What Does Masque Milano Times Square Smell Like?
Times Square is a candied floral built on a leather frame. Bruno Jovanovic composed it in 2017, and the opening is its loudest statement: sugared violet and a hazelnut accord sit over what the brand calls a glossy lipstick note, so the first minutes read as makeup counter meets candy shop rather than fresh city air. The rose is present but supportive, not dominant.
After an hour, osmanthus takes control and drags the composition somewhere stranger. Its apricot facet turns leathery, and many wearers describe a patent leather or vinyl effect here. Tuberose barely survives this transition; even people who love the fragrance struggle to pick it out. By the drydown, styrax and guaiac wood bring a smoky, faintly tarry warmth while a powdery orris and violet haze lingers above soft sandalwood.
The split in reactions starts at the top. Some reviewers get violet bubblegum, comparing it to fruit-flavored chewing gum. Others smell hot asphalt and melted rubber, which fits the brand’s intent of bottling Midtown Manhattan. Both camps are describing the same juice, which tells you how polarizing this one is.
Performance
Performance is moderate across the board. Expect noticeable projection for roughly the first two hours, then a closer fit that still registers at conversational distance. Longevity lands between 6 and 9 hours on skin, with most reports clustering around 6 to 8, and the final stretch plays out as a powdery woods skin scent rather than a full sillage show.
The materials feel dense for an eau de parfum, so two sprays are plenty. That restraint matters, because overspraying pushes the sweet violet into cloying territory fast.
Best Clone Or Alternative
Dua Fashionista is the obvious budget route. Dua lists it openly as inspired by Times Square and publishes the exact same note pyramid: violet, hazelnut, rose, osmanthus, tuberose, styrax, guaiac wood, and sandalwood. It comes as a 34ml extrait de parfum at about $36, against roughly $228 for 100ml of the original at discounters like FragranceNet. That gap makes Fashionista a sensible way to test whether the style suits you before committing to a bottle of the real thing.
Set expectations correctly. No independent source publishes a similarity score, so treat any percentage as an estimate. The broad structure appears to match, but Dua’s extra strength tends to amplify the sweet violet and hazelnut while the original blends those elements more smoothly. Also note that Fashionista goes in and out of stock regularly, so you may need to wait for a restock.
When To Wear It
Cooler weather is where this works best: fall, winter, and mild spring days. The sweetness and resinous base turn heavy in summer heat. Occasion-wise it skews evening: date nights, dinners, special events, and urban nights out. It can handle office duty at low doses, but its oddball character draws attention, which is either the point or a problem depending on your workplace.
Who Should Buy It
You are the target if you enjoy violet done boldly, lipstick and makeup accords, or leathery osmanthus perfumes, and you want something nobody else at dinner will be wearing. Fans of vintage leather florals who found Chanel Cuir de Russie intriguing but too restrained often click with this. It reads slightly feminine to most noses but stays genuinely unisex thanks to the smoky base.
Who Should Skip It
Pass if you want a safe crowd pleaser or a blind buy. This fragrance splits opinion hard, sitting near 3.8 out of 5 in community ratings, with detractors calling it synthetic candy or rubber. Avoid it if powder, heavy sweetness, or tar-like resin notes bother you, or if hazelnut gourmand accents put you off. Always sample first.
Final Verdict
Times Square is a genuinely creative composition that trades mass appeal for personality, and its moderate performance and steep price make it a connoisseur purchase rather than a practical one. Sample a decant before buying, or start with Dua Fashionista at a fraction of the cost to learn whether candied violet over smoky leather is your kind of New York.