Chaos Theory IV: Edge of Chaos

[hackess]

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.

XXVII (27)

In the bottle, it's vaguely green and redolent of lush tropical forest underbrush. Deep green aloe, maybe? On my skin, it turns a little sour and very exotic. I want to say tiger lily or orchid with a touch of ozone; there's something a lot like dryer sheets that's tickling my nose.

Light throw and medium wear length. I'm going to need to test it a couple more times before I decide its fate.

[crimescenecleanup]

LVII (57)

 

Arrived today.

 

The labels is gorgeous, all deep earth tone fractals with the roman numerals in gold ink. It's also full almost to the lip of the bottle. Won't be running out of this any time soon.

 

In the bottle: dark, sweet resins, dark like the artwork on the label. Intriguing.

 

On the skin: Wha? where'd my perfume go? It disappeared. I smell nothing. That's...odd.

 

About two minutes later: some kind of wood? warm and almost buttery - usually this is the scent I associate with oak, but it is very faint.

 

First stage of drydown: the wood notes become a little stronger, I think there is something like hazel, and something like rosewood in this as well. There is a sweetness to this blend, but it's the sweetness you sometimes find in smoke or tree sap - it's overwhelmingly masculine and earthy. I'm certain this is the resin note I can't seem to identify.

There is a warm, nutty note in this that also reminds me of sweet pipe tobacco, tonka, and classic men's colognes, perhaps coumarin?

 

Last stages of drydown: The woods have faded to the background a bit, and the sweet nuttiness comes to the forefront with hint of warm musk. Reminds me a bit of Hunter Moon and Ivanushka, but less sweet and quite a bit darker than either. The wood notes remind me a lot of Arkham without the florals.

 

So there we have it - sweet resins, woods, musk, and something like pipe tobacco.

 

The throw is very light, and the scent overall is faint. Still, that hasn't kept me from keeping my nose pressed to my wrist for the last hour trying to figure out what on earth was in this. It's already nice, but I think it would improve greatly with a little aging.

 

I was really hoping for a unique, woodsy "forest" scent. This wasn't at all what I expected, but I think I may have gotten just what I wished for.

 

I can see how Chaos Theory can be so addictive! This was great fun.

Edited July 25, 2008 by crimescenecleanup

[hkhm]

bottle LVI (56)

 

bottle: this has a lilac/floral feel. sorta reminds me of sea of tranquility with lilac.

 

wet: this is all florals but i don't detect rose (thank god!). there is a faint, sweet jasmine scent that seems to be amping as it warms up on my skin.

 

dry: this dries to a very floral greenery sort of scent with hints on jasmine. pretty and feminine.

Edited July 25, 2008 by hkhm

[stellans]

 

CLXXI - also known as CTIV: 171 -- Cloves! Cloves and fruit -- but not the apricot of Depraved, nor the cherry of Blood Kiss, nor yet the fig of Hetairae. It's almost like the Ecstasy of Passion, but not so much amber, yay! Amber doesn't always play nice with my chemistry. This is a lot like Clémence, but no patchouli, and kind of deeper somehow and a bit sweeter. This is a keeper, yay! I may have to play this fun game of BPAL Roulette again...

 

OK, after a bit, this is even better! OMG, there is such luscious smoothness in this blend! Definitely sweet clove, but there is something else that is keeping this soft and smooth and just sexy. Mr. Stellans approves, hee!

Edited August 1, 2008 by stellans

[Em-]

CLXXIV

 

I only ordered one CT this year, figuring, I have lots of things I love, tons of things I like and the odds of getting something so OMG amazing that I couldn't imagine my life without it are pretty small. Infinitesimal even.

 

What the hell did I know.

 

This is rich creamy spicy fruity smoldering. My guess at notes is Dragon's Blood, tonka, maybe the Lab's sweet patchouli, maybe some additional nutmeggy sort of spices. So, basically, a short list of some of my favorite notes. There could even be some honey and berry in there and a hint of red musk, but I don't really think so.

 

Whatever it is, is could be my signature scent. Chaos rules.

[porcelina]

LXXXV

 

at first it is very astringent.

 

when i put it on, it smells like... i don't know. i really don't know. seriously. i cannot tell you what this smells like at all. later on it starts to smell... polished, and yet slightly green, and yet slightly sweet, and yet woody.

