Thirteen (13)

[zankoku_zen]

In our paean to all the mysteries surrounding this enigmatic number, there are thirteen lucky and unlucky components, including white chocolate, tangerine, currant, mandarin, white tea and iris.

In the imp: Chocolatey orange

On Skin: I get a faint dusting of chocolate, but other than that it's very orangey and floral.

On Drydown: It's an orangey-floral scent. Very warm. I still get whiffs of chocolate.

Verdict: I like the chocolate orangey smell but part of me wanted something more fudgey and luscious. It's a lighter, more floral version of Lump of Coal, which I truly adore. It's quite nice though.

I should add that I'm not entirely sure of when this 13 imp came from, since it was a gift from a friend has been hoarding her 13 bottles for a bit. Definitely not the reformulation of 10/13/2006.

[supremegoddessofall]

Almost wholly tea. Hint of the citrus fruits underneath, but the tea is very dominant. Not getting the florals or the chocolate at all.

[zombiegrrl]

Thirteen (13) in the bottle smells kind of like white chocolate mixed with Gran Marnier (sp?). On me dried down it smells mostly like white chocolate, but with a hint of something that might be the currant. It's nice. It seems like a nice fall and winter scent to me.

[Melantha]

When, oh when will I learn that chocolate in almost any form does NOT work on me as a scent?

 

Sob.

[LadyKitsu]

I finally got my hands on some...it sounded so absolutly great!

 

I've found though...chocolate and me is not a match made in heaven....but holy crap...the orange/tangerine is to die for.

 

It smells smooth and tangerine/chocolate in the bottle and wet.

 

The chocolate gets really dominant at first on me...then the tangerine/orange takes over...unfortunatly it dosnt mask the chocolate nearly enough and since the chocolate is *not* my friend...13 is not for me <sigh>

 

I don't smell any other of the balancing notes in there, but I know they are there because the purfume has a nice body to it, but I can't really pick anything out past the chocolate and orange/tangerine.

[phedre]

This is the scent that convinced me that I do not like cocoa/chocolate blends on my skin. This is pure cocoa on me, like I'd stuck my nose into a container of Fry's Cocoa. No florals at all, but perhaps a touch of the mandarin shows through. I think, taken on its own, it's a nice scent. It's just one of those "not for me" blends.

[Akurarei]

Thirteen (13) 2005 formula:

 

in the bottle:

mmmmm!!! I smell chocolate!!!

and something citrus/fruity - but I do not smell anything floral.

 

on the skin wet:

I guess that "tangy-ness" might be the tea note - I don't really recognize it, but then again - I don't think I've ever tried a BPAL with a tea note in it before, so I assume that "unrecognizable" note is the tea. I do like it very much!!

there is also some more of that citrus/fruity-ness going on, which I also am very fond of

 

on the skin dry:

mmmmm - more citrus/fruity - but this time with more chocolate & just a very small hint of florals...this is very much more of a foody scent on me....which I normally don't have much luck with, but this is phenominal so far

 

dry:

lots of chocolate, more of a creamy chocolate (I guess that's the "white" of this chocolate) some floral but still lots of citrus/fruity notes - I guess that the touch of tangy-ness is still the tea note...

 

verdict:

why, oh why, did I not buy two bottles of this?!

it's wonderful & great subtle staying power (I've applied 13 early this morning & it's still hovering around me - any one else wanting to smell it would be invading my personal bubble to do so - and there'll be none of that!!! )

 

on me this scent changes from different notes all day, but they all compliment each other and never block another note from shining through - another phenominal job by the Lab!!

Edited December 18, 2006 by Akurarei

[cranberry]

From round two (Jan 2006).

 

On the skin – wet – dry dusty chocolate, tang of orange. It reminds me more of milk chocolate than white chocolate.

 

I didn’t review 13 the first time it came out, but in comparison they are, as would be expected, very similar. The re-release seems a bit more like milk chocolate whereas the original was more white. I also don’t remember the dusty dry smell but that’s probably associated with the milk chocolate smell.

 

This really does smell like a Cadbury chocolate orange ball.

 

After its been on a while, it smells a bit like chocolate sandalwood. Sweet, slightly woody, smooth, edible and delicious. Very nice.

