New Fragrance Review: Masque Milano Times Square (Bruno Jovanovic) and Mandala (Christian Carbonnel) + Across the Perfume Universe Draw

Image taken from the film Earth by the BBC©

Stand on 42nd Street and ask a New Yorker what the center of the universe you will likely hear “look around you.” Once the seediest strip of real estate this side of the East River, Times Square, smack in the middle of Manhattan, is still the sun around which the city orbits. Huge billboards, raucous noise, throngs of people – everything about Times Square is outsized. And never more so than in the decades before it got prettied up for the tourists.

Times Square store, 1980s, stock photo

Masque Milano’s Times Square captures the gaudy naughtiness of the strip of sin in the big-haired 1990s, all glossy red lips and noisy stilettos. Times Square bursts onto the scene with a wallop of crack violet: a big, saturated purple explosion – like someone stuck the flower next to the amps at a Van Halen concert. Paired with a neon rose the size of a subway train and some bosomy tuberose, the violet-laden opening notes rapidly tumbles into a Kool-Aid-raspberry sorbet-department store lipstick accord: fizzy, plasticky-sweet, fake-fruity, a bit powdery and immediately addictive.

Wigs at Nicholas Piazza's studio in Manhattan, photo by Demetrius Freeman for the New York Times©

Then, somewhere in the middle, everything calms down a bit. A really lovely lipstick rose emerges from underneath the glitz of the opening, and the restraining hand of osmanthus and sandalwood help rein everything in.

Dianne Brill, 1980s©

Times Square is the Dianne Brill of perfumes: over-the-top, bubblegum-smacking sassy. It is weirdly, artificially delicious in the way pixy sticks were, and as feminine as a pair of hot red Candies slides on a ponytailed blonde. Leave it to Masque Milano to make trashy fun to wear and rather beautiful. Notes: Hazelnut Accord, Glossy Lipstick Accord, Osmanthus, Tuberose, Sandalwood, Gajacwood, Styrax.

Heart and soul nebula of Cassiopeia, photo by David Lindeman©

Mandala, in contrast, is the universe writ large. A sweepingly baroque fragrance, Mandala fits perfectly into Masque Milano’s line of assertive, intelligent fragrances where unusual notes and their well-conceived back stories fit together like the gloves on a slender arm.

Mandala of Amitayus, 19th century Tibetan school©

In Hindu and Buddhist tradition, a mandala is a symbol of the cosmos, often depicted as a square with four T-shaped gates containing a circle with central point.  Masque Milano Creative Directors Alessandro Brun and Riccardo Tedeschi were inspired by monastic tonal chanting, where two notes are sung simultaneously by the same voice. Tedeschi and Brun worked extensively with perfumer Christian Carbonnel to develop Mandala, and the concept of two different but complementary strands running alongside informs Carbonnel’s composition noticeably; a deep baritone of incense and spice hums in parallel to a tenor harmony of woods and herbal notes.

Monk chanting and praying in Samye Monastery, Tibet, January 2011, photo by Erik©

Mandala opens with a big bang of cloves, cinnamon and frankincense that floats outwards like a spiced red nebula.  A few moments later, a soft trill of sweet angelica floats above the weightiness of the incense and spice. While ambergris is listed as a base note, I find it very prominent in Mandala’s early stages.  Its immediate, sharp astringency gives an impression of bitter herbs and lifts the wood notes and oakmoss. It adds a bright counterpoint to the richness of the incense and baking spices of the parallel accord.

Photo Milky Way over Spencer Bay, Moosehead Lake, Maine by Aaron Priest©

Mandala is a big fragrance; not in the sense of the 80s bombshells like Poison and White Diamonds, which doused their wearers with enough fleshy florals to start a greenhouse, but expansive, opulent, assertive. As it dries down – many hours later – the herbal-woods and incense-spice bouquets marry, becoming a spicy incense fragrance with herbal undertones.

What is the perfume of the universe?  It depends on what your universe is.

