Thirteen (13): May 2022

[Seajewel]

I’ve had it with this timeline, so I’m invoking the sweetest of the sweet: white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar cane, rose sugar, amber rock sugar, coconut sugar, pink spun sugar, wildflower honey, Manuka honey, blackstrap molasses, date paste, agave nectar, and red benzoin slathered over a base of smoked cacao. This might not reverse anyone’s bad luck or right the countless wrongs in the world, but at the very least, this scent is a surefire momentary mood lifter.

[torikitty]

I couldn't give up the chance to try this out, and I'm so glad I jumped on it! I thought being super sugary, it would come off as adolescent perfume; but it turns out to be really pretty! I don't think I can pick out any one sugar that stands out the most. I can pick up the rose sugar, pink spun sugar, and the molasses. Luckily, so far, the honey isn't overpowering, which is good for those who avoid honey. The smoked cacao slowly creeps out. This is the note I'm most afraid of since I don't want to smell smokey. Honey and cacao start coming forward, which is competing with the date paste and benzoin. I can't wait to see where this goes.

 

ETA: It begins to remind me of Ivory Vulva without the marshmallow.

Edited May 26, 2022 by torikitty

[Lycanthrope]

Well, this is definitely a bit of a detour from the usual 13s, which to me have generally read like a spicy melange of dark dusty cocoa, punctuated with like spicy bits and cinnamon, allspice, and the like.  Like a swarthy cocoa and maybe some tobacco like tones.  

 

This is... well.  On me, it's definitely honey forward but lapping at the back is a maple type of snap.  I amp rose, so oddly, the rose comes up but not super strong (a surprise for me) but I can pull the petal out in the mid notes.  I get a lot of the caramel like notes which are a bit of a crisp and burnt sugar.  Swirling in and out is a rock crystal like note.  I think I'm hallucinating?  A bit further away from application and with my nose snorfling higher up, I swear I have a bit of that Pfefferneusse powdery sugar tone, but then the rose rises a bit and is now mixed with cocoa (but less than past 13s, I feel).  It dries down on me to, oddly, a honey bear's head encrusted with white sugar.  

 

This is actually kind of what I wanted Sugar Skull to do on my skin!

[Geminirubyshoes]

Full disclosure, I never buy the 13’s. It’s usually the herbal notes that turn me off so I typically skip them. But as I too hate this timeline and I love all these notes individually, I was like fuck it I’m going to give it a whirl. 

 

YA’LL this is such a lovely, enjoyable perfume. I can definitely detect the rose sugar, the amber, the date paste (if you love Khajaraho in any year, you will like this) and the cacao and benzoin towards the end. It’s sweet but not brain numbingly sweet and gourmand but not pure gourmand. I bet this is going to age spectacularly and be highly sought after. 

[mineralgirl]

Bottle sniff, I get a sweet and smoky scent. On my arm, I get the cacao with sugar. I can't really pick out any specific notes aside from the cacao.. just a nice, sweet cacao.

[Casablanca]

This 13 is really lovely, and now that I have a decant, I'm sorry I missed its short life on the shelves.

 

Sweet-honeyed, sugary cacao with hints of smoke and caramel.

 

As this starts to dry, I pick up the brown sugar, amber rock sugar, and a little molasses, though the latter is not as heavy as the note can sometimes go. I think this is where my early caramel impression came from. Still lots of honey and other sugar riches swirled in with cacao. 

 

Then the smoke wafts out more richly for a time, so gorgeous with the chocolate and other notes. Smoke and sugar always draw me in, and together, they're just ahhhh.

 

This settles into a sweet, nuanced cocoa. I haven't always been a 13 person, but this is glorious from start to finish.

[doomsday_disco]

I went for a bottle of this one, and I'm glad I did.

 

I've tried this twice now. Each time, this starts off strongest on the lighter sugars and honey, but it becomes darker and more caramelized and some of the darker sugars gain strength (the molasses in particular is noticeable after a while, but I agree it isn't as heavy as it can be) and the smoked cacao creeps out. The cacao is very lightly smoked and is not a main player on me. It just swirls between the sugars in the background, so I'd say it's more of a sugar scent than a cacao scent. By the end of the day, the sugar has a caramelized quality that makes me think of baked sugar crystals on a pastry.  

 

Even though they both contain a lot of sugar, this is really different from the 13 March 2020 (which is more of a lighter, lemony sort of sugar), so if you're a fan of sugary scents, it is worth trying both. I'm excited to see how this one ages and how it layers with scents that could do with a spot of sugar.  

[dancingchair]

On me, this starts off with the rose sugar being the strongest, then the molasses and date paste take over. The combo of notes almost smell like honeyed cinnamon or nutmeg. The cacao is there throughout, adding a bitterness that balances out the sweetness. It's very indulgent and richly sweet, but I like how complex it is.

[labugsy]

My experience with this scent seems to be pretty different than others... I get a heavy hit of the cacao and molasses up front, which lasts for maybe 10 minutes. Then this dries down to something sweet and pink and almost fizzy, with a lot of amber? Maybe the agave is contributing to the fizziness? I don't know... but it is very different than the March 2020 13 (which I adore!). May 2022 13 is a more grown up sugar, a little less playful and fun. I like this one a lot, but adore the March 2020 13. They are different enough that I think I can easily justify having both though, hooray!

 

ETA: Two or more hours later, this has settled into something like warm, caramelized amber sugar crystals. It is all but completely faded by three hours in, which is pretty good longevity for my skin. It stays quite close to the skin, but I got pretty wafts of it all throughout the wear. This is seriously beautiful from start to finish, and an extreme morpher, at least on me!

Edited August 11, 2022 by labugsy

[roseus]

In the imp this is a very fruity sugar with a cocoa tinge. On my skin it get almost syrupy with a good dribble caramel. The rose sugar keeps jumping out here and there as well. It eventually settled into a cocoa dusted pastry place. Delicious!

[tinyvulture]

First, the rose sugar is intriguing and all the honeys. But really this could be single note smoked cacao on my skin. It’s so strong, that note. Two minutes later, a hint of the blackstrap molasses appears, along with the distinctive “cola” note, benzoin. It’s going well…molasses and cacao pair well together. Over time, it gets more complex, with more of the honey coming out, a buttery richness. Worth trying for sure! I imagine different notes come forward on different skins. My husband says I smell like cinnamon sugar and vanilla, go figure!

[Tiobe]

See, I’m never quite sure what people mean when they say “too sweet” 🤪 Cuz this is sugar in a bottle, and ohhhhh my wooooord, it’s SO good!!! I could seriously slather myself in this all day every day and be a happy girl. Strictly aesthetically it might be my favorite BPAL (although pls scream inside yer snek oyl is a close tie). Completely agree with those who say this is what they wish sugar skull was. Delicious!

[forspecial_plate]

For me, this starts as lemony sugar, a bright cousin of Sugar Skull (well, not the 2021 version, that's its own separate thing).  As time passes this becomes a little darker and deeper, and I think what I'm smelling is molasses-tinged sugar (so, brown sugar I guess?), and the cocoa is coming through a little bit.  I never did smell any rose.  This is complex sugar and I love it.  It continues to remind me of the older Sugar Skull, but different.  

[zankoku_zen]

Sugar, sugar, honey, touch of cacao. But this does remind me to Sugar Skull - this is mainly a sugar blend. Medium throw and wear length.