[asciident]

My decant is from January 13 '06. It's actually my first BPAL scent ever! And this is like, my second review, and I wrote it out a couple of weeks ago. Since then I've decided I'm in love with this oil.

 

Wet: Wow, white chocolate. I could smell it even before I opened the imp. I get a little hint of the tea as well, but it's mostly the chocolate and it smells good.

 

First on: The chocolate smell disappeared. It's all tea and iris now, and those make a lovely mix.

 

Dry: Chocolate has made a reappearance, and it's mingling nicely with the tea and iris. I'm not really getting the fruit notes in this at all, but that's okay. I really like this blend.

[lightgatherer]

On application I get a clear citrus notes. The tea and the white chocolate come out quickly, and it smells like an old orange herbal tea my mom used to drink, but with milk and sugar added for creaminess and sweetness. After about half an hour, a sharp note I can't identify comes out. Fortunately, the sharp note dies away, and a slight musky note comes to take it's place. The longest part of the wear is like one of those white chocolate oranges with the slightest hint of musk. This is definitely an interesting one. Fairly light throw, moderate duration. If this is re-released, I may have to buy a bottle.

[lyricalwaters]

Bottle: Chocolate! It's the exact same OMG BROWNIES smell that I get from Bliss, so apparently my nose can't tell white chocolate from regular chocolate. Then there's definitely something citrus back there, too.

 

Wet: Oooooh, a chocolate orange. The citrus is a LOT stronger now, still chocolate, but with a little floral back there, too. I kind of want to eat my wrist.

 

Dry: The chocolate fades over time, leaving a strong, sweet orange smell with a floral background. It's FANTASTIC.

 

That's me being sad because I doubt I'll find a bottle of this formulation now. Awwww.

[bulletslc]

Mmmmmm.....Brach's chocolate orange sticks!! and a hint of a floral! Very different from the oct 06 version but just as yummy in a different way! And it lasts forever on me....with little change from first application except to get a bit softer.

 

Managed to track down a bottle of this as well

 

Now....I just need to try the 07 version! Ha!

[modernsaints]

Got a half-frimp from a lovely swapper (whose name I've misplaced, as I am made of fail)

 

Chocolate, with a bright fruit note spicing it up, but something feels a bit dusty and off - I couldn't explain what. Decidedly not me, and I'm starting to think iris is a Hate Note. Boo!

[hackess]

Imp: Orange heavily dusted with cocoa powder.

Wet: Cherry vanilla, which quickly gives way to white chocolate tinged with orange. Candied fruit slices! (I could just be saying that because everything with orange makes me think of candied fruit/fruit-flavored gummy candy.)

Dry: White chocolate coating my wrists. I want to lick them. I didn't get any floral or wood notes, but I'm okay with that. For the first time, a chocolate/fruit scent might actually work for me.

[stasha]

This is for the January '06 blend.

 

In the Imp: Chocolate and tea. It's very sweet and sophisticated.

 

Wet on Skin: I can definitely detect that it's white chocolate a lot more now. There's also a bit of orange coming through that blends in beautifully with the tea.

 

Dry Down: This is a really great chocolate scent. I didn't like either of the 13 '07 blends but this is a comforting, delicious blend. It reminds me of the chocolate oranges I get every Christmas.

 

I'm pretty sure this will hit my big bottle list.

[alicia_stardust]

This version of 13 smells like pure, smooth chocolate with a lovely hint of tangerine and currant. It reminds me of those orange-chocolate candies, or of fruit and chocolate liqueur. This wears very foody, and after it has been on my skin for a while the chocolate turns into WHITE chocolate! Lovely!

[500ml]

This is for the original version:

 

Uhm, I don't like. Chocolate cakeyness with carrot, bordering on gingerbread and bitter cookie crumbles. I'm certain I can smell some honey and something citrusy in this, but I just don't like it To be honest I wasn't expecting I would, but I just wanted to try it out.

[aleciarivas]

Hm!!! Chocolate berry tea? I like it, but not as much as some of the other Thirteens. Can't smell any iris, though. Not that I am sure what Iris smells like!!!

 

Hmmm.... I think I will pass this one off...

