Chaos Theory IV: Edge of Chaos

[edenssixthday]

Each bottle of Chaos Theory is truly unique, a fragrant fractal, an 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.

CT IV: MCCXXXII - This is another of the strange ones. It's got a strong initial blast of vanilla and orchid that is quite lovely, but there's something weird and unpleasant behind it...something... well... meaty. The meat note is very subtle and barely there, but intereferes just enough with the pretty vanilla-floral that this becomes a quite odd scent. I also think there's some animalic musk in this, as it has an aspect of it that reminds me of Buck Moon, Ivanushka, and Faunalia.

[voorishsign]

Was gifted this, and oh boy am I excited - my first Chaos Theory!

 

In the bottle: Wood and herbs and something fresh maybe . . .

 

On wet: sweet wood, herbs and resins with light spices. This is a really awesome blend even if my nose isn't practiced enough to make out everything in an oil if it isn't told what to look for

 

Drydown: sweet, slightly spicy herbs and resins bloody amazing There's clove here, I'm sure of it, and something juicy . . . I'm rubbish at describing this. It's a very warm, spicy, fruity, resiny scent.

 

[cecukemon]

DXLII

 

In the bottle there's a sweet, fruity / chocolatey edge and something sharper underneath. The oil is light red, almost pink. Wet on the skin it's a lot greener? floral? and there's still something sweet, like bubblegum, maybe lotus? Dry, musky and warm, sweet without being foody. Late dry-on, the scent gets a metallic edge.

Edited June 26, 2010 by cecukemon

[edenssixthday]

CT IV: LXII (62) - This starts out with the sweet, delicious and spicy scent of gingerbread. I am so excited to get a delicious-scented CT! But then it quickly starts to morph and the gingerbread fades and something slightly floral, slightly musky, and totally cloying and uber-sweet comes out. I can't place it, but I know I've smelled it before...it's driving my crazy that I can't put my finger on it. It's kind of sweet in a bread-like way, but sour in a sourdough bread-like way. This has to be washed off.

[edenssixthday]

Chaos Theory IV: CDXCIV (494) - This is loaded with lots of wet, crisp, green cucumber. Beneath that is what I think may be a bit of coconut and some vanilla? Maybe a faint trace of amber? It works amazingly well.

[edenssixthday]

CT IV: MCCLX (1260) - This is a high-pitched floral, full of white lilies and some sort of tropical floral (can't tell what, though!) There also seems to be a bit of magnolia in it. And there's cinnamon or something similarly spicy. I'd put it in the same category as La Primavera. It's made up of things that should equal a giant fail on me, and even has the faintest touch of soapiness, but for some reason that I can't quite pinpoint, I absolutely love it.

[Gold Dust Kitten]

MCCLXV

 

In the bottle, sweet lime. Smells odd.

On skin, it smells like fresh lime and lemon juice with honey. If this had a taste it would be the warm honey-lemon drink my mom used to make for me when I had a sore throat. It's syrupy, thick and dripping with honey. I feel like I may attract bees if I wear it outside but it's a beautiful day and I'm going to go jogging anyway.

[edenssixthday]

Chaos Theory IV: DXXVIII (528) - Previously reviewed here. This is a pretty scent. The previous reviewer noted something "waxy...like toffee" in it. I also notice something kind of buttery and chewy and waxy, and I definitely see how she gets "toffee" from it, but it's less foody to my nose. When I first apply the oil, that's all I smell - that pretty beeswax type of note and a soft bit of creamy coffee. It's got a slight hint of a pretty, soft musk -- maybe blue musk or pink musk -- that wafts further than the wax and coffee. And I smell a hint of something that my nose identifies as cinnamon, but I know that cinnamon's not put in Chaos Theories, so I'm not sure what it is, but it's something spicy, and maybe could even be mint, but it's almost too sweet to be mint. It's a very pretty scent, and one of the Chaos Theories that worked out really, really well.

[Little Bird]

CDXCIV.

This smells mostly like crisp, watery, sweet honeydew melon to me, with a bit of nuttiness (hazelnut? chestnut?) that gives it a warm, dry edge. As it dries down, it's much the same, but perhaps with some creamy vanilla tones and a hint of soap. It actually smells a lot like Fée on my skin, if Fée rolled around in a pile of clean laundry.

[zankoku_zen]

MCCCXCII

Definitely smoky coffee. The smoke note has a bitter edge to it, more akin to the kind you find in Agnes Nutter. I think it might be the gunpowder. The coffee note is rich. There is a whiff of vanilla on wet that becomes much more prominent on wet, and its slightly musky.

