Ray-Flection Masque Milano for women and men

This perfume is full of contradictions, and that’s what I love about it. It’s very floral forward, and features a sweet and rich honey, yet it’s completely unisex. If anything, it may lean a little masculine. It’s a total summer fragrance, yet it heavily uses cardamom, usually thought of as a warming spice more for cooler weather. And it also has a strong note of citrus, but in no way feels like a freshie, and has a body and weight to it, a sillage and a longevity, that is so opposite to many citrus fragrances that lift off the skin and are gone in a few hours.

To me it smells like a lazy summer Saturday, and I’m sat by an open window where white linen curtains lift in a breeze. Outside is a huge mimosa tree, heavily laden with blossoms, and bees buzz around it so energetically the air literally hums. The tree is set in a meadow, with long grasses and some herbs blowing in the wind. As I sit and enjoy the air, I start to peel an orange.

There is something about Ray-Flecttion that smells “real”- not like perfume. And I think it’s that use of the cardamom in a summery fragrance. It kind of upends what we expect of this type of perfume and resets our experience of it. It smells like a summer day, not something that came from a bottle with the usual progression of notes. I know it’s been done before, but I think this particular version is the most successful I’ve smelled. It’s really good. Lasts forever, the smell of honey was on my wrist 24 hours later.

This is beautiful, mature and complex. Cardamom is authentic. Flowers are beautiful.

At first I get flowers and a prominent cardamom, almost like taking a sniff directly from a jar of grounded cardamom. It’s late summer, the window is open and the wind is blowing in pollen from blooming bushes. Briefly citrus fruits are present, then the perfume dries down to a well blended spicy cardamom.

Very perfumery, spicy and feminine. Not soapy at all. Smells expensive and is well-done. Smells mature and unique.

Perfect for summer evenings. Can also work as a signature scent during autumn/winter. Might be too spicy for spring and sunny summer days.

Klioux below described this perfectly. The opening was a bit too intense for me but I promise if you stick with it the drydown is worth the wait.
It also at times reminds me of L'atesa but the cardamom keeps it in check. Perfectly unisex I'd say and a nice scent for the warmer months.

smell like tom ford fu&&@ fabolous, but its a good fragance

This is such an underrated fragrance! Its almost addictive! It smells like August, bees and happiness. I love it..it has so many layers.

I bought this on a sale with maxaroma blind. I based it on the reviews here and you tube. I cannot comment on the performance because i just unboxed it, but i really love it so far. First of all, i can smell it, which sometimes i have anosmia to things so being able to actually smell anything is a great start! Second, this absolutely is so nice and unique. It really feels like a ray of sunshine. The beeswax to me just brings a pollen scent to mind, and feels so springy and light hearted. I love the cardamom, it brings a green aromatic scent in, which i really enjoy. I dont mind the aldehydes at all, i think it is a perfect addition and without them it would be flat. This is fun, uplifting, and bright without being juvenile, shampooey or linear. But i think i love it most for being totally different than anything else i have. Try it and see what u think! Ps the atomizer is great!

If sunlight had a smell, this would be it.

Adam Bird from LX 2048 wears this.

This is the most sophisticated and stunning cardamom fragrance I've ever smelled. It is displayed from head to toe, ranging from wet green cardamom pod to freshly ground powder, dry and spicy. The other top and heart notes (mimosa, mandarin, solar notes, aldehydes) bring an effervescent sunny sweetness to this. I generally avoid aldehydes for their sharp and astringent characteristics, but I'm not getting anything grating here, only a giggly bubbliness on top. The dry cedar perfectly complements the warm spiciness of the cardamom and enhances the woodiness of the violets as well.

All in all a perfectly concocted fragrance.

Alex Lee may be one of my favorite perfumers - he is also behind my two favorites from the Carolina Herrera Confidential line (Gold Myrrh Absolute and Amethyst Haze) and he created the only plum/prune note I have ever coveted (Accidental Maybe by Abstraction Paris, which is unfortunately not on Fragrantica).

Quite uplifting. I like it enough to buy a travel size bottle, but not enough to buy a full size bottle. However, I could see this as a nice gift to someone who is special to you. To me personally this is definitely a feminine fragrance.

I blind bought this one, as i have found that I tend to like Aldehydes...and i have also been known to be a fan of Mimosa, even though Violet notes are very hit or miss for me. I am pleased to say that my suspicions were correct, and I do like it very much. I had never had a perfume with beeswax that I cared for, but this one is good! Solar notes... I would love to know exactly what that is. It really does give me a feeling of being in the warm sun on a spring day, walking through a beautiful flower garden - or maybe just in a neighborhood with a lot of flowering trees, scenting the air with their blossoms, after having just gotten out of the shower. Good clean stuff! Bravo!

Definite similarities to MFK Aqua Vitae Cologne Forte, which is the only Aqua Vitae I’ve tried from MFK, so it may be more similar to AV or AV Forte - they both share the mandarin, solar notes, musk, powdery florals etc. and both are a citrus forward opening & soften with a powdery dry down and both evolve beautifully.

I compared them next to one another after frantically trying to figure out why Ray Flection smelled soooo familiar to me! Actually ALL 4 of the Masque Milano I tried were eerily familiar and reminded me of something that I just could not put my finger on.

