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.

It's a hot and humid night, you're wearing a leather jacket and you're sweating, but you don't take it off. You put out your last cigarette outside and quickly walk into a bar and order a gin. After sipping your gin, you wipe your mouth with the back of your hand. Oh no! You forgot to put on a lot of lipstick and all your lipstick gets on your hand. That fragrance is your human smell in this scenario.

Innocent lipstick and fruits in the heart, with suede, rubber and some «street grit» surrounding the lipstick and fruits. I find it immensly pleasant and avant garde, feels like a true art piece. Great for night outs and colder weather.

I mean, I have to respect how cuckoo this one is. I purposely didn't read the notes in the Masque Milano booklet before trying it. My immediate thought at first huff: "holy lipstick." So I kind of loved discovering after sampling it that MM just went ahead and added "lipstick accord" to the notes. As a former New Yorker, I also kind of loved the feathery glamor they were going for. It's a really fun "performative" fragrance. Something to pump on the set of a one-act play that takes place exclusively in the bedroom. But there is no world in which I would wear this on my body and not pass out from all the powdered purply-pinkness. But I salute you, Bruno.

As other reviewers have pointed out, Times Square is a weird scent. Not entirely ugly, but not wearable either. From the bottle, it smells like melted rubber! So at least we can give credit to the perfumer Bruno J. that he has faithfully reproduced the stench of the asphalt jungle... Once it touches the skin, Times Square initially smells like rotten violets, with the rubbery note still prominent, until osmanthus emerges. Osmanthus then steers the scent into the fruity territory (apricots!), backed up with sandalwood. The notes of tuberose, rose and hazelnut are barely detectable. The scent is very strong, but in this case, it's not a good thing! My guess is that 99% of perfume lovers who try Times Square will find it off-putting.

This starts with a punch of candied rose, poofs up into powdered violets and hairspray and settles into bubblegum tuberose and hollow woods. It's loud, tacky, wrapped in crinkly cellophane and smeared with lipstick. It's easy to match the inspiration to the fragrance. The woody/powdery violet combo is reminiscent of Byredo Deep Viola. Times Square is much louder and sweeter whereas Deep Viola is subdued with leather and musk. I'm testing this with Romanza on the other wrist and these two are my least favorite from this house - I smell like a cheap whore. However inventive, this kind of gaudiness is not wearable for me.

a weirdly disjointed fragrance, it's like an overripe apricot thing coming from the osmanthus, a rubbery burnt thing coming from the styrax, and a super powdery and stuffy violet note. Just a messy composition that has very little grace to it in my opinion, and I typically love these notes but find them so muddled here and clashing heavily. Just a ruberry, powdery, badly fruity floral scent.

I have fallen in love with two other gems from Masque Milano (e.g., Mandala & Tango)... However, I am sorry to say that Times Square to me smells like Glade solid air freshener lemon... I get clearer osmanthus mixed with something woody in the drydown, but even so, I just cannot bring myself to wear/like this fragrance.

This is an oddball one to me. It smells fresh,floral and dirty at the same time. It's a bit of a mess as others have mentioned. As the dry down approaches I get more of the dirtiness/earthiness or whatever you wanna call it but it's not my cup of tea. The price is insane for sure.

Funny how it's supposed to represent New York judging by its name, but actually smells more like Parisian prostitute would smell.

This is overly sweet and too nutty for me. The sweetness is quite synthetic and the hazelnut is so powerful, it makes my stomach turn. Times Square feels like an odd sort of candy, something I do not seek in perfume. Of course the projection is enormous. Nice house, gruesome perfume.

Smells like lip balm and well used alleys. Why anyone would want to smell like that is beyond me. Why does this have anything above a two? Are you all insane?

FOUL. candied violets, tires and vomit.....this one was an INSTANT scrubber. It’s so bad it made me gag. Yuck.

