Thirteen (13): February 2009

[greenranger]

Considering the state of the economy and other worldwide woes, I think we all need a little extra dose of good luck. A sweet, comforting base of dark chocolate and brown sugar with thirteen herbs of good fortune, including nutmeg, Tonka, allspice, star anise, Jamaican and African gingers, devil’s shoestring, lucky hand root, and thyme.

Am I the first because the color of the label is a bit indeterminate? I was wondering if "Navy" covered it or not.

This is verah verah nice...but, chocolate is only present in the background on me. I have the impression that this is going to last well on me, as well, though it may change a bit over time.

Mostly this is spice, with a base of brown sugar and chocolate. The dominant notes are a medley of the star anise, allspice, nutmeg and gingers...plus all the other spicy herby things that I can't identify yet. The brown sugar and the chocolate are merely adding sweetness and tying the rest together a bit.

Six hours later, what I have left is a brown sugar and tonka scent. I like this. It is very different from all of my other spicy scents. I'd still classify it as foody partly because of the brown sugar drydown, but, I don't think I'd classify it as a chocolate scent. Chocolate was only a background note in this for me.


~edit~
Second wearing. Throughout most of the day the two most dominant scents are the ginger and the brown sugar. There's enough kick from the spices to keep the sweetness from ever aproaching cloying (on me, anyhow). For a good long while I was thinking this smelled<i> just a little bit</i> like those Japanese ginger snacks...the ones I just spotted in Trader Joe's...gingery and crusty with sugar...IF the sugar were brown instead of white.

Don't buy this expecting the chocolate to be dominant! It is very much a background scent, and chocolate and my skin get along great, just so you know. If, however, you are hankering for GINGER, this might be right up your alley.

I have occasional ginger cravings, so I think I will be holding on to this, very tightly. =)

[blukat]

I agree with your review, and yes, the label is different from previous releases.

 

I would suggest that anyone getting this lovely scent, take a look at the post card that comes with it. I didn't know where to post about the new scents that are going to come out as part of the Odeum. They have been busy in the Lab!

[naeelah]

The label strikes me as being shiny black, but I think you're right that there's a blue undertone. In any case, it's a ninja label.

 

I think age will do this blend some good. Now it's only spices, with hints of brown sugar and dark chocolate. I guess I mostly smell nutmeg and allspice with dry ginger (it's not very bright or citrusy). It's a dry chocolate, not buttery like the Chocolate Box scents, very much like a 70% chocolate bar. To my nose, the sugar is just balancing the spice. This isn't as sweet as, say, Kill-Devil. The thyme and roots come out as the oil dries, helping to anchor the scent and keep it from being like a dessert. I can't pick out the anise at all.

 

It's dark and subtle enough to not be so foody. It doesn't scream pumpkin pie. Once totally dry, the chocolate fades far into the background. It's a bit like Jo Malone's nutmeg and ginger cologne, but with a crust of brown sugar. Most BPAL spice blends have been dominated by clove or cinnamon, so I'm happy to have one that's mostly nutmeg and ginger.

 

Don't think of this as a chocolate blend, think of it as a spice blend.

[marared]

I'm going to concur that this is a blend that needs to age - right now it's fresh and sharp spices, with virtually no chocolate or brown sugar that I can detect right now. It's all ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; it smells like when you're about to make pumpkin pie or gingerbread cookies, and you blend the relevant spices off in their own little bowl first. About ten minutes into the drydown, the tonka starts sweetening things up a bit, but it's still too dry and sharp to wear right now. Into the aging jar it goes!

 

What it reminds me of at the moment is a combination of Bakeneko and Red Moon, even though none of them have notes in common that I can see.

[AmandaArcana]

just got it today, unfortunately the 13s don't seem to work on me...I get no chocolate or brown sugar, only a hint here and there of some spices, mostly it's kinda sharp and acrid. I don't think my body chemsitry can handle all those scents together. I'll let it age and see what happens.

 

eh, now it's turned to church lady perfume. I guess 13 isn't my lucky number.

Edited March 2, 2009 by AmandaArcana

[MeiLin]

This? Is gorgeous. It's nice now, but I'm betting along with the rest of you that this will age magnificently.

 

In the bottle: A faint whiff of chocolate and brown sugar, then spices--nutmeg and ginger leading--and quickly following, a not-unpleasant medicinal bitterness.

 

Wet: Warm spices softened by a bit of brown sugar. No chocolate to be found. This is heavy on the nutmeg. In its drying down phase I did much wrist-huffing.

 

Dry: Completely dry and a few hours in, there is a bitterness like myrrh. But unlike most BPALs with that note, this time is works.

 

VERY happy to have a bottle.

[Suu4LC]

I agree with the other reviewers-this is not a chocolately blend, like last year's green label 13 was. In the bottle this is a rich, dark gingery scent, loaded with spices.

