Madeleine Masque Milano for women

Madeleine smells lactonic, creamy, nutty, woody with a spicy twist. I detect vanilla ice cream too even though it's not mentioned in the notes list. It's delicious, enchanting. Longevity 4 h, projects just a little.

This is the first perfume that’s ever made me GAG. It legitimately smells like rotten oatmeal.

I read that it wasn't a safe blind buy but this is the first blind buy I ever do that is such a SUCCESS. If this perfume had bigger sillage and a decent longevity, it would be the PERFECT perfume–for me at least. Is a creamy, true symphony of coziness. I'm so happy I got it. As soon as I sprayed it I could sense the different notes trying to run in the air, it's pretty unbelievable, have never had any perfume with such complexity in the opening. It's almost magic. It lasts around 1 hour and then is just a skin scent, that's a shame. But I love it.

Before I bought this - the "Con" list above scared the crap outta me!!! I am so glad I gave it a shot and just bought a 35ml bottle because WOW - this is an instant favorite and exactly the type of fragrance I've been loving atm. This is a gourmand-leaning perfume, but also has a light musky-woody-ish base to it too and that is what is making this so magical to me! And the cumin is perfectly done here too - such a well-balanced fragrance. Definitely not too sweet. This is a grown-up gourmand. Nothing juvenile at all. It's beautiful! If you tend to enjoy some lighter-woody fragrances and gourmands that aren't too sweet or "photorealistic" then give this a try!!

Jennamarie81 said it best, Boston Baked Beans! The first thing I thought of when I sprayed it on my wrist was, "Wth... candied peanuts?" It reminds me of the fair when you smell sugar in the air (not cotton candy) and peanuts. It's fun, it's youthful, it's nostalgic. Think carnival. It's not a bad scent, but it's just not one that I need in my collection. I think I'll be returning it.

To my nose, this fragrance smells exactly like a box of Boston baked beans( a.k.a. candy coated peanuts), that I used to eat as a child. I don't get the skanky, armpit, cumin smell, that I've seen others down below, describe. Thank goodness! A very unique, nostalgic fragrance that I'm very happy to have in my collection. ☺️

I get the concept, but it just does not work. Way too sweet and there is an annoying note in there that does not disappear. Also, you can't layer it with anything else except vanilla and that makes it sweeter. Smells like a dessert but that one dessert that is not your favorite, so even though it is sweet and a dessert and it is there- you don't even reach for it. This is what remains in the pan dulce bag after everyone has gotten their share. A piece of almond cookie, some coconut shavings from the red cupcakes, some powder from the conchas and a little bit of the cochito cookie. Too much and not great.

I wanted to love this, but it is too sweet for me. The woods give it a depth that is cloying and headache-inducing to me rather than interesting. It's true to the chestnut, whipped cream gourmand. It may be the cumin, but the scent scratches up my nose in a way that is nowhere near as nice as a woody gourmand should be.

I'd definitely recommend testing it.

Im sorry but I have to say it
They absolutely ruined this fragrance by putting cumin in it.
It had so much potential to be great.
The cypress with the gourmand notes gives me enchanted forrest full of fairies but then the cumin just overpowers that and gives stinky armpit.

Predominantly a cumin scent, with milky chestnut scent underneath. Not very strong but cumin made me a little nauseous.

I almost like this but a hint of cumin pulls instantly skanky on my skin. However I can fully appreciate the creativity of the composition. It is authentically nutty in a way I have not smelled before. It smells like caramelised nuts with cracked sea salt on top. Madeleine has something alluring about it and I might enjoy smelling this on someone else. But I would find this too sickly and lactonic on myself and the cumin turns it instantly wrong.

Madeleine is a stunning lactonic, tuberose fragrance. I mean, wow, she really blew my mind and caught me by surprise. She is SO elegant. I love the cypress note in the heart, it really ties this beautiful composition together. I think this is what I wished Love Tuberose would be like. I do think she is a tuberose fragrance even though according to the accord pyramid she should be more lactonic/vanilla-- I very much pick up on the tuberose, but it's so lovely. The lactonic elements are more understated, this is certainly not a milk bomb, but rather it's lingering in the background all in juxtaposition with the tuberose, cypress, vanilla, etc.

