ND¢

Wow. Perfect. This is what I always hoped for from Samhain-- a scent that brings me right back 'there.' I grew up some in Boston and remembering the apple picking, the holiday parties... Yes, I did all that. Anyway, there is just this feel that autumn has for me, and this scent is a credible reminder. Stewed apples-- not an artificially pert apple scent, but a real, sweet & sour boiling smell. Also, am I alone in not recognizing smoke as much as leather? To me it smells a little like sharp leather, which gives the name a whole 'nother meaning.

The previous reviewer described this as a well worn, ornately carved chest of precious spices & I think that is just spot on. I keep my imps for swap in a wooden box and this has a sweet, spicy unity that really calls my imp box to mind in the best of all possible ways. I find myself thinking of cozy parties, exotic places I've never been... The copal is clearly dominant on me, the agave nectar (not that I'd necessarily know) seems not apparent, and the tiny hint of rose is just a peep of freshness that cuts all the spiciness really handily while complimenting it perfectly. And I am not a huge fan of the way rose smells on me normally. I didn't like the plain spiciness of this in the bottle so I'm glad I really gave it a chance.

Grass. For real. It's got that somehow pleasant, dark planty odor, even. I think the darkness I smell is a perfect recreation of very faint autumn leaves, and I also think I am going to buy a grip of these.

So I said to myself, 'Self, why is it that you think everything smells like Lemon Pledge on you.' Self: 'Everything does' No, really. I don't know why I smell neither tea nor honey nor wasabi but... there you have it. A lemony-candy scent, if I want to forget Pledge ever existed.

on me, this is a very understated fresh bay/clove herbal scent. not too sharp or astringent like some people are getting. I do like it, though it'll be a while before I can justify a bottle of something so outside my normal preferences.

Lemon verbena and red hots... a not-too-pleasant combination with a sharp, gritty clash where the two scents meet.

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. I agree with the description of this CT3 as 'juicy.' It's a bit like freshly pulped wheatgrass-- sweet even in the smelling. A full, rich green juiciness that, on the drydown, becomes a mild floral that, however nice, doesn't do the wet stage justice.

Carrot peelings, hay, chaff, molasses, maple oats, red apples, stable wood, and musk. The musk in this also strikes me as similar to Ivanushka, though I don't really smell it until five or so minutes in, after having been slammed around by a sharp wedge of WOOD or HAY or something really... crisp (but not in the apple way, in the... masculine soap way.) This definitely evokes oats and a stable but I'm not sure if I can really carry off the 'brightness' of the fragrance. I love the maple waddling along at the bottom of this one, though.

A strong heady fruitiness on application, rounded out by the buttery scent that I suppose also does include pumpkin. And the... you know, I do want to say the musk is somewhat apparent. I think I thought that was frankincense, but I don't think I really know what frankincense smells like. This would not really be a scent that would work on me.

Oy, I wonder what my sniffer is thinking. I get a minty pumpkin smell about a minute into the drydown. Those York Peppermint Patties? Yeah, those. Maybe I can detect the tobacco in the background. Oh wait, yeah yeah, that's tobacco, not York Peppermint patties. Like a strong cherry tobacco/vanilla scent... as it evolves... and the pumpkin is notably absent. Huh, I might end up liking this one on a non-Halloween-related basis, although it's unmistakably a fall/winter scent. ETA: And cedar. It's like smoking cherry tobacco in a cedar closet. With a vanilla candle lit.

Huh. I get the 'sharp' reaction on applying it, as described above. That evens out a minute or two into it, and I don't get much leather ... perception in this scent, let's say. it's a 'high' sortof scent, light but with an undertone of pumpkin and, what on me is sadly an 'overtone' of lemon laundry liquid. Oh dear.

This is a more Snake-Charmeresque love child of Alone and Mme. Moriarty on my skin. I swear: the sharp dash of Alone's clove-cinnamon, the sexy fullness of Mme. M, and yes... yes... peeking through and getting more obvious on the drydown.... Snake Charmer. I'd get the new one but I fear it just won't match up. Very nice for someone like me who finds Mme. M a bit overwhelming, Alone not quite 'rounded' enough, and loves the Snake.

