Thirteen (13): April 2007

[supremegoddessofall]

A base of cocoa absolute and white chocolate with thirteen baneful and beneficial bits: cardamom, fig meat, grains of paradise, rice flower, chamomile, sandalwood, catnip, clove, and a bundle of five blessed blossoms and herbs.

In bottle: A soft fruity spicy scent.

On me: Quite lovely. I get the clove as the top nut, but it's not overpowering. Sandalwood and herbals in the middle. Overall, quite delicious.

[asciident]

Wet: Cocoa, catnip and chamomile. Incidentally, my oil is also a pale yellow/clear color.

 

First on: Strangely, not as foody as I was expecting. More like...herbal tea with a hint of creamy chocolate nearby. There is a gentle fruity bloom to it as well.

 

Dry: Clove comes out more, but it's still very much a beautiful herbal tea with a side hint of fruit and chocolate. Not at all what I expected, only the vaguest relation to the original 13 (my first BPAL scent!), but totally gorgeous.

[labeth]

In the bottle: pure chocolate.

 

Wet: Baker's chocolate, dark and bitter, with a hint of cinnamon.

 

Dry: Beautiful. The chocolate backs off a bit and becomes a bit sweeter without losing that gorgeous dark cocoa quality, and the cinnamon smell comes on strong. Target makes a kind of chocolate bar with hot pepper in it-- this reminds me very much of that.

 

I wasn't expecting to like this one nearly as much, as I figured chocolate wouldn't make for good perfume. I was very wrong, though-- I really like this.

[porcelina]

i only ordered this because i had an obsession with the number 13. that said, i was pleasantly surprised. it's a really marvelous chocolate scent without being sweet or foody, thanks to the assortment of herbs. i can't pick out any real notes other than chocolate and some sort of bitter herbal scent, but it's really lovely.

[edenssixthday]

13 (April 2007) – When I initially apply this, I am blasted with the sickly sweet smell of artificial chocolate, and am almost immediately blasted a second time by a massive wave of spices – cardamom and clove, in particular. As it warms up on my skin, it gets spicier and spicier until the spice is stronger than the chocolate – although the chocolate is definitely still the foundational scent. And then I smell the orange – it’s bright and sweet and I smell exactly like a really spicy chocolate orange. About 10 minutes after the orange appears, it disappears, and it once again smell like really spicy chocolate only now, I smell the fig meat and a thin veil of flowers. It’s a strange scent on me, but it’s rare that BPAL’s chocolate note works on me. However, of the various iterations of 13, this is my second favorite (the first being the 10/06 version). I kind of wish I could have this exact blend but without the chocolate in it. I think it would be absolutely perfect for me without the chocolate. As it is, I had to find a new home for it, because the chocolate in it will just never work for me. The throw is very strong and the staying power is well above average, although toward the end, it loses all notes except for the spices.

[storme]

In the imp: cocoa and orange and clove and a dry dirt undertone.

 

On me, wet: chocolate orange with some dry clove and earth. And, uh, actually, this smells a little like marijuana tar. Not that I know what that smells like. *ahem*

 

On me, dry: Seriously, that's like an uncleaned marijuana pipe coated in chocolate and cloves now. Wtf. *checks reviews, sees no other comparisons along the same lines*. Maybe my nose is broken.

 

Verdict: Uh, yeah, I can pass on this one, thanks.

[sarada]

I wasn't really planning on keeping this, because it's far stronger on chocolate than I tend to like wearing -- I love the Oct. 2006 version for some reason, but that's the only chocolate blend that I've ever like (despite eating the stuff every day, religiously...I don't like to wear it, go figure!). But I have kept it around and I'm always debating what to do with it. I've only really worn it once, and I have mixed feelings about it, but I just keep thinking I'll regret it if I part with it...because I always regret parting with everything!

