Chaos Theory V: Recursive Self-Similarity v3

[tartchef]

XXIX (29)

 

I love Penitence, but haven't worn it in years But frankincense is my most favorite note ever, and here it's intertwined with something really fresh... I'm half tempted to say something akin to Rose Red - that same super fresh & green rose - but RR is a disaster on my skin, and this CT is anything but! There's something in here that's reminding me of The East, that juicy red currant-honeyed herbs & wildflowers scent... Ultimately, a lovely scent, but so close to things I already love that I don't know that I'll keep this...

 

Previously reviewed by TwilightEyes.

[Little Bird]

I'm pretty sure that this is number CXI. The silver pen has issues :/

 

In the bottle, this smells like banana candies. Oh no. It's that cloying, powdery, sickly sweet banana candy smell.

 

On my skin, it's banana candies and cream? Over time, the banana is less fake smelling and obnoxious. It smells almost like real bananas, vanilla icecream, and pie crust. It's very foodie on me for a while. I can smell the Penitence in the drydown as well, adding a touch of bright, sharp resins. After a half hour, it just smells like Penitence and nothing more.

[fairnymph]

cheshirecat's #2 (number rubbed off)

 

Sniffed: Golden oil. Foody! Chocolate, almonds, and maybe raspberries? But's super tangy raspberry, reminds me of watermelon candy. Whisper of resiny incense.

 

Wet: No, not almond - more like grains, honeyed grains that are nutty. Milk chocolae, very creamy. The fruit is lighter, sadly, and not raspberry because it's nice on my skin. Definitely sort of smoky frankincense.

 

Dry: More and more smoke, resin, and incense. Also more tart, juicy fruit.

 

Later: Resin! Smoke! Frankincense! Amping, wow. The nutty milk chocolate/incense combo becomes unpleasantly strong.

 

Summary: Milk chocolate and nutty grains hold along with tart red fruit, that I actually think is red currant, over strong frankincense and myrrh.

 

[Ondine]

VII:

 

Previous owner said it was like "spicy grape soda" and I think that's an apt description. I've never smelled Penitence straight, but this indeed smells very like grape, that sort of grapey-wine note that many BPAL blends have. It burns off quickly but it is an awesome initial blast of FROOT.

 

And it's beauuuuutiful.

 

And I have only 1/4 of a bottle

 

Anyone who doesn't like Penitence VII, I'll take more!!

[nekogrrl]

CCXXV

 

In bottle: GRAPE. Or could be the blood note; this reminds me both of The Blood Garden and Head of Holofernes and Candy Phoenix.

 

Wet on skin: FIZZY GRAPE. Seriously. There is no Penitence here.

 

Dry on skin: Still /very/ grape. No myrrh or frankincense. The throw is (of course, always happens with blends I don't like) very strong.

 

Verdict: So going to the swap pile.

[naeelah]

These are my decant circle bottles:

 

CXLVIII: noticeable Penitence + green tea, bergamot, rice flower? clover? linen?

 

My best description of this is "springtime incense". The frankincense and myrrh are there but soft, and the added notes are very light, a bit green and lemony, with a softly creamy floral.

 

At first I thought there was a drop of lemon verbena, but once the blend settles, I think I'm smelling a combination of notes. Bergamot for sure, probably green and/or white tea, and maybe a soft green plant such as clover. The flower is a little bit creamy, and it could be vanilla flower but my better guess is rice flower. There is also something that reminds me of the lab's fresh linen note.

 

Compared to XLIII this is softer, smoother, more girly, and less like Irish Springs soap.

 

CXLIV: light Penitence + white musk, white rose, white amber (Like a cross between Dia and White Rose.)

 

The note I smell first is definitely white musk. It takes a while, but eventually the while musk stops hogging the blend and lets some other light notes through. There is a pale, soft floral that I'm mostly sure is white rose. There is another smooth and rounded note with a slight sweetness, and I'm becoming convinced it's white amber. The Penitence just gives it a tiny of of foundation and warmth, and as resins always do, it gets a little bit darker and warmer as it wears.

 

I don't smell any base notes, this is all gossamer whiteness. This is actually pretty similar to Dia, on my skin, but it gets darker as it wears. I thought this was a total dud when it was wet, but as it wears, it becomes really pretty. I like it better than Dia because it's not like a dryer sheet. Throw is soft.

Edited May 6, 2009 by naeelah

[fairnymph]

CCXX - 220

 

Sniffed: Golden oil. Passionfruit! Almost SN. Tart, sweet, and gloriously juicy. Something mentholic lingers indistinctly below.

 

Wet: Guava joins the passionfruit. It's a guava-passionfruit party, but now that guava has arrived, passionfruit is fading a little bit. The mentholic note is pretty Vickish, but still not annoyingly so.

