Thirteen (13): June 2008

[Lycanthrope]

13 is significant, whether you consider it lucky, unlucky or just plain odd. Many believe it to be unfortunate...

... because there were 13 present at the Last Supper.
... Loki crashed a party of 12 at Valhalla, which ended in Baldur's death.
... Oinomaos killed 13 of Hippodamia's suitors before Pelops finally, in his own shady way, defeated the jealous king.
... In ancient Rome, Hecate's witches gathered in groups of 12, the Goddess herself being the 13th in the coven.

Concern over the number thirteen echoes back beyond the Christian era. Line 13 was omitted form the Code of Hammurabi.

The shivers over Friday the 13th also have some interesting origins:

... Christ was allegedly crucified on Friday the 13th.
... On Friday, October 13, 1307, King Philip IV of France ordered the arrests of Jaques de Molay, Grand Master of the Knights Templar, and sixty of his senior knights.
... In British custom, hangings were held on Fridays, and there were 13 steps on the gallows leading to the noose.

To combat the superstition, Robert Ingersoll and the Thirteen Club held thirteen-men dinners during the 19th Century. Successful? Hardly. The number still invokes trepidation to this day. A recent whimsical little serial killer study showed that the following murderers all have names that total thirteen letters:

Theodore Bundy
Jeffrey Dahmer
Albert De Salvo
John Wayne Gacy

And, with a little stretch of the imagination, you can also fit ”˜Jack the Ripper' and ”˜Charles Manson' into that equation.

More current-era paranoia: modern schoolchildren stop their memorization of the multiplication tables at 12. There were 13 Plutonium slugs in the atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki. Apollo 13 wasn't exactly the most successful space mission. All of these are things that modern triskaidekaphobes point to when justifying their fears.

For some, 13 is an extremely fortuitous and auspicious number...

... In Jewish tradition, God has 13 Attributes of Mercy. Also, there were 13 tribes of Israel, 13 principles of Jewish faith, and 13 is considered the age of maturity.
... The ancient Egyptians believed that there were 12 stages of spiritual achievement in this lifetime, and a 13th beyond death.
... The word for thirteen, in Chinese, sounds much like the word which means “must be alive”.

Thirteen, whether you love it or loathe it, is a pretty cool number all around.

... In some theories of relativity, there are 13 dimensions.
... It is a prime number, lucky number, star number, Wilson Prime, and Fibonacci number.
... There are 13 Archimedean solids.

AND...
... There were 13 original colonies when the United States were founded.

Says a lot about the US, doesn't it?

In our paean to all the mysteries surrounding this enigmatic number, there are thirteen lucky and unlucky components, including white chocolate, dark chocolate, apple blossom, honeysuckle, frankincense, allspice, nutmeg, black tea, tonka, and sandalwood.

I did a search for 'Thirteen' and 13, and I didn't see it come up amongst the search results. Apologies if there exists a thread already...

So... whereas white label original thirteen was cocoa oranges, purple label was spicy cocoa clove, green label 13 actually is... chocolate apples, with a bit more creaminess than the prior two. There's a similar feel to the blend that is akin to the past incarnations of the scent - a touch more herbiness, some 'substantiality' to the scent beyond just cocoa, but it's most definitely an interesting mashup of a milky, creamy chocolate and what is like apple rind (not so 'juicy' per se, it reminds me of dried apples).

So, cocoa mixed with some herbs that keep this in line with the other 13s, but blended up with dried green apples.

Staying power is moderate on me and there's a decent waft. After about thirty minutes my skin has eaten most of the notes, it's mostly cocoa with a tiny dry bitterness to it.

[heathercaley]

I was a bit scared at first, because foodies and I don't mix well. HOWEVER! This is beautiful!! It's on the same "foody" level as Freak Show. It's got the deep feel of dark chocolate, but it's not a chocolate that makes you want to eat your arm instead of huff it. The tea darkens it a bit.. it reminds me of the aftertaste that you get after you take a sip of warm black tea that has been sweetened up just a bit. It's very calm and warm.. the apple gives it a bit of a bite... it makes my mouth water for it.. but I LOVE the fact that I don't want to eat my arm!! Foody haters.. don't fear! I LOVE this!! It's Freak Shows darker evil step sibling

 

As it dries, I get this vision of burning an incense stick that smells like "Apple tea with Cocoa" In love...

