Chaos Theory VII: Oriental

[VioletChaos]

These scents possess sensual, languid bases, including amber, benzoin, tonka, balsams, and dark, warm vanillas.

This Series appears to have no numbers. I got two bottles of Oriental, so I'll just post separately for the two different bottles. This is the first.

In the Bottle: I get a strong Balsam of Peru- a rich scent, almost vanilla-like, but more resin than food.

Wet On Skin: This scent is warm and sweet, but there's a faint, sharp contrast underneath. It's not jarring, it's just adding something with a little bite.

Dry Down: It's like amber (petrified tree sap, not whale vomit) and Balsam of Peru had a love child in a dense wood in the middle of summer.

In A Word: Glorious!

[VioletChaos]

This Series appears to have no numbers. I got two bottles of Oriental, so I'll just post separately for the two different bottles. Here is the second.

 

​In The Bottle: Ylang ylang mixed with a heavy dollop of benzoin.

 

​Wet On Skin: The above, with a spice note added in. I know that allergens like cinnamon aren't present, but there's a real spicy aspect to the scent at this stage, which is just making it warmer and sexier.

 

Dry Down: All of the above, but with a little honey powder finish. Holy. Moly.

 

In All: Two for two, the Oriental series was complete win for me. I am *smitten* with this year's CT's!!!

[SimplySyra]

I received what might be bottle 5 of oriental. This is just my theory based on the order notice I received in which it was labeled "CHAOSVII-05." I'm going to be absolutely up front on this---I'm a bit of a scent armature and I don't know my notes very well but I'll give it my best shot.

 

In the bottle: A rich earthy fruity foody scent. I'm not an expert, but I think this smells like dates. That's it. Just dates.

Wet: Still dates.

Dry: Again, the dates but there is a round spicy powdery scent coming through at the bottom if I really huff.

Verdict: All dates every date. Date date date. It's not bad but there's nothing much to it, at least on my skin. I was hoping for more warm, exotic spices but this is almost just a single-note on me. I can tell there's something more lurking at the bottom but it never comes out fully. Unfortunately, this is a miss for me, but that's the game you play with CT.

[rinster]

I received two Orientals today--here's the first I tried:

 

Definitely tobacco right out of the gate! It's very smooth and sweet, so maybe there's some black vanilla, tonka, or labdanum softening and sweetening it up. It's like a gelded version Antikythera Mechanism or Perversion (i.e. rich tobacco but no sharp teak or leather, which tend to go shrill on me.)

 

Definite win!

[rinster]

Bottle 2 of 2:

 

This one is a head scratcher! Something brings to mind the color grey, like something I've smelled before that has grey musk or grey amber. It also reminds me a tiny bit of Black Silk, without the initial strong fabric note. I like this one, too!

[Dark Alice]

Oriental 1: Creamsicle, incense, white leather. That's it. The white leather note gives me a headache. So off to a new home it goes.

 

Oriental 2: Sweetness. Vanilla, with a drop of anise and some incense. Maybe Benzoin, vanilla anise and incense but definitely Vanilla and anise. Off to a new home for this one as well.

[aiobhan]

Oriental # 12 --

In bottle: I'm having a hard time discerning this. I feel like there's a sandalwood type scent, as well as seething vaguely bright and almost berry-like but not quite.

Warmed on skin: Spicy, a little dry, and that bright note has come across as lemon verbena or maybe lemongrass, but not at all green. It's very citrusy and spicy without being foody.

Dry, after some time: Defnitely lemon verbena, but not green or herbal. The dryness has faded a little, and the spice is helping balance the citrus notes. The spice has to be something like light ginger.

Overall thoughts: This is a scent that would be great for oriental lovers who want something light and fresh and cheerful - but not too green or sweet - for summer.

 

---

CT: Oriental #49 -

 

In Bottle: Whoa. Very dark and heavy - like a musk/vetiver or something.

Warmed on skin: Sweeter. Maybe vetiver with something else, something kind of warm/sweet but not foody or sugary (coconut? beeswax? not super sweet). I'm having a hell of a time recognizing scents in this, not going to lie. It's very dark and rich. Maybe opium. It's definitely more masculine.

After a while: It's like a less-sweet, more dark Red Lantern. I'm picking up something that's maybe dark coconut (not foody), musk, vetiver, and something that brings the scent way down (leather? dark opium? something like that!). It's not very sweet, but deep and warm, and pretty rich.

