Halloween In The Miskatonic University Library

[Elizabethm]

During my sophomore year in college, I found myself pressed for time while working on a paper about Tsathogguan Rites of Passage in Ancient Cimmeria. It was due on the first Friday of November, and I had barely started. My grades were failing, and I couldn't really afford to blow this. Earlier in the quarter, I'd made the mistake of trying to copy test answers from the person who sat next to me in my Non-Euclidean Geometry class, not realizing he was as big a fuck-up as I was. We both failed, we were both caught, and I was only saved from expulsion by Professor Upham's unfortunate institutionalization. In the hopes of salvaging my GPA, I headed off to the university library instead of going out with friends on Halloween night.

I passed Dr. Armitage, the Head Librarian, as I entered the Antediluvian Anthropology wing. The library was desolate, and for a moment I felt a little lonely and out of sorts. The silence was soothing, though, and the scent of the yellowed books and polished oak tables reminded me strongly of my childhood home. I found myself a table, and set to work.

Around midnight, someone wandered in. Absorbed in my research, I was profoundly irritated at the disturbance, but when I saw who had entered the reading room, I softened. It was a guy who I'd worked with a few times at my day job-I was doing marketing for a junior line of cultist's robes, and he was the photographer for our catalogue. We got to talking. He'd had a falling out with his girlfriend earlier in the evening, and rather than spend the rest of the night at home, he'd come to the library looking for some inspiration for his photography. His breath smelled like pumpkin lattes, and there was a faint trace of cologne swirling around him. He quoted Byron, I told terrible jokes, and in the end I nearly failed my paper, but I fell in love.

To this day, I still wrestle with putting things off 'til the last minute, and I'm still easily distracted by a handsome face.

Nice. Miskatonic University is in my top 10 BPAL scents. This smells basically nothing like it whatsoever. A common concern was that it would amp mens cologne. It doesn't. I smell the book scent in the original and something almost floral. I am almost tempted to say I smell the squashy pumpkin that I think is illusive in BPAL's catalog too. It's a very nice scent. Wearable. Not extremely loud. I could see wearing this. Glad I have a bottle!

[fiddlehead]

Halloween in Miskatonic University.

 

It starts out really weird smelling on my skin. Almost like cigarettes. Smokey and harsh. Loud. Eventually, it does smell a bit like when you lay your head down on an old oak table for a minute, just to rest your eyes before reading anymore. It isn't a pleasant smell, necessarily, but this scent gets close to the real deal. There is a sweetness to it, which I guess is the pumpkin latte note. I'm not smelling "paper" yet but do get a touch of cologne. Very faint. And here comes more pumpkin latte. It's been on my skin for about 20 minutes.

 

Husband opined that the waft smelled like French Toast

 

This is interesting enough to keep for now. I'll dab some one while I'm re-reading Lovecraft! Hopefully, it will mellow as it ages. I could do without that blast at the beginning.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Spiked Pumpkin latte dominant. The coffee note is very espresso rather than sweet. The pumpkin is sweeter and trying to blend with the beans. The result is interesting with the booze note forming the third vertice of the love triangle. It’s one of the dark liqueurs, like whiskey, so that’s to the good for me. It’s gorgeous with the pumpkin. I like the distinctness of the espresso, but I’m not sure if that will work on my skin. There is also a spiciness that suits the pumpkin. The parchment and wood are more canvass for the spiked pumpkin latte to paint on. The cologne is soft, twining through the other notes. Wet: Initially too much espresso, but the spiced pumpkin starts gaining on it. After a bit, the booze and cologne get over their shock and try to mix it up. The library scents are strongly present, but again as background on which the more dynamic elements dance. I have a bad history both with coffee and pumpkin, but so far, it’s holding together surprisingly well. I think the booze and spices are really helping. Dry: Mmmm… Library. Paper and wood mostly, with some spice and a touch of the booze. I wasn’t sure about this one, but now I am. It’s gorgeous and well designed for it’s concept.

[jolarocknrolla]

Lots of pumpkin spiced latte and not a lot of library actually, the woody note sort of comes out later and thankfully the cologne is very faint and only apparent when wet (even then, it's more salty than cologne-y, kind of reminds me of salted carmels). There is a lot going on here and i find it to be a lot more coffee-heavy than Miskatonic.

 

EDIT: ok, about an hour and a half later this is all salty aftershave and wood. All of the pumpkin-y coffe is GONE. WTF salty aftershave??

Edited October 23, 2012 by jolarocknrolla

[ReallyZeb]

My first thought when wet was hazelnut praline, but I can see where salty would come in, maybe a salted praline. After a few minutes I'm getting what I think is the pumpkin latte, but only slightly spiced, much more gentle than most of the pumpkin things I've tried. It's mellowing out to include wood and making me think of a wooden counter that had spiced pastries on it an hour or so earlier. There's a really tiny hint of cologne.

 

ETA: After an hour or so it does turn to mostly cologne - but an interesting, woody, sexy cologne. I need a man who wears this in my life.

