Illustration from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by John Tenniel

You should learn not to make personal remarks,” Alice said with some severity; “it’s very rude.”

The Hatter opened his eyes very wide on hearing this; but all he said was, “Why is a raven like a writing-desk?”

“Come, we shall have some fun now!” thought Alice. “I’m glad they’ve begun asking riddles. —I believe I can guess that,” she added aloud.

“Do you mean that you think you can find out the answer to it?” said the March Hare.

“Exactly so,” said Alice.

“Then you should say what you mean,” the March Hare went on.

“I do,” Alice hastily replied; “at least—at least I mean what I say—that’s the same thing, you know.” –Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, 1865

 Alessandro Brun attended the premiere of Tim Burton’s 3D Alice in Wonderland in 2010 in NYC © Tim Burton

Saucers whizz by, grazing the heads of the party guests. The Mad Hatter slaps the table, sending the buttered scones and toast the March Hare is reaching for into the lap of the Dormouse. Plates clatter with laughter and the silver dances gleefully. All the while, the chipped teapot serenely pours Earl Grey onto the table, just missing the porcelain cups. Invisible instruments twangle and ping, harmonizing off-tune, as the woodland air becomes sweet with smells of cream, cake and carrots.  Alice arrives, thoroughly lost but newly found. Tea is served!

 

Masque Milano Riccardo Tedeschi, MacKenzie Reilly of IFF and Alessandro Brun

Masque Milano Lost Alice, a fantastical collaboration between IFF perfumer Mackenzie Reilly and brand creative directors Alessandro Brun and Ricardo Tedeschi, is “a frabjous olfactory journey into too much black pepper, white roses (painted red), mad tea and carrot cakes.” The newest in the house’s Opera Collection (Act IV Scene I Dreams), its inspiration comes, of course, from the central scene of the Mad Hatter’s tea party, where the aromas of the English tea in its china pot mingles in with cream scones, bread and butter and carrot cake in a procession of notes that are, in Wonderland style-, not always what they seem but always what they are.

Photo by Editor Ermano Picco who is also the Evaluator©

In similar fashion to their recent releases Ray-Flection and Madeleine, Masque Milano introduced Lost Alice in a special online event. One hundred fragrance journalists were sent a set of samples, fancifully labelled “smell me” along with introductory subtitles which we tried as Alessandro Brun and Mackenzie Reilly took us through the perfume conceptual and physical development with four accords and the finished product. Brun calls Masque Milano Lost Alice “a game of proportion” in which scent ratios are upside-down. Using more difficult notes such as broom in the base and loud amounts of pepper and citrus, Reilly creates an undercurrent of distortion that echoes the perfume’s absurdist underpinnings.

The first of accord is a brilliantly dynamic bergamot and black pepper elixir that fairly pops from its vial. The bergamot and pepper bounce off each and a squeeze of lemon in the top like ping pong balls, opening the fragrance with a fragrant zing! that make the fragrance feel so vibrantly alive it like it is running as fast as it can to keep in the same place, With the arrival of some very musky ambrette, the accord becomes the olfactory embodiment of the Mad Hatter himself; frenetic, earthy, springy, and just a bit disturbing.

Via Wikipedia Botanical print of Broom

The next accord –-which immediately reminded me of the lovely talking flowers in the Disney animated Alice –- is a sumptuous orris concrete that smells like a damp spring day right after the flowers have opened for the first time. The sweet pastry-rooty scent of iris has a suede-like quality that is textured and subtle and calms things down for a moment or two after the buzzy opening. The orris’ buttery aroma sets the stage neatly for the cream tea at the center of Lost Alice, with its wafts of dairy and cake. Reilly cleverly teases out facets of honey, caramel and boiled sweets from a deliciously saturated broom absolute. This native Italian flower (a nod to Masque Milano’s provenance) has such depth and richness, it seems strange to me it is not used in perfumery as often as immortelle. The absolute here smells of dried hay, malt, chamomile and turned soil. Combined with carrot heart, it makes a convincing cake to have with one’s tea.

tea cups via flikr

As I write this, I am sipping the same Earl Grey that Masque Milano sent to savour along with some Galantine candies while smelling the accords. And this is where I spray the tea accord, which also contains mate and green tea and smells remarkably like the real thing, astringent, tannic, flowery and slightly smoky. Marrying bergamot in classic English fashion, the tea notes combine with touches marshmallow, fresh-baked scone, and a generous splash of deliciously unctuous cream.

Masque Milano Lost Alice photo via Masque Milano©

The final scene in Lost Alice is, of course, the harmonization of the four accords. The pepper and bergamot in the top act like a Rossini-like overture, full of elation and vigour. Following in quick succession is that delicious scone-carrot cake accord, dripping melted butter and caramel. But before things get too sweet, it gets all dirtied up with musk from that ambrette. The sense of something unkempt in the midst of all that proper Englishness provides a neat olfactory parallel to the rumpled, grotesque inhabitants of John Tenniel’s famous illustrations for the first edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. And it reminds you that this is no simple tale for children alone.

Photographed by Annie Leibovitz, Vogue, December 2003

As the various accords coalesce, Masque Milano Lost Alice becomes wonderfully lovely. Dreamy, clever, luscious and sophisticated, this is one of the best, most beautifully composed tea scents I have ever smelled. If ever there was a reason to throw oneself headlong down the perfume rabbit hole, this is it.

Notes: “SMELL ME”: Bergamot, ambrette seed Laboratoire Monique Remy  (LMR), clary sage France LMR, too much black pepper
“DRINK ME”: Carrot heart LMR, orris concrete LMR, English tea, white roses (painted red)
“EAT ME”: Sandalwood India LMR, broom absolute Italy LMR, fleur de lait (steamed milk accord)

Disclaimer: sample of Masque Milano Lost Alice kindly provided by Masque Milano. My opinions are my own.

Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor

photo via Masque Milano©

Thanks to the generosity of Masque Milano, we have a carded sample of Lost Alice for one registered reader worldwide. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what strikes you about Lost Alice based on Lauryn’s review, whether you have a favourite Masque Milano fragrance, and where you live. Draw ends 4/13/2021.

Lost Alice is available at Masque Milano online and in the USA samples are sold at Perfumology (bottles coming soon) and will be available to stockists worldwide.

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