 

At this point, I would almost compare this to a grittier version of Miskatonic University - coffee, slight sweetness, hint of gritty smoke.

 

Not for me, but if you were into layering, I think perhaps the Good scent from the RPG line would layer nicely with this.

 

Previously reviewed by myth

Edited April 21, 2011 by zankoku_zen

[PixieMoondust]

Chaos Theory IV: Edge Of Chaos DL (550)

Purchased from [i'm not sure, having lost my notes due to a computer crash] Received 16-Dec-2009

 

This one starts off as a strong warm foody smell, sort of coffee/vanilla similar to what I get from Desire. As it dries down there's a harder spicy note underneath. Maybe like coffee cake baking, with coffee brewing and slightly burning! A nice scent, but so similar to Desire that I think I may swap this one away!

 

Pixie

[forspecial_plate]

MCCLI....

 

I think that Moonarcana gave me this one. It's a very soft spice scent. I can smell clove and possibly ginger. But it's so soft and light, and not really foody except for a little bit of 'bread' note in the very beginning. I want to say there is a very sheer musk, something light that makes it more perfumey as opposed to gourmand. Hard to pick apart but very pretty. It's like the female counterpart to Plunder. It's a winner and I should wear it more often!

[SueDonym]

I'm not a note maven, but these are my impressions, on my skin. A series of very clean, subtle scents...

 

MCXCIV -- clean scent, goes on cotton and smooth, light soft mild floral on drydown. Clean linen, very fresh and soft. Linden blossom? Dandelion? Goes all soft and creamy.

 

DCXV -- soft, sweet sugar. The sweetness of Treat I without any fruit. Vanilla in there, but mostly sugar without being SUGAR or really foody at all if that makes any sense.

 

MCCCLXII -- Clean background, astringent herbal on top. Lemongrass? Bay? I haven't the faintest. While it's definite in the bottle, this is not forefront on the skin giving a faint edge within this overall CLEAN impression. Creamy slight herbal goes really nicely soft and sweet on full drydown.

 

DLVII -- again very light with a touch of leather and fruit. Nice drydown where it goes to sweetness. Maybe some faint apple at the end.

 

MCCXIX -- light in bottle but the darkest of the lights thus far, or lightly touched with dark, if that makes any sense. Maybe a waft of something like patchouli but mostly light resins. There's a kinda 'spicy' note here that's common in a lot of my favorite blends and I wish I knew what it was.

 

I also wish I knew what the background is in all of these oils. It's a clean faintness that makes me want to go to all the lighter oils or maybe the background on the lunar oils. A light skin musk?

 

I smell unexpectedly delicious and I kind of want to mix them all together. LOL I was just going to put this up here because I was sorting through to smell and sell and now I kinda want to mix them all together and find out what that background is. Gah!

 

ETA: I think they're all skin musk, most with just one note more (1 floral, 1 vanilla, 1 herb, 1 leatherish and 1 resin. Cool)

Edited June 15, 2012 by SueDonym

[Anne M.]

I think it's C, I can't see the number on the label but that's what the person who sold it to me said it is: Wet-candied apples, Dry down-less sweet, more like an apple pudding without spices, 2 hours later-it keeps going back and forth between fainter apples and roses, and now it's settled into a combo of the 2.

[Xue_Bai]

Bought full from Lill, labeled CMI.

 

Strong oak notes to start, with maybe some cocoa or coffee grounds? Closer to the skin while it's wet is a mossy scent. As it dries, a floral emerges close to the skin, which might be violet, but I'm really not sure. It's a green sort of floral, not sweet at all. I also get something soapy underneath that I suspect was an evergreen, but it's very close to the skin. The oak becomes less intense, but it's still the main note that carries, again with a hint of something else. Has a far throw.

 

After the initial woah oak moment (I can't imagine what this one was like fresh), this settles into a lovely warm feminine floral oak. I didn't know oak could read so feminine, and I really liked the oak in Miskatonic University, so this is great! Not so much a everyday scent, but nice for days off and snuggling with a book during any weather.