 

as it dries further- is that- could it be- sassafrass? I THINK IT IS!

 

as the hours progress this has become a warm, woody, root beer sort of scent. i quite like it.

Edited July 29, 2008 by porcelina

[perclexed]

66 (LXVI)

This bottle nearly beats you about the head and shoulders with it's grape and cherry-ness. It's like a bottle of children's cough medicine on steroids, with vodka and Midori chasers. Good. Heavens. My skin eats anything grape, so I think I'll actually wait to sample this until I'm about to shower. It's that strong. Wow. Definitely one for someone who really likes the candy.

 

 

104 (CIV)

This one is much more subtle. Kind of a melony floral with a topnote of...honeysuckle? I smell grape lurking underneath though. Kind of a "giant bouquet with half a canteloupe and a glass of wine on a deck drenched with the setting sun" sort of bottle. Interesting and very summery!

 

 

Not really my type of scents, but that's what the CT's are for. Very interesting!

[porcelina]

CVII

 

107!

 

in bottle: incense, herbs, water and paper.

 

on skin, wet: i have a bpal that smells like this. i know i do, but i can't think of what it is. it smells alternately sharp and green and dusty and earthy and spicy.

 

on skin, dry: i'm so bad at this. i have no idea what the notes are. i know that i enjoy the scent- it is warm, herbal, a little smoky. it makes me think of a wizard's workshop. later, some sage and berries come out. i think it might remind me of bewitched.

[samarablackcat]

LXXVIII (78)

 

In the bottle: Fresh and bright with a feel of citrus. Lime maybe? pink grapefruit?

 

Wet: Pink grapefruit and lime, with maybe a splash of vodka. Like a Tiki that didn't quite make it. Or maybe mango or something tropical? Something just a tad spicy underneath...a little ginger?

 

As it dries, it fades quickly on me, but on my coworker, it stays longer. She says something waxy in the mix, underneath. I am not very good at picking out notes, and it seems this was made just for me, as I feel I can indentify each one! A great summer scent, so refreshing...would make a great cocktail, too!

[MeiLin]

XXVI (26)

 

in the imp: Something sweet but sharp, floral and a little berry. I get the dryer sheet thing #27 reported, a little--I know what she's talking about.

 

Wet: Sweeter and tangier, rose perhaps, and something astringent--slight whiff of mint?! Definite mint. I smell teaberry gum!

 

Dry: Still that teaberry gum smell--the rose is mostly gone, but a mint lingers, and something tangy and spicy. I can't decipher the notes. It's weird and I like it!

[cheshirecat]

First, I love the gold lettering on the bottle

 

CXC: Be still, my heart Coffee, chocolate, and then - a touch of cinnamon Drop dead gorgeous. I will treasure this one

 

ETA: Staying power is excellent!

Edited July 26, 2008 by cheshirecat

[AEris]

CCI (201)

 

Nyoooooom nyom nyom nyom nyom nyom nyom

 

Tobacco, myrrh, a hint of woods, crack, sex, and debauchery. A well-blended, resinous, indescribable scent.

 

I feel very lucky to have the only bottle of 201. It's so dark and smooth, I will wear it on evenings where I'm looking to be a little bad....

 

I feel like it was created just for me! Fate has gifted me with a Chaos Theory that I will treasure! I wish I was better at picking out notes so I could know what's in it, because although I'm making guesses at the notes, I really have no frickin' clue This kicks ass, whoever was responsible for my precious CCI is a wonderful human being, smoochies!

[innocent]

CXXXIX (139)

 

A very light oil with a faint scent. It has a lovely clean, green top note. I think it may be aloe, its not strong enough to be cucumber. There's something sweeter and muskier underneath - I want to say vanilla, but again its quite faint. The overall impression is of something clean, watery (but not actually aquatic) and very pale green in color.

 

I like it a lot, but I hope it gets stronger with age. Right now its the faintest BPAL I've ever sniffed, and I really slathered it on. I also put it in my hair, since that sometimes makes notes easier to ID than my skin - but I can't smell it there at all.

 

It's really fun having something unique and I think I might get one more bottle of CT:IV before its over - I don't have too many death notes (vetiver is about the only thing, and even that will work in some blends) so playing the BPAL lotto again is verrry tempting!

