I’m two things and two things only—an Ariana Grande fan and a perfume lover. Naturally, when she first launched a fragrance line in 2015, I had visions of something as amazing as Taylor Swift’s line of perfume. Through many, many fragrance launches, Ariana has rightfully earned her spot in the hall of fame of celebrity fragrances. Not every launch was a hit for me, but there are only a couple of misses. Let’s break down the best picks.
5. God Is a Woman
This fragrance has earned its spot on this list because I appreciate it. Is it my favorite fragrance to wear regularly? No, but it’s a calming and more natural-feeling fragrance in a line of scents that typically lean sweet and even artificial. You’ll get a little fruit, a little floral, and a little sweetness. It’s a great all around scent if you like the specific notes.
God Is a Woman opens with a fairly subtle pear, goes into subtle floral, then subtle vanilla. What I love about this perfume is that it’s a lovely mixture of natural and sweet, and is very inoffensive. I am typically a gourmand girl who strays away from earthy or natural scents, but I find this one to be very pleasant since the base still gives me a bit of sweetness.
Something to note on this scent is that it smells specifically of pear off the top. You’ll see “pear” listed as a note in many of the other fragrances on this list, but I wouldn’t say it’s noticeable in others. It’s definitely noticeable in God Is a Woman, so I wouldn’t recommend this one if you know that you’re not a fan of pear. See the full notes below:
Top: ambrette, juicy pear
Middle: orris, turkish rose petals
Base: madagascar vanilla, creamy cedarwood
What I don’t love about God Is a Woman is that it’s not long lasting. It’s subtle in all of the ways you want it to be and all of the ways you don’t want it to be. Because of this, I would recommend grabbing the body mist of this fragrance over the EDP since the longevity will be similar. You aren’t missing out on anything with not having the actual bottle, as the bottle itself is fairly underwhelming.
What You’ll Love
- Perfect Blend: This scent masterfully blends fruity, floral, and sweet making it a unique pick for your collection.
- Inoffensive: With notes that could be overpowering, this perfume is shockingly subtle.
What You May Not Love
- Longevity: This perfume may not last long on you.
- Bottle Design: I don’t find this bottle to be particularly appealing on my counter.
4. Sweet Like Candy
Sweet Like Candy is exactly how it sounds, a deliciously sweet scent that feels like being wrapped in fruity sugar.
For being such a sweet scent, I don’t find it to be too sweet or overpowering. The biggest drawback of this scent is that it’s not unique. It’s a standard fruity, sweet scent that many celebrities have somewhere in their fragrance line (usually towards the beginning of them). When I first bought this perfume, it immediately reminded me of Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday EDP. I’ve smelled countless similar perfumes in the years since. That’s not a reason to not get it, but be mindful if you already have a large perfume collection.
Top: sparkling blackberry, italian bergamot, pear
Middle: jasmine sambac, frangipani, dewy honeysuckle
Base: creme de casis, marshmallow, cashmere woods, vanilla
This bottle is one of my favorites. This is Ariana’s original perfume bottle design, as you’ll see it in her first several fragrance releases. This version is a pale pink geometric globe with a matching fluffy puff ball attached. It’s so feminine and looks so dainty on my counter, which is a perfect representation of this scent. It makes you feel feminine and powerful.
My biggest gripe with this scent, similar to God Is a Woman, is longevity. Scents like this don’t typically have great staying power, so it’s not surprising that this one is no exception. Its staying power is better than God is a Woman by a mile, but I wouldn’t expect to still pick up on this scent after eight hours of wear.
What I Love
- Classic, Sweet Scent: A perfect blend of fruity and sweet.
- Feminine Bottle: I’ve kept this bottle even though I ran out of the fragrance years ago because I like it that much. Pink, girly, adorable.
What I Don’t Love
- Longevity: This lasts longer than God Is a Woman, but not as long as some of the other picks on this list.
- Not Unique for the Price: It’s a great scent, but not a unique one. Because of that, you could easily find a dupe at a more reasonable price.
3. Cloud Intense
I’m a firm believer that the Cloud line changed lives, mine included. The standard version of Cloud used to be my favorite fragrance. Ironically, when I smell it now, it smells like water compared to its newer counterparts. We can partially thank Cloud Intense for that.
In a gorgeous cloud-shaped bottle, you’ll find a dreamy, gourmand-lover’s dream. I don’t have words to explain Cloud Intense other than lovely and dreamy. It’s just good. While the standard version of Cloud has a bit of a unisex element to it, I would say Cloud Intense leans into more feminine territory with some of the creamy notes included. This version feels cozy and warm. If I had to visualize it, I’d be looking at my living room during the fall and winter—thick blankets, vanilla candles, and a good movie on.
Top: lavender blossom, juicy pear, bergamot
Middle: creme de coconut, indulgent praline, vanilla orchid
Base: sensual musks, creamy blonde woods, dry cashmeran, ambrox
The Cloud line is notable for its cloud-shaped bottles. Sitting in an opaque base, you’ll find that the actual vessel holding the perfume is removable with a cloud-shaped topper. Each Cloud variation has a different colorway, this one being navy. The bottle is cute, and one that I would also keep long after running out of the perfume (although I would never be without a Cloud perfume, this one is high on the re-purchase list).
