Chaos Theory VI: Recursive Self-Similarity v7

[Verios]

#245:

 

I haven't tried this on yet, as it really doesn't smell like me in the bottle (however, before sentencing it off to swaps, I'll have to do so, at some point)...so I'll update this review when/if I do so. I'll also point out that I am pretty terrible at reviews, so keep that in mind as you read this, lol. With that said, at first sniff, in the bottle, I get a tart watermelon candy smell (so that fake watermelon flavor-smell...it's actually almost exactly like watermelon flavored warheads, if you've ever had those...just with a lot less of the tartness). There's no bitterness, however, which I do get from warheads. Something about it really makes me think of summer, but I definitely don't think it's a scent I'll wear.

[Dark Alice]

#265-Spicy Ginger and rootbeer with vanilla. Not a fan of the foody stuff. This one will have to go!

 

#248-Aloe and vanilla...something clean. I love this one.

[jenrandom]

I just got my 4 bottles of Vanilla-y Chaos To my nose, I get:

#238 - After I got over the *OMG get it away* smell in the bottle, on my skin it's nicely smokey and gingerbready. No discernable vanilla. My favorite of the bunch. I'm glad I skin tested it!

#242 - Gingerbread and black pepper, with a small vanilla background

#255 - A heavy something (wood?)(rind?) with brighter almost candy sweet trying to peek out.

#256 - Vanilla and strawberries, straight up.

[greenranger]

225:

 

I only ordered one Vanilla CT

 

This one smelled really familiar in the bottle. Something very sweet, with a LOT of associations way way waaaaay back in memory lane.

 

Then, when I applied it I realised, this is a Shirley Temple. Only with a huge shot of vanilla added.

 

Yeah, my parents used to get me Shirley temples as a kid. I liked the maraschino cherries, and the little tiny plastic sword that they used to stick through the cherry. I haven't had one since I was...11? But that is what this is.

[sunshinedaisybliss]

#220 (received via swap from the lovely Klepz)

 

In the bottle, the vanilla isn't very noticeable - there's a strong tropical note, and something green coming out.

 

On the skin.. wowsers, this is vanilla city! As Klepz mentioned in her review - this is definitely closely related to Love's Philosophy, even down to the saffron note and that very slight green tinge that LP has. It starts off very creamy, then develops a top end that reminds me of Boo!, and then the vanilla dries down and something tropical comes out - I'm picking pineapple, but it's very subtle and there might even be a tinge of coconut in there. The vanilla isn't one of those sweet/sickly candy types of vanilla - it's more a smoky/rich type of vanilla, which is great cos that's what I like!

 

So overall - creamy, rich, with a hint of tropical sweetness. Not foody, not sweet, just right! I could have handled a stronger vanilla - it's a fairly light blend (even after a good slather) but really lovely nonetheless.

[edenssixthday]

#183 - In the bottle, this is the most awesome smell! It's super sweet and pink Hubba Bubba bubblegum sweet. I could sit there and huff the bottle all day long. Sadly, my skin takes horribly to bubblegum and turns it into dust. But of course I have to try this on my skin anyway. Immediately under the vanilla-bubblegum scent is a bright flash of something green... it's not grass, and it's not flower stems... maybe it's melon rind? No... that's not it. I have no idea. And guess what? While I'm still trying to figure out the green thing, all of a sudden the dustiness starts to take over and pretty soon all I can smell is a heavy, heavy layer of dust over a sweet base of vanilla. Stupid skin chemistry. I can't wear any of the bubblegum scents. Someone who loves bubblegum would absolutely adore this. It really is an awesome scent.

 

#140 - My very first thought is that this reminded me of some liquid medicine I had to take as a child...but I couldn't quite peg it. It definitely wasn't the grapiness of Dimetapp. Finally, it hit me: it's the smell of liquid antibiotics. You know how for kids or pets, they'll give them a heavy, thick, liquid amoxicillin that has the pink shade of Pepto-Bismol and a smell/taste that's supposed to be cherry or bubblegum, but really just tastes like artifically-sweetened bitter antibiotics? That's exactly what this is. It's liquid amoxicillin. There is definitely some cherry in here -- black cherry, I believe, but I have no idea at all what the other notes are that are making this scent smell so medicinal. It's not bubblegum because it hasn't turned to dust on my skin. So yeah, aside from vanilla and black cherry, i have no idea what else is in this, but the effect is oddly intriguing since it's absolutely a dead ringer for liquid amoxicillin. It's not what I want to smell like, and yet I can't stop sniffing it in the bottle because it's such an interesting scent.