 

ETA: After letting this one sit for a few days it's stronger, though the scent hasn't changed. I put it on and there was actually some throw! (I seldom get any throw - even with heavier mixtures). The dry down is just wonderful, sweet and vanilla with maybe the slightest touch of musk. I'm in love.

Edited July 30, 2008 by innocent

[marared]

CCCV = 305?

 

Mine is a somewhat strong, sweet fruit-and-flower blend that I would classify as a very tropical scent. The fruit is very bright - a sweet citrus that gets stronger and stronger as it dries and pushes the flowers into the background. I think there might be a touch of rose in it, but it's not heady at all.

 

...I kinda like this!

 

 

Later edit: nope, didn't work on my skin. The fruit went off, if you know what I mean - not quite sour, but it went kinda plasticky. It smells great in the bottle, but not on me!

Edited July 26, 2008 by marared

[forspecial_plate]

CV (105)

 

Light honeyed floral scent with rose and perhaps some herbs.

 

This goes on like a light floral, with a hint of herbal bite. As it dries/warms up, there is a sweetness that I'm pretty sure is honey. Although I usually dislike honey, this one is so light it doesn't bother me. That's why I think it might be a white honey note. After a while, a very soft rose comes out. When I first wore it, it took about 20 minutes for me to even recognize the rose.....it takes that long to come out. So, this is nowhere near the rose of, say, Rose Red. But I do smell rose, and it's a nice one.....stops short of soapy or powdery.

 

This is so pretty, and I know there's more complexity than what I'm describing. While it's definitely not a 'me' scent, I find it very appealing and it was great fun to explore the scent.

[IronMollyBlack]

XXVIII (28)

 

I'm not so good with the notes, but here goes...

 

In the bottle, I get honey and a light green herbal scent. On me, I get a green, slightly "woody" scent, with a floral and some herbs and sweetness in the background? Now my skin is amping whatever the floral is to high heaven! I can see the dryer sheet thing that 26 and 27 had going on. The jury is still out on this one. I wish it smelled on me like it smelled in the bottle. Maybe it needs to go to someone with better skin chemistry!

 

All the reviews make me want to try another couple of bottles though!

[greenranger]

It's here! It's here!

 

Edge of Chaos CCXIX Chaos theory IV

 

I opened up the bottle and I smell...coffee...booze?

 

On wet, toasted almonds(the notes promised no nuts but, that's the impression I get anyhow)? Possibly myrrh? There might be a floral that I don't know...maybe.

 

Doing this completely without scent notes and other's impressions is interesting. heh.

 

There are resins in this, I believe(hope!). Myrrh at the least, possibly amber. I think there may be coffee as well, though it is a background note for sure. There might possibly be just a touch of something citrus.

 

Too much fun!!

 

Well, darn. It vanished. I suspect, but cannot prove, that the scent also contains ambergris, since the scents that I know contain that have done a very similar dissapearing act on my skin.

 

It ended up smelling very very clean. Not what I was hoping for, but, I'll swap it away and see what I can get to try in its place.

 

------

Decants.

 

CCCLXVIII (pale yellow oil)

In the imp, a pineappley boozy drink.

On me, I get a whiff of salt, and then it vanishes into the fruity sweetness. Pineapple, maybe rum, possibly some vanilla or honey, and possibly amber. It doesn't have the staying power on me to make me think it has much resin, which is really too bad. I like this one. It lasts a couple hours on my skin.

 

CCCXXX

In the bottle, cherimoya(a tropical fruit-green skin, white custardy flesh, sweet slightly tangy taste with a hint of pineapple and banana) and some light wood. On my skin the fruit fades fast leaving the light wood. There's a very slight pepperyness to the very light wood scent, and just the edge of sweetness is left. Very light scent.

 

CCCXXXVI

Caramel custard with fruit in the bottle. On me, Fruity creamy alcoholic drink. There might be flowers in this one, but they are faint on me and don't stick around long. There seems to be something salty in this as well. Light scent.

 

CCCLXIX (very pale yellow oil)

In the imp, creamy? On me, cream...and white flowers? There might be a pale musk or there might not. A light scent, faintly sweet, and creamy.

