Miskatonic University

[Analog]

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

I got an imp of this with my last order, hoping for a lot of the "dusty tomes". Call me weird, I love the scent of old books.

I put it on a little while ago, and before I'm even done applying it, my sister (at the other end of the room) can smell it pretty strongly. It's good, like dark roast coffee with a double shot of caramel flavoring, but wow is it strong. It's calming down a little now (or my nose is just numbing to it), and I can smell a bit of the old paper and wood under it. Someone definitely spilled his coffee all over the shelves, though.

A few hours after I wrote that, after spending a while outside, my sister walked past me (about five feet away) again and said "You still smell like coffee!". I guess this one gets a high score on "throw" for me.

I love it (a lot of the scents seem to fade off of me within an hour), but it's gonna give me a constant case of the jitters if I wear it often - I got home and had to brew a mocha to slake my coffee craving. Edited October 16, 2007 by Shollin

[angharad]

Mmm, yummy. So glad this was reintroduced to the GC for people like me to grab hold of. Misk U is a delicious coffeehouse blend; it is sipping on a fresh, hot caramel latte at my favorite coffee shop, where they probably wouldn't notice (or care) if I snuck in a shot of whiskey to add to the drink. This blend is warm, smooth, with just a touch of sweetness. It's perfect for taking a book to that hole-in-the-wall coffeehouse that may not look like much but serves the best damn coffee you've ever tasted on a rainy day. On my skin it has slightly less than average throw, and it only lasts for a few hours -- but while it lasts, I'm in heaven.

[alicia_stardust]

This smells a bit like butterscotch while it's wet.

 

After it dries I start to smell a lot of the coffee, but it is definitely shadowed by the dust and books smell. It's a perfect scent for a rainy day. I spent many years in Portland and rain = books and coffee.

[Esmeria]

In the Imp: Oh holy hell! I now see what all the fuss is about- this is gorgeous. I don't know what I was expecting from this oil, but it wasn't this loveliness. Up to now, I am officialy in love.

 

Wet: Just as nice! I actualy bought a jar of Irish Cream hot chocolate the other week, so I could get an idea of what this would smell like, but this smells even better!

 

Dry: The Irish Cream is still very prominent, but now the dusty book smell is coming out. I literaly cannot stop smelling my wrist! A bottle will be bought, SOON.

[naeelah]

Wet, this definitely has a butterscotch-like quality. As it dries, the coffee notes come out, and then it smells EXACTLY like irish creme coffee beans! It's sweet, boozy cream and coffee!

 

Underneath it all there's a slight dry note and definitely a polished wood quality. I actually kind of wish the paper and dust notes in this were stronger, but it's quite nice as is.

 

The throw is good, and it lasts a good, long time. After like 6 hours it was still pretty noticeable. Definitely recommended to fans of sweet foody scents.

[neversatisfied]

In the imp: Mmm... It smells like sweet delicious caramel which I'm a sucker for.

 

Wet: More caramel scented goodness with the Irish Cream coming out. Not overpowering which I love.

 

Dry: Turns dusty bookish (which I love the smell of old dusty books) with the coffee lingering on the edges sweetly.

 

Conclusion: Misk U is a bottle buy because I love it so much that I may have to hoard it!

[taramarie]

On me, Miskatonic University is coffee single note and boy am I not complaining. It eases my need for Starbucks (darn diet). I need a bottle of this as soon as possible.

[CocoaLissette]

Weird body chemistry isn't as cool as it sounds, assuming it sounds cool, which it doesn't really...*sigh* as usual, a gorgeous bottled scent goes wonky bonkers on me during drydown.

 

In the bottle, this scent is like liquid butterscotch. I'm not sure if this has changed since its inception since the coffee notes reviewers discussed back in 2005 aren't terribly apparent to my coffee-drinking nose. But the butterscotch is simply divine. On wet, the smell stays sweet and buttery, just luscious. On drydown...er, I get mushrooms. Yes, you read that right, MUSHROOMS. I know coffee, I know butterscotch, and I know old books...and I'm wearing mushrooms.

 

Time for a scent locket...

[StrawberryIce]

The buttery coffee smell comes on strong at first, then there's a hint of lemon furniture polish, and then the dusty notes come out and balance it all out.

 

Unfortunately, my skin chemistry makes it smell like Play-Doh after a few minutes, but it's wonderful in a scent locket. Quite possibly my favorite so far.

[Dark Angel]

I had to have this because not only am I a Lovecraft freak generally, but I specifically love the idea of Miskatonic University itself, probably because I've spent most of my adult life either attending or working in higher education--or both. I even have a Miskatonic U bumper sticker.

 

First off, it's pure Irish cream, minus any hint of booze. Very sweet, very 'foody.' It smells uncannily like a latte with Irish cream flavoring. It's powerful, too--big throw.