 

Dry.. it's just a sweet spot on my arm that smells mainly of apple incense with a bit of darkness lurkin around.

Edited June 25, 2008 by Purrsnikety

[hipslike___cinderella]

Deciding to buy a 13 blend is a gamble for me. Cocoa/chocolate as a note is great 50% of the time, and awful the other half of the time. My only other 13, the April '07 version, ended up being wonderful due to the catnip and clove notes.

 

Having said this, I first excitedly sniffed 13 without any notes in front of me, and my initial reaction was an unfortunate, "HRRRGHL! Spicy buttered nutty chocolate!". Not good, but not discouraging either, as I felt this would be a test-it-to-believe-it blend. So, on my skin, I was taken back to being a kid and taking trips to the Red Barn Farm in Weston, MO... chocolates and candies in the sweets shop, cookery spices covering the shelves, tea and honey ready to go, and the faint scent of apples wafting outside. Sounds lovely, yes? It is, but woe is me, not what I want my perfume to smell like.

 

I was hoping this to be flowery chocolate with resins and sandalwood, a touch of spice. This, on me, is a chocolate canvas, lots of nutmeg and allspice, tonka, and apple. Actually, apple blossom, as it's not fair to simplify it to straight "apple", because it's not. But the frankincense and sandalwood is not there for me, neither is the honeysuckle. My verdict: foody. Sad! Off to swaps.

Edited June 26, 2008 by hipslike___cinderella

[MoonDragon]

With all of the chocolate notes, it smells absolutely luscious and decadent in the bottle. I could sniff sniff sniff the bottle for a very long time and be perfectly content.

 

Wet, it's a slightly nutty chocolate. After a few minutes, the chocolate fades, and it smells very strongly of dried apples. Five hours in, and it smells of dorm room incense.

 

 

It's a shame, I wanted to love it, but I'm not particularly fond of how it's transformed on me and have a feeling I'll be posting it for sale shortly.

[underline2]

I haven't ordered anything from BPAL in a while (money shortages) but when I got the e-mail about 13 being rereleased I just had to get it!

 

In the bottle:

A very nice cocoa note and a bit of sweet apple/apple blossom notes. Chocolate usually doesn't work on me, but this reminds me of the notes from Wulric the Wolfman, which was divine.

 

Wet:

The sweetness strengthens momentarily, but is more or less overtaken by the woodier notes. The tonka is foremost, I think, which is nice because I adore tonka. There's still a bit of fruity sweetness that adds a bit of depth to the entire thing.

 

Dry:

The sweetness is almost completely gone and has given way to a very pleasant blend of cocoa, tonka and sandalwood. There's a very slight spicy note underneath it all. It's turned out to be very mellow, yet with a bit of a kick. The throw isn't amazing, but I can smell something even when I'm not sniffing my wrist. A whiff of intrigue perhaps? =P

 

4 out of 5, overall. I wouldn't wear it every day, but perhaps on special occasions. This actually would be a very nice Halloween scent and usually the Halloween food-y ones don't work on me.

[Inky]

In the bottle: Chocolate with cardamom and honey.

Wet: Nutella.

After 4 hours: German Chocolate Cake.

 

I'm not picking up any of the apple notes at all. The incense/spice came through in a flash and dried out almost as quick. I seriously smell like a big slice of German Chocolate Cake right now...and I LOVE it!!

[hkhm]

bottle: an herby cocoa scent.

 

wet: wow. cocoa-dipped apples. yum.

 

dry: this dries to a sweetish-herby cocoa and apple scent. darker than all the other bpal apple scents. this has a very halloweenie feel.

[oakmoss]

I'm not getting any apple (or apple blossom) from this, and thankfully, no nuttiness! It's a warm, dry cocoa-sandalwood blend with just a hint of spice, rather like a cocoa incense. Not sweet chocolate, more like cocoa hulls with that woodiness and earthiness. Not foody at all, just warm autumnal goodness. I have a feeling this will age into something very special, and I like it just as it is too.

[greenranger]

In the bottle, chocolate, yummy chocolate.

