Chaos Theory V: Recursive Self Similarity v4

[scrappy]

CCLXX

 

I had to enlist the help of a couple of friends with my chaos bottles, but for the most part they agreed on this one. Snake oil + Xanthe. And by Xanthe, I mean that there's a bubblegummy quality to this scent. On my skin, I can definitely detect the snake oil and the bubblegum note sweetens it up a bit.

[scrappy]

DCVIII

 

Received this as a frimp from the wonderful myth.

 

This is snake oil and orange... something. Orange blossoms or maybe a sweeter orange peel? Might be some sandalwood in there too. Dry it retains both the orange and snake oil components, blending as musky orange snake oil. Unfortunately the orange note fades faster, so over time it's become more snake oil and less orange.

 

I quite like this.

[bastlynn]

DCXVI - decant - Snake Oil and Czernobog, sans that bright orangy scent Czernobog has ... I want *more*. OMG this is beautiful. Boyfriend nuzzled wrist just about purring and didn't want to let go.

 

 

DXXXIV - decant - Snake Oil + brown sugar and almonds, it smells nummy and good to eat. Like the syrup that goes on top of cinnamon buns.

Edited May 17, 2009 by bastlynn

[angelicruin]

DXI

 

I picked up 2 decants of this blend blindly without the benefit of any reviews. And am I glad I did. This blend is Lavender and Snake Oil.

 

I can't stop sniffing my wrist. It's so comforting that it may temporarily displace TKO as my bedtime BPAL for a little while.

 

I'm so sad that this is a one of a kind blend, but it's given me the idea to blend some of my Snake Oil with TKO once I've used up these 2 decants.

 

[gingiemay]

DCCXXXIII

 

Wet in bottle - This bottle was absolutely full to the BRIM. Madness. Ok, in the bottle there is definitely snake oil, but it's a mild base, similar to the Snake Pit blends I have tried. I get maybe some frankinsence and linden blossom. It smells very similar to Temple Viper, actually.

 

Wet on skin - Snake Oil and something else that's a little bit sharper. It smells very familiar to me, like a sharp Temple Viper, but I can't quite put my finger on it. I do love it though!

 

Dry on skin - Wow! This is a really similar blend to Temple Viper, but the vanilla is really strong and yummy. This kind of skips the aging process of Snake Oil and gets you there immediately. I'm in lurrrrve.

[Ondine]

I don't know what the numbers are on this one. The previous owner described it as "heavier, it has patchouli/herbally vibe to it, sometimes I think it has a bit of lemon sharpness to it. ... I had someone else smell it and they said the first thing that came to mind was herbal, then patchouli and then a bit of pine. She thinks what I call the "sharpish note" is pine, I thought it was more lemony like lemon balm (an herb)."

 

It's so weird. When I tried it on, it honestly smelled like just straight Snake Oil to me (which is fine!) Then I thought I could smell just the slightest hint of something like pine in the background--maybe. It seems to last a little less than regular Snake Oil, fading quicker on me. On sniff from the bottle, it smells less like pine + Snake Oil and more like a sharp edge of something like menthol. [EDIT: Upon smelling it today, I can kind of place it. Imagine Snake Oil plus Tiger Balm!]

 

Really strange. Anyway, I like it, but I'm not smelling much that's patchouli/lemon at all in it. Ah well, that's what makes the Chaos bottles fun!

Edited May 22, 2009 by Ondine

[DangerInRed]

Wow, I think I forgot to keep reviewing my CTV's after I got through most of the Dorians, and that won't do! I think I'll start with a mysety Snake Oil CT that I got in a swap. The letters have mostly rubbed off, but I can make out CXXsomething.

 

The oil was described to me as Snake Oil and Plum, and I think it's pretty spot on. I wasn't sure if this was going to be too perfumey for me, at it has a very perfume-y vibe to it, almost reminiscent of Glowing Vulva's perfumeyness. I wonder if there's any similar notes in this, as it smells like a creamy, vanilla plum. And not the vanilla that usually goes plastic on my either...okay, maybe a tiny bit plastic if I sniff hard, but it's barely detectable! This is sweet plummy goodness.

[caitilarkin]

DII

 

In the bottle: A wood note that registers as oak to my nose with faint florals. No trace of Snake Oil...