 

The strangest thing is that aside from chocolate -- a dry, not overly sweet chocolate at that -- it reminds me somewhat of a pet store. Why is that? I guess it's the catnip, plus the sandalwood might be reminding me of woodchips (I love the smell of woodchips, but it has a decidedly petstore feeling just this once). There's something strangely crumbly, dry and herbal about this. I think I get what the above reviewer was saying about thinking of marijuana...the catnip and other herbs really seem to be taking my mind down that road as well. Or at any rate, some sort of dusty, dry herbal smell.

 

I get a few hints of the spices, which all happen to be spices that I like -- huge cardamom fan here, and love the cloves...eventually everything warms up and shakes off the dust, and the chocolate mellows down into a nice, warm, spicy herbal blend but I'm never quite sure whether I like it or not. I'll probably keep it around for awhile until finally I have to keep it because it reminds me of that beautiful spring in 2007.

[readiness]

in bottle: chocolate on steroids

 

wet: chocolate with something else? something very creamy and foody

 

dry: still friggin chocolate. I'm glad I only got an imp on a whim. Foody smells = uck for me!

[yeahbutnobut]

13 (April 07)

 

In the bottle: a herbal-spicy-floral chocolate scent. Non-foody chocolate.

Wet on skin: mmm, now I smell camomile and sandalwood, something almost like grapefruit as well, and spices.

Dry on skin: call me crazy, but I'm getting grapefruit and ginger in this scent! I have no idea why but there's a definite citrus tang to this chocolate scent like there was in the other 13s. The chocolate is the dominant note-bitter cocoa and a hint of creamy white choc, mixed with spices and herbs and fig. I think that sharp scent may be catnip, but I may be wrong. The cardamom is nice and strong though, as is the fig, whilst camomile adds a dry, golden, hay like scent. This is a very intriguing chocolate scent-not as foody as most, it's almost like a spicy hot chocolate drink with herbs added, like some kind of magic brew.

After a while: oh, wow! Now it smells amazing! It reminds me of another BPAL, but I can't remember which one, but it's one of the spicy scents. I think it may have been a Chaos Theory? This smells like wonderful cardamom sprinkled with pepper with herbs and smooth camomile and sandalwood, it's not as chocolate-y now but there's still a trace of it. It makes me think of desert bazaars now-it's spicy and dry and hot and unbelievably exotic. Like the smell of spices and herbs wafting from the stalls, exotic smells and dry heat. It also reminds me of Indian spices-though not too much that it makes me smell like a curry.

The heat of the spices does die down a little to leave an earthy, almost dirty (good dirty!) herbal-spicy scent with just a hint of creamy chocolate. It almost seems like there's something almost musky, honey like or mossy at the base as well. And now I think I've just realised the BPAL that this scent reminds me of…Great Sword of War. It has that same feel of hot spicy-herbal cocoa to it without as much musk. The cocoa gets stronger as the scent dries, and it's not a sweet chocolate, more like the darkest of dark chocolates, or pure cocoa powder. With that spicy aspect, it reminds me a little bit of Tezcaltipoca and Green and Black's Mayan Gold chocolate now. After a very long time, it definitely smells honeyed or beeswaxy now (where's that coming from?), and a bit mossy. It reminds me of a CD scent or two, maybe a cross between Wulric and Faiza?

Verdict: I love the 13 scents, and this is another winner. Totally different from it's predecessors, this one is unusual and innovative, not your usual chocolate scent. This is like a hot chocolate drink mixed with exotic spices from faraway lands and distant bazaars, but it feels less like a cosy drink, and more like a potion of some kind. It's almost like a mysterious blend of healing herbs mixed with spices and added to cocoa to make the ultimate witches' brew. There's something really magical about this scent, it sparkles and crackles, spellbinding and enchanting. Something about this scent intrigues me and fascinates me. It seems to fit in more with the concept and the name of '13', hinting at superstition and lucky herbs and charms and magic, it feels powerful and almost like a ritual oil. The spices in here are fantastic, the cardamom especially, whilst camomile and sandalwood give the scent a golden dryness, and there's something honey or musk like that appears at the end. it's not a foody chocolate either. This is definitely something that would smell wonderful on cold winter days, thanks to it's cosy cocoa and warming spices, but I love the bewitching vibe I get from this. I'm glad I got two bottles of this and I can't wait to see what other interesting chocolate scents the next few Friday 13's bring us!

