Terralba

Masque Milano’s line is divided into four “acts” of increasing complexity; this is how they were introduced to me by director Alessandro Brun during an event at Perfumology. Terralba is the first perfume from the first act (hence the “I:I” on the front of the bottle and the top of the rubber cap), so in that respect, it’s among the most accessible and perhaps easily satisfying of the line, though it’s quite interesting and nuanced to me. The inspiration behind Terralba is the coast of Sardinia, the marine smells mixing with the terrestrial. It does very effectively what I like in a handful of other fragrances: it’s a marine smell that has hints of dirtiness. Its opening is what I find most distinctive, the blast of fresh citruses and dirty green clary sage, which evolves into a floral, herbal heart of myrtle and thyme and then into a woody base of juniper, cypress, and cedarwood. It’s really on-target for me in terms of conjuring an island coast, the richness of the vegetation at play with some of aquatic whiffs, somewhere at the intersection of fresh and dirty. The bottle is especially lovely and practical amongst niche designs. Practical innovations included the bottom-heavy design of the bottle, rubber composition of the cap, notation of the act and fragrance number on bottle and cap, and custom image (designed by Alex’s students) for each fragrance. The overall feel of the design is personal and lovely, and it’s among my very favorites. I’m rarely so enthusiastic about presentation but Masque Milano’s looks and feels like true artwork. Terralba is the first I (and probably numerous others) smelled from the line and it was so obviously an instant winner for me. I more naturally gravitate toward heavier, more wintery fragrances, so I’m always keen to find more unique warm-weather-friendly offerings that pique my interest, and Terralba is a great offering that I don’t feel is at all redundant with what I own and what’s widely available in the market. I look forward to sampling the rest of the line, as well—Montecristo and Tango were my two other favorites from the initial smelling during the intro at Perfumology. 8 out of 10

Terralba reminds me of the time I was hiking my favorite trail and I spotted a bench carved out of a huge log. Some sap was leaking out, and it had hardened in the cool mountian air. I could not resist the tears of clear amber. I picked one off and thought, "Mmmm delicious!" and I popped it right into my mouth. Bad idea. It tasted like Mentholatum and made my mouth numb. I took it home to burn as incense. This perfume is uber green. Thankfully it is not nearly so camphorous as that tree sap I ate, but it certainly contains a camphorous element. It smells like conifer forests during the winter months. Brings me back to the breathtaking pine-covered canyons of the Willamette Valley in Oregon. There is no sweetness to be found here, except for what I perceive to be the faintest touch of tangerine. Terralba is the ultimate green, resinous, woody, herbal-aromatic perfume. The drydown aftter several hours seems like 100% lentisque. Leans a little masculine and reminds me a bit of men's cologne, but I think the right lady can pull it off. If you are looking for lentisque, this is well-done!

Terralba is a savory green. A lemon sorbet and cool clary sage lead into the seasoned herbs and sea air inflected conifers—I detect something that does recall Cupressus sempervirens oil. I also pick up the sweet, woody camphor of myrtle. While I haven't yet had the pleasure of experiencing the Mediterranean, I feel it would be safe to say this is evocative of its atmosphere, somehow balmy, breezy, and effervescent all at once. The mastic resin lends its own olibanum-gone-green, arid, sour balsam presence to this climate. What's most striking, however, is how all its camphor green and jaunty brightness transmogrifies into a salty perspiration and lightly smoldering grass, curry-tinged, sun-baked skin. It's this pungency in layers that wins me over, smelling like the color yellow, feeling like steamy warm bodies and sand dune vegetation. Terralba is by the ocean, but never quite of the ocean, which is refreshing in that it avoids falling into any blunt aquatic tropes. It's low key sexy in a "summer rustle in the shore pines, nobody has to know" sort of way.

As a virgin to the Masque line of fragrances I was not sure quite what to expect. My first experience being with the formidable "Terralba". As my nose is usually drawn to citrus, spicy, and woody scents, I had pretty high expectations after reading the include fragrance notes. I was most certainly not disappointed. The citrus opening is quite refreshing, with sunny notes of lemon and green tangerine. Clary sage, curry leaves and peppery thyme are noted here as well, offering spice to the hedoine accord. Gently the resinous, green, pungent lentisque note enters and dominates. It is balanced nicely with woody facets of cedar, juniper, cypress, and myrtle. Imagine a dry arid cliff along the Mediterranean Sea, punctuated with evergreens growing between the rocks. The hot summer sun causing the leaves to resonate with fragrance while a gentle breeze brings fresh sea air to your nose. A must "smell" fragrance. (122).

Oh, my! This was totally blind buy, but this was certanly no mistake! Some would say I smell like a dude😉, but I really don't care. This is the most natural herbal scent I have ever smelled in my whole life. No aquatic notes, no florals, not even citruses (if those bittery notes are citruses, then so be it) . Just wonderful herbs! Cold day in the forest in the spring. Sap from a pine tree. Moss. Thyme and sage. Wet ground. Excellent perfume. 10/10

I purchased this a few years ago and enjoyed it. Then I kind of forgot about it until I tried it again. Excellent I would say! A bitter lemony-herbal fragrance with a rich resinous base that is neither dark nor heavy but light. The resins give depth and duration to the fragrance. It works very well in warm weather and is clearly unisex.