 

CCCLXV (pale yellow oil)

In the imp, caramel and herbs. On me, anise, shading towards celery. Something in this really likes my skin. It's a shame I don't like anise so much. Moderate to strong scent. Lasts well on my skin.

 

CCCXXXIV (Pink oil)

In the imp, grapefruit? On me, grapefruit indeed. A tart scent with just an edge of sweet. There's something else coming forward to emphasize the tart/bitter end of the grapefruit, but darned if I know what. Actually, I like this one, but, I don't know how well it will last. Moderate strength. The sweetness fades, but, the bitter/tart part stays and seems to be accompanied now by a faint hint of leather. Interestingly, I still like it.

 

CCCXXIII (pale yellow oil)

In the imp, pale fresh pulpy scent? The bamboo note maybe? On me, lightly sweet and pulpy smelling. I suspect the bamboo note is here. Fresh, clean and damp. Light scent, but, I like it if it stays like this. Drying, something grassy and green that I recognise from Sturgeon Moon comes out, but, I don't know which of the notes it is.

 

CCCLXXI (pale yellow oil)

In the imp, sweet. On me, sweet buttered popcorn? Sweetcorn that's been popped? Moderate to strong scent. settles down to creamed corn. hee!

 

CCCXLVIII (very pale yellow oil)

In the imp, greenery and stargazer lilies. On me, lilies, vanilla, and sugar, with greenery of some sort. Strong scent.

 

CCCXXXIX (yellow oil)

In the imp, caramel? Maybe.I'd say almonds but the nuts were left out of these blends. A good counterfeit of almonds whatever it actually is. On, its a creamy sweet scent. There might be some flowers in this. Light scent, and fading on me fast.

 

CCCXIII (pale yellow oil)

In the imp, greenery. On me, almost nothing. Faint faint flowers and greenery.

 

CCCXXIX (golden yellow oil)

In the imp, sweet. On, sweet resin?(crosses fingers) Honey and fir trees. Maybe amber? Light musk as well. The fir and honey are fading. Light scent so far. A skin scent.

 

CCCLXVI (pale yellow oil)

In the imp, slight sweetness. On me, sweet butter...maybe there are flowers there, but, I can't tell what kind. It's fading down to a very light musk.

 

CCCLV (yellow oil)

In the imp, floral sweetness. On me, not quite fruity candy. A white wine, with fruit and flowers, maybe? It might even be a champagne note with fruit and flowers. Moderate strength.

 

CCCXLII (almost colorless oil)

In the imp, a faint floral and clean air. On me, white flowers. Light, fresh, breezy...and not strong.

 

CCCLVI (pale yellow oil)

In the imp, not much. On me, nothing. Ah, there's a slight floral sweetness, and maybe a slight light spice.

 

CCCXXXVII (nearly colorless oil)

In the imp, spicy and intriguing, but, I can't place the scents! On, coffee, chocolate, and something that may come to me eventually, but, seems unlikely to combine with those...you know how sometimes you see a person you know, but, don't recognise them because they are not where you usually see them? Like that. More testing is needed. Oh, and it lasted for hours and dried down eventually to mostly just chocolate.

 

CCCXXXIII (golden yellow oil)

In the imp, faintly sweet. On me, seaweed and spices? I think this is the first real, "Wha? " oil in this pile. Light, spicy, and reminds me of rolling sushi. This one dried down to cloves, and lasted a long time.

-------------

 

DCCLXXXIX

In the bottle, coffeeeeeeee......coffee and possibly booze! In the bottle and wet on me, the scent is strooong. Drying, I think there's booze in this? There might also be myrrh? If this lasts on my skin I have my coffee scent. Mmmmmmm. No, oh, no...don't vanish! Ok. It came back, and round two is slightly reminescent of baked goods with coffee flavoring. Later, now that the coffee note is fading ever so slightly, I think I detect a bit of...tobacco? I think I have a winner!

 

DCCCXIV

I haven't the foggiest idea what's in this. It's a light scent, slightly spicy, refreshing. It might have an aquatic note? Not salty at all, though. It's nice, but, it really has me stumped. The spicy part does not last. The feeling of clean, cool, fresh water, though, becomes stronger.

