Chaos Theory III: Strange Attractors

[inkdarkmoon]

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.

Chaos Theory LXXIV:

Upon opening the bottle, this smells EXACTLY like Dana O'Shee, my favourite BPAL of all time...the milky creamy custard, the sugared almonds the smoky sweetness - it's all there. On the skin though, the richness fades and I start to smell coconut...sort of like how when you were younger and didn't know better you would slather yourself in santan lotion and roast yourself in the summer noonday sun? If you came back in and didn't shower, your skin would smell slightly sweet and sweaty and coconutty at the end of the day. I think there is a bit of musk in this as well, which is giving me the "light sheen of sweat on sweet skin" smell. If you sniff your wrist at this stage, it's a bit acrid and you'll find yourself crinkling your nose. Later it almost starts to smell metallic, like how pennies smell or how blood tastes. An interesting, mercurial scent, to be sure. Edited July 28, 2006 by Shollin

[Em-]

I took a chance on three of these babies (after chickening out last year):

 

CDVIII - The scent of a dark cafe, drinking espresso, smoking imported cigarettes, listening to slam poetry and strange otherworldly music. A touch of upturned earth hints at diabolical things to come.

 

CCCIC - An interesting mix of musky citrus and light florals. At first I had high hopes for this, but eventually it turns to an almost deodorant scent on me.

 

CCCXC - A fresh green herbal floral bouquet. In the short term, this is Dial soap. After about half an hour a really nice creamy note emerges, which I like a lot, but not enough to sit through the beginning.

 

ETA additional bottles tried:

 

LXXXV: This is a very deep rich autumn scent - most notably, the scent of burning leaves, mixed with a deep musky note. Not an everyday scent in the least, but definitely something fun for the dimming days of October, and great for layering with scents like Jack and Creepy to make them a little less sweet.

 

CI: Tea rose. Roseroserose. Very pretty, very light - not the fresh cut red rose of Rose Red, but a nosegay of pink tea roses.

 

____: I shall have to fill in the number later, but suffice to say that my true love of the Strange Attractors series came to me completely and utterly by accident. And this is a beautiful citrus musk that I dearly love.

 

XXXIX: A decant from cranberry, this is a delightfully light herbal mint scent, with maybe a hint of musk. Truly lovely.

Edited April 19, 2007 by emzebel

[kaltomere]

Chaos Theory 3 number 475

in the bottle Spicy, plum, something green, and bubblegum?

This is such a hard scent to pick out notes in, but I'll try.

 

on first sniff on skin- lightly fruity spices, and mandarin?

Moves to green and citrusy with just a hint of bubble gum.

Wait a heavy dark floral has moved in to blend with the other notes, and the plum smell has come back. There is also something that reminds me of hollywood bablyon. This is such a light unusual scent, and complex. It's absolutely beautiful.

[Gin]

Chaos Theory III - CCL (250)

 

This is white. White rose, white lily. Very pretty, feminine, and floral. It sort of has the same vibe as The Peacock Queen and Sepulcher, but perhaps not quite as chilly--I think this has a sweetness they lack. It's extremely long lasting, too. I put it in the moment I got it (natch) and it stayed with me all afternoon and evening.

[Honeywhip]

Chaos Theory XDIV (514)

 

In the bottle: OMG, could it possibly be any better? It's like the bastard love child of Sugar Skull 05 and Drink Me!

 

On: I swear to gawd this one was made just for me. It smells fruity and foody with lots of brown sugar and some very subtle floral notes at first, then it gets juicier and more toffee-ish and I'm just in swoony heaven. Seriously, I put it on, then laid on the floor rolling around in glee kicking my feet in the air. Happy happy girl. This stuff's the bomb. And it’s all mine!

[Babylon]

CCLX (260)

 

To make it simple, this smells like the crumbling stone in Ozymandias, mixed with some incense, wood, and possibly amber.

 

When I first put it on, I get the same "department store perfume" smell that Ozymandias gives me, but it goes away (for both Ozy and CT) in about 5 minutes, luckily.

[empi girl]

Second review for CCVII (207):

 

Got this in a CT swap. In the bottle it smells like rasberries, but on, it immediately becomes peach-and that's about it, that I can tell. It stays a lovely, sweet peach with a little throw, and after several hours, the peach is still present, but there is a slight creamy/powdery softness to it. It is very pretty. In fact, I used to have a peach perfume that smelled very similar to this.

 

Previously reviewed by Arylkin.