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? yes! I love the 13s so far and this one is another winner.

If you like this, try: Great Sword of War, Tezcatipoca, Velvet, Wulric, 13 (original), 13 (Oct 06)

Edited June 9, 2007 by yeahbutnobut

[LadyCrow]

Allow me to respectfully disagree about the "marijuana" comparison. Beth is a master perfumer, and could, if she chose, exactly replicate the scents of different strains: Rappaccini's Garden could bloom with Hindu Kush, Afghani Blueberry, Trainwreck, Mothership, Purple Haze, et alia, if Doc Constantine suddenly felt like ministering to some California medical patients. Catnip still does not smell like marijuana; neither does 13.

 

In imp: Cocoa.

 

Wet: Cocoa and orange -- not foody orange, but like a clove-orange pomander. Spicy.

 

Drydown: The pleasant cocoa-orange stage is unfortunately rather short on me, and then recedes; the fig and florals come out a bit, but what my skin really amps is the sandalwood. This clashes with the catnip briefly, giving a short cedar-shavings moment, and then it's so sweet, in combo with the fruit and florals, as to smell, and stay, like amber for most of the wear time. I mean, it's a beautiful smell. Beautiful. It just confuses my poor nose, because I didn't think there was a drop of amber in here, but that's what I get.

 

Verdict: Fun, but I'll stick with 10/06.

[juniperus]

bottle: veddy foody

wet: cocoa, spice, and sandalwood primarily

dry: much mess foody, shades of florals, and herbs, and spice, and a lushness behind it all

later: hints of everything coming together..but understated. the floral and spice, the soft woodiness and foody edge...this is really interesting on me...complex, unexpected. and wow.

[alicia_stardust]

The chocolate, cardamom, fig, and rice notes blend beautifully into a creamy spicy cocoa scent that makes my mouth water. This is decadent and comforting at the same time. It brings a smile to my face every time I get a whiff of it, whether from my wrist or the scent locket.

 

I love all three versions of 13 very dearly, but I must say that this one is a little ahead of the others. It's just gorgeous.

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Cocoa, with a fruit back drop and a hint of spiciness

 

Wet on me – I’m puzzled now, because I smell grapefruit and ginger with the chocolate

 

Dry on me – The spiced fig with a delicate dusting of cocoa is surprisingly light and spring like

 

Overall – So far this is my favourite 13 variation, but it still doesn’t really grab me

[jewelbug]

I can definitely see the cocoa absolute separating in my bottle, so I made sure to give it a good blend before I tested this. I love how hte inside of my bottle is like a lava lamp with hte dark chocolate absolute forming little blobs.

 

Bottle: Oooh, spicy chocolate. A lot of cardamom and clove. This is SO promising!!!

 

Wet: Oh yes, spicy chocolate. And a hint of mint, perhaps? Maybe that’s the catnip…

 

Dry: Holy cloves, batman! This turns into an amping clove single note for quite a while…3 hrs later it’s faded quite a bit (can’t smell unless I’m close up), and what I do smell is still predominantly clove, with just a hint of chocolatey sweetness about.

 

Overall: I love clove cigarettes and clove scent in general, but the clove single note I got from this 13 was a bit much for me (as a perfume, at least). I was hoping to get a lot more fig (one of my faves), cardamom, sandalwood and chocolate from this, but the clove amped them all into non-existence.

That said, I think this will work phenomenally to add spice and warmth to other blends. I'll be keeping this and experimenting with layering.

Edited July 27, 2007 by jewelbug

[n3m3sis42]

In the bottle:

Chocolate, and maybe fruit.

 

Wet:

At first, this smells of chocolate and something fruity, like oranges. Then the clove becomes almost overpowering, and I start to wonder if I'm going to like this after all. I can't believe that some people found this too chocolatey!