 

DCCCXXX

In the bottle, fruit? Woods? There's almost a hawaiian punch note in it but it keeps sliding away from my nose...On, it's ozone and punch and maybe light woods.

 

MCXIX

In the bottle, citrus? Oranges. on me, good quality fresh orange juice. This can't possibly stay like this, as citrus fades fast on me...can it? There are spices somewhere behind the juice, and I suspect it isn't all orange juice...maybe something lemony as well. I think I am getting thirsty smelling this. Dry, there are resins in this, I think? It's still citrus and spice with maybe resins as well.

 

MCCCXVII

In the bottle, sweet and juicy. On me, Spicy, sweet and juicy. Also strong. So far, it's an industrial strength version of MCXIX, with more spice. The juice backs off, and the spicyness does fade somewhat. It is still a strong and rather assertive spicy scent, with a slight orange juice sweetness backing it.

Edited September 7, 2008 by Aerinha

[ElinaMakropulos]

Chaos Theory IV: CLXXVI (176)

 

This bottle must have been filled by hand, it's all sticky! When I first opened the bottle, I was assaulted by the odor of the flea collars we used to use on our cats. I wasn't hopeful

 

However, on my skin it turns into an interesting vetiver/fur/resin scent...I really don't have anything to compare it to but I recognize the intense, dark green of the vetiver and the warmness of the fur in Fenris Wolf. There is some kind of resin or spice in there as well, making it a really dense, complicated scent. It works better on my husband than on me, but it's interesting nonetheless

[Akurarei]

Chaos Theory IV: Edge of Chaos

CXXVII (127)

 

Yay scent experiment!

I wonder if the Labbies had a mad scientist movie fest going on while they made these bottles.

 

In my bottle:

Oranges pierced with cloves and an undercurrent of chocolate and apples (similar to Samhain, IMHO)

 

On My Skin, Wet:

Yes! an orange scent!

There are DEFINITELY cloves present too - it smells very home Christmas potpourri to me!

My family loves to make the oranges with clove piercings for the house when it's cold out, and this scent captures that tradition PERFECTLY!

 

On my Skin, Dry:

Still that lovely orange and clove scent, just gorgeous!

I also am smelling a slightly resinous note hiding underneath all that citrus deliciousness...my guess is amber.

MAYBE it could be a very small amount of sandalwood - every now and then I can't tell those two apart if they are not a major component.

 

Verdict:

mine is a 10 of 10 ranking!!

I absolutely ADORE my CT4 - I'm so glad I took a chance on it, because part of me was terrified of receiving something like orange blossom SN or patchouli SN.

one turns to burnt plastic on me and the other is simply disgusting on me.

FORTUNATELY - I got one that both suits me and plays well with my chemistry.

THANK YOU BPAL!

 

ETA 6.3.2010:

This no longer smells delicious. It's still cloves but all the other beautiful stuff seems to have gone away.

Now it smells strongly of cinnamon and cloves.

While I think those two scents are pretty on their own, I don't particularly care for cinnamon in my perfume.

Aged this scent has gone from 10 to 4.

So sad!

Edited June 3, 2010 by Akurarei

[lmaunu]

CCXXXVII (237)

 

The gold numbering on the bottle really is fun!

 

Wow! This is my first bottle of a Chaos Theory blend, and I love it! It really is so hard to figure out what's inside when you don't have a description or other people's impressions to fall back on.

 

In the bottle, it reminds me of Sweet Tarts, which is sort of what Tiki Queen smells like in the bottle. On my skin, though, Tiki Queen turns floral, whereas so far this is staying in the Sweet Tart realm. It's red and sweet, but in a different way than my other red scents.

 

Love it! Thank you, Labbies, for such a fun treat!

Edited July 27, 2008 by BookGirl

[savage_rose]

Okay, I love CT time...it's like mystery and Christmas and update night all rolled into one!

 

3 for now, more if I can get the funds together:

 

XV (15): Bed of Basil*

In the bottle: It smells strong and herbal...basil maybe? With an undertone of aquatic-ozoneness.

 

On: same green, herbal scent, but there's a cleanness emerging. Is that lavendar? And something faintly metallic, like a touch of Bed of Nails. Very unisex and pleasant.