Is she mass appealing, mhm maybe not quite, so I would try before buying. I think if you like tuberose & lactonic properties then this should be safe. I just love her. 9/10!

I didn't like this at first, but now that it's at the drydown phase, it smells really good. The drydown is a very sweet honey-smelling gourmand on me. It reminds me of the smell of a dessert like baklava or something along those lines. With that being said, it's not a safe blind buy. It's a gourmand, but not a typical gourmand and I can see why some people don't like it.

I'm getting a stale, musty odor from this. Smells like a gurdwara (Sikh temple): a faint scent of sweet parshad mixed in with the smell of people (like hair and a faint scent of sweat).
Definitely not appropriate for a blind buy.

The opening of this is a startingly vivid recreation of some sweet liqueur I've smelled in the distant past - possibly Drambuie or coffee liqueur? - with a hint of airplane fuel, to the extent that it makes me giggle with the retro-tackiness of it, think 80s-airport-lounge-bar vibes (specifically, Dublin airport circa 1988). This frame of reference maybe explains why the tuberose notes in the mid-section remind me of vintage CD Poison. After that dramatic opening effect I find it hard to take much notice of the softer, more tasteful & feminine drydown. I sort of get how this perfume could smell of bread, specifically freshly baked bread flavoured with cumin or nigella seeds and black treacle, but the cumin adds a touch of savoury herbs that doesn't quite fit the smell of dessert. I also understand how the combination of notes could read as urine, although that isn't my first thought and it doesn't bother me like urinous notes usually do. A really interesting, if for me probably unwearable, scent.

For reference: to me this is completely unrelated to Cloon Keen's Castana, chestnut note notwithstanding.

Sorry, but Madeleine is the ugly sister of Zadig & Voltaire's This Is Her. They have almost the same notes, but Madeleine just isn't coming together beautifully. The opening is a shock--too much all at once! But the top notes burn off after only a few minutes, and I'm left with a tolerable skin scent of milk, vanilla, tonka bean, and musk. I'm the number 1 fan of gourmands, and I'm trying to like this. Maybe it will grow on me, but right now it's a no.

This right here. Off the bat I will say that it’s definitely not for everyone or a good “blind buy”. With that being said, I DID blind buy a full bottle of this one and am in love! If you are a gourmand lover and you like smelling like a straight up snack this is one for you. Like a warm, nutty, spiced fresh from the oven pastry. And not just any average, Starbucks brand baked good, one that has been passed down 3 generations and isn’t written in any recipe book. Special, unique, beautiful, literally chef’s kiss. I personally don’t get the “urine” scent that is so off putting to others; am so glad with my body chemistry I do not! It is definitely more of a cold weather scent. It is not a heavy projector, more of a skin scent-but so, so good!

I can’t get past the opening. Full on nauseating 🤢

Delicate and Pretty

Madeleine cookies dipped in rich cocoa while sitting in a white floral garden.
Delicious!

This will make anyone who wears it feel pretty!

Lovely bottle and presentation box.

✨

Since I absolutely LOVE Tango by this house I really wanted to love Madeleine as well. Sadly, I do not. I admit it has good longevity and the very, at the end, last, last dry down was warm and a bit lactonic (which I like). But what is going on in the beginning??? Some have mentioned it smelled like urine. I could not imagine that would be possible!! Well… it IS!
I get a very heavy dose of nuttiness in the beginning and it stays pretty much to the end. But this extremely unpleasant urine smell rendered this fragrance an absolute No Go for me.

I’m still in the search of a nice, well blended, warm, hugging, patisserie type fragrance. One that has great longevity and good silage. Sadly, this is not it for me.

I looooove Masque Milano and enjoy Fanny Bal’s work. But this perfume is divisive for me. I love the nutty approach to the gourmand (no sickly sweetness here!) but I DO detect urine which is not something I want to smell throughout the day. Anyone else experiencing this?

Nutty vanilla opening. Not sweet. Reminds me of the smell of Divinity fudge. Very unisex. My nose could not find the florals. I get more of a roasted nut finish.
Prefect for cooler days and hanging around the house all nice and cozy.
Worth trying, I did go a full bottle. 👍🏻

I am in love with the opening. Beautiful whipped cream with chestnut. Reminds me of a Hungarian dessert made out of these two ingredients, gesztenyepüré. There is a slight tuberose in the background which enriches the whole experience. Dry down is a gorgeous whipped vanilla ice cream. Beautiful for fall and winter! But..... I can't have it. The projection and longevity are awful. After an hour or two I have to put my nose to my wrist to get anything. On clothes, I have to bury my face in my scarf to smell it. With a 35ml bottle and the pricetag, I can't afford to overspray.

