Thirteen (13): October 2006

[LiberAmoris]

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.

Yum, this reformulated 13 rocks my socks! It's like a complicated creamsicle on me, with the chocolate and sandalwood and lavender all coming through at various moments and wafting about me. This is much better with my chemistry than the original 13, and when I wore it at work the other day everyone loved it.

This 13 is sort of like Candy Butcher meets Kunstkammer meets Underpants on me, and I could not be happier.

[jasmine]

Chocolate! All kinds of things, actually -- vanilla (tonka? no, the description tells me that it’s vanilla after all) and something floral and something spicy and something woody, but... chocolate! It was my first impression, and I can’t get over it. Not chocolate into which I would want to bite -- too many peculiar quirks for it to be tasty -- but definitely chocolate, despite not being a scent for foodies.

 

Digression: I recently ate a piece of floral-flavored chocolate at work. Really. There’s a company that makes gourmet chocolates, and they sent us samples for various reasons, and I consumed both a piece of lemon chocolate (not lemon cream, just lemon-infused) and a piece of alpine flower-flavored chocolate. This reminds me of the way those tasted. Chocolate... and yet... not chocolate.

 

This is a unisex scent (though, if the Lab told me it was designed for men, I’d believe it faster than if they told me it was designed for women.) It’s warm and dark and appealing.

 

Chocolate was the dominant note for a while. Now it’s tapered back, but it’s still detectable. I can pick up some of the other notes if I close my eyes and concentrate, I think, but the truth is that I might be hallucinating them -- this has become softly blended instead of being layered, a soft, warm, dark brown blend that leaves me impressed and contented. I’m happy that I splurged for the bottle, since the next blend of 13 won’t show up until April of 2007.

[euterpe414]

Wow! At first I was not happy that 13 was new cause I love that old one so much, but thsi is incredibly delicous, too, so I am no longer sad. At first this is very cologne like on my skin- tea and lavendar with a hint of sweet, but then as it dries I too get the Underpants similarity. Sort of a a more fruity Underpants with hints of chocolate. This is definitely not as chocolatey as the former 13 is on my skin. Sometimes, after this has been on my skin for a while, it morphs into a more tea like scent, but then returns to the chocolate sandalwood vanilla, etc. scent.

 

This is fantastic, and I am glad that I ordered more than one bottle of this!

[Shannihilation]

In the bottle and wet I get cocoa and orange rind and maybe a bit of the star fruit. On my skin, I've had it on for about a half an hour now and I am still getting the cocoa, but the vanilla bean is coming through now and taking away some of the bitterness, there is still a sweet floral tone that I'm not so sure of. This is very complex and it's hard to pick out the individual notes because they're blending together so well. I like it, and it's a nice scent and I'm sure I'll wear it pretty often. But to be honest? I like the '05 Thirteen better.

[em_h]

Strong cocoa and lavender notes right away, with a hint of fruit; slight chemical overtone which fades with drying. It is indeed an odd combination of things. More floral as it dries, too (and what smells like a bit of red musk, though that's not one of the given notes), though the cocoa and lavender are still quite strong. Not very sweet, but has a lot of depth. As it dries further, the sandalwood gets much stronger, with cocoa and lavender underpinning it. I don't really notice the rooibos much at any point, and the vanilla seems faint on me, which is interesting as it's apparently quite strong on some other people, and I often amp vanilla.

 

It's giving me some kind of very strong scent flashback that I can't quite pin down. This is a strangely fascinating, complicated blend.

[valentina]

In the bottle, 13 smells very complex, for there's chocolate, vanilla, citrus and floral/herbal elements present, but no once scent is predominate. When I first put it on my body, I get a lot of chocolate and vanilla, but it's not especially sweet -- this is the smell of the beans, not of the sugared confections. Then the orange element kicks in and I have a dark chocolate orange smell, with a dusting of nutmeg, for 10 or 15 minutes. That is nice -- it smells like a gormet dark truffle. Then my body starts amping the sandalwood, geranium and lavendar, and everything goes sour. Bummer, bummer, bummer. My body just can't hold the sweet and tart contrasting elements of this scent, and the complexity is muddled into something that just doesn't work for me. I love the simplicity of the label art, I loved the look of this bottle sitting on my shelf, but my bottle of 13 will find a new home where it can be properly worn and loved for its complex beauty.

Edited November 13, 2006 by valentina

[sarahmarie]

This is a complex and unusual blend. It starts out less complex and gathers into a frenzy as it dries (which isn't usually how it goes on me, but hey!) I really like the rooibos, and I can definitely tell it's there...and it blends nicely with the fruitier aspects of this scent. I really like the unusual components of this blend - rooibos, starfruit, nutmeg...mmm. I am intrigued, though I'm not in love with this blend.

 

Unfortunately, as 13 dries down, it becomes quite sharp. It's a skin chemistry issue, not the oil's fault! But it's probably a deal-breaker for me.

Edited November 13, 2006 by sarahmarie

[maijasu]

I almost didn't order this, because I really didn't like the old version at all. But the new one is positively swoon-worthy.

