Slow World

If you don’t smell vanilla it’s because you’ve probably abused your nose with so many sweet scents you can’t think straight. The vanilla is the heart of this scent there is not a particle that goes into your nose that isn’t soaked in vanilla. And I hate vanilla centric perfumes but this is how it’s done. It’s great..... I was worried at first bc the vanilla comes off strong but the bitterness catches up and that warm lovely dragon blood I’ve been obsessed with lately swoops in like a handsome gentleman. It all dances so well together. edit: ehehehe well..... i take that back. once that bitter green tea note wears off this gets so violently oppressive. i take back my love. and i used a lucky scent dabber and applied it like three times so only three lines of this perfume on my skin and its pummeling me with saffron and vanilla 10 hours later. ok im being mean. its not a bad smell it just bores me but it still smells very natural and well made but obnoxious to me due to my personal taste

This is the kind of cosy scent I usually can't tolerate- I got it as part of the sample set and saw incense and vanilla on the notes and assumed it would be a migraine inducer I can only smell second-hand on my wife (RIP Ma Nishitane). Sandy Wong has perfectly nailed a perfume for the Australian culture and climate. It's lighter and better for the heat we have here. I think this would shine more in the cool season, but I'm wearing it on a 30C day with no issues too. I wonder if it would even work in the northern hemisphere- which rips imho, we get so many fragrances foisted on us that are incompatible to our weather. I love as well that there is a brand specifically celebrating Australian Chinese culture and heritage. This is something we've needed so badly. A lot of the Australian niche fragrances feel clumsy or overbearing to me. I'm terribly excited to try out the other scents in the set now.

Slow World is a caramelized tea and wood scent upon a strong bed of vanilla, and the definition of rich and creamy. My favorite part is the opening, with a deluge of vanilla and malt that already has a warm and steady depth from the resin. I've never smelled dragon's blood resin before, and in Slow World, it has might, dustiness, and character all in spades. It all combines into this vanilla cookies and fireplace scent, getting a bit drier and smokier as it dries down, and consequently a bit more masculine. The lasting power and projection is also excellent, and I've smelled it on my clothes and skin almost 20 hours after applying. I've really never smelled anything like it, but I wish I could find more in its family because I am addicted to that rich, sweet, balsamic vanilla opening like nobody's business.

This opens with a honeyed tea scent, with a ambery earthy sweetness. I typically don’t love resinous scents but this one isn’t too in your face or extreme amber-like, there’s a freshness here and a creamy earthiness throughout the scent. The heart of this is a malty saffron heavy aroma with earthy muskiness. It’s floral but with a smoky breadiness to it from the malt, even slightly boozy like an ale/beer. The dry down is a creamy vanilla bean, sandalwood and a smoky incense. It’s sweet but the sandalwood feels toasted here. This one borders on gourmand but I can’t say it goes all the way, it’s definitely sweet but it’s very earthy and smoky with creamy resins. I would also say this is not a tea forward scent, it’s there but it’s more of a smoky take on vanilla with elements of a tea aroma in the opening.

I had to do a double take when I smelled this. It is so, so beautiful. If you don't like the opening, pleeeeaasse give the dry down a chance! It's this amazing, encapsulating scent of spicy tea with just a hint of vanilla, and then morphs into this beautiful and smoky dragon's blood incense and malt which gives it a bit of a cookie-like sweetness like a few other reviewers mentioned. That's a great way to describe it. What a beautiful and cocooning scent. You'll want to hug yourself. Also the longevity and sillage is incredible - I've been walking around work with this on and smell it pretty much constantly and it's kinda rubbed off onto my desk and seat and when I sit down, I'm just engulfed by this amazing smell. You must add this to your test list if you love smoky, resinous smells. 100/10!!!!