 

#4 - This smells like an east Indian restaurant. It's vanillaed curry. It's a pretty strange scent. It's way too foody in all the wrong ways.

[Pepperminx]

#38

 

OM NOM NOM!

 

This is a vanilla, bakery and sugar fest! This is what I've always wanted out of a vanilla scent. Too bad you can only have one of each - this is such a keeper!

[Lorelai1945]

#71:

 

In the bottle, this rocks!! It smells like Cake Smashy, Beaver-versary cakey yummy goodness. It starts out that way when wet on the skin, too. The first time I put it on, it dried down to buttery popcorn awfulness. I rolled the bottle before a second application, and I get less of the butter and more of a slightly caramelly sweetness. Kind of like Sugar Moon but not as mapley- also not as strong. There's almost a hint of something minty way back in there. Very complicated, and I can't really pick out any notes. First time I tried it, I didn't like it. Now I could go either way. Oh wait, there's the butter again. Not a huge fan.

 

 

#24:

 

In the bottle, it smells vaguely of men's cologne- but the GOOD kind. It's very faint and subtle, and you can tell there's a vanilla sweetness. When wet, it's almost like foodie meets cologne meets aquatic. Yet, it kind of works. There's a hint of what is kind of like salted caramel, but something else slightly minty playing around in there. No idea what it is. Not bad. Also not sure it's something I'd actually wear.

 

 

 

One of these goes to DeltaCat, so we'll have to duke it out. I'm not in love with either of them, but 24 works much better with my skin chemistry.

[angelicruin]

#310 Dark Alice's cast-off is my new treasure!

 

I'm not sure I am getting raspberry with this, but it definitely has a candy vibe to it. I asked my husband and he thinks it smells like Circus Peanuts (the fluffy orange marshmallow candy, you know.)

 

Packed with sugar and quite foody. I love it!!!!

[Antoinette]

#211

 

When I first got this I was a bit horrified. I remember being a kid and going to the dentist and they'd put this rubber mask over my face to give me nitrous oxide. They would always let me choose a scented spray to spray the inside of the mask and I'd always pick cherry. The cherry smell was ok, but the rubber mask was always horrible. The spray did not mask the scent of the mask, so to say.

 

Well, this is what my CT reminded me of. That super strong rubber smell with the cherry spray and some vanilla that was being drowned out by yucky rubber! I skin tested it and got horrid flashbacks of that rubber mask and having cavities drilled. Not good.

 

I set the bottle aside for a few weeks and I'm glad I decided to retest it the other day because it's gotten a lot better! The rubber smell has calmed down to almost nothing. Now, it's like cherry vanilla. At least, I think it's cherry. Syrupy sweet with vanilla. I can't declare love for it, yet. But it's wearable and I think I am sort of digging it.

[Akurarei]

#369

 

In the bottle:

there's definitely vanilla in the bottle and it generally smells like I'm standing between a bakery (which happens to use gallons of vanilla) and a florist shop.

 

On my Skin, Wet:

still the same smell from the bottle, just AMPED - because I amp vanilla

 

On my Skin, Dry:

now this is interesting!

It's a swirl of vanilla, floral (nose is telling me carnation since the Lab's carnation makes me sneezy for a bit), and a vague 'cakey' smell. It almost smells like warm cupcakes waiting to be frosted, and the frosting is being made nearby.

There *might* be amber in this blend as well. Once in a while I get a resin whiff for a brief instant.

 

After More Time:

Vanilla, Carnation, 'bakery smells' & Amber or Golden Musk

 

Verdict:

for a Chaos blend, I couldn't be happier with the outcome!

aside from the carnation (which makes me sneezy) I probably would have made this scent myself!

I love the vanilla base and the ambery-golden musk makes a nice balance to the sugary baked goods smells.

this is great! certainly makes up for my poor Edge of Chaos bottle!

6 of 10!

[reynardine]

#4 (decant)

 

With the Chaos Theory series, you always end up gambling because you never know what elements you are going to get, beyond the base, which this time is vanilla. I was kinda excited about the Chaos Theory bottles, but then realized that I needed to get a decant first, even if I didn’t know what another bottle’s elements were. I’m glad I did. The Chaos Theory vanilla note has the same issue that I have with a lot of the lab’s vanilla notes. They go horribly, terribly plastic on me. So on my skin, all that shows up is this horrible burnt smell. In the decant, I picked up vanilla with a very nice aquatic. Too bad my skin didn’t like it! So no Chaos Theory Vanilla bottles for me, I’m afraid. But it was fun to try.