 

On my skin-WHOA GINGER! Strong, dark ginger-very strong and mostly overpowering towards the other notes in the blend. Hmm...ginger and a mixture of herbs and spices and a touch of brown sugar. I don't really get any dark chocolate at all.

 

This is a deep dark ginger-a wee bit like gingerbread poppet minus the sweetness or cake-ness. Super ginger mixed loaded with exotic spices and brown sugar. Not a chocolately blend at all. Very potent. This isn't quite what I was expecting but if you are a ginger lover, you will need to get your hands on this!

[Iceblink]

I love this--it's all yummy spiciness, like sniffing your kitchen pantry, and I get a faint sweet sugaryness in the background and a whiff of cocoa. I almost feel like I shouldn't even be trying this now because in a month or so it's going to be incredible. I also love that it's completely different from the other 13s I've tried (July 07 and some of the older ones). Beautiful.

[stillalive]

I got a very acrid and oversweet scent when I doused in it... but on drying it seemed a lot more spicey and chocolatey. From a distance it was fine, sort of a caramel/dark chocolate thing, but up close there was something very yuck about it.

 

I also think age will do it some good! I'll have to edit my review in a few months or years, I guess.

[cam]

On me, the chocolate in this is quite muted (which is nice, because although I love chocolatey scents, the hubby isn't quite as fond). It's very spicy and and with a hint of incense. I get plenty of ginger, with a bit of anise and nutmeg.

 

I agree with what you guys have said above; I think age is going to do this one some good, and I can't wait to see how it's evolved after six months or so.

[femmefatale]

Wow. At first this is really strong and mostly ginger with a hint of brown sugar. I'm getting almost no chocolate. As it dries more it smells a lot like a gingered Sugar Skull on me (I guess my skin likes ginger and brown sugar LOL).

After it's been fully dry for a while it calms down quite a bit and a nice herbal scent comes out to balance the sugar and ginger.

 

I really like this, esp. on a cold day like today and I think it will age very well. I only wish I had listened to hubby and gotten 2 bottles.

[pinkstardust420]

Too much spice....not enough sweetness. Not for me

[biz4brent]

AMAZING! I just adore this blend ... I can't stop smelling my arm! None of the fake chocolate of 13s past! Rich, spicy, textured ... kind of like a darker Hod or Ecstasy of Passion. Underneath is very little chocolate, which is a winner in my book, and much more of the brown sugar. I can see how this might be a disappointment for the foodie set, but I'm loving it!

[Lethran]

In bottle: Chocolate, brown sugar and tonka are strongest, but the spices are present and well blended. Wet: The Ginger comes out strongly over the chocolate/sugar, with the nutmeg and allspice strengthening slowly. Dry: This ends up a beautiful balance between the chocolate/sugar and the spices. This is one of the best uses of the ginger note I’ve seen.

[ophidiae]

Oh, wow, this is yummy! On me, it's a touch bitter when first applied, but as it dries down, it takes on this warm, molasses-and-spices smell, like fresh baked gingerbread. Unlike Green Label Thirteen, there's very little chocolate to this one. It's there, but softly, just an extra little dusting of sweet in the background.

 

Have a feeling this is gonna become a favorite very quickly.

[hkhm]

bottle: wet brown sugar and spices.

 

wet: incredible. the sugar is melty, the spices are pungent. this is yum in a bottle.

 

dry: this smells like the holidays, spices and sugars. so lovely.

[angelicruin]

No chocolate for me either....it's all brown sugar and spices. Very sharp scent. I agree that this will probably age into something gorgeous.

[awesomeoverlord]

I will preface this review by stating that my skin devours chocolate like a ravenous hell beast. That being said, the bottle holds only the slightest whiff of chocolate to begin with -- the brown sugar is much more prominent here, which is fine by me since the sugar might actually stick around, whereas the chocolate never did stand a chance. Wet on my skin, this is a fairly foody with a sweet sugary base and lovely spices. As it dries down, it treads a dangerously fine line between a nice rich blend of spices and holiday potpourri. I'm curious to see how this will age as well.

[twilighteyes]

In the bottle: Spicy ginger and chocolate.

 

Dry on skin: Gingery! Softened a bit by the brown sugar and depth added by the nutmeg and allspice.

 

This reminded me of Flesh Eating Reindeer but sans musk and a bit sweeter.

Edited March 10, 2009 by TwilightEyes

[mparker]

Bottle- Lovely! Very gingery, but smoothly so. It has a slight dark chocolately tone to it, but it's mostly the ginger. To me, this isn't a dry ginger, and it definitely isn't red ginger, it's more a creamy candied ginger.

