Thirteen (13): July 2007

[LunaClaire]

A base of cocoa absolute and white chocolate with thirteen baneful and beneficial bits including vanilla bean, white ginger, orchid, golden peach, massoia bark, clove, honey, and starfruit.

Name: 13 - July 2007

Bottle: I'd been impatiently waiting for my scents to arrive (moon in Aries), & was ecstatic to see the BPAL label yesterday afternoon. Amazing first sniff - like Marshall Fields Frango Chocolates! Cocoa, ginger zing, and a fruity scent that I imagine was starfruit. Heady!

Wet: Very similar. Frango chocolates - fruity cocoa - totally YUMMY!!

Dry: A very well-blended fruity chocolate. No single note stands out on me, yet synthesize into a delicious whole.

Furthermore: I was really looking forward to my first 13 blend. Firstly, I love the number 13, & consider it such a sacred number that it was concealed as an unlucky number. A friend was among the first to help measure the labyrinthe of Chartres Cathedral, and despite the controversy, maintains it indeed is based on a 13-pointed star, possibly indicating the level of Christ's inititation.

Second, I Love Chocolate - the darker the better. I've forgotten how well chocolate scents have worked for me in the past; I think I may have to begin checking out all of the BPAL cocoa blends.

This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

ETA: Because I'm an idiot and can't spell "chocolate"; now I'm hungry for some - & some more 13! Edited July 2, 2008 by Shollin

[modernsaints]

mmmh. the bottle leaked a tiny bit in transit, so I opened the BPAL box to the most heavenly delicious chocolate-bright fruit smell EVER. it's distinctly sweet, but I wouldn't pin the word "chocolate" on it immediately - it's just creamy and peachy/starfruit-y and nnngh I want more. Now.

 

On me, it does a decent spiced-chocolate thing - massoia, clove, ginger, doing their thing - okay, but I'd pass on it.

 

I'm keeping the bottle, no question, though. Once I get my scent locket, this will be a regular. SO GOOD.

[lamenteuse]

I just got this bottle yesterday, and I was so excited to see the package when I came home from work, I literally threw everything down so I could get my hands on the box and tear it open.

 

in the bottle: It smells like a chocolate port drink my boyfriend makes. Sweetness and fruit hidden under a dense chocolate scent.

 

on (wet): Chocolate, yes, but a little more of the sweet smells the peach and honey are really coming out now. there's this whole other smell i can't identify as well, which is a sweet scent and I assume that's the massoia bark because there is a hint of coconut around it.

 

on (dry): Chocolate and honey. A lot of honey, actually. There's also that hint of fruit again that pops out every now and then, and again I think that's the massoia bark, as well as the starfruit that finally came out. It smells a lot like something I would want to eat!

 

 

verdict: This scent is wonderful. I wore it on a hot and humid night and it really hung in the air. I found it to be very alluring, and though it has sweet notes, it's not that sticky sweet scent that over powers and makes me feel ill. I think this would be wonderful in the winter time. I'll have to use this sparingly because it's becoming one of my favorite blends!

[Gale]

Oh, this is a keeper!

 

Wet: Rich, deep, buttery chocolate. This is truly fantastic. I can also smell a background of fruitiness and spices.

 

Dry: Now the chocolate and the fruits/spices have switched places! It's a fruity spicy blend with a background of chocolate (still rich and buttery smelling, mind you). It stays like this for the duration, with little separate notes popping up now and again.

 

I love this! it might even out-do the 10/06 version.

[dronzeka]

Mmmm, I think I like this!

 

Wet, I get mostly cocoa - which isn't bad, for BPAL cocoa, b/c it's not a note that generally works for me (I bought this before I saw Beth say that it's uber-chocolate!). It's a little musty, but nothing horrible.

 

On, drying, I get lovely fruit-y spice with just a hint of cocoa - I think mostly peach is coming through. With a little ginger and clove? Kind of like the pickled peaches a friend of mine makes (which are VERY yummy).

 

Oooh, it's REALLY nice. (Yeah, helpful review point there, I know! ) And as it continues to dry, I think - hope? - that the honey is making an appearance.

 

Despite all these food-y notes, it doesn't feel like a foody scent to me - more fruity/spicy (which I never think of as food! I guess for me, food = candy or baked goods. ). It reminds me just a little bit of Arcana's Burlesque, if Burlesque had fruit in it. (I don't think they actually share any notes besides chocolate, so I'm probably loopy, but that's what it makes me think of.)

