Note Pyramid
Bay Leaf
Invictus Gift Set
The Rabanne Invictus Gift Set is one of those presents that works because almost nobody dislikes what is inside it.
The box holds the 100ml Eau de Toilette, a 150ml deodorant spray and a 10ml spray. The fragrance is short and clear. Grapefruit opens it, bitter and full of pith rather than juice, and bay leaf gives the top a dry green turn that keeps it from reading as a plain citrus. The base is where it gets interesting: guaiac wood for smoke and resin, ambergris for a warm saline quality that clings to the skin, and patchouli for earth. Five materials, arranged so the bright part and the dark part sit in obvious contrast rather than blending into one another. Anybody who has smelled it once will know it again.
It wears easily in almost any weather, with the citrus holding up in heat and the base giving it enough substance for winter, which is a large part of why it is worn as widely as it is. Most people get a full day from it, with the first hour doing the noticeable work and the rest sitting quietly on the skin. It does not need reapplying at lunchtime.
A set is bought for the occasion rather than the contents. It presents well, it needs nothing added to it, and it suits a wide range of recipients, which is why it tends to be the answer when somebody has four men to buy for and only a few days left to do it in. Anne Flipo, Dominique Ropion, Olivier Polge and Véronique Nyberg are credited with the fragrance, four perfumers for five materials.
Rabanne is a French house that came out of fashion rather than perfumery. Its founding designer showed a first collection in 1966, the Spanish group Puig created the fragrance division in 1968, and Puig has owned the brand in full since 1987.
Please note: images are a guide only. Packaging and bottle design may occasionally differ from those shown due to manufacturer updates or promotions.
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