cameroncrazed

I've got a decant of #187 like alterosen and TeaOtter. This one's just not working for me, at all Wet in decant: Gack. What IS that? It's so chemically smelling. Vaguely reminds me plastic or new car scent (is that a leather note?). I really don't want to try this, at all. Wet on skin: Rotting leather. I don’t get any jasmine or floral notes. There's something there that might be musk, but it's very faint under the very, very wrong leather note. Dry on skin: The rotting note has toned down a bit, but I'm still not enjoying. I'm not getting any florals or soapiness or anything redeeming. I was hoping I'd get jasmine, but if it's in there, it's not coming out to play. That's a bit strange since I tend to amp jasmine, but I'm apparently amping the leather and something else far, far more. It's vaguely, slightly powdery. Antique Lace is one of those scents that everyone tends to love but that plays very badly on my skin – this one is strongly reminding me of that. Maybe it's some of the same florals from that? I'm getting a headache from this; need to go wash off. Overall: This one just doesn't work with my skin chemistry. I'm glad that I did see good reviews of this one; that gives me more confidence that I'll be able to re-home this one to someone that can wear it without problems Oh well, I'm 5/6 on Chaos Theories this year, which is a great percentage – and the rest are such loves that I'm not disappointed.

Decant of Oriental #190 Wet in decant: Pure cherry or almond; I can’t tell those two apart. It's so strong that I can't detect anything else. Wet on skin: Cherry or almond, with a base of leather? A hint of something sweet and citrusy, but it’s just barely there. There’s something about this one that reminds me strongly of Aizen-Myoo, so I’m guessing there’s some cherry blossom and maybe yuzu is that citrusy note. Dry on skin: Absolutely beautiful! Some of the harsher notes in the wet stage disappear, and it gets lighter, sweeter, and creamier. Very much like sweetened cherry blossom floating on a base of tonka and maybe some amber. The cherry/almond note has almost disappeared, but if I breathe in deeply I can find it. I’ve completely lost those hints of leather and yuzu. I think there might be a touch of sandalwood as well, but it’s so faint that I’m not positive. It reminds me so much of a lot of my favorite scents that contain orris root, so I think that might be in there as well. Overall impressions: There’s not much throw; it lingers really close to my skin. This has led to me burying my head in the crook of my elbow trying to sniff myself all day. The scent is incredibly long-lasting, though. I put it on first thing this morning and it’s endured all day and didn’t wash off in my evening bath! This is another very “me” scent – I know I’ve been describing a lot of my Chaos Theory decants like this, but it’s true! I’ve gotten so very lucky this round This one is so gorgeous I wish that it (or something very much like it) was offered again so I could buy a huge stockpile of it!

Decant of Floral #44 Wet in decant: Pure honeysuckle. Wet on skin: It's that same single honeysuckle note again, with nothing else there. It's like I'm walking through one of the local gardens, and then stumble into and get tangled in honeysuckle. Dry on skin: Fantastic throw! This decant is like a single note honeysuckle instead of a blend of multiple notes. It's beautiful and very comforting for me. I have a feeling I'll go through this decant very quickly, because this is something I'd wear every day. Absolutely fantabulous.

Decant of Gourmand #146 Wet in decant: Lucious caramel. The good stuff, where the sugar's been taken to a really dark mahogany brown but isn't burnt. Wet on skin: More of that beautiful dark caramel along with vanilla. There might be a touch of cream, or is that amber? I can't tell. Dry on skin: It's a lot more vanilla than caramel now, but there's something else there that I can't quite put my finger on. It's familiar, I'm positive I've smelled it in other scents, but I can't ID it. It's gorgeous, though. Overall impressions: I got lucky with my Gourmand scents! This one is another lovely type of scent that's perfect for me. This one lasts a long time on my skin and has a nice amount of throw.

