• Home
  • Mail
  • Tumblr
  • News
  • Sports
  • Finance
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Answers
  • Groups
  • Mobile
  • More
Yahoo
    • Skip to Navigation
    • Skip to Main Content
    • Skip to Related Content
    • Mail
    Lifestyle Home
    Follow Us
    • Style
    • Beauty
    • Wellness
    • Pop Culture
    • Shopping
    • News
    • Horoscope
    • Video
    • NowWith

    Ariana Grande's Cloud Perfume Is the Perfect Prelude to Her New Album

    Tynan Sinks
    AllureFebruary 8, 2019
    Reblog
    Share
    Tweet
    Share

    What a year Ariana Grande has had, and it's only February. Unless you've been living under a rock with no Wi-Fi, you know that Ari's been working hard since, well, it's kind of hard to remember the last time she took a break from work, and the limelight that comes with it.

    With the press whirlwind surrounding her, it may have been easy to miss Ari's latest fragrance release, Cloud. But believe me, it is worth revisiting. Cloud is Ari's sixth fragrance (if you count flankers, which we do). We knew it was coming; a few months back, Ari gave us a preview of the fragrance by posting lab samples on her Instagram story. First,the rollerball was made available on her website, then Cloud debuted in full, bottle and all.

    Last year, Ari released the most hotly anticipated album of the year, Sweetener, a cloudy, fizzy record that blended pop and R&B with the effervescence of champagne, and just as intoxicating. During the Sweetener press tour, Ariana mentioned to Ebro of Beats `One Radio that after every release, she goes right back into the recording studio to get her creative juices flowing. This time, though, the juices didn't stop. If you were watching closely, which I know you were, you noticed that Ari was consistently snapping from the studio, and just three months after the release of her fourth album, we got a new single — her first number one: the now ubiquitous, colloquial, and iconic "Thank U, Next."

    If there is one thing the past few months have taught us about Ariana Grande, it's that she is now doing things on her own terms. After becoming one of the most-talked-about celebrities, not just for her music and ponytail, but her relationships and breakups, "Thank U, Next" was part of Ari reclaiming her narrative, taking control of her story, and talking about her past through the lens of light and growth. It's no surprise, then, that Cloud is the outlier among all her fragrances.

    View photos

    How it's different

    Cloud is a fitting name for the scent, as it's a recurring image in her life and work. Before Sweetener's release, she told Vogue that her sound is that of "a '90s baby catapulted into this cloud of polished pop dust, and the six million different personalities singing a bunch of harmonies together." Because of this, and the cloud emoji that often accents her Instagram stories and tweets, plus a cloud tattoo on her knuckle, it makes sense that Ari extended it to something tangible her fans can enjoy with her.

    NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 17: Ariana Grande seen on the streets of Manhattan on August 17, 2018 in New York, NY. (Photo by Josiah Kamau/BuzzFoto via Getty Images)
    View photos

    Ariana Grande

    NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 17: Ariana Grande seen on the streets of Manhattan on August 17, 2018 in New York, NY. (Photo by Josiah Kamau/BuzzFoto via Getty Images)
    Getty Images

    As much as Sweetener felt like a departure from her previous sounds, and "Thank U, Next" even more so, Cloud is also a departure from Ari's original and often reinterpreted bottle shape: the diamond-cut grenade with pom-pom accent. Cloud is shaped like, well, a cloud, with a rainbow, or sun, (or moon?) peeking out behind it, capped by another cloud. It's literal, fun, and cute.

    The scent is surprising. All of Ari's scents have been unapologetically girly, sweet, light, and floaty, but Cloud is very different than any scent she's done before, and a welcome and exciting change. It opens up bergamot, pear, and lavender, with a heart of coconut, whipped cream, praline, and orchid, and a base of wood and musk. Your standard celebrity fragrance, right? Wrong.

    How it wears

    On my skin, the woods and musk rise immediately through the fragrance and mingle with the bergamot at the top for a long-lasting trio. The sweeter notes, like coconut, do a nice job of rounding the fragrance's otherwise sharp edges and warming it up a bit, while blessedly few florals prevents the whole thing from becoming too sticky.

    It's a chilly, fresh scent that, if we were still gendering fragrances in 2019 — which we are not — leans pretty heavily masculine. If you threw the scent in a sporty bottle and sold it in the men's section of Sephora, no one would think twice (the power of branding).

    This scent may miss the somewhat obvious opportunity to include an ozone note, but it does a great job of re-creating it, sort of making a cloudy, electric accord that smells like the street after a summer rain; think a more assertive, juicier CK2. It feels alive, like walking through fog, or a cloud.

    NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 18: Ariana Grande seen on September 18, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Robert Kamau/GC Images)
    View photos

    Ariana Grande

    NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 18: Ariana Grande seen on September 18, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Robert Kamau/GC Images)
    Getty Images

    The longevity and throw of the scent are just right. People can pick up on it if they're close to you, but it's not smothering, and it lasts from morning to night. Every time I wear it, I get a ton of compliments. People are always shocked when I tell them it's a celebrity fragrance (but they shouldn't be, because as we know, celebrity scents are just as good as scents perceived as high-end. Cloud hits all the right notes without doing too much. It's great for anyone, any time, and it won't go anywhere until you shower it off.

