Chaos Theory III: Strange Attractors

[sookster]

Each bottle of Chaos Theory is truly unique, a fragrant fractal, and exercise in the joy of chance and uncertainty! Each is a one-of-a-kind, utterly random combination of scents, the composition of which is based on whim, mood and gut instinct.

CTIII - CCCXLVIII (348)

straight sniff from the bottle is a very strong and soapy floral...with a touch of something smoky

once applied this is seriously strong stuff here...i am not sure which florals....
violets, roses, magnolias perhaps??

quite lovely if you are a heavy duty flower kinda girl

[em_h]

CTIII CXXVIII

 

Wet: Minty minty mint! Just a pure and strong mint, at this point.

 

Drying: Oh dear, this seems to be fading very fast on me; and I'm in a cool room, so it's not just the stinking weather. Still a nice little waft of mint, a bit herbal and a bit sweet, but it's going very quickly.

 

Dry: Basically gone. If I put my nose right up against my wrist there's the occasional sweet smell.

 

Dang. Hope I can find someone else this one works for.

 

CTIII CXLV

 

Wet: Very green and herbal, with maybe a tiny spicey overtone

 

Drying: At first the green scent gets quite sharp and acrid, but then the spiciness (or could it be incense?) amps up a bit and starts to moderate it. Interesting.

 

Later: This is quite curious -- this sharp green note that almost reminds me of some of the voodoo blends, alongside a lovely rich incensey note. They don't so much merge as sit next to each other.

 

Later still: The incensey note comes to the fore, and maybe a hint of something peppery, with the green still below the surface. This is a very nice drydown.

 

I can see becoming very fond of this one. (It's also going powdery and fading a bit quickly, but I think that's weather-related).

 

Glad that one of the two was a keeper. And the other one's probably nice for someone who doesn't have oil-eating skin.

 

ETA: tried CXLV again, and it seemed surprisingly different! Definite patchouli note -- none of the pepper I noticed the first time ... huh. It's a mysterious morphing scent. I'm still intrigued and largely pleased by it, though.

Edited August 11, 2006 by em_h

[QueenFae]

Wow, I got IX, so I guess I got one of the first ones made! It's a woodsy/herbal scent. There is definitely some sandalwood in there, and maybe a hint of patchouli. There is a deep, heady herbal that lies beneath, sort of like the herbal notes in Medicine Show. It wouldn't have been my first choice for a scent, but as woodsy blends go it actually smells pretty good on me. I guess that's the point of Chaos Theory, now I have a wood blend for my collection that I wouldn't have normally bought.

[sookster]

CTIII - DLXXV (575)

 

straight sniff from the bottle is sugary and minty and reminds

me exactly of what stamps smell like when you lick them

 

once applied a huge burst of sweet and spearminty gumdrops

 

drying down the minty sugar turns much more floral....white and delicate...

 

this is a superb blend for hot and sticky 90 plus degree weather for sure!!

[pekeana]

Chaos Theory III: CCLXX

 

I've been on the CT train since the beginning, and every single first bottle I've gotten has been perfect for me in every way. This one is no exception.

 

It smells kind of, well, funky-ass in the bottle. Heavy resins with a liberal dose of spicy incense and something sugary and green. The spicy stays with you and infiltrates your nose and then you put it on, because you're honestly curious as to how it's going to smell.

 

Truth be told, it smells like the most beautiful offering to the Sun-gods ever. It's the Sol celestial base (or something very, very similar), with a touch of clove and ginger, wrapped up in either champaca flower straight up or Nag Champa, and liberally doused with sugarcane.

 

This is literally the most perfect sun scent ever. And I love it like whoa.

Edited August 3, 2006 by pekeana

[Polly]

DCXXIII (623) - Keep in mind I'm horrible at picking out notes. This one in the bottle is really fruity, almost cherry-almond, but with a kick of spiciness underneath. Put a drop on my wrist, and let it dry down a bit. Sweeter now, even. Really fruity but now there's something floral floating there too. Not nearly as spicy as in the bottle. I still really get cherry-almond out of it, but with a wafting soft floral. Like I said I'm horrible at notes. LOL!

 

Take that off my wrist and dab the next:

 

DXXIV (624) - This one I like the best of the two. In the bottle, citrusy? Almost reminds me of Lolita but more flowery. On the wrist. This dried all the way down now to something quite soothing and comforting. Quite hard to describe. Not as citrusy now as spicy-floral? Just really really cool. Close to the skin. This is NIIIICE!

