Miskatonic University

[sarajane]

The scent of Irish coffee, dusty tomes and polished oakwood halls.

For some reason, I had a bottle of Bah! before I had Misk U, and Misk U is everything I wished Bah! had been. Bah! was way too bitter coffee for me. Misk U is light and sweet, with some booze and books grounding it from going into overly-foody territory.

[topazphoenix]

Coffee and hazelnuts and buttercream. And there's an afternote that I think is the wood. This one conjures up the image of reading in a bookshop cafe for me. Haha.

[mhickle]

I know this is weird, but in the imp and wet on my skin, Miskatonic U. smells almost like buttered popcorn Jelly Bellys - that combination of sweet and creamy and slightly salty but fake. See, hard to describe except in Jelly Belly terms.

 

So at first I was thinking, "Why do so many people like this?"

 

But then I got to see why. Because as it dries, the wood become more pronounced, and the Irish coffee is creamy and smooth and buttery (heavier on the creaminess than on the coffee, which is content to just sort of hang out in the background).

 

So, yeah, now I understand!

[kerikeri]

This is the scent that dragged me kicking and screaming into BPAL-land-- books and coffee are my two absolute favorite things in life, and I'm a Lovecraft devotee, so this sounded like it was tailor-made for me.

 

Unfortunately, as much as I do love it, I have to admit it doesn't work quite as well on me as I'd hoped. Wet, it's perfect-- all sweet, creamy Irish coffee. Once it dries, though, if I've used too much, my skin amps the wood note to headache-inducing proportions and I smell like somebody's dusty attic. I've had to stick to using this sparingly on my skin, or putting it in my hair, where it works much better. I don't think wood and I get along very well.

[angelicruin]

How is it that I have never reviewed this scent before? It's a favorite GC of mine.

 

Inside the imp, it's a lovely creamy Irish Coffee. Makes you want to run out to Starbucks immediately.

 

On the skin, creamy latte to begin with. A swirling bit of something like incense comes out shortly after application.

 

Dries down to dusty creamed coffee. Definitely something to try if you enjoy BPAL's coffee notes.

[apinchofsugar]

Ah, the much-hyped Miskatonic U. I got it as a frimp off my wishlist from a wonderful forumite, and now it is here for my sniffing pleasure.

 

In the bottle: Why HELLO Irish coffee! Something brighter and sharper behind the soft and sweet coffee notes, though.

 

Applied, wet: A LOT nuttier – it smells less like Irish coffee and more like hazelnut coffee now. Very sweet, but there's some other scent notes creeping in – this must be the dust or paper, because it smells like nutty coffee layered over something slightly… cleaner.

 

Dried down: Whoo, the dust and paper notes got a bit stronger now and the coffee has faded quite a bit, but I like it. It's… strangely enough, kind of floral?!? It's balanced – it gives it an impression of being more perfumey, rather than smelling like I rubbed a candle all over myself. It smells kind of like Snake Oil on me, but nuttier. This is probably what sets it apart from Jack (which just makes me smell like a pumpkin pie candle) – it has the impression of coffee, but it doesn't whack you over the head with it.

 

Verdict: I like this! I need to test it again when my skin chemistry isn't all wonky. (Which I suspect it is, as the moment, since it's my time o' the month….) But methinks there is a bottle of Misk. U. in my future.

[elecktrik]

I just ordered me an imp pack and Miskatonic U was on the list of "this intrigues me, so I must sniff it."

 

Cracking open the imp, it's like WHAM! IRISH COFFEE IN YOUR FAAAACE! Quite possibly one of the strongest smells out of the imp I have experienced so far in BPAL-land.

 

So I put a bit on my wrists, and this happens to me...

 

I know this is weird, but in the imp and wet on my skin, Miskatonic U. smells almost like buttered popcorn Jelly Bellys - that combination of sweet and creamy and slightly salty but fake. See, hard to describe except in Jelly Belly terms.

 

So at first I was thinking, "Why do so many people like this?"

 

And I HATE popcorn. The smell of it makes me want to puke, and I gag when I accidentally eat a popcorn Jelly Belly. But I just let it be and walked to work, and by the time I got there (30 mins) it had totally chilled out and I could smell the polished oak underneath the irish coffee.

 

It has now been 6.5 hours since I applied it (and I didn't apply very much of it), and I can still smell it on me without making the effort to sniff myself. And it smells lovely.

