Chaos Theory IV: Edge of Chaos

[cuervosueno]

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.

These are reviews of some imps my ever-amazing and wonderful Switch Witch, Ahania, gave to me.

Her original reviews are here

CDLIII (453): It smells fruity and delicious wet--sweet, too, so at first I thought it was some sort of melon. then I though citrus, which I'm leaning toward now. Ahania said lime, and it could be, but if so it is a sweet lime. It could also be mandarin or something like that. I'm kind of leaning that way, because I just compared it to Lover's Parodies of Sumo Holds, with the mandarin, and I think it has a similar note. It also, though, has something sharper--pine? So the final scent is fruit with an edge of pine. Interesting.

CDXLVIII (448): ok, here we are basically in agreement: first popcorn. Then bubblegum, which I too associate with lotus. Yup, bubblegum popcorn with something slightly bitter in there too. Hmmm...overall, this is just odd.

CDLX (460): In the imp, I thought this smelled glorious--resiny and slightly bitter with something else in there too, maybe something green. But I kept thinking this really smells like something, but what? Then I hit on it: on me it smells like celery. This is not good. I hate celery. There is something bitter, even acrid in it, and something green and watery that gives it the celery scent.

CDVIII (408): Hmmm...ginger. Definately ginger, but with something slightly aquatic too. The ginger is sharp, fresh, just slightly sweet. I like this one best of the imps.

None of them were really me, but I certainly had fun trying them, and since I didn't participate in the chaos myself this year, I really appreciate the opportunity to play a bit anyway.

Thanks Ahania!

[ouch!]

Chaos Theory 4: Edge of Chaos DXXII (522)

 

This is a pale blue aquatic floral...it reminds me alot of Blue Moon 07 only alot less fancy!!

 

I can smell aloe at first mainly...then it's just loads of flowers & a hint of citrus..it's slighty air freshener smelling and there's a very watery feel to it with one flower (Which I'm not sure of) dominating the whole thing. It's the same flower that is the strongest in my Blue Moon blend...arrrgh what IS it??

 

This one is going off to swaps..

Edited August 16, 2008 by ouch!

[sookster]

whoa!!!...the boozey ones for sure this time around...

 

 

910=buttery pound cake soaked in rum and drizzled with caramel icing

798=lemon meringe (sp?) pie

941=strawberry shortcake with freshly whipped cream

885=gummy bears soaked in bourbon and made into jello shots

890= cherry chocolate martini made with the best gin ever

866=limoncello

 

one odd floral...

 

884=..seems like blue bonnet...i dunno...interesting....not too overpowering and

sort of light and fresh....

 

how much fun is this?!?!

[nightbiscuit]

My new bottles came!

 

DCCCLXVII (867)

Holy shit, I have absolutely no idea what this is. I would say cinnamon, but that is a common allergen and thus not included in CT. Wow. It kind of smells like christmas cookies. Marzipan! But like a spicy, boozy marzipan. Bizarre. I don't get it.

 

CMXLIV (944)

And I am completely bowled over by a blast of green and lemony sweetness. This one starts out fresh lemons and green grass, very very strong. As it warms, the sugar comes to the forefront and this becomes a straight spoon of old-fashioned lemon curd, with the lemon, eggs, butter and sugar all present; with the grass note in the background as if you were at a picnic! What a trip.

[starwild]

CMI (901)

 

I just got mine, CMI, or 901, and I am sitting here huffing my wrists and going "WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?!"

 

See, I've never tried the Lab's foody scents, and this MAYBE has a non-sweet foody kind of darkness to it, but I can't tell if it's coffee, chocolate, caramel, or cream, because I've never smelled those notes from the Lab before. There are other notes in there too. And here's the funny thing...it has a note that is EXACTLY LIKE PINK PEPPER but none of the sweetness of it, just that sort of bitter spice that I get when I first put on Pepper or Hermia.

 

It's a clear to very pale yellow oil. It's much more strong in the bottle.

 

Unfortunately it turns into Dawn dish soap when I huff it too closely.

 

But...wow, I wanted pink pepper, and I think there might actually be pink pepper in here, though it's undercut by something not nearly as sweet, something very dark brown. Maybe it's pine? It's not super-strong pine though.

