Wish

I've already reviewed this and as I said, it was my signature scent for about 20 years or more but it's changed. When I did first smell it years ago then smelled Angel not too long later I did think they smelled alike then as I got to know them both really well I changed my mind. Now I've kinda changed it back. This version of Wish smells a lot more like Angel to me, or a flanker, it's almost all just pure patchouli and hardly any of the gorgeous, sugary, sparkly, slightly powdery, just addictive, Wish of the 90s and 2000s. I've got no idea why they'd change the colour to a murky green, surely it'd be easier to just keep it clear if they didn't want to make it blue anymore? It used to last forever on your clothes and all night on your skin. I'd go out clubbing and wake up the next day still smelling of this, people have said their beds were left smelling of it after I'd slept in it. Now it fades really quickly. The dry down of this is almost identical to Angel now, and it didn't used to be, they were similar but this had it's own distinctive smell. Smelling it now after not wearing it for ages it really does just smell of the patchouli in Angel, just weaker, as if you've had Angel on the day before and it's almost faded away. The dry dry down reminds me of Angel elixir, which also smells like you've had Angel on but it's nearly worn off. I'm really quite sad coz I adored this. It wasn't particularly classy or elegant and my tastes have changed a lot over the past few years but I still loved having this for when the mood struck me. It was never supposed to be a dupe for Angel, for all the people complaining that it's not, it was it's own perfume. It was just the style of the era so if it was similar that's why. In the same way that loads of current day perfumes smell almost identical with a slight difference. It's not just the bottle making me think of Angel, as some people have said, I know them both well and they do smell alike to me. All of the best parts of Wish seem to have gone now, so if you never smelled the OG version you'll never know how good it was. It was never gonna be for everyone but it was significantly better than it is now. If it ever gets discontinued I can only hope a clone brand does a clone of the original formulation. Edit 20th July 23. I opened my back up bottle today and it's the blue juice. For some reason it seems much nicer and sweeter than my green one. I don't know if it's just because the green one is older and the top notes have died off a bit and the patchouli base has overtaken it but this one is really nice, I only sprayed one spray on my wrist and I can still smell it really strongly after ages. I'm gonna have to wear it as my scent of the day now when I go out. So it looks like my relationship with Wish isn't over just yet. Reading that it's getting discontinued has made me decide I will still ask for a bottle this Christmas despite still having quite a bit left. Mind, I've been hearing it's being discontinued for at least 15 years and it hasn't been so I wouldn't take it as gospel. Still though, just incase, I'm gonna stock up on it.

A satin ribbon of milk accord loosens itself into the air, lightly honeyed and faintly luminous. Soon it unfurls into a cloud of golden‐green and glittering mauve moths, as though the berries themselves had taken flight as jewel‐winged creatures. They flutter above an exuberant parterre of flowers: majestic orchids and coaxing honeysuckle, black locust and shy violets scattered among crystalline lily‐of‐the‐valley, powdery heliotrope and osmanthus, noble magnolias and insinuating jasmine. This riot of blooms is astonishing: sweet, airy, exotic, captivating, yet never cloying, never a burden on the senses. Their opulence is exquisitely synchronised, blended with an almost mischievous precision. It truly is a “Wish” worthy of a perfumer: to marshal so unorthodox an orchestra and have its music rise as an unquestioned little masterpiece. The toffee caramel is a particular delight, rendered so faithfully I almost taste it melt on my tongue. Vanilla drifts in as a powder-fine light, none of the heavy spiced syrup that has drenched so many perfumes of late; instead it is like gold flakes tossed idly into the air for the sheer pleasure of watching them fall. Yuzu darts through the composition like quicksilver demoiselles, scattering citrus glints, while pear lends fresh juiciness, laced with the faint tart blush of strawberry. This gourmand is unlike the others: delicious, rich, layered, yet never tipping to one extreme; it lays out all its flavours at once, bright and delightful, like a dessert trolley in miniature. Patchouli and incense spin a gauze-like veil, a trembling curtain of air, the perfect backdrop to all that frenzied fluttering above and among the blooms. Nothing grows heavy or overbearing; everything is ornate, playful, a little whimsical. “Wish” would sit perfectly at home in Madame de Pompadour’s boudoir, glimmering among frivolous bows and cushions, garlands of flowers and intricate lace. It is hard to believe that all this was so carefully conceived, a woman’s genius and patience arranging each puzzle piece into a seamless, flowing expression of her life, her pleasures, her passions and obligations. One can only “Wish” that such beguiling magic will never quite fade, never slip away without a trace.

