Thirteen (13): April 2012

[portalkat]

This 13 contains thirteen flowers of good luck swirled in white chocolate and a touch of honey: white carnation, stephanotis, blood-flower, yellow rose, eggplant flower, tiare, chamomile blossom, champaca flower, pink heather, wild orchid, pink peony, sweet basil flower, and Bells of Ireland.

This 13 reminds me of the 7/07 release with the pink label and a bit of the one with the orange label. It has sort of the creamy tropical feel that of the 07, although the florals are not the same except for the orchid. I think that the tiare and wild orchid are giving it that same sort of feeling and they do both share the white chocolate which gives it that creaminess. The 7/07 release was always one of my favorites, so I am loving this newest one as well.

[becca_s]

This 13 is mostly white chocolate on me. I wore it to work this morning and one of my co-workers commented on where the smell of chocolate was coming from. I said that it was probably me and put out my wrist for her to smell and she said it smelt really good.

The longer that I wear this the sweeter and more floral it becomes. There isn't one flower which stands out from the rest here, it just all blends into a soft, sweet floral complimented by the white chocolate. This lasts all day and has pretty good throw. I am happy that I brought a bottle

Edited May 9, 2012 by becca_s

[Invidiana]

This 13 is so different from any of the others, and I am really liking it. It's all honeyed wildflowers on a creamy soft base. I pick out random flowers here and there, especially the chamomile blossom (a little strong in the beginning but calms down eventually) and champaca, but they all harmonize into something really pretty and even soothing on the drydown. Some of the 13s have been too sharp and herbal for me, but this one is a winner!

[angelamaria]

In bottle: whoa~ floral. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised--this many floral notes, I'm bound to not recognize any one of them. It's a complex, heady bouquet, multicolored with deep slashes of color. There are dark, heavy, and almost dragging floral notes mixed with bright and breezy ones. If this was a sound, this would be nearing cacophony...in my opinion anyway. I can't really get at the white chocolate, but there is a definite creamy base here. The other notes just might be too distracting for me to really get that white chocolate scent.

 

Wet on skin: heady florals with a hint of chocolate. Not exactly what I was hoping for--the florals are threatening to make a racket in my head. Actually, at this stage, the florals are on an even ground with the chocolate--I can definitely get whiffs of that lovely chocolate--but it's like they're competing with each other. The florals keep swamping the chocolate while the chocolate keeps bouncing back.

 

Dry: okay, I had to give this like two, three hours to settle on my skin. Honestly, wet and newly dry, it's a crazy heady mix of flowers. But about two hours in, the florals have actually tamed considerably, and the blend that I've been looking for comes out--a spicy, creamy chocolate with an almost tropical feel, but nowhere near being foody. This part--this part is divine. This part is what I want that wet and newly-dry phase to be like. A non-foody but delicious chocolate, spiced with flowers, sweet and silky and with faint slashes of color.

 

Verdict: totally on the fence with this one. The wet and newly dry stage is overwhelming for me, I wouldn't be able to wear this as it is--I'd get a headache right at the start of my day, and that would be horrible. I'll have to age this as see how the florals turn out.

[ajansuz]

This is completely different from any other 13 I have. My collection only goes back to August 2010. Anyway, wow. In the bottle it's creamy white chocolate, honey, and a cacophony of florals that manage to be heady without being headache inducing. Seriously fragrant. (I love the label, too.)

 

Wet, I am so thrilled that I get the white chocolate and honey right away. The rose in particular amps on me, and I can also individually pick out the champaca and peony. The rest combine in a sort of background sweetness with a hint of spice. I'd guess I have carnation to thank for that.

 

This stays gorgeous during the dry down phase. The throw is medium, and it lasts for several hours. The overall impression is a creamy honeyed white chocolate with a burst of fresh floral. I adore it, and I've received tons of compliments every time I've worn it.

[The Planet Queen]

In the bottle: very floral, it reminds me of wild flowers. I do detect a hint of chocolate.Wet: to me I smell fresh picked daisies, mums, peony, and a hint of chocolate mingling . When I close my eyes it's like I see predominately yellow flowers and a few white. I love white chocolate so I'm sniffing my wrist endlessly it seems to be playing hide and seek with me.Dry: the chocolate finally steps forward and the wild flowers have been tamed. They turn softer, sweeter, less crisp that just picked or cut smell is gone. There is a slight powdery scent that is secondary but pleasing.Overall: I like it . It has medium throw and wear time. Im glad I got it.

