Chaos Theory III: Strange Attractors

[Janarchy]

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.

I just got 2 bottles today. I'm horrible at figuring out notes but:

CCCXXI (321)

A woody scent, the strongest note is either fir or pine. It reminds me a little bit of Snow Moon.

CCCXXIV (324)

A sweet, fruity scent with a hint of booze. It reminds me of the brandied fruit my mom used to make when I was a kid.

[ladykitara]

My bottle: CCLXXXVIII

 

In bottle: spicy, sharp.. slightly unpleasant, I wasn't sure this was going to go over well...

 

On skin, wet - almost exactly like Black Lotus. I can still smell that sharp note - pungent, green, SOMETHING.. but it's MUCH less now, and bearable.

 

As it dries, the lotus comes out more and more. Considering Black Lotus is one of my favorite GC scents, I'm falling more and more in love here..

 

On skin, dry - the lotus is still there, but it's fading into a darker, incense-y scent. *drool* I wish I could get another bottle of this particular blend.. Makes me want more CT, on the chance that I get something as completely awesome as this bottle.

[luxuria]

CCIC

 

This is effervescent, bubbly fruit in the bottle. I can't tell what kind--berries? strawberries? On my skin, it gets a coating of what smells a bit powdery. It's slightly creamy, light, but still clear. It's like a really nice alcoholic drink. Yeah, definitely a boozy blend. It's like a creamier Bon Vivant, and I THINK I smell a floral.

Edited July 28, 2006 by luxuria

[herdivineshadow]

CLX

 

In the bottle, this is pumpkiny with an undercurrent of slightly toasted popcorn with occassional flashes of something sharp, not sure what though.

 

Sadly... for me at least, it doesn't get any less pumpkiny or popcorny on my skin.

[ajcj213499]

CCVI:

This is a light scent. Sweet, but not sweet like lotus, more of a floral sweetness with a skin musk. Pretty, I just don't think it's me.

 

 

CCVII:

This is a fruity blend with something else that I don't recognize. It reminds me a bit of Aizen Myoo...

 

CCVIII:

My favorite of the bunch! A light aquatic with what smells like a mix of honeydew and cucumber maybe.

[visualworlds]

CCXLI - The Mysterious Scent

 

Hmm..! Well, I feel a bit bummed reading all the glowing reviews because my chaos theory is just... well... strange. I can't even try and describe what is in this. I haven't smelled anything from BPAL even remotely related. To me it smells very much like the smell of Vitamin C tablets or Zinc tablets when you open a bottle. There is a musky quality but not like any musk I have smelled. It isn't sweet musk thats for sure. (This is from the bottle) Wet smells pretty similar - the strange scent of chewable multi-vitamins. (They always kind of made me ill when I had to eat them - sort of like puke scented). Honestly, I really would like to know what this odd note is. Maybe it is civet? I haven't smelled any bpal civet so I am unsure. I can't see this being a scent that many people would remotely like but it is an unusual scent that people might want to smell just to see what the deal is.

 

Anyway, I'd like to sell this one or swap it out. (And get reviews so I can see what this stuff is)

[Magda]

CCCLXXVII (which, according to an online Roman Numeral Translator is 377)

 

I was very nervous about this, since I don't have a ton of money to throw around and I plan what I'm going to order very carefully. I took a calculated risk ordering a bottle of this, and luckily it paid off.

 

In the bottle it's cacao bean, smelling almost exactly like Comptoir Sud Pacifique's "Amour de Cacao." On my skin, though, it blooms into this amazingly spicey floral clove scent, the floral hiding behind the spiceyness and just teasing me by peeking out now and again. It's a rich floral, but nothing I can put my finger on. It's not jasmine or rose, it's somehow deeper than that? Maybe heliotrope?

 

After about fifteen minutes, the clove calms down (would Beth have put clove in this? Would that violate the "no known irritants" rule? Maybe it's actually carnation) and the chocolate comes back up. Now I smell like spicy floral chocolate. Frame of reference for Lush-ites, it's kind of like Potion mixed with Sonic Death Monkey. I sort of want to make out with myself, I smell so good.

[HennaFairy]

this was SOOOO exciting - i got two bottles!

 

CCIX (209)

 

bottle - sweet coconut

wet - smells like a pina colada! nice, sweet but not overboard

dry - eventually this hits a state that i don' care for... i don't know what it is. it gets almost musky/burnt sugar?? not sure.

 

the beginning is nice, but not something i'd wear much, and the later stage does not smell that great. i loved trying it but will probably swap it out!