 

LXXXVII (87): Here We Go A WasSailing*

In the bottle: Mulled cranberry fruit punch...it reminds me of the Tikis a bit and of Spiked Punch, but it's a much deeper scent. There might even be a creamy note to it. It's not exactly spiced, but it smells warm, like a soothing, hot holiday beverage.

 

On: A little fruity, a little...salty, like salty ocean spray. And is that a nutty note I'm getting? And an aquatic note? Man, is this a morpher! Who knows what lurks beneath this fruity exterior? Well, not even the Shadow knows, because they don't keep notes on the notes. It's a shame on this one, because it smells like so many things! Oh, and something just turned to slightly sour milk, but with the tangy fruitiness, it works.

 

XCV (95): Freshener to Forest*

In the bottle: Okay, frankly this smells like a public restroom. Cheap air freshener and Clorox. Please, PLEASE improve on the drydown!

 

On: Pine...that's definitely pine. My friend in the right blend, but in this one, it just says, "Better be Pine-Sol, baby!" And after 5 minutes, it becomes a more subdued juniper blend...earthy without smelling like bathroom cleaner. Thank GOD! This is very nice like an actual forest, with bark, dirt and foliage. I don't think I've smelled anything quite like this--most of the forest blends have icy snow notes, or fruit. This could really grow on me.

 

 

_{*nickname is mine, not the Lab's .}

[GreenSpine]

XLIII (43 - so close to 42!)

 

Wet, in the bottle: My mother said it smelled like her grandfather's aftershave, which about sums it up.

 

Wet, on skin: Pine. Very strong pine, a pinch of snow/ozone, and a little bit of wood trying to peek out from beneath.

 

Drydown: The ozone disappears right away, and I get a very quick flash of something that reminds me of the asphalt note in a few other blends, but it doesn't stay. The pine fades slowly but completely. In the end, the wood - cedar - comes forward and is all that's left.

 

However, my roommate lightly tested it as well, and for her it stayed a strong, true pine start to finish - none of the other notes appeared at all. Skin chemistry's a funny thing.

 

I'm not a fan of pine or wood, so this will be going off to swaps.

[delicate_fangs]

CLXXV: OK, this is a tricky thing to describe. In the bottle, I smell tonka, and some sweet thing, and a little floral. When I put it on, it is immediately "HELLO the BUTTERSCOTCH BUSHES are in BLOOM NOW kthxbai!" Then it mellows a little, and the tonka comes out more. There are flowers peeking around the edge of it. It smells like some very sophisticated... suntan lotion? Something retro. Whatever it is, I can't wait to see what it does next. It seems to be a real morpher.

 

EAT: Ooh, now there is an interesting blood-and-metal tang coming out. It's a candy store for vampires -- a candy store in a scary city, with a big metal grating!

Edited July 28, 2008 by delicate_fangs

[Lamia]

My CCXXIV arrived today BIG YAY!

 

I'm not sampling right now because A) the "Vixen" I put on this morning is still noticeable and B ) I am at work which normally wouldn't stop me except C) the boss is here grrrrr

 

But snuffling the bottle, I first got "fruit...soap". A second sniff says currant? pomegranite. There is a subdued hard snap in there, like ethyl alcohol or nail polish remover, but I have to work hard to detect it. I adore Beth's fruit scents, they work so beautifully on me

 

I cannot WAIT to get home and try this *excited*

 

EDITED TO ADD: My husband said (when I stuck a damp wrist under his nose) that it smelled like "fruit candy". My partner took multiple sniffs while suggesting "tropical fruits....smells like fruits from South America."

 

It quickly turned to tutti-futti, but not a cloying chemical over-sugared tutti-frutti - rather a multi-fruited syrup of boiled-down fruit salad. It's not an everyday scent, but I'm not unhappy to wear it

Edited July 29, 2008 by Lamia

[Emu Nymph]

CCLXXVI (276)

Wet in the bottle it smells like moist delicious cake with a topping of fruit.

 

On me it turns into the same exact scent that Lady Una did on me. So I'm thinking it has honey musk in it. Sadly this it give me a raging head ache and smells less that pleasent. I still get the cake scent and a touch of fruit but on my skin it just doesn't work

 

At least I have two more bottles coming soon!

Edited July 30, 2008 by Emu Nymph