¡Ombligo!

BPAL's Dana O'Shee


The first time I had ever heard of Black Phoenix Academy Lab (BPAL) was in reference to their fragrance of Dana O'Shee. It seems like Dana O'Shee is a universal favorite when it comes to BPAL fragrances. I had heard it compared to Serge Lutens Rahat Loukhoum and a series of other fragrances and had not had the opportunity to test it, until now.

This is what BPAL writes on Dana O'Shee: In Irish folklore the Dana O'Shee are a fae, elven people that live in a realm of beauty, their nobility akin to our that own Age of Chivalry, eternally beautiful and eternally young. They surround themselves with the pleasures of the Arts, they live for the hunt, and to this day can be seen riding in procession through the Irish countryside at twilight, led by their King and Queen. However, the Dana O'Shee are not benevolent creatures, despite what their unearthly beauty may imply. They are vengeful and treacherous and possess a streak of mischievous malice, and many have whispered that their true home lies deep in the shadowed groves of the Realm of the Dead. Hearing even a single chord of their otherworldly music leaves one stunned and lost to the mortal realms for ever, finding themselves prey to the Dana O'Shee's hunt or enslaved in their Court as servants or playthings. 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.

It opens with a maraschino cherry scent but that is soon taken over by the scent of almonds and oats. I don't really get a milk or honey scent from this fragrance and it reminds me of this mask I make for my face. The oat fragrance cuts through the sweetness of this fragrance and without it, it would probably be too sweet.

It's a very pretty fragrance but I wish that the cherry fragrance lasted longer than it did. One major drawback of this fragrance is that it fades so fast. After three hours, I couldn't detect it on my skin and had to re-apply. This would be a nice fragrance year round and would be perfect as a bedtime fragrance.

Face Mask for combination/dry skin

3 T Oats
2T Milk
1 T Honey
1/2 t Almond Oil

I warm the milk and honey and then add the oatmeal and almond oil and mixed it all together, let it cool and apply to the skin for 20 min, rinse off and moisturize. It makes enough for 2-3 masks so you can refrigerate the rest and use later in the week.

If you have oily skin, add a egg yolk and omit the almond oil, you'll probably have to add a tablespoon more of oatmeal.

Dana O'Shee retails for $12.50 per 5ml bottle.$19.50 per 10ml bottle and is sold through BPAL.