 

On me, it starts out as a lavender vanilla with a hint of citrus. As it dries, the citrus dissipates and the florals emerge, and I think I smell the rooibos too. After a few hours, a faintly sweet skin scent remains.

 

This has just skyrocketed into my top 5, and I am so sad I only bought one bottle. I shall now be off to stalk the swaps for a backup.

 

Fabulous!

[grrrlennyl]

at first: sweet, with a hint of citrus. i smell the vanilla more than the cocoa.

on: much more cocoa, but nicely balanced with the vanilla. this still has a nice fruitiness to it, too.

1.5 hours later: a pretty, soft scent, thanks to the sandalwood. it's still a bit sweet, but something (i think the fig leaf) is smelling sort of "off" on me.

3 hours later: generally fruity and sweet.

5.5 hours later: faintly and pleasingly sweet.

overall: i'm not sure about this one yet, but i think i'm going to keep it around for a while.

[Thaleia]

Already ITB I can tell this will be a LOT better than the previous formulation. A lot less Tootsie-Roll chocolate and a lot more Terry’s Chocolate Orange, which is what a lot of people seemed to have gotten from the previous versions. I’m so glad that this one is much better for me – sweet chocolate oranges in the cool, crisp English afternoon tea air. This is a perfect foody chocolate scent, which I haven’t been able get from Beth’s other chocolate blends. Subtle and refined, yet fun and sexy as hell. The drydown is a perfect, perfect creamy rich milk chocolate with a sweet, delicate vanilla undertone. Rawr!

 

Beth better not change A DAMN THING before April 13, 2007!

[cybra111]

13 (2006)

 

In the bottle: Chocolate orange, reminiscent of my loved Vice.

 

On me: Predominately cocoa, orange and sandalwood. Love!! I was afraid of this one for the lavender, which I don't like. I wouldn't mind more vanilla, but I am not missing it. More complex than Vice, but still similar. Love how the sandalwood blends with the sweeter scents. I am sooo glad I purchased this!

[shelldoo]

i had told myself i had enough 13, but then it is reformulated...what is a girl to do? so um yeah i bought a bottle...i know i am insane...

 

in the bottle:sweet vanilla, cocoa, and a hint of lavander...not a huge fan of lavander, but it does sometimes work well in like tko...so here goes.

 

wet:chcolate, lavander (which is amped incredibly right now) and a hint of powder (most likely originating w/ the amber)

 

this scent is pretty green on me, fig leaf amps incredibly w/ my chemistry i also still get pretty much lavander but it is all dusted in a dry powdery chocolate. there is the gentlest breath of burbon but only occassionally. and i may be crazy, but i think this will smell divine on my dh...hmmmmm

[Em-]

Uh, wow?

 

The first 13, I wanted to love, but it was just too sweet and chocolate and something.

 

But this. This is the big grown up sophistocated older sister, 13. This is the bean, not the processed stuff, and the rooibos and the sandalwood and the florals and the fruit...my god. This knocks my socks off. Seriously.

[furygrrl]

In the bottle: Cocoa, vanilla, lavender - yum!

 

On wet: Mmm...the same as above. The lavender is really singing, too - such an amazing melange of notes.

 

Drydown: A complex jumble of subdued deliciousness that is SO incredible. It's saved from the 'too foody' category thanks to the fresh zip of lavender and the rounder sweetness I'm attributing to the starfruit. As the day progresses, the scent smooths out like a river of warm, creamy goodness - less lavender, a more pronounced vanilla/sandalwood presence. And YES! This is definitely reminiscent of Underpants.

 

Overall: I was another who couldn't wear the previous 13, so this reformulation was such a welcome surprise! Not only do I LOVE this new interpretation, there wasn't a single aspect or stage of this scent that I didn't enjoy. A most certainly well-deserved 5/5.

 

And I agree whole-heartedy with shelldoo: this will likely smell amazing on the right guy. Not too sweet, not too feminine, that smidge of lavender that is so often found in cologne = 100% edible manflesh!

[Gale]

I LOVE this one!

 

Wet: It's sweet and woody--I can't pick out all of the notes, mostly cocoa, a smidgen of orange, vanilla, and sandalwood.

 

Dry: Gorgeous, and it keeps getting better! It's sweet, woodsy, and creamy, with a tiny bit of floral. I can't believe how wonderful and complex this is. I'm ticking off the days until the next Friday the 13th (April 2007), in hopes that it will be up again!!

[Chrysantza]

At first this smelled very chocolate and lavender. Rather like a dessert whipped up from a very froufrou cookbook.

 

The end notes were delicious sandalwood and vanilla.

 

Alas, the middle part killed this for me. Between the chocolate wet stage and the final sandalwood drydown I got...COUGH SYRUP. A really nasty bitter medicinal smell.

 

Off to the swaps.

[maddies mom]

I LOVE this!

 

I have not ever smelled the prior version and had such high expectations for this blend and I am so happy to say that it was even more lovely than I imagined!

