Miskatonic University v3

[midnight_aeval]

Prototype, unreleased, no scent description.

 

As someone who is not a big fan of the initial release of Misk U nor the rerelease to the GC, I almost dismissed this one from my "To Buy" list. I'm so glad I gave it a shot because it's really nice!

 

My initial notes said it was like Irish coffee and cinnamon, sort of like El Dia de Reyes. I tested it again today and from the bottle I got cinnamon & sugar toast! When I skin test it I actually detect little to no coffee which is surprising because anything with coffee notes seems to punch out the other notes in the blend with my skin chemistry. Letting it dry a bit provokes the coffee to come out in the background.

 

This blend reminds me of breakfast with my grandma; she always drank coffee and when I visited she would make me some with tons of cream and sugar then would set a plate of cinnamon and sugar toast in front of me. Ahh memories

 

I could see this being a great cool-weather scent and it definitely makes my mouth water.

Edited May 26, 2009 by Midnight Aeval

[twilighteyes]

I'm not a huge fan of coffee scents, so I didn't skin test or purchase this. In the bottle it was strong black coffee.

[tarotgirl99]

I was gifted with a sniffie of this scent. It is similar to Misk University but the coffee is darker (without being remotely bitter) and stays on longer. If I can track down more of this, I will, because I love it even more than Misk U.

[zankoku_zen]

I have to say, I prefer this to the released version. The released version, the 'polished woods' component came to dominate my skin, esp. on the drydown. Here this is BLACK coffee, very bitter and it almost has a 'salty' tinge to it on my skin. There's something else lurking there, and I want to say cinnamon except I'm not convinced it IS cinnamon.

 

This is like drinking BLACK coffee and reading a book.

 

Coffee lovers, take note.

[bookandbroom]

Oh, OF COURSE. Of course this one smells way better than the GC to my nose - like a cup of coffee sitting near a plate of cinnamon-sugar toast; the coffee is mild, but if I focus, I pick it up. And of course the instant I decide I kinda like this, a red rash comes up on my arm where I applied it. An itchy, splotchy rash. Sensitive skin folks, be warned! This is a delicious and evil temptation!

[totheo]

Nutty. Like Enraged Groundhog Musk. Cheap coffee, maybe. AIRPORT COFFEE. That's it, smells like airport coffee. The smell around airport coffee bars and little deli type places. Not a terrible smell. But I think I'd save it for my holidays.

(it's not as strong on the coffee, though, in case you were wondering - it's heavier on the hazelnut/cinnamon than the bitterness)

Edited September 15, 2009 by AngelaBernadette

[lilacea]

I adore this version, it is quite different to the GC, but it does seem to meld a bit better with my skin chemistry. The released Misk U is a heavy Irish cream coffee, boozy and creamy, and probably the one BPAL that stays on my skin the longest, days even after repeated washing I can soemtimes pick up traces if I huff closely, it's a thick and rich belnd. This proto though is a lot dryer, reminiscent of the El Dia Del Reyes style of things. It has the husky subtle coffee of Pinched, not the stong esspresso of the GC Misk U. It's dry and nutty, with a gorgeous hazelnut twinge at the start which blends in really well after application. It is nowhere near as tenacious as the GC. There's a lovely husky cinnamon too (or possibly cassia), along the same lines as Pinched (I think those simularities are why I like this so much), soft and not burning or in your face, a team player. It's lacking a sweetness that the GC has, tending to stay dry throughout, but with the sweet qualities of the woods keeping it delicious. The GC tends to smell a little burnt or plasticy on my skin, something I suspect is due to a big vanilla, but the proto either has a lot less of this or a different type as it doesn't have quite the same burnt/plastic effect on me.There's even a little hint of muskiness in the dry down, almost cologne like. But through all the differences, a side by side comparison seems that they do share the same core, but the GC one was amped up and really plays on the booze and sweetness.