 

Er, maybe it's pine-vanilla-pink pepper with....a hint of melon? That's insane, there's no way. My nose has got to be interpreting something wrong here.

 

And yet it DOES seem very, very *vaguely* reminiscent of Pepper, without all the golden and floral notes that make that one creamy, and balanced differently. This one is NOT creamy and if there's any floral, it's something very white and sharp and in the background.

 

WAIT. I think that sort-of foody scent MIGHT be hazelnut!

 

So...901 is something like hazelnut and pink pepper, possibly with a smidge of pine. It's bizarre.

 

I'm tempted to trade this just to see if someone else will have better luck identifying it!

[Aeval]

CMXI (911)

 

Wet: Dark Chocolate........MMMM....I can tell this is going to be a favorite!

 

On Wrist: Chocolate and Angel Food Cake! This smells just like my favorite birthday cake...Angel Food Cake with Mocha Frosting. This is magical! Beth and Co. must be psychic and know just what I would want!

 

 

LOVE IT

Edited August 19, 2008 by Aeval

[naeelah]

CLXXII - This is an interesting one. It's a floral peppermint, with another component I can't quite identify. Some kind of resin, maybe? Benzoin? It's not smoky, it's more amber-like. There's possibly a tiny bit of fennel or some other herb or spice.

 

It starts out smelling mainly like peppermint, but not overwhelmingly so. In the background is a lush floral quality with a smooth, darker foundation. The peppermint fades pretty quickly, leaving a scent that's primarily gardenia, with a hint of mintiness and the same hard-to-describe base.

 

The mint lingers in my nostrils, so it's hard to get an accurate sniff, BUT -- I accidentally got some on the tip of my nose, without realizing it. I stepped outside and thought, "Oh wow, what's in bloom now? That smells fantastic." Then I realized it smelled like gardenia and...we don't have a gardenia plant. It's the perfume!

 

It reminds me a lot of Tarot: The Moon, only with the addition of peppermint. Unusual, but strangely great for summer.

[tarotbydiana]

I acquired bottle DV previously reviewed by scotchbonnet

 

I can see where she gets rose and honeysuckle. I also detect a subtle milk or cream note similar to Alice or Zarita the Doll Girl. There is an overall milky floral vibe on the skin. It's the type of milk that stays sweet and cool, and unlike the note in original Milk Moon or Obatala that translates to warm milk. If there is rose in this, it's subtle. It has a golden summer flowers and cream feel. It's hard to discern note by note what flowers are present in the bouquet, but it's lovely. In the locket, there is a touch of melon that I don't smell either in the bottle or on skin. I like DV best when it cavorts with my chemistry. This one is certainly staying with me as it's hard to find that perfect sweet cream note with flowers.

Edited August 19, 2008 by tarotbydiana

[taramarie]

DCCCLXXV 875

 

In the bottle, this is sweet and foody. On me, I think it's sugar plums and sugar cookies, so I'm calling it 'Twas The Night Before Christmas. Definitely a keeper, and my favorite so far.

[stellans]

I swapped with herkissofshame for CTIV: DCCXCIX (799), which arrived today. Since I already tried out my scent du jour (Blood Garden), I washed up and applied my new Chaos Theory. Instant love ensued!

 

One of my all time favorite LE releases is Twisted Oak Tree (from last year's Halloween Haunted House group), and DCCXCIX could be, if not a long-lost twin, at least a close relation. The ozone note, the woods, the resins -- all are there. Perhaps the only thing not there is the slight scent of burned wood (lightning strike on the oak tree? who knows?).

 

The clean aquatic scent is deepened, darkened, and utterly demonized by the resins in this blend, and I love it so much! The throw is amazing, long-lasting, and just as good in my scent locket as it is on my wrists!

[Ravenclaw79]

I swapped for DCC, which I just got to try today.

 

In the bottle, it smelled like Midwinter's Eve, sort of sweet and plum-y.

 

On me, the roses came out, lots of roses (I amp roses), and it seems to have mellowed into roses with sweet plums behind it. It's nice, maybe even nicer than Midwinter's Eve (shall have to try them side by side next).