 

I have the feeling that I'm going to breaking this one out a lot during the very rainy days I'm sure are just ahead

 

[skylarkza]

In the imp: Forget Irish coffee! This is a Don Pedro with a healthy lick of butterscotch sauce!

 

Wet: Whisky! Whisky and butterscotch!

 

Dry: Cream and coffee and brown sugar... with a woody background. And I am still getting butterscotch.

 

A while later: Hmmm... a kind of smoky wood smell with coffee and butterscotch. I don't know where I am getting the butterscotch - but to me it is really prominent in this - and divine!

 

I forsee a bottle of this in my future. It is the perfect curling-up-under-the-covers-with-a-book scent!

 

P.S. Putting a dash of Shub-niggurath somewhere like your hair while wearing this turns it into pure magic!

[gingiemay]

In the bottle there is a strong whiskey, coffee and parchment smell. The coffee lasts about 20 minutes on me and then goes for a funny alcoholic, sour dust smell, similar to the dust note in Ichabod Crane. Good thing I only tested this at Healthy Living; it just smells very odd on me.

[Electric Maenad]

Jeebus. If Starbucks / Second Cup / Tim's / *anyone* made a drink that tastes as good as this smells, I... well, I'd have a damn sight less money to blow on perfume. Which is to say, none. Like it on me, but tragically it doesn't last very long. If I put it on ze man though, it lasts for hours, and I can just wrap around him and snurfle to my heart's content. Need to get him a bottle of this, stat.

 

ETA: To be a little more specific - I get sticky, creamy, Bailey's-and-coffee bliss from this. No wood, no parchment, unless the very faint sweet dusty smell at the end of the fade counts. Don't care. It's yummy just the way it is.

Edited August 26, 2009 by Electric Maenad

[voodoocatwoman]

Butterscotch.

Nuts.

Taco shells.

 

Enough of this one.

[Altaira]

The initial coffee smell of this is really quite delicious. Then after about a half hour it becomes a bit more sedate and the polished wood becomes more noticeable. It is a fun scent and I can see myself wearing it frequently.

[strahlend]

I ordered a bottle guessing that I would love it, but never having sniffed it before.

In just a few months I've come a long way toward knowing what I'll like and what I won't. Which is really cool. I this oil so very much. It's one of those where I want to gobble myself up when I have it on.

*ahem*

My bottle has a tan label and a simple star graphic. In the bottle - sweet, rich, heady, delicious... reminds me of caramel, but I smell the coffee in there giving it a little edge and just a hint of burn from the booze. It smells a lot like toffee to me.

On the skin - the leather comes out here but I'm mostly getting something that reminds me of hazelnut. Still delicious. I know I'm using a lot of food adjectives, but I'm really not thinking of it as a strictly foody scent. It's more complex than that, but I'm having a hard time articulating how fantastic it is.

On the dry down - I'm getting some woodsy notes now but it's such a perfect companion to the hazelnut that they morph into something beautiful together. The blend they create is like a perfect state of warmth, sexiness, and comfort. I'm SO glad I have a bottle of this. I think I need another one. I don't want to be without this one.

Edited October 20, 2009 by strahlend

[teamilk]

I wasn't sure if I was going to be okay with this scent, but so many people love it, so I thought I should pick it up. In the imp, it's rather dark and strong; when it's on my skin, it's absolutely delicious and one of the best Autumn scents that I have ever smelled. There's not a lot of perfume out there that smells like this perfume and it's amazing. Big bottle in my Yule order!

[Invidiana]

This is warm, rich, sweet Irish coffee...I can just taste the Bailey's ...and it seems like there's osmething delicious baking in the background, but maybe that's just one of the aftereffects of the coffee mixing with the wood. As for the "dusty tomes", I'm a bibliophile and I love the smell of old books; in this case, there's just a whisper of it here, just enough to give the air of an antique library but not an overdose that makes the whole scent dangerously dusty and musty. The wood notes blend beautifully with the coffee, and again might be repsonsible for the "baking" undertone but also have a faint yet distinct presence all their own that only makes the blend richer. Can't wait to see how this ages!

[mari4212]

Ummmm. This is one of the scents that never morphs on me. I get hazelnut coffee in the vial, and the same hazelnut coffee on me, for hours and hours to come.

 

This is one of my favorite perfumes to wear when I'm going to be working, or arround a bunch of people who may or may not like perfumes, because it's just a lovely light coffee scent that doesn't waft incredibly much. I can smell it on me easily, but it doesn't overpower anyone else, the way Dragon's Milk can.

