Dana O'Shee

[cormeretrix]

... 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.

i was really looking forward to this scent, since just about everyone else seems to love it. i'm afraid though, that it was not meant to be. it was very nice in the imp, but when i put it on... it smelled like a red fruit loop. (which isn't necessarily bad; i'm a big fan of fruit loops.) i kept getting flashes of something deeper and more golden/warmer, but fruit loop was the predominant scent. le sigh. also, my skin ate it in like 20 minutes.

bad skin!

[cindyrella]

Dead on Snowcake from Lush.

This is truly beautiful! I never thought that this would smell so similar. I read the reviews and thought that it would smell alike, but not the same. But on me, it is truly the same cosy, rosy almond smell from Snowcake!

I can’t stand almonds, so I was a bit worried about this one, but I love Snowcake, because the almond is not so dominant, and it has a tiny floral note.

The same with Dana O’Shee! This will definitely be on the big bottle list!

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 4/5

Summarised in a word or two: Almondy.

 

In the imp: Very sweet, almost cloying almond.

 

On skin, wet: Sweet, almost foody honey and almond (or honeyed almond?).

 

On skin, dry: Vanilla almond? An interesting development, and a good thing! It's still very, very sweet and nearly foody.

 

Conclusion: I like it, but I doubt I'd wear it often; it's just too sweet for me!

Edited December 16, 2005 by Aredhel

[Muppetk]

First impression: Eeek! Sweet! Overwhlemingly sweet.

 

A few minutes later: It turned into anise on me. Great if you happen to like anise, but I really really dislike anise. I refuse to use it or anything that resembles it (fennel, licorice, etc) in my cooking.

 

an hour later: Oh this one so does not work for me. It doesn't morph beyond the anise, even washing it won't get it off. Glad to see there's so many people who like this one! I'd hate for it to feel completely unloved, 'cause I am so not loving it! Trade!

[Janie]

From the vial I get a sort of almond/creamy/heliotrope accord.

 

On my skin it's all creamy white almond, but I don't get the cherry that others mention. The drydown gives me more of the same, but lighter.

 

It lasts about 3 hours tops.

 

Off to swaps with Dana.

[aritei]

I really love the honey and oatmeal scent, but the almond is a bit much. Maybe this is something I'll learn to like. I'm definitely reminded of Snowcake!

[tinyvulture]

Sweet honey, almonds and creamy milk. Becomes even sweeter as it dries. Warm, soothing, comforting, would be nice on a chilly autumn when you’re feeling under the weather.

[helarctos]

Oh, my -- it's the perfect marzipan! I only get a whiff of cherry-like strong almond from the vial; on my skin the milky notes diffuse through the almonds to mellow them and bring out the sweetness.

 

I'm not a fan of foody scents as a general rule, and I probably won't aim for a big bottle of Dana O'Shee, but I can definitely see why this is a perennial favorite, and it was a delight to try.

 

ETA: Honey seems to come out nasty on me more often than not. It didn't in Dana O'Shee, and in fact I only perceived it as "sweetness," not as a honey odor. So people who can't normally wear BPAL honey notes might still have success with Dana.

Edited April 30, 2005 by helarctos

[Finny]

Ginger-less Sudha Segara.

 

This is all the yummy creamy milk and honey from Sudha Segara, without the ginger's lemony bite. I also smell the nuttiness of the grains in this scent. It is a comforting scent, and I can see where the "like Snow White" comes from, only it is a warmer scent.

 

I like this one.

[quikslvr]

Very milk-honey, foody, to start. Almond, too--marzipan-ish. Goes vaguely alcohol-y as it dries.

 

Dry: too sickly-sweet for a bit, then settles down to being pleasant.

 

Someone told me I smelled like just-washed puppy after using it, though, which turned me off until they tried to explain that that's a good smell to them.

[mand]

Disclaimer: applied while hurrying to work, in the midst of Spring allergy, and my first review.

 

Wet: I can see the Snowcake vibe, but Dana is warm, much sweeter and foody, while Snowcake is cool and slightly floral.

 

Drydown: sweet and floral, almost cloying. Maybe because I can't stop sniffing my wrists very close

 

Later: it's growing more similar to Snowcake/Smitten, with the same clean and almost crisp background, but it's still warm very foody and yummy. Lovely, but very faint.

