via wikipedia
“It’s clouds’ illusions I recall; I really don’t know clouds at all…” ~ Joni Mitchell, Both Sides Now
Sarah McCartney of 4160Tuesdays in 1967
“4160Tuesdays Clouds was an idea dreamed up by Christi Long. It crossed her mind that Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now would be a wonderful inspiration for a fragrance, looking at clouds from sides, the grey, then the sunshine. Between us, we dreamed up a plan: Christi sent me a list of notes: iris, narcissus, white chocolate, hay, sandalwood, papyrus, vanilla and others which I’ll keep secret. She’d named some of the most expensive materials that exist, but I also knew that would want it to be affordable to everyone in the group because she’s nice like that. So I had a suggestion. How about we do Both Sides Now? I am going to make two versions, one with the natural materials and one with the synthetic recreations made by the genius chemists from the industry. That way we can make the most magnificent, fabulously luxurious fragrance this side of Ancient Rome, plus the affordable one. 4160Tuesdays Clouds and Clouds’ Illusions.” ~ Sarah McCartney. So the tale unfolds, my friends. Did I bite the hook? Indeed I did, for a myriad of reasons: there are so many tendrils of personal history involved that I hope I can untangle them all.
Mariet and me in Enschede 1972 (that’s Drum tobacco, not weed!)
There are many versions of how, when and why the song Both Sides Now came about – but irrefutably, the famous American folksinger Judy Collins recorded it first in 1967 on her well-loved Wildflowers album. Judy’s rendition may have immortalized it and certainly garnered acclaim for Joni’s writing, but Joni wasn’t fond of it (nor am I, despite acknowledging Judy’s substantial musicianship and gifts; her lack of emotion leaves me cold.) and she later recorded it herself. I imagine that I wasn’t all that dissimilar to other broodingly thoughtful pseudo-intellectual teenagers of my era; I adored well-written poetry and only asked that my singers never “phoned it in”. When I sang, I gave it my all (I still do) and authenticity mattered. I played acoustic and 12 string guitar and Both Sides Now was a song I became closely associated with as I hitchhiked (and goulashed) my way throughout Europe with my Limburgse girlfriend Marietje. Mariet even recorded my singing it in Enschede on a reel-to-reel in 1971; we wore the album out with playing. Joni was an idol, right up there with Leonard Cohen and I memorized everything she wrote/sang.
Ida age 16
Other reasons for taking the cheese in Christi and Sarah’s mousetrap: in spite of its reference to white chocolate (I crave the mystery of the dark. If I want creamy I’ll ask for it.), their list of suggested notes had the Meister seal of approval. Hay figures prominently in early erotic memory, as does Mysore sandalwood; I’m a fan of iris and narcissus (with the latter, the barnyard-ier, the better), papyrus notes and a woody vanilla. I was reeled in like a wide-mouthed carp, hook-in-cheek. Therefore I did the unthinkable – I blind ordered 4160Tuesdays Clouds and not in the edp, either. I went straight for the motherlode of primarily natural parfum-strength. So much for willpower and budgetary constraints. C’était un fait accompli, nothing to be done but hope for the best. I wasn’t disappointed.
Ida’s bottle of 4160Tuesdays Clouds Parfum and sample of Clouds’ Illusions
First things first: BOTH 4160Tuesdays Clouds and Clouds’ Illusions are each gorgeous and very similar, just as Sarah intended. If anything the ‘less spendy one’, as Sarah refers to Clouds’ Illusion – possesses greater longevity, as the parfum lies closer to the flesh and imparts little sillage. I adore the citric fanfare introduction – all that lemon and bergamot convey a sun-illuminated sky which truly sings in the Cloud parfum version. It takes time before they fade into the background and a moodier firmament appears: its hue is more of a cadet blue, paler with greyed nuance. It doesn’t menace but it gives you pause for thought; despite the douceur of coumarinic tonka, hay, the more floral aspect of iris and narcissus – lurks the insinuated depth of choice sandalwood charmed by oakmoss. Oakmoss (as evidenced in fougère bases) may wax discreetly sylvan and sweet; here it murmurs of penumbra, matters obscured lying in wait for the eventual unveiling. Everything about these fragrances is gentle, wearable and inviting; you can happily wear them anywhere with their fluffy-but-never-insignificant good humor and balance. Sarah and Christi have cooked up yet one more delight.
4160Tuesdays Clouds Parfum: orris butter, vanilla absolute, hay absolute, narcissus absolute, Indian sandalwood essential oil, tonka, oakmoss and more
Clouds’ Illusion Notes: bergamot, lemon, oakmoss and recreation of notes from Clouds includes synthetics
Perfume purchased privately and from my own collection. Brava, Sarah and Christi! My nose is my own…
~ Ida Meister, Senior Editor and Natural Perfumery Editor, and art director for this review
Sarah in her old studio before recently moving to a new wokshop/studio 42a Raynham Road in London
Thanks to the generosity of Sarah McCartney, we have a set: 30 ml Clouds’ Illusions EDP, 9ml travel size of 4160Tuesdays Clouds EDP and sample of Clouds Parfum of for one registered reader in the EU, USA and Canada. You must register here or your comment will not count. To be eligible, please comment upon what appealed to you in Ida’s review. Do you have a favorite 4160Tuesdays fragrance (Sarah is SO prolific, it may be challenging to choose just one…)? Draw closes 9/20/2019
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Editor’s Note: As this was a crowdfunding project you can buy directly from Sarah’s site here. Sarah McCartney composed White Queen x CaFleureBon for our 8th anniversary, and Red Queen for our 9th anniversary. She was also awarded best Indie House by Michelyn in 2018 (along with Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH Perfumes), “hardest working people in perfume” (Sr. Editor Robert Herrmann once quipped I own more 4160Tuesdays than Guerlains)–Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief
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