VioletChaos

Heart of the Lion is a perfume of recognition, accolades, and sovereignty. It amplifies charisma, courage, strength of spirit, and nobility of the soul, helps you to achieve your ambitions, and magnifies benevolent power. A dry, astringent, warming blend, it is perfect for warming others to you, reaching for promotions and acknowledgement of your achievements, dispelling despair and melancholy, and expanding the borders of your personal kingdom. This oil is your crown, scepter and orb; it is a radiant golden diadem of compassionate authority. Initial consecration of this perfume began on January 22, 2019 during the election in the hour of Jupiter, and it contains Egyptian frankincense essential oil (Boswellia serrata), mugwort essential oil (Artemisia alba), dry distilled fossilized amber oil (Oleum succinic), ylang ylang essential oil (Cananga odorata), white champa essential oil (Michelia alba), helichrysum, attar of oud, attar of Rosa damascena, golden vegetal musk, omubiri and frankincense resin, wild harvested Artemesia vulgaris. Each bottle contains garnet and citrine chips, and may contain plant material and resins. For this review, I'll be talking mainly about the scent and wear of this oil, but I will also make note of any particular feelings or occurrences that happen during the try-out. In The Bottle: *very* well blended. I'm getting whiffs of the resiny frankincense, the dry greenery of the mugwort and vegetal musk and the sweetness of the old and helichrysum. But it's not like I get strands of the individual notes here, it's just all part of a writhing stew that becomes greater than the sum of its parts. And that's *just in the bottle* Wet On Skin: As the oil warms on my skin, the vegetable musk seems to be gaining traction, coming to the forefront. I'm also noting something that reads ALMOST like geranium, which I suspect is the mugwort and damascus rose acting in collusion. The scent is very "green" in how its smells, which isn't a surprise, given the plant materials that make up the bulk of the blend. Dry Down: The scent definitely morphs a bit by the time it completely dries down and the color profile shifts from green to green-gold- again, appropriate, given the purposes of the oil! As with many of my favorite TAL and Lab Magick blends, once completely dry and settled in, the scent becomes more subtle. It's something I appreciate because I want my magickal working to often be my business alone, and having a scent be little more on the DL means I can layer other things on top of it, instead of having to concern myself with a random "oh, I need such and such blend to galvanize my dealing with the world and now I'm going to smell like camphor all day and that's the trade-off". Now that we're at the realized stage, the scent has become mild, dry and slightly sweet. It reminds me vaguely of the dessert and the mild plants that have adapted to growing in harsh places, like tumbleweeds. On an emotional level, I've noticed some feeling of bittersweet and melancholy rising to the top, which I think might be the the oil calling attention to those feelings that I've been carrying for weeks as this time of year marks the passing of a beloved family member. I think when I go visit his grave I shall anoint with this oil beforehand. In All: Low to medium throw- definitely start small and add more after you see how it'll react with your skin. A lovely oil that brings emotional clarity that I can see easily mixing with others to highlight feelings in rites and workings. A solid addition to any witch's toolbox!

I received #22 Frankincense as a frottle today (thanks, Lab!) so here's my take: In the bottle, it's a luscious thick sweet resin. The aging of this Frank has done it a world of good. Wet on my skin, I'm getting an undertone of something that's helping the frankincense stay on the sweeter side of things with none of the sharpness it can sometimes have. Dry down is the same lingering confusion I've had this whole time, because I'm usually really, really good at picking out individual notes. but then again, considering this bottle must've sat in the Lab for the last, oh, NINE YEARS, stewing in its own juices, I'd say I should be permitted my unknowableness concerning the exact breakdown of notes, suffice it to say that it's damn gorgeous and I will treasure this bottle for as long as any drops remain inside its amber depths. Thanks Lab!!!