Notes: Frankincense, Nutmeg, Angelica, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves, Cistus, Cedar, Incense, Myrrh, Sandalwood, Oakmoss, Tincture of Natural Ambergris. The sillage on this one is impressive – Mandala is not something to wear in an elevator at rush hour.

Disclaimer: samples provided by Masque Milano at Esxence 2017. Opinions are my own.

— Lauryn Beer, Editor

Riccardo Tedeschi,Cristiano Canali, Christian Carbonell, Luca Maffei and Alessandro Brun at Esxence 2017 (via Masque Milano)

Editor’s Note: Be sure to watch Sr. Contributor Sebastian Jara’s Interview with Alessandro and Riccardo  Live from Esxence 2017 here

Samples of Times Square and Mandala, photo by Michelyn

Thanks to the generosity of Masque Milano, we have avant premier(2 x2ml) samples sets of Times Square and Mandala to give away to 3 registered readers worldwide. To be eligible, please comment on what appeals to you about Mandala and Times Square based on Lauryn’s review, where you live and if you have a favorite Masque Milano perfume. What or where is the perfume center of your universe? Draw closes 06/11/2017.

Follow us on Instagram @cafleurebon and @masquemilano

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option … or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

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19 comments

  • ntabassum92 says:

    Beautiful reviews of two beautiful and totally different fragrances. I like how Lauryn shows their differences through the examples of viewing the universe – from the center and from afar. I am in the US. I have never tried a Masque Milano perfume. The perfume center of my universe is the flower garden in the front yard of my home. Any floral scent takes me straight there.

  • BostonScentGuy says:

    Love these reviews of what sound like totally different worlds. “Trashy-fun” is intriguing to spectate/sample, but I definitely feel Mandala would be more my speed. I’d be really interested to wear mandala and to experience the weird confluence of notes that is Times Square. My perfume center is probably somewhere in the woods, smelling of dirt, greenery, wood, coumarinic grasses, and some human/animal elements. I’ve enjoyed many Masque Milano scents, including Russian Tea (my favorite tea scent every), Montecristo, and the overwhelming but intriguing Romanza. I’m in the US. Thanks for the draw!

  • NiceVULady says:

    Its fun thinking about something designed to be over the top. Its a different view of the universe to be sure. I do like the concept of Mandala. The notes speak to me at a very basic level. I’ve only ever smelled Tango which I liked a lot. The perfume center of my universe would have been my rose garden with 30 rose bushes. Thanks for the draw. I live in the USA

  • tiffanie says:

    Thank you to Lauryn for juxtaposing these scents. I am imagining how they are both vivid and deep, yet they occupy polar opposite positions in the scent universe. One knee-deep is in camp and flash, the other suffused with timeless wonder. Marvelous. I am in the US and adore Romanza. When I imagine the center of the perfume universe I return in my mind to Sephora Champs-Élysées in Paris.

  • Sara says:

    Lovely review. I would love to try mandala. I live in the us and my fave MM is romanza. I love the mandala backstory and compelling notes. Thank you.

  • Cynthia says:

    These sound crazy different! Not sure which would appeal more so I’d love to sample! Thanks for the review and draw. USA

  • karo says:

    What appeals to me the most in this review is the lipstick accord in Time’s Square and the loudness and note breakdown of Mandala. I’m in the US. L’Attessa is my favorite Masque. My fragrance universe would have to be the Internet. Including Facebook, Cafleurbon, Fragrantica, and all the stores where I make my purchases. Thank you so much.

  • Vahagn says:

    Thank you Lauryn for nice review.
    Really thay are two beautiful and totally different fragrances. The I would like to test them. I tested Masque’s some fragrances in Yerevan Cosmotheca bоutique and especially liked Montecristo. Unfortunatly thay had not Romanza and L`Attesa.
    My fragrance universe are 3 beautiful perfume-boutique in Yerevan, botanic garden near by Black Sea in Georgia. But also have other universes in Paris (Jovoy Paris, other shops).
    I’m from Armenia

  • philippe says:

    I think I will prefer Mandala, but both need to be discovered. Favorites are Tango, Romanza, L’Attesa. Hopefully I have bought a 100 ml flacon of Tango, which is much “cheaper” than the 35 ml flacon 😉
    I live in EU.