Discreet and criminally underrated excellent MM quality

After the big surprise of Montecristo, I felt more than intrigued to explore the rest of the Masque's line and I've to say Terralba was another winner. In a nutshell, it strikes as a less minimalistic version of Sel Marin mashed up with Fleurs De Sel and with some extra potency. Terralba shares the same salty woody citrusy aspect of the Heeley but it's enriched by some mediterranean aromatic herbs such as mirtle, juniper, clary sage and thyme which enhance the overall summery vibe and drive the fragrance towards more complex territories. Notes list also immortelle but it's neither dominant nor prominent at all. It sort of lurks in the back providing a little extra body while, at the same time, concurring to remarkably extend longevity. The woods are smooth, resiny and sort of warm as opposed to angular and sharp. So, aromatic, woody, salty and summery but NOT aquatic. More of a walk on the Sardinian / Corse sand dunes on a hot mid-summer day, than a day at the beach. In this context, the fragrance feels also very vegetal and resinous. Green, brown and yellow with white undertones. Quite a different beast from Montecristo. Totally at the opposite, If I've to be honest, but nonetheless unique and extremely nice. If you like absolutely non-sweet stuff, smooth woods, herbal fragrances and salty nouances, give this a shot. A few keywords: Sel Marin, Eau D'Ikar, Harmatan Noir, Fleurs De Sel, L'Humaniste. Terralba, just like Montecristo, was composed by Delphine Thierry. Rating: 7.5/10

Outdoorsy, dry, very very herbal citrus which cycles fast into a more resinous woody (but still with heavy herbal overtones) in almost no time. A wonderful smellscape - walking among the cliffs and dunes through clumps of Mediterranean herbs which surge and throb as you brush past them - and beautifully done with loads of organic detail. That leafy-woody-aromatic facet really surges a couple of hours in, and very honestly and classily too - I shuddered to read 'curry leaf' on here, but it turns out to be just one note in a whole herbal bouquet, rather than an overwhelming food-curry smell. (Thankfully I don't get a lot of the immortelle either - just as well as it can sabotage a whole composition for me if it's not kept in check. ) So Terralba is high-concept, high-quality stuff; it pulls off the trick of seeming opulent as well as true. But overall performance is poor - almost completely gone in three hours on me - and price and availability both intimidating. Is it possible to feel both impressed and slightly disappointed at once? Because that's where this one left me. .

Given the seemingly inventive narrative of the description of this perfume you’d justifiably raise an eyebrow while reading it, but I’m very happy to say that the description is spot on in my opinion. I get the spicy, herbal (curry leaf) aspects, the dry dusty rocks and the warmed aquatic notes all at once, jostling for position with each other. It’s a refreshing yet slightly dirty scent, brimming with interest and is quite transportive to whichever Mediterranean island it’s based upon. It comes alive in hot weather, perfectly mimicking the mix of smells you get in hot, dry climates. Superbly constructed and crafted as with all Masque Milano’s. Love it!

This is very green and very wearable. Tends to fade a little fast and isn't high in projection. It makes up for this in being pleasant. I'm not sure if it fits the goal of being at the Mediterranean with shrubland behind you. It is very clearly a woodsy green scent which it pulls of well but there really isn't much in the way of "sea". And I think that's more than fine. Interestingly despite a fairly high rating from me it doesn't feel like a buy.

Terralba is a light scent, evocative of the Mediterranean. There’s some juicy citrus in the top, with a substantial woody herbal base that sticks around and doesn’t get too harshly synthetic. This kind of citrus-and-cypress summer scent is always delightful but you only really need one, and Terralba isn’t clearly ahead of, say, Un Jardin en Mediterranee or O de Lancôme.

This one is just seductive. On my skin, the curry comes through with a vengeance. I can pick up on the citrus and herbs in a sort of tertiary way, but, on me, this is pure, deep, wild spice. It's not quite right for me, personally, but I'm a fan.

First sampled it years ago in the old (bigger) packaging and was so impressed with the quality I considered a bottle (I was on a gin/juniper hunt); nowadays it's not that special or worth the mark up though.

Fresh green leafy vegetal spice with some sharp unsweet lemon Crisp and clean, almost medicinal. Very nice herbal green sticky steamy leafy frag. Quality is good. I don't get the Indian food vibe. 8/10

unique unisex freshy good smell scent with mod perf sillage, green citrus and curry

Sexy citronella. Kinda smells like huffing cleaning chemicals, but in a good way?

Just a little too much vegetables. I suspect it's the curry tree grabbing attention. Otherwise pretty, green smell.

Soft aromatics and citrus. I smell vetiver. I'm retesting today and it leans masculine. - Reminds me of Timbuktu.

Welp, I guess suckers are born every minute and I was suckered and lured by the fancy looking bottle. Last I checked, a fragrance lasting 3 hours was a felony. This is definitely a "been there done that and cant believe they are doing it again" kind of fragrance. I found this to be light piney and slightly curry. Is there a such thing as a fragrance smelling like the color yellow?..Or maybe yellow crosses my mind when sniffing Terralba. The peppery note was like a hissing radiator and depending on which way the wind blows, you can smell some leather. Can't deny the Bang moments, Marc Jacobs that is.