There's coffee and tobacco fighting for the top spot immediately. The teak starts to come into play as soon as the oil warms up on my skin and makes it surprisingly masculine. Honestly? I kind of imagine this is what Don Draper would smell like: a damn sexy man's man. Dark, alluring and up to no good. I would NOT want my uncle to smell like this but I would absolutely be okay with a special friend smelling like this

In the bottle, it's a strange cacophony of cacao, lavender and white musk. Once it's warmed on my skin the cacao disappears and the lavender and musk seem to be a little more in alignment. At dry down, this becomes a predominantly white musk scent with the lavender bringing up the rear. It's clean and light as white musks tend to be. I can see choosing this on very warm spring and summer days and evenings.

I get no raspberries from this. However, what I *am* getting is a light, delightful strawberry candy with a little sugary vanilla cream plopped right on top. It's a super happy scent and very daytime wearable.

In the bottle: Coconut, cream, a little bit of wood. Wet on skin: the amber and coconut are doing something extraordinarily beautiful together, balancing each other so that this isn't a foodie scent but still retains both a sweet aspect and definitely recognizable coconut. Dry down: oh my. oh my oh my oh my. I always wanted to lover Obtala but couldn't do it because water notes of all kinds *despise* me. This is like if you took the coconut from Obatala and mixed it with Glowing Vulva, but replaced the teakwood with this sultry sandalwood. Still with me? If all the words I just wrote make you want this immediately, GET IT IMMEDIATELY. You will NOT be disappointed!

I am *also* getting a yogurt note! I think perhaps there's something in the mix that's maybe a little sour? But it's wonderful. As it dries, that aspect dissipates quickly, but a sweet plummy donut is what remains, and I am completely content with such an outcome! After full dry down, a little bit of the chestnut comes through at last and it a nice finish.

COFFEE!!! Also, vanilla ice-cream. This is a wonderful, well-balanced treat. The coffee note, to my nose, even has a sub-layer of chicory, which is often in French coffee. It might be a mind-trick on my part, but it certainly *smells* that way to me, and I'm totally delighted by the outcome of this tasty little scent!

YUMMY! I get vanilla bean, strawberries and a dollop of cream in the bottle, and the bit of orange rind starts to peek in just as the oil warms on my skin. The confectioner's sugar is definitely in the mix but thankfully not amping the way Lab sugars sometimes do on my skin. By dry-down this is a glorious foodie experience of vanilla bean whipped cream with strawberries and a bit of orange. so like a strawberry infused Crêpe Suzette! J'taime Crêpe Aux Fraises!

Yeah, this is all oudh, all the time. I *do* get a hint of the velvet musk, but as zankoku said, this is a major oudh fest to be sure. After dry down, there's a faint whisper of lavender, but this really is all about the oudh. The two other notes prevent this from becoming headshop city, but make no mistake, they are distant supporting players, like adding sugar to a thick tomato sauce. It's not suddenly candy- it's still very savory. Same thing here. It's alllllll about the oudh.

As a devotee os the much beloved and discontinued Safari -ESPECIALLY since I must travel so frequently!- I was simply delighted to see the release of another travel balm from the Lab! Based on the note lost, I knew it wasn't going to be anything like Safari, but I remain optimistic that this can become part of my further adventures out in the world. It's a very lemony scent in the bottle, very cheerful and inviting. Once on, the rosemary and eucalyptus are much more in the show, but in spite of all the invigorating notes, this oil is very comforting and soothing. Don't get me wrong- it's definitely uplifting, but in a "HOLY MOLY LET'S GET ON WITH THE SHOW!!!!" kind of way, but rather a "Hi! Did you need some tea to help wake you since you didn't sleep well on the flight?" kind of way. l will 100% be bringing both Travel Buddies AND Safari with me on my next trip abroad! ❤️

Montmartre is my favorite neighborhood in Paris. I love its dirty charm, its beautiful scoundrels, the back breaking hills and yes, that damn carousel. Even if this scent was nothing more than street sweat and filthy poop in a bottle, I'd have to have it in my collection. LUCKILY! -- it is actually a rather lovely scent that nicely encapsulates all the feels that I have for my beloved neighborhood in my beloved second home. Fruity tobacco with a little kick of spice at dry down, this is a great bottled story of the exact kind of are Montmartre is in all its sleazy, sacred, endearing glory. ❤️