 

Wet - Helooo Ginger! This reminds me a lot of Flesh-Eating Reindeer, though I'd though Reindeer wasn't particularly bright or cheery, this is considerably darker, with the spices less bright in tone. It might also have a touch of creamyness to it, but that might just be the brown sugar.

 

On my girly skin - It's mostly sweet ginger and I can't really smell the chocolate as such, but it's in there darkening and maturing the blend, giving it almost a muskiness. There's other spices, but everything else is well blended so that it's only the ginger that is truly identifiable. As it dries down the ginger isn't quite so strong and the blend goes wonderfully smoky. I had to re-read the notes a couple of times because I swear this smells like one of the most beautiful tobacco blends I've ever tried. Nope, no tobacco listed. Odd.

 

On boyfriend's skin - He smelled it on me and demanded I give it a try on him. It starts out just as gingery on him when wet, but as it dries the ginger and sugar subside and let the other spices and herbs rise up more. I definitely pick up the nutmeg and allspice and I think even the thyme and anise, though it's not in the least licorice-like. After time this goes beautifully smoky on him too, only it's a deeper, darker smoke on him and is just as gorgeous!

 

This review was done straight from the mailbox. Normally I like to wait a few days to really make a judgement on scents, as it usually takes them that long to settle down in their blends. This one was just delightful right off!

Edited March 6, 2009 by mparker

[GardenCat]

Not so chocolaty, as spicy - I can really smell the gingers coming out. Seems to be dissappearing on my skin though... *slathers* That's better!

 

I can def. smell the brown sugar - SO delightfully complex! Glad I got a bottle!

[ephemera]

In the bottle this is almost too spicy, with the notes warring with each other like small factions. (The ginger is winning, but the nutmeg is putting up a valiant rearguard action and I wouldn't be surprised if there was a turnaround.)

 

On my skin this gets milder. The cocoa seems to settle in as a base note, with the rest of the spices floating on top. Sometimes the ginger is prominent, sometimes the nutmeg is, sometimes it's other spices that I can't define. The throw is actually pretty good which isn't normal on my skin. (Apparently spices and chocolate are the ideal throw scents for me, as I'm seeing this more and more lately.)

 

This isn't milk chocolate or even dark chocolate underneath. This is like straight cocoa, unsweetened.

 

All in all, this is a delicious blend and I'm really glad I got a bottle. I have a feeling it will fade quickly on my skin, so I probably should carry this with me for frequent reapplications.

 

Also, I think a lot of the other posters may be onto something. I bet this will age very well.

Edited March 6, 2009 by ephemera

[kbrighton]

So excited to get this in the post yesterday

 

I smelled rich dark spicy cocoa, not sweet at all. I can pick out nutmeg, but can't pick out the ginger, and I love ginger. I want ginger!!!!

 

It has an oddly familiar smell and I could not place it at first. After an hour or so I got it, it reminds me of when my sisters and I would make "perfume" in the backyard. Water, grass clippings, leaves, and every spice we could find in the cupboard.

 

I think this may need some time to age and blend, it's good from a distance, but up close a bit sharp.

 

ETA I'm loving this more and more. The scent has grown on me, it's not my usual style.

Edited March 8, 2009 by Columbine

[catatonic1242]

In the bottle: Very herbal smelling. I particularly get the ginger, but no chocolate or brown sugar at all.

 

On, wet: First whiff, I instantly get the chocolate. I certainly smell the lavender, and I'm wondering how all of the various notes are going to meld.

 

On, dry: I'm not sure that the notes ever really melded. This smells like baking something delicious in a kitchen filled with florals. It's a bit of a heady scent, and it makes me feel kind of conflicted.

[CynicalPink]

Bottle: Oh that's good stuff right there. Sweetness and the kind of spices I use in ginger cookies. Chocolate inasmuch as the whole thing has a creamy tone

 

Wet: Could this be it? My perfect "spices" scent which doesn't make me smell like a head shop on a hot day? I love allspice to death and it's definitely rising to the front. The rest of the herbs are both cooling and exciting. Not getting any chocolate but who cares! Why would I complain about getting something awesome because it isn't a different version of awesome!?

 

Dry: This is it. I smell like a spice rack in the best way possible. I've never really though about the whole "aging" thing, but if that makes this a little deeper, that'd be cool. That said, I really like it just the way it is!

 

Overall: A great casual scent for me. Certain scents I love seem either a bit too formal or too powerful for certain days. What's overwhelming or out of place about yummy spices. This one will probably get heavy use

 

Revisit! - Well it's a little under a year later and I've been wearing 13 pretty frequently in these cold months. Aging has done the blend some good, but I still can't call it a chocolate scent when the herbs and spices are just so prevalent. The allspice is still the dominant note, but the greener herbs like thyme are starting to come in to their own. It's still spicy as hell and *delicious.*

Edited December 14, 2009 by CynicalPink