The Wish

[zankoku_zen]

An incense of candied smoked fruits, Oman frankincense, red oud, labdanum absolute, sheer vanilla, patchouli, red musk seed, osmanthus, and datura accord. 

[lakeplacidskater]

On 10/14/2020 at 12:41 PM, zankoku_zen said:

An incense of candied smoked fruits, Oman frankincense, red oud, labdanum absolute, sheer vanilla, patchouli, red musk seed, osmanthus, and datura accord. 

 

I had actually just placed an order a while ago and saw "The Wish" become available so I blindly ordered it in addition to my early fall order with Liliths. I ordered, 1) because the lady on the label kinda looks like me, and 2) because I saw the candied fruits and vanilla and thought it would be right up my alley.

 

WET: It smells like an old fashioned floral perfume like my grandma used to have. I can really smell the patchouli and what I assume is the datura accord, with a bit of amber to strengthen it.

 

ON ME: Pretty much the same. After I wear it for a while the incense comes out but I don't really smell the candied smoked fruit at all. It does have quite a bit of staying power. 

 

I wouldn't wear this for casual daily wear, maybe a special occasion? It feels like something you would have to wear with formalwear. I usually steer away from patchouli but it is more balanced than most in my opinion. While it wasn't what I expected, I can see people who like complex floral perfumes enjoying this. 

 

[Alisha_SBC]

Of the four Ars Inspirio scents I've tried so far (waiting on Strega still) this is the heaviest and probably my least favorite. That isn't to say it's not pretty. It is. This just isn't something I'd see myself reaching for.
The candies fruits are there, but buried amidst the incense and musk. It brings to mind some of the markets I walked through in Dubai, actually. It's earthy and even a touch sensual, not something I'd pick for a casual day of wear. As it dries the fruits recede even further and I'm left with a smokiness thats somewhat peppery.
Nice, but not for me.

[Supertrooper Omni]

This is the first of the ars inspirio scents that I've tried. Some additional background, I tend to favor heavy patchouli scents and sweet scents. The Wish follows it's printed description exactly -- though not what I expected, since I was thinking it would be a syrupy brown patchouli fruit dracula.

 

The Wish when first applied is a hit of piney, light, I can smell the datura accord and osmanthus distinctly in the early phase. It smells like fancy hotel soap or niche parfum, which I don't intend as a derisive or to over simplify. It's clean, sophisticated dry. 

 

Overall the scent is very light, dry and sheer. The fruits are faint to me. they are not immediately identifiable, nor are they the big juicy fruits of many bpal fruity fruit blends.

 

It's like if you were in an incense shop that only carried those grey whitish colored japanese sticks in the octogon box, holding a wilting devil's trumpet and a dried osmanthus in your hand and there was 1 unsweetened dried jujube and 1 dedicated goji berry in a bowl across the room that suddenly manifested then disappeared.

 

The scent is overall incensey, but not dark smokey. The scent morphs a great deal on me and settles to a very dry frank (thought it was sandalwood oops) and dry vanilla (not sweet). The amber is there but well blended. I'm not noticing patchouli. The pepper is pretty subtle. All of it is pretty subtle! Very evocative.

 

I would recommend for day wear, or office since it's not heavy at all on me.

 

There are no potpourri or outstanding chai-mulling spice type scents, btw.

 

Recommended for incense lovers, sandalwood fans. Especially lovers of incense not smokey and not dark. Floral, not sweet. Dry unsweetened frank pepper vanilla drydown is giving me feels...?

 

Very elegant and thoughtful.

 

Edited December 13, 2020 by Supertrooper Omni
Clarity

[groovyrooby]

Adore this. Tested from a decant that rested for a week or so.

This convinced me I must be a red musk fan. Started dry incense but turned the perfect blend of warm, dry spices. Black pepper, cumin, like a toasted & freshly ground masala. Just love this. Gave up on testing for the day and just put on more when it died down a bit a few hours later. Close, furry, nutty, and sweet. I was hesitant about the 'smoked' and 'fruits' bit of this, as I haven't had much luck with fruits, and smoke can be too much. But this was gorgeous. Going big with this one.