[cranberry]

CTIII CDXXXIX (439)

In the bottle, this smells like herbs, mainly lavender and maybe a touch of sage. It smells almost juicy, kinda strange because I’ve never associated that with herbs before but there you go.

 

On the skin, it’s still strongly lavender. There’s sandalwood there now, bucking it out with the lavender, plus what smells like iris as a supporting note in the background. I think cedar too, backing up the sandalwood.

 

I think there might be a touch of grapefruit of yazu in here – it has that tang and I think that’s why it smells “juicy”.

 

It’s still refreshing and crisp. I think this would smell really good on a guy. The cedar and sandalwood end the scent strongly, sticking around. Perfect for summer and some similarities with Hungry Ghost Moon (but much more woody).

[sookster]

CTIII - DXXXV (535)

 

straight sniff from the bottle is sharp!! a twinge of what is almost ammonia

slightly pickle-like, buttery and fruity ???

 

i know you all must be thinking "ewwwwwww" by now but hold on!!

 

once applied this is an entirely different animal

 

it starts off like a buttery dandelion...bitter but within 20 minutes to 1/2 hour

a complex fruity and delicate floral blend takes over and i think something salty....

and yet it changes even more...almost like a mango cobbler if that is possible

very gourmand at this point...another 30-45 minutes and now it is a powdery floral but still with that "foodiness"...this is a masterpiece plain and simple; the most extravagant CTIII i have tried to date, undoubtedly!!!

 

Previously reviewed by GypsyRoseRed.

[sarada]

III

 

Previously reviewed by darkling.

 

I can't believe that there's such a gorgeous woody, sweet, smoky CT, that it's number 3, and that I managed to get it!

 

She actually described it perfectly in her review: it reminds me of the resins in Cathedral, but it's slightly sweeter, and as it dries there is a wisp of woodsmoke. The smoky wisp reminds me a bit of the Henri Bendel "Firewood" candle, when it's not burning. Not the acrid smoke of something like Djinn, but a soft smoky log cabin sort of wood.

 

I really love those sweet glistening resins...definitely reminds me of Cathedral or Pit and the Pendulum at first but it goes in a completely different direction as it dries, as though it's having a conversation with my skin.

 

This is just the perfect scent for me. Chaos works in strange ways!

 

ETA: I realized what it smells like on the drydown...kinda like Torture King without the orange/lime citrusy notes. Ooooh baby!

Edited September 10, 2006 by Shollin

[Cedar]

I got bottle XCI, and I love it, but heck if I know what's in it. It's mostly some type of red fruit: pomegranate, or maybe persimmon or even passionfruit? Whatever it is, I love it. It's got a top note of a dark spice, not quite clove, but maybe bergamot. I love this, especially as a summer-into-fall sort of scent. Now if only I knew exactly what was in it.

[ayelienne]

CCXXV: 225

 

I found this to be a complex blend of dark musk (angry monkey-style) and something that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Interesting, but a little intense.

 

I then shared it with my friend Larry, who fell in love with it and said it reminded him of scents that mingle in the market/bazaar of a city in India where he has a home. So it turned out to be for Larry instead of me

[sookster]

CTIII - XLVI (46)

 

straight sniff from the bottle is hot, dry, dusty and peppery

 

once applied it pretty much stays the same...although it seems to "mellow"

slightly

 

after 30 minutes or so this is cannibas all the way

 

ultra cool how this one morphed and i am so glad the bottle "overfloweth" on

this one

 

Previously reviewed by dpoulsen21.

[bibliophile]

CXLVI (146)

 

Adopted from, and previously reviewed by, blackrayne: CXLVI)

 

Wow, this is interesting. It initially smells almost like a sarsaparilla single note, with a kind of slightly minty, sweet but dry spiciness. After a few moments, just the slightest bit of something powdery develops in the background. It has very little throw on me, but sticks around forever -- it's one of the few oils that my skin doesn't eat overnight. It is nothing that I ever would have chosen for myself, but I am really enjoying it!

Edited August 4, 2006 by bibliophile

[Heavenlyrabbit]

Chaos Theory III- XII (12)

 

This is a variant of Snowblind. It's Mint with an underlying Creaminess.

 

This would be a lot of BPAL fans Holy Grail.

 

Unlike Snowblind, this lasts much longer. I think it's Mint along with Hyssop which bolsters the Mint and adds a very, very suble Fruity quality.

 

The foody background is understated... not overly sweet or cloying.

 

Gorgeous.

Edited August 5, 2006 by Heavenlyrabbit

[juniperus]

Oh I love it when the circle imps arrive!

 

DXIII

In the imp is spicy, red wine.

