harlequin

I pretty much knew I wasn't going to like this one from the description. patchouli and I don't get along very well, and there wasn't anything I really did like to possibly balance it out. So yeah... if it's in an oil in more than a very small quantity, it's all that I can smell, so pretty much, this one smells like lots of patchouli to me. off to the gift pile.

Well, this one pretty much stays the same on me the whole time, so... Rose and Lavender... lots of it. the poor chinese white musk is the tiniest bit noticeable, but so overwhelmed by the other two, I really have to get my nose right in there to detect it.

In the Bottle: I think “alluring” is probably a good choice of a description for this blend. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but it is a very mysteriously sensual blend. Outside of CN, the description (other than the name and the carnation) isn’t something that would make me jump up and down yelling “I Need THAT!” … but I think I’ll like it. Wet on Skin: Well, the citrusy bits I smelled in the bottle fade out pretty quickly, and some of the florals become a bit more apparent. What a beautiful combination of flowers it is, too.. If floral perfumes smelled more like this, I wouldn’t dread walking through the department store perfume department. Dry on Skin: Okay, whatever this “Amber Musk” stuff is, it’s absolutely gorgeous. I think this is definitely what the “alluring” part comes from, in large part. It does have a musky feeling to it, but it’s so much warmer and *mrowr* sex-ay! And, ironically enough.. "Sign of the Gypsy Queen" just came on the radio.

In the Bottle: First hint-of-a-whiff: Oh, dear goodness, this smells like it might be as divine as I thought it might. Further sniffing: okay, there’s one thing hiding in there that tickles my nose in a sort of slightly-not-so-nice way. It kind of reminds me of a sweeter version patchouli, not as potent or as sharp as the standard variation. I don’t know if it’s the amber/ambrette or not.. will have to see when wearing it. Wet on Skin: Okay, *phew* That sweet sorta-patchouli scent is still there, but it’s quite a bit less patchouli-ish and more sweet now.. !!! I could really get into this scent. Dry on Skin: Oooh, okay.. I really like this one after all! It definitely has an obvious similarity to Snake Oil.. yet it’s different. To me, it’s not as incensey as Snake Oil, and decidedly sweeter. I think I’d attribute that to the plum, actually. I’ve had it on for about 8 hours, now, so it’s fairly faint overall, but I can still pick out the plum (more on it’s own now, actually), and I’m pretty sure that’s where it’s coming from. Oh.. and the “Black Coconut” isn’t really coconutty at all, to me.. so if you’re worried about that bit of the description, I wouldn’t.

In the Bottle: The things that jump out at me right away are the tonka and cocoa beans.. with a hint of a sweet lemon popping out, too. thankfully, I don’t think smell like the kind of chocolate that makes me queasy in other blends! This smells sooo delicious I can’t wait to try it on. Wet on Skin: For a bit, the lemon and pomegranate are more noticeable, and then ka-bam, the fig comes blazin’ into the picture. This stuff is seriously gorgeous. Dry on Skin: Oh my, this gets even more beautiful and delicious as time goes on.. after about 10 hours, it’s still going pretty strong, too. The fig and tonka just keep on going, and going, and going… they’re like the energizer bunny, baby! Definitely will be ordering a backup of this one.

In the Bottle: Almost exactly what one would expect from the description. Recognizable vanilla mixed with delightful florals. Wet on Skin: It doesn’t change much from what it smells like in the bottle. Still gorgeous. I’m thinking this one will definitely be a duplicate bottle. Dry on Skin: Eventually the Vanilla fades leaving behind all the florals.. but not in a bad way. There's a hint of sweetness, but not overly so. It’s definitely a feminine scent, but the florals aren’t headachy for me in the slightest. Very lovely.

I wouldn't call this ice-rimmed either, really. To me, it smells more fresh and clean.. Oddly enough, it kind of has a Deoderant sort of feeling, to me.. fresh, clean, and very useful on those hot, sticky, sweaty, summer days. As long as it doesn't go into floral-headache mode, I kind of like it, even though it's absolutely not what I was expecting from the description.