[luxuria]

CCXCVIII:

 

In the bottle, this smells like dust. Seriously, this is the smell of an attic in an old Manor home with a touch of deep florals and a definite linen note (or maybe aged parchment). On my skin, pretty much the same thing, it just disappears quickly. This is the old lady perfume to end all old lady perfumes, but there's something sophisticated and very charmingly old fashioned about it, too.

 

I find this very evocative, but sadly not for me.

Edited July 28, 2006 by luxuria

[luxuria]

CCXCVII

 

Ooh, this is pretty! Like a less syrupy Pink Moon or Pink Phoenix. Light, spring-like florals with a dash of sugar and maybe a touch of fruit. This is girly and youthful without being tooth-rottingly sweet. Wow, the more I smell it, the more gorgeous it seems. Not my usual fare, but I approve. This would be a hit if it were released to the GC, I think.

[Ceryle]

CV (105)

 

To me this smells like Yog-Sothoth decked out in springtime flowers. It is very clean and bright with a slight hint that there is something darker under it all. I can't really pick out any individual notes though. All I know is that this smells really good.

[Aredhel]

(Disclaimer: My nose makes no guarantees that it has, can, or will accurately describe Chaos Theories.)

 

 

CLI (151), marked as CIL: (Original review here.)

 

Rating (on skin): 5/5

Summarised in a word or two: Sweet, vanilla-y coconut!

 

In the bottle: Warm, creamy coconut, and something almost green.

 

On skin, wet: An absolutely wonderful, vanilla-y coconut, and something else... something I can't place.

 

On skin, dry: Coconut, rum, vanilla and a little something green that I can't place, no matter how I try (and try). It reminds me of Eden, Elegba, and a wee bit of Strangler Fig. I don't like it at first, but as it continues to dry, it's absolutely lovely. By the drydown, I'm convinced there is a vanilla/tonk-esque note somewhere here.

 

Conclusion/Notes: I love this! A creamy, rich coconut with a faint rum, and an Eden-like green note. It's not an herbal sort of green at all, but one with a very light sweetness to it. Love!

 

Previously reviewed by grrrlennyl.

 

 

CCXLVII (247): (Original review here.)

 

Rating (on skin): 4/5

Summarised in a word or two: Spicy!

 

In the bottle: Mint! And... cinnamon? But... there is no cinnamon in CT3s?

 

On skin, wet: Mmm, spicy. Surprisingly, very little mint anymore. And yes, cinnamony. Or, rather, something very much like cinnamon. Allspice? Clove? Hmm. It reminds me of chai, and something I can't place, though I'm well acquainted with the smell.

 

On skin, dry: Not much mint anymore, sadly. And damn it, what is that smell? It almost smells like an apple-cinnamon candle, but light on the apple (and I may be imagining the apple bit entirely). I quite like the spiciness of it. Very warm, and, as I said, chai-like. What mint remains is definitely wintergreen-y, and not at all pepperminty, but I like it all the same.

 

Conclusion/Notes: While it's not what I was hoping for (a spiced mint), I really like it. I still might swap it away eventually (in the quest for a minty Chaos), but then again, I might not.

 

 

DCXXXVII (637):

 

Rating (on skin): 2/5

Summarised in a word or two: ?!?!?!

 

In the bottle: Coconut or hazelnut. I really can't tell. Maybe both?

 

On skin, wet: Ohhh, now I know that note, and I was wrong before. I don't think it's coconut or hazelnut; I think it's cocoa! I may, of course, be wrong, but that's what it smells like to my nose. There also seems to be something like cinnamon, though obviously, it's not cinnamon.

 

On skin, dry: Cocoa and... hmm. I can't place it, but there's something else. It has a very smooth, rich base. Could that other something be patchouli? Sandalwood? Musk? As it dries, this becomes much muskier, but it's not a dark musk, it's a light, smooth musk.

 

Conclusion/Notes: I admit, I don't have a bloody clue what's in this. It could be coconut, it could be hazelnut, it could be cocoa! The second test around, I kind of like this! I don't love it -- there's something foody about it, which I blame on the "cocoa" -- but it's nice.

 

 

DCXXXVIII (638):

 

Rating (on skin): 1/5

Summarised in a word or two: Sugar Cookie-Skull.

 

In the bottle: Very sweet, kind of boozey. Brown sugar?

 

On skin, wet: Well hello, Sugar Cookie and Sugar Skull. When did you two run off and get married, eh? I'm a little offended I wasn't invited to the wedding, but moving right along... yes, this fairly reeks of SC and SS. Foody something, a little carmelised brown sugar, some booze.