Edited October 25, 2012 by ReallyZeb

[zankoku_zen]

Cigarettes, hazelnut, hints of coffee and wood.

 

This definitely smells like that handsome guy in the library with the beat up leather jacket that smokes clove cigarettes outside. You've never really talked, but you know you'd love to.

[ModderRhu]

this is a proper coffee scent. like, coffee grounds. like, black coffee. unfortunately as much as i love to drink/smell/be around coffee, i dont want to smell *like* it.

[dreamingjune]

In bottle: Faint pumpkin latte with dusty wood notes.

 

Wet: Yup, pretty much that. The pumpkin is winning out over the coffee on me, and I am not complaining.

 

Dry: This is faded, musty pumpkin perfume with a dusty clean wood. It is making me think of a watered down or stale pumpkin latte. No throw on me, and my skin is eating it. At least the cologne is not making much of an appearance.

 

Overall: If what you want is super faint pumpkin and clean wood, here you go! For me, not so much.

[milo]

This one goes through a few stages. At first, I'm getting coffee and fruity pumpkin along with a lovely musk. I love the musk, but the pumpkin and coffee is really awful together imo. Dry, more musky, just a trace of coffee, though I can't get 'coffee breath' out of my head. Not a fan of the coffee here, thankfully the pumpkin is gone, it really didn't mesh well with anything. I do LOVE the musk, though, it smells dark and dangerous. It reminds me of something else I like, but can't put my finger on it. So this is definite 'no', but there are aspects of this blend I really like, just not the coffee and pumpkin.

[Nachtwulf]

Sadly, the -actual- Miskatonic University smells rather like Corn Nuts to me.

 

Mnemnosyne:MU has its own corn nuts stage in the beginning, running for about 5-10m, but then that weirdly salty, corny smell gradually fades away. I'm left with a sort of worn leather, faintly coffee, faintly pastrylike scent that reminds me very VERY much of the book shop/coffeehouse in Michigan I used to spend cold wintery nights in, drinking coffee and trying to pretend it wasn't below zero outside.

 

For me, it really is kind of a 'mnemosyne' since it does evoke memories for me, and I consider it much more of a success than the catalog MU. I -do- wish I didn't have to sit through that icky corn-nuts stage at the beginning, but it doesn't last, so that's something. Overall, I'd consider it a fairly masculine blend, although more the sort that wears little round glasses and a turtleneck sweater instead of Manly Men Doing Manly Things.

Edited November 11, 2012 by Nachtwulf

[Dark Alice]

Coffee, lovely cologne, books, and leather. This is what I get. I smell so damn good I get compliments on this often. It's one of the few bottles this year that is worthy of a back up.

[brilliantcat]

Imp: Coffee, true coffee and not a sweetened up version. This is black coffee, the scent of the grounds as you're pulverizing them. Unf. I catch a hint of something green and perhaps almost herbally lurking under the coffee... the oak?

 

Wet: On me it smells essentially the same. This one is pretty foody but that hint of woods holds it back. It's definitely not sweet. I'm kind of in love already.

 

Dry: Wait. What happened?! The cologne has shown its unwanted face. I could cry Dare I hope that someday there will be a Black Coffee SN?

[Numanoid]

In decant: Smells like a lovely Pumpkin Latte...almost a softer version of the P.L. release

 

On Skin: Pumpkin fades immediately... turns to cologne on me, but it is a soft cologne, good throw.

 

Hour later: Still is true to the cologne scent...it is like a bottle of it was spilled on an oak table months ago! It is nice, but I think, for my tastes, this would be nice on a guy! Not for me.

[patina]

This is a good pumpkin latte. There's more oak than latte, but I happen to like oak. I also get a musky scent and cologne, but, while the cologne would smell good on a guy, I think it's something I could pull off as well. It helps that the pumpkin spice sweetens everything up.

 

I'm not sure if I want a bottle, but this is a nice, cozy scent. Misketonic U. didn't work on me since it turned into milk, mushrooms and wood. The spice in this one keeps it from going bad on me. It isn't terribly strong after drydown though.

[tharsei-thanate]

When I went to NYCC, this was one of the first blends I tried. On my skin it smelled deliciously sweet, a tad green, a bit woody, and there was a hint of cologne. It was amaaaazing. I bought a bottle and I was the happiest girl in the world.

 

But then I tried it on the next day, just a little dab, and what did I get? Acrid smoke and dust. And it wasn’t a nice dust like the dust notes you get in other blends, this was like actual dust, the sort of dust you find under your bed or behind the couch and it makes your throat itch and you can’t stop sneezing. It was like someone took dust bunnies and shoved them in the bottle and shook it around to blend it. I had a massive negative reaction. Still, I put the bottle on my perfume shelf and told myself I should let it age and try again.

 

First I let it age a week, and when I tried it again it was the same. I almost made a sales page just for this blend right then and there but I stayed my hand. It’s been about a month since then. Let’s give it another go.

 

In the bottle: Eugh, smoke and dust. So gross. Skin, you better rectify this.

 

Wet: Still acrid smoke and dust, but with something pleasant breaking through, thank goodness.