Overall thoughts: This one's a no for me because it's not sweet enough, but would be excellent for those who like darker scents. It really is like if someone turned the brightness and sweetness of Red Lantern waaaaaaaay down.

Edited July 27, 2015 by Aiobhan

[Ashmedai]

There are no numbers on this year's Chaos Theory bottles, so I just labled mine "A" and "B". Here's my review on "A". In the bottle I smell some aquatic note, which didn't bode well at all, but wet on skin, this turns into a sweet, smoky scent. There's definitely amber and vanilla here, and it's either the Lab's "grey amber" note or ambergris giving me that aquatic note, and I think it's the latter because I recognize it from the Ambergris Single Note. In fact, just sniffing it reminded me of a previous limited edition, and I'm very sure it's that one. As it dries more, I smell a beautiful balsam of Peru note taking shape in the background, and something smoky and incens-y. Frankincense and a tiny bit of cedar, I think, but not the pencil-shavings kind of cedar at all, it's rich and creamy with the vanilla and Peru balsam. Still, I don't like ambergris, and there's still a very slight salty/aquatic note hovering in the background, but I tend to amp notes I don't like, and I amp ambergris to high heaven. So this one is probably going to swaps and sales. Final dry-down is such a perfect blend of all the notes, though, that I'm having second thoughts about swapping or selling it. It's a blend that manages to be clean and dirty-sexual at once, and so perfectly gender-neutral there's no way to decide whether it's more masculine or feminine. I think I'd sniff a man who smelled like this all day, but somehow it's not "me" either. We'll see when it's had some time to settle a bit.

Bottle "B": This one is so hard to pin down, it's ambery and sweet with a hint of some sort of red berry. Strawberry? But the more it dries, the more I get watermelon and not a berry at all. Something about it reminds me a lot of Snake Oil (more from the vibe than the scent itself), and there's a little Indonesian patchouli here and a dark, creamy something that could be vanilla but is probably benzoin. There's a bit of white sandalwood too. I like it, but I'm not crazy about it, and the fruit note, subtle as it is, is making this a little too feminine for me, which is a pity because this is actually damn sexy. So this one will go to swaps and sales.

Edited July 1, 2015 by Ashmedai

[Astarial]

I got five decants of these from Yojenitan, so I'll review them according to her labelling system:

 

A: This is fruity and sparkly in the imp, kind of like that sparkling fruit juice you can buy around new year's for people who don't drink champagne. Once on my skin, it gets more floral, and dries down into a soapy champagne white floral.
B: Sugary, creamy, warm, and rich, from wet through drydown. This one doesn't morph a lot, and it reminds me a lot of caramel and brown sugar. Sometimes I get a bit of a salted caramel vibe, even. There's something glorious going on the background, too - dunno if it's vanilla or amber but it's really inviting. Very, very lovely.
C: In the imp, this is very hard to describe. On my skin it's herbal incense, almost salty? Some eucalyptus starts to come out as well... I don't really like that part, it's a bit harsh for me, but luckily it doesn't last long that way. The harshness dies down after a while, but the herbal incense stays there quietly. It's not really me.
D: Kinda fruity (grapy?) in the imp! On my skin, it starts out primarily leathery. It reminds me a lot of Villainess' Quick or Dead. Some of the fruit does come out as well, and the leather recedes over time. It's not really fully fruity, though... kind of perfumey-fruity? With some leather in the background? Meh.
E: In the imp, a bit foody/cakey. Kind of like the super bready note I get from gingerbread snake before it warms up a bit and gets awesome. That gentles into a softer wood/incense scent. Not a ton of throw here, and I think I'd like it on a guy more than on me.

[kajacana]

In the bottle: Sharp. Almost lemony.

On skin: Floral, probably white. Maaaaybe lilies? Loses its sharp quality almost entirely, and Im not getting lemon anymore. Kinda soapy, though, which is not necessarily a bad thing -- it smells light and clean.

[DiesMali]

In the bottle: Faint, yet somehow sharp. Little bit of sandalwood or something in the sharp-wood category.

 

Wet on my skin: Very faint, pretty much the same as in the bottle. There's a bit of a greyish-musky amber note here as it starts to dry.