11/28/22 edit: Adjust mindset... Spending expensive money to change a perfume from cheap to good, a My Fair Lady story. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Masque has these The Opera of Life (in four acts) collection, each act contains four scenes in roman numbering, means there would be total of 16 bottles for one to see the whole play, now it's going on to Act 4. The name Masque is about we play different roles in our lives, and for the concept of opera, perfume notes we check about for this brand they are performers, playing their roles in a bottle rather on the stage. This is the final scene from Act 1, an act about outer world experiences. Briefly scene 1 is Terralba for the solitude in animalic greeny, scene 2 Montecristo for quiet life in old spicy, scene 3 Russian Tea for another country in deep black tea note... Here scene 4 Times Square, it's embracing the world, with its beauty and ugliness, sacred and profane... the world in whole with its everything in different faces, a big picture of experiences. The idea of light and shade in the scent is in Masque's style: always fresh and bright, elegant like silk, lightness as the fog but doesn't belong to the skin scent catalogue. The dark factors of our lives in TS is still strong in the refreshing vegan, smelling a little powdery, with some lovely fruity and a trace of woody in the background, it turns out to be like an innocient sings "What a world..." than an experienced as we anticipate to whisper a sophisticate life story. 11/27/22 post-Covid edit: on skin turns gourmand, sweet in its style, mouthwatering, NEEDS use on skin to be aware.

This is quite a unique scent which is mainly leather, Eventually I do get iris and right at the beginning I get cigarette smoke. Yes, I can see how this translates to Time Square being a NYer myself. I tend to go for unusual scents sometimes, and this is definitely that! I do like leather and iris scents they are my notes and I sometimes like to be different so I don’t smell like everyone else. Now that it is in its drydown stage the iris turns to violet and I am loving it. Time Square, is a tourist trap in NYC and I really try not to go there because it is normally crowded and you got a mosh of people from everywhere which of course is not a bad thing but not to my liking because I don’t like crowds. Wow, I really love this, this is not your usual leather iris scent. this is a keeper and I can wear this in spring! I don’t get any nuttiness on my skin at all just sweet iris and violets! Recommended 9/10 if you can’t handle sweet this is not for you. It is genderless and can be worn by anyone! RIP Alessandro Brun, it is sad to see an artisan go!

9:30 - rubbery guaiac and a sweet rose. Normally I read violet as lipstick, and I don't catch any of that in the open. 10 - gone? Or barely sticking around. Smells like a simplistically sweet violet and sandalwood. 3:30 - Resprayed. This isn't a good perfume, but it's an interesting fragrance. It smells like my deodorant and melted children's toys. It reminds me of grocery store carnations wrapped in cellophane. It smells *cheap*, but not like cheap perfume. Cheap as in trashy. (I just realized how mean that sounds. Adding in that I often revel in trashy. If I had any confidence I would be a terrifying combination of leopard print, hot pink, and skin) If the dry-down was stronger and more wearable, I would love this. I'm into strange opens that turn into something pleasant. Luctor Et Emergo comes to mind. Smells like doll heads. edit 06/03/2019: let my sample chill for a bit and it aged into a much deeper, more lovely perfume. Ended up getting a full bottle when it went on sale.

Why does lipstick overload always evoke naughtiness? Same idea as Putain Des Palaces, but instead of plastic-doll-pink here you have strawberry red (remember Paco Rabanne's Black XS for Men?🍓) Also, why is violet so often connected to hairspray? Surely, a chemist would have the exact answer. There is also this dusty, woody-incensey-thrashy-busy street accord lurking in the background. If you've burned styrax, you'll know it's virtually makeup powder in resinous form, so here it forms a connection. Once the lipstick settles down, Times Square turns into some kind of antique shop. All in all, Times Square is insolent and fun. Got a mini, hated it at first, focusing too much on the notes, their (dis)balance and my own expectations. Then I accidentally put it on one morning while my reasoning was still off, et voilà: liked it for what it is.

Act I, Scene 4 If you can make it there, ... Smelling the opening blindly, ...except for the name, Times Square. (f you've got a little time to spare, I want to take you there.) Ignore all the listed top notes. This opening is a remarkably sweet-tart, juicy apple (Granny Smith?) The reference that came to mind wasn't 'The Big Apple'. ...but rather Apple Annie, as played by Bette Davis, in Pocketful of Miracles. American as apple pie, ...with a heart of gold, ...that eventually gets too schmaltzy-sweet. That's the osmanthus. ...Now at last, Times Square is on-script. Soon notes of bittersweet, woody, medicinal smoke come into play. Little Orphan Apple Annie is in the hospital, ...She's dying. Eight million lonely souls in this naked city. (It's a rhapsody of laughter and tears), ... you can make it anywhere.

