Miskatonic University

[Teasandtoast]

This really did not impress in the imp: the coffee is incredibly sugary and sweet, which just isn't what I want to smell like at all.

 

Well after the dry down, the library scent comes out to play, and that is intoxicating. I'm glad I didn't just write this one off: maybe an hour or two after application, the sweetness tones way down and I'm left with a (still somewhat sweet and coffee-like) cozy autumn library. Super evocative, super pleasant. 

 

By the end of the day, I'm left with the faint, dusty-book scent I was hoping for all along. 

 

I can put up with a couple hours of coffee first thing in the morning (does double duty as a wake-up scent!) in order for the rest of the day. Went ahead and got a full-size bottle.

[puellacaerulea]

In the imp, I mostly get coffee and Irish cream, with a little bit of the wood notes. As it wears, the wood notes amp up more -- unfortunately, there also seems to be a skin chemistry fail on me, as it starts to go a little plasticky. Not sure what note is to blame. After drydown, that plasticky undertone starts to go away, leaving me with mostly the scent of Irish coffee -- I never fully get the old books note. Despite that, it's definitely evocative of old libraries and university buildings, and would make a great fall or winter scent. The skin chemistry stuff might keep me from getting a full bottle, but I'll hang onto my imp.

[rhonorv]

Wet and in the imp: I must drink really astringent motor oil coffee! This smells like caramel to me.

 

Dry: Something I'm having trouble placing has come up... it almost smells like rice? Must be the book note! It's still mostly caramel, though.

 

Much later: Ooh! This is so interesting: it's giving off a throw of caramel, but when I stick my nose up to it it's really papery. Like caramel hot cocoa was wafting out of a mug on your desk but you have your nose in a book. Pretty neat, especially if you like foodie scents!

[Nightmare]

Looking at the reviews, I'm mystified. I have no idea what my body chemistry did to this one, but it's not good.

 

In the imp, it's mainly that sweet Irish coffee note that I love. I wear Irish Coffee Buttercream all the time (although thinking about it, that one doesn't have much staying power on me either, probably relevant). Unfortunately, it doesn't stay like that on my skin for very long. In a very short time, it's almost all "dusty tomes" with just a hint of oak and coffee. But it's not a nice book smell on me, it's really like... wet dust and ash. The faint sweetness of the coffee and the oak kinda combines into something like a popsicle stick, and it's just suffering from there. The only thing that happens after that is that it tamps down a bit (thankfully).

[Kebab Fiend]

At first all I could smell was the sweet coffee, it was overpowering, but after a couple of hours on my skin it became warm and woody, it still smelt of coffee and there was a hint of stale, dusty smell, but it wasn't unpleasant

I liked it but the coffee was a bit much, I wouldn't want to smell it all day (I just don't like coffee that much). Looking at other reviews, it might improve if it's left for a few weeks.

[fairybites]

This was great when first applied, sweet creamy coffee! It was very strong and the throw was really good. A few hours later, and now I'm just getting the dusty books with coffee in the background. Not mad that I didn't get the polished wood note since I'm picky with woods. The coffee has a touch of chocolate to it, which is a little unusual but I don't hate it. 

 

A wonderful coffee scent, definitely a new GC favorite! I just wish the throw stayed as strong as it did when I first applied it, but that could be due to my imp's age.

[Something_Diabolical]

It's weird because I don't get much coffee from this. Probably a tiny drop of coffee mixed with a lot of milk and probably caramel syrup. 

 

The wood notes come out when it dries and I definitely get dust from this. These become more prominent the longer I wear it but it remains sweet. It IS evocative of dusty tomes and polished wood. 

 

Something I'd wear for bedtime or when I'm reading. 

[Luna Fatale]

In the Imp: Caramel? My fiancé says it smells like vanilla ice cream. 

 

On the Skin: A buttery gourmand smell. I definitely smell the Irish coffee and can somewhat smell a woody smell underneath. I like it. I would buy a full bottle. ❤ My kitty Azurah licked my wrist when I wore it. 💕 After a couple of hours it leaves a beautiful vanilla scent on my skin.

[PancakesRaichu]

I have this as a free sample with an order.

 

On my skin, this just smells like irish cream and marshmallow. Really heavy on the marshmallow (even though it's not listed as a note). 