 

 

CCX (210)

 

bottle - light floral, touch of aquatics

wet - almost all aquatics now - really nice and light, not the masculine ozone. almost like szessepony without the fruity/sweet floral, this is a much milder wildflower floral, and slightly more aquatic

 

seriously, two things i like but i'm really fussy about, aquatics (some bother my throat) and floral. and it's a perfect blend of the 2!!! i'm in love

[Scrangie]

Quick sniff reviews...

 

CCCLXXXI: Sharp tea floral.

 

CCCXLXX: Strange sharp tobacco Red Lantern plus floral soap.

 

CCCXLII: Woody, weedy floral.

 

CCCLVIII: Vinyl floral. Mostly vinyl.

 

CCCLVI: Dryer Sheets.

 

CCCLVII: LUSH American Cream.

 

CCCLIX: Light smooth floral. Smells like Calvin Klein Eternity Purple Orchid.

 

CCCLXIX: Orange blossom.

 

A little sad that they're all floral and I really don't like floral at all. CCCLVII is nice, though.

Edited July 22, 2006 by Scrangie

[olympia301]

 

Flowers, lots and lots and lots of flowers. There are nothing but flowers in this one. Jasmine especially. It is very strong in the bottle and an overwhelming concentration of Flowers. It's like working in a jasmine factory all day long, picking, sorting, placing, picking off, boiling down and do it again. If you like flowers, this is a great one. I can't really detect anything other than flowers.

 

Did I mention that this one is flowers?

[northatlantic]

CCLXXVI (276):

 

In bottle: Sweet-tarts, and oh no, is that rose? Please don't be rose. I fear the rose. It kind of smells like Ophelia, only not as aquatic.

 

Wet: holy cow. Notrose. It opens up with a STRONG bright citrus; I think it might be yuzu? either that or a really sweet grapefruit. Yum! It's cooling to sniff; it smells exactly like that spray you get when you're peeling a grapefruit. Underneath is a sweet creamy floral, maybe sweet pea? and either apple or cherry blossom. I think apple, because it reminds me more of Phantom Queen than Neo-Tokyo.

 

Drydown: a lily note comes out, I think stargazer, and I think this has a white musk base, either that or it's the "lily musk" that's been mentioned in some of the LE blends. There's still a teeny hint of the citrus but it's stepped way, way back. I think there might be white tea in here too, a soft pale note like new leaves.

 

Best. Scent. Ever. Seriously, it smells like the love child of Baobhan Sith and Phantom Queen, wearing a single lily in her hair. Someone trying to make a specific "me" scent couldn't have done better than this. If I could buy this again? I would buy vats of it, I would swim, it would be my new signature. Alas, since it is not to be, I will just guard my bottle like a dragon with her hoard.

 

makes me afraid to buy another bottle, now, because after this, how could I be anything but disappointed?

[Little Bird]

All of my Chaotic Children...

My first Chaos Theory III . It's number CCCXXXIII (333) that I ordered on 6/10/06. I wonder if it's somehow lucky, with all of those threes.

In the bottle... this smells strongly of clove and some sort of creamy vanilla-ish note. Awesome.

On me, this is beautiful. I know that these don't have cinnamon in them, but if I didn't know that, I would guess that this is cinnamon, clove, and foodie-creamy-sweet vanilla.

This is spicy, creamy, foodie, and sweet. I love it

ETA:

After wearing this for 2 hours, the drydown is even better than the initial stage. The spice has calmed down and a softly woodsy or resinous note has popped up underneath the creamy vanilla and hint of spice. It makes me think of sandalwood and the velvety resins in Midnight Mass. This is like the best sandalwood-spice-vanilla ever.

Summing it up: Best Chaos Theory ever. Foodie vanilla, spice, sandalwood, and velvety resins.

Personal Rating: A definite 5/5 on the loveliness factor.

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

 

Chaos Theory DCCCLXXXI (881) ordered on 7/30/06.

In the bottle and on me, this bears a very strong resemblance to Eat Me, only not as sickeningly sweet as Eat Me was on me. It smells like fruity currants, tart strawberry, and lashings of creamy vanilla with a stickier, incensy sort of sweetness added in. This one also has a ton of throw and insane lasting power. A tiny drop on my wrists had the scent wafting around me for over 12 hours until I took a shower and washed it off.

My very picky mother, who usually isn't highly impressed with my perfume oils, said that this smells "absolutely wonderful... seriously very good."

