A Date Night Perfume Checklist of 6 Bottles From 6 Houses, the Story Behind Each Scent and Which Suits an Old Money or Bold Look

The 6 date night perfumes on this checklist are YSL Black Opium, Maison Margiela On A Date, Dior Miss Dior, PRADA Paradoxe Intense, BYREDO Mojave Ghost and TOM FORD Black Orchid, priced from THB 6,400 to THB 10,300. The notes run from the black coffee of Black Opium to the truffle and dark chocolate of Black Orchid, and 2 bottles carry love or dating in their name and origin.

The 6 Bottles, What They Smell Like and What They Cost

The Luxe Addict team traced each bottle's notes from the brand pages and fragrance databases to show how each one smells:

In the order of the artwork. Prices compiled by the Luxe Addict team, with the Miss Dior price matching Dior Thailand's website
Note sources — YSL Beauty · Maison Margiela · Dior Thailand · PRADA · Space NK · Osmoz

Which Bottles Carry Love or Dating in Their Story?

Miss Dior was born in 1947 from Christian Dior's request for a perfume that smelled of love, inspired by his sister Catherine.

On A Date says it in the name, and Maison Margiela traces it to a summer evening in a Provence vineyard. Black Opium has black coffee in its base, a fit for a first date that starts at a café.

Sources — Dior Thailand: Miss Dior Eau de Parfum · Maison Margiela: Replica On A Date

3 Softer Bottles: Miss Dior, On A Date and Mojave Ghost

• Miss Dior
  Built around centifolia rose from Grasse, with honey, pepper, vanilla, tonka and sandalwood. The new bottle carries a couture bow, and Natalie Portman is the face of the fragrance.

• On A Date
  Opens on blackcurrant liqueur, bergamot and pink pepper, moves to Isparta rose, geranium and davana, and settles on patchouli, vetiver, moss and musk. The label gives its provenance as Provence, 2016, and describes it as grapes and roses.

• Mojave Ghost
  Inspired by the ghost flower that grows in the Mojave Desert, led by ambrette, violet and magnolia over sandalwood, amber and cedar.

Sources — Dior Thailand · Maison Margiela · Space NK: BYREDO Mojave Ghost

How Is On A Date, an EDT, Different From the EDPs?

On A Date is an Eau de Toilette, while Black Opium, Miss Dior, Paradoxe Intense and Mojave Ghost are Eaux de Parfum. An EDT has a lower perfume concentration, so it wears lighter, suits a daytime date where you do not want the scent to arrive first, and can be reapplied through the day.

3 Deeper Bottles for a Night Date: Black Opium, Paradoxe Intense and Black Orchid

• Black Opium
  Launched in 2014 as a reinvention of the 1977 Opium. Pear and mandarin open into vanilla, orange blossom and white flowers, then black coffee, cedar, musk and patchouli, in a black glitter bottle.

• Paradoxe Intense
  A floral amber that opens on bergamot, neroli and pear, moves to jasmine and moss, and ends on amber, vanilla and white musk. It was composed by 3 Givaudan perfumers, Nadège Le Garlantezec, Shyamala Maisondieu and Antoine Maisondieu.

• Black Orchid
  Launched in 2006 as the first fragrance under Tom Ford's own name. Ylang-ylang, bergamot, blackcurrant and truffle open into orchid and lotus wood, then vanilla, patchouli, sandalwood, vetiver, frankincense and dark chocolate.

Sources — YSL Beauty: Black Opium · PRADA: Paradoxe Intense · Osmoz: TOM FORD Black Orchid

Why Do Coffee, Vanilla and Chocolate Suit the Evening?

Gourmand and amber notes such as coffee, vanilla and chocolate are heavy notes that tend to last longer on skin than fresh ones and feel warm, which fits a dinner or a bar on a cooler evening. Spray less than you would a fresh scent, because in a closed room they project more than you expect.

The Luxe Addict Take: Pick the Bottle to Match the Date Look

The page caption splits date looks into 2 styles, and the team pairs the bottles like this:

• The Old Money look
  Miss Dior for a classic rose, On A Date for a daytime date with a light scent, and Mojave Ghost for a soft floral that is not too sweet.

• The bold, seductive look
  Black Opium for sweet coffee, Paradoxe Intense for amber and vanilla, and Black Orchid for a dinner where you want to be remembered from the first meeting.

Never Tried These Scents? Where to Start

Test on skin at the counter before buying, and wait for the heart and base notes to come through, because the first sniff on a paper strip can be very different from how it smells on skin hours later, especially with a deep base like Black Orchid.

More on Perfume

If you already love BYREDO, see where it costs least in Compare Byredo Prices Globally: Which Country Is Cheapest? For more niche houses, read Creed, Le Labo and Byredo Build 6 Niche Perfumes Around the One Note People Recognise Them By.