On me the spices warm and the red wine goes to town, which is to say, on me, it gets real big then real sour. It's a morpher, it moves from that to incense-y/spicy and resiny. Hey - one I can actually wear!!!

 

DXV

In the imp this is...holy funky food-y, Batman! Buttery and sugary and...thick-smelling.

On me it's cake batter, raw cake batter with a lot of vanilla extract and...run extract. It's not boozy, per se, but has the after-sniff of rum..reminds me a lot of my extracts. This has little throw, and a lot of morph - the buttery passes away so the batter disappears and is replaced with..a Halls? WTF? Menthol?

 

DXXIX

In the imp this starts out buttery and then moves into a citrus.

On my skin I get little of the buttery, more of a rather non-committal citrus - I can't quite tell which it is, it's just...citrus-y. It's fresh without giving me that special aquatic ping in my sinuses. It has almost no throw, little morph, and little staying power.

 

DXXXI

In the imp this is medicinal, kinda floral, and fruity. Yikes.

On me I get more of a food-y feel, yellow cake and a very sweet fruit...pineapple-upside-down-cake I think. With a splash of rum. Gets sweeter, but otherwise not a ton of morph, and little throw.

 

DLVI

In the imp it's vaguely floral, vaguely herbal, and vaguely (boozy?). Really weird.

On me it gets sharp, rather like celery. Plus booze. More throw than I'd certainly like for this one, that's for sure. It's a morpher. It seems to take on the feel of an herbal floral, and then I get that damn celery back.

 

DLXII

In the imp it's all floral - lillies, I think, and something else sweet...white hyacinth? Not sure.. And there's a hint of something underneath - maybe white musk, maybe civet..hard to tell from the sniff alone.

On me the lillies immediately begin with the sacred lily amping dance. This is followed by the growing sweeter segue into rotten-smelling cloyingly sweet cut flower. And, of course, it throws like a freaking major leaguer.

 

DLXV

In the imp this is a sweet liqueur, hazelnut.

On me the nuttiness is more pronounced. Then it turned to that darn celery. Clearly there is a note that my body hates with a bright purple passion, because it keeps turning it to celery. Not much throw, no more morphing that I can tell beyond my own abuse of one of the notes.

 

DLXVIII

In the imp this is really boozy, kinda butterscotch schnapps chased with vodka.

On me it suddenly changes into a floral (?!?) I want to say there is jasmine here since I'm currently amping it to high heaven. And vodka. Mid-range throw, it's bugging my sinuses. Ugh.

 

DLXXIX

In the imp sweet, rich, buttery pound cake.

On me it's the same...and then in short pace I discover that some sweet, buttery note that everyone else loves to pieces...turns to celery. Again. WTF?! I mean, really. Gah.

 

DLXXXIII

In the imp this is a kinda aquatic-y, herbal-y, floral-y...uh, thing.

On me I get the scent of cool water and a boozy aftereffect of some sort...a sharpness I associate with the boozy notes, in any case. It might be a really sharp floral, not lavender-sharp, but it's got an edge. Only a slight morphing as the floral becomes more dominant, some throw, obnoxious staying power.

 

 

[edited because I'm the typo queen]

Edited August 5, 2006 by Juniperus Intrepidus

[sookster]

CTIII - DLXXXV (585)

 

straight sniff from the bottle is super sweet and buttery candied

yams sprinkled generously with some cinnamon:lol:

 

once applied an extreme boozy and buttery note accompanied by what

seems to be a sugar cookie...

 

after awhile a cognac note comes bursting through

 

all in all this is a mouthwatering, gourmandy blend but the lasting power is meh...bummer...

[tidesong]

CCCXIX (319)

 

In the Bottle: Sugary. Musky. Light floral. Faint touch of something fruity. Maybe a little cinnamon, or some other spices. There really aren't any familiar notes popping out at me yet. It's pretty in the bottle.

 

On Application: Musky and floral. Reminiscent of Enraged Bunny Musk with a little light powdery goodness. Slight citrus to it, and I'm still picking up spices!

 

On Drydown: It's a lemony EBM! I think there's sandalwood in this, too. It's pretty.

 

Comments: I'm not sure it's something I'd wear, I'll probably retest it alone on my skin with nothing else just to see how it plays.

 

Verdict: Keep for now to retest.

[bicyclette]

Chaos Theory XLV

 

In the bottle: smoky, spicy black pepper

 

Wet on skin: immediately goes citrusy- sweet, fresh, juicy lemon, with a bit of a spicy pepper note remaining. Almost lemony candy. There's black tea coming out to play in the background, too.