 

Drydown: There’s that sweetness I fell in love with! Finally! The dust and smoke have faded significantly but I still feel they’re there, whiiich I’m not too pleased with. I think it might just be a psychosomatic sort of thing (if that's even the right word to use), but recognizing it as such isn't making the feeling go away. Boooo.

 

Dry: The sweetness deepens and there’s a rich sort of woody edge to it now. But there’s also plastic, much like the type I experienced in Miskatonic University. That plastic ruined MU for me. It might be the coffee, or hazelnut.

 

Further on: It gets much warmer, the sweetness is still hanging out, the oak is still richly lingering, and the smokiness comes back a little but it’s not death like in the bottle and wet- it’s actually pretty pleasant. Almost flavorful. I think I’m catching the latte, too. Like, foamed milk. Yum. However, like with the smoke/dust earlier, I can still feel the plastic in there and it’s kinda ruining everything. >:-(

 

I'm not sure how I feel about this one now that I've done a proper test. That gross smoke/dust combo and the dread Miskatonic plastic are playing mind games with me. The blend isn't all that bad in the end, really, but I'm not sure if this is worth keeping in the long run.

 

You know what, I'll keep it for now but if those death notes don't take a hike by Halloweenie season next year then this is getting swapped or sold.

 

[EDIT]

 

Last tried this in November- now it's March and wow, what a change! This is richer now, with no plastic and minimal dust. But I don't think it's really *me*. Also, it's getting a bit less pleasant at it dries. Still way better than it was in November, that's for sure!

Edited March 2, 2013 by tharsei-thanate

[lamenteuse]

In the bottle: books, wood, cologne, and a spicy/maybe pumpkiny scent.

 

On the skin: mmmmmm, perfect! Deep cologne is in the way back, but there's a lot of spice and books! A coffee scent is there, but for me it's very faint. Pumpkin is there, but not as much as I would like. I love it, but that might just be because it's a Lovecraft theme.

[Little Bird]

This reminds me more of Pumpkin Latte than Miskatonic University - roasted, almost burnt smelling coffee and lots of spices, only here it has an undertone of clean musk, sharp greenery and powdery woods on my skin. I don't really like the mix of spice + clean on me. After an hour, it's mostly a faint, clean, musky cologne smell.

[hackess]

Bottle: Pumpkin spice syrup drizzled over an extra-strong latte. I want to lick the bottle.

 

Skin: I want to lick my wrist. This is Spanked Lite. It's sex with a handsome doctoral candidate on an hardwood table, surrounded by old volumes with illegible spines and yellowing pages, until the shocked librarian ventures into the stacks to shush you for making too much noise. You've lost a shoe and half the buttons are missing from his shirt, having rolled into dusty dark corners after you pulled it open rather forcefully in your haste.

 

In sum, on the right guy, this would be absolutely irresistible. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to the college library.

[mistressfizz]

Sniff: Waffles!

 

Wet: Yeah, on me this smells like waffles covered in sweet maple syrup and a big mug of pumpkin latte on the side. There’s also an undercurrent of dark spicy tones, like clove or maybe even tobacco, a bit gritty and ashy.

 

Dry: Stays pretty much the same, sugary waffles and pumpkin coffee, over an earthy base. An interesting blend, with just the right amount of musky mystery behind a comforting foodie layer.

[mymymai]

ITB: Well, that certainly does smell like a touch of men's cologne and something similar to a pumpkin latte. It's fairly yummy.

 

Wet: Spicy (clove, nutmeg, allspice), creamy pumpkin, a touch of light coffee and a faint hint of cologne...so faint that I really have to concentrate to pick it up.

 

Dry: As it begins to dry, I seem to pick up cigar smoke and a touch of berries with my spiced pumpkin latte.

[porcelina]

oooh this is so nice. pumpkin spice and creamy coffee spilled over polished woods with maybe the barest trace of cologne- combined with the wood, this is just enough to take it out of foodie territory and into wearable territory for me (i don't wear foodies very well). this scent actually reminds me of being in college, and one particular day that i stayed late studying at the library until my then-boyfriend, now-husband came to pick me up for the evening's festivities, because it just so happened to be halloween! it's funny how that works.

[BuxomM]

polished wood, a hint of cologne and a touch of spice. each time I sniff I focus on a different note

[aquazoo]

Pumpkin Lattes show up first — lucky for me it’s pumpkin chai. It’s a lot prettier than I expected. Tasty, a foodie scent that works for me!

[Deceitfuldescender]

This dries down quite nice on me. Wood with a hint of old paper. A heady dose of nonoverwhelming cologne and just the tiniest whiff of pumpkin latte. This is masculine but oddly comforting. I keep waffling back and forth if I should keep or not.

[bellumed]

Foodie with just a hint of something bitter. On my skin, it’s more specifically pumpkin and coffee. Not especially sweet. On drydown, lightly woody, then the cologne comes creeping out. I can see where people are getting “salty,” yes. Dry, wooden, and with slightly bitter coffee. I would call it unisex, maybe a touch masculine.