Photo: Rio Viera-Newton
There are three things you need to know about my friend Joelle Hyman: I consider her product reviews to be the gospel (she worked on Seduce for years); she has the most shiny and silky hair I have ever seen; and she always it smells good. So, a few weeks ago, when my proven Le Labo Rose 31 scent finally ran out, and I realized walking into a department store and using shared testers wasn’t ringing the bell. entirely calling, I texted her asking for a perfume recommendation. Knowing Joelle’s taste, I expected her to suggest one of beauty writing staples – something like Tom Ford’s Jasmine Rouge. But, to my surprise, she replied, within seconds: “Rio, you must get Ariana Grande’s Cloud scent – it smells like a breath of warm but clear air. Huh? When I asked her to elaborate on what made Cloud so good, she explained that it smelled similar, if not better, in Greenwich Village at $ 400 than Bond # 9 (a fragrance once described as “more iconic than Chanel # 5. ”) By Racked). She also claimed whenever she carried Cloud out of the house that she was pulled over on the street, without fail. When I asked if it was too sweet or too young, Joelle replied simply, “He’s definitely got a youthful look, but it’s pretty fancy for my mom.
Now don’t get me wrong I’m a fan of Ariana Grande’s music (I once had a dinner party where I played the Sweetener and Thanks, next albums in their entirety back to back). But I also had in mind what celebrity perfumes usually do do not Very good smell – the last one I bought was Britney Spears’ Curious in 2006.
Yes, Joelle had intrigued me, but I wasn’t fully sold until I saw Cloud appear on a shelf published by Tynan Sinks who is not just a wonderful and trustworthy beauty writer (with bylines everywhere Seduce in New York Time) but it is also someone who is so passionate about perfume, he co-hosts a podcast focused on perfumes called Smell Ya later. When I asked him what he liked about the scent, he told me it was just “charming and undeniably pleasant”. He also explained that the Cloud’s formula avoids using red berries and white flowers, two scent profiles that most perfumes – mostly celebrity perfumes – tend to rely on. (I have found that these notes can make the scents too sweet and too potent.)
After digging slightly, I found that Joelle and Tynan were far from alone: the Cloud perfume won the fragrance of the year award at the 2019 Fragrance Foundation Awards. And after the arrival of my Ulta order, I finally figured out what it was about: when you first apply the scent you get a lavender, pear and bergamot glow, but when it settles into your skin it smells like a hot, cozy orchid musk. You don’t smell like you’re obviously wearing perfume – you just smell a cleaner version of yourself, like you’ve just stepped out of a really nice shower. I’ve worn Cloud every day, without fail, since the day he arrived and have already received three compliments.
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