Ibiza Be Insane Black Woman Gift Set

Bought as a present, Pacha Ibiza Be Insane Black Woman Gift Set does the job a gift set is supposed to do: it presents a complete fragrance rather than a sample, and it arrives ready to hand over.

Inside are the 80ml Eau de Toilette and a 75ml perfumed body lotion. The scent inside opens on fruit. Blood orange is sharper and darker than ordinary peel, with a faint bitterness behind the juice, and pear sits beside it, crisp and watery and much softer in character. Together they make a bright start that is sweet without being sticky. The middle is where it gets its name. Black orchid is a constructed note rather than a flower you could pick, dark and faintly powdery and a little bit heavy, and almond is set against it with a soft, nutty sweetness that rounds the edges off. That pairing is the whole personality of the fragrance and it lasts a good while.

Underneath, patchouli brings damp earth, amber adds a low resinous warmth, and vanilla finishes it with a smooth sweetness that holds everything together at the end of the evening. Seven materials, arranged so the sweet ones always have something darker beneath them, which is the reason it holds together rather than turning into a pudding. It is an evening scent and a cold weather one, aimed at women, and it suits someone who likes a fragrance to be noticed rather than quietly worn. As a gift it is an easy choice for a person whose taste runs to the sweeter end without being girlish about it, and the set removes the awkwardness of handing over a single bottle.

Pacha began as a Spanish nightclub business, started by Ricardo Urgell in Sitges in 1967, with the Ibiza club that made the name internationally famous opening in June 1973. The fragrances are one part of a wider branded range that also covers clothing, accessories and homeware.