 

On skin, dry: Oh, man, something in this is really starting to disagree with me. Too foody, maybe? Too boozey? I don't know, but I'm really not liking it. There's also something musky here, which makes it a kind of... boozy, musky Sugar Cookie-Skull scent. I'd swear there was cinnamon in this one as well.

 

Conclusion/Notes: Mmmmmm, no. My nose didn't like Sugar Cookie 05, or either Sugar Skull, and I really don't like booze notes, so this just ain't for me.

Edited September 10, 2006 by Shollin

[Malista]

LXXII (72)

 

In the bottle, this smells like mixed plums and raspberries. Nice!

 

On, it quickly becomes strawberry/raspberry cupcakes (white cake with bits of dried berry in the batter), then shifts into something with more spice, and a bit of incense – I’m thinking galbanum, maybe, which is sort of gingery and resinous and a little woody, too. There’s still a bit of cake, and the berries remain a constant through the life of this scent.

 

The dry down into the fade (which takes a few hours) becomes more and more like raspberry puree (fresh berries, no sugar added) swirled into clotted cream. It gets sweeter (but never cloying) and creamier, with a faint nutmeggy/gingery note lingering. There’s maybe a slight floral note in the throw, as well, but I can’t put a name to it. There’s something vaguely Chaste Moonish about the effect after I’ve had it on for an hour or two.

 

The throw on this blend is amazing! I took the bottle in to work so my boss could try it (she’s enabled, although she just adds her orders to mine and gives me cash for her share, which makes my commute a bit easier on the pocketbook). She put a tiny dab on her hand with a toothpick and it just bloomed. She came out to my desk trailing a tsunami of fruity-cakey-spicy goodness in her wake, and two of our male coworkers simply arrived in my cube without apparently taking any actual steps to get there, sniffing the air, demanding to know what that was?! Whoa. Guy magnet. It isn’t quite so ferocious on me – my boss has a remarkable facility to amp any scent she puts on, while I tend to suppress all scents somewhat – but it smells pretty much the same on both of us, and that just doesn’t happen.

 

I’m keeping this, fer sher, and wearing it as often as I’m not going to be on public transportation or in elevators, since it’s so very potent. I may use a little in some conditioner or a solid lotion bar – it won’t take much, and it may reduce the throw enough for me to be comfortable with it. Otherwise, it will have to get its airings when I’m going to be out of doors or in large indoor spaces.

 

I couldn’t be happier than I am with my LXXII. I have another bottle on order, and may add a couple more before CTIII is history, but I’m thrilled to pieces with my first bottle.

[furygrrl]

CLIV - 154

 

In the bottle: I smell something...sweet, woodsy, maybe a dark floral or two, with just a hint of dryer sheet.

 

On wet: Wow, what a jumble of notes - everything that was mentioned above, only much more intense. No dominant scent to go by, either. I have no idea what I'm smelling.

 

Drydown: I *still* can't tell what's in this blend. The possibilities that spring to mind are jasmine, myrrh, and/or ylang ylang, and maybe a touch of something resinous? It's a darkly golden, sweet, perfume-y, and somewhat dry kind of scent.

 

Overall: An elegant, expensive-smelling blend - not quite my taste, but lovely nonetheless.

[midnight_aeval]

I got XLIV (44-how cool!).

 

This is a herbal/citrus scent. I think it's grapefruit or yuzu I'm smelling. In the bottle it almost smells like straight up orange peel! I tests a small amount on the back of my hand and it definitely mellows out to almost a herbal, grapefruit tea scent! It's unique, but my nose says no to anything citrus

 

Off to swapping we will go!

[olympia301]

 

I love this one. Starting off with almond topnote (not overwhelming just right) and slides into rose and lemongrass. The lemongrass is faint and supplies that citrus/green backup that marries well with a good rose. This one keeps on percolating for about two hours, really smells so fine from the first note to the rosy drydown and stays there, finally to degrade gracefully.

 

Wonder of wonders, CCCII=302. Hmmm, guess it was meant for me.

 

I am treasuring this bottle.

[Dymphna]

CDXIII (413)

 

In the bottle: Very strong woods. Cedar and possibly vetiver, but definitely cedar. Underneath all that wood is the scent of smoke, like actual woodsmoke. This could be good. Maybe it'll smell like a bonfire, the way I've heard Devil's Night smells.

 

Wet: Oh, no. Flames on the side of my face. Cedar all over my skin. A touch of smoke that's really, REALLY smoky. It's like someone piled up a bunch of those cedar blocks you put in with your clothes and set them on fire.

