Thirteen (13): March 2020

[zankoku_zen]

The sweetest of the sweet: 13 types of sugar including sugar cane, granulated sugar, demerara sugar, confectioners sugar, pearl sugar, spun sugar, brown sugar, rainbow sanding sugar, turbinado sugar, and muscovado sugar.
 

Edited March 26, 2020 by zankoku_zen

[doomsday_disco]

This is the sixth 13 that I have tried, and it is by far my favorite.

In the bottle and when first applied to the skin, it's a lemon-y sugar variety that stands out, like the kind from Sweets to the Sweet, but then it transforms into a melange of different sugars, and it manages to do that without being sickly sweet, like you think it might be because IT FEATURES 13 SUGARS. I can pick out the powdered sugar, but I am not able to pick out the others -- they all blend together so wonderfully.

 

One of the reasons I leapt for a bottle was for the layering possibilities. I layered a dab of this with Sweet Pea SN on one arm, and I layered another dab with Wild Dandelion SN on the other. I am happy to report that Sweet Pea + 13 resulted in a sugary sweet pea that would make fans of blends like Serving Fish really happy, and it morphed into mostly sugar. On the other arm, Wild Dandelion + this 13 started off stronger on the dandelion and then melded so beautifully with the sugar that it was like smelling happiness, and it made me want to cry.

I'll cherish my bottle.  

Edited March 27, 2020 by doomsday_disco

[abejita]

This is my favorite out of the 13s, far and above. I haven't tried them all, but I've been ordering BPAL for 15+ years now, so I've tried a fair spread. 

 

It starts out high-pitched, but not screeching. I agree with doomsday_disco about the almost citrus-like quality of the initial sugar. As time goes on, it gets darker and darker, until it smells very turbinado/brown sugary and warm. The longevity is far better than I expected with a perfume like this. Just moving around about the day, I'd often get a whiff of something lovely, and realize it was me, and I tend to apply lightly. 

 

There is something like Smut going on here, but obviously without the musks. It's that dark and sexy sugar that comes out as the scent morphs during the day. 

 

I do agree that it would be good for layering. I have some old single notes that I don't often wear because they just don't appeal to me on their own (Spanish Carnation, Mandarin Orange, Siberian Musk, especially), and I think this will make them much more wearable. I will say, though, that I'll probably wear this one plenty on its own. It's that good. I love how Beth can take something like sugar and put together so many variants. 

[brineydeep]

This perfume is a winner. It's my first 13 and a real keeper.

 

Sugar tends to dominate on my skin when it's blended into a perfume but on its own, it's stellar. I agree with the other posters that there's an initial citrusy note when wet, but when dry this blooms into something comforting and with some depth. Almost vanilla-y but not. I don't have words to describe it accurately, but I keep getting whiffs of it throughout the day and it just smells so damn good.

 

I know people are talking about layering, but I'm going to wear this puppy solo, it's that good. Nice throw and longevity.

[starryeyes]

I love this blend. For some reason, the first thought that jumps out on me after the initial drydown is how much it smells like a fruit rollup! I don't find this to be a negative aspect at all though. After about half an hour it morphs into a more smoky sweet, like molasses covered in powdered sugar. Very nice, and as other have mentioned, lightly layerable. I can see this layer well with The Rose, Harlot, or even The Empty Coffin.

[zankoku_zen]

It starts off as fairly fruity sugar, almost toothachingly so, and ends up a smoky sweet molasses sugar. Light, layerable, and sexy. Medium throw and wear length.

[AirimirOfGondor]

On 4/8/2020 at 1:06 PM, zankoku_zen said:

It starts off as fairly fruity sugar, almost toothachingly so, and ends up a smoky sweet molasses sugar. Light, layerable, and sexy. Medium throw and wear length.

 

Seconding this interpretation!

 

When wet, it is very fruity to me. As it dries, it gets dark ; very molasses-y, a little caramel-y, and kind of too thick for me. It picks up an almost bakery quality, reminiscent of cakes soaked in dark syrup.  