[zankoku_zen]

This is definitely FLOWERS with a hint of white chocolate. I get mums, peony, and more flowers all gilded with white chocolate. Sweet, floral blend. The honey shows up in the drydown. Very sweet.

 

Too foodie for me, but it is a lovely bouquet of flowers.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: White chocolate... and flowers! They compliment each other beautifully. I'm loving this, and I'm not a big fan of florals. I detect a bit of honey, too.

 

Dry: Creamy florals, with just a hint of white chocolate. This is lovely. I think the white chocolate and honey are keeping the florals from going soapy on my skin.

 

 

4/5

[Incendiare]

In the bottle, this is white chocolate blended with peony and tiare. Wet, it's the same, although I find that the tiare is the most prominent floral in here thus far. It's a creamy floral without being too sharp. I was a little worried that this would be too heady. After a couple minutes, I can detect the faint wild orchid in the background. The honey is very faint too. It almost goes unnoticed on me.

 

This is only the third 13 that I've tried but it is definitely my favourite.

[karihan]

White chocolate is one of those either/or notes for me; it's either creamy and delicious or plasticky and yuck, no middle ground. Between that worry and the fact that past 13 blends have been dusty-sharp-medicinal-herbal disappointments, I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best when I got my bottle.

 

In the bottle and wet on my skin, I smell a really pretty, complex blend of flowers with sweet creaminess in the background. The flower notes are fresh and bright, not loud, soapy or powdery. I get a hint of green, but only a hint.

 

Dry, this one doesn't morph much. The white chocolate and honey intensify, but never to the point of taking over from the floral bouquet. Until I smelled this, I would never have believed that you could have that many floral notes playing this nicely with each other! I can pick out a few of them, particularly the carnation, tiare and peony, but nothing overwhelms anything else.

 

Final verdict: This is wonderfully balanced and unique on me. Finally, a 13 for me to love!

[sunlitgarden]

Based on previous reviews I think this one is highly chemistry-dependent, because I had almost an entirely different experience.

 

In the bottle, there's a lot going on here. I smell the white chocolate, some sweet flowers, and also a kind of vegetal note (possibly due to the eggplant and basil flowers.) Wet on my skin, it smells much the same as in the bottle. I don't know that I would have identified this note as white chocolate. It smells more like a light milk chocolate to me. It's a little herbal and green. As it starts to dry I'm getting light chocolate and the herbal note, which sounds weird from the description, but it isn't unpleasant, although it is a bit unusual. The sweeter notes start to come out more as it dries. There's a bit of a planty-sour note though, and it just made me sneeze...

 

It's fairly dry now, and I'm starting to get the honey, but the slightly sour vegetal note is still there. I'm disappointed that the florals I like (carnation, rose, peony, etc) are completely absent from my skin. It also is still making my nose itch/run. This is the first allergy-type reaction I've ever had to a BPAL. I unfortunately don't think this one is a keeper.

 

EDIT: So, I just tested Pink Moon '12, and have a very similar result on my skin -- slightly sour note and NO florals. I think my skin and this white chocolate note just don't get along. (No sneezing though; that seems to be something in the 13.)

Edited May 26, 2012 by sunlitgarden

[Little Bird]

At first, this 13 smells almost identical to The Last Unicorn. The chocolate has an earthy edge to it, and there are lots of perfumey florals and a hint of sharp greenery. It smells a bit sour on my skin. The drydown isn't as funky, but it's still a very sharp, perfumey white floral that reminds me of cheap drugstore perfumes. And the chocolate/sweetness just doesn't smell right to me. It's an odd scent that reminds me of eating a piece of chocolate with perfume on my hands, and getting that bad taste in my mouth.

I normally love carnation, rose, tiare, heather, orchid, and peony, but this is like a white floral disaster on me

[Aldercy]

This is shockingly good on me and the only 13 to work so far. It's mostly soft white chocolate with an herbal overtone. The floral notes are not too strong, but I do get a whiff of carnation. It shifts a lot from one moment to the next, but it's always good.

[Ghost of a Rose]

In the vial: Chocolate, with non-specific flowers.

 

On me, wet: The florals are equal to - and maybe a little stronger than - the chocolate. I like this.

 

On me, after 15 minutes: The florals are still there, but the chocolate is definitely taking over.

 

After 30 minutes: Still the same, including the strength/throw. The flowers and chocolate are nicely balanced - it isn't too foody, nor aggressively floral (for those who don't care for florals - personally I love them, the stronger the better.) The two main themes complement each other and blend together beautifully. This would also be a lovely fragrance for Valentine's Day.

