Hiya Posse, DKNY Stories fell into my FragranceNet cart a short while back. Honestly, I can’t think why. Something just called to me and it was very cheap. I tend to throw everything interesting in the cart and then weed it out before purchase. Complete blind buy. Yes, I know. Sounds like the fastest way to buyers regret. Most times it DOES lead to buyers regret but when it’s the cost of a small decant it’s worth the risk. If I hate it it will make someone very happy if I move it on.
DKNY Stories
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Milk Mousse, Guava ,Black Cardamom, Pink Pepper
Heart: Iris, White Tea, Jasmine Sambac
Base: Vanilla, White Sandalwood, Ambergris
Firstly, I’d like to say that this is no ground breaking, super luxe, amazing fragrance. The days of Donna Karan making waves in the perfume community seems long gone.
Things I like include the bottle. It’s a good feel in my hand, hefty, is different enough to the rest of the herd and the top and cap feel sturdy and click well. These simple things are problems so many perfumes that cost 3 ti 10 times as much are still getting wrong. The spritz is generous and smooth.
How does DKNY Stories smell? It’s sweet. Not obnoxiously so but that is the very first thing I think every time I spritz. That opening is quite addictive. The familiar fizz of pink pepper berries with a sweet creaminess and some fruit. The note list says guava but it’s closer to Strawberries and Cream lollies. The whole heart goes by with only a little movement and I can’t pick any of the note list.
The dry down is not a bakery. This was a total surprise on my first wearing. I really thought that was where DKNY Stories was heading. So it’s not a mindless copy cat, there are some smell surprises that suggest a thoughtful committee. Dry vanilla and lightly salted white woods, still with some of that creamy lolly attached. Not complaining, it’s nice.
Definitely aimed at the traditional modern female market but there are things just as sweet being sold to the guys.
Funny story: Jin asked “Is that one of those celebrity perfumes?” Though he’s not really a perfumista he is definitely a snob.
Would you do DKNY Stories?
Portia xx
I don’t think DKNY is compelling enough for me to explore. However, I am a long time fan of Cashmere Mist. I don’t think sweet fragrances are for me. Isn’t fragrance net so much fun to find discontinued treasures? xoxo
Hey Kathleen,
FragranceNet is SO GOOD!
Sure their customer service can be sucky but the products and prices are excellent.
Portia xx
I don’t think this would be my cup of tea, Portia, but I love the way you take time to review the bottle design, the cap, and how it sprays. Those are such important elements. I have Donna Karan Iris, which is marvelous stuff, but I’ve never tried a DKNY that I loved. Maybe I haven’t sniffed enough of them.
Thanks DinaC,
I remember Iris but wasn’t sophisticated enough to love iris in general till quite late in the game.
Portia x
Ok I bit and got a small bottle off the bay. I can pass it on easily if it doesn’t work! DKNY Pure Verbena has long been a summer staple for me. Awesome in the heat! Lol at Jin and wanted to congratulate you guys on your new, beautiful piece of land!
OHHHH! JenniferS, I hope you love it and it is worn in the best of health.
I think there might be a bottle of pure around here but not the Verbena.
Portia x
I’m always searching for fragrances with guava note, I think ripe guava is the most wonderful fruit fragrance. My shopping habit is to hit the fresh section at the grocers first, just to inhale that aroma 🙂 I have owned a number of DKNY frags over the years, currently Pure Verbena (of course!) is in the rotation.
Hey Verbena,
Our supermarkets are mostly set out Fresh Produce first in Oz. I like the smells too.
Never (to my knowledge) tried a real life guava.
Portia xx
Hey I’ve liked some DK! Black Cashmere, Gold, obviously Chaos, the one in the duck bottle … I think I still own most/all of those. I even liked the apple one! I haven’t tried this one but I bet I’d like it, I’ve got some tolerance for sweet and I think those notes sound right — maybe not groundbreaking, but nice. Jin’s comment cracked me up though!
Hiya March,
Jin is funny, not always aiming to be. He was pretty spot on though. It doesn’t smell expensive expensive. Then again, on me Baccarat Rouge smells awful and Cloud smells good.
Portia xx
Donna Karan Black Cashmere is a fixture in my top ten and I love DK Gold edp for the scent and bottle, so I would try DKNY Stories if a bottle fell into my cart 🙂 I used to be snobbish about sweet scents but my tastes have changed and now the thought of strawberry cream lollies sounds fun.
Hey Rosarita,
YAY!I loved Donna Karan’s story and DKNY and so I like to try everything released.
Portia xx
‘Fell into the cart’… What exactly is Milk Mousse? Sounds suspicious. Would I do this? Probably not as have some sweet stuff already. Like the name though.
I’m not entirely sure what Milk Mousse is but if you ever smell Stories you’ll get that it’s kinda perfectly described.
Portia xx
Jin’s comment made me giggle. Sweetie scents = celebuscents. You need to do some blind decants for him if you haven’t already.
I miss Donna Karan’s early perfume output, they were ground breaking. The early DKNY range in the skyscraper bottles were interesting as well, but I understand they are being discontinued. I guess steam & vodka aren’t on todays list of popular notes.
Hey Alityke,
I think there was a moment in time when the designers wanted to WOW the world with their iconic style.
Now the baseline is money, not quite so necessary.
Portia xx
Oh thank goodness I’m not the only one. Cheap frag will get me free shipping? Toss it in please..
As for DKNY, I don’t think I ever, snooty-pants that I am, ever took them seriously for scent. And nothing with milk musk or mink mousse or minnie mouse listed first is going to change my mind I think.
But hey, I’ve been wrong before..
Hi Snooty Pants
Sorry couldn’t resist.
Get thee trying all SJPs & early & recent JLo. Her middle output wasn’t as interesting. All cheap as chips, some quite beautiful, some just weirdly interesting. All worth chucking in the “free shipping cart”
Thank me later
Actually Portia turned me on to both SJP and JLo. I haven’t bought (as it is I have JUST. TOO. MUCH.) but I do like.
I like Donna Karan (had a suit jacket of hers that I loved) but the DKNY thing wasn’t me.
-Snooty Pants.
I once got entangled in a Donna Karan bodysuit( midnight blue, will never forget that) Took 2 SAs to get me out of it. 5’8″ and a size 6, I thought a SIZE 6 would be FOINE.
I hated her for a LONG time for that humiliation.
Then March introduced me to Gold.
Still kinda salty about that bodysuit, though.
But! Minnie Mouse!! Are you SURE???Perhaps if it’s Minnie Mousse?
HA! Tom, I’m with you. sometimes a $12 bargain basement frag or shower gel will save me $60. Shipping to Australia is NASTY!
Portia xx
I’m not sure if it’s entirely snobishness or just the general lack of interesting scents that puts me off celeb scents. I think it’s mostly that they are pedestrian and boring, like elevator music. I like something a bit more off-beat or luxe smelling.
Hey TaraC,
These are definitely aimed mass market. It would probably not be a big win for you.
Portia xx