Bright Crystal Eau de Toilette Gift Set

Peony is the flower doing the talking in the Versace Bright Crystal Eau de Toilette Gift Set, and everything else in the composition is arranged to keep it bright. Above it sit two fruits. Yuzu is sharp and rind bitter, pomegranate tart and a little thin, and the pair of them give the first minutes a cold just cut quality that is more interesting than a straightforwardly sweet opening would be.

Around the peony, magnolia adds a soft smoothness and lotus keeps the heart watery and light, so the florals never thicken into something formal. Mahogany and musk finish the job, dry, polished and close to the skin. Seven materials in all, and it behaves like the short composition it is. There is no clever turn half an hour in. What you get is a clean floral that softens steadily, which is either exactly what you want or not enough, depending on the wearer. Peony, magnolia and lotus are all light flowers, and the arrangement never asks any of them to carry more than they can.

Alberto Morillas composed it. At eau de toilette strength it is light, comfortable in heat and well behaved in company, so it works for daytime, offices and the warmer half of the year, and it is the version of this scent most people reach for before noon. Four or five hours is a fair expectation, after which it is a soft presence rather than a fragrance. Supplied in gift set form, it is presentable straight out of the bag and suits the present you want to look generous without being extravagant. A boxed set also makes the decision for you, which on a short December afternoon is no small thing.

Milanese since 1978, when Gianni Versace founded it, and taken on by Donatella Versace after her brother's death. The business spans fashion, interiors, hospitality and fragrance, all of it run from the same city.