  • andrei.np says:

    Even though I’m a man, I love lipsticky scent. DH line, lipstick rose, misia, valentino donna, moulin rouge etc. I’d love to give Times Square a try! As for Mandala, I like incense fragrances because they are alming to me (at least the ones that are, there are harsh incense fragrances). so I’d like to try that as well for that reason 🙂

    I haven’t tried any fragrance from their releases, as they aren’t available in Ro (to my knowledge). oh, and I live in Romania 🙂 thanks for the giveaway!

  • Gypsy Parfumista says:

    What appeals to me is how Lauryn said Times Square opens with a “wallop of crack violet…” and how the Mandala is the universe writ large but still fits the MM style of perfumes and backstories that fit together like a soft slender arm in a glove.

    I am a US resident.

    Of the Masque Milano perfumes I have tried Montecristo is my favorite (though I long to try L’Atessa, Tango and Rusiian Tea).

    The perfumed center of my Universe is majmua attar the first aroma (worn as perfume and burned as incense) which predated and “perfume” or “cologne”. I feel it is the reason (even today) I favor dark woody and floral incense perfumes over fresher ones…

    Thanks to all who made this possible! Bright blessings

  • Anna Egeria says:

    Times Square appeals to me with it’s big saturated purple explosion of violet because I’m a violet lover. Romanza is my favorite Masque Milano fragrance. The center of my perfume universe is my gardens. I’m in the US and thank you for this draw.

  • Dubaiscents says:

    Both of these sound amazing because of how different they seem from each other. I have not found one Masque Milano that I haven’t liked and it seems that these will be another two to add to my list of loves. My favorite of the line is the one I purchased, Russian Tea. The center of my perfume universe is, conveniently, where I live, the UAE. Where perfumes from both East and West are so easily found. Thanks for the draw!

  • MichelleU says:

    Both scents seem very creative and interesting.

    Favorite part of the review “Mandala opens with a big bang of cloves, cinnamon and frankincense that floats outwards like a spiced red nebula.”

    The centre of my perfume universe of my life is Cafleurebon with its amazing reviews and amazing giveaways.

    I am a reader from the EU! Wsh you all the best!

  • aurora_ru says:

    I really enjoyed reading this review, it was very delicious!! Now I can not wait to try out these 2 new scents, especially I want to feel that lipstick-bubblegum accord! My favorite Masque fragrance is TANGO. The Center of my Universe is my body and the Center of my perfume Univers is always oriented towards my inner feelings. If I feel it, then it is close to my Center. If I don’t feel it, then it’s from another galaxies and dimentions. Thank you for the opportunity, please include me in the draw, I live in the EU.

  • tarena says:

    So cool how these two fragrances are so wildly different. It’s very fitting for an Across the Universe theme, while also displaying Masque Milano’s versatility in their line. I think Times Square sounds great – that plasticky sweet/kool-aid vibe is weirdly alluring. These kind of fragrances always remind me of my childhood dolls, like the scented strawberry shortcake ones. I haven’t tried anything from Masque Milano yet, and I’m not sure what my perfume center of the universe is.. I’ll have to think on that for a bit. In the US!

  • doveskylark says:

    I am very curious about Times Square. I remember Times Square in the early 1980s. It was still seedy, gritty, and x-rated. Oh, how I miss it! Yes, I am one of those boring people who go on about the NYC of yesteryear, and how much better it was before it became Disneyfied
    Mandala has cloves and frankincense, two notes I love so much.
    My favorite Masque Milano is Montecristo.
    My perfume center is any flea market where I search for vintage fragrances.
    I live in the USA.

  • Greg Sh says:

    I have never tried anything from MM but have always looked at it as a very very good house. I look forward to trying some of their offerings in the future. I’m in Canada and thanks for the draw!