[LauraB]

CCCLXI

 

I have finally worked out what this reminds me of - a half sucked gobstopper left out until it's gone VERY STICKY INDEED. Refined white sugar and generic "pink" flavouring. There may be a coconut or vanilla base note under this but it really isn't going to get the chance to come out and make itself known with the sugar pink so prominent. This stuff could terrify dentists from a distance of fifty feet if not more (not really what I look for in a perfume so I suspect it will find a better home elsewhere).

[fairnymph]

CCCXX - 320

 

In the imp: Light gold coloured oil. Tonka and citrus. Geez, much like 314 and 316 overall. Sweet, foody, fresh. Feminine.

 

Wet: Grapefruit seems to be the citrus, and maybe some verbena as well.The tonka is buttery and super creamy; there may be vanilla here as well. GINGER, fresh and bright with bit of bite. This is a ton like 316 but less floral. There's a vague light floral bouquet.

 

Dry: Slow to dry. Not much evolution other than an increasingly creamy feel. It's both the sweetest and yet tartest of this 'creamy citrus base' series of CTs. Oh it's not vanilla - it's COCONUT. Which explains the tropical feel.

 

Later: Coconut amps, wow. The grapefruit (pink) has faded a bit but the lemony stuff (could be yuzu?) is holding. A strong, rich musk emerges, probably white. Overall this evokes white or pale pink, I think in part because the floral is cherry blossom.

 

Summary: This must be the first time grapefruit holds on my skin and yet I don't like coconut, sigh! This a very fresh, fun, and girly scent. Sweet-tart and yet rich. Pink grapefruit, something tart and lemony, creamy tonka and white coconut, with bright white musk, spicy fresh ginger, and cherry blossoms.

 

Definitely a must for tropical lovers. This screams TIKI to me. It also reminds me a bunch of Cheshire Moon.

Edited August 20, 2008 by fairnymph

[Reedsong]

XXXVI (36):

 

A seller on the LJ community described this bottle as "cat pee and woods" to her nose. Hoping for civet, I bought it immediately.

 

Initial impression (bottle): A pale golden oil that...isn't civet, dammit. There's something antiseptic in here. It smells like a bizarre variant on Kostnice, or maybe Shroud. Oh dear. That likely means white sandalwood.

 

Initial impression (skin): Hello, white sandalwood, you irritating pencil shavings, you. Good lord, this smells like sawdust-scented Lysol. I seriously doubt I'm going to keep this.

 

Skin, five minutes: There's a very small dribble of something sharp-sweet in here, I think rose geranium. There's also an evergreen-sweet note that creeps into my throat with a sour resin tang; that's the pine pitch note, that is! The overwhelming dead wood smell is mellowing.

 

Skin, ten minutes: This is getting really nice. White sandalwood, pine pitch, and maybe birch with that tiny mellow of rose geranium, and I'm guessing there's an amber of some variety in here, as well.

 

Skin, fifteen minutes: It's faded to a mildly sweet-tangy wood-resin, and there's something very calming and thoughtful about the final fragrance. Had someone presented me with this bottle as a planned Lab scent, perhaps as a TAL or vodou oil, I'd have believed that the mixture was intentional.

 

It lasts only about an hour on my skin and stays very close, so I could imagine this as a very nice sleep or meditation scent. I haven't decided whether or not to keep it, but will at least be doing a few more tests...

[crimescenecleanup]

woohoo! More Chaos Theories!

 

MXX/1020

In the bottle: hello, cherry cough syrup. How odd, I've never smelled BPAL that was so...precisely like cherry cough syrup before. It's like sweet, medicinal, menthol-cherry.

On the skin: yep, definitely some eucalyptus or menthol in her, but it's light. The cherry is very strong, and very sweet - like cherry candies, not all all like real cherries. And do I detect a hint of grape?

On the skin, drydown whoa, yeah GRAPE...CHERRY... CANDY. This smells exactly like the cherry-grape FruitGushers candies used to taste. And yet, it's not turning directly to sugar like most sweet scents do on my skin. More like fruit leather - not like a hard candy. There's something grounding it, a couple of bitter, medicinal notes that remind me of coughdrops and and cough syrup. What could that bitter note be? hyssop? eucalyptus?