Where is the candy quince, and the sorbet peony? those notes can't be the real ones! i am smelling some virgin lemonade daiquiri! with quince as a decoration & peony on a vase. Some osmanthus = yes Styrax = hints hazelnuts = Hell NO Violets = yes Oud, sandalwood, rose, tuberose! = i don't think so I am quite sure that this sorbet like fragrance is quite fruitti, fizzy, and very summary so far of course (5 to 10 minutes in) but doesn't contain oud, & roses! maybe later! let's wait and see. After all, it is quite impressive as i never thought that this approach is Masque's. Quite a new style for Masque and impressive to be honest.

this ia such a “Carnival fragrance.” Is it beautiful? No! I wouldn’t even consider it very nice but It is absolutely intoxicating. IMO “Times Square” feels less like a fragrance and more like a sensory experience. Studio 54 would have been a more appropriate name. Beautiful crass and sophisticated people on exclusive VIP lists, at seemingly extravagant events full of unconventional beauty and drug use......mix in a little hairspray and open sexual activity and a beautiful bathroom that has seen the best of them at their worse and you have “Times Square”! I love it!!

At its core I think it is essentially a leather perfume. Leather, violets, latex, lipstick iris. The notes are thrown as a confetti and it is a very interesting journey. Somehow reminds me of the old L'Artisans made by Duchaufour - thinking of Skin on Skin or Haute Voltige - strange but beautiful and fun. This one is very well made perfume and people who are into leather genre will surely appreciate it. I think it is similar in style to Dzing!, Bvlgari Black, Jasmin et Cigarette, Cabochard and so on...So glad that I managed to obtain a big bottle of it.

ok, I did not expected to like this, because of the lipstick accord, but I love it! this is the only perfume that I have a synesthesia experience. I smelled this and I immediately see the color purple. This is exactly how my brain smells the color purple. It is beautiful. On me starts "sweet" osmanthus, violet and rose. develops to a herbal/woody scent I can't quite discern. I would recommend to sample first, I don;t think is a safe blind buy

To me, this smells intentionally messy. It's as if the perfumer set out to capture all the metropolitan, flamboyant, chaotic, energetic, and crowded vibes of Times Square at once. I get makeup-like iris, something slightly skanky, flowers, and perhaps even some fruit. As it dries down, it remains colourful and vibrant rather than settling into a single theme. An interesting creation, I'm happy with my 10 ml before moving on.

All I can smell here is the styrax to the max. That suffocates all the other notes and I'm left with a burn tire on the asphalt effect...sorry but this is the worst fragrance I've tried in a while...Maybe I got a bad one. I purchased from MaxAroma and they are very reliable usually so not sure what to say about this. I had to scrub immediately and it was not going away. Got to say sillage and longevity is impressive.

Testing this out today, and so far i like it! Boozy and intoxicating, it's a bewitching blend of tar, violet, rose and incense, to my nose at least. Middle notes are greener and more mellow. It reminds me of the trashier sister of lipstick rose, instead of being demure, she wears a leather guns n roses jacket, tight leather skirt and steel capped boots. Wears the same lipstick though.

The star here is the rose. But to me, it doesn’t necessarily feel like a modern fragrance—let me explain: it’s fresh and evokes a boudoir atmosphere. Alongside, I detect something like grape jelly and crystallized violet petals. In short, it’s more of a sweet floral with fruity undertones (and some depth). However, the dry-down on my skin leans more toward a fruity shampoo.

Times Square, by Masque Milano, smells like sweet delicious sencha and metal. An unusual combination for sure. If the sent was reduced to only sencha, this would have been my favorite perfume of all time, I never smelled a tea this delicious an hyperrealistic in a fragrance, but the industrial, car repair shop metal scent, takes me out of that scenery.

To be honest, the first fragrance I just couldn't stand. To me it smells like toilet filled with rubber, lipstick stains, and sweet, creamy floral. If this is how osmanthus smells, then I despise osmanthus. So sickly sweet to my nose. Definitely not safe for a blind buy, this isn't a mass pleasing fragrance at all. Sample before you buy.

This lands on the skin in a busy mess, which quickly becomes Cherry cough syrup with wafts of garbage (rotten fruit note ala Insolence)and a discreet Asphalt note. Fairly linear, but the creaminess of the Sandalwood kicks in at about ten minutes and mitigates the awful Cherry a little bit, but not enough. Not terribly wearable, IMO.

This smells exactly like lip gloss in general, whatever the ingredient is in most lipgloss that gives it ‘that’ smell regardless of flavor. It has a smokiness underneath that I think works really well with it. It’s very similar to Deviant by Wesker which has notes of lipstick and gunpowder but Deviant is sweeter.

Reminds me of those cheap bubblegum / candies from the 80s. There is a strong synthetic sweetness reminiscent of a Ramune (Japanese soda drink that kids love). The sweetness stays from start till end, its quite headache inducing. Not his best work.