In The Bottle: All leather, all the time. The leather is SO strong that I could actually catch hints of it *when I opened the shipping box*. That, my friends, is a whole lotta leather. Wet On Skin: As it warms on my skin, the leather takes a step back, thankfully. i'm not that big a fan of any leather note, and I blind-bottled this because I was hoping that the other notes would outweigh the beast-skin. The plum and opium are most dominant, holding their own against the leather, but it's still quite prevalent. Dry Down: Remember The Smiling Spider? It was a clove cigarette scent that all us goths simply HAD to have once upon a BPAL time. This is Smiling Spider's broody goth-metal cousin that listens primarily to Type O Negative, early Marylin Manson and Slipknot. The clove, incense plum and oudh are all present and accounted for, but none can push down that damn saucy leather that simple HAS to get its way. I put Smoke and Lace on one hand, Crinoline and Lace on the other, and when I bring them together, they indeed help each other out, the vanilla/musk of Crinoline taming the leather while the deep, broody notes of Smoke grounding Crinoline and give her some razorblades and eyeliner. I am going to let this age, as leather sometimes mellows after getting to rest a bit. I like Smoke and Lace enough as a layering component to lend some other sweeter perfumes a bit more depth, but I do hope all those broody notes will become a little more prominent with some additional time to marinate together.

In The Bottle: A very sheer, very light white musk with an equally sheer, very light vanilla. Nothing else yet! Wet On Skin: The vanilla/musk combination reminds me ever-so-slightly of how that combo showed up in Pink Wig Spray which, to be sure, is one of my all-time favorites. It's not the *same* but it's definitely the same *family*, which is good enough for me! Dry Down: No roses, no elemi and really, no coconut. On me, this is purely vanilla and light musk. It *also* reminds me a bit of OLLA Ava, and if you liked Ava or Pink Wig Spray, you should definitely check this out. Sweet, lovely and as the previous poster said, floofy - it's crinoline and lace in a bottle to be sure! ❤️

This is a new interpretation of a traditional Fast Luck intention blend, blessed by and consecrated to St. Expedite and containing flashes of his scents and colors.Vanilla oleoresin, red rose petals, alkanet, Ceylon cinnamon essential oil, ground cinnamon and cinnamon sticks, vanilla bean powder, coconut oil, pyrite, red and gold mica, and red jasper chips. The initial charge for this oil was made on December 20, 2018 during the primary St. Expedite election window, and it was subsequently charged every Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday through Epiphany, with boosts on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and Epiphany. Offerings of poundcake, candies, chocolate coins, spring water, incense, fire, coffee, whiskey, and rum were made in supplication during the process under the auspices of both St. Expedite and the Virgin Mary. NOTE: My initial reviews of this new batch of St Expedite oils will be based on two things, scent / wear and also energetic impressions. I will either update with magickal workings and outcomes here, later or I will post my reflections and findings in one of the TAL-specific groups. In The Bottle: Sweet vanilla and a hint of a baker's cinnamon (meaning, light and sweet, as opposed to an acrid or sharp variety) Wet On Skin: A continued delectable vanilla. It reminds me ever so slightly of the dense sweet vanilla in Love's Philosophy but the vanilla bean powder keeps this from becoming "just a foodie" vanilla. The cinnamon continues its supporting role, lending a depth that further keeps this from being a pedestrian vanilla. The combination is also reminding me of the Egg Nog scent of Yules past. But again, it's different somehow as well. Dry Down: Although it doesn't show on the skin, the bottle is thick with shimmering mica and the look and experience of this oil lends the weight of its divine purposes. There's nothing showy about this oil or its scent in the "Las Vegas bling bling " style (meaning, it's not a false glimmering). Rather, there's something that feels wonder-ous, glory-ous, adorational, about it all. The scent stays relatively true from bottle to dry down, with a nice, medium throw- a little goes quite a ways so resist the urge to be heavy-handed, unless that's a specific and important part of intent in your workings. I find that the mere application and settling in of this oil on my skin is imbuing a sense of hope to me at a time when i desperately need some. I anticipate getting and giving alot of love in regard to the universe and St. Expedite in conjunction with this oil. ❤️