Summing it up: This is like Eat Me, if some of its hyper sweetness were taken away and wonderfully tart strawberry was added in its place.

Personal Rating: 5/5. I don't normally like fruity, but the tart berries and sugary vanilla-incense is amazing.

 

============

Adopted Theory...

Chaos Theory CCXLI (241) adopted from visualworlds (previous review here: CCXLI)

After reading the previous review, I had to try this one out. I am attracted to anything that may be unloved in life (which is how I end up with all of my pets). It intrigued and fascinated me.

In the bottle... this smells like raisins. Raisins and medicine and maybe... poo. I am actually afraid to try this on.

 

Tania: I should just leave my review at that, lol

pilotkitten: you can always wash it off you know... < pokes >

Tania: it might be a clinger

pilotkitten: lmao

pilotkitten: got any steel wool lying around?

Tania: probably

pilotkitten: lol then go for it

Tania: I'll eat some Special K first... lol

pilotkitten: lol chicken

 

So, after my bowl of Special K and some other avoidance tactics... Gods, this is awful. If I had to compare it to a BPAL fragrance, I'd say this has a resemblance to Czernobog, with the addition of that weird, raisiny musk that I get from Smut.

 

The comparison to zinc tablets is also pretty accurate.

 

If I had to guess at what horrible notes are in this, I'd guess for mullein, since that's always a fun note to blame things on. I get a musty, metallic, medicinal, biting, horrible note from mullein. Mullein and musk.

 

Drydown... reminds me of vomit.

 

Summing it up: This smell makes me want to die

Edited September 20, 2007 by Tania

[terrierhead]

I got Chaos Theory number CCXXXIX (239, according to an online Roman numeral translator).

 

In the bottle (which is very full!), it smells like a really good balsam shampoo. The oil itself is a brown red color and is rather thick.

 

On, the fragrance is similar to Tombstone, but with some significant differences. I definitely get sassafras and vanilla - perhaps vanilla musk - but the wood note is sweeter and less dusty. I'm pretty sure it's sandalwood. The result is sweet but not cloying and, to my nose, masculine. There's something dry in there, too, but I can't figure out what it might be.

 

I just opened my bottles of Tombstone and the CT and sniffed them side by side. Tombstone is much sweeter - it makes the CT smell darker and drier, in comparison. The strong rootbeeriness of Tombstone is absent in the CT; CT CCXXXIX is more subtle, not to imply a lack of staying power. I put on a tiny drop of the fragrance three hours ago, and it's still going strong. I tend to be a slatherer, but with this it's not necessary.

 

I'm imping some of this out for my husband, as he's a huge fan of Tombstone, but might not wear it myself because it seems too manly for me. Here's proof that there are masculine blends in the Chaos Theories!

Edited July 22, 2006 by terrierhead

[Medici]

CLXI:

 

Pine, wet cedar, a slightly sharp, green sappy undertone that sweetens as it dries, taking on a light, dusty characteristic. Towards the end it slides into a sweet apple, and finally a very subdued lilac (at least I think its lilac). It reminds me of a toned down Hex meets Ouija saying hi to Shango.

 

In the last round, I didn't have any success (CT2). I got all the notes that I don't like. This time, while it's a really odd combination, the result is a dry, woodsy swirl with a sweet ending that is so so so very me. The progression of the scent is fantastic.

 

Very pleased this time. CLXI is slated for my fall lineup of scents, methinks.

[crazyredhead17]

CCXLVII (247, I think)

 

First sniff: Cool, refreshing, mint! With a lil bit of eucalyptus, maybe?

 

Wet, on me: Very minty, with hints of other things that are on the tip of my tongue (nose?). I almost want to say cinnamon, but I know that's not it.

 

I'm trying to narrow down the mints, and I'm definitely picking up the mint from Lick It (peppermint, I think), but I'm also getting some hints of spearmint, and possibly of wintergreen.

 

This blend will take a spot of honor next to Lick it and Nuclear Winter. It's such a perfect minty blend for me!

 

Edit: The more I sniff and wear this, the more I'm convinced that this smells exactly like some sort of minty candy I have at one point (actually, probably a lot more than once) consumed. Getting less of the eucalyptus, too.

 

Edit again, several days later: It smells the same.. but it makes my skin turn into huge red itchy blotchy spots where ever the oil touches me. The itchiness goes away and the blotches fade after a couple hours.. but don't know if I want to hazard it again.

 

and it smelled so good!! *sob*

 

DCXXXVII (637) - originally reviewed here:

 

In the bottle, it's a creamy, somewhat nutty scent, with some vanilla I think.