[Janegodzilla]

I was really excited about trying this one, especially after reading all of the reviews, but...I'm feeling pretty "meh" about it. It's nothing against the oil itself -- in the bottle and on my skin, Miskatonic U smells like sweet, creamy coffee liqueur, with just enough wood to keep it grounded. But even though I've been dying to find a good coffee scent, MU is just a little too sweet, boozy, and creamy for me, and I think I was hoping for something a little darker and richer. It's an utterly delicious scent, but in the end it smells like something I'd rather be drinking than wearing.

[lensflaaare]

Wet: Whoa Irish coffee... and wafers? Well, whatever it is, it smells good.

 

Dry-down: Huh? There's something that smells like... celery, of all things. Disappointment. After a while, I realize it's just the whiskey and the oak/tomes mixing together that made my nose go wonky. As the oak comes out more, the celery disappears and then it's just awesome.

 

Dry: The throw is huuuuge. I have a ginormous cloud of Irish coffee following me. The oak and book notes are close to my skin. I really like this!

 

My brother's opinion: He was surprised at the throw, liked the smell of the coffee, but he thought it smelled like chocolate on my wrist. Thumbs up from him.

Edited December 24, 2009 by lensflaaare

[Amoraexcena]

In the Imp: the sweet tang of whiskey predominates, with a hint of espresso. From the name, my imagination had inferred a more unisex scent, but I feel this is quite foody-feminine.

Wet on Skin: it's definitely sweeter than I was expecting. The Irish coffee definitely has a big load of whipped cream and sprinkled with brown sugar, to the point where even the coffee is obscured!

Drydown: oh hello again my lovely coffee. It mellows to a "library" scent now, and it's very nice. It feels "old" somehow- like a perfectly aged vintage whiskey. I'll get a bottle when my imp runs out, a good studying scent.

[distracts]

Wow, smells so strongly of coffee. I dislike coffee but occasionally like the smell and since everyone loves this one I tried it... but smelling it just made me feel kind of ill so I had to wash it off.

[Caerphilly]

In the imp: My boyfriend says it smells like a cinnabon. Smells like coffee, cream, caramel, & whiskey. Perfect Irish Cream. Yum!

 

Wet: Fades pretty quickly. Can smell the dusy books and wood. Reminds me of Velvet or Leaf Strewn Couch but with Irish cream poured all over it a few years ago. Not to sound gross... It's just faint in the background.

 

Dry: All dust and mold and wood and varnish. Smells a bit like plastic. Not really yummy anymore. Sigh....

 

Overall: Love it in the imp. The second it touches my skin the yummy Irish Cream starts fading and it doesn't work at all on me! Unfortunately, my skin cannot do foody scent. Alas.

[PeshaRocha]

Awesome!

 

Bottle: Irish coffee! (memo to self: do not drink)

 

Wet: coffee, cream, sugar (memo to self: do not lick)

 

Dry: creamy coffee, oak

 

I love this! It's foody without being overly sweet, and the oak lends a sharpish woody scent that deepens and dries it. But I have to not sniff too deeply or else it makes me sneeze. So I just waft my wrist past my face now and then, none of those deeeeep sniffs with nose against skin.

[coraline]

Sadly, I don't get any Irish coffee or dusty tomes out of this. The one note I get is chemical floor polish. (Though it's kind of impressive how accurately it's replicated!)

[surf-tormented]

I thought I had done a review of this one before, but I guess I haven't.

 

I've really wanted to LOVE this scent and I have tried it twice. I got a bottle when it was a LE and then got an imp in a swap the other day.

 

The Irish Cream note is really gross on my skin, the sugar gets amped up at the expensive of the coffee. I bought this way back when because I wanted another coffee type of oil other than Mata Hari, which is a scent I love and still have the cobalt bottle of. It lasts a long time!

 

Anyway, this perfume is full of promise...wood, coffee, old book goodness.

I get: stale burnt coffee, dank wood and no old leather books...it is more dirty cafe than university

 

And after this, I loved the idea of it so I wanted to keep the imp. Thank the gods someone bought it from me and I hope it is a lot better on them than me.

 

 

[SophieCedar]

Daaaaaaamnnnn. This smells good.

 

Wet it has a burst of coconutty suntan lotion..coffee, check. Booze, check. bailley's booze.. mmm.. check!

The oakwood starts to appear half way through the wet phase. Mmm dusty tomes.

 

My favorite smell in the whole world is musty books. When I first joined, I asked for recommendations for gardenia and musty books. People responded with M.U. Thanks!!