 

The longer I wear this, the drier and more sour it becomes.

I shouldn't love this, but I do! I smell like candy and it's wonderful, bitter, medicinal candies with a hint of cold and a delicious sweet, tart fruit coating to help it go down.

This is perfect. I dislike sweet foods, but I love sour and bitter foods, and the lab has given me bitter candy. It's too perfect.

MXLVI/1046

in the bottle - honeysuckle

on the skin - honeysuckle has disappeared. Now I get woods and moss. The woods are pale and fresh, like peeled birch and pine boughs, and the mosses really stand out. This is a forest path after a rain.

drydown - the honeysuckle returns with a vengeance - but instead of being overly sweet, like honeysuckle usually is on me, this is fresh, and smells just like the blossoms when you break them open to find the nectar inside. Even more surprising, I get a hint of rose (?).

This is turning into a lovely, mossy, woodsy, very grown-up floral. Very fresh, not overly sweet, and quite sophisticated.

Moss is still the dominant note, touched with nectar and living trees. It is so feminine, and so unexpected.

I'm so happy to find a floral I can wear! Unfortunately it fades very quickly, but I imagine letting it age and settle a bit will help improve the throw.

 

MLXIII/1063

in the bottle: bowl-me-over butterscotch. how did the lab no I wanted something wih buter and booze in it...

on the skin:

'eyes roll back into head'

'falls out of chair'

'twitches for a few minutes in foody ecstasy'

 

'picks self up, dusts self off'

 

excuse me.

 

ahem. yes. this is nice.

 

The predominant notes are butter and caramelized sugar. It also has a thick, custardy note. Imagine a creme brulee or flan with a crackling layer of burnt sugar on top, sitting next to a plate of warm butter-poundcake fresh out of the oven.

 

This is so perfectly blended, no one note is dominant.

 

drydown:

'waits in foody bliss for awhile'...!

Is that...dirt? and...metal? wha?

Egg'd mailbox, is that you? It is! This is almost precisely the same custard blend on drydown as Egg'd Mailbox. With this freaky, cold, resin-and dirt note and a hint of metal and ozone. This is the scent of the creme brulee ground into the black earth, with a cold metal shovel, while an icy rain falls.

Unlike Egg'd Mailbox did on me, it never becomes cloyingly sweet or greasy, in any stage. It stays true and delicious throughout.

 

This is both spooky and scrumptious, and I love it.

 

Hooray for CTIV!

Edited August 20, 2008 by crimescenecleanup

[terrenity]

CTIV: CMXXXIV (934)

 

In the bottle: This smells like... Dawn dish soap? Lemony and soapy and clean. There's something else here that makes me feel a bit ill, but I can't place it.

 

On: Oh. Oh! This blossoms into the exact scent of a lemon bar! I can almost taste it, it's so perfect. Sunny lemon with powdered sugar and butter, all baked to warm, moist deliciousness!

 

I wish I could say more, but "lemon bar" pretty much sums this one up! This bottle isn't going anywhere.. I love it!

 

ETA...

 

An hour later: The lemon has faded and now this has a sort of spicy vibe to it... a bit reminiscent of the spiced rum in Upa Upa. Still yummy!

 

A few hours later: And now I'm getting the distinct aroma of baby wipes. Clean ones, mind, but it's that aloe-lemon-soap sort of scent. I think this is what I smelled earlier that was kind of off.

 

How very strange! Lemon bars to spiced cake to baby wipes. Chaotic indeed! I think I'll give this one a few months to settle before I decide its fate.

Edited August 21, 2008 by terrenity

[princessbeena]

Ooohh this is fun!!!

 

Bottle DCCCLXV- 865 (Evil gingerbread inscence)-When I first opened the bottle I thought foody....like maybe gingerbread or something dark...maybe some dark wood in there too.

