Thirteen (13)

[moon_lemming]

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.

Here's the short review: YESSSSS! This is the first BPAL oil that I've gone head-over-heels for (I've only tried five or six so far, so that's not saying a lot, but still). I am in love. Hee. And here's the long review:

In bottle:
Chocolate and oranges. Oranges dipped in a vat of chocolate. But the chocolate is strange . . . I think this might be the "white chocolate" scent a lot of reviewers mentioned.

Wet:
I love this wet. It still smells like citrusy white chocolate, but there's a floral note mixed in there, too. As it dries, it seems to be picking up more florals. It's weird but delicious.

Dry:
And I love it even better dry. It's a sweet floral (not obnoxiously so) coated in white chocolate. Generally, I can't pick out specific floral notes to save my life, so I'm no good there, but this is a very pretty scent. I think of the florals as small white flowers. I think I smell the white tea, too. It's another one for the "florals I'll actually wear without gagging" column. LOVE.

It only lasts about six hours on me, but that's what reapplying is for, right?

Should it stay or should it go?
13's a keeper (and one that both my nose and my skin like!), and I'm definitely on the prowl for more imps of it to decant into my partially full bottle (undecant?). Next Friday the 13th, which will arrive in January 2006, I'll be nabbing a 5ml if I have the cash.

[iriedanym]

13 is definately a lucky number for me. In the bottle, it smells mostly of chocolate, but not in the same was as Bliss. On the skin...it's like one of those chocolate oranges you can buy at the grocery store. The white chocolate is prevalent, with a splash of orange being playful with it. It's a great scent for this time of year, especially this close to Halloween (Samhain).

[crescentwench]

In the bottle: sweet sugary white chocolate, and hints of citrus -but very very faint. It's much sweeter than i expected. I wanted 13 to be a bit on the darker side, but it's kinda light and airy, but rich.

 

On me: the sugar smell just overpowers everything. after an hour it doesn't even smell chocolatey, just sugary sweet. It drives me nuts. None of the yummy tea and fruit i had dreamed of. I had hoped it would be more choclatey than sugary with bold citrusy/fruity things happening, but on me it's just like a bunch of children o.d.ed on their halloween candy. yech.

[tansil]

This should have been lovely, but the white tea and iris made it go all floral and banged up the chocolate. When they faded it was just a pale citrus. I kept hoping the chocolate would come back and it just never did. Woe!

 

My skin just is *not* a fan of white tea, mores the pity.

[CLFilm]

I absolutely adore 13 - I'm so lucky to have received an imp of it. And now I'm absolutely dying for the next Friday the 13th so I can order many bottles.

 

I'm still kinda new at this so I don't write the greatest reviews, apologies in advance. Add that to the fact that, to me, 13 is such a well-blended scent I can barely pick out any individual notes. The white chocolate jumps out first in the imp and that's all I can smell, but on my skin it changes to this incredibly warm, sweet (but not toooo sweet) scent, bolstered by citrus and flowers - but it has this complexity and deepness that I wouldn't expect from a citrus/flower scent. I get mesmerized by it whenever I put it on. To me it is a great winter scent - warm and white-gold. LOVE.

[karintheswede]

in the imp - Cocoa powder. Hint of vanilla?

 

wet - It's even drier cocoa now. This is cool.

 

drydown - foody. Chocolate brownies, but not sweet. There might be coffee in here. Something smells roasted.

 

Later - still foody, but rather faint. I really like Thirteen.

 

Still later - It's been almost sixteen hours since I applied, and I still smell cocoa. I've been really hungry all day, too. Not for sweets, oddly enough. The people around me have made sniffing faces all day, so it has throw.

 

I really need a big bottle of this, come the next Friday the 13th.

[SeaMonkey]

In the vial, its very chocolatey. Something I'd probably want as a room scent, but not to wear. i'm not a foody person.

 

I tried it on the skin anyway, and the chocolate went away and it became very orange and flowers. Nice, but not me. A little too fruity and flowery

[white_jenna63]

I'm new to scents, so I can't identify everything as well as I like.

 

In the bottle and on first application, this is chocolate with a little orange. It would be lovely if it stayed that way. However, it dries down to a powdery chocolate, which is okay, but not great. I'll definatly use my gifted imp but I don't think I'll be getting a bottle.

[lemonade]

HMMMM.

 

 

To say I am confused is an understatement.

 

I like the smell in the bottle although its a little to overpowering for me. Its kinda like floral chcolate tea with too much mandarin peeking through. I wanted more white chocolate raisin type smell. I wish i got the earthy scent some of you have described. OOO now it changes again and its all florally. This is a forever morphing scent. HMMMM now the floral gives way to a chocolatey smell. This scent is so complex, the most complex ive tried yet.