While longevity has been a bit of a miss for the previous scents, it starts to improve with Cloud Intense. I want to still be able to smell a perfume on my clothes hours later, and I do get this with Cloud Intense (along with the other Cloud scents). It’ll be more subtle by that point, but there.
What You’ll Love
- Dreamy, Cozy Scent: If you love gourmand scents, there’s a good chance you’ll love this.
- Longer Lasting: Reliably can still smell on my clothes later in the day.
- Adorable Bottle: Whimsical and cozy. I do prefer some of the other Cloud colorways over this one.
What You May Not Love:
- Bottle Can Be Big: If you have limited perfume storage, I would recommend getting a 1.0 oz, 1.7 oz, or a travel-size version if you don’t care about a cute bottle. All of the Cloud perfumes take up a bit of real estate at the 3.4 oz size.
2. Lovenotes Pink Woods
If Sweet Like Candy is borderline juvenile, I can safely say LoveNotes Pink Woods feels more adult. This is a divisive fragrance and you will see that in reviews. Some find this scent to be off putting or offensive. When I first smelled this, I was torn on whether I loved it or hated it in the same way that I feel about Burberry Her Elixir. The top notes are very strong and seem to be what the mixed opinions are focused on. Ultimately, I kept coming back to it.
It’s floral, powdery, and sweet on the dry-down. I was shocked when this came out since it’s so radically different from the rest of Ariana’s line, both in scent and design. This fragrance came out during the release of Wicked Part One, and couldn’t have been planned for a better time. With Ariana diving into more adult roles, this felt like a natural shift within her fragrance line. In fact, when I first smelled it and saw the campaign, the fragrance felt like Glinda. Still to this day, I think of this scent as what Glinda would wear. It smells rich and sophisticated with a hint of the sweetness that you’d expect from an Ariana Grande fragrance.
Top: italian bergamot, lotus flower
Middle: jasmine petals, tea leaves, vetiver
Base: tonka beans, cashmere woods, cotton candy
This scent is part of a geographically-exclusive collection, this one being North America’s. The bottle is sleek, simple, and a tall rounded-triangle shape. There’s a simple label on the front made out of a textured cardstock. The one and only bottle size is a whopping 4.25 oz. This scent lasts a long time on me and my clothes. I can still smell it the next day.
I might just be too big of a Wicked fan, but this one remains a favorite for what it reminds me of and how it makes me feel.
What I Love
- For the Grown-ups: This scent is for people who are adulting full-time. It’s experienced and luxurious with a sweet base.
- Longevity: 10/10 here. It’s still on my clothes the next day every time.
What I Don’t Love
- Divisive: You may love or hate the opening notes, this is not blind-buy safe.
- Expensive: With its one bottle size being hefty at 4.25 oz, this one is expensive for a celebrity fragrance if you opt for the full-size.
1. Cloud Pink
We have finally arrived at the best Ariana Grande fragrance of them all, the most recent addition to the Cloud family—Cloud Pink.
Cloud Pink is the fruity version of the standard Cloud. I think of them as twins. Cloud is the fashion designer student living in New York City who thrives in the fall and winter while Cloud Pink is the marketing intern working in the midst of a Los Angeles spring and summer. In this same example, Cloud Intense is the fashion student’s English Comp II professor. The DNA of Cloud is a woodsy musk, and that is present in Cloud Pink surrounded by shimmering notes of fruit.
Top: pineapple, dragon fruit, berries
Middle: vanilla orchid, coconut water, blush ambrette
Base: moss, amber woods, musk, praline
The bottle is true to the Cloud family with an opaque white base that looks like a fluffy cloud, while the removable perfume vessel is a clear pink. This is the ultimate Ariana Grande fragrance, like Cloud and Sweet Like Candy had a baby. I find longevity to be similar to the standard Cloud, I will always smell it by the end of the day and even the next day, sometimes.
What I Love
- Fruity and Sweet: This scent is the best of both worlds when it comes to scent profile.
- Longevity: The sweetness we love from Sweet Like Candy with better staying power.
- Bottle is Gorg: The pink cloud feels bright and feminine.
What I Don’t Love
Nothing…although if it could last forever, that would be nice.
Let’s Recap
| Fragrance | Who is she? | Scent Category | Longevity (out of 10) |
|---|---|---|---|
| God Is a Woman | The natural beauty | Fruity, floral, musk | 3/10 |
| Sweet Like Candy | The girl he told you not to worry about | Gourmand | 5/10 |
| Cloud Intense | Cozy, moody, sensual | Gourmand | 8/10 |
| Lovenotes Pink Woods | Glinda Upland (expensive, sophisticated, a little bitchy) | Woodsy | 9/10 |
| Cloud Pink | Empowered, resourceful, motivated | Warm Fruity | 8/10 |
Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. I have received nothing from any brands mentioned to feature or review them in this post. I bought everything listed here with my own money. Some links may be affiliate links where I receive a small commission if you opt to purchase. If you’d like to support my blog, purchase directly through the links on this page. You’re welcome to purchase outside of my blog if it makes you more comfortable!