 

Wet on skin: The floral note, which I have decided is in the lily family, is amping and threatening to turn soapy. Where is my Snake Oil?

 

Dry on skin: Yep, there is definitely some kind of lily in here being grounded and subdued by a lovely oak note. After about an hour, the scent is quite nice and I will keep it to see how it ages. But it freaks me out that there is absolutely no trace of Snake Oil in this blend--no spices, no vanilla, no red musk--nada.

[myth]

CCCXCIX

Quick sniff: floral and fruit? On skin: pineapple, is that you? As it dries this begins to go floral, and the fruit fades. The SO is soft underneath. This floral has a creamy tone.

Previously reviewed by naeelah.

 

CCCXXIV

Quick sniff: I think I smell berry. Unfortunately I accidentally closed my spreadsheet without saving and lost my previous review. This one was weird though, and I never did figure out what I was smelling. It was kind of fruity-perfumey, tried to be evergreen for a while, and had a bit of funk. Who knows. Very little to no SO in here though. There was something familiar about this... Poton Meter maybe? It had a dry fruit/wine/berry component.... possibly pomegranite.... something kind of bright and slightly sharp. I didn't really care for this... it wasn't terrible, but it was weird and not my thing.

Last reviewed by Ondine.

 

CCXXIII

Quick sniff: I think my nose broke. Deep and difficult to pinpoint. On skin: still weird. Something funky and almost fruity. Making me think of booze and vitamins as it is drying. Very weird. It's possible that the funk in here is honey, I guess. Sort of Gluwein + SO? Second try: this is almost syrupy smelling. What is this? It's still odd... very thick-smelling, a little sweet and a little sour. As it dries more the funk ramps up. Makes me think of garden centers. And I don't know what. So very very weird.

 

CXCIX

Quick sniff: Definitely some floral in this one. On skin: strong SO, and something powdery. Thick grandma powder. The SO drops off abruptly once it sinks in and the powder takes over. Definitely some type of floral in here. Once fully dry it becomes more well-blended, and in the throw I can smell both SO and a floral of some kind, and it's actually not horrible. If I sniff right up close I can smell the powder, but from a distance it is tolerable, although not something I'd wear.

 

*florals and honey hate me, so take these reviews with that grain of salt

[midnight_aeval]

I still have a handful of CT bottles I haven't even tested yet; so here goes the first couple!

 

CCLXII (262) origin - straight from lab

 

From the bottle I smell Snake Oil and Tang (you know that powdery orange drink astronauts and monkeys drink?) When I skin test the Tang scent goes away and the strangest spearmint/sinus clearing note comes out. After about 10 minutes it mellows to sweet spearmint and snake oil. What a morpher!

 

 

CCCXXIII (323) origin - straight from lab

 

Snake Oil meets male executive hottie sitting amidst a huge office with a classy leather chair, opening his sleek leather briefcase to reveal stacks of money or naughty accessories This one couldn't be more perfect for me. This is not the rugged, wild west, dusty leather from Dead Man's Hand; it's new, refined, and toned way down. This blend differs greatly from Western Diamondback which has the DMH leather mixed in it (you know, the bad boy biker sort). Drys down to the way classic Snake Oil would, but the leather is never too far.

Summed up:

Edited May 24, 2009 by Midnight Aeval

[midnight_aeval]

CCLXX (320) origin - straight from lab

 

This is one of 2 scents I plucked from my husband's shelf to test out. One was a masculine after shave & Dorian mix; this one is masculine as well - I can't pinpoint notes, but when I got it my husband said it smells like how his dad used to smell (all weirdness aside...) according to my husband his dad used the classic Old Spice a lot.

 

I tested this on me today and I get myrrh; I only think this because I recently got a bottle of SN Light Myrrh and can recognize it. There's also a touch of citrus... orange maybe. Almost no Snake Oil to be found.

Edited May 24, 2009 by Midnight Aeval

[nekogrrl]

DCIX - straight from the lab

 

Initial whiff: cinnamon!

 

Skin test: cinnamon, with something that almost smells like ass. I'm not exactly sure what to make of this. Snake Oil usually works quite well on me, so this.. somewhat off scent is strange. I've never smelled anything like this in BPAL, so I don't know exactly what to compare it to. This scent stays pretty much the same throughout the day, doesn't morph at all.