This oil focuses on prosperity, money drawing, and the rapid acquisition of funds through the guidance and blessings of St. Expedite. It is a sweet, honeyed fast luck in money blend, and is suited for dressing ritual tools and as an offertory oil for the saint. Fossilized amber oil (dry distillation of Oleum succini), honey absolute, CO2 extract of clementine, Pimenta racemosa essential oil (steam-distilled), wild-harvested red rose petals, white sandalwood chips, resin of Pinus succinfera, sunflower oil, coconut oil, pyrite, and golden mica. The initial charge for this oil was made on during the primary St. Expedite election on December 20th, 2018, and it was subsequently charged every Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday through Epiphany, with boosts on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and Epiphany. Offerings of poundcake, candies, chocolate coins, spring water, incense, fire, coffee, whiskey, and rum were made in supplication during the process under the auspices of both St. Expedite and the Virgin Mary.  NOTE: My initial reviews of this new batch of St Expedite oils will be based on two things, scent / wear and also energetic impressions. I will either update with magickal workings and outcomes here, later or I will post my reflections and findings in one of the TAL-specific groups. In The Bottle: So, first of all, the mica is both far brighter and "chunkier" than the other two oils from this release, which makes sense to me. There's something very reassuring and cheerful about the display, like the liquid is letting you know instantly that you can have confidence it's going to help you with your money issues. I'm getting amber and some pine resin immediately, with a bit of the citrus Clementine bringing up the rear. I generally do NOT like evergreens in my fragrances, period, but this is so well-blended that it doesn't give me a "floor cleaner" vibe most others do, but rather, being in a lush, wintery forest laden with goodies hidden in or glistening on the surface of, snow. Wet On Skin: A tiny bit of the bright gold mica came out, leaving just a cute trace on my wrist and I am completely delighted by it! The amber comes out more strongly as the oil warms on my skin, which I welcome, since real, fossilized tree resin is one of my all-time favorites, both to wear and to keep on my altar. So all the amber boxes are getting checked right here! Dry Down: Fully dry, this scent is almost entirely amber now, but with an edge of that myrtle cutting through the sweetness. If you wanted to punch up the earthy-abundance-energy hit, I'd probably toss a little bit of oakmoss into the mix, or a minuscule dab of patch, but this cheery abundance-draw blend is great all on its own for sure. Love! ❤️

This is a general, all-purpose perfume oil for St. Expedite, appropriate for use in dressing candles, rosaries, conjure bags, petitions, and other items of power. Patchouli essential oil, vanilla bourbon absolute, ginger root essential oil, steam-distilled myrrh essential oil, Ceylon cinnamon essential oil, ground cinnamon, and cinnamon sticks, coconut oil, alkanet, pyrite, and red mica. The initial charge for this oil was made on December 20, 2018 during the St. Expedite election window, and was subsequently charged every Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday through Epiphany, with boosts on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and Epiphany. Offerings of poundcake, candies, chocolate coins, spring water, incense, fire, coffee, whiskey, and rum were made in supplication during the process under the auspices of both St. Expedite and the Virgin Mary.  NOTE: My initial reviews of this new batch of St Expedite oils will be based on two things, scent / wear and also energetic impressions. I will either update with magickal workings and outcomes here, later or I will post my reflections and findings in one of the TAL-specific groups. In The Bottle: A root-y blast of ginger followed by a dribble of very delicate vanilla. (this, so far, does not appear to be the same rich, pound cake-y vanilla in St Expedite Fast Luck) Wet On Skin: I'm still getting almost entirely ginger root. It's definitely a bit sweeter than my direct experience with pure, single finer root essential oil, and I assume that the patchouli and vanilla are responsible for the softening of edges here, though they're like backup singers here to strengthen only the voice of the lead- I would NOT say at this point that i can actually pull out either of those supporting notes; this is really a ginger scent, first and foremost. Dry Down: The ginger has become sweeter still with drying. There's something that's incredibly cozy about this scent, but not in a soft sweater kind of way, but in the way that one might see a family of hibernating furry animals in a winter forest, nesting in their soft earth, pine needles and leaves, noses buried in each other's fluffy tails. This oil is a *comfort*. One that implies strength, a solid shoulder to cry on, a trusted ally that will fight FOR you while you take a much-needed rest. I could see utilizing this when my energies are flagging and I would also layer this with some of my own well--aged patchouli to bolster intentions of speedy delivery in regard to all monetary, bodily or otherwise earth-energy-centric matters. ❤️