 

Wet on me, flowers! A whiff of honeysuckle goes by. Then it settles into chocolate sweetened by nectar rather than sugar.

 

Drying, I smell the apple blossom go by. I doubt it will linger on my skin, but, it's pretty.

 

Actually, it's lingering pretty well. This is a much lighter floral chocolate than bliss or velvet, which are my experience with chocolate scents so far. The apple blossom and honeysuckle...and possibly the frankincense... are hitting the higher lighter notes, and the chocolate is the smooth, creamy base. If this were actually a candy, it would be a very expensive, very fluffy truffle, barely sweetened with organic honey from bees fed exclusively on honeysuckle and apple blossoms, coated in silky white chocolate and just enough specks of spice to give visual interest, that would just about evaporate when eaten.

If such a confection existed, I'd only be able to afford to smell the candy shop, not buy the chocolates made there anyway. =)

[windbourne]

This is my new favorite 13 -- on me it's quite warm, with more spice and cocoa and less fruitiness than the previous incarnations have tended towards. The drydown is mellow and sweet, and it ends up a dry sandalwoody cocoa. This was exactly what I wanted in a 13. I will wear it often and with glee. I'm so happy I bought a bottle on the strength of the listed notes. I almost wish I'd gotten two.

 

I will say, though -- I didn't find it a particularly foody scent. It doesn't have the 'sticky' feeling I usually associate with, say, Miskatonic University or El Dia de Reyes, being lighter and more herbal (though not as much as the version with catnip). I'm really looking forward to seeing how this one ages, too.

[tartchef]

I've never tried a 13, but all those yummy resins & spices called to me this time...

 

Wet, there's the same clear chocolate-flavored-syrup note from El Dia de Reyes, underscored by a faintly boozy apple note - it's an interesting combination, slightly caramelized-sugar vs apple peel... As it begins to dry, the sharpness of the apple fades and the blossoms emerge, underscored by a very gentle spice note. The tonka's suddenly appeared - I think it was what my nose identified as the caramelly note - subtly adding a toasty, warm weight behind what is an increasingly delicate, edible scent. I agree with windbourne - it's not foody, per se, but very tasty, akin to Freak Show in that chocolate-herby feel. There's something fresh in here, too, maybe the tea & appleblossom working together? Whatever it is, it's lovely - I almost wish the chocolate & tonka would shut up for a minute so I can concentrate on that clear, sweet leaf-&-petals note... The frankincense & sandalwood are nowhere to be found - I suspect we might hear from them once this round of 13 ages a bit. ETA: Mwahaha - I was right! 5 weeks later, the late drydown is a lovely bitter cocoa & frankincense blend, and the nutmeg & sandalwood are peeping out now, too.

 

So my first 13 is very fun - not a Top 10 by any stretch, and ultimately no match for Freak Show, but still worth hanging onto. The appleblossom & tea combination may become my new quest - I'm surprised that out of all the notes, these are the two that really stood out from the pack.

Edited August 5, 2008 by tartchef

[eatingthesea]

this is my first 13 blend. i'm not a foody person in the least, and thus far, the only instance i can think of where i like chocolate in my perfume is intrigue - but that's cocoa. and that one is a very woody cocoa, so there is no hint of foodiness. i thought i'd give this blend a whirl because of the frankincense and sandalwood goodness. i'm glad i did. it really does smell divine in the bottle, but i know it's not something i want to smell like -- it's something i'd want to EAT. thank the good perfume lord, though, that once applied - and dried - this is a very herbal, dry cocoa scent. i get nothing whatsoever resembling apple or apple blossom. which is good. i was a bit sad about missing out on the honeysuckle, but since i'm getting big huffin' whiffs of other favorite notes (including the beloved frankincense) i'm pretty pleased. a resiny cocoa...i do believe this is a very unique BPAL scent. i agree with the others, most appropriate for autumn. can't wait to wear it frequently then. glad i jumped for a bottle.

[ffiferoo]

I was a little reluctant to get something that sounded as foody as a 13, but the pressure of only remembering that it was Friday the 13th at 10PM, and the need for an excuse to order imps won me over, and I decided I could just sell or swap it if I didn't like it.