Wow… To me, Madeleine smells EXACTLY like the head of a cabbage patch doll- or how a lot of the dolls & toys in the 80s & 90s smelled? A very distinct plasticky smell that was softly scented with a faintly sweet, milky, creamy nutty musk with a hint of vague cherry-like fruit… but gourmand (is that why I like sweet frags now? lol). The plastic was intentionally scented with that indescribable vaguely sweet “vanilla cherry” creaminess, forever tying together our sense of smell with our idealized childhood memories.

I feel like Lush’s Sonic Death Monkey shower gel is similar. The second I smelled my skin after washing with it, I thought “cabbage patch doll” .

Some of my most beloved & first ever serious “grown up” perfumes were Hanae Mori Butterfly, Hypnotic Poison & Mugler’s Angel… so as a longtime lover of sweet gourmand scents, I’ve become mildly obsessed with finding the perfect lactonic milky scent and this is one of the best so far :)

Definitely worth a full bottle, I plan on getting one asap lol

Btw I got 4 Masque Milano samples and every one of them has effected me deeply, on an emotional level. They all feel so eerily familiar; like they’re reaching out to touch some elusive & long forgotten, dream-like memories… like deja vú…. Either that or they smell like something I already own lol

After searching for a nutty gourmand, found Madeleine on sale. A great lactonic, nutty vanilla. It’s not too too sweet. The cumin balances it out a bit and adds some depth. I get no woods or florals in this one. Smells of a chestnut pastry with a vanilla sauce!

I was really excited to try this, it smelled like chocolate in the bottle…super disappointed in its wear. Immediately repulsed. It smelled like cat pee on me! Nope!

A very boozy sweet chestnut with tonka; the other notes are not there, not milky, not BO or cumin; a sweet chestnut puree like in dessert; definitely gourmand and unisex but very sweet; in the final drydown, the teeth curdling sweetness burns off a bit and the milkiness asserts itself in combo with the chestnut but still a bit boozy but with a little turn of sharpness like vanilla orchid or freesia lurking in the background, a hint of something floral

I was reading in lot of comments, that the cumin is too lot & too bitter. I think it's not! This fragrance is Art. The Cumin is the note which transforms the chesnut+ whipped cream accord to the most photorealistic slightly smoky baked chesnut on a very smooth and mellow silky lactonic bed. Without the coumin, it might be only a cloying, sugary chestnut-puree with whipped cream dessert. To be honest i don't detect any geranium, only a bit of the sweet, lush & delightfull tuberose. Which is perfectly melting in to the whipped cream and gives a nuance of white floral vibe to it, when the middle notes starts to blooming. The vanillary silky milk note with the musk just make a gorgeous & ethereal creamy-powdery drydown, combinated with the still presense whipped-cream and chestnut. In my opinion this one is the most beautiful chestnut gourmand, and one of the most loveliest lactonic scent on my list ( Yes I'm in Love with milky-lactonic fragrances) Just for my synaesthesia : This scent has a palette from smoky muted browns,light browns, lattes & off whites: Beige, Ivory, Ecru,.etc. It's one of my fav cozy, warm, light colored autumn fragrance for nude cashmere/ knitted wear. If u like fall fragrances with light colored vibe (mostly : nutty/woody/lactonic/soft spicy notes) Then, i think it's worth a try ( but sample first! don't blind buy )

Madeleine smells first, nutty then creamy and a little waxy, then at the end, it smells slightly and softly spicy with Tonka, musks and vanilla. It smells a little play dough-y too, in the background.
I do not get any florals at all. My nose did not detect any tuberose whatsoever… I do smell the chestnut and cumin with the milky/creamy accord and somehow, it works…

However…It quickly turns into a lotion like or even a waxy cheap candle like scent on my skin. Nothing wrong with the smell itself as it is quite lovely but it’s more the quality or the texture of the smell that reminds me of something waxy (hence the candle reference)…

In the dry down, the waxy-ness disappears and I get a faint whiff of Tonka and vanilla with musks. It’s very soft and it feels peaceful and quiet like an Autumn evening…That play dough-y aspect I mentioned earlier is there at the end and personally, it doesn’t bother me. But I know it is not necessarily something everyone likes…

I like this fragrance but I am not quite sure I’d go for a full bottle… The nuttiness of it is very well done though it reminds me a bit of The Embrace by Navitus. The Embrace has sesame seeds and that accord smells exactly the same (to me) compared to Madeleine.

