Olympéa Gift Set

Jasmine and ginger flower are the pair that stop the Rabanne Olympéa Gift Set from leaning entirely on its centre.

The set runs to the 50ml Eau de Parfum, a 100ml body lotion and a 10ml spray. They sit at the top with green mandarin, the jasmine broad and floral, the ginger flower bright and faintly soapy with none of the warmth the root would bring, and the mandarin tart rather than ripe. Between them they give the opening some actual sharpness, which comes as a surprise to anybody who only knows the scent from its reputation. What follows is the salted vanilla everybody knows this scent for, sweet and briny at the same time, and it is the saline part that keeps it from being plain sugar. Cashmeran and ambergris hold the base, the first soft and faintly furred, the second mineral and warm against the skin. Six materials, balanced with some care.

It has genuine carry and genuine length. The fragrance projects for the first hours and then stays close for a good while longer, lasting better on clothes than it does on skin, and two sprays is about the right amount for an evening out rather than a starting point.

Cool weather and nights suit it best, though the salt stops it turning heavy in warmth and it is worn right through the year by plenty of people. Boxed as a set it is ready to give as it is, which saves both the wrapping and the guesswork, and it is a sound present for a woman who likes a sweet scent with an edge rather than a soft one. The perfumers credited are Anne Flipo, Dominique Ropion and Loc Dong.

Rabanne is French and grew out of a fashion house whose first collection came in 1966. Its perfumes have been made since 1968 by Puig, the Spanish group that has owned the brand completely since 1987.