 

I cant decide whether i like it or not, its almost TOO indulgent and heady but it doesnt seem to make me feel icky.

 

It reminds me of a chocolate orange cake drenched in brandy or sherry cream sitting on a plate with tiny delicate flowers hand painted by a Japanese girl.

 

The cakes gorgeous but too sumptuos for the plate and the cream needs to be lighter.

 

All in all i cant decide what i want to do with this bottle.

 

Im gonna keep it and try it 3 or 4 times more before i make my final decision.

 

 

It doesnt seem as if anything can knock my fave layered one off the top spot

 

thats gingerbread poppet and jack

 

 

YUM

[amberdulen]

Creamy white chocolate and orange, with tons of other little notes hovering--is that a floral? Vanilla? Something spicy? This is one scent that keeps my nose pegged to my wrist. Slightly stronger than I like, but good enough that I don't care. I am so getting a full bottle in January.

[LushNatty]

In the bottle: Mmmmmmm! Chocolate and nut! Smells like a Hershey’s Almond bar, or chocolate-covered almonds, or something.

Applied: Wow—this really has a strong throw, which I was totally not expecting. I smell really yummy, really like a chocolate-covered almond tastes. It’s just a little….toasted to wear on my skin, though, I don’t know…

Half an hour later: there’s something sweet that has emerged, like sugar. And the throw has almost totally disappeared, except for the sweet sugar smell. It smells a bit like cotton candy, but not exactly. Hmmmm..sugar and violets, maybe?

It’s nice, but there are so many nicer ones that I will probably swap this so someone else can try it.

Then again, I may need to give this one another try. It may grow on me.

On a scale of 1 to 5: 3.

[Meg]

In the bottle: Chocolate cookies, with some orange and currants. Extremely foody.

 

Wet: *White* chocolate cookies, then the mandarin becomes more obvious, yummy! Then at some point it does a 180 on me and turns floral - the iris rears its fresh nose and dominates for a while with a very green note.

 

Drydown: The chocolate stays as a buttery undertone now. Slight orangey scents waft through slightly dark and bitter tea and currants. It also seems to be both powdery and creamy, which is really unusual. The iris has mellowed to a sweeter version, no greenness left.

 

Overall: I wouldn't wear it, but it's very nice to sniff, if that makes any sense. It's certainly incredibly interesting that all these ingredients can actually work together, and it's one hell of a complex and morphing scent, but the end result is still too foody for me to wear. It would probably make a very interesting candle though. I'm very happy to have an imp of this.

[metaldog32]

Thirteen...sigh...

 

It's been about 5 days of wearing Thirteen...I consider myself lucky/unlucky. Lucky because I get to try another BPAL scent..unlucky because the first review written for this was obliterated...

 

So...I am here again...the second time..to write this review so that I can move on to all the other wondefuly BPAL's I have that have been waiting patiently for me to sniff and experience....

 

___________________________________________________________________

 

Initial sniff from bottle: Rich chocolate..not so much milk though..kind of like rich brownie..without frosting..and some sort of citrus...must be the tangerine???Mandarin??? I sort of think I smell a nut like note too...this all smells foody.

 

Applied wet on skin: It's chocolate and tangerine/mandarin and the nut note oh my. The chocolate is like the rich brownie..or it could be like the really high end white chocolate truffles you get for the holidays or whenever...as I said..it's not overly sweet at all...just rich..with that tiny splash of citrus...

 

Couple of minutes on skin:No more tangerine/mandarin..it's all on me now a dry floral with some sort of maybe tea note on the end???I can smell the iris..that's the dry..but the other note..not sure..it could be tea...the chocolate note is now wayyy in the back..just a soft tinge of what it was a couple of minutes ago...this is definitely a morpher..at least on my skin..amazing when you think about it..how it changes face so quickly...

 

Drying on skin: Sometimes it is a touch of sweet dry floral with nut and chocolate tones..a minute or so later it's now chocolate/nut with touch of dry floral...I am not sure which is right. I know that the chocolate is still there..just more subdued..with the iris/tea/nut like notes switching for top billing on my skin. I don't thinkI ever got the currant but no matter..this has been baffling enough.

 

Drydown:Close to the skin...warm...foody with a touch of dry floral..that's what I am left with...funny...NOW I get the chocolate in the forefront again..with the other notes kind of weaving lazily in and out...one minute it's one note..a couple of minutes later..it's something else.

 

Lasting power of Thirteen is actually very good on me. I can get 12+ hours from this...but the throw is not huge..which actually is something I don't mind at all..it's a cozy scent.

