Perfume Review - Darling Clandestine's Cloudswing

By Unknown

Purchased

Bright, sunny and sharp, Cloudswing will chase away any summer blues!

A few months ago, I decided to try making Thai tom yum goong soup for my boyfriend from scratch. This was an exciting undertaking because I learned all sorts of new things - how to make shrimp stock, where to buy birds eye chilis (note to self: not easy to find in the suburbs of New England), and what lemongrass looks like.

Why is this relevant? Because once I smelled lemongrass, I didn't forget it. It's one of those fragrances that sticks with you! So when my latest package of bitsy vials from Darling Clandestine showed up in my mailbox, Cloudswing became an instant favorite for its use of lemongrass. Therapeutic and calming yet simultaneously cheering and uplifting, this is just what I want my summers to smell like!

Cloudswing
Darling Clandestine Reoccurring summer release

Cloudswing is a bright, crisp, golden-green scent with notes of warm hay and wood and vanilla and mowed clover and marigolds and sweet woods and intense lemongrass. 

I admittedly don't spend a lot of time around hay or marigolds. Seasonal allergies! But this is such a lovely clean and real concoction. Some of the fragrances I get from Darling Clandestine smell like straight up perfume to me, but Cloudswing is bright and sunny. The lemongrass notes slice right through and settle down after an hour or so into something that's almost spicy (but not in a gourmand way). It's almost a touch creamy - I imagine that it's the vanilla melding with the sweet woods. Either way,  it's just so gosh darned bright.

There's something about these sorts of fragrances that causes them to seep into everything. My bitsy vial isn't leaky, it just seems to leave its mark everywhere. Most perfumes I wear often leave traces on the cuffs of my sleeves for maybe a day or two later. But something about Cloudswing keeps it clinging for far longer than most of my other fragrances. It has a fiery tenacity - it refuses to die and is insistent that everyone share in its bright lust for life. Of course, you do have to be in the right mood for Cloudswing because it might be a little too much otherwise, like an excessively bubbly coworker first thing on a Monday morning. Despite this, I have a hard time not warming up to it, even on my drearier days.

Duration: Cloudswing stays cheery and chipper throughout its entire wear. It's incredibly robust and I've been able to still pick up hours later and even after a shower! My sister wasn't quite as keen on it - she said once she smelled it on me it was all she could smell for the rest of the day. If that's the only complaint, I'm not bothered one bit!

Score: 5/5
Cloudswing is my summertime darling. If I were to personify it, I'd say it's like a small, tireless child playing out in the summer sun. Even by the end of the day after a long session of playtime it still has something to say before snuggling up for a well-earned rest.  The lemongrass and sweet hay give it a bright edge to keep it from getting to smooth and spicy. It makes me feel calm and energized and is definitely one of my new favorites to reach for when I want a therapeutic pick-me-up. I know I'll be dipping back into my bitsy vial during the dead of winter, so maybe this year it won't feel quite so cold and dark.