 

Later, the Irish cream fades a bit, though it's still quite detectable. If I put my nose up to my wrist I can smell a dry, papery/woody scent as well--it really does smell like old paper/old books (not mildew-y books, though, for which I'm grateful--I don't like that smell!) As time goes on, the sweetness and the dryness mingle more instead of being distinctly separate.

 

This is amazing on-target to its description. It really does seem more like an 'environmental' scent than a perfume, although I probably will wear it, since I'm not averse to wearing distinctly non-traditional scents. I could certainly see using it to scent a room for that Lovecraftian atmosphere, too (not that it smells dark or evil. For the feeling of reading in Miskatonic University's library lobby next to the espresso cart they've just installed, I guess .)

 

I won't need a big bottle of this, but then, I hardly ever get a big bottle of anything. I'll certainly keep an imp around.

[Miseraya]

This is so amazingly delicious on me. Usually I do my reviews in three parts, but this one stays the same from the imp to the drydown. It's this amazing coffee and butterscotch smell (I assume the butterscotch is the booze in the coffee). It's just... amazing. It has great throw and it lasts for days on my clothes, I rarely say this, but... big bottle. Definitely a big bottle. Did I mention this smells amazing?

[ziggystardust]

Preconception: It's Miskatonic University. I would have bought at least an imp if the note description had said "socks from the bottom of the laundry basket."

 

Wet: Yep, Irish coffee all the way. While I'm not a fan of Irish cream - and this had enough for me to find it a bit cloying - I am a fan of coffee. So all is well. Also, boy, that's not throw. That's.. a machine ball-belter.. thing.

 

Dry: Aaand a spicy(!), woody note, which I'm guessing is the oakmoss? With a bit of dried parchment paper. <3 These lend a dignifying, grounding quality to the Irish cream. The girl waiting for her date in the library is now a fulltime grad student! Also, while it lasted for quite a long time (around 10 hours?), but in this phase, it began to peacefully stay close to my skin.

 

Overall: 5ml. I also want to add that Miskatonic University got me jumped.

Edited October 24, 2007 by ziggystardust

[Reaver]

Miskatonic University

...

Oh, how I love this scent.

I loved it in the bottle. It was the first one I opened when I got the imps through. And it went straight onto the list of full bottles. This one MIGHT even overtake King Of Hearts in the everyday scent if the boy likes it too. It’s sweet sweet nutty coffee (smells just like my favourite fairtrade tesco blend) with a dash of alcho-ma-hole and cream. The drydown is fantastically woody on me (my skin likes to amp woody aromas quite a bit...not that i’m complaining) but still incredible nutty coffee. So impressed. This is at the front of my perfume wardrobe. And it lasts FOREVER as I discovered the other morning after applying it at about 6pm.

 

Conclusion, Oh-my-gods-orgasmic.

 

10/10. I want more. I want to bathe in it.

 

NB; My mum says I smell gross and sickly. So maybe not for people that like clean, fresh scents. Whereas i'm a more sickly-the-better person.

 

ETA: Still smiling from the whiffing about 8 hours after applying MU. So good!

Edited October 27, 2007 by Reaver

[hackess]

I really wanted this to be coffee single note, and it's nowhere near that.

 

In the imp, it's all boozy caramel, and applied, butterscotch with hints of coffee. It almost immediate turns to woodsy notes, and reminds me very strongly of freshly polished hardwood banisters. It's very dusty and dry. Sophisticated and intellectual. Reminds me of ancient libraries, which is great for the visual, but I'm not a fan of the arid drydown. I've reapplied twice already today, just to cover the papery notes with something sweeter. It's evocative, but I'm not in love with it like I want to be.

[eldritchhobbit]

This is my very favorite BPAL scent! There's just enough of the dark roast coffee to keep the irish cream from being too sweet. I love the staying power of this one. I feel like I'm carrying a little coffee shop - the kind attached to a used book store, with lots of fascinating old volumes on thick wooden shelves - around with me all day long!

[alianthe]

Wow! This one was amazing, and amazingly transformative.

 

In the bottle: STRONG super-caramel coffee/chocolate baked goods. Not sure what it is, but I WANT to eat it up.

 

On me: Old book store. Still some of the caramel coffee underneath, but lots of old old books and older woods. Sweet/sharp/bitter/dusty all at once.

 

Conclusions: This is going in the box of beloveds. It's incredibly versatile. In a scent locket I can smell like caramel-coffee-chocolate cake. In a ring or a baggie I could get a shot of delectable sweeties smell instead of actually eating some baked goods. (Or it could make cravings worse, hard to tell.) On my wrist, it could be evocative of some incredibly good connections in library circles. In any case, it's totally worth keeping.

 

Also, I swear the soap gives me a little extra zip. It's got a lot of coffee in it, and it's an excellent soap for the hurried shower on crap-I-overslept mornings!

[erraticprophet]

Initial Impression: Irish coffee

 

On Wet: Irish coffee, wood floors (smells eerily like one of the dorms I lived in during my college years!), hint of books

 

On Dry: books, hint of coffee

 

Final Impression: Wow! This brought back some memories.

