Claire-of-the-Valley

This is my favorite of the 13 scents I've tried so far. In the bottle, it's spicy cacao, mellowed out by the nutmeg. When I first put it on, the cacao is very much in the background. It's a nutty scent with the nutmeg and saffron at the front with a touch of cardamom; there's a bit of spice still with a hint of pine in the background. As it settles, I can detect the cacao and pumpkin rounding things out, but the other scents still dominate. It's a comforting, warm scent, that absolutely makes me think of fall.

Out of the three 13s I've tried, this one is the most like a chocolate bar, which initially left me disappointed. In the bottle, it smells like pure spicy chocolate or Mexican chocolate, which I've always been a fan of, but still very sweet. When I first put it on, it's pure, sweet chocolate, very gourmand. As it starts to dry, it returns to a spicier chocolate, which I like a lot more, though it still maintains a certain candy bar quality. I'd say the cloves stand out most out of the listed spices, with a touch of the chili. Eventually, the spices take over more completely. On the whole, I would say this is another winner in the 13 department, but it took a little longer to win me over.

Got this as a frimp. When it's in the bottle, it smells astringent and herbal. When I first put it on, it's still astringent and kind of peppery. Makes my nose itch, and not in a good way. On dry down it smells like musky, slightly peppery honey, which is okay, but on the whole I'm not a fan of this one. I don't get anything related to chocolate at any point. Some reviewers have compared it to O, which I also didn't like, so I think there's something about the usual honey note BPAL uses that isn't for me.

In the bottle, and when I first put this on, it smells almost minty with a more general, sharp herbal tone. I think this might be the pine pitch. It quickly settles and becomes a little more obviously a pine and sap scent. I'm not sure if I can make out the oak, but there is something "spicy" about it, but a subdued spice that you might put in a drink. It's not a long-lasting scent on me, and softens into a kind of powdery version of what I already described. I like it, but it definitely doesn't smell like what I would typically expect of a bonfire. No smokey or ash-y scent here. It's very fresh. Not a lot of throw. It's unique, and does ultimately take me to some kind of outdoor forest.

When I first got this, I did not like it. It's now had a few weeks to settle in and it's improved. When I first tried this it was really sharp, pungent, not very sweet, and incredibly long lasting. Just way too powerful all around. It is still a strong scent, but it's settled into something earthier and sweeter, which has helped a lot. The sandalwood is finally coming out mixed primarily with vetiver, I think? There is something that in the backdrop that might be oak. I'm not familiar with tonka bean, so I'm not sure if I'm smelling that or not. As the scent settles in I start to get a little beeswax. It eventually shifts into something a little too sweet but still earthy. As a scent, I feel like it really encapsulates the color brown and I can see how it's representative of the owl that inspired it. It still doesn't start out as the most mellow of scents but it's definitely eased up from where it's started and it's grown on me because of that.

In the bottle this is just super sharp lavender. When I put it on it remains as basically pure lavender, which makes my nose itch a bit. As it starts to dry down, the lavender backs off and a very pleasant combo begins to emerge of something mellow yet sweet, which I imagine must be the rockrose, a faint whiff of lavender, and those pale woods, which I'll admit was the actual note that drew me to this in the first place (I was a big fan of it in Lilac & Pale Woods). At this stage I definitely envision more of a sun-dappled woodland environment where there's something sweet, but unidentifiable in the distance. So, for me, the dry down of this scent is where it really shines. I'm not a big fan of how overwhelmingly "lavender" it is in the bottle or when I first put it on, but that stage doesn't last too long and it ends up blending in quite nicely with the other two notes.

In the bottle this is a super sweet scent, almost overwhelmingly so. On me it starts out as watery blackberries with a hint of rose. Still very sweet, but with actual notes as opposed to in the bottle where it's just pure sweetness. As it dries down it gets a little more muted and the backdrop of Snow White becomes more apparent. At this stage it's basically Snow White with watery blackberries. The rose is harder to detect, but lingers in the background. It's a good scent. I had expected it to be more like a pastry, but this really isn't that at all. It brings to mind a tea party in the snow where everything is just a little frozen over.

I can make out the backdrop of Snow White's scent here, but it's faint. The spice stands out quite a bit followed by the linen and honey. I would say there's a general "milkiness" to the scent especially at first, but I couldn't say whether it smells like boba or not. It's quite sweet at this stage. As it dries down it's the spice and linen/cleanness of the scent that linger. Not a lot of throw and not super lasting in it's first stage, but a very lovely scent.

This is the first of BPAL's 13 scents I've ever tried and this is absolutely phenomenal. In the bottle I get pure chocolate, but we're talking rich, deep chocolate. I can see what they mean by "smoked" cacao because it's not like a candy bar at all. Definitely the same chocolate note they're using in El Dia de los Reyes. When I first put it on I still have that backdrop of chocolate, but the rice milk, mint, and what I think is the ambrette seed really come through. There's the faintest hint of lavender. While I can't detect each individual scent, I have no doubt they're giving this a fuller aroma overall. It's a sweet, earthy, slightly fresh scent. After awhile it fades into a faint whiff of something soft that's faintly identifiable as chocolate. Very glad I got a few of these. Feels like a great scent to steel one's nerves. I know each 13 is different, but I would have no complaints if this one made a return.

Extremely lovely scent. I would describe this as creamy, cold, and floral. The lilac, wisteria, and tuberose definitely stand out most when I first put it on, but there’s a creaminess and sweetness to it that comes from the white chocolate, I suspect. There’s a certain “chill” to the scent that is definitely the mint. On dry down it becomes very soft, more centered on the lilac and cream. Absolutely perfect for Lady Amalthea.

Whew, this is strong! I was hoping for more of a soft, fruity scent with a backdrop of leather and wood, but the leather is really strong in this when worn. In the bottle the combination of scents is really sharp like some kind of cleaner. When worn, the combination of leather and fruit leads to a kind of overwhelming, overripe aroma. Not for me. Maybe it will improve with age.

This is a new favorite for sure and I hope it makes a return for this year's Halloween scents. It's a soft, dusty, sweet scent. It makes me think of leaves fluttering by, sunshine on a cold day, and a whiff of pumpkin.

Fantastic scent for anyone who likes violets! And irises. This is the perfect blend of violets and irises. It's a deep, clean, purple scent that lasts a good, long while.

Got this as a frimp and it's just lovely. I would not describe it as feral, however, which is a good thing for me. It smells very much like a couple years' aged Harlot weirdly: smooth, clean, sweet. Smells like a lightly citrusy tart.

It took me a second to identify what this reminds me of, but the answer is figs! It reminds me of Pacifica's Mediterranean Fig scent in particular. It's not identical, though. That scent is more earthy, while this one has a sweet, almost cake quality in the bottle followed by the figs and fruit when it's worn. Very clean smelling and smooth. I get the faintest wisp of light incense, maybe a touch of resin. A fantastic scent although I'm not sure if the gods of darkness and chaos are what I think of when I wear it. It does make me think of the Middle East and there's a touch of mystery about it, though.