 

Overall - yummy! It's quite soft and I think it will require slathering, but hey, I can do that. It will be interesting to try in a scent locket, too - I wonder whether it will be all chocolate or all fruit/spice?

 

Anyway, if you were afraid of the chocolate in this one but like the other notes, I'd encourage you to give it a try!

 

ETA: Actually, this lasted really well on me! I can't comment on throw exactly because I just had the one sample spot, rather than a full body application but I could still smell this 6-8 hours later, through multiple hand-washings. Very cool!!

Edited July 29, 2007 by Anna D.

[taramarie]

I was lucky with April's 13, but this time my luck ran out. In the bottle and wet on my skin, this 13 is chocolate and fruit, just heavenly. But before it was even dry, the clove bit me, so I had to wash it off. I don't think aging will help, so it looks like I finally have a scent worth buying a locket for.

[Extispex]

This is my first 13. I have avoided previous ones, because - foolish me - I thought I wouldn't like chocolatey scents. But since then I have learned, and grown, and many evil enablers have shown me the error of my ways. I really really wanted a 13, this go 'round.

 

And I'm so not disappointed. This is another of those heavenly scents that leave me stunned and wondering how anything could smell so good on me. In the bottle it smells positively delicious. I get a strong dose of the chocolates, some vanilla and a coconut smell I assume to be the massoia bark. If it stayed this way it might be just a little too foody for me to wear, but I do enjoy sniffing it from the bottle.

 

On, wet, it becomes a spicier, less foody cocoa. I begin to get hints here and there of the fruits as they struggle their way into dominance. This one morphs like crazy on me, goes through every delicious stage you could think of - chocolatey, spicy, fruity, honeyed. Honey can sometimes amp like crazy on me, but in this 13, it really behaves itself and plays nicely with the other notes.

 

The notes finally settle into something so unique. Though most of the notes sound edible, the end result of their combination - on me at least - smells nothing like food. Its very rich and warm with just a hint of honeyed creaminess. Its a rather playful scent, but with a 'come-hither' edge to it, and a slightly spicy warmth.

 

I think this has to go on the top ten list.

[cuervosueno]

I loved the first 13 so much that I didn't bother trying any of the others. Then I thought well, they really sound quite different, so why not?

 

So far, I'm thinking I'll stick to my white label 13.

 

What I was hoping for was spicy chocolate, like Mexican Hot Chocolate (I think someone mentioned that above?). What I got is....different.

 

In the bottle when I open it, I get rich chocolate--yes, more like cocoa--which i like, but there is also something else in there--slightly fruity sweet, but not in a particularly good way.

 

Then I put it on. Aacck! Chocolate soap! I'm not that crazy about soap scented like food, for some reason (though I can do lemon sometimes). So that isn't pleasing at all. Then the peach comes out pretty strongly, and though I like peach ok, I guess I never thought of it mixed with chocolate, and just like that doesn't really appeal to me tastewise, I don't much like the scent. Plus on me it is like fresh peach with chocolate soap, as if something very bad happened to my dessert, or either that and someone dropped some peaches into my bathtub with a bar of the chocolate soap from Villianess.

 

either way, I'm not diggin' it.

 

I'm still hoping for a real drydown that brings out chocolate and spice, but even if I do get it, I'm not sure I'm willing to go through peaches with chocolate soap to get the better part.

 

Ah well. I have my original 13 and Velvet and Bliss and the Tell Tale Heart to get through my chocolate cravings, and I probably didn't need more chocolate anyway.

Edited July 27, 2007 by cuervosueno

[QueenFae]

Wow!! Chocolate, fruity, foody goodness!! This is definitely the best version of 13 so far!!

 

Simply put, this smells like white chocolate and cotton candy on me, yum!! It's definitely a chocolate covered fruit scent, sooo delightfully foody!!

 

This is actually quite strong when it is first applied, and has quite a bit of throw. It lasts on my skin about 3 hours.

 

I LOVE this!!! Fabulous!! Best 13 EVER!!!

[sanachan1]

OK, I'm pretty sure this is my first post here (maybe my second) so hello!