[Gwydion]

The scent description matches the contents pretty well. In the bottle it smells like white chocolate orange truffle, with the tea and iris coming out to mingle once it's on the skin. Not my thing, but tasty enough if you like smelling like tea, candy and flowers. It retrospect, this is a very valentine kind of fragrance. Tends to go powdery with wear.

[semuelle77]

I recently received an imp of 13 in a swap. The fabulous swapper I got it from said she believes it is the original...so here I am.

 

Someone (maybe many) have mentioned that this is a complex scent. I have to agree. At first the chocolate was all I could smell, but very quickly that changed. Almost minute to minute this one changes on my skin. I swear each sniff smelled different. At first I did not think I was going to be a fan of 13. Once it completely dried down, I do like it. Soft, slightly sweet. It started as a strong foodie scent, but mellowed to a lovely blend of everything. I am definitely keeping the imp. I don't know that I will go out of my way to hunt down a bottle, but if I stumble across a bottle I was probably pick it up. OK, I definitely would.

[VioletChaos]

this is one of *three* delectable bottles i acquired off the lovely carnival noir, and i am most pleased with all

 

in the bottle: chocolate! straight up, no-holds-barred. reminds me slightly of scratch n sniff variety of me youth. :wistful:

 

wet on skin: more of the same, with the chocolate opening a bit to become lighter, more 'real'. also the orange is peeping out just a hair.

 

dry down: the choco love still dominates but is joined by a slight sweet-spicy combo that must be the currants.

 

in all: this is the second 13 i've tried (the other was the purple label) and i like this one for being a bit lighter and a little more complex. whereas the other seemed strictly for wintertime, i can already see wearing this one year round. yeah!

 

 

[gchris]

In Vial: chocolate cookies

 

Wet: The currant causes a gingerbread scent. The other notes blend well, I can smell a hint here and there but nothing that stands out specific.

 

Drydown:The currant is stronger with the orange giving a spicey cookie scent.

[indybear]

13 (Jan. 2006) smells to me like milk chocolate in the bottle.

 

On my skin, it smells more like cocoa and some vanilla, with a background hint of something artificial.

 

On my skin a little longer, I can smell a slight note of mandarin, but it’s almost overwhelmed by the cocoa. And the chocolate is starting to change into a more fake chocolate scent, like I smell in cheap chocolate-flavored lip gloss.

 

It does seem to be lasting well.

 

I really, really want to like this just from the description, but unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work well on me. I'll try it again, though, because I really want to give it a chance.

[CrazyPretzel]

This is the first and only 13 that I've sampled so far (how appropriate!). Thanks to GirlInDenial!

 

It is strongly milk-chocolate in the decant, but as it dries it becomes more sugary and powdery, probably from the iris. I'm reminded of the thick, cloying sweetness of white chocolate. It fades pretty quickly - not too surprising; after two years I'd expect the blend to break down somewhat. Definitely very sweet, foody, and chocolatey, and it has whetted my appetite for some other versions of 13.

[Ishtar]

I can't believe that I never reviewed this! This is one of my favourite BPAL blends. I missed the release of this oil back in 2005, but it sounded so great that I hunted down three separate decants. Needless to say, they are well-aged by now and I was surprised (very pleasantly so) to see that they have retained their intensity.

 

Actually, three years of cellaring have turned 13 into something even more divine than I remembered! Deeper, more chocolaty and better-rounded now that the bright citrus notes have mellowed with age. When I first got it, 13 seemed to be more changeable depending on my chemistry. It also was predominantly a tea blend, with sugary white chocolate in the background and high-pitched citrus hovering over the base notes. I loved it back then, but I had to be in the right mood to wear it.

 

The aged 13 is unmistakably all about the chocolate, with a very harmonious base of tea and soft fruit notes, their freshness cutting through the sweetness of the white chocolate. The iris has become stunningly beautiful and adds a touch of sophistication to an otherwise playful scent.

This is lovely and not cloying in the least, which is a good thing because... Major Throw alert!!! Not that there is anything wrong with that, but if you are a dabber, I would recommend applying with an even lighter hand than usual. As for me, I am currently sitting in a beautiful cloud of 13 and loving every second of it!