A sweet brioche cake with a hint of almond, glazed with cream cheese frosting and gleaming with purple, green, and gold sugar. I GOT ONE OF THE LITTLE KING BABIES!!! Thanks, Lab! On to the scent! In The Bottle: Oh, my heart. This is like opening a bottle of New Orleans (the actual place, not the perfume ) It's a sweet, sweet sugary sweet confection and I *love* it. It's like beignets load with powdered sugar and roasting pralines and walking through the Quarter. *Swooooon* Wet On Skin: As it warms, it only gets better. The cream cheese frosting is coming into its own now, making me very much want to lick my own hand (don't do it! resist the urge!!!). Sugar notes can sometimes amp on me (Sugar Skull, I'm looking at you!) but this scent, despite three kinds of sugar, is staying well-behaved. Dry Down: As the scent settles in, it actually becomes more quiet and warm. The almond comes out a little and the brioche itself finally shows up, making the scent warm, sweet and foody, but less cake-y than originally anticipated. This is a joyous scent of celebration of the present moment with an eye toward a warm and satisfying spring. Just wonderful!

In The Bottle: I am hit immediately with a bright light pink rose that instantly brings me back to summertime in childhood, wearing my grandmother's rose perfume and rollers king up and down the street. It's an *ache* it's so intensely real. So that's the first thing. After a second bottles sniff, I get an edge of the granulated sugar in the background. I've no complaints! Wet On Skin: Warming up, this is becoming more like Victorian Rose Milk v.1, of which I am a fan, and which is to say the sugar has become slightly creamy and the rose has become slightly more "fresh"- I can smell a hint of the green stem in this mix now. Dry Down: This is all fresh rose and a hint of sweet cream on me. I'm sad I'm getting no orange blossom in the mix. I'll likely hold on to it and see how it settles, in about a month.

In The Bottle: The very-beloved gingerbread note that the Lab used in their Gingerbread Snake. Which is to say- delicious! Wet On Skin: Mostly still the spicy, sugary gingerbread I know and adore. Dry Down: This is more or less a Gingerbread Single Note on me. I really, really love that note (as I've already stated!) so while I'm a bit sad that the patchouli never showed up for me, I know this is going to age fabulously. And if it stays a true SN, I'll simply use some of my own well-aged patch to layer with it!

Apricot and blood orange with dragon's blood absolute, golden vanilla, chamomile, white honey, and oudh. Full disclosure- I adored the apricot-orange mix in 4 Seasons: Winter so much that I blind-bought TWO bottles of this just based on that other scent. Now I get to see if this was a genius move or a terrible idea! In The Bottle: Sweet apricot and tart blood orange, right off the bat. Wet On Skin: The orange starts to mellow as it warms on my skin, bringing the apricot right to the front of the line. The dragon's blood cuts through in the background with a slight edge of acridity, an unusual but perfect touch, considering the sweetness of the two dominant fruit notes. The white honey might be back there, too, but only by a hair. Dry Down: All of the above, but more finely tuned, less as separate entities, more an integrated phenomena. I get no vanilla or oudh, but they're not missed- this sweet, soft fruit scent is lovely as is, and I suspect that as we move further into spring, it will definitely become more and more of a go-to scent for me. In All: Low throw and just lovely, glad I got my bottles all lined up!

