The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Lush launched By Night One Way, By Day Another in 2024 as part of the brand's collaboration with the Shrek universe. The fragrance is positioned as a blend for someone who refuses to be the average storybook princess, and the notes back that up. Melon and mango leaf do the tropical heavy lifting, while lime and green apple keep the whole thing sharp, awake, slightly sideways. The opening reads bright and juicy on first contact with skin, a quick burst of green citrus and cool melon that feels more like a splash of cold water than a whisper. Mango leaf runs underneath from the very first spray, giving the composition a green stem quality, that just-picked sensation where sweetness still has bite.
What makes this composition interesting is its refusal to pretend it's anything other than a body spray wearing perfume ambitions. The four-note structure (melon, lime, green apple, mango leaf) repeats almost identically in the top and heart positions, which means there's no traditional surprise arc here. Instead, the fragrance commits to a single mood and rides it hard. The mango leaf is the unexpected choice, a green, slightly bitter edge that keeps the sweetness from collapsing into candy. Without it, this would be a smoothie. With it, it's something sharper and more specific to Lush's in-house style.
The evolution
On skin, the opening hits immediately with that melon-and-lime hit, cold and almost fizzy, like the first slice of watermelon on a July afternoon. The mango leaf sits underneath from the start, giving the whole thing a green stem quality that keeps the sweetness from going soft. As the composition moves past its first moments, the green apple sharpens up, adding a crisp, tart snap that makes the blend feel less like fruit juice and more like something with intent. The lime moves through a bright, unmistakable peak before starting to soften into the background, a slow handoff rather than an abrupt exit. What stays is the melon-mango axis, warm and rounded, settling into a skin-close sweetness that lingers for hours. The transition from the cold, sharp opening into the warmer, rounder heart happens gradually, each note stepping back in turn while another steps forward.
Cultural impact
By Night One Way, By Day Another landed as part of Lush's collaboration with the Shrek franchise, and the scent has found a receptive audience among people drawn to its blend of nostalgia and wearable character. Wearers gravitate toward it for layering. The lightness makes it a base note for combining with other Lush scents, turning a single bottle into a custom composition that shifts depending on what you pair it with. Layered over something warmer, the tropical-citrus profile cuts through and adds brightness; layered under something softer, it lends a green stem freshness that keeps the whole arrangement from feeling heavy.
