Winning compositions for the holiday season: All scents and packages just before the holiday

Bergamot Patchouli or Hibiscus? Unisex or Feminine? A successful yet impersonal fragrance or one you won't encounter anywhere else? First world troubles, and we're here to solve them.

  (photo credit: INGIMAGE)
(photo credit: INGIMAGE)

A valuable gift for yourself or others without leaving home, right now? Don't mind if we do.

At MAC, they're breaking laziness with a precise gift set, "Better than flowers", including three useful products: a miniature and excellent M·A·C STACK mascara, MINERALIZE SKINFINISH highlighter, and Hug me nude solid LUSTREGLASS lipstick, suitable for everyone. The black and neat packaging and the content at a reasonable price - class with no effort.

MAC, Better than flowers set, NIS 280 (product value NIS 404), available at Walt.

  (credit: PR)
(credit: PR)

Successful sets can also be found this holiday at Bobby Brown. Makeup enthusiasts can stock up on a duo of stick eyeshadows or the beloved extra lip tint lipstick and lip balm at a 20% discount. Fans of the acclaimed VITAMIN ENRICHED series can gather emergency supplies of moisturizer and eye cream from the series, along with cute creamy blush suitable for lips at a 35% discount, to feel peachy.

Bobby Brown sets, ranging from NIS 245-480.

  (credit: PR abroad)
(credit: PR abroad)

And here's a kit we'll definitely keep for ourselves: 6 products from the Origins skincare brand, some in miniature packaging that made us crave for more - yes, an eye cream that reduced our puffiness after the historic Purim night, we're looking at you, and also the serum that works wonders on glowy skin; and some in regular size that we intend to adopt from now until world peace arrives - excellent caffeine moisturizing gel that saved dry and irritated skin, and soothing treatment lotion, which is pretty much what we all need right now. Also in the kit: an effective charcoal mask that sucked out the impurities and a foaming cleansing cream.

The Magic of Origins set - NIS 250.

  (credit: PR)
(credit: PR)

As we mature, we transition from vanilla to bergamot, and to mature even more means to switch from patchouli to bergamot, even more refined. The limited edition of the new fragrance is designed in pastel and turquoise, and although we've seen more sophisticated packages, the combination of the sweet scent, very much Victoria's Secret, with the non-childish appearance, was pleasant. The new fragrance can be found in all the brand's familiar products: body scrub (our favorite), mist, body and hand cream, candles, and more - an option for a gift that looks good at a relatively affordable price.

Laline - sets starting from NIS 90.

  (credit: vipdesigm)
(credit: vipdesigm)

Cosmetician Paula Blik offers a tiny kit in a transparent bag suitable for the travel season, including effective face soap, tired skin serum, and the magic drops - a serum concentrated with hyaluronic acid. For fans of miniature products, Paula lovers, anyone who just wants to try, and women committed to full size.

Paula Blik, travel kit - NIS 199 | Available at the clinic in Ramat Aviv or on the website.

  (credit: ADI GILAD)
(credit: ADI GILAD)

And now! To the perfumes we loved: For us, this is the winning perfume of the season, and like many other successful scents, it's actually on the men's shelf. The new Burberry is warm and masculine but not of the standard type: clean, woody notes of cedar, clean and aromatic - ready for us to seize, for a partner, and for ourselves too.

Burberry, Hero - NIS 669 for 100 ml.

  (credit: PR abroad)
(credit: PR abroad)

L'Occitane continues its esteemed tradition, releasing a new perfume that will work well even on hot and humid summer days. The original blend of sophisticated roses, fresh peaches, and tangy blackcurrants creates a clean, subtly sweet, and non-domineering composition - a winning composition for the upcoming holiday. The bottle is designed in the spirit of the 70s and is one of the cutest we've seen this season.

L'Occitane, Roses and Peaches - NIS 199 for 50 ml.

  (credit: PR abroad)
(credit: PR abroad)

The latest version of Armani's My Way is sweet-tangy and fruity, but not the exaggerated type that causes migraines. The new fragrance released in a limited edition combines pear, citrus, vanilla, and a bit of bergamot, it's young and summery, and it comes in a rather pink bottle.

Armani, my way nectar - NIS 389 for 90 ml.

  (credit: PR abroad)
(credit: PR abroad)

Relative to Jo Malone's perfumes, which are unlike anything else, the red hibiscus is still unlike anything else, but less so. I mean - here and there, its floral scent smells a bit familiar. It's composed of hibiscus, jasmine, and vanilla, elegant and bold, enduring over time. This blend is supposed to be unisex, to us, it's maximally feminine.

Jo Malone, red hibiscus intense - NIS 485 for 50 ml.

  (credit: PR abroad)
(credit: PR abroad)

If you have spare thousands and a mature hostess to pamper, go for the perfume from the French brand Floraiku, inspired by Japanese culture. The perfume comes in a beautiful bamboo box that we can only define as a "assembly kit": the cover, the unique bottle, and the content come separately, along with a small bottle for carrying. The scent itself is very floral, springy, and extremely sweet, but on the extra sweet side. It starts off strong, balances with fresher notes later, and in any case, it's suitable for someone who has seen things and knows how to wear it with dignity.

Floraïku Paris, spring river - 50 ml + 10 ml for NIS 1,070, available at Beyond Skin.

  (credit: PR abroad)
(credit: PR abroad)

And in the same price category, in the high-end collection of Versace, they launch a series of perfumes defined as unisex. Despite the attribution and cost, the Gingembre Pétillant showcased from the series is a scent for the masses. On one hand, it's unique and interesting, on the other hand, you don't have to be an enthusiast to appreciate it. It's much more masculine than unisex, young in a good way, fruity, and tasty.

Versace Atelier, Gingembre Pétillant - NIS 1380 for 100 ml, available at selected Super-Pharm stores and at the Lilith Cosmetics website.

  (credit: PR)
(credit: PR)

In the unisex corner - the Australian brand GOLDFIELD & BANKS successfully captures the scent of the seashore. And since it's an Australian seaside, it has less stench and cigarette butts in the sand, and more crispy sea salt, lemon, amber, and seaweed that will flatter both women and men together.

GOLDFIELD & BANKS, Pacific Rock Moss - NIS 695 for 100 ml. Available at April stores.

  (credit: PR)
(credit: PR)

BOSS perfumes are proof that you don't need personality to succeed and be loved. With this optimistic conclusion, we approached the new edition in the series that has accompanied us for over two decades. The same bottle, just in a dark blue and shiny version, and the scent is generic and tasty: fresh, green, slightly spicy, and woody. A lady who is the opposite of a man adopted it for herself, and recommends it to anyone suffering from overly fruity-floral perfumes to follow her lead.

BOSS, Bottled Triumph Elixir - NIS 449 for 100 ml.

  (credit: PR)
(credit: PR)

Representing the "Value for Money" category are Golbari, offering a new series of inexpensive perfumes. The brand did it right by choosing a minimalist design, and the execution is successful - the transparent glass bottles with the beautiful wooden cap and clean white labels are neat and meticulous, and with the simple white box, you can't go wrong. In the collection of 5 scents, more or less generic, we especially liked the AMBER&TONKA, which tends more towards the unisex/masculine side - a bit lemony, a bit woody, and a bit musky. The longevity is medium-low, which is a shame.

Golbari - NIS 100 for 100 ml.

  (credit: Nir Yaffe)
(credit: Nir Yaffe)