OPINION | Perfumes “by day” and perfumes “at night”

Editor’s note: Mari Rodríguez Ichaso has been a contributor to Vanidades magazine for several decades. She is a specialist in fashion, travel, gastronomy, art, architecture and entertainment, film producer and style columnist for CNN en Español. The opinions expressed in this column are solely his own. Read more opinion pieces at cnne.com/opinion.

(CNN Spanish) – The lifestyle of 2021 – a consequence of long months of confinement and a very reduced social life – has changed many customs and habits, and it is curious how something as frivolous and simple as how and when we perfume ourselves is also changing.

But in the ever-growing world of fragrances – which always seems to guess what we want – we are offered different options for different times. And they are fragrances that I call “day perfumes” and “night perfumes” because they are super different, like day and night! And you, which one do you prefer?

Night perfumes?

Although many women are still loyal to some “favorite” fragrances – which we adore and cause other people to celebrate for us – there are some that we only use when we dress more carefully, make up to perfection and want to feel 100% seductive and wonderfully feminine .

These are the perfumes that I call “at night”, because although they can be used at any time of the day, they are sexier, more intense and are made up of ‘notes’ of exotic flowers such as gardenia, roses, ylang-ylang, patchouli and jasmine – in addition to powerful ingredients called ‘oriental’ – such as amber, musk, tobacco, cinnamon and sandalwood. Powerful and irresistible formulas!

Among those perfumes “at night” (which you can wear at all hours if you want to increase your power of seduction!) There are classics such as Shalimar by Guerlain (oriental mix of jasmine, bergamot and vanilla); Panthére de Cartier; the seductive Narciso by Narciso Rodriguez, Coco by Chanel (very baroque, with amber and spices); Joy by Jean Patou (favorite of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and the unforgettable María Félix), L’Interdit, inspired by Givenchy by Audrey Hepburn; and the always favorite Carolina Herrera by Carolina Herrera (the original) with jasmine and tuberoses.

Many legendary women have preferred ‘strong’ fragrances such as Bal a Versailles by Desprez (used by Elizabeth Taylor), Paloma Picasso original, classic Miss Dior (favorite of Sophia Loren and Princess Grace of Monaco, based on gardenia, rose , jasmine and exotic woods), Jennifer Lopez’s sexy Glow, Donna Karan New York (very exotic, with amber, heliotrope, sandalwood, jasmine, lilies and roses), Private Collection by Estée Lauder; Femme de Rochas (now almost gone) and the fabulous Opium by Yves Saint Laurent, which is still very famous.

Of course, the use “in layers” of the bath line and the moisturizers of the same perfume is the ideal way to use it, since we create a perfumed and sensual “aura” around us that everyone will notice and “identify” us. .

Day perfumes

Today’s active life, which requires that as soon as we get out of the morning bath we begin to move vertiginously, whether working, doing sports, shopping at the market, or picking up the children at school; just like having lunch with a friend, or going to the beach, or to the countryside, whose casual occasion requires a much more “light” fragrance, refreshing and smooth, ideal to wear “during the day”.

They are very popular and in addition to being light and “light”, they are exquisite and very original. Many are “unisex” style, such as the popular Eau Verte by Hermés, some light by Calvin Klein and the Eau Perfum by Bulgari. Many are colorless, being totally transparent, and with a very mild perfume. These “light” perfumes, ideal for keeping up with our active daily life, are like ‘colognes’, with an emphasis on the fragrance of lemons, oranges, mandarins and other citrus fruits. And many contain ingredients like ginseng and certain woods, which have a refreshing and invigorating effect on the skin. Others are really beautiful and come in ‘pastel’ colors like Allure by Chanel and Aqua by Gió by Armani that give us pleasure just looking at them!

Light ‘daytime’ perfumes are ideal to wear on warm days! And among its many ingredients – in addition to citrus fruits – they have species such as green tea, basil and thyme; soft, romantic white flowers like lilies of the valley, orange blossom, and refreshing lavender and vetiver.

Coincidentally today the favorite perfume of Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, according to the author Susan Kelley, is a citrus perfume “by day”: Orange Blossom, by Jo Malone. Although the Clarence House press bureau confirmed that on her wedding day – in 2011 – she used White Gardenia Petals from the English perfumery Illuminum, undoubtedly a very night perfume!

Some popular ‘daytime’ perfumes — like Christian Dior’s Eau Savage and the classic Cologne 4711, although they were created for men — are practically “unisex” colognes, as women have loved and used them for years! I am among them!