 

Finalit seems to have disappeared, but every now and then I can catch a wafting whiff, and if I smell my wrists it's just myself, only better. Much more better indeed. I think it would be great as a body lotion.

[surf-tormented]

It is soft on me. I can't say anything more than that. Smells like softness.

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

I swear I'm getting almond oil. That's about it from the vial

 

On me:

Oh yah almond oil. And honey I think, because this isn't as in-your-face rich as almond oil, but like a lighter, sweeter version of it. It's VERY feminine

 

Final note:

This is really light, and sweet in a non overwhelming way. I think this would be perfect for a light, rainy day. It doesn't really have very much throw on me though, I'd probably have to use quite a lot of it.

[Ardisian]

In bottle: honey and the faintest hint of something spicey (whatever is used for the "wheat" component?)

 

On me: The loveliest elixir ever! I don't think I've gone this nutty over a scent since Alice. The honey makes it pretty foody initially, but once it dries it just provides a light, sweet contrast to the creaminess of milk. Not at all an overwhelming scent - just a light, persistant sweetness. My most-worn bottle.

 

edited for overly-enthusiastic typos.

Edited May 13, 2005 by Ardisian

[Diviana]

In the vial: This smells exactly like the almond jello dessert that they serve at Chinese restaurants. Interesting.

 

On me: Starts off very almond-y, but dries down to a more generally creamy, sweet smell. I can still smell the almond, but it's not overpowering anymore.

 

It's nice, but I don't think I'll be buying a bigger bottle.

[Sunbear]

In the vial: Gorgeous soft almond. I hope it will avoid the sharpness almond seems to acquire on me.

 

On: It does in fact avoid sharpness, mellowing down almost immediately into the smell of baby powder and Jergen's lotion. In other words, I now smell exactly like my mother. Don't get me wrong, I adore the way my mother smells -- the way I can always tell if she's been in a room because her soft smell lingers -- but it's HER scent, not mine.

 

I want to love this, so I'll give it one more shot, but I feel weird smelling like Mom.

[synique]

In the imp, I get the almond scent that most people seem to get from it, while on it explodes into this warm soft creamy honey grain - essentially a nice hot bowl of oatmeal with a bit of brown sugar and honey, and a wee tiny touch of almond.

 

It's such a soothing soft feminine scent. Very good for cold days, not feeling well days, or just those that one needs a bit of comfort smell, but it can also be sexy as hell.

 

Love.

[emzebel]

First thought in the bottle - Wow, this is strong, sweet, almost syrupy. Silly me didn't actually recognize the almond note until later.

 

Wet - smelled exactly like it did in the bottle. I was hoping for a little more grain and earthiness, a little less nut, but I really like the milk and honey bit.

 

On drydown, the sharp almond, almost amaretto-ness remains, but I'm really growing to like it, although it makes me want to eat my arm...

 

And my hubby likes it, so that's a plus!

[yeahbutnobut]

Dana O'Shee

 

In the imp: honeyed almonds!!! I can see why people compare this to Lush's Snowcake.

Wet on skin: soft, creamy, honey and almonds. This is gorgeous and soft, quite yummy, in fact.

Dry on skin: oh no…the almonds have faded and the smell is ever so faint…just the barest hint of creamy honey, but it's a really nice smell, none the less. It is reminiscent of Snowcake but mush more honey and creamy smelling, and very gentle. But the throw is very weak…the fragrance has the strength of a body lotion than a perfume. Mind you, it does get gradually stronger and more apparent as time passes, but never gets overpowering, which is good.

After a while: this really is so gentle, luckily the smell gets a bit more apparent…but the sweet smell is so lovely-there's still a hint of almond, loads of honey, maybe some vanilla too. It smells like a yummy dessert, like ice cream, I want to lick it off. (It also smells like I could replicate this scent by mixing Lush's Smitten and Afterlife together as there are notes in there from both scents!)

After a few hours, the smell is just like Snow White's was after a few hours-creamy vanilla, only this time with honey.