Longevity: mediocre 2-3 hours
Sillage/Projection: poor/shy but I do prefer my perfumes that way, actually.
Season: this would definitely be a Fall season perfume because of the nutty/creamy accords.
Price: I’ll have to check it out as I am basing this review on a sample I received for free with another purchase.

All in all, if you are into nutty, creamy, waxy/dough-y and slightly spicy accords in your fragrances, I’d say go for a sample. This is NOT BLIND BUY SAFE!

🌰🌰🍦🍦🔥🔥

I guess I’m one of the lucky ones who just gets the edible notes. This is light in overall performance but starts dense with a very milky, nutty opening with a tiny nuance of chocolate that draws you in. The cumin disappears in the first few minutes thank goodness. I hardly get the florals. It eventually dries down to a lotion like scent. Do not expect much sweetness from this. The first chesnut fragrance I can deal with but NOT a safe blind purchase. It’s still a very WEIRD scent, but this would be for my own pleasure. Also the perfect simple fragrance to layer with, if I want to add dense milkiness and nuttiness without extra notes interfering.

Update: This fragrance easily annoys me, can’t wear it for long without getting tired of it. I still agree it’s a good one to layer with, but not worth just having that role.

Note: I need to give this perfume another try in the future, as I've acquired a fresh bottle and this may be one of those perfumes that require some time to macerate/age to fully develop. With that said:

I initially mistaken the premise of this perfume labeled 'Madeleine' for the sea shell-shaped buttery cakes, also called madeleines, and was sorely disappointed when I realized it wasn't about those madeleines at all. (Shame on me for assuming, but in my defense, would've been so much lovelier in hindsight to smell and experience.) So I went to read the inspiration behind the perfume and upon testing, did not find the same wistful French patisserie sentimentality with the actual perfume. Like some reviewers below, my experience with Madeleine is extremely bitter - just full of bitterness. Imagine if someone absentmindedly roasted chestnuts far too long and the nutmeat inside have been half-scorched, so the bulk of your chestnuts are charred black into an inedible state and there's nothing much left to salvage substantially. This is the kind of bitterness I get. And while we're at it, probably bitter cumin, bitter cypress, bitter tonka beans, and florals too since the tuberose & geranium seems almost nonexistent. I get the musks towards the drydown, which faintly reminds me of Bois Farine but even this isn't enough for me. Why is this Madeleine woman so bitter?

Anyway, I am suspecting that I should probably give this perfume another try in the future just because I'm mostly getting bitter coffee/cacao and none of the other notes.

It has a urine opening, which is the chestnut. You get steamed milk and light cream with heavy does of chestnut shavings. I would rather get Vaniglia or Oriana. Also, this isn't potent; I can barely smell it on skin. Smells like beef or some kind of meat.

Im not sure what the drydown is supposed to smell like, and I'm not going to be able to tell you. I can't get past the opening.

It's super nutty. Like imagine smelling the color brown. Not very sweet either, kind of bitter.

I haven't dared to spray this on skin because I'm so repulsed by the opening. On paper it doesn't seem to get much different, but I didn't really want to come back and check either so...

If you're into sniffing a can of mixed nuts on your free time, this fragrance may be for you. It is really unique, that's for sure. If that doesn't sound like something you'd be interested in, please, I beg, don't blind buy this.

But if someone wants to buy mine off me, my inbox is open 😌

Try milk + by commodity instead.

Cypress and geranium really did a number on this one. I mean I understand that if you don't add anything brooding and harsh to a sweet gourmand it will be written off as immature. But this is entirely too 'bitter' for my taste. I was looking for something light hearted.
My bf loved it, he doesn't detect anything except yummy notes. I like to ask his opinion because we never perceive scents in a similar way. So there you go, there's a chance you'll love this scent.
Oh, and it starts off very medicinal but it subsides in like 5min.