 

Bottom Line: Thirteen although a bit of a foody scent...worked really well with me. It certainly kept me guessing...and I liked how it morphed. I like it as a fall scent..but I think it can work all year long. I especially like it layered over my Fleurs De Chocolat shea butter..that totally anchored the chocolate scent..and although I don't particulary usually like to smell like gourmand/sweet scents..this kind of worked as a cozy scent for me. My sis has Bliss..I am happy that I got a 5ml of Thirteen.It's not a "Holy Grail" scent for me..but I am happy it has a home with my collection.

[Miss Lynx]

Finally got to try this at the Toronto Meet'n'Sniff today, after being curious for some while. The Shapeshifter brought hers, not because she wanted to swap it, but because there's another Friday the 13th coming up in January, where it might make a comeback, so she thought people should be able to try it.

 

I really wasn't sure I'd like it, as I have had mixed success with foody scents, which seems to be most people's perception of this one. But I tend to like complicated and unusual scents, which this would also qualify as, so I was looking forward to trying it.

 

At first sniff I wasn't sure what I thought of it -- it did seem overly foody at first. Kind of part chocolate, part I-don't-know-what. But as it settled into my skin, it started smelling really nice. There was a lot more going on in there than just chocolate, though I'm not sure I could name or even describe most of it. And it was a fairly gentle scent, that could be nice for everyday wear. A bit reminiscent of Freak Show, which I also really like, and a bit like Vice, though considerably more complex than that one.

 

It did seem to fade fairly quickly, but I only had it on my wrist, and scents always fade fast there. All in all, I quite liked it, and I think if it does come back on January 13, I'll be snapping up a bottle for sure.

 

Grade: B+

[AngellicMystique]

This started as white chocolate and citrus. It's changed to a tea and citrus on me with florals, I think iris.

 

I was going to sell this, but fell in love the longer I had it on.

 

In the end, it morphed to citrus with teas and floral notes and a hint of white chocolate and stuck there.

[suitedaydreamz]

Egads! My first review!

 

I hope I do this right.

 

I got Thirteen for the only reason that my favorite number is 13 and I've quite become obsessed with it. Buying nearly anything and everything that has anything to do with the number.

 

Thus, I bought Thirteen.

 

However, I do believe I should have waited and bought it in January, afterall, it gets released again on my birthday. But then, I wouldn't have my loverly Thirteen to wear all day long that day.

 

Anyway, on to the review as I've quite spent too much time obsessing over its name.

 

In the bottle, the scent is insanely strong. Maybe chocolate? But I honestly think it's too strong to really pick anything out.

 

On my skin, I can definitely smell the chocolate, though it is still very strong. After a while, it dies down and it sort of morphs into this chocolatey-floral goodness. I absolutely love it, the scent is so gorgeous.

 

A bajillion hours later (more like eight) all I can smell is this faint scent of floralness.

 

A wonderful scent overall and it's definitely one of my favorites!

[Fefferbella]

Wow... heavy cocoa out of the vial, but almost immediately it fades to something much more complex and delicious!

 

This reminds me of a combination of Bliss and Dorian with a hint or orange blossoms and vanilla.

Eventually the cocoa note was gone and the orange blossom/vanilla blend with a faint hint of floral sweetness remains.

[Voleuse]

This is the May 2005 version. Since there's reissue of this scent expected on 13-Jan-06, I thought I should try this out to see if it's to my tastes.

 

On first application, this is all chocolate with a hint of citrus. Mmmm. As it dries, the chocolate stays strong, but there's also a lovely floral note underneath it. Overtime, the tea gets stronger as well, and there's an earthy note to it as well--not dirt, but something that makes the scent more robust, somehow. And I think I get a hint of berries as well.

 

Over time, the chocolate becomes perfectly balanced with the fruity and floral notes. In the downtown area of my city, there's a chocolatier located next to a flower shop. This blend smells like standing exactly between these two shops, and breathing deep. Definitely a keeper.

[perclexed]

I believe mine is also the May '05 version, but I wanted to take this scent for a test run before deciding whether to order it in the live update.

 

In the bottle: Definitely a light, creamy chocolatey scent.

 

Wet: Definitely chocolate, with a bit of floral.

 

Drying: I'm getting some evergreenish notes that smell like Skadi in the bottle. It's sort of like walking through the men's cologne dept at a mall store. There's a soft powdery note that is common to many BPAL scents that really doesn't work on me. Trepedation is setting in.

 

Dry: The mandarin and the tea are really out in force now, but to my nose they don't go well with the chocolate and powder.

 

I really wanted to adore 13, but alas, I think this one is just not for me.

[stardreamer]

I got this back in May, but am only now getting around to posting a review. Since it's being re-released for January 13th, my timing is fortuitous!