Verdict: I love the smell of this-so gentle, soft, sweet, gorgeous, delicious. Honey and almonds and milk, yum yum,…but the problem is that I have to go right up to my wrist and sniff really hard-it's a 'barely there' smell. This might be a good thing though, because it may prevent the smell from becoming sickly or cloying. I love it, and there's something about this smell that reminds me of childhood…makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I'm not sure if I'd want a big bottle as the smell is not very strong on me, if it had a teeny bit more throw, I'd be in love.

Edited May 24, 2005 by yeahbutnobut

[Gin]

Milk and honey indeed! This is milky honey almondy goodness. It’s like Lush’s Marzibain BBS (better than Snowcake). Sweet and lovely.

[OriginalWacky]

Review Dana O'Shee

 

Bottle (Imp): It smells like sugar and wheat.

 

Just On: Ooh, sugary honey. And oats.

 

An hour or two later: I can smell more crop smells, and less sweetness now.

 

Around 6 hours: Yep, it smells a lot like going out into the fields and just smelling the crops out there.

 

12 hours: It went away, and I liked it. I would rather it had stayed.

 

Overall: I can see getting more of this. It's not as sweet as many of the scents I usually like the best, but it's very nice, and evocative of laying in the middle of fields of grain.

 

After reading other reviews: It looks like I pretty much concur with everyone else. It's hard for me when folks compare it to LUSH stuff, as I've never smelled any LUSH, and have no clue what it's like.

[feline.by.design]

If I liked almonds, I would like this scent. The almonds are a very creamy sort, tempered with the milk notes. It's very sweet in the beginning, but not as sickeningly sweet as some almond escapades I've had before.

 

The almond calms down, but doesn't go away. This would make a wonderful comfort scent. It's very smooth, not too rich. The milk almost manages to dominate the almonds on my skin, accompanied by some really nice oaty smell, which kills some of the sweetness (yay). I quite like it... but I still hate almonds, which are hardly perceived at this state.

 

I'm suprised, as I thought I'd instantly hate it right off the bat, knowing it had almonds in it. Now it's sort of this begrudging... "Yea, it smells good, but I still don't like almonds!" attitude. Reminds me a bit of Burt's Bees Milk & Honey Lotion... but with almonds. It's nowhere near as stong as their almond milk hand cream, though, which was way too almondy in my opinion.

 

I love milk fragrances, but I'm not keen on almonds. For comfort, I turn to Sudha Segara, but if you're looking for a sniff to curl up with and you don't have an almond issue like I do, go for Dana O'Shee. Since I have two imps, I might keep one for the "crop smell" that it eventually turns into.

 

But I still don't like almonds.

 

-doreen

[slave1]

In Bottle: Honey and almond.

 

On Skin: There seems to be a sweet scent that I thought was almond… Oh this is DELICIOUS! I’m ordering a big bottle in my next order without a doubt. It’s a sweeter more innocent version of “O”. I haven’t loved a scent from first whiff this much in a long time! Instant favorite! So warm… the milk isn’t sour at all. I’m not sure which grains are in it, but the combination is so lovely.

[PennyPretty]

Wet it smells like honey and almond extract. It is very sweet, almost too sweet for me and that's saying something because I have an insatiable sweet tooth. However as it drys the almond calms down and the milk and honey come out to play. The dry down is very similar to O, in the end I smell like sweet, milky skin. I can see why everyone loves this.

[pensive]

Due to a swap mixup- I did a driveby on this one before pushing it back out the door, and I had to do it last night before ordering Alice.

I do have an imp of this on order, I will be retesting!

 

Sniffed imp: Almondy.

On me, wet: Almondy.

On me, drydown: Where's the oatmeal, milk, and honey? I was looking forward to some cereal goodness and all I've got is Almond Joy!

Verdict: No ma'am, if anyone could knock Alice off of last night's order it would have been you (I had to flip a coin between Alice and Medea, it was that close). I'm going to have to give this one another shake when it comes in my first order, but for now, if I want a bit of almondy goodness, I'm staying with my beloved Bastet.

 

Review, part II

Well, whatever it was got corrected nicely with this imp from the lab. I get oatmeal, milk, and maybe some honey.

Divine layerage with Villainess Killer Beez.

Edited December 14, 2006 by Shollin