[Ondine]

I don't really like the released version because of the dust note, but this proto seems to have little to no dustiness to it--yay! It smells on me almost exactly like the cinnamon of El Dia De Reyes (the 2007 version in particular). It's like that cinnamon note with no chocolate and little coffee. I really, really like this but as it dries down almost exactly like 2007 El Dia, I can at least get the scent when I use up my decant.

[Suu4LC]

I received a frimp of this from a wonderful decanter-I went back to check my review of the released version and while I had enjoyed the coffee scent, I was turned off by the dustiness and actually said I would love this blend w/o the dustiness. Reading the other reviews of this version has me super excited b/c it seems like lacks the dustiness!

 

In the imp this is a dry hazelnut/cinnamon latte scent. Very nutty. Still maybe a bit dusty, but way less so than the GC version.

 

Oh wow, this is super gorgeous on my skin-not dusty at all--to those who compared it to el dia de reyes (which I have) it is VERY similar-like el dia minus the chocolate, yummy sweet cinnamon and coffee with a touch of nuttiness! *swoon* As it dries it gets more warm and nutty. Mmmmm. A very cozy/comforting scent.

 

This is truly a lovely lovely blend. Thankfully, it's not SO different from El Dia that I need to track down a full bottle, but I will most likely hold onto the decant. I can see why Beth chose the dustier version as the final one because I think the released version is a better representation of the idea behind the blend, but this version is omnomnomtastic.

[edenssixthday]

Miskatonic University v3 - This is way better than the released version -- it has none of the dusty quality of the released version, and it has none of the Irish cream from the released version that turns plasticky on my skin. Rather, this smells like the "snickerdoodle" coffee I make, where I mix cinnamon powder and a bit of sugar in with freshly ground coffee beans. It's strong on the cinnamon, strong on the black coffee, and light on the sweetness. If I were drinking it, I'd add some milk or cream to it, but for wearing it, it's absolutely gorgeously perfect the way it is. It's among the best coffee blends I've encountered.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Partial 5mL from gothicangel18.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I hate coffee. Hate the smell of it. Hate the taste of it. But I happen to like the released version of Misk U (which was a shock when I first tried it since I was expecting it to be an instant "OMG get it away from me!" scent. Plus, the idea of a cinnamon toast scented perfume appeals to the selective foody lover in me, so I had to give this a shot. Honestly, I'm expecting this to not work if the coffee note is noticeable (I can't really smell cofee in the released version, just Irish cream and a bit of wood).

 

First sniff:

 

Yay for happy surprises! I smell cinnamon sugar toast with just a bit of rich coffee bean backing it up (it's not brewed coffee to my nose, it's more like whole coffee beans). What's strange is that while I know this is coffee, it doesn't really announce itself that way to my nose. Instead I get more of an impression of a deep brown scent lurking in the background. It's hard to describe, but really, really pretty and cozy smelling.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Still predominately cinnamon sugar toast. The "not-quite-coffee" scent is even less noticeable on me than it was in the bottle, which is welcome, although I would have loved it even if it hadn't toned down. This smells so good!

 

Dry down:

 

The coffee comes back out again as the oil dries and I'm left with a really warm and cozy coffee (rich and dark and not bitter at all) and cinnamon toast scent. It's a little sweet and nicely spicy. I love this.

 

I have to be allergic (or at least sensitive) to something in this because the area where I applied the oil is red (it's not hives and I'm not itchy, it's just red and in the perfect shape of the little smear of oil I applied). I don't think it's the cinnamon because I wear a lot of cinnamon scents without a problem. And it can't be any notes that it shares with the released version, because I don't get the same reaction from it. I have no idea what it is. Truthfully, though, it's not enough to stop me from wearing this because it's not painful or uncomfortable. No harm, no foul.

 

The bottom line:

 

Even though I'm apparently allergic to Misk U v3, I'm definitely keeping my bottle. It smells fantastic and I'm willing to put up with some redness if it means smelling this good. I'll just have to remember not to apply it to my neck (I don't mind my wrists being blotchy red, but I don't really want to go around with my neck that way, too).

