family used to use all the time. I loved the handsoap when we used it. I enjoyed soaking in a bath with a few drops of Dana O' Shee in it. But when I wear it all I can think is that I'm covered in that milk and honey handsoap. It really distracts my Virgo/OCD mind to think I have handsoap all over me.

 

Don't get me wrong there's no traditional soapy element to this perfume, it's just the milk/ honey combo. Other people liked this perfume on me. Nobody got the handsoap connection. Just me. I really wanted to love this perfume.

[Juushika]

In the vial: Sweet white cake batter.

 

On me:

First hour or two: No longer the wet scent of the oil in the vial, this has become the dry sweetness of a baked sugar cake. It's distinctly sweet, but not sticky or cloying—more like crystalline white sugar than honey. The scent is weak, and I only get whiffs of it; sniffing up close, there's a light bitter/sour note. I think that's the milk, which sometimes goes sour on my skin.

 

Third hour until it fades away: The sour note fades to nothing, thank goodness. Surprisingly, the scent amps over time. It's wonderful, actually: sugar cakes, pale and pure, discernible at a distance but never cloying or too strong. Color is a pale, opaque white—like a white sweet bread.

 

Verdict: I'm very happy with Dana O'Shee. I wish it got to the final stage faster, but I'm grateful that the sourness stays faint and close to the skin and then fades away. The throw is lovely, and this is a wonderful scent, sweet and pure and comforting, never cloying. It's a bit too simple for frequent wear, but I'm glad that I have the imp.

[smokey188]

when i first put this on it had an overwhelming stench of bad tropical chewing gum fortunately it died down pretty quickly and became a sweet milky scent just like moogoo shampoo. Pleasant enough to keep the imp but not enough to warrant a bottle.

[Schmoozy]

Warm toasted almond followed by honeyed milk. It is soothing and comforting. Not to sweet and extremely creamy. At times there is white vanilla cake vibe, but it is very fleeting. I also detect a cherry almond note, but it too is sparse.

Overall a heavenly, comforting blend.

Edited September 29, 2008 by Schmoozy

[carriesmom]

On me, it smells like a boozy almond scent. I smell a kind of grainy or oatmeal undertone but it is mostly almond. Very delicious like fabulous almond cookie made with lots of almond extract and perhaps some amaretto. It is a light scent, so it fades quickly and I definitely slather. Great everyday scent.

[sqwook]

This smells like sweet, sweet almond on me.

 

I swapped it, partially because it was high summer when I tried it and I couldn't envision reaching for it. Now that it's turning to fall, it occurs to me that it might be a good comforting snuggly scent.

(I should probably keep all imps for a full year to try in all seasons, but then my collection would really get out of hand!)

[Saya]

In the Imp

In the imp it smells like a very creamy almond extract. I’m not getting a lot of honey and the milk seems like more of a sweet cream scent.

 

On My Skin

Now the honey is starting to make an appearance. This still has a heavy almond note but it doesn’t stick out, it’s mixed pretty well so all the different notes blend together. I’m not getting any hit of cherry like the other reviews mention, maybe which will come out once it’s dry.

 

After a Bit

Three hours later and this is still going strong. It is still primarily a milky almond blend and really lovely. I can see why it is continually compared to Lush’s Snowcake, however I think this is much better. It doesn’t have that yucky playdoh or plastic note that Lush’s products sometimes have.

Rating 1-5

Scent - 4.5 Throw - 3 Longevity – 3.5

Overall (not an average) – 4

Final thoughts

I think once I’ve used this imp up I’ll be picking up a bottle of this. It’s a wonderful blend that I can wear to work without worrying about offending delicate office noses.

[CynicalPink]

In the Imp: Cherry and oatmeal

 

Wet: Cherry Almond Oatmeal

 

Dry: This had a really quick drydown and when it was done the milk and honey showed up. It's smooth and warm and comforting. The cherry calmed down the quickest of the three starting scents and it's all but disappeared (if it was there to begin with and my nose wasn't making things up). This feels like a less spicy Alice, I guess because there's oatmeal instead of carnation. Love the milk and honey combo

 

Overall: Totally a keeper, but I need to have some kind of throw-down battle-royal between this and Alice to see which gets the big bottle

[V294]

In the bottle: ug so sweet...and fake cherryish...I hate fake cherry flavoring of any kind...too much like medicine

 

Wet: well still cherries, but I'm detecting some subtle spice underneath

 

Dry: cherries are still there, but there is a note that reminds me of Snow white...I think it's the note that goes a bit bad on me. I love snow white and plan to buy a bottle but it does go a bit wierd on me (bit powdery I think) (not enough to turn me off of it though). Anyways. No thank you. I hate cherry smells.

 

Oddly I tend to like oatmeal, honey milk soap stuff, but this doesn't smell anything like that to me...perhaps I'm amping something that makes it smell like cherries....hrmmmm, I wonder if it's the honey....

Edited December 1, 2008 by V294

[lupidog]

from imp: sugar in milk, butter?

 

When it first goes on, it is more of the same. Then baby powder. Almond powder. Nice, reminds me of some super healthy (but delicious) cookies I made with almond flour and extract. Grr, deoderant interfering... but not in an unpleasant way, at least, and it will pass. This is really nice. Gently lingers. Just soft almond powder sweetness. White and gentle. I reapplied early on because I just wanted MORE. I find that I am either most drawn to lighter scents, eat up oil like crazy, or have a broken nose, because I have had to slather most things so far to get the scent I want. Even though this was fading, it was still hovering close to my skin and I was curled up with my wrists close to my face just to have it surrounding me. Such an innocent, pure aroma.

 

Was going to put on more for bed but then decided to layer some Morocco over, just to see. It wasn't tragically bad, but I instantly missed my Dana.

 

This is a pretty perfume that makes me feel young and innocent again. I have an imp of Alice coming, and based on the earlier reviews, I will wait to try her as well before deciding on a big bottle.

[Andrea912]

Imp: sweet coconut, actually...coconut milk, really...

 

Wet: very sweet; honey rich; milky; less coconut...no grains...

 

Dry: very sweet; almost plasticky; an almond note...

 

Verdict: I would layer this with another scent for maximum pleasure

[ljaylh]

Ooh yummy.. I just received my bottle of this from the Lab - with new style label even!

 

I can definitely smell the almond here - but on me, it's almost like a boozy coffee kind of smell - it's actually quite strong and it stayed on my skin for ages. A previous reviewer mentioned marzipan.. yup, I'm getting that too. The honey and milk are there, but very much in the background - my skin seems to be amping the almond right up to eleven.

 

Dana O'Shee, to me, smells like Irish Coffee! Yep, that's it.. a rich coffee with vanilla and whiskey in it. I'm looking forward to seeing how this ages.

[Nimthiriel]

Initial impression:

This smells almondy and marzipan-like in the vial.

 

First on:

Marzipan, but with a milky note to it. Mm, sweet.

 

Dry:

After about 10 mins, the marzipan has faded. Instead, this is a warm milky scent with a touch of honey and something like grain.

 

This turns into a lovely, soft and gentle scent of cream and honey in time. Very pleasant.

 

Finally:

I really liked this. It's a maybe!