Thirteen (13): October 2006

[DamnSatyr]

In our paean to all the mysteries surrounding this enigmatic number, there are thirteen lucky and unlucky components: cocoa and vanilla beans, Mysore sandalwood, star fruit, orange rind, red amber, fig leaf, mimosa, rooibos tea, bourbon geranium, rose otto, nutmeg, and lavender.

In the Bottle: It smells just like chocolate syrup!

Wet: The orange notes came out very strong at first, but were quickly overtaken by the cocoa and vanilla. I can just barely get a hint of the rose as well. Perhaps the sandalwood, too, is in there trying to come out.

Dry: The lingering smell is the cocoa and orange. My husband told me I smelled like one of those chocolate oranges you can get around the holidays!

[juniperus]

Bottle: foody, the cocoa and vanilla primary

Wet: the same, but with a fresh floral feel behind them

Dry: much more floral, the cocoa and vanilla almost entirely in the background with amber and leaves coming forward, giving an almost forest-floor sort of feel

Later: we have achieved balance between the subtle foody, floral, and the forest!

[childoftime]

I have a bottle of this that came from a trunk show, and I have to say, it's absolutely stunning. I hadn't reviewed it earlier because I'm having an extremely hard time picking out notes for this and describing it, but I happened to put it on the day after I tested XCDL13, and they smell incredibly similar on me. My wife thought I was wearing XCDL13 again when I asked her to smell it! So the best way I know to describe it is XCDL13 with a wispy orange note.

[saralaughs]

I have a bottle of this that came from a trunk show, and I have to say, it's absolutely stunning. I hadn't reviewed it earlier because I'm having an extremely hard time picking out notes for this and describing it, but I happened to put it on the day after I tested XCDL13, and they smell incredibly similar on me. My wife thought I was wearing XCDL13 again when I asked her to smell it! So the best way I know to describe it is XCDL13 with a wispy orange note.

 

I have to say that Child o' Time may be on to something. This is the vanilla bean note I get from the mentioned proto above. Add a bit of orange and some cocoa and it's XCDL13 on drydown. Wow. Didn't ever put those two together but why not?

[Gold Dust Kitten]

This is my favorite 13 by far! It's an soft herbal vanilla-cocoa in the bottle, and on my skin there's a strong sandalwood note very much like the one in Underpants. I smell a teeny bit of lavender, but it's not the awful diaper smell I get in other Lab lavender blends. The lavender fades quickly, and it gets a little Dorian-esque with the rooibos tea and mimosa.

 

I suppose there is some similarity to XCDL13's vanilla from heaven on the dry down, but it's vanilla with Mysore sandalwood and a tiny twist of orange peel.

[milo]

I've heard that this is the best '13', so when it was up on e-bay, I managed to snag a bottle on one of the lab's auctions. In the bottle and briefly on, this is a warm vanilla with a touch of orange. I can't comment on the similarieties to XCDL13, but the orange here smells quite a bit like the orange in Jingo Kogo, a blend that I love. Dry, a musky vanilla, with the barest hints of orange, with the sandalwood holding it all together and keeping it from being too foody. This is AMAZING, and so glad I got a bottle.

 

I just had to add that I was racking my brain trying to figure out what else this reminded me of, so I did a side by side of Storyville. The two end up being very similar, though '13' is more vanilla and slight orange, ande Storyville is more spice. Both have the boozy vanilla quality.

Edited November 27, 2011 by milo

[Magycmyste]

In the bottle: chocolate and sweetness, with a touch of nutmeg. I'm pretty sure the vanilla's playing nicely with the chocolate, and I just can't pick it out because it blends so well

 

Wet on skin: Still a warm chocolate. I'm picking up something else a little bit herbally, but I can't quite tell what.

 

Dried down: Still getting the chocolate, but I think some of the other notes are coming out to play more, though they're playing hide and seek, apparently. I get enough to tell there's something there (and I think I'm getting hints of the sandalwood and the tea, but I'm not sure), but not enough to be able to pick out distinct notes. MAybe a bit of the geranium or lavender, but I'm not quite sure.

 

Throw: This has a little bit of throw. I don't need to hold my wrists up to get the chocolate, at least. Maybe the other notes will come out more in time.

 

Verdict: ***** This is primarily chocolate on me, but I'm not going to complain about that. I wish I'd gotten a bit more of the sandalwood, but it's still a lovely, lovely scent, and the chocolate scent just makes me happy.