 

Drydown: tea! lemon herbal tea. It's very dry, like I'm smelling the teabag rather than a brewed cup of hot tea.

 

Hmm. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I really like the lemon, and how everything melds together when wet, but the drydown isn't really me. I'll spend some more quality time with this one and see how it goes.

[hologhost]

DVI

 

In the bottle: Milk chocolate and tobacco

 

On me: Boy this is hard. This moves to a more nutty/fruity smell. The chocolate and tobacco are still there, but it's less straight forward. I know this makes it sound a Cadbury Fruit and Nut bar, but that's not it either. It doesn't smell "foodie," per se, if that makes any sense at all.

[cybra111]

Chaos Theory III: DCLXXVII (677)

 

In the bottle: Creamy, foody sweet with a bit of liquor.

 

On me: A bit sweet, but not foody, strawberry. Then I get that vegetable oil resemblance like I did with Monster Bait Closet. Thankfully, that goes away, to be replaced with light, sweet fruit, strawberry, I think. It retains the sweetness and becomes more creamy. Luckily it doesn't turn sour on me like Bon Vivant. Unfortunately it doesn't have a lot of throw. However, I think this is still a great scent! I am going to try it more, maybe I will layer to bring out the yumminess!

[pink.owl]

CTIII: CDLVIII(458)

In The Bottle: Almond and Cherry?

Wet, On Skin: Almond, after about 1min. something green comes out, faintly minty.

Dry, On Skin: the Cherry turns out to be Papaya! (thanks graycat for helping me figure this out!)

15 Minutes: Starting to smell creamier.

30 Minutes: Light, creamy, almondy floral, minimal throw.

45 Minutes and Beyond: Faint, creamy, almond scent, very minimal throw.

 

This would be a migraine-sufferer's dream scent: very pretty, but very soft.

 

 

 

CTIII: CDLIX (459)

In the Bottle: Syrupy fruit, maybe cherry?

Wet, On Skin: Fruity! reminds me of Kuntskammer, but smoother. After about 1min. starts to morph into cinnamon gummi bear scent.

Dry, On Skin: Smells just like a cinnamon gummi bear, maybe its cassia? I know cinnamon was omitted from the experiment, but maybe cassia was allowed? If not, maybe its carnation, but it even feels like a cassia or cinnamon blend!

15 Minutes: Cinnamon with cherry?

30 Minutes: Cinnamon cherry candy (gummi bears), has pretty good throw.

45 Minutes and Beyond: Sweet cherry candy scent, medium throw.

 

I really like this one!!

Edited August 18, 2006 by pink.owl

[finecurvedhips]

my bottle was XX (20).

 

in the bottle, i can smell sugar-y goodness and/or vanilla on top of some type of spiciness or muskiness, maybe.

 

btw- i have no clue how to distinguish notes, so...yeah.

 

on me - WOW! this is, by far, my most adored scent i have ever worn. i just about cried after it dried down to a warm, sultry, come-and-take-me-now kind of scent. i want MORE!!

 

how incredibly cool would it be if the lab kept notes on what went into each bottle, and we could order more?

 

/wishful thinking *grins*

[hologhost]

DIII

 

In the bottle: Fruit, spice, and an alcohol note.

 

On me: Grape Koolaid - but more sophisticated. Plum? Huckleberry? It still has the background spicy note.

 

DIV

 

In the bottle: Cherry, cherry, cherry. Not cough drops - more like jam.

 

On me: Marinated cherries - cherries with booze! I like this. I'm not sure where I'd wear it, but I like it.

[thesibylqueen]

This review is for XXXVIII (38), a decant I received via Kiena.

 

Wet: floral. Vaguely familiar, powdery -- soft rose?

 

On skin: Still floral, but with an almost spicy or woodsy note?

 

Then it hits me: it smells like the room where your gramma meets your boyfriend! Soft soft feminine with some a little sexier, a little rougher.

 

Instantly, I feel 16! (Which is impressive, that's over a decade ago! )

 

Sadly, this doesn't last long on me; it fades like a good memory.

Edited August 8, 2006 by thesibylqueen

[indicolite]

CDLXV:

 

Wet and drying: Mmm, apricot and some spice. It is not the clove of the March Hare, and we know there is no cinnamon or cassia in them, so I do believe it's nutmeg!

 

30 minutes later: still a hint of nutmeg, but the main note is now clear and fresh and sort of floral-aquatic - possibly verbena and something else.

 

I LOVE THIS SCENT!

 

Long live Chaos Theory! Thank you, lab psychics!