Pour Homme Absolu Eau de Parfum Gift Set

Pour Homme Absolu Eau de Parfum Gift Set is the sharper, darker reading of the Michael Kors men's scent, and the opening tells you so straight away. Lemon and peppermint arrive together, properly cold, with cardamom and pink pepper behind them adding a dry spice so the freshness has grip rather than just sparkle. The middle is the interesting part: incense gives a dry smoky lift, resinous and clean rather than heavy, and lavandin runs alongside it with a herbal, slightly camphorous edge that keeps the mint idea going. Then it goes quiet and firm. Vetiver is earthy and a little bitter, cedarwood dry and pencil like, and akigalawood adds a peppery warmth between them that holds the whole thing together on the skin for hours.

The eau de parfum concentration is what makes this version worth having, since the mint and the citrus would vanish quickly at anything lighter; two sprays last a working day and three will see out a night. It is a cool weather fragrance and a confident one, suited to someone who wants to smell groomed rather than sweet, and it works as well at a wedding as it does in an office. Spray it on a shirt as well as on skin, since the incense and the vetiver cling well to cloth. It comes as a set, so it is ready to give as it is, and it is the one to choose when a present needs to feel like an event rather than a stocking filler.

Michael Kors is an American label, launched by the designer in 1981 and built on accessories and ready to wear; it is now part of Capri Holdings. The fragrance side has always been run under licence, and that licence has passed between companies more than once over the years.