 

Wet in bottle: chocolate and orange with a hint of lavender

Dry on skin: I can no longer smell the orange, but can smell each of the notes and they blend together beautifully. This was not a foody, sweet candy chocolate, but a sexy, intreguing soft scent with a chocolate undertone. This is definately in my top 5.

 

It seems to have fairly good throw and I could still faintly smell in on my skin, up close when going to bed.

 

Love, love, love it! I think I might need another bottle!

 

Um...I mean I hate it, you should hate it and send me all of your bottles

[Honor]

in bottle:

 

chocolate orange shortbread cookies. This is not a bad thing.

 

on skin:

immediately:

creamier orange, more like orange vanilla with chocolate...

 

after 5 mins on skin:

still creamy orange vanilla with another note emerging I think the sandalwood and lavendar and some other scents behind it my nose is not sophisticated enough to detect

 

 

now it's creamy vanilla sandalwood with touches of orange, and a warm, musky smell that I can't exactly place behind it all...but it's absolutly LOVERLY. *grin*

 

 

I am SO very sorry I only got a decant of this. And for those who wonder, it is different (to me anyway) from last years 13.

[gangstaknitta]

This round of 13 was very different from the last one!

 

In the bottle, I get sweet oranges...almost like an orange sponge cake. To my nose, this is a very foody blend.

 

On my skin, the orange is very much a bakery-type orange, rather than a tart citrusy orange. Definitely orange sponge cake. It's very warm. As it dries, the yummy vanilla comes out. I can't smell the cocoa distinctly, but I do think that it "darkens" the blend a good bit. It's very lovely, but it's a bit too orangey on me and doesn't feel very, well, me.

[gingersnapp]

I really love this blend compared to the original formulation. When it goes on wet, this is almost exactly like a Terry's Chocolate Orange on me.

 

When it dries, it's more citrus than chocolate, but the sandalwood and star fruit and other notes really become more prominent. That's not to say they're individually detectable, though... this is really well blended.

 

It's warm and fruity and foody but slightly floral. It's just incredible.

[porcelain72]

My first time trying any of the 13 blends, huzzah!

 

In the imp: a dusty chocolatey scent, similar to Lush's Sonic Death Monkey.

 

Initial application: a hint of orange comes out, sweetening it a bit.

 

Drydown: the orange scent fades after a while, leaving the chocolate behind with that touch of dustiness I get from Misk U and Monsterbait: Underbed. I'm guessing that's due to the sandalwood and/or tobacco. I was hoping it'd be a bit more complex, but this is a warm, pleasant scent. The SO liked it too, which is always a plus.

 

Smiley rating:

[AliBabble]

whoa - this is so different than the last formulation - it smells great in the bottle - chocolate and lavendar, and i love this combo. on my skin, it turns much more perfume-y - it starts off somewhat complex, with a sort of bright, citrusy chocolate, but then turns gradually more floral, with the chocolate disappearing rapidly, and i smell fruitiness - the starfruit, perhaps. dry, it ends up a bit dusty (as did the old 13) but also creamy and musky. sort of like a dusty Underpants, but still soft and pleasant, and the fruitiness has remained. it's rather subtle on me, actually. i like it, although i think the other one worked better w/ my chemistry. still, this is an interesting one, and i will definitely wear it.

[supremegoddessofall]

In bottle: Mostly chocolate and orange. Bit of something boozy in the background (bourbon)?, as well as some sandalwood. Bit of spicy from the nutmeg. No florals yet.

 

On me: The chocolate has completely departed. What I'm left with is something that's surprisingly like a men's cologne. It's lightly fruity, lightly floral, and a touch spicy. Bit of vanilla warming it in the background, but it's fairly subdued. Not getting much sandalwood, and the orange has run away too. This is really pretty.

[iriedanym]

I am now going to kick myself for not buying a bottle. I have loved every version of 13 so far, but I was skeptical on the October 06 version. I mean, lavender and chocolate?

 

In the imp roller bottle, I can smell the lavender with a hint of chocolate. Hmm, not bad so far. On application, it is lavender and chocolate at first and it smells pleasant. On drydown, the other notes come out. Interestingly enough, it smells a little like the saffron found in Monsterbait: Underpants to me.

 

I have to hand it to the Labbies yet again for taking a combo of unlikely notes and creating a mouth drooling scent.

[chrisann]

I was a little leary of this because of the dreaded lavender note. Much to my surprise... It's blended so well, that on me, the lavender doesn't make a peep.

 

Wet, it's orange chocolate goodness, with fresh floral's cascading through it. It seem's odd mixing chocolate, fruit, and floral together, but, wow this REALLY works. It starts out in a sweet, bright way (not headachey) and BLOSSOMS into a warm skinscent. This lasts and lasts on me. I ordered two bottle's and have just gotten around to trying 13 last week. When I got this weeks ago, I opened the bottle, sniffed it, then dismissed it. When am I going to learn to NOT judge bpal on the initial sniff !? I was going to swap one of my bottle's out, (the horror) and now am going to hoard this precious yumminess all to myself. It really is just complex and beautiful! Entirely wearable all year round.