Clouds Illusion

4160 Tuesdays Clouds Illusion EDP is one of several products of a campaign in 2019 in the Eau My Soul group on Facebook inspired by the Joni Mitchell song “Both Sides Now,” resulting in Clouds (with more natural ingredients) in both EDP and Parfum form, as well as Clouds Illusion (with fewer natural ingredients) in both EDP and Parfum form. I chose the Clouds Illusion EDP in a 50ml size, and I’ve really been delighted by the fragrance since first smelling it. The principal notes are orris, narcissus, vanilla, hay, and sandalwood—recreations, as opposed to Clouds, which is composed of more natural (and therefore more expensive) ingredients. Clouds Illusion is bright, sweet, powdery, and fresh, a mix of sweetness of the vanilla, powdery and creamy qualities of the orris, the lovely narcissus, and some of the pep of the hay, over what I perceive as a sandalwood base. It’s not sharp or screechy at all in the way that I fear orris/iris to sometimes be, but rather, it’s so harmonious and easy to wear, it’s really a flattering jack of all trades. It scratches my neverending itch for sweet fragrances while also offering orris in a lovely presentation that I find both comforting and easy to wear, along with narcissus, though the fragrance does not end up being overwhelmingly floral, so it’s a recommended try. Moreover, it performs well, like pretty much everything I’ve tried from Sarah’s catalogue, and good performance is always a plus. Clouds Illusion (along with Clouds) is sold in the UK via the 4160 Tuesdays site and in the US via Krystal Fragrance. The US pricing is $180 for 100ml / $120 for 50ml, very much in line with most of the line’s pricing on this side of the Atlantic, and Clouds Illusion is a versatile fragrance with a high value, in my opinion. It’s frankly on my list to buy a backup bottle of at some point, because I really enjoy wearing a lot of it. I’ve a sample of Clouds, as well (the parfum, I believe), so I’ll need to give that a full try too, and report back, but from initially smelling the few different versions on paper, I can advise that while there are some differences among the four, all four are great. I think Clouds Illusion EDP comes off as the lightest/freshest/brightest, but really, all of them are great and comparable, yet interesting in their own ways. 8 out of 10

Oh I'm so glad to finally see this on here! This is an exceptional parfum. If i could I'd give it 12 stars out of 10. It is so dreamy, so ethereal feeling, so very beautiful. If I ever were to decide on a signature fragrance, this would be in my top five to choose from. It's very slightly powdery, creamy, lemony and the orris butter is so smooth. I can't keep my nose off my arms and it lasts forever! Sarah totally NAILED this beautiful creation. This is high art to me; I love it. Can you tell?!

I love this perfume and I really need another bottle. It is a little lemony to start on me but then descends into a gorgeous floral bonanza. Always soft, never too full on. I just adore it.

I am currently wearing "Both Sides of the Clouds" which is not in the database but it is supposed to be sort of a blend of Clouds and Clouds Illusion, as far as I can tell. It's really pretty. There is a lovely citrus opening with a sort of powdery, vanillic drydown which is augmented nicely with the tonka. It never becomes very sweet because the vanilla is sort of a dry, cottony vanilla. I could easily see myself owning a bottle, because it's really pretty, however I do notice quite a similarity to my Eau de Shalimar which makes me think owning this perfume would be a tad redundant in my collection. If you like a very classy, easy to wear, soft, and pretty scent, this is definitely it! Although I do love my Eau de Shalimar just a tad more so I will say it's not going to be a full bottle for me.

Clouds Illusion opens with a fruity-floral blast of freshness, then settles into a soft vanilla-sandalwood dream. Honestly, it doesn't last long on skin, just a couple of hours, but it lasts forever on clothing and hair, so it's like being inside a cloud of fragrance--which I guess explains the name. It's lovely, really.

There are things I know about the "Clouds" series at 4160Tuesdays, and things I don't know, and among that latter set, there were some glaring ones. For example: I just figured out who Joni Mitchell is, and why she is an important Artist. Admittedly, a massive no-know. Among the former, I had the privilege of being aware of the Clouds series as they were being made, and also knowing that maverick nose Sarah McCartney had a second set of nostrils involved with it that kept on saying "yes, but...." sending her back to the drawing board over and over again. This resulted in happy treasures like our communal favorite, "Fluffy Lemon Top," which was a "Clouds" series refusenik. Interestingly, among the trifecta of Clouds, "Clouds Illusion" is the only one I believe I have never smelled until now. Of further interest, I believe it may possibly be my favorite. (I know I have not smelled "Complicated Shadows," and I meant to while I was pestering Sarah and Nick daily last October, but, due to unending data exploration, it never occurred to me to remember.) What I love about "Clouds Illusion" is the simplicity of its complexity. This is the kind of perfume that has made perfume become a kind of Western Art Form: 4160Tuesdays eschews the elaborate flacons and endlessly layered boxed presentations, but with "Clouds Illusion," a perfume as great and as classic as The Big Ones is delivered. It would be a challenge for anyone to not be in love with "Clouds." It only smells of lovely things, and though there could be a hint of dread somewhere buried deep inside of it, in the same way Old Maid seamstresses in Paris still sew locks of their hair in the hems of wedding gowns in hopes that one day their prince might arrive, "Clouds" puts on a show that does what such as it is would be wont to do. Pirouette: It is happy making in the same way as was, say, "Chantilly." Many perfumisti will put their noses up at this comparison, but it was not for nothing that Chantilly remained in the top ten perfumes selling worldwide for over half a century, and is still made today: The same discussion is applied to "L'Air du Temps," or others of this genre. "Oscar" by Oscar de la Renta also comes to mind. "First" by Van Cleef&Arpels. Why is it that these perfumes refuse to disappear? There is no answer other than the obvious one: People are devoted to them. They are "effective" as perfumes go. Husbands and lovers and partners and children and grand children, boyfriends and girlfriends, best friends and coworkers with secret crushes adore them. They turn heads. When one is alone in a lift with one of them, the only thought that circles around the aura is "how beautiful the scent.....how enchanting the aroma....." I love this kind of perfumery. I will take it any day over the more eccentric varieties that get the youtube novices pumping out those frightful unboxing discussions. We can have one here, now...How "Clouds" blows on like glitter in a firework of clementine, then very slowly turns buttery and hazy, somehow floral. Somehow not. I can wax poetic about it for days and days, but I don't need to. The juice says everything that needs to be said, including the very unusual assertion of "Hey--guess what? I can be just as good as my three-times-the-price-fraternal twin sibling, and I am made almost only with synthetic ingredients." That's one affirmation that some of the references mentioned above, most all now devolved into pharmacy brands, yet all still selling millions of units yearly, couldn't possibly have. "Clouds Illusion" is luxurious proof that exorbitantly priced ingredients are not necessary to make something alluring and attractive...sexy and evocative. Shy yet bold. All of the things that make a great perfume...a Great Perfume.

This - along with fluffy lemon top - are my favourite of the Clouds perfumes. I also like complicated Shadows Illusion is really beautiful and I'm very glad Sarah McCartney brought this back!

All the clouds series are glorious. This one is very wearable.