At first I thought RF was a mix between MFK Aqua Universalis Forte & La Vie Est Belle Éclat (wow btw… try it!) but after laying them was getting there but too linen/sweet. Then the AVCF next to RF was pretty close. Definitely still not exact, there are differences but more similar than not I think & VERY Francis Kurkdjian dna vibe

So if you have the MFK it may be redundant to get RF, although it is a stunning frag in its own right! Clean, soapy, lightly citrus, sunny, fresh, powdery… everything you could want in a beautiful sunny frag! Really enjoying MM :) great performance

Ray-flection shines as bright as golden sunlight with yellow flowers smell. Sparky aldehyde and delicate cardamom escort the queen (Mimosa) during first moments when she enjoys the companionship of uplifting solar notes. Something sweet, powdery and vivacious with their association. A musky and melting amber awaits an endless joy beside beeswax at the end. It’s absolutely an amazing shiny, dreamy and gorgeous fragrance for spring/ summer days.

This perfume is almost perfect. Beautiful, fluffy, creamy, light, with presence. There's something sharp in the drydown. :( Almost...

Very well made. Full bodied, slightly soapy, creamy, pollen-like mimosa is the star here. Although mimosa is one of my least favorite notes, it is well done here and I actually like it here. This comes across niche and not mainstream.

Creamy, simple (in the best way), elegant and light. Smells like easter; yellow pastel, morning sun and new beginnings.

Not something I’d buy because mimosa always reminds me of a flowershop but it’s well done.

Masque Milano's Ray-Flection was not a love at first sniff for me. We dated. The perfume grew on me. Now, I am in love. It smells like sunshine and light. Uplifting and yet calming. I imagine

I do not COLLECT fragrances. I WEAR them. In order to purchase a full bottle of a scent, I need to LOVE it. I love Ray-Flection and wear it.

the cardamom, green mimosa, and Cashmeran mixture with a rose ketone(I guess Damascenone)... It reminds me of my mimosa fragrance test formula which I made in 2019...

If Ganymede was female scent and it had mimosa in it, this is how it would smell. On me it opens with sage tea, and I smell no mandarin whatsoever throughout the experience. My previous review said some stuff that isn't true anymore, like it quickly fading into basic musk but something changed. I can smell this on me even the next day. Unlike many perfumes, that disfigured aroma left behind smells distinctly like RayFlection, not random femininity. FBB even blindly for those who like mimosa with zero powdery notes and no other florals to take it over after drydown. There's a phase between opening, drydown and eternity when it slightly reminded me of soapiness but it was brief and I'm not entirely sure if it was just me digging my nose into skin until my nasal cartilage is bent. Most stuff smells off when you abuse it like that.
Oh. It works in sub zero weather too, it's just more of a strict milf than a kind woman.

Not my favorite from Masque Milano because it contains some notes I don't really gel with (violet leaf and mimosa) but clearly well-made

Herbal sweet!

This blend is weirdly addictive! i get that sweet tingly herbal mix with violet leaves, beeswax, cardamom, mimosa, musk, and a touch of vetiver. I also get a cardamom milk mix with 2 drops of mandarin that makes it hazy soured.

The more you get into the blend the more it becomes addictive. Beautiful.

Oh my, this is something special. A well blended citrus floral fragrance but also warm and comforting. Wearable and yet unique. I'm not a fan of aldehydes, citrus, or violet leaf but it all comes together so beautifully. It's a must have for me!

I was first introduced to Masque by a trusted seller.

I blind tested her favorite.. and it was the amazing, shimmering, bright fragrance! i definitely had a hard time identifying the notes as it was so smooth and well blended. but the notes were definitely happy and comforting. I literally shivered smelling this the first time. I immediately told her I was going to buy a full bottle (and i did receive my bottle after a short wait) -not knowing the price or which fragrance this was.

As it turned out, that comforting notes for me was cardamom- i discovered this while eating cardamom flavored sweets after sniffing Ray-flection. the other well blended notes I can only describe as happy, lovely, comforting, bright. if you want something bright lovely and nice... this is the fragrance for you!

Storytelling is the heart of Masque Milano, but this one, Ray-flection, was exceptional even without the story!

Honored to be among the participants of this unique launch as difficult times call for creative solutions, it was a joy to hear the founders, Alessandro Brun and Riccardo Tedeschi, present the event, and a privilege to hear Alex Lee describe his inspiration and storytelling for the creation of the newest Masque Milano fragrance.

Ray-Flection is absolutely glowing, vibrant, exuberant and truly, the sum of its parts is greater than the individual accords even though the accords themselves are of such exquisite quality and composition that they can almost stand on their own. Together, they fit squarely within Masque Milano's refined and sophisticated aesthetic. I'm always up for a unique woody-floral, but the cucumber and waxy, stable honey are delightful additions to the mimosa absolute, aldehydes, bergamot, and cedarwood that wear well and are detectable and enjoyable many hours later.

Interesting that as we head into Winter in the States, where there is social and political unrest, coupled with serious health and safety concerns, Ray-Flection is that light at the end of the tunnel--truly, that glimmering ray of hope and optimism that we'll make it through this. It's a reminder that Spring and Summer will come, as it always does, and that when we've reached the other side of things and can bask in the sun's rays once again and in each other's unobstructed company, we can look back and remember that it's always dark before it gets light.