 

 

The drydown however leaves me with a nice inscence scent.....and wood. Kind of like I remember Catholic mass smelling like ....the wooden church pues with the roman inscence...the gingerbread is still there....a very dark gingerbread.... Very nice but not really my thing....off to swaps

 

 

Bottle CMXLII- 942 (Snow Angel's twin sister) In the bottle the lemon jumps out at me....not just regular lemon but a very vibrant cheery lemon with lots of sugar...maybe some peach or citrus??

 

The drydown remains very lemony...almost exactly like the hard candy lemon drops...very nice!!

 

Edited to add: Ok it just struck me.....I ran over to my imp pile and brought out my imp of Snow Angel......this scent is almost EXACTLY snow angel with just a tad more lemon.....I almost couldn't tell the difference between the two! This one is a winner!!

Edited August 22, 2008 by princessbeena

[fairnymph]

So a CT-obsessed person sent me a bunch of sniffies of things that were described to her as 'foody' and here is the first one I tested.

 

DLXV - 565

 

In the imp: Light, bright yellow coloured oil. Heady mixed floral. A little soapy, sharp, and green. Lily of the valley, narcissus? Maybe something a bit fruity too, in the distance.

 

Wet: Softer and sweeter on my skin, but still heavily floral. It reminds me of grandma's talcum powder a bit, though it isn't powdery. Violet, maybe. There is definitely a green note, too, maybe hyacinth or jonquil - which makes it more bearable.

 

Dry: A bitter edge starts to emerge, which makes me really want to confirm narcissus, and suspect maybe some mimosa as well. It's going more soapy/powdery and is making my nose itch.

 

Later: More soap and powder. Only wisteria goes so awfully soapy-powdery on me so I must suspect it. Maybe some iris or orris here too. It's fairly complex, but pretty much entirely floral.

 

Summary: Heavy, powdery, very soapy floral bouquet. Traditional and old-fashioned. A bit sharp, a bit bitter and sort of oddly cloyingly sweet in its depths. But mostly it's heady. Lily of the valley/muguet, narcissus, violet, wisteria, and maybe some orris/iris and hyacinth. I do not think a dude could wear this. Moderate throw; will NOT wash off.

 

Evil floral. The kind I hate. GAH.

[djnevermore]

CCXLI

Smells (overwhelmingly at first) like a stick of those dark-chocolate-coated raspberry jelly candies and one in orange smashed together. It even has the slight artificial fruit quality those candies have. However, after a fairly intense but striking dry-down, it's like something fresh and maybe even green with a good dollop of creamy yet dark--almost spooky--chocolate (the smell really reminds me of Halloween for some reason!) and a shot of pure sugar. Nothing burned about it.

 

If I liked to smell like chocolate, I'd definitely try to track down the bottle of this, even though I hate those jelly candies. This is just too amazing.

[fairnymph]

DLVIII - 558

 

In the imp: Very pale lemon yellow coloured oil. Sweet, buttery-cakey, spicy. Foody. Bright and fresh, almost citrusy.

 

Wet: Ginger, for sure - but other spices too. Carnation? Less sweet and buttery on my skin, but still rather creamy. Vanilla or honey, but a light one. This reminds me a chai a bit...oh, cardamom!

 

Dry: The creaminess is too light and watery to be cream, so I'm guessing it's milk. Very faintly sour on me, as milk can be, but not unpleasantly. Actually this is reminding me a lot of Morocco, maybe crossed with Dana O'Shee.

 

Later: Maybe that citrusy note is tea? It's very light, but there. The spices have amped a bit, and a dry woody note has emerged - a type of sandalwood? Also, something grainy - barley? Musk, too.

 

Summary: This settles into a warm, creamy, rounded, soft scent with light spices and a slightly sour edge. Milk, honey, barley, ginger, cardamom, carnation, musk, red sandalwood and below it all, earthy oakmoss. Fairly feminine. Low throw, decent lasting power.

 

While quite nice and very soothing, it's not my style.

 

Previously reviewed by sookster.

Edited August 21, 2008 by Shollin

[forspecial_plate]

MLVIII......1058

 

First applying, I smell candy, slightly fruity cotton candy. This smells nothing like when I first tried it, earlier today. I thought it was a light green floral but now it seems to be all cotton candy with fruits, maybe very sweet orange. As it dries, something lightly cake-y starts to emerge. Now it's almost like an orange creme-sicle scent. Very pretty, almost powdery, so not me!