[Gwydion]

DXCIV (594)

 

In bottle: This is a green tea dominant scent. I strongly suspect rain, melon, and likely bamboo or ho wood. There is a lovely fruit I can’t identify. There is something sweet like maybe sugar or a very light. I would not be surprised if there was cardamom and/or grass. The grass note smells dried, like a woven mat. It may have some apple blossom. There is a haunting familiarity about this, but I’m not placing it. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a touchy of musk. Wet: The thing I’m suspecting of being musk melon or some other Asian melon type fruit is now strongest with green tea support. There is definitely a musk that blends beautifully with the melon and tea and likely a touch of Rain. This is a very green and fruity scent. I’m still not placing the other fruit that is quite strong; There is something powdery that could be amber, but might be something else with a similar feel. I’m still picking up bamboo or ho wood as a well blended background, and a soft pale floral that might be apple blossoms, but could just as easily be something rarer. There is still a touch of something grassy, but now it’s more fresh mowed. There is something in the middle strange I’m completely failing to place. I appear to be mildly allergic to this blend, which makes me wonder if the thing I’m not placing is unplacable because I’m allergic to it and thus avoid it. As it wears, the melon starts to burn off and it gets a mildly insensey tone to it. Dry: Amber and probably green musk with something incense or incense adjacent and a touch of rain.

[unlaced]

CDLIX (459)

 

Man, this one is a morpher!

 

In bottle: some kind of boozy note with a creaminess that isn't cream. If that makes sense...

 

Wet: Whoa, I'm definitely getting Dorian vibes from this one. The main scent right now is that really distinctive tea with lemon and sugar that I get from Dorian.

 

As it dries it's still Dorian-y but some kind of effervescence in the background.

 

Drydown: The dorian-y lemon sugar tea scent has faded into the background (but definitely still there) and in the forefront there's some kind of creamy nutty smell that I can't place. Also, a kind of light musk has showed up. I know I keep saying it but it smells like the light musk that's in Dorian (Is there musk in dorian? I feel like there is)

 

This ends up being a creamy nutty scent with whiffs of Dorian. And I know this isn't a CT from the Dorian series . Maybe someone was experimenting with GC-based CTs?

[Zii]

My label's a wee bit smudged, but I think it's mccclxxviii.

 

Wet: Lemon pledge. Oh dear...

 

Dry: Yup...Lemon pledge or lemon candies. There's something a little vanilla going on that reminds me a bit of lemon heads candy, in that there is something foody about the lemon when it's not being overly sharp. Not offensive, but VERY much something i would never wear.

[zankoku_zen]

DCCLXXIX (779)

 

This one was a manly, green musky blend. I think aloe is a component. It smells similar to Xiuhtecuhtli, but manlier. I don't think there was copal, but possibly incense in it.

 

Admittedly, at this point my nose was a little tired from sniffing multiple Chaos blends.

[zankoku_zen]

CCXLI (249)

This one is a heavy, rich, foodie cocoa/chocolate blend with vanilla and musk. It reminded me a lot to Boomslang.

 

MXXII or MXXXII (1022 or 1032)

Citrusy floral. It smelled like a combination of jasmine and ylang ylang. Not a winner in my book.

[zankoku_zen]

Mystery Number is what the decant says.

 

I think this used to have melon, because I smell a musky melon (cantaloupe style), and resins. Maybe myrrh?

 

Yup, still musky melon with resins in the back.

[bheansidhe]

CCXLI

Smells (overwhelmingly at first) like a stick of those dark-chocolate-coated raspberry jelly candies and one in orange smashed together. It even has the slight artificial fruit quality those candies have. However, after a fairly intense but striking dry-down, it's like something fresh and maybe even green with a good dollop of creamy yet dark--almost spooky--chocolate (the smell really reminds me of Halloween for some reason!) and a shot of pure sugar. Nothing burned about it.

 

If I liked to smell like chocolate, I'd definitely try to track down the bottle of this, even though I hate those jelly candies. This is just too amazing.

 

I just got an imp of this as a freebie with a sale. Thanks to djnevermore, I can absolutely, positively identify it as the smell of a raspberry Jaffa cake.

 

It is a freakishly accurate scent portrait.

[Magycmyste]

MCXCVIII

 

Sweet caramelish candy in the imp. The caramel comes out more on my skin. The candy part smells a little fruitier, or like a melon. Really sweet and pretty!

[Ordo_ad_Chao]

MCCXLVII

 

A sweet, shining berry wrapped in fuzzy soft spun sugar, spiked with something grassy and green which quickly fades, and with a faint musky undertone

[forspecial_plate]

CLVI

 

Another cool, herbal scent, a little earthy, smells 'grey' to me. I can't guess what herbs or what on earth is in this. It reminds me somewhat of Iris Silver Mist, and someone else mentioned a 'rooty' aspect, which I agree with. So maybe it has orris root.

 

There are a couple other reviews of this but I am not sure how to link to them. But.....I didn't like this very much at first. I've had it for quite a while. But now, I can sort of see myself wearing it on a cool rainy day. It's kind of meditative. Like another Chaos Theory that I have, this smells more like an aromatherapy blend than a perfume. That other one is more stoney but this is more rooty. Maybe they would smell good together?