 

Dry: Here comes frankincense...myrrh, not so much. A definite sweetly-smoky, slightly woody/resiny edge, thought this is still a mildly mentholated fruit party.

 

Later: The menthol wears off and an edge of dry, almost dusty myrrh emerges. Still, this is only lightly incensey on the whole.

 

Summary: Passionfruit and guava over light frankincense with a glimmer of myrrh. Strong throw, but does fade significantly. The fruit notes do hold quite well, better than most tropical fruit notes.

 

[UploadedLobster]

Penitence CCXVIII (#218)

 

I have no idea where the Penitence is in this. This is a dry Penitence martini, I think--as though the Labbies swished Penitence around in the bottle, poured it out, and then refilled the bottle with Khajuraho? There's a dominant musky floral note in here that I remember from Khajuraho and Kubla Khan both, which pretty much guarantees it's champaca. STRONG champaca. It's very lightly sweet but not because I can detect any notes that would be sweet on their own (i.e., no vanilla, no fruit, no sugar, no spices). It's probably the frankincense. Champaca and the little tiny bit of myrrh turn out to have a powerful sympathy I hadn't expected, and really like.

 

I can't tell if it's a very simple blend or a very complicated one. Everything floats together seamlessly. It's an expertly-calibrated balance of very big powerful notes that makes a huge single-note BOOM of a perfume.

 

It throws like a champ, and lasts all day.

 

 

Lobster Rating

better than: finally remembering the title of a song you were trying to tell someone about three days ago

[surlygurl]

Penitence CCXX (220)

 

In the bottle, I get caramel or burnt sugar on top of resins. Fresh on the skin, there's a moment of smokey grape motor oil . Luckily, as it has aged, this moment has gotten shorter (the motor oil part, at least).

 

Drying, there's a grape kool-aide vibe paired with the resin, and something floral. Purple smelling flowers? I have no idea what they could be. At this point, the scent smells purpley-brown. Slowly, the grape kool-aide becomes softer and out comes what I think is sweetened coconut creme. The longer the oil dries, the more the purple scent fades & the coconut comes out.

 

Wow. From smokey grape motor oil to pale purple coconut creme. I'm impressed. I was all ready to swap this baby, but I think it needs more 'study'

 

Previously reviewed by fairnymph.

[sookster]

XII....

 

straight sniff from bottle is hayoogely smoky and sharp....vetiver overload which

is just the way i like it

 

once applied this is a cognac, boozy and woody blend...loaded with smoke as

stated above...

 

personally, this was made for me!! as times goes by, it gets sweetly resinous....

 

heaven indeed...enormous throw as well....yay!

[bastlynn]

CCVI : resins + something evil smelling, and for a girl that likes civet, vetiver and black musk - that's saying something. It's strongly medicinal and just gets rancid on the skin, it kind of reminds me of what Wrath does on my skin. Perhas a double (triple?) dose of frankincense?

 

CCXXI : resins + strawberry, sugar? The sugar may be myrrh popping up - very summery, something to wear to the beach.

 

CCX : resins + black tea, oakmoss, other woods maybe - very pretty, settles into a myrrh softness

 

CCVIII : watermelon! Then the watermelon goes away very very quickly - into a sweet resin blend

Edited May 17, 2009 by bastlynn

[voodoocatwoman]

II (2)

 

I read fairnymph's review and I have to wonder if we have decants of the same oil. I get anise and cedar from this while it's wet. No chocolate. No raspberry.

 

When it dries down, the licorice takes a back seat and the cedar steps aside as well. What comes to the fore now is a sweet resin, coupled with a floral that is so heady it is breathtaking. If it only lasted... it turns into something that reminds me of a dusting powder I used when I was a teen. While the reminiscence is lovely, I'd rather have the floral and resin. *sigh*

 

[myth]

CXLIV

Very like Eanach Dhúin was on me... soap/dryer sheet smell. I guess this is an aquatic of some kind, and I don't do well with those type of notes. I don't smell Penitence. Very clean, if you like that sort of thing... if you liked Eanach Dhúin you'd like this.

 

Previously reviewed by naeelah.

[angelicruin]

CXI

 

This is definitely bananas and penitence. I love it! I purchased a decant of it last weekend and love it so much that I am purchasing 3 more decants from the individual who sold me the 1st decant.

 

Bananas especially when wet, but they do fade as they dry, but I still love the blend while wet.

 

Previously reviewed by Little Bird.

[nekogrrl]

CXLVIII - decant

 

Initial whiff: metallic incense

 

On the skin it smells more.. cologney. Can still smell a metallic edge to it. I'd love to try this on the husband, as he does better with 'bright' scents than I do. Doesn't morph as it dries.