On me... the answer would be Sugar Cookie. (just thought I'd throw that out there because the only other cinnamon's I've tried are Sin, all night long, love me, and GP... which have all been mentioned already and didn't really get candy-like on me.)

This one falls into the category of "What on earth was I thinking?!" I have one word to say about this: Freesia. If I have one true nemesis, Freesia would be it. Don't know how on earth I missed it in the description before. Never got to try this one on, because that evil ingredient overwhelms everything else to my nose, no matter how lovely anything else in it might be. and unfortunately, my headache receptors as well. bye bye, Ace of Hearts!

my cheep ass representation of CT2, until I or someone else can take a picture: the individual numbers are handwritten in a metallic gold/brass ballpoint. my version of the Ace of Hearts: the picture is the same, the typeface for the "A" isn't quite the same, but that's the closest thing I've got. If it's an actual playing card, I haven't found it yet. King & Queen of Clubs pretty much look like the others have. Courts on playing cards they're the 'french' ones on here, but without the stuff in the upper right and lower left corners.

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. <span style='color:crimson'> Chaos Theory II: CXXXVIII</span> (138) In the Bottle: Okay, It smells like there's some kind of Musk in here. Definitely not a dark musk, though. The rest is hard to decipher, really. It smells kind of almondy, but it's definitely not almonds, and it doesn't quite smell like any other nuts, either. Wet on skin: Smells pretty similar to what it does in the bottle, but not as potent. I've smelled something similar to this at some point. It might not have been a BPAL or a perfume at all, it just smells familiar. Ooh. I think I can smell a bit of cherry in there. Ooh, yeah. sniffing it out of the bottle again, I can destinguish some cherry, now. Dry on skin: Oh, wow. this is starting to get very different from the smell in the bottle.. and if I do say so, it's getting better the longer it's on. Y'know, I wonder if this has Tonka Bean in it.. Ooh.. *looks it up* I haven't smelled it on it's own, ever, but It definitely fits the scents I'm picking up here. I first thought of Tonka because it smelled kind of vanilla-y, but not really. It's not as sweet or potent as the Vanilla Bean SN is.. and it explains the"not-quite-almond" smell I got, too. I don't really get cinnamon or clove specifically, but it does have a general 'spiciness' to it. Verdict: Perhaps not a "holy grail", but I definitely like it enough to keep it around. It seems like something that would age beautifully, too!

Origin: Oblation Caravan (so, many of these are going to very short reviews because I've got about 4 of the circular swaps at once right now.) the lemon balm is strongest in this to begin with.. the overwhelming power of that evaporates pretty quickly, though. I'm not sure what a lot of the florals in this smell like on their own, but i can definitely pick out the lavender. the herbs and florals blend suprisingly beautifully with the lemon balm, though. I'm more impressed by this one than I thought I'd be.

Origin: Oblation Caravan (so, many of these are going to very short reviews because I've got about 4 of the circular swaps at once right now.) From this one, I got a similar soapy-ozone thing i got from tempest and most ozones, with an undercurrent of green. again, I would say it's pretty, but headachey for me.

Origin: Oblation Caravan (so, many of these are going to very short reviews because I've got about 4 of the circular swaps at once right now.) wow. there's something definitely pungent in this one. There's something definitely evegfreeny in there, but it doesn't really smell like pine to me. It doesn't smell much like anything I can think of, though, because it's probably not the type of scent i would order if notes were given, I can tell that much.

Origin: Oblation Caravan (so, many of these are going to very short reviews because I've got about 4 of the circular swaps at once right now.) Mmmm. this one is very warm and evocative. It's deep, but has a touch of sweetness to it. to be honest, I could almost see "the living flame" smelling like this.. If I'd gotten to try the imp before it went away, I would definitely have considered getting a 5ml of this one.. or at least an imp or two.