 

Edited to add - yep, went big. First test out of the bottle, after sitting a day, husband says I smell like candy (which is a BIG WIN for him ). And I agree! Along with the delicate musk is a rich, fruit sugar smell. Just love it. So many layers. I smell gorgeous.

Edited March 30, 2021 by groovyrooby
Bottle review

[ziggystardust13]

The notes in this just called to me so I decided to purchase a bottle straight away. I'm so glad I did, because this scent is so beautiful.

 

This is not merely a fruit-chouli scent, though the components are definitely there. The candied smoked fruits are just gorgeous and lend a sort of tart sweetness that compliments the deeper notes. Its not "fruity" in the least though, nor is it overly sweet.

 

The oud is well behaved (sometime it can go funky me but I honestly don't detect it). The laudanum is strongest upon application but eventually blends in seamlessly with the rest of the notes. All in all this ends up being pretty soft. I can see wearing this to my office job or for a special evening.  It reminds me very much of Dark Delacacies. I no longer have that scent to do a side by side comparison, but it definitely shares some similar notes and evokes a similar feel. Elegant. Beautiful. Just like the artwork represented on the bottle.

Edited January 11, 2021 by ziggystardust13

[zankoku_zen]

Red musk, touch of oudh, labdanum, and it smells musky and inky.  There's something smoky, and resinous labdanum underneath, and it smells like an old timey resin that has become tainted, poisoned by age and something evil. Good throw and wear length.

[Failmingo]

I keep reaching for this one, months onward, which continues to shock me because there were others in Ars Inspiratio which were MUCH more interesting to me on paper. But when it's right it's right... right?

 

In the bottle: 

It stings a little! Frankincense, oudh, labdanum are right there, which meant that it struck me as a touch medicinal in an Old World way, but inviting and intriguing nevertheless. 

 

Wet on the skin:

Right away this is where the fruit notes and oudh start singing in a kind of high-pitched harmony, commanding my full attention. The tartness is what grabbed me here, tempering the sweetness and highlighting the overall wicked playfulness of the blend, doing sinister, wayward things to the musk. The osmanthus and hint of vanilla round it out and keep the whole thing fairly sophisticated. The sly smile of the figure on the label is the perfect advertisement for this scent: there are darker stirrings rising up from underneath, in the form of the patch and the datura accord, which suggest hidden depths of complete amorality. It's feminine, but edgy -- surely no pushover, this gal.

 

Dry:

This palette basically sticks with me, holding relatively stable throughout the whole drydown. It does get a bit softer, until the very end all that's left is this kind of pouting sigh of candied oudh. It's a wonderfully mysterious scent that is truly worthy of the artwork and suggestive of the art of divination itself.

[gothteacup]

Smokey fruity datura, oud and patchouli start this off. Datura is such a unique note- a soft oudh almost, a little bitter, a smokey unique mysterious floral.

 

I really enjoy The Wish after it’s dried a while, and if I pass my arm in front of my face, the smell is intoxicating. That’s when I can really pick up the vanilla and osmanthus. 
 

Many layers to this, and it’s beautiful. I was on the fence about getting a bottle of this, and now I am wishing I had gotten another one. I bet this will age very well.

[rivetted]

This one has been a bit of a sleeper hit for me. It's mysterious - sometimes faint, sometimes in-your-face strong. 

Initially, I was convinced that I didn't really like it.

But it's so similar to a lot of my favorites, yet so mysterious, that I keep wanting to try it.

 

Resinous & incensey with very subtle fruits/florals - dark rooms lit by candlelight, a red haze.

Feels like it would fit in well in an opium den sometimes, and yet sometimes it seems so light, classic feminine & summery. The shifts are subtle though, this is definitely a darker & heavier scent most of the time in my mind.

 

I'm looking forward to letting this one sit for a lot longer, as I have a feeling I'll love it even more as it ages.