Chaos Theory VI: Recursive Self-Similarity v7

[Kitrona]

CHAOS THEORY VI
Chaos is the score upon which reality is written. – Henry Miller

An old take on Chaos! A new take on Chaos!

This year, we are offering the traditional chaos of the original Chaos Theories, manifested as Eris’ Tilt-A-Whirl, and a new Recursive Self-Similarity series.

Each CT:6 scent under the auspices of Recursive Self-Similarity, has a base of one of the following scents, in wildly varying proportions:

Amber
Frankincense
Vanilla

From these bases comes a new series of flowing, fragrant fractals that emanate from these three roots. Random combinations of oils have been added to every individual bottle, retaining their sensitivity to their initial component, resulting in a truly unique blend that swirls merrily around its core oil.

This is an 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.

I got #44. Not sure what's in it besides vanilla, but it does remind me of one of the Halloweenies or Yules, I'm not sure which, or which scent. Unfortunately, on drydown it fades to almost nothing (or maybe it's just very faint compared to the frankincense CT on the other arm). Still, I like it. Might have to invest in a scent locket for it, though.

[hlemonds]

My vanilla Chaos blend is labeled 223. My first impression upon opening the bottle is that this must have something (carnation, maybe?) in common with Hod. It is a very odd, bitter note. Thankfully, as with Hod, this disappears quickly once applied to the skin. As this begins to dry I am reminded of Mme. Moriarty, perhaps a wild plum note in addition to the vanilla? Once dry I find it to be quite faint, but as with most vanilla blends that may improve with age. I seem to get a bit of lily mixed with the (now) very soft carnation, vanilla, and (possibly) wild plum. Overall I do like it, I just wish it were a bit more potent and lasted longer, but age may help.

[cfrancesca]

I got 3 Vanilla CT's:

 

CT: Vanilla #67 - This ones a foody holiday type blend, I get: vanilla, spices (cloves especially), egg nog, cookie/cake, possibly some pumpkin too. Maybe a teeny bit of coffee? not too sure about the coffee.

 

CT: Vanilla #110 - Foody, sugary, it smells slightly "pink" in the beginning, I starting get vanilla, cake (not buttery at all), berries (?), candy or something very sugary (but not candy-floss), maybe some nuts. When I first smelled it I thought it reminded me of the Confectionary prototype but after testing them together the proto is much more fruitier and sharper, this one is softer and not as "pink" after it settles on my skin.

 

CT: Vanilla #191 - I'm lost with this one, it's my favorite of the 3 but I cannot figure out the notes. It's vanilla, with something tart, slightly citrusy, a bit dry, at times it reminds me of Anti-Saloon League but not as creamy, so maybe sassafras? I know I've smelt this before, but I can't remember it! I will edit if I figure it out. Tons of throw!

Edited June 12, 2010 by cfrancesca

[caseys]

CT Vanilla #106 - Lots of vanilla with clove and vetiver. In the bottle it smells just like Snickerdoodles, and then the vetiver emerges on the drydown. Normally, clove and vetiver are notes of doom for me, but this actually dries down to an amazing spicy-smoky vanilla. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I really love this one.

 

CT Vanilla #164 - Cucumber, white musk, and maybe a hint of tea. In the bottle this actually smells like honeydew melon with a hint of vanilla, but the vanilla completely disappears on the drydown. I was pretty disappointed with this one, but I'll probably retest it tomorrow after it's had a little more time out of the mailbox.

[MCS4096]

I got #211 and I'll be damned if it doesn't smell just like Skytyping With Chemtrails... And I can be extra sure of this since I got a bottle of that in the same order as this CT blend

 

It's nice.. vanilla and creamy lemon.. kinda lemon meringue pie-esque.. just like Skytyping, but slightly duller-- it fades faster and the sweetness goes more dusty than Skytyping. I may sell this guy off to someone looking for it's Helicopter twin

[thekittenkat]

CT Vanilla 80 is rich sweet chocolate in the bottle. Wet on skin, it's chocolate and vanilla, with something lurking underneath, perhaps a white or skin musk. In the dry down, everything has blended together nicely. Comes off like a milk chocolate with a hint of musk. This is a keeper.