 

I was so, so disappointed by this perfume. I wanted to love it SOOOO much. It sounded amazing, and I really love the scent of chocolate, so I grabbed it up. I got it yesterday, opened the bottle and instantly recoiled from how strong it was. It was definitely chocolatey, but kind of a weird gross chocolate. I would have thought gross chocolate was an oxymoron, but in the case it really wasn't. I put it on, hoping it would calm down on my skin, but instead it was even worse. It smelled like incredibly strong, spicy, rancid chocolate, and made me sick to my stomach. I had to go vigorously scrub my arm. *sigh* So sad. Here's hoping I can find someone to swap with.

[jewelbug]

Bottle: Fruity chocolate. And, well, to be honest. It smells a bit like scratch n sniff chocolate stickers...

 

Wet: Ginger (not spicy ginger, fruity ginger like in Hungry Ghost Moon), chocolate and general sweet fruitiness. Not scratch n sniff anymore, thank goodness!

 

Dry: Strangler Fig with chocolate. Seriously. I can't explain it, I mean, fig isn't even listed in the notes of this one. Fig/fig leaf WERE in the previous two 13's and I didn't smell it in either one. But in this 13, well, almost all I smell is fig. With a bit of chocolate.

 

Overall: Well, I love fig, so this is a no brainer for me. I'm definitely keeping it. I'm just puzzled as to how I got fig from this.

Edited July 28, 2007 by jewelbug

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

A little nutty/woodsy

 

On me:

Goes on with a definite fruit note and cocoa (the chocolate notes in BPAL always smell really DRY to me) with something woodsy behind it. There some faint spice here, nothing too obvious though and a little bit of a floral feeling too. It's sweet but not in a dessert kind of way, just vaguely so. I was really expecting more clove and honey I think, but neither notes are very present here.

 

Final note:

It's as complex as the other Thirteen's, but I find that this is my least favorite of them. It just doesn't "grab me" like the others do, though I DO like it (I love the 13 blends quite a lot so being my least favorite certainly doesn't mean I don't like it). I'll definitely wear it anyways, though I wish it had been a little more clovey

[steffanina]

13 (July 2007)-

 

In Bottle: Mellow cocoa smell!

 

Wet: Sweet fruit-floral blend; oddly I don't smell the cocoa at all.

 

Dry: The cocoa does emerge a bit later, along with a bit of rose but it's not the sour rose that rose often becomes on me. It's interesting; not something that I think will be beloved but it might grow on me.

 

Overall: Interesting; I'll keep trying it.

[SlySionnach]

Totally cocoa and an orangy-peachy fruit on me. Absolutely divine.

 

And it lasted for a good 6 hours with decent throw, and now (almost 10 hours later) I can still smell it if I put my wrist to my nose. Mmmmm...

[Rosaleen Dhu]

Oh, lordy am I glad I gave in and ordered a bottle. First on its all chocolate with a capital C. I'm walking in a cloud of dark cocoa...not a bad thing, but I only dabbed a bit on one wrist!

 

But after about a half hour, the cocoa has mellowed to a base note and my nose is filled with sweet flowers and honey. The cocoa comes through, certainly, but ...er...dryer. More powderish. I'm in love.

 

I love the label! Pink and green is one of my favorite combinations.

[enderfem]

Bottle-I can smell the cocoa and white chocolate immediately, then something underneath...the orchid and the honey.

 

Wet-Orchid like WHOA. Some of the ginger and peach, too. Hm. Where's my chocolate?

 

Drydown-OOh! there it is! The drydown gives me cocoa, ginger and clove. Gorgeous. And it lasts FOREVER. I can still smell it the next morning.

[Jerre]

The new Thirteen!

So far, I love the 13s: (did I mention I was born on the 13th?)

 

This one is more milk chocolatel-y than the last. I was suspicious about the added floral scent; but no worries! It's that subtle scent that envelops the room when someone suprises you at home with your favorite fresh flowers, chocolates and (pick your fav drink here!), all at once! I put this on and went for a walk after a very rough day; I was soon in a much better mood (and sniffing my arm WAY too much!).

An instant pick-me-up!

 

Darkwriter

Edited July 30, 2007 by Darkwriter

[kraken]

In the Bottle: Mmm, chocolate. Very chocolaty with hints of spice.

 

Initial Wet: *gag* The peach and starfruit go rotten on me. I get whiffs of the starfruit and peach, but they're sour and I can't smell anything else beyond that, not even the chocolate.