 

Dry:

After the drydown, I can still smell the clove, but it's blended well enough that I can smell a lot of the other notes now, too. I don't know how to describe this, because it's way more spicey or herbal than chocolatey or foody on me. However, it's gorgeous and I love it.

Edited August 8, 2007 by n3m3sis42

[metaldog32]

So…I bought this because I liked the original 2005 version; different versions intrigue me even though I don’t normally wear chocolate as fragrance. I think the only three I have that are chocolate based are 13, Bloomslang, and Centzon.

 

Am starting from reverse:

 

Lasting power on me has been pretty darn good…9+hours

 

Drydown: I can’t really smell anything on my wrists..but I get wafts of the chocolate..which is a bit dry because of the herbs/sandalwood along with a slight sweetnes..which to me would point to either the fig meat???

 

Initial sniff from bottle: Chocolate…to me it’s more milk or white chocolate based…something a bit herbal flitting at the edge..and maybe the grains. A tad foody..but not overwhelmingly so.

 

Applied wet on skin: Chocolate..but yes..it’s a bit of a spicy kick..thanks to the cardamom and I am assuming the clove..very nice. At the end it’s a bit dry..sandalwood maybe???

 

Couple of minutes on skin:Chocolate fading a bit..softened but still present..with the herbs and sandalwood a bit more present. Still a softened spicy chocolate with an herbal and dry tang.

 

Ten minutes later:It’s now more fig forward..melding with the herbs and sandalwood..the cocoa/chocolate is more of a end note..

 

I still get a nice waft every now and then of the cocoa/chocolate interspersed with the other notes..I like this very much.

 

Twenty minutes later:Soft waft of the cardamom/clove over the cocoa..really nice..with the sandalwood slant…fig is kind of MIA..how the heck did that happen??? Still I am enjoying it immensely.

 

Overall throw is average to strong.

 

Bottom Line: 13-April 07 does not disappoint. This blends cocoa with herbs and spices that ends up being a cloud of perfection that straddles between foody and exotic. Again..nicely done. This blend works for me for fall/winter.

[hkhm]

bottle: this smells like spiced tootsie rolls. weird but interesting.

 

wet: whoa! there's still the tootsie roll scent but then there's this awesome waft of spices and herbs. i can't pinpoint any single note, it's just a general herby spiciness.

 

dry: even better! the tootsie roll scent softens to just a vague chocolate scent and the spicy note gets a bit more dominant. the result: a rich, spicy chocolate that makes me want to nibble my arm. this is the first chocolate scent that has smelled this accurate. very nice!

[inurbanus]

I can't believe that I haven't reviewed 13 yet. This is the only BPAL with a cocoa note that I can wear, and boy is this one good. It's chocolate and herbs, so you get that delectable chocolate scent paired with something unexpectedly green, resulting in a very unique blend. I wear 13 when I need to concentrate, as it helps me focus. I wouldn't call it a really "dressed up" blend, but I wouldn't be afraid to wear it to class or work -- it's pretty subdued. The chocolate in this one gets better as time goes on, so in this case, older = better.

 

4/5

 

ETA: Okay, I've started a massive sniff-through of all my bottles, and I started with 13. Anyway, since I paid close attention to everything going on in the blend, I wanted to add more to my review. This is a second opinion, not a re-write.

 

For a scent that's associated with chocolate, I don't smell a great deal of cocoa in 13. It's there in the beginning, which I have to say is my favorite stage of this, but after the dry-down, it takes a backseat to the herbs. I can smell its warmth and sweetness, but it's not blatant, and I have to say, I like the subtleness of it. I know that I say foodie blends don't work on me, and the majority of the time they don't, but what's great about 13 is that it's more of an intellectual take on foodie -- it's what I would classify as gourmand.