 

[Dark Alice]

My Vanilla CT's are:

 

CT 181-Vanilla and Spearmint with light hints of peppermint. (wet) Drydown Vanilla and spearmint! Very refreshing. I love it.

 

CT 128-Vanilla with citrus and the metal note from Witchblade. Once my skin eats the citrus...it goes to straight vanilla on the drydown. I love this too.

 

CT 39-Vanilla with white amber (wet) Drydown-Vanilla with white ambery perfumey note. Not a big fan of this one. I may be swapping it!

[Klepz]

The two I got weren't perfect for me and have since found new homes, but I got:

 

CT 93: Vanilla This is darker berries and vanilla and possibly (maybe; the good kinds never stand out on my skin) a splash of booze. This has lots of throw! It's seriously strong, and didn't go candy-like, which a lot of fruit tends to do. It reminded me a bit of Black Heart, but better.

 

CT 202: Vanilla This is a light creamy vanilla with something that might be a hint of coconut. It reminds me quite a bit of Love's Philsophy without the medicinal saffron bit. ETA: It could also be shea butter.. gosh, I have trouble with this one!

 

I'm actually psyched that I got homes for these because I know their new owners will be way better at identifying what's in them than I am.

Edited June 13, 2010 by Klepz

[alizarin]

#95

 

Straight-up vanilla in the bottle, if there's something else it's sweet and I can't immediately distinguish it. Maybe a light musk? There's something bright & clean around the edges.

 

The more it dries the more the vanilla calms down & I think there might be white musk in here. If there's something else it's so well-blended that I can't pick it out. Maybe something sweet, there's almost a powdered sugar something dancing around in the background. It might be a straight up sugar note, it reminds me of other blends with sugar.

 

Very dry, this is almost like Smut on me. Lighter. More vanilla. But Smut-esque.

 

Really gorgeous. I limited myself to a single Chaos this round and I clearly lucked out.

 

 

ETA: Having worn this several times and having aged a few weeks, I'm almost positive the mystery sweet note is marshmallow. Something like the lovechild of Smut & Boo. Still adore it.

Edited July 5, 2010 by alizarin

[Cheri]

I got two vanillas.

 

#91 is awesome. It smells like vanilla shub with a little cinnamon, and I love it.

 

#2 something, but it came with a leaky lid and the label all smooshed, which is ok because it isn't one I would wear. It smells like new tires that were on fire. I have no idea what notes would cause it to smell like that, but I don't like it. The color of it is so dark, it's almost black. I'll wait and see how it ages.

Edited June 13, 2010 by Cheri

[mineralgirl]

I got bottle 114. It smells like something familiar but I can’t identify it. Sort of citrusy but I detect no vanilla, oddly enough!

 

On skin: herby, clean, fresh, citron or lemon peel, maybe? There is some sugar too. It sort smells like fresh lemon. It’s tart and makes my mouth water! But still no vanilla whatsoever. I think there may be a floral lurking. In fact, the more I sniff it, the more I think It has my dreaded note of doom - lavender. I HATE lavender. I think this needs to head to the sale page.

 

Edited June 13, 2010 by MineralGirl

[walshbc111]

77- in the bottle my initial reaction was passionfruit.... But I think this is guava and maybe strawberry and a tiny hint of something light and musky- perhaps skin musk.

On, this is a very light, sweet vanilla with a hint of strawberry and guava and a hint of musk. Faded pretty fast into a gentle fruity marshmallow scent. Kind of reminded me of Cheshire moon, xanthe, and marshmallow poof, and plastic pink flamingo, but gentler and more subtle than those. Very, very lovely.

 

206- orange, licorice/sassafras vanilla and maybe some saffron? Smells like creamsicle in the bottle. Wet, initially it smells very licorice, goes through a weird heavy saffron stage, then dries into a really pretty licorice creamsicle smell with just a touch of saffron. Also very lovely.