 

Dry: I'm not sure what to make of this! It's quite pleasant, but the scent morphs from sniff to sniff, and it's hard to tell exactly what's in it! There's definitely balsam and benzoin, grey amber, and tonka, in that order. But there's also some sharp wood, and maybe something vaguely citrusy, but not quite citrus. Lemongrass, maybe? Whatever it is, it's a light, summery, and cheerful sort of scent. Bottle #2 is also a winner!

[Bluestblood]

I have tried Oriental CTVII's numbered: # 87, # 88, # 89, # 90, # 91

 

They correspond (in some order) to the following reviews:

O1 - Lavender, benzoin, golden amber, incensey

O2 - Tonka, peach blossom, cherry, lotus, sweet

O3 - Clove (?), citrus peel, wood

O4 - Thin vanilla musk and embalming fluid

O5 - Gardenia (I think), cherry blossom, teak, vanilla, sweet, sultry floral

[cyborgcaitlin]

Bottle 122

 

Strong mint coming from the box. Wintergreen or peppermint. Somewhat astringent.

I was shocked and a bit disappointed that it was coming from my oriental bottle and not my woods bottle.

 

On my skin. Mint. Mint mint mint. All the mint. 5 kinds of mint. Only mint. Mint forever. Sad.

Could be great for migraine days, but I was really looking forward to resins incenses, rich vanillas or tonka.

 

Dry down. Still very much mint, but softer. More vanilla mint, kind of like those vanilla butter mint candies.

Maaaaaaybe the ever so slight hint of some exotic spice I can't identify, and something creamy floral I'm pretty sure is a hint of orange blossom.

Soft peppermint is still the dominating characteristic, but it's dried to a very beautiful complex mint vanilla.

I actually like this.

It reminds me a lot of green tree viper, not quite identical, but very familiar.

[voodoobaby]

I got Oriental 114.

 

On the first sniff it's very, very fruity -- I'm thinking either mango or guava. It smells like a delicious tropical drink.

 

It doesn't seem to change much on the dry down. There's a bit of complexity from what smells like a pepper note and perhaps some distant woods, but for the most part it's tropical fruit. It's pleasant, but this wasn't what I was hoping for from an oriental fragrance, and I'm not big on fruity scents. I would much rather drink something that tastes like this blend smells than to smell like it.

[claudia6913]

This is bottle 131.

 

The oil is clear/light. Bottle full to just at top of shoulder.

 

This is a sweet and soft scent. There is a minty quality to it in that wet if gives off a cool-type scent. Definitely some vanilla and white florals. Maybe some skin musk. Has a slightly resinous undertone, possibly benzoin or maybe amber, but a white amber if it is. There might be a hint of a fruit in here giving it some more sweetness, but it's not overpowering.

 

This dries close to the skin.

 

Edit: Much later in the dry down the fruit comes out and it's a sweet fruit reminding me of plum, or perhaps it's mimosa I'm smelling, or a red grape. It has a "purple" or dark fruit feel to it.

 

Edit 2: So it can sometimes take a while to understand what it is you're smelling. I get it now. It's a red or some kind of berry wine, vanilla, and a soft floral and maybe a hint of amber. It's really nice now that it's had time to sit and come to terms with itself. Definitely a keeper. I really dig the lab's wine/alcohol notes.

Edited June 27, 2015 by claudia6913

[mermaidsdream]

According to an email I received, my Oriental Bottles are #55 & #56. I don't know which is which, so I've assigned them randomly.

 

#55: in the bottle: Not really sure what I'm getting. I'm having a difficult time discerning notes in this bottle. I keep getting hints of something wet & green, with maybe a hint of floral, and some deep … plum?. Applied: Nothing strong, but still a hint of greenness. Unfortunately, my skin eats this right up. Dry down, I get a hint of baby powder and not much else. No spice, no … nothing. It's pretty, but not one I see myself reaching for with any regularity. I'll probably trade it.

#56: In the bottle: vanilla base, barely noticeable underneath something slightly tart, with a hint of floral. Applied, wet: I get the faint hint of red vines. This isn't a bad thing! I'm thinking there's some lavender in this, because I'm getting a slight medicinal undertone that I normally associate with lavender. There's a slight hint of something “soapy”. It'll be interesting to see how this dries down & morphs in a few hours. Right now, I can't stop huffing my wrist. I can't decide how well I like this one, but it's not an insta-trade.