 

I think I'll keep this around for a while, see if the scent matures. Overall, except for that not-quite-Snake-Oil smell, it's a pretty nice blend.

[midnight_aeval]

CCCLXXXI (381) origin - straight from lab

 

Whoa gingerbread. I didn't know you and Snake Oil had THAT kind of relationship! The gingerbread in this is really, really gingery and spicy. Not the super cakey kind that lingers in Gingerbread Poppet. Part of me is enamored by this blend, but the other part screams it's too much!

[midnight_aeval]

CCCXCIII (393) origin - straight from lab

 

This one is super fruity, red berries and lush plums with a base of Snake Oil. Not like Mme Moriarty, but has some similarity to Dionysia. I'm impressed by the "juicy" quality of this one. I could see this becoming even better with a little bit of age!

 

 

[eoifemacbeth]

CXCIX (probably---the I is the only letter I'm unsure about)

 

In the bottle: Straight up Snake Oil.

Wet on my skin: The odd musty note that Snake Oil does on my skin new is blooming in full force---kind of like Band-Aids. Other notes are really beating it back, though---I'm liking this far more than I like new Snake Oil.

Drying: I'm getting something... almost... floral? Maybe not floral, but it's very familiar to my nose. I took my arm over to my mother and asked her what it reminded her of, and she said she'd definitely smelled it before too. We concurred it might be vanilla flower.

Dry: This is so interesting! It went through stages of smelling very fresh and almost tropical---I hesitate to say coconut milk might be involved?---and stages of smelling like a very distinguished classic fragrance, very much how Black Opal smelled on me.

 

Verdict: Snake Oil with vanilla flower, coconut milk and (maybe?) white musk.

 

CCXXIII

In the bottle: Very odd, but pleasing---like Snake Oil + Bliss, with a good shot of the Chinese cherries that used to grow outside my grandmother's house in Florida---not cherrylike at all, but super tart and almost painful to eat. Definitely Snake Oil and chocolate with a bitter fruit---maybe goji/acai?

Wet on my skin: The berry note is leaving and the chocolate is amping. It's definitely not the dark cocoa in Boomslang, definitely more like Vice's or Bliss' chocolate. Interestingly, the milkiness of the note is blending far better with the musk in S.O. than I thought the darker chocolate in Boomslang did.

Drying: Definitely some chocolate-musk-Snake Oil---the berry note keeps popping up, like "Hey! Wait for me, you guys!" I know I've smelled that note before. This is doing lovely things on my skin.

Dry: OH MAN IT'S COPAL. I knew that super-tart almost-berry smell was familiar. This has turned a little strange on my skin, so I'm pretty sure it's not a keeper for me.

 

Verdict: Snake Oil with milk chocolate, musk and copal.

 

CCI

In the bottle: Whoa! More fruity S.O.! Smells similar to Australian Copperhead, but... lighter. Melony?

Wet on my skin: Definitely melon and maybe pomegranate. Super-fresh, not at all cloying---an awesome summer blend.

Drying: Staying very true to the wet stage. This is really nice. It's also kind of reminding me of Irrelevant and Disturbing Surreal Crawdad Dream---maybe there's blueberry in there?

Dry: Has become a gorgeous, lush blend of Snake Oil and a fruit salad. This is probably my favorite out of all the Snake Oil CTs I've tried.

 

Verdict: Snake Oil with melon, pomegranate, strawberry and blueberry.

[voodoocatwoman]

CCXV

 

It starts out very vanilla. Then I could swear I smell smoke. Wood smoke. Pinon wood smoke. Criminy! This is the pinon incense my dad used to burn incessantly.

 

Hang on a sec. Someone just threw a bouquet of flowers on top of the fire. They smolder.

 

What an odd fragrance. It is bringing back serious childhood memories. Wow.

[Gin]

Chaos Theory V: Recursive Self-Similarity v4: The Snake Oil Series

 

DCVII (607) : I admit, I tried to test all three of my CTVs at once. I thought this one was broken. It smelled just like Snake Oil. Now I wonder if my nose wasn't "burned out" on the chaos notes, because alone, it smells like Snake Oil + Dorian. I was huffing Dorian and CTV Dorian on my other arm to try and decipher the CTV:D, so I think I missed it in this.