Edit October 2024 It's a lot more floral than I ever noticed before. It's sweet, sugary fruits with lots of white flowers and patchouli. This was my signature scent up until very recently, kinda still is. I first got it in a miniature set when I was about 11 or 12 with Cerrutti 1881 and a few Elizabeth Arden perfumes. I fell in love with Wish immediately and I've had a bottle every Christmas ever since. It was clear liquid when I first started using it, then it was blue and last year it was green. They're not flankers though, it's the normal Wish but it seems to come in a few different colours now. My friend recently got a clear one. Anyway, the smell. I can see the comparisons to Angel. It does have a similar vibe to it but Angel is a bit more dirty (in a good way though) and slightly more creamy. I don't think of it as fruity. It's bright, sparkly and powdery at the same time. It's a gourmand but I can't compare it to anything I've ever eaten. It's sweet but not in a candy sort of way. I can definitely smell the caramel, coconut, vanilla, incense, and toffee. I've seen other people say it smells dated but I don't think it does at all. I think if a niche brand or even celebrity brought this out today everyone would go mad for it. It's a gorgeous sexy, going out clubbing perfume but I wear it anywhere coz that's just the type of person I am. It could be too sickly and cloying for some people, especially if you're more into fresh, floral, or citrus types of scents but if you like things like Angel, Alien, Cloud, or even things like La Vie Est Belle, JPG Classique, and Poison(I know these all smell very different but it's just more a vibe thing, strong heady/recognisable perfumes that stand out) then you'd probably like this. You can pick up a 75ml bottle for about £25 now so if you don't like it at least you haven't spent £300. Plus, I'll have it if you don't want it 😂 I'm not currently wearing it but I still have two bottles of it, one that's half full and a back up. I hope it's never discontinued because it would truly devastate me to not be able to smell the perfume that everyone associates with me and reminds me of so much of my youth. Everyone I know says they'll always think of me whenever they smell it.

Every time I saw it, the bottle called to me in its own soft siren song - “Don’t you wish you had Wish?” Yes! I said, and now I do. Some perfumes are perfectly themselves, start to finish, from name to bottle to drydown, and Wish is one of them. She is entirely herself, and like the facets in the bottle, she shows different sides on different days. I love her for it. I love the prominent honey, something that I crave in perfume and that thoroughly delights me, and the alcoholic tinge to it here is like Jack and honey. And the coconut! as far from summer as coconut can get, but so beautiful and truly nutty here. Everything else is in the blend and what she chooses to reveal or emphasize of it on a given day. The description and ingredients of Wish are right in my type, but the reality of it is completely different and far from what I usually love, yet I do love it. Wish is a unique gem. I would never have believed that these words would come out of my mouth, because I do so love the power houses and heavy hitters, but I don’t care about the longevity or projection here. While decent, the experience of Wish is more important to me. I’ve not encountered any perfume that affects me this way before. I spray heavily, as is my habit and inclination, and just go with what comes of it. So much comes of it. And the cap atop the very lovely bottle? Shiny, sleek, minimalist, and mechanical, which I really like. The ring is very effective for removing the cap easily. It is also a little like pulling the pin on a grenade, maybe a reminder to be careful what you wish for! As I said, perfectly herself from beginning to end. Edit: The more often I wear this, the more I love the drydown. It gets sweeter and more floral - the heliotrope and violets really shine. The longevity on well moisturized skin is ridiculous - all day and into the night from morning application. I just love Wish.

I feel like the only person on this site who has never even smelled Angel, so I cannot say anything about the supposed similarity to said perfume. What I can say is that Wish is an extremely pleasant scent on my skin, there is not a single offensive quality about it. The listed notes seem to include everything but the kitchen sink and it works for me. Gourmand without being over-the-top sweet. Lovely. EDIT: After smelling both Angel EdP and EdT on my skin, I can say that this is infinitely more wearable and way less polarizing. The patchouli note is considerably smaller in this one compared to Angel, so if Angel is too hardcore for you, don't be scared to try Wish. EDIT 2: I applied Wish liberally before going to bed last night and put Lolita Lempicka on this morning. I subsequently headed to the gym, and as I was working out, a familiar smell started making its way into my nostrils... Angel EdP. It has been weeks since I used up my sample of Angel, so I thought I'd share this curious incident. EDIT 3: I just got a whole big 75 ml thing of this as I have almost used up the 5 ml mini the review was based on. The mini was definitely an older one, and it smells better than what comes out of my large bottle. I don't know if it is the age that has changed the scent or if there has been a reformulation since 1999, but the mini smells a bit better to my nose. Warmer and a bit sweeter, somehow. There is a somewhat unpleasant note that is not present in the old one, so I don't know... EDIT 4 (last one, I promise): Three days after getting the fullsize bottle I compare my mini with it yet again and actually prefer what comes out of the big bottle?! What is going on? I guess this is more complex than I thought!