Times Square

Reviewing a bottle from 2025. Times Square was launched in 2017 This is a unique floral leather fragrance that glorifies it's contrasts. Times Square opens with violet rose followed by a non distinct floral accord. The hazelnut is not detectable but there is definite fruitness which is not listed. Soon tuberose and a leathery osmanthus take over. This creates a patent leather almost vinyl accord similar to another floral osmanthus fragrance Cuir de Chine. Times Square has a lot more going on and comes across more chaotic than the more restrained Cuir de Chine. Times Square is maximalist. It shouts with more synthetic accords, more fruit, more intense florals as well as a more prominent base consisting of balsamic woods. I love them both but for different moods and occasions. I can see how both can be challenging so must sample. Quality -4/5excellent Unisex- leans slightly feminine Quality- excellent - 4/5 good projection, lasts 6-8 hours A suprisingly wearable and really nice fruity floral leather. Does this remind me of NYC? Sort of - on the one hand it is too pretty, lacks smoke, exhaust and the ubiquititous food carts, but then again, it is full of strange contrasts and has much "muchness" which surely sums up NYC. 7/10

intoxicating and strong like insolece EDP, it suffocates at first until you get to know it, it is packed with violettes but not as powdery and monolitic as in insolence, here its much more going on: tuberose and fruity notes make it sweeter and as femminine as insolence. There is some off note that i dont like this much it must be labdanum which at the same time makes it more mature: insolence that turned 45:) But definitely very feminine perfume and not for the faint-hearted people.Yes deffinately more "busy" then insolence :)....it is more fruity, yellow powdery not like clean powder note and that labdanum note makes it intoxicating.......i find it 5 times more interesting then insolence its not too strong as you may think from the start it envelopes you as a nice sweet veil...i am so much surprised by this scent how it performs its very wearable! it reminds me of some hot dry place with sophisticated leather jacket :) very sexy too, and nobody will smell like this...i applaud to the uniqueness of this beauty

From one of the rare males who wears this as a male fragrance: I absolutely love this fragrance. It's unbelievably complex, but for me the main note is the strawberry mentioned by Bruno in his brand release, even if there's no actual strawberry note in the composition. But unlike actual strawberry gum, which often smells cheap and preservative-laden - this strawberry scent is overlaid by all the richness of the city, the florals in the head/heart notes, and the subtle woodiness of the base notes. This fragrance uses an actual lipstick gloss accord note as well, which contributes a uniqueness to the scent. It's absolutely bizarre for me to think that as a male I'm wearing a fragrance with a gloss lipstick note - but an ex-model friend of mine said she believes it works well for men as well, that it reminds her of a musky male at a cabaret, covered in smells of gum and lipstick from the performers. Brilliant fragrance. I hope I get to tell Mr. Jovanovic so one day!

of all Masque's offering, it took me a few solid tries to understand (and like and purchase) this one. first try was confusing, second try was still confusing... after i nearly finished my vial, then... ahhh! now i understand. this scent is noisy (if scent can produce any sound). there's so many things going around! there's waxy iris-violet lipstick, creaminess, florals and... the most dominant note of this creation: sweet tiny blinking yellow osmanthus. i feel like this scent belongs to a fun club, not posh one, but the one where everyone dances and having fun. you smell many different perfume worn by many people. and totally understand why some wouldnt be too smitten with this one. but hey, i like it! from time to time i want some fun noise in my life.

In the same vein of Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose, Chanel Misia and Guerlain Insolence. In fact, if you put the four in a scent lineup, it would be a real challenge to identify each fragrance... IF you smell them in the dry-down phase. The openings are the big difference and I can understand how some people might be concerned when they immediately spray Times Square. It can appear quite abrasive before you’re able to appreciate the true beauty of the scent, which nails the vision for this perfume. I really love it. For the price though, I’d probably choose Lipstick Rose or Misia. They’re all in the same ballpark scent and price wise, so for me it would come down to brand loyalty.

