Tian Tan

Tian tan looks simplistic with its three notes only, but when you smell it in reality it's a deeper scent. The more I smell it, I realise that all notes are equally prominent. It's softly powdery, never stuffy, it's a clean scent, with a vintage vibe, and a little oriental. The vanilla is far from being edible, the lotus flower has its aquatic floral sweetness very prominent and the musk can easily lean to fabric softener. An easy to wear scent in all occasions and without any age restrictions. Comforting, unisex, long lasting, maybe close to skin after some hours of wear, delightful scent, a pleasure to smell! Tian tian would work amazingly in summertime I think

I received my bottle of Tian Tan today and am eager to review it as I sit in its aura. First to the presentation... Nice work for a niche perfumer. The presentation of this fragrance is adorable and really, just right. The bottle -- a rollerball, which makes a lot of sense for this type of fragrance because a little goes a long way -- capped with a crystal. The label bears a matching crystal, and the full package comes in a velvet bag with a tiny crown (for King's Palace, of course). It's clear from the packaging that the fragrance comes from a small, elite perfumery and the little personal touch, as opposed to a manufactured box, makes me feel just a little special that I get to own this. Now to the fragrance. I wasn't optimistic because I am SO WEARY of the sandalwood and vanilla base notes that are EVERYWHERE. Granted, Tian Tan doesn't have the sandalwood, but it does count vanilla among its main notes. Ugh, I thought. Another uninspired vanilla better left in the kitchen. What a pleasant surprise, though! Dr. Harrison is a mad scientist when it comes to blending fragrances, because Tian Tan has just enough vanilla to give this fragrance stability, but it's NOT your run-of-the-mill 21st century vanilla cheater. This is a very sophisticated blend and really, if I didn't know that vanilla was a main note, I would miss it. (My dog wouldn't, though. He always licks my wrists when there are vanilla notes, and he can't get enough Tian Tan.) Next observation: There is something pleasantly vintage about this fragrance. I can't say why, but it reminds me of childhood somehow. Maybe because musks were so popular in the 1970s, but this isn't your average musk, either. Yes, there's musk, and I would in fact describe this as primarily a musk, but it is so much more. Then there's the lotus. Vanilla, musk, lotus... sounds just cloyingly sweet, doesn't it? Well, it's not. I don't know how he does it, but Dr. Harrison's alchemy gives this fragrance a slightly aldehydic drydown that saves it from going anywhere near the too sweet range. If it were a dessert, it wouldn't be turtle pie with ice cream and chocolate sauce; it would be more like a dense bread pudding with dairy cream. I think it's the lotus that imparts that exotic quality to this fragrance, but again, it's not like walking in to an incense-filled import shop. Once again, this fragrance almost goes there, but never reaches over-the-top in anything it does. The restraint is just impeccable. Lady GaGa would never wear this fragrance, but Downton Abbey's Lady Mary would. Would I buy this fragrance again? Maybe, but it's more likely that I'll try another King's Palace Perfumery choice, because after trying Tian Tan, I'm pretty confident that my next bottle will be something equally special, if not even better. ADDENDUM: After having the opportunity to wear this fragrance for a full day, I can add that the dry-down is lasting without changing. This scent is very stable once its past the dry-down stage. As I catch the occasional whiff or sniff my wrist, I keep thinking that if this fragrance were a color, it would be orange. No, there's nothing of the fruit in the scent -- this would be the deep rich orange of a very ripe pomegranate. I can almost see it when I close my eyes and breathe in.

Tian Tan is a multifaceted, dynamic musk perfume that is a pleasure to wear. It begins with a nice floral musk, the floral aspect imparted by a delicate but intoxicating lotus flower. The floral musk remains in the same beautiful way for about 15 mins till it morphs into another totally different kind of musk. This musk is gorgeous! It is soft, pillowy, warm but exquisite. It is a kind of 'skin' musk but it is neither skanky nor dirty nor too powdery nor too clean. This is probably what 'Solar Musk' smells like. This musk kind of reminds me of the musk in Narciso Rodriguez for her, though Tian Tan and NR For Her are different perfumes altogether. Tian Tan is a beautiful perfume. I love the changing musks in it. It stays close to the skin but the lasting power is amazing. Wearing Tian Tan feels like wrapping my skin in a snuggly but expensive cashmere throw. Effortlessly beautiful. I am so impressed that ordered a full size within a few hours of wearing the sample!

This is a really solid musk. The longevity is just as solid too. It has a touch of hippy about it but overall I like it.

Loving this, smells of very real flowers, lasts all day, will be using this all spring. And in winter to remind me of spring.