 

I don't know if there's any other scent that I'm as divided on as 13. I love it when it's out of the bottle, and I love the scent it finally matures into, but I don't really care for the middle stage that connects these two points. The reaction that I usually have while wearing this is "I smell odd." Not good, but odd. But in a strange way, I've conditioned myself to like this. 13 was one of the first Limited Edition bottles I bought, before I knew what works and what doesn't, and I never allowed myself to say that I didn't like it. Because I do -- but I'm not sure if that's a natural reaction, or my own will to keep this one. I mean, it's not offensive, but it doesn't have that instantly recognizable "this is so ME" feeling that my favorites do. What's a girl to do? I don't know if I'll ever truly love 13, but I'm culling the herd right now, and I'm scared to get rid of this one. What if I need chocolaty herbs after all?

 

While I sit and sniff my wrist, I can smell the smoothness of the rice flower, the sweetness of the chamomile, and just a little bit of spice. This scent is actually very soft -- when I put this on, I was surprised by how light it actually is. It's soothing, like I said above. I don't think this is something to wear out on the town -- it just seems like it needs to be worn at home, in flannel pajamas, in front of a fire.

Edited June 14, 2008 by inurbanus

[goth_huntress]

This version of 13 has become my signature scent. People stop me in my tracks to tell me I smell good. I love it so very much. Good thing I have 3 bottles.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Sweet fruit, spices, and chocolate. It smells like spiced christmas fruitcake dipped in chocolate.

 

Wet: Less sweet, and much less fruity. Mainly spiced chocolate - both white and dark; the cardamom, sandalwood, clove, and fig are all coming out distinctly for me. Sadly I don't think clove works on my skin. It's too cloying. Still, this is probably something I'd love to EAT.

 

Dry: Chocolate and sweet, cloying clove. Must wash off.

[ACVail24]

Thirteen - Purple Label

 

In the Bottle:

Herbs & chocolate - interesting combo!

 

On My Skin, Wet:

Cardamom - definitely.

Possibly the fig - there's a "earthy" fruit quality to this stage, but it's too indistinct for me to be able to properly identify it.

mmmm....chocolate, chocolate, chocolate.

 

On My skin, Dry:

Still predominantly Cardamom, but it's sitting on a base of herby chocolates now - and the impression is drier than before.

I guess the mysterious fig note has gone away now.

 

Verdict:

A dry herby chocolate?

very captivating, but a little too unusual for a regular scent.

I think people around me would get the munchies and then I would have to leave the room so I don't wind up on the menu

 

Other Comments:

I was really hoping my cat would go bonkers since this has catnip listed - but alas, I think my chemistry must have swallowed that note since the stinker was decidedly uninterested in my wrist.

Oh - maybe the drier fell in the dry stage was the sandalwood making an appearance! that would be exciting!

 

8 of 10 Ranking!

[sprocket21]

In the imp: Chocolate! It's a bit chalky, like maybe the chocolate they use to make Easter candy.

 

On me, wet, this is almost all chocolate. As it dries, it slides slowly from chocolately to herby. Initially, it's almost like a Yankee candle, then it gets herbier and herbier. Chocolate and herbs...a strange combination. O_o

[LunaClaire]

April 2007 - Purple Label.

 

I love chocolate & the number 13, but I think I amp catnip.

Must wash off. Quickly.

[jentifer]

Wow, the spices are quite dominant right off the bat. First the sweet spices, then the more biting ones. There's more chocolate in this one than the orange label, but not as much as the white label. Eventually, it becomes quite woody. Not like a forest, but a lumber mill. A fragrant lumber mill.

[isisonearth]

The bottle smells strongly of cocoa with a slight floral note to it...something white.

 

On my skin it is just a kalidoscope of notes...the warm fig and clove, the the spicy/sweet cardamon and peppery grains of paradise and an outstandingly green catnip that smells fresh from my garden.

 

As it dries the herbal notes become more pronounced. I smell what might be sage. As it continues to mellow the chamomile appears as well. Eventually it returns to a soothing base of chocolate and sandalwood with just the slightest herbal edge...this is a real comfort scent to me.