 

I'm glad I put the order in, after all. At first sniffing, all I got was chocolate, and that's all I got as well while it dried down a bit on my wrist. After some drydown, the spiciness came through, and now I'm getting a lovely allspice with a hint of apple after the chocolate. It reminds me of mulled apple cider (perhaps served with a nice chocolate bar). I'm hoping it will continue to morph a little after a little while, but I'd be happy with this if it didn't, it's a very rich, orchardy kind of scent. I think this is going to be one of the few foody oils I keep.

[ophidiae]

I have a love/hate relationship with food scents. Thankfully, this is one I love. I'm not going to bother with the usual IN THE BOTTLE, WET ON SKIN, etc., because it's really all variations of the same thing: chocolate. Or, more precisely, cocoa. I smell like I've been baking chocolate cakes all afternoon. It's making me want to start chewing on my wrists, they smell so yummy. Think I may have to retaliate by baking brownies later. ♥

 

As it dries down, I can smell the apple blossoms and honeysuckle. It's very faint, but it's there, and it is NOT going soapy or making me sneeze. Huzzah!

 

Yeah, this is definitely a keeper. 8)

[suki]

in the bottle: pure cocoa, but not absolute.

 

wet on skin: chocolate and apple blossom- but not the yankee-candle-type apple usually turns on me.

 

dry down: chocolate and lavender.

 

in all: this is likely a good one for those who are normally hesitant about foodie scents. light, little throw, a good one for the heat of summer, but not sexy. a 'day' scent.

[IronMollyBlack]

Not great on reviewing for notes, etc. But I have to say that this is the perfect chocolate/cocoa for me. Not overly foody, like Bliss, but not a dry, dusty cocoa either. It stays perfectly balanced between the two, all the way through. The other notes stay in the background, for me. I get a bit of sweet/floral blending in, and just a touch of spice. Thankfully for me, the sandalwood plays nice, and stays in the background, I can barely detect it. At times, I will amp sandalwood to high heaven as "pencil shavings". I also amp florals, but the honeysuckle and apple blossum play nice, too. So glad I snagged two bottles!

[clawsight]

YAY! Precious just got here, and just performed a clean test with half a q-tip and LO it was good.

 

In the bottle: WOW chocolate. Cocoa type chocolate too. I opened the bottle, leaned forward for a deep sniff and WUFF chocolate-cocoa with a hint of herbiness underneath. In this stage it's only slightly foody -- a lot like the best spiced cocoa scent you can imagine.

 

Wet: The MOMENT this hits my skin the apple scent comes out. It does, indeed, smell a lot like apple rind -- though to me it smells like fresh apple rind. Now the scent starts to go a bit foody on me, but I don't mind in the least. It's wonderful!

 

Drydown: As it dries the chocolate fades more away, leaving behind the scent of spiced, slightly herby candy apples. It's gorgeous. Everything I was hoping for from this scent.

 

All in all, it's not an everyday scent. But definitely keeping this one for when I need something like this as a pick-me-up.

 

Yum!

 

4.85 out of 5 candy apples!

[Scanmike]

My first "13"

This was an impulse buy for me...also a reason to order some imps I had been wanting to get.

I hit the "order now" button with 15 minutes to go. I have to say I feared it would be like Red Lantern or The Candy Butcher on me.

 

Smells sweet chocolate caramel in the bottle. I am already fearing the worst.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised that once on, it's not overpowering. Not milk chocolate like Bliss, or too chocolate sandlewood like Velvet. It's a nice blend of a dry dark chocolate and caramel. I don't detect any honeysuckle or apple like others have, but then my nose isn't as trained as some people's. I can see where some can pick out the tea and sandlewood, but it stays in the background. I think that's what holds it back from being too foody or overpowering. I am not particularly a food person but I can see wearing this from time to time. Red Lantern was way too strong on me..too much caramel. I thought that was it for wearing anything with caramel, but this has changed my thoughts on that. This has good lasting power so far and I only touched the top with a toothpick to apply. I am not sure whether I sill keep it, but it is nice,lightly sweet and mellow. I tried on both Gluttony and "13" and asked my husband for his comments. He hated Gluttony and really liked "13". Those who feared the honeysuckle, don't. Those who hate foody scents..you will be surprised. This is a nice balance.

[Jilara]

I had forgotten what was in this (except chocolate), so I am giving you a completely sniff-driven review, then seeing if I can see where it's coming from.