[heywilma]

#219

 

First of all, this is filled well into the neck – it's insane-o just how much oil is in this bottle. Two, I am completely awful at picking out notes, so this is going to be really vague impressions/completely incorrect note guessing.

 

With that out of the way... this is nice. I think I lucked out with this, because it's definitely something I would wear. In the wet stage there's something a bit sour, which makes me think lime, because it's not too citrusy. That fades on the drydown, though, and the vanilla shines through, and it's just sweet and gorgeous, with a very subtle kick. Loving it!

 

Edit for great justice: sour? Lime? What was I smoking? Upon further testing, there is absolutely nothing sour at any stage of this, which makes me think I was hallucinating it. It's light and creamy, the vanilla's still evident, but there's something else here that is sweetening this up. Floral? White musk? Whatever it is, it's delicious. Still loving it!

Edited June 30, 2010 by heywilma

[krazyanjel]

#192- Gooooorgeous. Smooth, light vanilla with Plumeria. There is a smidge of sweetpea as well, but not enough to be overpowering. As it dries, the plumeria really blooms and takes center stage. Very, very pretty.

 

I have got 2 other incredible CTs, but Im waiting to review them until they age out a bit. Right now they smell identical to one another...you'd think I'd bought a backup. They're the same thick vanilla as Closet and Eat Me. No other notes come forward, just hardcore thick yummy 'nilla. They are lovely, but until they get some age to them, there's not much more to report....perfect for layering, or wearing on it's own. I think they'll age amazingly well.

[spiresinthesnow]

#159 - Creamy sweet vanilla with absinthe/licorice type note, possibly anise not overpowering. Also a faint crystaline note like that of tea, layered over creamy vanilla. I love this one! Reminded me strongly of Theodosius or Dorian.

[ami226]

#107:

 

At first it really smells like a vanilla latte. Kinda light all around. Makes me think I am catching a whiff of someone's lovely drink and now I really want one of my own! Mmmm! After a bit, the coffee fades and this scent becomes pure french vanilla. Soooooo yummy! Not too much throw, but it might just be because I only tested a small dab. This scent lasts a long time though on me! I put it on seven hours or so and I am still getting whiffs of french vanilla.

 

 

-ETA- It has aged a bit and really hasn't changed too much. The vanilla is still definitely stronger than coffee, and now I am getting a slight hint of powdered cocoa. It really does make me think of a vanilla latte (lightish on the coffee) with a slight dusting of cocoa powder.

Edited June 25, 2011 by Catseyes

[kikithepirate]

#143:

 

This one's a morpher -- I bought it off from someone who described it as buttery and foody. When I opened the bottle, I thought I was going to have a scentastic orgasm: it smells like pure, ultra-sweet, super rich butterscotch.

 

However, when applied, this gets a burnt sugar/plastic smell -- I recognize it as the same one that I hated in Marshmallow Poof. This smells mostly identical (though maybe a bit better and less plasticy) than Marshmallow Poof when it's dry. I think that it's the extra kick of vanilla that saves it from becoming too horrible. As it is, it isn't BAD, it just isn't really my cup of tea. I wish it smelled on my skin the same way that it smells in the bottle!

 

Conclusion: I'm going to let it age for a while to see if anything changes.

[yellowbread]

#336

 

In the bottle this is such a strong, thick vanilla- almost like vanilla essence. I'm almost certain it has some coconut in it, which is unfortunate as I haaaaate coconut.

 

On my skin, it starts to smell like vanilla sunscreen. Yep, definitely coconut. To be honest, it's not that bad- not what I was hoping for, but it's pleasant enough, if rather faint. I'm also starting to think there might be some white florals in here, but only a touch.

 

Hm. I'll let this one sit for a while before I make a decision.

[mimosa]

#117 This is a good number ( my daughter has this weird number thing, so good numbers divide by three or even better by nine.I have sent years looking for seats , lockers etc. with the right numbersto keep her happy, so now even I know this number is good!)

 

In the bottle, first sniff they sent me Glowing Vulva, the same sweet creamy vanilla note.

Wet. OK it's not GV it's got orange peel and a metallic edge added.

On skin. This is so beautiful, it's everything GV was plus this great golden metal note. This could be a steamworks blend, the same vanilla as in Antikythera plus the metal of Robotic scarab.

Dry. Creamy vanilla sweetness. This is perfect for me it could have been custom blended. I am so lucky to have it.