 

This smells stronger than anything I've had from BPAL with a marshmallow note. Even though there is no listed marshmallow note.

 

I don't usually like general catalogue scents that much but this is an absolute YES!

[Sunny the Wizard]

A darling of mine strongly recommended this to me after I expressed my adoration for Hellfire, and to be frank, it's one of the best things they've done for me.

 

For me, Miskatonic takes a very clear path in development. It starts off with chocolate, then drifts to coffee, then embitters further into wood, before finally easing into a smoky rich tobacco type smell. On an instance when I tried to slather myself in it, I noticed the bitter notes were a lot more upfront, which was a good lesson in moderation.

I don't think I've had a scent that gets less sweet as it wears on me before, but it's absolutely delicious, it makes me feel sexy in a 'hot professor' type of way. I don't even really have that much more to add, it's going to be something I intend on ordering again, and even beyond it smelling incredible, it'll always make me smile and think of the person who suggested it to me.

[Lecter]

Oil is almost clear In the imp with a slight green tint. Foodie, creamy. I don’t get the coffee notes sadly. Slight woodsy undertone beneath the sweetness 

[dancingchair]

In the imp, I get super rich and sweet Irish cream. Dry, I get a strong whiff of wood polish. This disappears quickly and turns into a heavy butterscotch scent. It's not enough whiskey or coffee to read as Irish cream on my skin. If there are any wood or book notes, they are hiding behind the gourmand notes.

 

Not what I was expecting, but it does smell yummy.

[AbbyNormal]

I bought this imp a couple years ago if memory serves me and tried it once back then but preferred something else in my order more so it’s been sitting in the random imp pile ever since. Tonight I tried it again and the jury is still out

 

In the imp it smelled like a very strong boozy coffee and it took everything in me to not taste it. I went and hopped in the shower to remove the last traces of today’s oil so I could properly give it a test. 
 

Wet: Irish coffee, dust, and…cheese??? A rather stinky cheese, like grated Parmesan when it’s sprinkled on a pizza, only without the pizza. Luckily the cheese mostly disappeared after a couple of minutes, but the scent wasn’t very strong so I hesitantly added another swipe. Cheese again, but nowhere near as strong. This time the coffee took the stage, but with an undercurrent of old cooking oil. I’m hoping that it’s just reacting to my body wash or something because it’s nothing like the delicious smell from the imp. I’m going to reapply again in the morning and see if things have calmed down. I’m hoping it’s not a funky skin chemistry thing because it smelled so wonderful until I put it on 😭

[Weirdgirlpilled]

I get a lot of coffee with this one!!! Lots of sweet creaminess, and i do think i tend to amp sweeter notes so that makes a lot of sense. I get a little bit of the wood peeking through around minute 10 ish, but my biggest gripe is that on me, this fades pretty fast :c I do, however, think it’ll be an incredibly sexy boysmell so i will be roping the boyfriend into trying this one ^-^ 

[crow-toes]

Irish coffee, mostly dominated by the brown sugar and whipped cream. The coffee is very much in the background, and I’m not picking up the dusty tomes. Incredibly sweet to my nose - not one I think I'll be wearing much.

[SimonsSays]

I get literally nothing but hazelnut latte from bottle to skin. 

[Jarek]

I the Imp and wet on my skin it's Irish cream liquor in coffee, with the liquor smell being very very strong, and this sort of weird bitter-ish scent I can't quite place on top of it. I bought this Imp specifically to try and while it's not enough to make me wash it off I am definitely already reconsidering keeping this in my collection.

 

Dry on my skin a few hours later and the coffee scent is nearly gone entirely, the creamy Irish liquor smell is mostly reduced to something less creamy and less sweet and not nearly as powerful, and I can tell that the "bitter" scent from earlier is actually the old books smell! Which I really, really like. At this stage the perfume is very enjoyable and I am sniffing my wrists a lot. If there's oak I'm not very good at detecting it, I mostly get old books.

 

Unlike most of my other perfumes I have not reapplied this one throughout the day, as the initial experience was not very enjoyable to me. I'm still going to explore other liquor, coffee, and definitely "old books" scents, but I might set aside this Imp for gifting or swapping.