    How it resonates

    A recurring theme of the Sweetener album and press tour was fighting darkness with light. During and after the album cycle, Ari was faced with a lot of darkness, personally and publicly. We saw her live her message: showing us that light and positivity during the darkest times was more than a marketing concept or theme to sell a record, and more of a personal mantra to her.

    Right in front of our eyes, Ariana Grande is redefining what it means to be a pop star, going from a cog in the pop engine to driving the vehicle, and with that, meeting the greatest successes of her career. We've seen her break through the confines of what a pop star can be. Releasing a fragrance like Cloud amid all the music and headlines might seem like a conventional thing to do, but that's the thing about clouds — they always reveal the light.

    Ariana Grande Cloud is available now at Ulta.

    Celebrity fragrances can be some of the more revealing sides of them:

    • Why Celebrity Fragrances Are So Important to the Perfume World
    • The Unofficial Guide to Naming a Celebrity Fragrance
    • The Top 10 Britney Spears Perfumes in Order of Greatness

    Now watch the full beauty routine of a professional ballerina:

    See the video.

    You can follow Allure on Instagram and Twitter, or subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on all things beauty.

    Reblog
    Share
    Tweet
    Share

    What to Read Next

    • 7-year-old boy allegedly called 'little Hitler' for raising money to go toward Trump's border wall

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • Baby born on JetBlue flight to Florida inspires name change for plane

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • Cop surprises pregnant waitress with $100 tip on $8.75 bill: 'Beautiful human being'

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • Tax accountant allegedly couldn't file same-sex couple's taxes because 'it's against my Christian beliefs'

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • Katy Perry's Engagement Ring From Orlando Bloom Looks Just Like the One He Gave Miranda Kerr

      Brides
    • Vans employee fired for reportedly cursing out teen customer wearing MAGA hat

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • 5 Reasons You’re Having Enough Sex, According to Science

      Fatherly
    • Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, and Kylie Jenner Have Reportedly Trademarked Their Children's Names

      Glamour
    • Kim Kardashian wore a very revealing dress and the internet is very confused

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • This Is the Real Reason Jeans Have Those Tiny Pockets

      Reader's Digest
    • Liberté Is the Size-Inclusive Lingerie Brand You've Been Waiting for

      Glamour
    • Man arrested for punching, pouring coffee on Sikh 7-Eleven clerk — because he thought the man was Muslim

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • Kylie Jenner Just Shared a Photo Wearing a Massive Rock on Her Ring Finger

      Elle
    • Celebrities are trolling Trump on Presidents' Day: 'Have fun 'til the feds show up'

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • Bella Hadid Just Celebrated The Weeknd's Birthday in a Camouflage Bra

      Harper's Bazaar
    • Duchess Meghan Makes Surprise Visit to NYC for a Girls' Trip & Baby Shower

      Harper's Bazaar

    Trump’s border wall will not work ‘no matter how high’, scientists warn

    BAMF: The point keeps getting missed by these "scientists" and "experts". The segments of wall are intended to funnel/divert illegal crossers to specific areas where the border patrol can focus their efforts. Say the 2,000 mile border has ten 20 mile long gaps. Each gap conveniently has a detention facility and a border patrol field office nearby. Agents at each of those stations can focus 95% of their patrolling to those gaps, and only venture along the barrier when the seismic sensors pick up tunneling activity. The sensors by the way that the democrats like to pretend are the best things ever, are no good by themselves. The best they can do is tell an agent who might be 100 miles away that something large enough to maybe be a person walked by at such-and-such a time, now go find him. If the sensors are accompanied by a wall on the other hand, it will warn agents that a tunnel is being dug which gives agents more time to prepare to respond because digging a tunnel takes time.

    Join the Conversation
    1 / 5

    3.9k

    • The 'Depression Chart' I Made to Help Others Understand My Depression

      The Mighty
    • Kylie Jenner Is Keeping The ‘90s Alive With This Grunge Piercing Trend We Love

      Refinery29
    • Kim Kardashian's Daughters Look Just Like Her in This Photo

      Harper's Bazaar
    • ‘Bachelor’ Host Chris Harrison Reveals That Several Stars Have Tried to Quit the Show

      BRIT + CO
    • ‘Insensitive’: School tied to death of teen with autism faces backlash for throwing a party

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • Take a look inside Ivanka Trump's daily diet

      AOL.com
    • Over 25 keto Trader Joe's products to help you stick to your diet

      AOL.com
    • Meghan Markle Is Reportedly on a Secret Girls' Trip to New York City for Her Baby Shower

      Glamour
    • Police are warning parents about a '48-hour challenge' that encourages teens to go missing

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • Meghan Markle makes secret trip to the USA for baby shower

      Yahoo Lifestyle
    • To My Parents, Who Don’t Think Kids Can Have Depression

      The Mighty
    • Baby Bling! Khloé Kardashian's ‘Dying’ Over True's Hoop Earrings as Stormi Rocks Diamond Chain

      People
    • 7 Fresh Ways Fashion Girls Style Sneakers

      Who What Wear
    • The 3-Day Military Diet Says You Can Lose 10 Pounds in One Week. Does It Actually Work?

      Delish
    • Khloé Kardashian Is Getting Mom-Shamed for Her Long Nails on Instagram — Again

      Allure
    • Kylie Jenner Just Posted Her Entire Diet Routine On Instagram And It Turns Out She's Celery Juicing Like The Rest Of Us

      Delish