[ellebelle]

#523: In the bottle, it is thick vanilla frosting. Applied, there is a burst of RUM, but that scuttles into the background leaving the vanilla frosting scent at the fore - I'm trying to put my finger on WHICH vanilla note it is, because it is very familiar. I think this is the "cream" vanilla note that is in a lot of the foodier scents and it is going a little plastic as it dries down (as that cream note tends to do on me). Also, this might have some kind of nut in it? It's starting to smell a bit like burning plastic on my skin, which is a sure sign of a nut. A possible keeper? needs more testing. ETA: upon further testing, this is almost a pure buttercream frosting scent.

 

#411: This one is vanilla frosting too, but more of the cake note. This reminds me of the cupcake note from Cupcake Splatter Pattern Analysis. A much more sugary vanilla than the previous CT. Not bad, probably a keeper!

 

#453: In the bottle, this smells like menthol. There is a STRONG peppermint note in this. On, this is a MUCH mintier Snowblind. Definitely a "cool" smell; I can picture myself possibly wearing this in the winter, particularly after the mint note fades a bit. This might be better with a bit of aging, but right now it's a little minty for me.

 

Overall, I'm pretty happy with my first foray into Chaos scents!!

Edited July 5, 2010 by Ellebelle

[lothien]

I just got one CT this time because I am broke but I had to play. ^^ But I got a win (I may have to order all future CTs through ralenth... She may be good luck...) and I'm happy with what I got! No death notes, and actually very promising. I am going to decant myself out a vial of this and put the rest of it away, because I think this one has awesome aging potential!

 

#200

 

In the bottle I can't say I like it, to be honest. It is gingery and sugary the cream note is not heavy but it gives it an icky edge. As with the other CTs I've gotten new, it is nearly full to the cap. ^^ I am a little worried, because I am not the foody sort on a general sense, but it has this ginger-sugar thing I really like, sooo...

 

Wet on the skin, the icky part of the cream smell is gone in less than 5 seconds.

The cream forgets why it was here and wanders off, and the ginger goes to sit in the back with the sugar. The sugar remains standing. =) It transforms from a potentially too-foody scent I will swap, to something intriguing that I am definitely going to keep.

Wow, reminds me of... Haunted Palace, kinda? Yay!

 

As it dries I am starting to get the blood orange/toasted vanilla thing I got from HP. I have to say I am not 100% sure if it's blood orange - it could be a touch of dragon's blood, too, or red musk, all of which I all get a similar "candyfloral" thing from.

As time passes and the musk warms up, I rule out red. I really don't think it's red. Rich and awesome. Dark, maybe? Brown? I can't place it for sure, but I wish I could because it gets better as goes. I gets whiffs of it around me and go "ooh!"

It's not bucketloads of vanilla - but what's it got supports everything nicely and has that toasted quality from HP and Snake Charmer I really like. The creamy sugar ginger bit is still back there, it hasn't gone. After the initial trick, it doesn't really seem to morph much.

 

I look forward to future tests of this one. ^^

 

 

 

[marared]

#519: When I first opened the bottle, it smelled EXACTLY like the Chaos Theory O I got last year, with a super sweet syrupy strawberry whack. Almost *immediately* it turned to cheap soap. Yay for crappy chemistry!

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

#41 (so close!)

also oddly less full than the Chaos bottles i've gotten in the past.

 

a very masculine cologne-y scent, it's hovering there in that acquatic-soapy-chemically-scented-detergent sort of area. it tickles my sinuses the way the detergent aisle in the grocery store used to.

'nilla? where are j00? is you askeered?

[kikithepirate]

#416

 

This is the first Chaos bottle with which I've had serious trouble identifying the notes. I think I've settled on the predominate note being either a white wine or a rice wine? There's something very similar to Hungry Ghost Moon here, and I think that may be it -- my first thought when sniffing my arm was that there was maybe a whiff of grapes, but the scent is much more wine than grapes -- and definitely nothing purple about this at all, this is not a red wine. It's sort of crystalline, very bright and pretty, with the warm vanilla base to ground it.

[Ondine]

I have #352, received in a swap from devilot

 

This baby is super-full, wayyyy up into the neck. And it's separated into two very distinct layers, a whitish-opaque layer on the top (the vanilla maybe) and a bit more clear layer on the bottom. I had to gently shake it to get the layers to mix--rolling it wouldn't do it!

 

It had been previously described as dry and incensey but I'm not getting that much. It's sweet on me, not like candy or cookie sweet but sweet sort of like some kinds of incense can seem to be (like to me, Nag Champa is a sweet incense). It's not heavy at all, so no musk or thick resinous notes seem to be jumping out at me. But it's not floral either. I think I can only really describe this by saying what it isn't! In any case, I quite like it!