 

Edit 4/2009......now that this has aged a few months, I'm getting a better idea of what it smells like. I still would describe it as candy-orange, sweet but there is also a spice or herbal note, something almost peppery. After it dries for a while, it turns more powdery, and reminds me a lot of neroli or orange blossom. It's a little cloying for my taste, and it really lasts and lasts on my skin, so I end up sick of it before it comes close to fading away.

 

Final edit......OMG I am so glad I kept this.....simply a light orangey fluffy slightly floral cologne-like scent with the lightest hint of white pepper. Simple, beautiful. I will hoard what's left!

Edited August 13, 2014 by Forspecial Plate

[fairnymph]

CDLXII - 462

 

In the imp: Pale peach coloured oil. Sweet and sharp. Flowers, fruit. A bit tart. Also a little creamy and foody. Makes my nose tingle.

 

Wet: Mint! That's what the sharp-fresh note was. Spearmint, I think. Reminds me of gum with the sweetness. The florals are a tad powdery. Still fruity but I can't pinpoint how.

 

Dry: Increasingly floral and less sweet. I'm pretty sure the sweet-powdery floral is sweet pea. The fruit strikes me as a berry, or maybe currant...wait, grape! Tart-sweet.

 

Later: It's deepening a bit; musk, I'd guess. There's a hint of something spicy, too - carnation, possibly. I would no longer call this creamy. More herbal, too - thyme, ivy.

 

Summary: Green, herbal drydown with the spearmint, thyme, and ivy, sweetened by the juicy-tart grape, somewhat powdery sweet pea, and rich, sexy musk. Also a deep, earthy resin of some sort - benzoin? Low throw, good lasting power.

 

Reminds me a bit of The Blood Garden, crossed with Aeval. I'd really like it without the damn sweet pea. The herbs, resin, grape, and musk are gorgeous and the evolution is amazing - quite a morpher!

[taramarie]

DCCCLXXIX 879

 

In the bottle and wet on my skin, it's clove single note. Unlike most clove blends, this one doesn't burn. Dry, some cedar starts to come through. This one's interesting but not me.

 

ETA: I'm giving this one to a funds-challenged friend, who is really into spice blends. Thank God for friends with opposing tastes.

Edited August 22, 2008 by whiterosepetals

[Stroker Ace]

The two CT:4 bottles I ordered arrived yesterday, bringing much delight to an otherwise rather dreary and unpleasant afternoon.

 

MV: Spicy pine in the bottle. More spice than pine, and the pine isn't...it's more brown and woodsy and dark green rather than Christmas pine green. Pine needles in an antique souvenir pillow from the Adirondacks. With spice. A cabin in the woods around the winter holidays, with a handful of incense thrown on the fire. On the skin, the woody pine scent comes out more strongly, with the spicy resin fading to the background. Ever smell one of those little log cabin-shaped pince incense sets? Very, very much like that. A little odd to wear in the summer, but come late autumn I think it will be a favorite.

 

(Other bottle coming tomorrow!)

[heysunshine]

# DCCCVIII: 808 aka the "Snow Fairy Chaos Theory"

origin: herkissofshame

 

This is strong! when sniffed straight from the bottle. Yes, it is Snow Fairy, all banana cream berry vanilla bubblegum-ness. Wet it is still strong but there is not much throw detected, just bubblegum berry goodness. Think Bubbleicious, not Bazooka Joe. Past the initial wet stage it becomes a close to the skin scent. It is dry and faint. A dusty vanilla mixes in. It's not baby powdery but it smells dry and powdery. After burying my nose in my wrist my nose smells like vanilla soft serve ice cream. Vanilla with milk, not cream. herkissofshame mentioned that it is like the vanilla in Love's Philosophy and sniffing that I agree. This is a shortlived scent. After only an our or two it resembles the final, spicy drydown of Beaver Moon 07. Sniffing later, 808's final drydown is still spicy, but it's changed. I keep thinking it is carnation and upon further smelling, it definitely is; it has the same final drydown as Zarita the Doll Girl.