 

In the bottle and fresh on, this is CHOCOLATE -- almost as thick and rich as Bliss. Sadly, the chocolate note fades out after less than half an hour, and what's left is sweet, soft, and mostly coconut with a bit of fruity undertone. I never get any citrus, but that's no surprise; Beth's citrus notes fade very fast on my skin, and they're probably buried under the initial chocolate blast. Nor do the tea and floral notes put in much of an appearance. I think I'm left with coconut and currant, but that doesn't bother me a bit! Now I'm wondering whether the chocolate would hold out longer if I layered it over Bliss, which does have decent staying power on me.

 

Speaking of staying power, this is pretty good; 12 hours on and it's faded but still present. Bottom line: definitely a keeper.

[lady_pandora]

Oooh, now this is quite nice!

I can't pick out all thirteen notes, but what I am getting is white chocolate mixed with booze for the first fifteen minutes or so, then the booze vanishes and leaves a sweet white chocolate. It's subtle, and there's a hint of floral underneath, so it isn't as foody as it sounds. But it's very, very nice, if you like white chocolate at all. I love this one!

 

ETA: I forgot I'd reviewed this back in the day!

 

Anyway, aged 10 years, this original 13 starts out kind of cloying for a few minutes and then turns into pleasant white chocolate over orangey citrus. I was going to guess blood orange, but apparently not! Gradually, over the course of the day, the white chocolate recedes and it gets more citrusy. By afternoon, this is Iulia's sister. I can't actually pick out the tea note in either, but I'm guessing it's adding to the similarity along with the citrus notes. I really like this!

Edited November 13, 2015 by lady_pandora

[lyri]

I got this imp at a meet n sniff and now wish that I had ordered a bottle when I had the chance!

 

In Bottle: Smells exactly like the chocolate oranges to me. Delish.

 

On Skin: It starts off as it was in the bottle, but slowly changes into a less-foody version, with what might be a floral scent changing it. Very slight coffee-tang, but the over-all scent is very sweet and unique. I don't think it has much throw, but then I had my nose near my wrist for a few hours after applying.

 

Great scent!

[harmonyfb]

In the bottle...well, I couldn't really distinguish any particular scent. Huh.

 

Wet: Oranges. Juicy, sweet, delicious oranges. It was so refreshing that it actually made me laugh. I thought to myself, well, there's one for the keeper box. Ha.

 

Dry: One minute it was delicious oranges, and the next? I'm suddenly reminded of Halloween! Know why? Because my wrist smells like the inside of those rubber masks they sell at the party stores. The hell?

 

I'm so very disappointed, because I wanted to adore this one - and if it had only stayed with the initial citrus tang, I'd have been thrilled. ::sigh::

[mandragora]

In the vial: YOWZA! Is that sweet or what? It's in your face creamy white chocolate.

 

Wet on me: Still saccharinely sweet, though with a bit of tang. Maybe it's the citrus coming out.

 

Drydown: Tangy, sweetness starts to soften. It's making me sneeze. There's tea and floral but they're in the background. After a while, it's just generic bitter powder scent.

 

A very unique scent, but sadly doesn't work with me. Off to the swaps.

Edited January 24, 2006 by mandragora

[Sara]

Sniff - Umm.... Tootsie Rolls? Blech, I hate tootsie rolls! The cheapest of all chocolate! And there's a whiff of orange in there..like cheapie orange chocolates.

 

Swipe - Very *pow* in just the teeny amount applied... the cheapie chocolate smell and orange smells are coming out better now, and orange is making out like a king. The citrus smells a lot nicer and "richer" than the chocolate, which is still conjuring up images of tootsie rolls, not the savory, creamy white chocolate as originally hoped for. Other notes are surfacing as well, but I kinda suck at picking them out. I think I can detect multiple citrus bits, but the rest is leaving me blank.

 

Drydown - Hmm... about an hour after applied this reminds me a bit of AC's Boo, a kind of creamy vanilla with the suggestion (but not actual) of powder. A couple of hours later it's a little sweeter with the pinch of (imagined?) spice...

 

Overall - I'm kinda stumped. 13 was a blend that I'd regretted not getting before (forgot), and it was a freak chance that I happened across the BPAL site this time.... Anywho, I'd hoped for creamy white chocolate swirled with juicy citrus; but got cheapie tootsie rolls married to an orange that it doesn't deserve (although it's equally cheap in the bottle). And the drydown doesn't have much to do with either initial notes, instead becoming a soft, sweet drydown of a mish-mash of notes...which I already have in the form of other perfumes.

 

They can't all be winners. I'll give this one a month to settle, mix more thoroughly, and age a little...then it could be on its way. At least one of my freebies is totally giving me the love.