Chestnut, milk, and sweet tuberose. Very light. Sits pretty close to the skin. Not worth the price tag, honestly, but it is unique and comforting.

This smells like rye bread to me with a spinkling of sugar, I guess the chestnut note is giving that rye feel.

It isn't sickly sweet and the milkiness comes along more as it dries. Very interesting gourmand.

Oh wow, what a sweet, delicate, patisserie gourmand. The two fragrances this reminds me of personally are L'Artisan's Bois Farine (but this one is sweeter) and Sucre D'Ebene by PG. Sometimes gourmands are too thick in their middle notes - you just can't smell through them - they are a wall of dense sugar. This isn't like that - it's an airy cloud of a gourmand, with a delicious chestnut pastry base. Not cooked pastry - more like the paste that is about to be put in the oven.
I would also say it's light enough to be worn in Spring as well as Autumn and Winter, though it may become cloying in summer heat. So, in that way it's versatile. Beneath everything is a light, face-cream aspect that gives the fragrance an evocative artistry.
I would say it's a fairly safe blind-buy for anyone who likes nutty gourmands, and that you might find it quite surprising the more you think about it. At first it feels simple; but it has beguiling facets.

Madeleine is cuddly, fascinating and slightly mysterious, like a late fall evening.
Comparisons to Pantheon Trastevere are correct, the chestnut-vanilla notes have the same effect on me, but as much as I like the divine and yummy Trastevere, I prefer Madeleine because it reveals a brilliant side, it must be the Cumin (which bears a resemblance to its bigger sister Tango, another masterpiece by Masque), or maybe the gorgeous Cypress, a note that I don't really like in itself, but I adore when it conspires to elevate the excess sweetness of nutty notes (case in point, the beautiful Tulaytulah by Majda Bekkali).
I read this fragrance was inspired by the typical French cake Montblanc, but Madeleine does not stop at gourmand territory, it delves deeper to reveal a slightly wild, sexy, witty aspect.

This is one of my favorites for curling up at home, and it's perfect tonight while heavy rain, thunder and lightning rage outside.
It's a unique gourmand, not particularly sweet.
Roasted chestnuts, milky vanilla and tonka with a buttery phase, then midway a delicate tuberose enters the mix. Eventually dries down to the most impeccable amber. Longevity is superb, sillage is rather close. Wearing to bed, I know I'll wake up still able to smell it.
The scent of roasted chestnuts is very nostalgic, reminds me of winter in NYC with my grandfather.
I'm halfway through my travel sized bottle already, kicking myself for not getting full size.
It's a literal bittersweet fragrance 💗

creamy warm hazelnut with bitter vanilla and just a hint of surprisingly harmonious tuberose! not too sweet or cloying… slightly bittersweet warm… just nice… i can imagine having the mont blanc after an afternoon stroll now… hmmm yum!

this is how i like my gourmands to be! love

I always try to guess the notes before I see what they are and what I got from this was the smell of of a delicious warm hazelnut latte (happy to see I was not far off).

So here are my thoughts - is it a nice smell? Of course! But do I actually want my skin to smell like that? No. It opens a little too nutty and a little too sugary for anything I'd ever wear (even with the fact that I'm on a serious milk/nut/wheaty kick right now). WITH THAT SAID, wow that dry down is GORGEOUS.

Almost wrote this one off because I was pretty put off by the opening. Came back to it a little more than an hour later and it is just this sexy, milky, vanilla tonka scent. If it opened like it dried down, SHEESH.

Oooooo... I didn't smell this when i first sprayed it! i am now around 40 minutes in & i am sniffing bitter sweet gourmand! something really delicious to eat!

I get sweet & bitter chestnut, with whipped cream, geranium, cypress, cumin, vanilla, and hints of milk. It's sweet yet bitter and i believe very gourmand to those who enjoys uncommon food with flavorful taste. Beautiful.

I had been putting off trying this one due to the cumin note. What a mistake. It's beautiful, the cumin keeps it from going too sweet. I will test it again before I decide on a full bottle.

judging by the note pyramid this has a lot of notes in common with Tom Ford Orchid Soleil. Can someone tell me how the two compare? I cannot test this just yet.