 

[pacifick]

#147 : Cheesecake. No crust, no berries, just straight cheesecake. I'm hungry now.

[SophieCedar]

I got 2 bottles:

 

146: rich rich vanilla with something gummy making the mixture thick and tacky..benzoin and myrrh? It's like an amplified Snake Oil. I really like it! I need to apply it in small amounts though. I applied a moderate test amount to my wrist and it was overwhelmingly strong. ETA: I noticed last night, as lamp light was shining through the bottle that there was something dark in the bottom half. Guess I forgot to shake it up! The dark stuff is cocoa! Vanilla, cocoa, benzoin, and myrrh. ETA (again..) This is actually a sweeter version of Boomslang with more throw. There's maybe a red or black musk? Can't tell which one but it LASTS FOREVER..

 

 

137: vanilla strawberry (maybe guava?) coconut incense. Like exactly what you smell wafting from head shops and street vendor incense tables! ETA: the incense note has tempered. This smells like strawberry cheesecake! I'm addicted to it.

Edited June 24, 2010 by SophieCedar

[CynicalPink]

This is #214

 

In the bottle, it's a very strong butterscotch smell. Almost alcoholic. I got a little nervous.

 

Once on the skin it calms down pretty quickly. The vanilla is very subtle and more things start to come through. For comparison, the effect for most of the scent's lifespan is a cross between a kinder, gentler Miskatonic University and Nonae Caprotine. So I get goat's milk, little coffee, vanilla, and maybe even a touch of skin musk.

 

The linger it has (meaning the scent on the skin after the waft is gone) is Nonae Caprotina with the myrrh and fig swapped for vanilla and what I think it skin musk. It's pleasant and earthy.

 

6/27/10 Edit: Now that it's had time to settle after it's long mail journey, it's even better. There's still a milky, close to skin quality, but the vanilla is much stronger. The long-wear effect is "bakery scented skin." It's a natural, warm, skin-but-better scent.

 

Chaos is addictive, though, and I think I'll try to free up some money for another Vanilla blend

Edited June 27, 2010 by CynicalPink

[FathomBelow]

#184: My first experience with Chaos Theory!

In the bottle: Something warm and yet clean - I can smell the vanilla.

Wet on skin: Exactly like the bottle, but stronger.

As it dries: Oh dear - this turns into pure baby powder. Not sure I like this after all.

After it dries: From far away, I can still get that first great smell, thankfully. Closer up, it smells like sweet, powdery, green lilies. It's actually not bad - it's just that lilies have never been my thing.

Final opinion: Reminds me a lot of Black Lily. I like it okay, but I wouldn't mind giving it away.

 

ETA: I meant 184, not 186.

Edited June 16, 2010 by AmberApple

[amanderinorange]

#127

 

My initial impression is that this is straight up vanilla buttercream. Super sweet and creamy.

 

On skin: this is still super sweet and creamy but after a few minutes begins to take on a sort of plastic edge.

 

Fortunately, I've found that if I layer it with another scent, the plastic goes away. So far the best combo is Queen Alice and #127 making it a lovely vanilla rich scent that I like better than either alone. I think I'll keep my bottle for layering, but I'm ordering another in hopes that I get something a little darker.

[nenia]

Vanilla Chaos 73.

When I first received this it smelled like a 13 variant. Chocolate milk /tootsie roll pretty much. When it settled a bit and I tried it again that night the chocolate note was faint to nonexistent (yay because choco notes usually turn my stomach with my skin chem) It smells a bit cakey, vanilla, buttercream, a bit of berry and a faint trace of the cocoa perhaps. The scent is pretty faint but I do adore it. May try to find a locket or oil burner or hope with age it deepens a bit. Yum!

[deviant kitten]

Vanilla Chaos #169

This thing came full to the top!!

In the bottle-sweet candy vanilla with a strong wood smell

wet- oh gawd! Pine trees! Not fun!

drydown- it takes a while, but the pine fades into the background. Oh....Oh...the vanilla is back yay!!!!!

As it dries more...is that a touch of tobacco?

