The Curious Case of Cloud
To me, Ariana Grande’s celebrity brand has always felt quite luxurious for its price point. Many of her bottles are beautifully unique, earning their place in any aesthetic Pinterest shelf, and the juice inside feels blended with genuine depth. Celebrity scents often get hated on for being bland and one-note, or the dreaded- mass appealing (heaven forbid a girl wants people to like her fragrance). Although despite my snark, there is truth to those critiques. Yet 
Cloud Eau de Parfum stood out. One of the most popular affordable feminine scents of all time, Cloud has been hailed as unique yet appealing in all of its lactonic cozy glory. It’s been called a dupe for 
Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau de Parfum and when the price tag on the bottle threatens the financial equivalent of a gut punch, Cloud becomes a very appealing alternative. It stood out amongst the sea of fruity floral celebrity scents at the time, even standing unique compared to Ariana’s previous scents. I’d even argue it stands up there with 
Fantasy Eau de Parfum in the celebrity fragrance hall of fame.
I’ve bestowed a lot of high praise upon Cloud, so you’d obviously expect me to adore it. To an extent, you’d be right. I received my first bottle for Christmas back when I was 19 and fell in love. I remember the image my mind conjured at that first spray on my skin. Imagine walking through street lit by golden lamps, snowflakes in your hair. It’s the dead of Winter and the air bites at your skin as the snow crunches under your feet. In the midst of the snowfall, you see a bakery with the door cracked open. The most delightful scent of freshly baked waffles caresses your senses, making your mouth water and your body feel warm in anticipation of this much deserved treat. An affordable scent conjuring something so rich in my imagination? It was surely something special! I wore Cloud throughout my second year of my Bachelor’s Degree, and for that year it became somewhat of my signature. Every whiff of it in public apparently made my ex turn around, it enveloped me during the chilly Autumnal trips to study in the library, and filled my dreary lecture hall with something sweet.
Last Christmas, I asked for Cloud again. Three years had passed, and I was finally ready to return to the snowed-in bakery. Yet… I couldn’t seem to find it. My new bottle seemed to have less of a gourmand-lactonic feel, and more of a synthetic sweetness. It was plasticky and artificial, not unpleasant by any means, but undeniably different. I am unsure if this is due to a reformulation or my sense simply maturing over the years, but I couldn’t help but miss the old Cloud.
Cloud Aurora didn’t interest me when it first came out. Rather, I felt it seemed redundant. Yippee, another Cloud flanker. How ambitious! I’ve never smelled 
Cloud 2.0 Intense, and 
Cloud Pink Eau de Parfum never impressed me, either smelling like a fruity cocktail that was left out too long, or suffering from a lack of harmony between the dragonfruit and praline. I remember a friend hoping that her newest release would be a summery scent to commemorate Eternal Sunshine, which is admittedly something I would still love to see. Yet one day I saw Cloud Aurora sitting in a store and decided to test it. I fell in love. The blackcurrant was juicy and rich, yet the spun sugar made it light and airy at the same time. It stayed on my skin all day, and I couldn’t resist smelling my wrist all day.
I recently bought myself the 10ml bottle. I love the holographic sheen all over it, and I can’t wait to upgrade to a larger bottle. The spun sugar and vanilla make it so sweet and pleasing, while the blackcurrant creates some richness. The wood and smoke notes prevent it from becoming too sweet and simplistic, giving it some depth. While it hasn’t whisked me away to the snowy bakery, it has instead transported me to a winter wonderland filled with sugar. That’s something I’m now perfectly happy with.
Cloud Eau de Parfum stood out. One of the most popular affordable feminine scents of all time, Cloud has been hailed as unique yet appealing in all of its lactonic cozy glory. It’s been called a dupe for Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau de Parfum and when the price tag on the bottle threatens the financial equivalent of a gut punch, Cloud becomes a very appealing alternative. It stood out amongst the sea of fruity floral celebrity scents at the time, even standing unique compared to Ariana’s previous scents. I’d even argue it stands up there with Fantasy Eau de Parfum in the celebrity fragrance hall of fame. I’ve bestowed a lot of high praise upon Cloud, so you’d obviously expect me to adore it. To an extent, you’d be right. I received my first bottle for Christmas back when I was 19 and fell in love. I remember the image my mind conjured at that first spray on my skin. Imagine walking through street lit by golden lamps, snowflakes in your hair. It’s the dead of Winter and the air bites at your skin as the snow crunches under your feet. In the midst of the snowfall, you see a bakery with the door cracked open. The most delightful scent of freshly baked waffles caresses your senses, making your mouth water and your body feel warm in anticipation of this much deserved treat. An affordable scent conjuring something so rich in my imagination? It was surely something special! I wore Cloud throughout my second year of my Bachelor’s Degree, and for that year it became somewhat of my signature. Every whiff of it in public apparently made my ex turn around, it enveloped me during the chilly Autumnal trips to study in the library, and filled my dreary lecture hall with something sweet.
Last Christmas, I asked for Cloud again. Three years had passed, and I was finally ready to return to the snowed-in bakery. Yet… I couldn’t seem to find it. My new bottle seemed to have less of a gourmand-lactonic feel, and more of a synthetic sweetness. It was plasticky and artificial, not unpleasant by any means, but undeniably different. I am unsure if this is due to a reformulation or my sense simply maturing over the years, but I couldn’t help but miss the old Cloud.
Cloud Aurora didn’t interest me when it first came out. Rather, I felt it seemed redundant. Yippee, another Cloud flanker. How ambitious! I’ve never smelled Cloud 2.0 Intense, and Cloud Pink Eau de Parfum never impressed me, either smelling like a fruity cocktail that was left out too long, or suffering from a lack of harmony between the dragonfruit and praline. I remember a friend hoping that her newest release would be a summery scent to commemorate Eternal Sunshine, which is admittedly something I would still love to see. Yet one day I saw Cloud Aurora sitting in a store and decided to test it. I fell in love. The blackcurrant was juicy and rich, yet the spun sugar made it light and airy at the same time. It stayed on my skin all day, and I couldn’t resist smelling my wrist all day. I recently bought myself the 10ml bottle. I love the holographic sheen all over it, and I can’t wait to upgrade to a larger bottle. The spun sugar and vanilla make it so sweet and pleasing, while the blackcurrant creates some richness. The wood and smoke notes prevent it from becoming too sweet and simplistic, giving it some depth. While it hasn’t whisked me away to the snowy bakery, it has instead transported me to a winter wonderland filled with sugar. That’s something I’m now perfectly happy with.
