Note Pyramid
Bay Leaf
Invictus
Grapefruit and smoke, with very little in between, which is why the Rabanne Invictus Eau de Toilette Gift Set is such a straightforward thing to buy for somebody else.
The grapefruit is the bitter sort, all peel and pith rather than juice, and bay leaf sits behind it with a dry green bite that reads almost like a kitchen herb. Then the floor drops away into guaiac wood, the smoky, resinous material doing the real work here, with ambergris giving it a salt air warmth and patchouli adding damp earth beneath. Five materials only. There is no long middle section to wait for and no surprise in the last hour, which some people like and others find too plain, so it is worth knowing before you commit.
The eau de toilette concentration means a bright, loud opening and then a steadier, closer wear. It holds through a working day on most skin without having to be reapplied, and it behaves well in heat, where the citrus stays legible instead of turning sour. Three sprays is the sensible ceiling, because the smoke underneath builds faster than the fruit above it.
Sets are bought by people who want the thing to look like a present when it is handed over, rather than a bottle in a bag. This one goes to men of almost any age and asks nothing of the recipient in the way of fragrance knowledge. Anne Flipo, Dominique Ropion, Olivier Polge and Véronique Nyberg are credited with the composition.
The name on the box belongs to a French fashion designer whose first collection appeared in 1966. Perfume came through Puig in 1968, and the Spanish group went on to own the house outright from 1987. The brand has since dropped the first name and trades simply as Rabanne.
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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