Ready, gift set, go!
When you’ve reached the point of desperation, exasperation or saturation in your shopping — “what on earth will I give that person who has everything?” — there’s no savior quite like what the French call a “coffret.” In English it’s called the “gift set,” and it’s a lovely way to flesh out a gift that might seem otherwise skimpy. Why give a lone bottle of perfume when you can give a beautiful box with a flacon and something extra, like a lotion or balm scented with the same beloved fragrance?
Rustan’s The Beauty Source has a whole wealth of gift sets to solve any shopping dilemma. Even better, many of its premium boutique brands are celebrating milestone anniversaries this year (like Diptyque, Annick Goutal and Santa Maria Novella), which means many of the offerings are collectible limited editions.
Best of all, for a minimum purchase of P5,000 from any of the brands featured below, you will receive the Rustan’s Fragrances tote bag — a little gift for yourself when you’re so busy thinking about other people.
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All fragrance brands are available at Rustan’s The Beauty Source.
Annick Goutal: Empire Of The Sun
What it is: In Sicily, the sun plays a big role in the richness of life: lemons, grapefruits and other citrus scents hark back to Roman times, when emperors strolled through rich Roman gardens. Eau d’Hadrien is named after the Roman emperor captured in Marguerite Yourcenar’s Memoirs of Hadrien. Inspired, Annick Goutal ventured to Italy in 1981 to compose a marvelous garden of fruit ripened in the Italian sun. She then added cypress, a base note that would echo the Tuscan gardens and landscapes. She recalls first obtaining the scent by rubbing these branches between her palms. The fragrance remains an expression of Annick Goutal’s great love for the South.
What it smells like: Citrus notes of Sicilian lemon, citron, grapefruit and green mandarin create an initial impression of delicious freshness, which gives way to a powerful woody cypress scent. Hesperides’ call is answered by delicate aldehyde notes, juniper berries and a touch of minty caraway. Hints of basil, galbanum and Artemisia intensify the cypress aroma. Finishing touches of sweetness come from ylang-ylang.
Who can wear it: Men and women of all ages.
The gift set that keeps on giving: Rustan’s offers special Annick Goutal’s Eau d’Hadrien gift sets for the holidays: 50-ml Eau de Toilette with 100-ml Body Cream for P4,000; limited edition 100-ml Eau d’Hadrien for P5,450; and 100-ml Eau de Toilette with 100-ml Body Cream for P5,500. Plus, receive the Annick Goutal five-piece Noel Candle Set for a minimum purchase of P10,000 worth of Annick Goutal products.
Acca Kappa: The World Of White Moss
What it is: By now you’ve probably gotten a whiff of Acca Kappa’s White Moss, a contemporary classic that elicits compliments wherever it goes. For those who can’t get enough of White Moss’s fresh yet sensual aura, the scent is now available in a whole range of body, bath and hair products, not to mention travel sizes of those products for diehards who can’t bear to leave home without their fave fragrance fix (travelers will love the White Moss solid perfume in a 10-ml tin that will let you breeze through airport security). There’s also a White Moss deodorant stick and spray for sensitive skin, Karité body butter, shampoo and shower gel-in-one, gentle shampoo and conditioner, soap, hand cream, hand wash, effervescent bath tablets and salts, aftershave, shaving foam … you get the picture. A whole world of White Moss awaits you at Rustan’s.
What it smells like: Lavender and juniper essential oils mingled with sweet, sensual notes of light wood, amber and, of course, moss, evoke nothing short of spring in Italy.
Who can wear it: This unisex perfume suits all ages and all genders.
The gift that keeps on giving: Save P900 when you buy a White Moss 100-ml set of three for P4,950.
Rance: Scent Of A King
What it is: With his coronation as King of Italy in 1805, Napoleon took on the dual title of emperor and king. Only Charlemagne, a thousand years before him, had succeeded in bringing the whole of Europe under his rule. Personifying the French Revolution’s ideals of liberty and reform, Napoleon was acclaimed as a hero, and François Rancé, his master perfumer and devoted admirer, created for him a fragrance that expressed his virile and fiery nature.
What it smells like: Notes of lavender and orange flower, together with the green aroma of anise, blend with amber and cinnamon to create a fresh yet spicy accord. Leather gives this scent its masculinity, while cedar and musk make it intense and long-lasting.
Who can wear it: The king of your household or emperor of your company
The gift that keeps on giving: Rancé’s Le Roi Emperor Coffret gift box includes a 50-ml eau de parfum and 200-ml shower gel (P5,450).
Diptyque: 3 Fragrances By 3 Noses
What it is: To celebrate its 50th anniversary, French boutique line Diptyque launched a new collection, Les Invités de Trente-Quatre, comprised of three limited-edition items created with total creative freedom by three innovative perfumers: Eau Mage is an eau de toilette by Fabrice Pellegrin, Curiosité a scented candle by Olivia Giacobetti, and Eau Particuliere a body and home spray by Olivier Pescheux, who says, “The brand has never forgotten that, above all, a perfume must smell good, yet without sacrificing its signature, the ‘unexpected ingredient.’”