 

Wet on me, I can smell the hazelnuts, and the bland creamy note I get from Snake Oil and Sudha Segara (or however it's spelled). At least instead of the bland creamy nothingness (which does have a scent, sorta), there's some hazelnut - but the jury's still out on whether this one's a keeper.

Edited September 29, 2006 by crazyredhead17

[valentina]

Chaos Theory III, bottle CCXXXVIII, or bottle 238:

 

In the bottle, it's very green, grassy, wildflower-smelling. It's very much the green of a field or a meadow and not a forest. Once on the skin, the green floral quality really blooms for a bit (maybe 15-30 minutes) and then dries down into a smell that's very much like a field of freshly mown hay. After an hour or two, it smells like freshly mown hay with bright sunflowers and other fresh wildflower-herbal smells. This is an early June on the prairie sort of smell, when everything is very fresh and green and verdant. That's the word that I would most use to describe this scent -- verdant. It's extremely natural and it very much reminds me of the fields and meadows where I live. There may also a be bit of an amber or musk in the blend that gives it a slight powdery undertone, but it's very secondary in comparison to the sweet grass smell. It's really lovely and I'm going to enjoy it a great deal! Thanks to the Lab, this was so much fun!!!

[laochodia]

Quick reviews:

CDXXX- First off, hee hee hee. Now, first sniff. Light and sweet. Fruity sugar? On my skin- This is good. I can't quite describe it, but it smells like it would taste very light and like powdered sugar with japanese candy in it. I really like this one.

CDLIII- In the bottle- Sharp and green. On my sking- wow. Vanilla musk with a teensy hint of freshness. This smells like La Fee Verte without the green notes. MMMmmmm. I am never getting rid of this one. Possibly a half imp in a circle, but thats about it.

[roesmoker]

CCXXII (222)

 

My CTs so far have always had great numbers, but sadly haven't worked as scents on me. This one is a white floral, maybe honeysuckle. On me it just goes soapy. I'll imp it out to see what others think - my CT2: CXXVII (128) turned out to be loved by some people a lot, so here's hoping!

 

I'm getting at LEAST two more bottles, in the hopes that one of them will be "me".

 

ADDED Sept. 20:

 

CCXXII (222) - A white floral - I have no idea which one because pretty much all florals turn into soap on me. If I absolutely had to guess I'd say it's something like Oisin - so maybe it's really white musk I'm smelling. It's too bad it's so utterly wrong for me, because I love the number!

[Brianne]

CDXXXVII

 

In the bottle:

Rose - right away I get the unmistakeable smell of roses. I'm a little worried because rose is a scent that mostly doesn't work on me.

 

On me:

Almost immediately, the rose eases up once it hits my skin, and it's partnered by a very familiar, softly sweet and powdery, green scent. I cannot figure out what this note is. It does remind me somewhat of Brisingamen, but both my mother and I thought the note was very familiar to us, yet neither of us can put our fingers on it! The effect is that it is clearly a rose scent, and yet it doesn't give me a headache and I don't find the rose to be overwhelming. It has a much softer feel with this and the note that makes me think of Brisingamen adds a lovely, feminine air to it.

 

Final note:

I like it for a rose blend, and I like that it didn't give me a headache. However, I just don't see myself reaching for this blend, I'm just not a floral person. My Mom seemed to like it though, so I may just give it to her

 

 

 

ETA: September 9th 2006 - My Mom was wearing this blend today. When I walked in the room, I asked, "What are you wearing? It smells really familiar, I like it!" - she said she was wearing this Chaos Theory I gave her! The reason it smelled familiar though wasn't because I had tested it - because suddenly it smelled nothing like it did on me! It smells on her JUST LIKE Crabtree and Evelyns Nantucket Briar! I mean really it smells just like it. I was amazed. She said this is the first time she's worn it aside from testing it lightly and she wanted to know if she could get some more bottles of it. I told her no because it's a one of a kind. She didn't understand the idea of the Chaos Theory when I gave it to her, so she didn't realize that she couldn't get more. She was so sad! It really is a beautiful blend on her, I want to cry about how unfair that is, but on the other hand I'm so glad she loves it!

Edited September 9, 2006 by Brianne

[minnalavender]

I received CLXXXV today.

 

Wow. I freaking adore this. I'm betting that not many other people would, either. This is right up in your face, you wanna do this b*&$%? lavender and what I think is eucalyptus. As lavender is my favorite scent (besides rose) in all the world, I fell in love.