This is very much at first about violet and osmanthus on my skin. A delicate scent. I'm relieved the styrax remains low key on me. My skin normally amps it up. It smells like a sunny, early spring day when the violets are just appearing. Further down the timeline and the styrax starts to become more prominent. I now get more of the tuberose and some rose. The violets and osmanthus have all but gone. It is now a much damper, a heavier scent staying close to my skin. It's a pleasant scent but nothing special. I've smelt other very similar scents. I get good longevity and moderate sillage.

Opens with a clash of violets and hot rubber! Not fresh, clean, violets but dusty violets discarded and left to die on a busy pavement. Eventually it mellows into a lovely, warm, leathery middle section which almost reminded me of my favourite perfume - Chanel's Cuir de Russie - but with much less refinement and sophistication. It's almost like standing in the chaos of Times Square and catching a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower in the far distance! At the end, the rose comes through and it turns powdery. This is a really exciting find for me, I absolutely loved it!

Fruity leathery violet, very natural and high in concentration it seems. Styrax really prevents it from being a full blown feminine scent. I'd love it for the Summer without that grounding. This way it's kind of serious and mildly heavy, but nevertheless it's a very original take on what may be a popular theme. It kind of smells like a fruity violet sprayed inside a patent leather shoe, or a furniture store. I sense no rose but maybe some very light tuberose. It's very well put together!

Basically what I said two weeks ago... The violet here is one of the rawest, unmodified I have ever experienced. It's backed with a sweet floral, and whilst it is indeed beautiful, it needs a stronger, punchier counter-balance to anchor the scent. This unfortunately comes across as top only without enough mid and base to carry it through. Still beautiful, though...

I agree with the rewiev below but there is an important difference between theese parfumes: Times Square lasts much more longer and it has much bigger sillage-and this is a very important point for me. And I think Masque Milano is a little dirty-szexy in a very good way, not just an elegant make up scent. Definetly FB worthy for autumn, winter and spring.

Times Square smells like lipstick, leather, asphalt streets, cigaretteboxes, rose and violets. I'm not sure how much I enjoy it, but it certainly managed to create a vivid imagery of a frantic city that never sleeps. - Oh my my, but this is lovely, addictive! It just took a fortnight for me to fall in love with it. 💜🎉

A lovely soft and dainty violet-centred scent. Me, personally, I'm a huge fan of dirty, messy violets, and this is unfortunately not just that. I wish it was, truth be told, but it's a largely sweet and beautiful floral scent. Still gorgeous, just not for me...

This is the fragrance I want to spray all over my body and soul. The opening is so powdery and rubbery at the same time, That lipstick note thou... it's magnificent. I can almost see an exact inspiration of this fragrance. I'm about to buy a second bottle.

@cedric.fichtner - Twisted Lily, Brooklyn (and online) carries it. I just received my sample from them. It's a fascinating scent. I just sprayed some on, so I have to live with a while, but I'm very much liking it so far.