 

I must resist the urge to wash it off. I'll update this if it changes at all. Why must fruit ruin my chocolaty goodness?

 

ETA:

 

Drier Dry: The rotten fruit smell does eventually fade and now it's starfruit with an undercurrent of cocoa. The hubby says that I smell good, but I don't smell like chocolate. It certainly lasts a long time--12 hours after application it's still there. I don't get honey or clove or floral once it hits this stage.

 

It's certainly not what I was expecting. I was hoping for lots of chocolate with a bit of fruit and spice. Sadly, my skin chemistry developed quite the opposite. Still, the hubby likes it, so maybe I'll let it sit for a while and see if aging makes the cocoa more prominent.

Edited July 31, 2007 by kraken

[angharad]

Cocoa. Very dry cocoa. There's a hint of the white chocolate and something floral in the bottle but it's not very strong. When I first put it on, I catch a whiff of something sweeter and a little bit juicy, one of the fruits, but it's not strong enough to be identifiable. Then the cocoa takes back over and that's all I can smell. It has very little throw on me and fades completely within an hour.

[Honor]

I'm sort of not supposed to be on the forums right now, due to time and energy constraints, but could not resist reviewing this today... since this 13 has turned out to be both lucky and unlucky, and the most magical of them all.

 

This was NOT supposed to work on me. Clove and Honey, in ANY amounts amp on me. Clove amps like mad, and honey turns into baby powder.... for that reason, I only got a decant... and now I am mournful, because for some reason, both clove and honey behaved themselves.

 

 

In Bottle: Fruity Wet Cocoa. YUM. I can get whiffs of the peach and starfruit, but can't tell whether the chocolate is white or milk.

 

On Skin: A drier cocoa smell, and more fruity. A hint of floral and spice (the ginger) comes through on occasion. There is a HINT of powder, which is undoubtedly from the honey. While I normally despise this powdery smell, it is morphed from it's usual form and subdued, so that not only can I stand it, I kind of like it.

 

Dry down: Same as before but more faint. I can tell this will not have a great lasting power or throw, but is average.

 

Overall: OMFG, I need a bottle.

[ajcj213499]

This is actually the first 13 blend that has worked on me (yay)!

 

I mostly get a chocolate scent backed up by a light fruitiness. It's lovely! I don't get much clove from it. People have mentioned that it smells powdery (I hate Powdery smells), but I don't get any powder from it.

 

It lasts a decent amount of time on my skin too.

[DifferentDances]

Bottle: Bitter, bitter cocoa and spice.

Wet: I think I'm wearing old cookie dough left out too long.

Drydown: Cookie mix perfume. A little hint of either peach or starfruit peeks in briefly at the 20 minute mark, but is quickly squished by generic perfume and cooking smells.

Dry: Ahhh....playdoh, not cookie dough.

 

My reluctant rating: 1/5. I wanted so badly for this to work, but it didn't; cocoa vanishes on me and I was counting on that, so that's not the problem --one of the myriad 'minor' notes warped badly on my skin. Fabulous. I guess I need to put both bottles in the to-sell pile. *sigh*

[Eemia]

I get such a beautiful floral and a rich cocoa straight away. Cocoa and florals?!? That kicks ass. The florals remind me of a heady perfume rather than a fresh bouquet of flowers. The cocoa seems a little bitter too instead of being milky or sweet. I get some of the honey too, but it almost seems like an amber note rather than a honey note. A little musky.

 

Something a little bit pale and fruity seeps out to accent the florals. It's drying nicely and it feels very sophisticated. Nothing that screams innocent or candy-like. The throw is decent and this has lasted more than a few hours. When I smell this in the very final moments of its lifespan I can kind of detect this lingering bit of spice and musk. Very dry and sitting right on top of my skin.

 

I think this is my favorite of the Thirteens.

[white_jenna63]

I'm in the minority that's getting florals. And I don't like florals. I'll try this again in a couple weeks to see if it's my cycle, but right now I'm quite disappointed.

[Skirt]

Wet, this is very chocolatey - a lot like Bliss. Once it's dry, it's still very chocolatey, but with a perfect dose of clove. After about 5 minutes, it's still chocolate and clove, with a very very soft bit of peach. About an hour later, it smells like clove and peach - delicious the whole way through.