When the sun goes down, it’s the magic hour. Chanel’s latest fragrance comes alive under the cloak of darkness. Sensual, floral, quietly confident, L’Eau Privée belongs to the night.

There is something inherently alluring about the promise of night, the pull of the moon leading us to our emotional, ecstatic, unbridled selves. Chanel’s latest fragrance, L’Eau Privée, is created especially for after-dark – and not necessarily for nights out, but equally for nights in of the most intimate kind. Recall the ritual of getting ready: red lipstick, sheer stockings, a glass of something delicious in hand, favourite record on repeat. All dressed up, the anticipation building before you hear that knock. Why go out into the world when you can create a private universe behind closed doors?

L’Eau Privée is a soft and sensual reinterpretation of new-millennium icon Coco Mademoiselle, which first graced the scene in 2001. A hit of nostalgia ultra, Coco Mademoiselle’s signature musk base notes are celebrated by Chanel in-house perfumer Olivier Polge in L’Eau Privée. Centered on an elegant, enticing floral accord of jasmine absolute and rose petal, L’Eau Privée is reminiscent of an intoxicating bloom that only unfurls as dusk falls. The woodiness from the original has been subdued in favour of oriental freshness. Citrus and patchouli add a lightness of being – after all, Polge designed this as much for the hair as for the skin, or even to subtly perfume a pillow. In his fittingly poetic words, L’Eau Privée is “like a watercolour or a soft, hazy veil for the skin and sheets”.

At once delicate and excessive, the pale pink juice is housed in a frosted glass bottle. The semi-opaqueness hints at what’s inside, akin to a glimpse of décolletage or the whispered suggestion of something more. There’s no need to give everything away at once; the game is half the fun. L’Eau Privée leaves its mark, a small gold imprint signalling desire.