Another fragrance from Act of Dreams is now available!
Masque Milano is an Italian niche fragrance brand founded in Milan in 2010 by Alessandro Brun and Riccardo Tedeschi. All fragrances are linked by a common thread, as they are scenes from the same fragrance opera. Just like actors on stage, perfumers are interpreters of the script written by playwrights Riccardo and Alessandro. All the perfumers selected to perform this fragrant opera are young and talented. Once completed, the Opera Collection will comprise 16 fragrances, divided into four groups of four. Each group represents an ‘act’ in Masque's opera:
Act I – Experiences
Act II – Inner Monologues
Act III – Sentimental Relationships
Act IV – Dreams
The act of dreams is definitely the most challenging for a perfumer. Alessandro and Riccardo brought together four talented perfumers to recreate dreamlike sensations, bring them to life and breathe life back into them by engaging their noses in a game that took place in an imaginary world, far-fetched and rather strange, but more real than life itself.
Down The Rabbit Hole
Fans of the brand know that the Opera collection included several tributes to literature, especially British literature (namely Romanza - Victorian Narcissus, a wild celebration of dandyism and narcissism, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Love Kills, inspired by Antonomasia's tragic love story, Romeo and Juliet).
‘For the fragrance numbered IV-I (i.e. the first scene of Act IV), we couldn't help but be inspired by Alice in Wonderland, as it is the epitome of the whimsical novel, full of seemingly nonsensical characters and scenes, yet orchestrated into a clever narrative by Lewis Carrol's astute mind. We are irresistibly drawn to characters such as the White Rabbit and the Hatter, and find that the many olfactory allusions and references to Victorian customs and popular culture scattered throughout the chapters of Carroll's masterpiece provide the perfect backdrop for a fragrant concoction.’ – Alessandro and Riccardo
‘Back in 2010, a few days before the launch of Masque Milano, I was invited to the premiere of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. It was my first time in a 3D cinema and the experience was so realistic that I found myself quickly moving to the side several times – unconsciously – to avoid the objects flying through the film. Falling down the rabbit hole is something that still gives me a thrill. Since then, I've imagined creating a fragrance based on this crazy story!’ – Alessandro
The inspiration for Lost Alice comes in particular from Chapter Seven – A Mad Tea Party, where you can almost smell the tea, milk, bread and butter served by the Hatter in an idyllic setting. Add some scones to complete a very British cream tea, and the magic is complete.
Mackenzie Reilly
Mackenzie works and lives in New York, so our first contacts were via email. We were finally able to arrange a meeting in Grasse in January 2019. After spending the morning at the IFF in Grasse smelling fragrances and wonderful raw materials, we went for lunch and, after toasting our budding collaboration with an excellent, full-bodied red wine that Mackenzie chose from the wine list, we presented our project for a fragrance with the theme ‘Alice’ and asked Mackenzie if she liked the idea of immersing herself in the character of Alice. ‘My friends call me Alice,’ was her eloquent reply.
‘Working on this project was a great adventure. I loved the challenge of creating a sophisticated gourmand fragrance for the niche world. Masque Milano had never created a gourmand fragrance before, and that can be tricky territory for a high-end luxury brand. The challenge was to create a fragrance that is delicious, addictive and comforting, yet intellectual, intriguing and high-quality. We had meetings in New York City and Grasse, both in the office and in the field. It was important for us to smell raw materials together and conduct some gourmand tastings of interesting flavour combinations and unique desserts for inspiration. We had many interesting brainstorming sessions about how to tell the story of Lost Alice and her mad tea party, how to distort proportions, disrupt familiar notes and create something that takes the wearer on a journey through the looking glass.’ – Mackenzie Reilly
What does a mad tea party smell like? Earl Grey tea is the first element, along with many sweet treats. So we started by working with Mackenzie to find the right English tea accord – paired with bergamot, of course. Then we moved on to the heart notes, where we wanted to recreate a delicious carrot cake. During a meeting in New York, Mackenzie conjured up 12 delicious doughnuts with the most unusual flavours (including volcanic salt, rose petals, olive oil, caramel ...). A true sensory experience that gave us several ideas for how to proceed. At every stage of the creation process, it was important to remember that this fragrance is part of the act of dreaming. Just as Alice in the novel first shrinks and then grows to enormous size, the ‘objects’ in our fragrance should appear in the wrong proportions, with the teacup much larger than the teapot and gigantic cakes and scones so big that you can't dip them in.
‘First of all, Lost Alice is not a typical gourmand. It has gourmand characteristics, but also facets of citrus fruits, woods, flowers, musk, resins and herbs. In fact, it's a little mystery... much like Alice herself; difficult to define and elusive. The top notes of the fragrance consist of fresh tea notes containing bergamot, black pepper, sage and mate absolute. The heart notes develop into a delicious cake with ginger, carrot, iris, rose and broom absolute. The finish is an addictive, enveloping blend of fleur de lait, steamed milk and musk. I think the journey from the top note to the base is really special because it develops so strongly and so gently on the skin, while still surprising you with every new note that emerges.’ – Mackenzie Reilly
When creating the steamed milk accord, we wanted to achieve something very warm, inviting, creamy and nostalgic. The musk and milk notes really ground the fragrance in the background and give it something delicious and dessert-like. What Mackenzie has done is truly incredible... we're still wondering how she did it. ‘I'm not going to reveal all my secrets, but using an exquisite sandalwood extraction along with some exclusive musk and milk notes allowed us to create the illusion of frothy, creamy, hot milk in tea that just begs you to ‘drink me!’...’ – Mackenzie Reilly
Act IV-I – Lost Alice
A fragrant journey into too much black pepper, white roses (painted red), crazy tea and carrot cake. Interpreted by Mackenzie Reilly.
‘Smell me’ (top notes): bergamot, ambrette seeds, clary sage, too much black pepper
‘Drink me’ (heart notes): carrot, iris, English tea, white roses (painted red)
‘Eat me’ (base notes): sandalwood, broom, fleur de lait (steamed milk)
