MASQUE MILANO
TANGO
2013
PERFUMER
Cecile Zarokian
bergamot
blackpepper
cardamom
jasmine sambac absolute
damask rose
cumin
patchouli
vanilla bean
tonka bean
melilot absolute
amber
leather
benzoin
musk
‘Whispers all around you, the party is merry. The soft music in the background gets gradually louder. A crescendo. A glass, another glass. Ron y miel. Inebriating, amber nectar. Inebriating as the smell of the blooming jasmine, carried along by the warm summer gusts. A crescendo. You meet her gaze – she whispers a couple of words. You spot it – it is Lunfardo. Your forehead drenched with sweat. Salt melts in the sugar of the liquor. The shuffling Gotan rhythm makes you brave, the night and the tango are on your side. A crescendo. Deafening summons. The air gets even hotter. You are aware it will hurt you. Yet you can’t resist. You stand up and head towards the dance floor… her face lights up with a smile that brightens the night… That is all you long for, now. A warm and sensual perfume. Intense crescendo. Amber nectar.’ – Masque Milano
Tango is a spicy amber and it’s a strong, ‘in your face’ type scent, albeit blended to the point where it almost instantly feels like one big accord. That quality creates a bit of a mindgame, where I personally don’t feel the fragrance changes all that much during the wear, but because I can’t pinpoint exactly what I’m smelling, I make different connections every time I get a waft.
Mainly this is warm. Just looking at the color of the juice gives you some idea. Along with the amber, cinnamon is the most prominent note to my nose. Cumin is said to be one of the main notes; in Tango, it feels more like ‘one of the spices’ and it’s not overly present. The scent has some saltiness to it at first, so maybe the cumin comes in to play there. I get a leathery or definitely a musky animalic vibe, where later in the drydown, it becomes smoother and creamier. And that drydown lasts for quite a while , because performance is great.
Tango is a mature, amber fragrance, that has more dimension than your average gourmand-leaning sweet amber. To wear, I personally might prefer the more straightforward ambers over this ever so slightly animalic and a bit more spicy variant, but this is more intriguing.