Impressive, especially the chestnut note. I find it skillfully made and easy to like, but it's not love so I won't be buying a full bottle.

There is an instantaneous sweetness upon application that at once disappears, leaving a flat, toasted nutty impression. Not cake-like at all, and no coffee or cocoa either. I am a gourmand fiend but this to me feels aimless. Longevity is poor.

Masque Milano Madeleine is a 2020 release that I just had the pleasure of smelling for the first time last week with Nir Guy at Perfumology, which carries the full Masque line. The name of the perfume conjures the cake of the same name, and I believe is the perfume’s inspiration, as almond features significantly in both. The perfume does have a baked goods quality to it along the lines of Hilde Soliani Buonissimo, but instead of smelling like buttery, cocoa-dusted croissants, Madeleine has a prominent nutty quality of almond, chestnut, and coffee in concert with a cookie/cake vibe, without the lemon of the inspiration and without the cocoa of Buonissimo. It’s slightly sharp (probably due to the combination of almond and tonka) but in general sweeter and breadier with light spicy touches.

Madeleine is dense, rich, delicious, and a very satisfying nod to gourmand lovers like me, and is different enough from other perfumes I’ve tried to be worth looking into and (if you’re as much as a fan of it as I am) buying a bottle. Overall, I’m quite smitten with this.

Madeleine is sold at Perfumology and other boutiques like Indigo Perfumery and Luckyscent and is priced at $160 for 35ml, on par with most of the line.

8 out of 10

This is a skinscent on me pretty quickly, but I still love it. It's beautiful with its intro of strong smelling coffee (that goes away quickly) and warm chestnut. I'm so very glad I did not get the cumin note at all. It must be minimal because any amount of cumin usually explodes on my skin.

The drydown is my favorite and so I wish it were stronger and lasted longer. It's a warm, sweet and vanilla milk. A very comforting scent.

Edit: 11/17/21 I bought the entire bottle and have no regrets. It's more beautiful than I remember, but my remarks about wishing it were stronger and lasted longer will sadly have to remain.

For the 60-90 minutes that Madeleine is alive on my skin it’s a yummy stunner. I find it similar to Noir Exquis, with a dominant chestnut note and similar in that both are short lived at 2 hours on a good day.

Madeleine is creamier and softer, with the just the right amount of sweetness that never turns suffocating. I enjoyed wearing Madeleine both times my 2ml decant would allow.

In the opening I smell an airy cherry/almond duo anchored by a strong coffee note and what must be the cumin, it smells slightly stale or body odor-ish. It's not repulsive in the least. That opening quickly transitions about 30 to 45mins later and the vanilla starts to emerge along with the white musk. Now there's a slight nuttiness and some sweetness, probably the tonka. It gets creamy and soft, it's very pretty but I'm disappointed by sillage and longevity. It retreats to a skin scent fairly quickly, longevity is only average maybe 4-6 hours. Maybe it would perform better on textiles which they usually do. This is my third wearing from a 2ml dabber and the performance has been consistent.
I personally wouldn't buy a fb at retail price but discounted without question. It isn't a foodie gourmand scent but really a nice "gourmand" for those that love the category.

Absolutely gorgeous. There are no coffee or chocolate notes listed but there is a sense of both in this beautiful concoction. The chestnut accord is the star, making it warm and toasty. Madeleine is gourmand but not sugary. The milkiness stands out without being overly lactonic. Delectable and cozy, this is one to swoon after.

Had the chance to try this creation yesterday and I was left stunned by how delicious this perfume is. I'm not typically a gourmand lover but this one is perfectly balanced, just the right amount of sweetness, but not overpowering.

Inspired by a chic Parisian lady enjoying a hot chocolate in the Rue de Rivoli alongside a Mont Blanc dessert, the perfume perfectly transmits the delicious chestnut puree and whipped cream that makes up the treat. Underscored by a decadent dark chocolate note that serves to bring out the chestnut, Fanny Bal uses creamy tuberose and white floral accord to make this creation translucent. Even though it smells so rich, it is, at the same time, light and wearable, the musk serves as a beautiful go between the two contrasting materials to create a liquid sensation: wearing this I am reminded of enjoying a warm nutty beverage as it passes between your lips and warms your chest with its opulent taste.