So, I actually reviewed the first iteration of this scent way back when in 2014 when it came round the first time. I'm going to copy and paste here below, and then post my review of this 2018 version underneath and see how it compares! 2014 Version: In The Bottle: YUM. I wasn't sure what to expect from the suet note, but having grown up with a bird-watching grandmother, I have plenty of background in the scent, owing to the frequency with which it's mixed with birdseed. Here, in the bottle, there's a smoky/fatty thing going on that adds something singularly rich and delicious to the sweeter, lighter, somehow fruity notes of the rest. Wet On Skin: Yup, still lots o' suet and, though not specifically listed in the notes, there's quite a bit of fruit going on round these parts. Again, there's a lovely balance here, I don't object in the least! Dry Down: Ahhh, *there's* the baked-sweets aspect I was waiting for! Like the Puddins of Trading Post yesteryear, there's a rather specific...'pudding' note that's present in here. I get no custard, sadly, but it's sugary and a bit buttery and, with the mystery fruits and the suet, it's making me incredibly sad that I can't eat my own hand. In All: Low throw, a nice, spicy-sweet food scent, for all the foodie-lovers out there. If you liked the TP's Puddin scents, get this- you won't be disappointed. 2018 Version: In The Bottle: I'm getting the custard first and foremost. The suet isn't present at this stage, but I'm unconcerned. I still have no idea what those "13 ingredients" are, but as with the 2014 version, there is something that reads as "mystery fruit" in the mix. Wet On Skin: As it warms up, I'm getting some of that rich treacle and a tiny bit of the smoky suet. Honestly, I wish the suet was more dominant in this scent, there's something intensely satisfying about wearing something that smells like mutton fat (buuuuuut maybe that's just me ) Dry Down: The suet *does* come out a bit more now that it's dried, and you shouldn't be alarmed by that! It doesn't come across as meat fat, it simply adds an incredibly rich density to this scent- everything here is rich and decadent and delicious. I'm not getting the "baked goods" thing that happened with the earlier release. Generally this scent seems to be a kissing cousin of the iteration but they were wise to name this scent a "redux", because while similar, it's absolutely its own thing this time around, and I LIKE IT.

So, I've thus far loved all incarnations of the Sufganiyot scents AND I love blueberry, so I'm RATHER excited to give this one a whirl! In The Bottle: Why, yes, that IS rather a large bloop of blueberry! It's definitely of the "blueberry jam" variety and not a fresh blueberry. I get a teeeeeeeny edge of fried dough, just off the end. My mouth is already starting to water! Wet On Skin: The blueberry is SO strong that it's nearly verging on becoming grape hubba bubba bubblegum. Nearly- but not quite! It's a very sugary fruit for sure. The fried dough has left, though I'm hoping that's temporary. Dry Down: Hmmm. This is less blueberry donut and more blueberries and custard. I can tell that the fried dough is trying- really trying! -to come on out, and it's possible that the bottle just needs more time to rest or age. I like it in that it fills the hole (no pun intended) that I had for a good blueberry jam scent, but it's lacking the fruit-fried-dough combination that I consider the hallmark of the other Sufganiyot scents. I'll give it a change to shift over the next month, but I might trade my backup bottle away... ETA: It's about 35 minutes later and at LAST, the fried dough has arrived! I honestly don't know if it's just a matter of needing to read / age more or what, but whatever the cause, this Blueberry has become a true Sufganiyot at last- yaaaaaayyyyyyy!!!!

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? During this distinctly ill-omened time, we’ve constructed a scent comprised of thirteen comforting, soothing notes, including three chocolates, coffee husk, molasses, smoked sugar cane, rum absolute, almond, cozy cardamom, black sage, coconut meat, red benzoin, and bourbon vanilla pod. In The Bottle: A spiced Mexican chocolate plus coffee and molasses. This is off to an EXCELLENT start! Wet On Skin: The bourbon vanilla comes out, mixing with the chocolate, to create a decadent, very adult version of a black-and-white milkshake, sans the dairy. Mmmmmmmmm. Dry Down: The chocolate becomes more of the soft and dusky semi-sweet variety that I've come to worship in Cacao Pod. In fact, now that it's dried, I'd say this is a close cousin of Cacao Pod, but with hints of dry, dark vanilla and coffee in the background. In All: I frequently get 13 scents and frequently wind up trading them away because inevitably something turns on my skin. But this one is n absolute keeper. PERFECT dry cocoa scent!