 

After 45 minutes: The honey is coming out more strongly, becoming a distinct presence rather than just blending in with the chocolate. The scent has gone a bit plastic, but not enough to make it unpleasant. It's probably my skin causing that; it seems to happen with many sweet foody notes.

 

After 1 hour: It has begun to fade, becoming slightly more plastic as it fades. But still quite nice. Otherwise much the same.

 

After 2 hours: Very faint. Only a trace - mostly of chocolate - remains.

 

After 3 hours: As faint as it was an hour ago, I'm surprised to find that I can still smell this on my wrist. The warmth of chocolate is particularly distinct, but the overall fragrance is much the same.

 

After 4 1/2 hours: A weak but pleasant note of chocolate lingers on.

 

 

Verdict: I don't like foody perfumes, but I really like this feminine scent. The florals balance the chocolate out beautifully, making it a nice all-purpose fragrance. The scent stays quite consistent - all of the changes I've mentioned are subtle - until so late in drydown that it is virtually gone anyway.

My rating: 4 stars

[milo]

I should know by now that white chocolate is a death note for me, but I keep trying in hopes I'll prove myself wrong. I'm getting delicious sweet, fresh floral, but it is being marred by fake WHITE CHOCOLATE. Maybe it smells great on others, but on me, the lab's white chocolate note is funk.

[Mechanical Death]

this is a strange blend, but I like it.

 

The strange mixture of florals are bright, a bit sharp and herbal, but carry a beautiful deadly perfume. It's a unique mix, and I can live with it's oddness, which I feel enhance the blend.

 

The white chocolate adds sweetness, creaminess, and warmth, and keep the florals from being too sharp, and the honey adds richness. I don't smell it outright, but I can smell it in the background layered in when I sniff. It's the last thing I smell after the other notes dissipate.

 

I was worried when I put it on my skin at first-- it was just sharp herbal florals, but it was controlled, so I held out hope for it. I'm happy I found this lovely bottle of 13.

[BuxomM]

It starts off a kind of greenish scent, soft throw. As it dries I get a bit of stronger green floral, not sure which. I'm not familiar with the majority of the notes. It's not in your face sharp, perfumey, old womaney floral, or sharp green, but a smooth floral green. I prefer foodie 13's but this is nice.

Edited May 7, 2013 by BuxomM

[mymymai]

ITB: White chocolate, honey, basil flowers, heather, rose and some "blue" smelling flower of which I'm not sure.

 

Wet: White chocolate and strong wildflowers are the most evident - heather, basil chamomile, carnation, followed by sweet yellow rose, champaca flower, and tiare. It's certainly much more floral than any other 13 I have tested.

 

Dry: Now that the scent has had a few hours to settle, it's mellowed into white chocolate, honey, tiare, and wild flowers. It's pretty, actually.

[anaengel]

First, I have to admit that this is from my notes from a year ago. So, I will add to this next time I wear it. So, on with the history review.

When it is in the bottle, I smell chocolate with flowers in full bloom. Actually it reminds me a lot of Pink Moon 2012. Since I like the scent, this is a very good thing.

As soon as it hits my skin, the morphing begins. I'm still getting the flowers from the bottle. There's a minty background with a hint of woodsy feel. But, the flowers slowly fade til only rose and heather remain. When that happens, a faint hint of the chocolate, mint, and honey finally show. It is a nice scent that lasts quite a long time.

This perfume is one that does not become too heavy, yet are not too faint that I don't notice it. It is mostly a spring scent to me. It seems like something pastel in scent. I can see this being worn when I want to smell of flowers.

[TorchedEarth]

I get chocolate & orchid, which I love. It's really nice.

[vanilla323]

This was mostly white chocolate with too many florals and some soapy notes. It's the first 13 I ever got and I just feel at the end of the day there is too much going on. The white chocolate note was nice but the florals and soapiness were making this not work for me. Glad I got to try a 13 though. That was fun! It had good throw and lasted maybe an hour on me.

[LizziesLuck]

Chocolate and grass! Surprisingly pretty! I didn't know if the chocolate would hold up under all those florals, but it does. I am finding all of the floral notes to be rather green, which I am enjoying - no screechy white florals here.

 

I have found most of the 13's to be sadly similar on me - single note chocolate, despite how many other notes there are. This one is different though, it's like a floral take on a gourmand, interesting and different. I like it, but will pass it on for someone else to try and enjoy also.