Bright, refreshing and uplifting, this scent would make even the longest journey pass that little bit more easily.

Listed notes

Angelica root, bergamot, violet, iris, cyclamen, vetiver, myrrh, musk.

The brand

Wide Society are a new brand. They’re the progeny of parent firm, The Different Company, which is itself a well established French line (we’ve previously reviewed Majaina Sin by The Different Company). Wide Society only launched this year, and their manifesto is to provide solutions for fragrance lovers who travel either for work or pleasure. As a result, their scents come in both regular bottle sizes and small travel vanity cases. They’re really neat and will pack perfectly into a bag or suitcase. It’s fair to say that we are fans of this idea, often having to consider which scent to take away, if to decant it into an atomiser, if that will leak etc etc. Thank goodness we no longer have to worry.

The fragrances in the Wide Society line are all at absolu concentration which means that each little bottle packs rather a powerful punch, especially at this price point. So far we are really impressed!

Top notes

Diving into the scent itself, it’s fair to say that this isn’t the most complex or transformative scent that we have ever tested. That in itself isn’t a criticism, but you won’t find yourself scratching your head and wondering what that weird note you can detect right at the back of the scent is. There is something wonderfully refreshing and honest about Nubes, and indeed the whole of the Wide Society line. The scents give you what they say they will without the smoke, mirrors and sleight of hand.

Nubes starts with an uplifting, lemony bergamot note. It’s bright, sunny, happy and full of energy. Very quickly, off the back of that, we experienced something which was almost coconutty and rather delicious. It softened the bergamot and sweetened it very pleasantly.

There’s also a faint woodiness lurking in the top notes of Nubes which ground the scent and give it that slightly herbal, slightly cedar-like edge. The scent isn’t – at this stage at least – particularly cloud-like, but it does give you a really happy, sunny vibe, rather reminiscent of the first day of holiday when you have lots of time stretched out ahead of you, the sun is shining and there’s a cocktail waiting at the bar for you: that wonderful holiday optimism! Wide Society have done a fantastic job of trying to capture and bottle that feeling.

Heart notes

The way Nubes develops into the heart is really pleasant; the perfume retains much of its vibrancy although the citrusy notes calm and wane. The violet and iris do peep through here, but we really liked how the perfumer has handled them. Rather than turning this into a VIOLET scent, these notes really give a dry edge to the fragrance instead of overpowering it. You notice the violet and iris as a sensation, a suggestion of powderiness, rather than being overwhelmed by them as notes in their own right. We liked that a lot, as we can sometimes find violet a bit too astringent when used too much on its own.

There’s also a really nice floral element in the heart of Nubes, but again, it’s delicate, not overpowering or getting right up in your face. There’s been some skilful and gentle handling of notes here to ensure that nothing ever jars or overpowers the rest of the scent, and Nubes is a really pretty fragrance as a result.

Base notes

Once the perfume enters its final phase, it sweetens up considerably but again, handled with delicacy, this really works in Nubes’ favour.

At times we felt as if there was a sugar-like accord lurking somewhere in the base of Nubes, because it does evoke this powdery sweetness. This appeared mostly in the projection of the scent, and if we sniffed up close to the skin a more green, more herbal note was discernible. Both are really lovely.

The myrrh gives that exotic sense of opulence and richness, but it’s tempered by the bright vetiver and the more sensual musks. There’s no confusion between the ingredients though and it never gets muddy. One of the huge strengths of Nubes is how clean it is throughout; both in terms of it smelling like a fresh and uplifting scent, but also in how it has clean smelling notes which are distinct and clear in their own right.

The other stuff

If you sometimes find you get overwhelmed by the range of choice of perfumes out there and you just want to wear something that will make you smile, then Nubes is the scent for you. It’s bright, happy, easy going and fresh. It will definitely make a sweaty summer commute much more palatable – if that’s the closest you’re able to get to travelling at the moment. If you are able to venture further afield then Nubes will pick you up when your energy is flagging. It has the right mix of energy and comfort; just what you need when you are a long way from home.

The projection and longevity of Nubes are both pretty good. It lasted well into the afternoon or early evening when it was applied first thing in the morning and we felt that it would project solidly to around handshake distance or so. It’s not overpowering though and you’re unlikely to offend anyone in the office if you wear it.

In terms of the gender of the market for this scent, we felt that it would appeal mostly to those who were looking for something on the more feminine side of the spectrum but who aren’t looking for full out girly florals.

Buy it

Nubes is available from Wide Society’s web boutique. It’s priced at €45 for the smallest vanity case of 3x10ml bottles, €80 for the larger case which is formed of 6x10ml bottles, or €95 if you want to go for the more traditional 100ml bottle. All are at absolu strength.