 

In the bottle: CHOCOLATE! A very dark chocolate, much more intense than Bliss, but with a slight floral that makes me think of Vice.

Wet: intense chocolate and a backnote of freshly-mowed lawn. For a couple minutes, I'm afraid I'm going to lose the chocolate to the lawn. Then the intense green grassy notes start to simmer down and the slight floral comes back.

Drydown: the lawn starts to behave itself, and the chocolate comes back, with a hinting of El Dia de Reyes in the background, cocoa distinct from the dark chocolate. Waftings of light floral weave through.

Dry: The chocolate is still here! A lot of BPAL chocolates vanish on me, including other 13s, but this has stayed, well-blended with a spicy hot cocoa, a herbal note, and a hinting of floral tea.

Verdict: I like this 13! It's not a heavy chocolate, though it does seem to last.

 

Notes: the floral I suspect is apple blossom and honeysuckle. It reminds me a lot of orange blossoms and orange flower water, which is one of the things that works so well in Vice. The spices must be what gives the El Dia de Reyes spicy cocoa quality in background. There is definitely something herbal not listed. The tea might be where some of the astringency comes from. I'm still trying to figure out the scent of fresh-mowed lawn.

Edited June 27, 2008 by Jilara

[Dark Alice]

I am so happy that I bought this 13!!!

 

Wet in the bottle: Dusty or Dry Cocoa like you just opened up a fresh can of cocoa mix and some of it gets in your nose.

 

Wet on Skin: Chocolate and apples. Baked Apples like the kind you eat at Thanksgiving dinner.

 

Drydown: Once again my skin eats the chocolate and leaves behind a lovely allspice and apple scent.

 

1 and 1/2 hours later: Sweet allspice, a hint of cocoa, and apples!!! Definitely a keeper. I just want to wait until the cooler months of fall to wear it!

[blktauna]

13 is very confusing for me. In the bottle I can just detect cocoa like tastes but it is overwhelmingly butterscotch. Extremely butterscotch. It starts out like pudding, cloying and somewhat burned to settle into thick butterscotch cake.

 

After a bit some apple pops up. Now I'm apple butterscotch cake.

 

Not what I hoped for at all.

 

and It wouldn't come off!!! Arrrgghh.

Edited July 7, 2008 by BlackTauna

[jaeyne]

Chocolate...not milk chocolate, more like Mexican chocolate and herby incense. Wow. Last looooonnnnnggggg.

[alicia_stardust]

This version of 13 is lovely. I don't get any apple blossom and especially not apple. What I do get is something that's a very sweet and waxy white chocolate that's melded with loads of dark chocolate. Beyond that I get a warm, dry incense spice. The allspice and nutmeg really show themselves after a short while, and the tonka seems barely there but I think it adds a rich, warm nuance. I'm not really sure if I can even detect the honeysuckle because every time my nose searches for it I find the dry spice of the resin/sandalwood/spice combination.

 

Long wear, strong throw, lovely blend that's just a bit foody but is kept in check by some of the other notes.

[Lethran]

In bottle: Rich chocolates and tea with spices. Wet: The tea is stronger than the chocolate, but the chocolate balances this beautifully. Given a little time the insensey notes come out. This is very well blended, with individual notes all taking precedence as it wears, but all staying part of the delicious whole never the less. The florals are present, but never strong enough to turn this from foody to floral. This is definitely my favorite chocolate scent I’ve sampled so far. The morphing does cause peculiar effects, like the moment the honeysuckle and sandalwood suddenly emerged, but seriously, the interesting combinations were all to the good. Dry: The sandalwood and chocolate end up dominent eventually. This is a little odd, but not in a bad way. I really like this.

[isisonearth]

In the bottle a delicious nutty mocha scent.

 

On my skin it smells like high quality chocolate and spices. Almost exactly the scent of my local gourment chocolatier's shop. The creamy sandalwood is there too but I don't get any floral at all.

 

The more it dries down the more of a caramely scent I start to get. In my locket the caramel is very pronounced. Totally dark chocolate covered caramels with a hint of the nuttiness I can smell in the bottle.

 

I bet this will age beautifully. It might have surpassed April 07 as my favorite 13.