 

Dry: I can actually feel the smoke in the back of my throat when I sniff really close. It irritates my throat just like real smoke would. I wonder if that's just the power of suggestion. Other than that, all I get is cedar. Dang. I'm kinda bummed that my first CT didn't like me. Maybe the next one will smell better on me.

[Jettcat]

XDVII-517

Starts out very bitter and herbal smelling in the bottle. I almost didn't want to try it out, but I sucked it up and grabbed a couple of q-tips to try it out before writing it off. Vinegar smell or no here goes....

 

Wet: Hey, where did this come from? It lost the bitter smell as soon as it hits my skin and goes sweet and floral on me.

Dry: Softens quite a bit and stays very close to the skin. I smell plumeria and rose as top notes and honey underneath.

This one does an extreme 180' compared to the way it smells in the bottle. It's delicate, but I'll look silly with my nose pasted to my wrist 24/7.

 

CDLXXXI-481

Sweet fruity candy in the bottle. Not the bubblegum note I get from Jailbait tho.

 

Wet: Still sweet but with a grapefruit note now, softens the sweetness quite a bit. Damn it smells juicy tho! Slight but very soft musk in there, I'm no good at telling the musk notes apart, I'll leave that to more experienced noses. =P

Dry: I'm so glad the sweetness calmed down. It's now a light sweet and tart fragrance that will be perfect for summer evenings while reminding me of spring at the same time.

 

I still have one bottle I ordered later in a weak moment, but I'm pleased that I didn't get anything that absolutely hates my skin chemistry.

[akw]

DCXIX (619, I think)

 

First sniff from the bottle, I thought "Oh no, I'm not going to be able to wear this." Not bad, and not anything I could readily identify, but not something I would wear.

 

Wet on skin, immediately changed to something unusual and slightly foody, but in a good way. Not sweet or cloying. It grows on me immediately. Reminds me just a little of Red Lantern but without the specific coconut or Asian spice notes -- just the overall picture. I love Red Lantern.

 

30 minutes later -- spicy, resiny, slightly herbal with just enough floral to round it out.

 

I almost didn't order one of these because so many florals and citrus don't work on me. What I got couldn't be more perfect.

 

I'm thrilled!!

[the_cat_goddess]

XXXII (32)

 

In the bottle: Robitussin. I'm really not a fan of cherry cough syrup. It makes me kind of nauseous.

 

On skin (3 min): No changes, no morphs, straight cough syrup. I shoved my hand under my boyfriend's and my sister's noses and received groans. Can detect a little bit of almond coming in...

 

On skin (10 min): Straining, I can see how someone could like this. It has really good throw and smells kind of pretty if I keep my nose at least 6 inches away. My boyfriend did ask me what that new smell is and said he liked it, but he wrinkled up his nose when I told him it was the same one.

 

Edited on drydown (30 mins) Ahhh... I think it's raspberries. I was reading through some of the other posts since I stink at picking out notes. Someone else said raspberries and plum and that is almost exactly it! It's very similar to the note in Monsterbait: Closet that I didn't care for.

 

Edited again for 1 1/2 hours later: It smells like Beaver Moon's dry down. Who knew?!? I can't wait for 2 hours for a perfume to morph into another perfume that I have 2 bottles of, though, even if it is my FAVORITE PERFUME!!!

 

Consensus: Definitely NOT for me, sadly. I hope there is someone out there that loves the smell of Robitussin. Maybe it reminds you of childhood? :hopeful:

Edited July 31, 2006 by the_cat_goddess

[the_cat_goddess]

LIII (53):

 

In bottle: Herbal/soapy with a sweet undertone

 

On: Okay, so no one else likes this combination but me; I like to mix Water of Notre Dame and Midway. It makes a really foody/aquatic that I love! This smells like that, but with amped up grapefruit. A bit of green in there, but the grapefruit is pretty strong.

 

On after 10 mins: The grapefruit is settling down more. The sweetness that reminds me of Midway is coming through now. I am really loving this! It smells very similar to the drying of my WoND/Midway mixture.

 

Nice throw but starts to fade down after an hour or so. Definitely keeping this bottle! : )

[the_cat_goddess]

XLII (42):

 

In bottle: Uh, celery. Completely. Well, maybe with a dash of dill. Good for anyone who likes those tomato leaf scents. It has a spike of black pepper at the end.