[madscientistdh]

Purchased from chromeoxide!

For whatever reason, the universe wished me to try this one before my imp of the original I also had a speech in class today, so this certainly perked me up for that!

 

In bottle: first whiff coffee, then tootsie rolls? Maple syrup? Hmm.

 

On skin: Somehow I get the doughiness of pancakes, with a cinnamon/maple swirl, and a hint of coffee.

 

Drydown: Ohh I get what that doughiness was- an undercurrant of whiskey This seems musky and warm, hazelnut coffee in the hands of a cute dude in a sweater vest

 

Verdict: I LOVE the coffee in this, and the complexity keeps it from being boring. I feel like a baristaaaa!

[miss_rynn]

This is way, way better than my expectations. The released version is lovely for about 5 minutes, then turns into a bitter, ashy mess.

 

The prototype is an entirely different beast. It's a masculine sweet scent on me. I amp leather out the wazoo, so I suspect what I'm getting is a background of the book leather. I also usually amp coffee like woah, so I am delighted that it's behaving itself. The leather gives it a similar character to Dorian (though not as sweet or citrussy). It smells like a young, dashing scholar who has just spent a few hours pouring over arcane tomes while drinking sugared coffee. This is AMAZING.

[ApothecaryScribe]

5 mL from Etsy.

 

First impression: COFFEE! and cinnamon! Maybe a tinge of hazelnut but not in the foreground.

 

A few minutes into wearing the coffee smells deeper and darker and another spice note--a trace of cardamom?--joins in. It comes across like a black-coffee version of chai tea (so to speak). I don't get much of a creamy/dairy note if any.

 

It's very tenacious. I can still smell the drydown (NOW comes the hazelnut after the coffee and spices have mostly evaporated) at 1:28 pm after applying it at ~6:30 this morning.

 

This has modest throw (possibly because I applied it sparingly to check my skin's responses; though others have mentioned redness so far I haven't experienced that).

 

Though I haven't smelled the released version I don't detect any oak or library scent in this version, which rather seems to represent a splendid independent coffee shop where Misk. U. scholars write in their personal grimoires journals.

 

I am immensely enjoying this, especially for workdays.

 

[Edited to delete an erroneous adjective...I had read too fast up-thread.]

Edited August 22, 2013 by ApothecaryScribe

[inhumation]

I haven't skin-tested the released version of MU but this smells very similar, if not exactly as MUv3 does, after I had it for about a year: hazelnut coffee. when I got the prototype fresh from the lab's etsy site, it smelled exactly like cinnamon toast. when applied, wet and dry, it was cinnamon toast. after 6+ months of aging, it changed to hazelnut coffee (VERY heavy on the hazelnut), wet and dry. it was very strong, and a bit too much for me. swapped.

Edited September 15, 2014 by inhumation

[Lilichen]

on me, not a drop of coffee to be had. wet, it smells exactly like a warm moist chocolate cake, and it's heavenly -- but that's only for about twenty seconds, after which all I get is toasted cinnamon sugar, an absolute dead ringer for the roasted cinnamon almonds that are so popular at Christmas fairs. i do wish the chocolate cake phase lasted longer, and the throw overall seems to be fairly minor on me, but it lasts for ages and i am perfectly happy with smelling like a delicious holiday treat.

[LizziesLuck]

I am not a fan of the released version, much as I want to be, it just turns bad on my skin chemistry. Though that seems to be constantly changing, so I really should try it again one of these day.

 

I can tell immediately that v3 is quite different.

 

Wet: Cinnamon, woods, coffee. Sugar. YUM. Oooh, leather, also? Soft worn leather, I think. I like this a lot.

 

 

Dry: This is beautiful, and reminds me more of The Arabian Dance, with the addition of cinnamon (which is perfect!) than Misk U. I need more.