I have some Gourmand #136 too. I'm not getting pure pina colada though. It's a really nice scent that's playing really well on my skin. Wet in decant: Hellooooo, coconut! Wet on skin: Coconut, for sure. Something else, though - it's almost like a really faint caramel nut. Praline-ish? Not peanut or almond or walnut. It's reminding me slightly of Black Pearl, so I'm going to guess hazelnut. Something slightly citrusy hiding in the background. Dry on skin: The coconut is still the predominant note. The citrus is still elusive. I get hints of lime at times, but I definitely am getting some pineapple in there now too. There's still the tiniest hint of caramel and nut in the background too. Overall impression: It's a very grounded warm pina colada. That caramel and nut combo goes surprisingly well with the coconut, lime, and pineapple. There's something about it almost masculine; I think I might see if my dad or one of my guy friends would try this one. It's very unisex, so it's a great win for me - I'm so glad I got this one!

I'm so glad I tried the Floral! I've got a decant of #33. Wet in decant: I have no clue what this is, but it's vaguely familiar. I used to work in a lab, and it's reminding me of one of the aldehydes that we used. That's not a bad thing, I just can't describe it any better than that. Wet on skin: Is that jasmine? I can't tell! I think it's jasmine mixing with something else that I can't quite put my finger on. Something sweet. Dry on skin: OMG this is gorgeous! I love this smell. It's a very "soft yellow" type of smell, if that makes any sense. It's a very soft sweet floral, like a blend of jasmine, lilac, and maybe lily? There's something vaguely clean about it, so I'm thinking maybe cotton blossom too since that always registers as "clean" to me. I'm having a horrible time picking out individual notes because it's so well blended, but it's absolutely beautiful.

I can't believe that I haven't already reviewed this one! It's so lovely. Wet in imp: orris and plum. It's all creamy red fruit. Wet on skin: creamy citrus. I know the cream note is the orris. I'm getting primarily grapefruit and very little bergamot, but it's a mellow grapefruit instead of really biting and sharp like some other grapefruit scents. Dry on skin: I'm getting mostly plum and orris with a touch of amber to round it all out (very close to the "wet in the imp" smell). The citrus notes have totally disappeared. It's absolutely beautiful on my skin. There's a touch of soapiness to it, but not much - but it's enough that I associate this scent with "clean". I've been wearing it a lot lately - it just screams "Spring is here!" to me.

How I use it: 4 spritzes on hands, run hands through wet hair. Haven't tried on dry hair. Wet on hands: Mmm, buttery creamy pumpkin with light spice. Nice! Wet on hair: Hello, cinnamon! That's all I can smell – pure cinnamon. Dry hair: Still mostly cinnamon. Lingers for the longest time, but not too strong. There's something lurking behind the cinnamon, some other spice that occasionally peaks through – nutmeg? clove? Can't tell. No pumpkin, pure spice. My hair's really curly, and the lingering cinnamon smell gives me the visual image of curling my hair around a cinnamon stick. It's an absolutely gorgeous scent that I absolutely love – so glad I got this! I wore this when I went to supper with some of my friends from grad school last night - I got a compliment from one (she loved how my hair smelled and also how soft and glossy it was!) and another kept touching it and playing with it.

Bottle: LXXVI How I use it: 4 spritzes on hands, run hands through wet hair. Haven't tried on dry hair. Wet on hands: 70 FOOT TALL MINT MONSTER. Sharp, strong IN YOUR FACE MINT. Seriously, my eyes are watering. Wet on hair: So, now the 70 ft tall mint monster is attacking. The mint has gotten stronger. My sinuses are completely cleared and my eyes are still watering. It's like I've fallen into a vat of mint extract. However, it's not pure mint. There's something else there that I can't quite identify that's grounding it slightly. I can't figure out what it is, but it's "dark" if that makes any sense. It's the note that made me think "mint monster" instead of "giaganto mint leaf". It's almost "Nuclear Winter" to my nose, but not quite – sharper, meaner, darker. Dry hair: Whoa. Soft subtle mint. Most all of the sharpness and intensity is gone. It's not a sweet mint or a vanilla mint or even a creamy mint though. It reminds me a lot of the mint note in "Lick It", but again – not quite. I think it'll go great with the minty perfumes in my collection – it'll be fabulous with MB: Tokyo Stomp, I know. I can see me getting a lot of use out of this in the middle of winter (it just screams "wear me on a snow day!") as well as in the middle of our miserably hot summers (to be refreshing). Love it!