 

Wet: I think there's neroli in this. If you've used Lush's Big, it has a similar smell. Sharp floral, but in this case, with vegetable leaf. The pepper disapeared almost immediately.

 

On after 5 minutes: I'm getting a little bit of dandelion now. Like when the stem breaks and the milk comes out. I'm liking it more. Definitely green and herbal, but pretty.

 

On after 10 mins: There's some vicks coming out when I inhale it very deeply. Interesting... and that's morphing into pine a little. This scent has quite a bit of change in it. It's vicks and pine. But not wintery. Kind of like pine sap.

 

Conclusion: I am surprised to find that I like this scent. It morphs a lot but is really very interesting and unusual. I'm on the fence on whether to keep it, which means I'll probably keep it.

Edited July 31, 2006 by the_cat_goddess

[the_cat_goddess]

LXI (61):

 

In the bottle: Scared me because it starts out having a medicinal cherry smell. But, no, it's berries and... dust? Especially raspberries.

 

Wet: Different kinds of fruit here. Definitely red fruit, but exotic. And cream. And dust. Very strange.

 

On for 5 mins: The dust part is really elluding me. It's not exactly dust. Hmmm... I got it! It's smells like the Japanese strawberry candy I used to eat when I lived in Tokyo. They're wafers that crumble easily when they're eaten. Neat!!!

 

10 mins later: Strawberry soda.

 

Drydown/Conclusion: Stays the same, fades fairly quickly, limited throw. I'll probably keep an imp for novelty purposes, but it's not really wearable to me. It's like strawberry scented powder, which is cute, but not on me.

Edited July 31, 2006 by the_cat_goddess

[the_cat_goddess]

XXI (21):

 

In the bottle: I really wanted this to smell like heavy booze, since it is 21, but no. Which is okay, because I don't like boozy scents and this one is lovely. It's sweet and heady with a little bit of cucumber in it to temper it down. This is very floral and was definitely meant to be a perfume. Maybe some aloe and a little tea and ginger in the very background. Although, I think I can make myself smell almost anything I want to!

 

Wet: Floral floral floral!!! I'm not good at picking out notes, but it smells... happy to me.

 

After 5 minutes: I'm reminded of being a little girl smelling sweet flowers under a bright sun. But a little cool, like spring or autumn. Definitely not summer.

 

10 minutes later: There's some fruit in here. Very lightly behind the flowers. Like being in a garden that has mostly flowers and a peach tree. My boyfriend says he smells melon, but he always smells melon.

 

Drydown: Now I'm getting grapefruit mixed with flowers. It's become a floral aquatic. Interesting.

 

Conclusion: Limited throw, although it seems to last pretty well. I'm not really a floral kind of person, so I'll probably trade this out, but it is really pretty.

[the_cat_goddess]

XLIII (43):

 

In bottle: Herbally with a hint of cool fruits. I get green and white.

 

Wet: More so on the fruit. Like a not quite ripe white peach. It isn't peachy, but smells like there could be peach in there. With green leaves. It smells like the end of winter morphing into spring.

 

On 5 minutes: Maybe some apple or pear in there. Again, it isn't ripe fruit at all. It's not a commercial fruit smell by any means. This is all green and white. I can smell a little bit of unripe banana. Sweet, but unripe. Some melon. I really like this.

 

10 minutes later: Powder is entering into the equation. But there is still some fruit with florals coming in. I'm liking it less.

 

Conclusion: Too floral for me. It's like a bright, white, cold light. I really like the fruit aspect, but overall, it's just not for me. I think this would do well as a commercial perfume, though, especially in the spring.

[the_cat_goddess]

IV (4):

 

My last CT in the seven I purchased with HGM. I'm getting more!!!

 

In the bottle: OMG!!! I love this! It's hazelnutty coffee with a brownie. Makes me think of sitting at Barnes and Noble nibbling on their nutty brownies, drinking a cappuchino, reading a book. Smells like a light amount of cassia, but I know it's not.

 

Wet: YUMMY!!! I don't really like nuts in my brownies, but it smells like fresh baked brownies with walnuts on them... but more nuts than brownies. Maybe nutmeg behind it, too.

 

After 5 minutes: No different. I can't tell if it's fading or if the smell was so strong that my olifactory glands have expired for now. Going to smell coffee...

 

After 10 minutes: My grandma used to make brown sugar and spice pecans with cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and allspice. This smells just like opening a tin full of that nutty goodness.

 

Conclusion: I'm keeping this. It reminds me of my grandmother. I'll share a couple imps because it's too delicious not to, but the bottle is mine no matter what!