 

In the bottle it's a brisk slap in the kisser. LAVENDER. Then the euc. underneath. I fell in love. lol

 

On my skin, the lavender quiets down, the eucalyptus mellows, and then a lovely citrus note enters the equation - lemon or even lemon verbena? It reminds me so much of one of the lovely aromatherapy blends, or the Somnus - two of my favorites. The throw is strong, at least in the initial stages.

 

The drydown is totally gender-neutral. A man would smell fantastic wearing this, too! It's so fresh and floral-sweet, yet bracing, and with a sweet spice or musk at the end.

 

It's so unique. I will wear this when I want to feel energized and alert and comfortable with my freakiness.

 

Thank you!!

[melange]

CDXXVI (426)

 

Bottle: lemon and orange zest with warm undertones I can't place.

 

Wet: the same with... some sort of resin, maybe?

 

Drydown: getting sweeter, with just a little creaminess... is that a hint of melon peeking out? It's not Dana O'Shee creaminess, because that's plastic on me.

 

Worn: CDXXVI is layered on me. At about two inches out, there's a citrusy resiny liveliness, a relatively high note. With nose to skin, it's much softer, and there's a lower, subtle note that reminds me of the vanilla in Antique Lace. My right wrist, which usually is slightly sweeter than my left, brings out what just might be heliotrope if I have my notes right; on both wrists, any hint of melon seems to have disappeared. (It's nothing like Et Lux Fuit, by the way.) At first, the layers are relatively far apart, but over time they gradually approach each other and blend together. At about an hour to an hour and a half after first application, I smell blood oranges with the faintest whiff of vanilla and musk-and/or-resin. At about ten hours out (ten!), the high citrus-zest layer has all but disappeared, leaving a lovely barely-there skin scent reminiscent of Underpants' last stages; I love how long and how wonderfully it lasts.

 

Thoughts: beautiful! Definitely a keeper. It didn't strike me as a "me" scent, especially in the beginning, but I kept finding myself sniffing it throughout the day and I really, really like it. CT3 had made me nervous (chaos! not knowing what I'm getting! eek!), but now I've got just-one-more-itis. CDXXVI and I are definitely going to have to spend quality time together. Thanks so much, Beth!

 

ETA: I can still smell it ever so faintly at 16 hours out. Mmmm.

Edited July 23, 2006 by melange

[gangstaknitta]

CTIII: CCCIV (304)

 

In the bottle: just like cola! It even smells..."fizzy"!

 

Wet: fizzy, fizzy cola

 

Dry: how odd...the cola has toned down and a lovely warm vanilla note has emerged. Basically it smells like vanilla coke, but the cola scent is not that strong. It doesn't have much throw, but it lasts for hours and hours, even after I bathe.

 

 

CCCVIII (308)

 

In the bottle: Straight up sandalwood...with something else in the background which keeps it from getting too woodsy

 

Wet: maybe this is white sandalwood? It's lovely and mild. There's a light note that smells very clean, but not cloying.

 

Dry: Sandalwood, with an undercurrent of zest--or a clean, very light soapy smell underneath.

Edited July 23, 2006 by gangstaknitta

[miss apple]

Chaos Theory CDXLIV (444 - hey that's kinda cool!)

 

In the bottle this reminds me of Shub with less of a gingerbread note. There's something else in here but I can't figure out what it is. Maybe a hint of Underpants? There's something with a bit of a tang but it's not really vinegar...Once on this is definitely in the Shub family but now I'm thinking that the tangy note is more of a buttery rum note. It doesn't really morph and pretty much smells like a mixture of Gluttony and Shub Niggurath - delicious

[WaltzforZizi]

I'm kinda sad that I didn't like both of these, but I just wanted to review them before I put them up for swaps.

 

CDXLVII(447)- I can't really tell what smells like when I first put it on, but after it settles it reminds me strongly of Glasgow. And I really didn't like Glasgow, heh.

 

CCCLXXII(372)- In the bottle smells like a sweet amber/floral, but when I put it on it kinda turns bland on my skin. Bad skin chemistry, Bad.

 

Oh well, I enjoyed playing anyways. ^.^

[Astburygrrl]

CDXXVII or #427

 

I changed this review because i just compared it to Sleepy Moon which I swear this smells like only its like Sleepy's little sleazy sister (dont ask)cuz its a lighter version but dries down to a sexy sugary floral which is really quite nice but I dont know if I want another bottle of Sleepy Moon... hehhe

Edited August 15, 2006 by Astburygrrl