How I use it: 4 spritzes on hands, run hands through wet hair. Very rarely do I put on dry hair. Wet on hands: Mmmm, summer in the south. All camellia and honeysuckle. Wet on hair: I totally get why this is called "nectar". It's so sweet and honeyed and lightly floral. I'm still getting mostly honeysuckle with a faint whiff of camellia and columbine. Dry on hair: The florals have died down slightly, but it's still sweet. I'm still really amping the honeysuckle. Never do smell the bergamot, which is fine by me Absolutely gorgeous, and it lasts on my hair for the longest time - seriously, I can put it on in the morning, and still smell it slightly when I wake up the next morning.

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this one already! In bottle: Hello, yuzu! Very sharp and almost grapefruity. Wet on skin: Creamy citrus with a hint of cherry blossom. Love it. Dry on skin: As much as a I loved the wet stage, the dry stage is even better. Clouds of creamy citrus billowing over a base of tea and cherry blossom. Medium level throw, but it lasts FOREVER. I can put it on in the morning and still smell it much, much, much later in the day. Just an absolutely gorgeous scent!

In bottle: Sandalwood and cedar. Very masculine! Wet on skin: The cedar's dying down some and the lavendar, chamomile, and marjoram are coming out to play. Still predominantly sandalwood. Dry on skin: I'm a little bit confused by how much this blend has sweetened. Where's the sweet scent coming from? It's almost like a sugared slightly spiced pencil shaving. The sandalwood and cedar are really strong on me. The lavendar's almost completely disappeared, but I'm still getting the chamomile and marjoram with a bit of oudh. I can see why people like this one, but it's just not for me – too woodsy for my taste. I think I'd like it a lot better on someone else's skin - I'm still reading it as really masculine for some reason.

In bottle: Pure jasmine. Wet on skin: Creamy jasmine, with the faintest hint of peach lurking in the background, like it was finished with just a little touch of peach juice. Dry on skin: A very light sugared peach. Hints of vanilla and cream. Just the lightest kiss of jasmine. Very light, soft, and innocent, if that makes any sense. Not as strong a peach as my beloved Peach Moon, but still very lovely. Low throw, so I keep having to sniff at my wrists. Really like it, but it's probably not going to be part of my regular rotation. I could see me reaching for this in the middle of summer, as it kinda reminds of summer in the South with the peach and the jasmine.

In bottle: Pure vetiver and smoke and is that leather I'm smelling? Wet on skin: Vetiver, smoke, and a touch of honey and a faint trace of leather. Dry on skin: I'm still getting mostly vetiver, smoke, and honey, but there is a faint trace of the iris that helps soften it slightly. Occasionally, I catch a hint of the pepper and clove, just a little hint of spice when I move. The leather smell has disappeared entirely. If there was just less smoke, it would be more me. I'll try it again in a few days, but I think I'm going to have to find a better home for this one, with someone who can appreciate it more.

In bottle: Guh, overwhelming tobacco leaf and myrrh. I'm not sure I want to try this one. Wet on skin: Oooh, the orange blossom and vanilla are coming out to play with the tobacco leaf and myrrh. Almost a hint of something baby powder-y. Dry on skin: Very nice, but not exactly what I expected. I still don't get any of the cinnamon, which confuses me because I normally amp that note and/or get welts from it. I'm picking up mostly vanilla, tobacco leaf, and orange blossom with a hint of something almost like smoky patchouli lurking in the background. Decent amount of throw and it lasts on my skin for hours.