It comes off on my skin as a sort of bleh thick-orangey curdled... bleh. Sigh. I am so glad it will find its loving home elsewhere as I *know* it just has to be good and my skin says *buzzer sound*.

A seamlessly-blended creamy-soft and 'rounded' floral with the unmistakable crispness of teak. Very unusual and, I would say, a must-sniff.

Since anyone who has ever talked to me about perfume probably knows I *do not* do aquatics (reference my hatred of junior-high-evocative Walgreens' perfumes) I thought I ought to come give it up for The Deep Ones. This is probably the only aquatic I have ever liked in the history of sniffkind. The citrus is not at all sweet, and doesn't go 'wrong' like on some of the other reviewers.... it is a bright scent-scarf thrashing back and forth on a dark cerulean wind. Awesometastic. even more so because it ALMOST goes into 'perfumeland' but stays firmly on the side I like... the unconventional, unique, I've-never-smelled-anything-like-it, head-turning, 'What *IS* that?' quality that makes BPAL the only perfumerie that can really warm the cockles of my heart.

Hmm what've we here? Patchouli cola... *sniff sniff* Has the 'tang' of patchouli, with a sweetness and a woodsiness not quite wood but not quite green needle either.

What is actually honey I took for an almost-cocoa smell-- rich but dusty almost, then tending to sweet. On reflection the sweetness is very reminiscent to me of the magnolia-sweet musk in Trick #1! I would buy it on that basis alone but YMMV. Hope someone else can confirm this association-- some of the notes are similar, yes?

Stunning! Wet, I think 'TKO! TKO!' (??) which quickly moves in the drying to the rich scent that is not foody, but *is* warm with vanilla... is not fruity but *is* light and sweet with apricot, well articulated with ginger and sandalwood without even a hint of sharpness. Amber and tonka are the serene 'roundness'? Whatever it is, it's one of my favorites.

Peach, but a tart (tangerine?) deep peach with a richness (cream accord?) that fairly quickly melts into an elegant and understated juicy iris (yes!)-jasmine that doesn't bang you on the head with 'I'M FLORAL!' Seemingly straightforward due to a great harmony (I feel happily and optimistically like this will be characteristic of all the retail-exclusives.)

Wet: a fragrant wooden chest, fresh-cut. Then a sort of caramelized-sugar undertone, very very subtle. Then the incense, austere and beautiful without any connotations of dryness. This is a very 'alive' smell. Sandalwood mixes with that... oddly not an overpowering, wafty scent. Almost private, not masculine but carries a sense of strength. Nice! I will give the imp some months to age before I render the bottle verdict.

The blending of the notes is very smooth on me-- no one dominates (though if one did, it would be clove. However, that's in a very good way- a grounded, not-sharp clove-- like if clove was your favorite pair of jeans. I think the rose actually mingles with it to create that loved, worn-in effect.) The scent evokes an old leather armchair, warm fabrics in shades of red, old dark wood without smelling like any of them. Rose usually amps/ is bad on me but the pairing here is ideal and keeps it well in check. No stand-out patchouli, no sneezy or soapy sandalwood, no outrageous kitchen-cupboard, only the sort of 'chord' that my favorite Salons seem to strike. This when aged will probably be sheer heaven.

This is very reminiscent of MB Closet on me, which is gratifying as anything. A bit less 'elegant-berry' and more 'chipper-berry' perhaps.... creamy and nice, gets a bit 'shrill' on prolonged drydown.

I also get a sort of pear-y leather. There is a faint, elusive quality to the scent, maybe the musk, or the tobacco? The musk hardly comes out to play... and this is one of my favorite smells of all time. Oh Quincey, I wish you'd come back....

Ah, lovely rich complex cardamom-spice baked goods, I am so glad I was in Portland when you came to town.

Both of the Pumpkin '07s I've tried start out with this super-buttery graham cracker crust smell. This one evaporates into a nice sweet pumpkin/nondescript (or else unidentifiable to me) flower/herbal smell, and I dig it, though it doesn't send me into raptures.