 

Rating (on a scale of 1-5): 3

[Josh]

Wet: A mix of Coke Blak and butter popcorn Jelly Bellies with a slightly nutty element. This stuff is wonky when wet.

 

Dry: Irish cream, dust and sophistication.

 

Damn, this is one cozy scent. I'd never leave my office if it smelled like this.

[akiko]

Bottle: MMMM, coffee. And Bailey's. Yum. No musty book smell, though.

 

Wet: COFFEE!

 

Dry: COFFEE! Now if only it were caffeinated.

 

I smell like coffee. That makes me really happy.

[arcadelane]

this smells like sweet buttery irish coffee in the bottle. very round and creamy. when it dries down some of the dusty tomes and oakwood comes out but it blends together so well its hard to pick out individual notes.. just a general irish coffee goodness. its quite strong and lasts a very long time. i can apply this in the morning and still smell it quite strongly in the evening. oh dear i love this. i was tempted to buy a 5ml before trying it, but i was cautious and got an imp first. now i have to wait a few weeks to get my 5ml..argh. i also tried blending a bit with some Dana O'Shee and it was lovely. I'm a sucker for sweet creamy scents.

[alexandra]

I am of bookish bent: love the Lovecraft, all libraries and books keep me alive so I had great hopes.

 

In the vial: boozey-oozey Baileys. I once drank far too much of the stuff so it makes me exceedingly queasy. Very strong, not really irish coffee though - I get more rum than whiskey.

 

Wet: Overpowering Baileys. I feel ill. My head it throbbeth at the scent memory.

 

Dry after 1 hour: Baileys.

 

Dry after 2 hours: Baileys.

 

Dry after 3 hours: Baileys with coffee grounds.

 

Dry after 4 hours: Magic! Mouldy books and bookshelves! Hurrah! My geeky self jumps up and down and hugs herself. Bookshop sexiness ahoy! But wait, the dirty-flirty-girlie in me says "that means I smell like rotting papers and bookworm-ridden shelfstacks - will the husband snoggle me now?"

 

And?... Tricky. The very good Baileys approximation brings back bad memories and that is there for hours before retreating behind the mouldering tomes. And I'm still not sure if I want to smell of that very much. I will use it when I am writing though, I'll just put a peg on my nose for a few hours.

[ranyart]

This was the scent that really convinced me to try bpal. I love coffee, Lovecraft, and the idea of Misk U, so this was really a necessity for me. I bought a bottle of this unsniffed because there was no way I wouldn't love it.

Of course, I wasn't disappointed.

 

In the bottle: sweet, buttery/boozy coffee. It's incredibly tempting to just take a swig, even though I know that would be a disgusting waste of the wonderful oil.

 

Wet: the booze is definitely prominent at first. It smells like straight-up Irish coffee.

 

Drydown: I'm getting a dusty/woody scent mixing in with the coffee, which has lost some of its liquored-up punch. In college, I worked in a computer lab in a library basement where you'd be surrouned by the smell of old, musty law books. There's a bit of that scent lurking in the background, which is really amazing. How on earth does Beth capture these scents?

 

Dry: My only complaint is that the wood note is a bit stronger than I'd like once this is dry. It's still mostly coffee, don't get me wrong, but I think I'd like one notch more "yum, coffee" and one less notch "ooh, old books!" on my scent-o-meter.

 

This will always be my First Love of bpal.

[HatterRenoAxel]

This one was my first pick out of the Lovecraft series.

 

In bottle:Coffee no boozy notes just coffee.

 

Wet: the wood came out on my skin but it's very nice most likely the dusty note is toning it down

 

Dry: The coffee is back but still not the main note making the oak smell very sweet.

 

5 ml worthy: Maybe not sure just yet.

 

I love it. I'm a bit of a book worm and hunting for a job at the local library where I live so this is perfect for my tastes.

[ymmat]

The first time I smelled this, I smelled a version that had been aged for a bit so I was a little surprised with my imp (not realizing that the other had been aged).

 

The aged version smelled of Irish coffee, worn leather, dusty books, and oak tables/bookshelves. My imp smelled of Irish cream, not a bad smell, but not as developed and interesting.

 

Wet, I really amped the boozy notes, I thought I might have to wash it off for fear my coworkers would think I'd been drinking. After a bit though, it calmed down and it moved to Irish coffee and a slight after-scent of wood and dustiness.

 

I've had it on for about 7.5 hours now and I'm still catching whiffs of fairly strong Irish coffee/Irish cream. The slight scent of wood and dusty books is gone. It's a pleasant smell, but I keep having flashbacks to working in the coffee shop during college and the days when we brewed Irish cream coffee.

 

Probably not something I'll be wearing, but nice to sniff.

[MaeKitty]

Bottle: Dark Irish coffee

On Me: Coffee. Not in that rich deep kind of way, that i would enjoy. Instead, it is bitter, tangy and as though it's gone sour. Ew.