My Beauty-Industry Friends Are All Obsessed With Ariana Grande’s ‘Cloud’ Perfume
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There are three things you should know about my friendJoelle Hyman: I take her product reviews as gospel (she worked atAllurefor years); she has theshiniest, silkiest hairI’ve ever seen; and shealwayssmells good. So a few weeks back, when my tried-and-trueLe Labo Rose 31 perfumefinally ran out, and I realized entering a department store and using shared testers didn’t soundentirelyappealing, I texted her to ask for aperfumerecommendation. Knowing Joelle’s taste, I was expecting her to suggest one of the high-brow beauty-editor staples — something like Tom Ford’sJasmine Rouge. But, much to my surprise, she replied, in seconds: “Rio, youmustget Ariana Grande’s Cloud perfume — it smells like a warm but clear breath of air.” Huh? When I asked her to elaborate on what made Cloud so good, she explained that it smelled similar to, if not better than, Bond No. 9’s $400 Greenwich Village (a perfume oncedescribedas “more iconic than Chanel No. 5.” by Racked). She also claimed every single time she wears Cloud out of the house that she gets stopped on the street, without fail. When I asked if it was too sugary or tween-y, Joelle replied simply: “It definitely has a youthfulness to it, but it’s sophisticated enough for my mom.”
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Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of Ariana Grande’s music (I once threw a dinner party where I played theSweetenerandThank U, Nextalbums in their entirety back-to-back). But I also had it in my head that celebrity perfumes usually donotsmell very good — granted the last one I purchased was Britney Spears’s Curious way back in 2006.
Yes, Joelle had me intrigued, but I wasn’t entirely sold until I saw Cloud pop up in a shelfie posted byTynan Sinkswho is not only a wonderful and trustworthy beauty writer (with bylines everywhere fromAllureto the the New YorkTimes) but is also someone who issopassionate about perfume that he co-hosts afragrance-focused podcast calledSmell Ya Later.When I asked him what he liked about the scent, he told me that it is just “lovely and undeniably pleasing.” He also explained that the Cloud’s formula avoids using red berries and white florals, two scent profiles that most perfumes —especiallycelebrity perfumes — tend to rely on. (I’ve found that those notes can make perfumes too sugary, and headache-inducingly potent.)
After doing some light digging, I found that Joelle and Tynan were far from alone: Cloud perfume wonFragrance of the Year at the 2019 Fragrance Foundation Awards. And after my Ulta order arrived, I finally understood what the fuss was all about: When you first apply the scent, you get a burst of lavender, pear, and bergamot, but as it settles into your skin, it smells like a warm, cozy orchid musk. You don’t smell like you’re obviously wearing perfume — you just sort of smell like a cleaner version of yourself, like you’ve just stepped out of areallynice shower. I’ve been wearing Cloud every single day, without fail, since the day it arrived and I’ve already received three compliments.
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