What it smells like:
• Eau Mage’s notes were built to contrast like black and white, recalling the graphic identity of the brand. A simple accord built around ambroxan, green mandarin, cashmeran and cumin is traced with vibrant rose oxide, suggestive of the silver décor of the case. A touch of patchouli and labdanum adds darker, more subdued tones.
• The aroma of the Curiosités scented candle was inspired by Diptyque founder Desmond Knox-Leet’s workshop, which is full of curiosities. A woody note mixes with the fragrance of charcoal, paper, amber and old wood, and the engraving on the candle’s white ceramic jar was inspired by a drawing Knox-Leet made while researching Diptyque’s unique pyramidal logo.
• Eau Particuliere is a fresh, enveloping fragrance built around a floral green accord, with sweetness provided by rose and musks, and freshness by mint. The vintage glass bottle comes with a screw cap and bulb atomizer.
Who can wear it: Anyone with a flair for the artistic and unconventional.
The gift that keeps on giving: Receive the limited Diptyque candle snuffer for an accumulated purchase of 10 white candles.
Gendarme: You’re Under Arrest
What it is: Ever since the fragrance Gendarme was created by Topper Schroeder in 1983, it’s been a huge, arresting hit, living up to its French name (the word for “policeman”). Schroeder, with no professional fragrance background or experience, simply wanted to devise a signature scent that wouldn’t irritate his allergies. Instead, he crafted a modern classic: a sensual yet professional and down-to-business cologne that held men — and women — in thrall.
This season, Rustan’s offers a mix of Gendarme scents and skincare to make up the perfect gift basket for the men in your life.
Try Gendarme Classic, in 120 ml (P2,950) or 330-ml recharge bottle (P3,950). Or pick up the celebratory 20th-anniversary Gendarme 20 eau de parfum (with red lettering) in the still popular 4-oz. spray bottle (P3,950). Available at Rustan’s Department Stores this season.
What it smells like: This modern classic fragrance captures the cool, fresh essence of clean white linen. Soft and subtle, Gendarme is an amalgam of citrus and herbal notes that refresh, uplift and sooth the spirit.
Who can wear it: Created for men, it’s still very popular as a unisex cologne.
The gift that keeps on giving: Complete his wish list with Sky EDT (eau de toilette) and Moisture Balm gift set (P4,950), available at Rustan’s Department Stores.
Hierbas De Ibiza: Trendy Ambassador Of Island Charm
What it is: Pronounced “yer-bas deebeeza,” these colognes are rooted in Spanish family tradition. In 1965, jewelers Antonio and Pele Torres created the eponymous eau de toilette and aftershave Torres to complement their exclusive jewelry collection. Thirty years later, inspired by their success, the next generation of Torres Sagrera siblings perfected and reinterpreted the classic formulas to create new products. The result was Agua de Colonia Fresca Hierbas de Ibiza. Since then, the family has followed in the footsteps of grandfather Antonio Torres Molines, an Ibizan sailor who as a youth in 1915 captained the ship Matilde during commercial voyages to Havana, New York and other glamorous ports. Today Hierbas de Ibiza is the trendy ambassador of the premier party island.
What it smells like: Literally made from Ibizan herbs like lemon verbena, sage, rosemary and lavender, this citrus aromatic opens with a blast of freshness before settling down to a sexy skin scent of orange blossom, cinnamon and vanilla.
Who can wear it: Men and women of all ages.
The gift that keeps on giving: Buy the 100-ml Agua de Colonia Fresca (P2,950) and get a free 50-ml bath and shower gel and 50-ml moisturizing body balm.
Santa Maria Novella: Celebrating 400 Years Of Scent
What it is: One of the world’s oldest pharmacies, Santa Maria Novella is like no other church in Italy. Dominican monks began concocting herbal remedies there in the 13th century, in the time of Giotto and Dante. Today, the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella still occupies its historic quarters, selling traditional elixirs along with more contemporary skincare products, oils and perfumes. Much of the manufacturing is still done by hand: the factory can turn out 500 bars of soap a day in one of 25 varieties; each bar is then aged for a month before being chiseled by hand into its final shape.
Most famous customer: Catherine de Medici, for whom the pharmacy created a new fragrance, acqua della regina, or “water of the queen.” Her continued patronage ensured SMN’s success.
What it smells like: Must-tries are Ottone and Porcellana, two new fragrances to mark the house’s 400th anniversary. Ottone, with notes of rose, bergamot, petitgrain, oregano, clove, cinnamon, pepper, sandalwood, cedar and incense, is powerful and mysterious; Porcellana, featuring jasmine, white flowers, star anise, cardamom, galbanum, iris and cedar, is delicate and romantic.
Who can wear it: Ottone for decisive men; Porcellana for feminine, romantic women.