Gorgeous!!!! Totally in love!!! Brilliant work

I recently got a little sample of this and this is my third test drive, so to say. The opening of Times Square pretty much slaps you right in the face with nicotine-stained fingers along with a strong salty vibe. Looking at the creative note it seems someone holding a pretzel is supposed to be part of the inspiration? Okay, pretzel it is then, I guess. There's also something smokey and at the same time soapy in the opening. It's very expressive, creative, edgy, certainly not mass-appealing in this first phase. Tbh I am not really a fan of the opening. Then entering into the dry down the saltiness and smokyness calms down quite a bit and gives way to a well-rounded violet accord with waxy undertones. Makeup-y, lipstick-y, but actually quite pleasing, and there is still an underlying leathery vibe, like a big old well-loved expensive women's purse that has been carrying a lady's powder and lipstick as well as a pack of cigs around for the last 2 decades. I actually like this drydown. It really makes me feel of when you sit down in a warm café in fall and open your trusty purse to remove your wallet, that familiar scent of your things and your bag that wafts up at you. It's still very non-mass-appeal, non-designer, non-conforming, but very wearable at the same time. I feel I could kind of dig this in cooler weather, especially in fall. Btw. even if the opening could easily be masculine, I do find the drydown clearly feminine leaning. I personally cannot picture the guy who can pull off this vibe, which is not to say he doesn't exist! One last thing I would like to mention is that as expressive and edgy the opening may be, as polite and intimate I find the drydown. It's at the end of the day really not that loud of a fragrance. It's like one of those people who are really foul-mouthed and noisy when you first meet them, but once you get to sit down with them they quiet down and have the most calm and grounded conversation with you. Anyway, it certainly won't be everybody's cup of tea. I'm not even sure it's really mine. I certainly wouldn't pay the asking price for it (or would I?). But I kind of get the creative idea behind it and feel fortunate to have been given the sample with another purchase so I could get a chance to experience it. A solid like for now.

I kind of get the “big city” reference... what I don’t understand are the violets... why are there so many violets in this perfume? Masque Milano speaks about the “stink” of New York city, which is beautifully replicated in a lovely dirty/animalic bottom... but where are the rest of the scents described in the background story?... Where are the cherry and strawberry? Where is the saltiness of the pretzel? Or the cinnamon and the caramel? And again... why are there a million violets in it??? If instead, the story spoke about a “whore” (Masque Milano’s word, not mine) who wears a cheap violet perfume while walking down the filthy streets of any big city... not necessarily NY... then I would completely understand this scent... but that’s not the story. The story is very specifically about New York City, and how it reeks of exhaust gas, street food and urine —why would that smell inspire a perfume is beyond me, but let us continue— it’s also about three specific and very different types of women, a fashionista, a whore, and a bachelorette... non of whom are wearing violets... and in fact are specifically described as having or being around very specific scents, scents that are completely different from those found in this perfume... it is a very weird choice of backstory, and it has little to nothing to do with this scent. Backstory aside, this is a really lovely perfume, Violets are front and center, with an amazing Osmanthus aura enveloping the fragrance, and a very deep Sandalwood, Guaiac Wood, Styrax, bottom. An interesting composition that ends up being both alluring and intriguing. And yes, as someone said before... it is reminiscent of Canel’s violet gum (Chiclets in Mexico), but in a really good way. This perfume leans more feminine, and it can be worn in any weather. Projection is moderate, and longevity is around 5 hours. As a preference, I would have dialed down on the violets... a lot.

This is my first experience with this house. It reminds me a bit of Lush’s Balckcurrant Angel - the opening is a burst of osmanthus and guaic wood but instead of pulling fruity like Blackcurrant Angel, the violet is most prominent for me with a little bit of rose just enough to be supportive in the opening, but I don’t detect the hazelnuts; if it’s there it’s more woody than nutty. This is my first experience with a vintagey-lipstick scent. The osmanthus is leathery to my nose and warms the whole fragrance up for the entire opening. After about an hour it mellows on my skin and I just get violet, rose and sandalwood that becomes a very lovely skin scent, soft and powdery.

A perfumer that I respect and admire Not sure about all of his work but he impressed me enough with a couple of offerings And this is very good as well I don’t get any dirtiness or bad smells All I get is the violet and the roses A very close and sharp brother of lipstick rose by FM Not sure what does it have to do with New York But I personally liked it TBH if I would recommend a better and more elegant alternative it’s lipstick rose unbelievable elegant scent that is so charming and beautiful so if you have lipstick rose you don’t need this one

animalic tobacco florals. the name is very accurate! this scent is busy but in a good way i think! after a few minutes something a bit fruity and sweet comes to the front, like candy almost. this is sort of similar to "goat" by wolf brothers, only less dirty and way sweeter. starts off very heavy on the tobacco and later turns into a sweet floral animalic concoction. not my kind of scent but it is surprisingly very pleasant! not getting any woodiness from this though.