 

Final verdict- Vanilla becomes more the prominent note, but the pine and tobacco (I think LOL) are there to make it not smell like straight up vanilla.

I have on clue what is in here LOL. Vanilla, pine, tobacco, maybe a touch of booze? I like it, but it definitely needs aging!

 

[kikithepirate]

My CT is bottle #212.

 

Berries! Specifically, I recognize the boysenberry note from BPTP: Pancake Breakfast, which I absolutely love. I think there might also be the tiniest bit of blueberries in this, too? I don't usually like blueberry, but if they're in this, they're pretty well buried. The vanilla is very, very strong, and this oil has extremely good throw -- the very first day I wore it, I got complimented on it by a guy on the street asking me to sign a petition. The vanilla has a slight medicinal quality to it, like I get from Snake Oil, but that fades away as the oil has some time to settle.

[reena1]

This is my first time participating in the chaos. I dont excatly know how trained my nose is so bare with me =)

 

#332(The most full bpal i have ever recieved)

Bottle: It was very very faint i only got faint traces of anything but im thinking it was leather. It reminded me of this one time I was rummaging through leather scraps at this fabric store. The smell almost made me sick. Not because it smelled bad though, because it reminded me of that day. (no air conditioning in phoenix + leather= Sick Surena)=/

 

wet on skin: I figured Beth is magic so i tried it on anyway and the scent really morphed. I think it belongs in the same scent family as the illustrated woman, but with added leather. So i tried on illustrated woman on my arm to make sure i wasnt insane. Nope, i was spot on. I got pine, smokey vanilla, and leather. Its really a cool scent. I think im going to let it age though and hope the initial leather of doom scent goes away. Though if this bottle were a general catalogue i think it would be quite popular

 

Number 332 I now name you: Biker Chick

[Xanon]

Bottle # 167

 

This one had me guessing at what the hell is in it. When I first sniffed (fresh from the mail box), it was kind of like sniffing fruity cookies. But the kicker: was it melon fruit or berry fruit? There is something else in here that I am not getting.

Today, about 3 days later, in the bottle it smells like vanilla, Carmel, and green apples.

Wet on my skin, I am thinking that it could be apple blossom... GAH, my nose really is not good at picking out these notes.

When dry, it is VERY pretty. Not too foodie, which I am happy about. It leaves my skin smelling like creamy vanilla fruits, with a hint of something golden.

 

Verdict: Best Chaos for me thus far. Even the hub thinks it is pretty.

Edited June 14, 2010 by Xanon

[damonkitty]

My two chaos blends arrived today. I thought I ordered two vanilla ones, but I must have changed my mind and picked one Tilt- A -Whirl at the last minute.

 

My vanilla blend is #300 and it is straight up Vanilla/Sandalwood (usually my death note ). I put it on and got an even blend of a foodie vanilla and a medium strength sandalwood. I was kind of scared, but the sandalwood lightens up quickly and the vanilla is a really sweet and foodie one so this is working on me so far. I am not sure if it is my thing or not. Not really overjoyed, but I could have got worse I think.

[Aldercy]

Bottle 324 has more ginger than vanilla, I think! It's really spicy-- a hard, screaming red ginger with something reminiscent of woody cassia or cinnamon bark. There's also a hint of smoky musk-- just a bit of sultry gray in the background. The vanilla is really beaten into submission by the spices, but what's there is a sweet, warm, slightly aged vanilla-- not icky plastic.

 

This being the first CT I dared to order (I've been afraid because they seem really hard to get rid of if you don't care for them-- I see sooo many on sales pages), I'm pleased. It's my kind of scent. Nothing to make me cringe. But it is quite similar to Saw-Scaled Viper, the only BPAL to date to irritate my skin with the volume of spice. Blend 324 is a little harsh in that way. Which is surprising because the description specifically says "no pennyroyal, no nuts, no cinnamon, no cassia." So I suppose the cinnamon/cassia note I get is probably not literally there-- but that ginger is just a real scorcher! I will have to go light on this one.

[cfrancesca]

#68: This one is simple: Smokey Vanilla! Strong throw and longevity.