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Last month, Drake had his first-ever triple-album release: Maid of Honor, Iceman, and Habibti, a word he adoringly uses to call his dear hometown Toronto. Like fragrance, music often reminds us of places we’ve been, people we’ve met, and even feelings we can’t quite put a name to. But, rarely does an album (or three, for that matter) have a physical aroma we can actually touch, feel, and in Drake’s case, smell. 

Less than two weeks after his albums dropped, he launched the second fragrance in his beauty brand, Better World Fragrance House: Cloudar Eau de Parfum. Following the release of Summer Mink, an aroma as unexpected as wearing mink fur in the unrelenting sun, Cloudar embodies the feeling of an energetic shift in the room. As if the through line between his three new albums, I filled my Newark apartment with the perfume and let the scent unravel as soon as I hit play. 

The top notes—crystalized ginger, sparkling mandarin, and crisp nashi pear—were immediately apparent, although I also picked up on vanilla (perhaps from just looking at the cream sphere Cloudar is housed in) which quickly vanished into fresh air. By the end of “Cheetah Print,” the initially potent aroma that heightened my senses began to evolve into something much more subtle and long-lasting. 

Throughout the rest of Maid of Honor and full hour of Iceman, the middle notes strung together clary sage, jasmine sambac, and lily of the valley. The woody, aromatic fragrance was formulated to unfold gradually and build overtime, while lingering for hours—and even the night—after. By the middle of Habibti, the base notes slowly began to peak through with notes of tonka bean, Haitian vetiver grass, and atlas cedar. After the album ended and the night progressed, Cloudar dried down into a warm, spicy air on my skin. 

As the fragrance lingered on, the architectural bottle it’s housed in tells a story in and of itself. Like Summer Mink, Cloudar’s spherical body rests on a rectangular stand to establish balance between the aroma’s softness and structure. It’s a thoughtful detail for the one’s whose fragrance collections are meant to be heard. And, for Drake, his latest perfume has a lot to say. 

Better World Fragrance House Cloudar Eau De Parfum

The second fragrance from Drake’s Better World Fragrance House, Cloudar is a woody aroma full of citrus top notes with a floral heart and grounded base designed to build overtime.

Available at ulta.com

$152

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