 

There are a lot of similarities to Sugar Skull, I think, minus the spice notes and more prominent fruit notes.

 

It is very nice when applied lightly, but something is a little off on my skin. It has like, a bittersweet that makes me wrinkle my nose. Perhaps a scent locket may be better.

If I continue to use it, it will be very sparingly!

[RoseThornAndOak]

I have been wanting a 13 blend for years but just never really got around to it, would forget, or they would be unavailable.. I received the teeniest dab of a decant ages ago, and a sniffie,  I forget which iterations they were, and that's it. Funny enough, my first bottle of 13 is finally here, in my 13th year of BPAL fandom. Fitting right?

 

Anyway, this starts out like Fruity Loops sugar, goes cloying slightly sour (thanks, skin chemistry), then dries down to a blend similar to Warm Vanilla Sugar by B&BW, a super nice scent I fell out of love with back in the day. So the beginning and middle stages I don't really like, final drydown is decent. I get the brown sugar/molasses thing Airimir of Gondor mentioned (GONDOR!!!) 

On 4/14/2020 at 10:57 PM, AirimirOfGondor said:

 

Seconding this interpretation!

 

When wet, it is very fruity to me. As it dries, it gets dark ; very molasses-y, a little caramel-y, and kind of too thick for me. It picks up an almost bakery quality, reminiscent of cakes soaked in dark syrup.  

 

There are a lot of similarities to Sugar Skull, I think, minus the spice notes and more prominent fruit notes.

 

It is very nice when applied lightly, but something is a little off on my skin. It has like, a bittersweet that makes me wrinkle my nose. Perhaps a scent locket may be better.

If I continue to use it, it will be very sparingly!

 

[Lucchesa]

I love the chocolate-based 13s, but I was excited to get to try this one.  It's lemony sugar on me, not as ridiculously sweet as you'd imagine, and very cheerful.  It's like Lemon-Scented Sticky Bat with the proportions of lemon and sugar reversed.  I've not tried layering it because my life is complicated enough already, but this would be a delightful summer scent to wear on its own.  

[Marina Napoli]

Guys. GUYS. I've never tried a 13 blend before because they so often have chocolate or frankincense, neither of which I enjoy. But sugar? Hell yes, absolutely sign me up! This is so freaking excellent. It starts out kinda... lemony? Very sweet, obviously, but not cloying. The dry down smells more caramelized, and the citrus overtones calm down. This is everything I wanted it to be and I am so happy I snagged it.

[puellacaerulea]

I wasn't sure about 13 sugars, but I was curious enough to snag a decant. It starts out aggressively, cloyingly sweet, and almost fruity. Fortunately, it does mellow out after a bit -- the throw gets less intense, and the sweetness starts to morph into a more warm, subtle, molasses-like scent. Probably not something I'm going to reach for regularly, but I'm glad I tried it.

[feyofthefellwood]

This smells kind of like fruit punch to me at first, but it dries down into a pretty mouthwatering sugary scent. Would be fun to layer. I enjoy it and am glad I got to sample it, but I probably don't need to track down a whole bottle.

[simpletwice]

Citrusy! I'm a dabber, and this scent wants a slatherer. A dab of this 13 is a bit wan - a faint and dry citrus, with a hint of brown sugar tinge. Somehow a large glop of it becomes a totally different scent -  bright, sticky, gooey, chewy, lemon candy. 

[ka hulu]

In bottle = a snoot-ful of pearl sugar. 

 

Wet = limoncello! Syrupy and bright.

 

Dry = husky, dusky, sweet; some elegant God version of dry Fruity Pebbles, and/or the kind of crystal sugar that crushes satisfactorily in one’s teeth and somehow slakes thirst, or maybe desire. Warm and still slightly lemony. 

 

I would say it’s low throw, except one of my fave coworkers can detect it from across the room.

 

13 March 2020 was, for me, a terribly difficult day. But this scent always conveys a deep kindness, sweetness, and comfort, and for me, it is the beautiful-est 13.