ETA: Okay, now that I've tested it head-to-head with Lilith Victoria, I think I may have missed the mark again. Now, my diagnosis is this: Snake Oil and blackberry. (Eeeeep!)

Edited June 4, 2009 by Gin

[sirensea]

CCCLV

 

It's faintly floral, but there's also something spicy there. It's like a mixture of sweetness, sandalwood and vanilla. The feminine version of Snake Oil.

[voodoocatwoman]

CXV

 

In the imp, this smells very green... almost like sap from the stem of a flower (I keep seeing a daisy in my nose's eye). It gets a little softer and sweeter on application but it maintains that feral quality. I have no idea what notes are in here. I could be imagining a wee bit of violet but I can't discern anything else.

 

Very different. Very nice.

 

eta: how on earth did Lycanthrope manage to get bottles CXV and CCXV in the same order... and then decant imps of both to me? Hee!

Edited June 4, 2009 by voodoocatwoman

[SeaLady]

CCXXXV

 

I'm really glad I tried this one again.

 

When I first got it, it was LICORICE that maybe had met Snake Oil once at the house of a mutual acquaintance. So I scolded it and put it in a box.

 

Now it's SNAKE OIL, and licorice, and metal?. It's fascinating, and I think I like it quite a lot. Well, I know I like it quite a lot. But I can't tell if I love it, or if it fascinates me. bbl, sniffing >.>

Edited June 7, 2009 by SeaLady

[isisonearth]

mystery number - arrived with the label oil soaked

 

I've been sitting on this one for a while when it arrived it was clearly a more floral SO but it was sort of raw smelling...too hard to pick out what it really was.

 

Took it back out the other day and it had resolved itself to a perfect carnation icy cold from the florists cooler mixed about 50/50 with the SO base. Divine and amazingly lucky since carnation is my number one favorite flower.

[Phaedra]

DXXM: Wet this is Snake Oil and red musk, a bit sweet. When first on there's a weird almost plastic note and maybe cedar mixed with the Snake Oil and red musk. Luckily the plastic note fades pretty quickly. This really doesn't change much more on me. This is like regular Snake Oil but with a little extra oomph. I'm really interested to see how this ages and if the extra notes will develop more.

[grashopper8]

CCCLXXI

 

I bought this bottle from mountainwitch through the forum. Here are my vague impressions:

 

I am kind of stumped by this Snake Oil chaos theory!!! I think there might be carnation in it, but it's not a heavy or unpleasant carnation, and since I don't like carnation, and I like this scent, I might be wrong about it having carnation....It has some powdery spicy floral thing going on....man, I really do suspect carnation.

I am reminded of Crabtree and Evelyn's Nadira scent, and also of the far less mainstream Bruno Acampora's Prima T.

I think I can smell rose, but not an easily detectable rose, so maybe not. Could be bergamot, I get rose and bergamot confused sometimes. So maybe bergamot, carnation, and Snake Oil? It's hard to say with this one, it's very well blended. Maybe jasmine? Oh and there is a clean musk note in there for sure, at least that I can definitely pick up on here!!

 

Overall, it's a mature, spicy, powdery floral scent with just a hint of Snake Oil at the bottom - if I didn't know there was Snake Oil in this, I would not have even mentioned it.

Complex and well blended. Good job labbies!!

[milo]

I swapped for this one, as the Snake Oil Chaos's seem to be working REALLY well for me. This was described as the swapper as "pixie stix" or the black currant note the lab has. To me, I don't get the berry vibe, but I can see the pixie stix comparison, as to me it is a sugary violet along with the snake oil, like violet candies. It does dry to a candy-like scent, but the snake oil keeps it from being too sweet. I did try once before layering Faith and Snake Oi, and it was absolutely horrible on me. This, however is very pleasant, sexy violet snake oil. I've actually found Faith to be a little too much for me right now on the sweetness factor, and this really is a great subdued violet snake oil for the spring/summer.

[Schmoozy]

CCC1

Straight from the lab

 

I sniffed this when I first got and was pretty sure the lab sent me a 5ml bottle of Robitussen DM cough syrup. Yup, I was sad. I only ordered 1 CT, and it had to be a Snake Oil CT.

 

So fast forward to today, I am finally testing it...and it is still Snake Oil Cough Syrup. Oh well.