 

Meh. This is going on the swap pile, as it's not OMGMUSTHAVE.

 

Previously reviewed by naeelah.

[voodoocatwoman]

XXI

 

Wet: Lemon Drops!!! Super lemony but not cleaning fluid lemony.

 

Dry: At first it lost the lemon action and turned soapy. Fortunately, that faded preety quickly. What I am left with is lemon cake.

 

I am not a foody as far as my scents are concerned- this is nice but I don't know about wearing it...

[Phaedra]

CXXVII Wet this is heavy incense mixed with a yellow floral and maybe some amber too. When first on this is the same incense mixed with amber and hints of a floral note. I think this might have tonka bean in it too. It's similar to Antikythera Mechanism. After a couple hours this is a lovely warm amber mixed with incense. Very sexy. On the dry down this is a soft, close to the skin amber and incense blend. Beautiful!!

[voodoocatwoman]

XI

 

Wet, this blend is sharp vetiver with a plank of wood smacking me in the nose. On application, it stays sharp and the wood gets smackier. Ow?

 

Fortunately, this dries down to a resin-y incense. The vetiver is still there but happliy it is now i nthe background.

 

This imp has a home for life.

[Muppetk]

VII:

 

Previous owner said it was like "spicy grape soda" and I think that's an apt description. I've never smelled Penitence straight, but this indeed smells very like grape, that sort of grapey-wine note that many BPAL blends have. It burns off quickly but it is an awesome initial blast of FROOT.

 

VII: Did someone say FROOT?

 

in the imp: HOLY GOD IT'S GRAPE DIMETAPP!

 

wet on me: GRAPE DIMETAPP, slight incense undertone. I'm inclined to say it's a dustier incense than Penitence, but then again, the OMG!GRAPE may have blasted my ability to detect sweet.

 

drying: the incense comes up a wee bit more... still mostly DEAR GOD IN HEAVEN, THE GRAPE! IT'S COMING STRAIGHT FOR US!

 

freshly dry: welllll, the penitence comes out slightly more, though I swear it seems awfully dry and even maybe a touch smoky as opposed to its usual sweet self, and the grape is tamer, it's true. It's still way too reminiscent of dimetapp on me for me to be able to enjoy it as a perfume. I give this 10 more minutes before I scrub and seek it a new home.

 

10 min later: not only does it still smell the same, but it makes the other lovely things I've tried on smell WRONG. WAAAAAH! Paging the prior reviewer, STAT.

Edited August 23, 2009 by Muppetk

[Ondine]

XLVI

 

Previously reviewed by onetheycallLuna

 

Penitence with a sour, bitter edge. It almost smells like a cleaning fluid or something to me. Fairly unpleasant to my nose.

Edited September 10, 2009 by Ondine

[voodoocatwoman]

XXIII

 

This blend starts out herbal, almost medicinal. Thankfully, that phases out fairly quickly. What is left is faint incense. Pretty but not very long lasting.

[voodoocatwoman]

VI

 

Pencil shavings. I smell like pencil shavings. And bug spray. That too.

[Ondine]

CCXII: Livejournal previous owner noted it smelled like sweet fresh incense. I'm getting something lightly floral and not much Penitence. So, maybe a floral incense or candle.

[Wren12]

CII: Penitence with sweet lotus. A little bubble gummy.

[JazzieCazzie]

CCX -- received as a very lovely and generous lagniappe in a swap/purchase with another forumite.

 

I was very happy to receive it because I bought one or two bottles of this at the time of release since I am a huge Penitence fan and neither one worked for me at all.

 

I saw only one review of this version earlier in the thread, from Bastlynn, who noted black tea and oakmoss.

 

IMP: Something very sweet blending with the Penitence.

 

Dabbed on one wrist and the crook of that arm in a dual-scent testing morning.

 

WET: Interestingly enough, the scents smell quite different between my wrist and my arm. In the crook, it is a little metallic and almost tangy but on my wrist it stays true to what I first noticed, a very sweet and pleasant note. At first I was thinking sugared frankincense, but it could definitely be more of a sweet wood.

 

DRYDOWN: The contrast between crook and wrist is even more evident. The drydown in the crook is VERY VERY familiar from other BPAL scents and I'm thinking it could be the myrrh. To MY NOSE and ON MY BODY I don't get ANY tea at all. It's a little funky but not BAD funky. ON my wrist, however, it is absolutely sweet woodsy frankincense and a totally lovely scent. Still no tea. Not sure it's wood but it could be.

 

OVERALL: I absolutely love this. If it were available in a big bottle I'd put it on the list. Instead, I'll save it for a few special occasions and enjoy the gift as it was given.

 

SCORE: On a scale of 1-5 I'll give it a 4.8 -- 5 for my wrist and 4.5 for my crook, rounding up