[Atrous]

#142

Chewy Tobacco with a dribble of honey. As this dries down the vanilla really makes an appearance and what a vanilla it is...rich and creamy.

At its base a light, warm amber and a soft wood that I can't make out.

Languid yet super sexy! A great scent for evening. I am in Love.

[Haltija]

#83

 

In the bottle- Clean, soapy and like aftershave but it's more feminine if that makes any sense and I do believe there is a floral in here but I can't distinguish which one it is at the moment.

 

Wet on the skin- Still clean but it's definitely way more floral now and I think it may be carnation, marigold...........

 

Dry- Still very floral but now I do believe grey musk or grey amber is coming forth with vanilla and I think the floral note I am smelling may be lotus.

 

Out of all the ones I received this one has to be the best in my opinion so I think I will hold onto it. It's pretty but not stuffy. (:

[PersephonesChild]

#129

 

It's a cool, low-key, greenish unisex scent, with a familiar central note-- I want to say calamus? It's almost mineral-y. And a little narcissus! And possibly that brown rice scent that's in "Lover's in a Rice Field". I feel like that's a good comparison-- like that scent without the plum, and with more cool greenishness. Maybe aloe?

[Lady_Fire]

Bottle 117: Very, very faint. Sugary and fruity. My husband says it smells like cotton candy. To me it's cotton candy spun with fruit. Not berries, not citrus. I don't know what fruit, but there is definitely something fruity there. I think the base must be vanilla. This one is going to swaps.

 

Bottle 137: Whoa. If 117 was faint, this one is STRONG. This smells like a floriental to me. I think it's an amber base. I get no sweetness from this at all. It's intense and kind of dark. I don't wear florals at all, so if I'm right about them in here, I have no clue what they are. This is something to wear at night when you want to feel powerful and sexy. This will also probably go to the swap pile.

 

Bottle 145: Definitely a sweet base, like vanilla or benzoin. I think there is maybe some sort of pine or balsam in here too. It's resinous but sweet smelling. I also get a licorice impression but not in your face and not strongly of anise. This seems rather masculine to me. It's actually quite nice. I may keep this one.

 

Take my reviews with a grain of salt. I'm horrible at picking up on notes!

[ltrittipoe]

#49:

 

Wet, this is fruit and... Metal? Strange. It smells red - like red fruit, not any that I can identify though, with a strange metallic scent floating around. The metal starts fading, and a vanilla-ish note comes forward. It takes about 30 minutes for the metal to vanish, by which time I am sort of nauseous. It dries down to a warm, fruity, musky, really pretty scent - but I just don't think I can outlast the metal.

[ltrittipoe]

#50:

 

Wet, this is a clean, almost soapy white floral. I think it's lily of the valley. It smells very Spring-y to me. Pretty!

 

And then, as it dries down.... Anise? Licorice? And still that lily of the valley scent.

 

But on e I pick out the anise, that's all I can smell. I like anise, but only with vanilla.

[claudia6913]

This is bottle #110. Oil is clear and full into neck.

 

Vanilla and a heady full flower. Gives off a "pink" feel. Maybe a bit of peony, touch of carnation, and a soft musk. This is very soft, only slightly sweet with a hint of spicy, but heady and full. Has a feel of a scented powder applied over top of a floral perfume - but totally not in an "old lady" or bad way. It's quite lovely and more complex than I think it lets on.

[neptuneanblues]

CT Oriental #206 was an interesting ride. I don't think I've ever experienced a cedar topnote before (it evaporated within the first 5 minutes or so, whereas usually I amp it more than other notes), but it definitely has one. Then it goes a little in the hairspray/bugspray floral direction for a short time, finally setting in as a sort of light creamsicle-vanilla, possibly with a bit of floral or amber support. Overall maybe it's a little like Pallas Athene, because that has a similar drydown on me.

[claudia6913]

This is bottle #135. Oil is quite full into neck and clear in color.

 

This almost smells exactly like a vanilla single note. There's not much going on here. I like vanilla and all but meh. It's like Detestable Putrescence.

 

Edit: After a bit more of a dry down there is a hint of a sweet wood note and a touch of a flower, but mostly just a very sweet vanilla.

Edited June 30, 2015 by claudia6913