Lancôme begins with a perfumer and a rose. Armand Petitjean founded the house in France in 1935 and showed five fragrances, Tropiques, Tendres Nuits, Kypre, Bocages and Conquête, at the Brussels Universal Exposition the same year. The name came from the Château de Lancosme in the Indre, and the rose became the symbol. Petitjean grew Centifolia roses at his Villa Vallières, and today the brand's Domaine de la Rose in Grasse, acquired in 2020, grows them. L'Oréal acquired the brand in 1964. Skincare followed the same path: Nutrix cream arrived in 1936, the Absolue cream in the 1960s with Rose Absolue biotech, and the Advanced Génifique serum in 2009, which made Lancôme a pioneer in Beauty Tech and microbiome-focused skincare. In this group you can see that whole timeline at once. The Nutrix face cream sits beside the Absolue Longevity MD creams, the Absolue L'Extrait cream and elixir, the Génifique Ultimate Recovery Serum and its eye cream, and the Rénergie Collagen+ Lift Xtend cream. The Clarifique Watery Emulsion and the Tonique Confort toner are the gentle starting points, and Teint Idole sneaks in as a foundation. For a simple routine to hang these on, the best skincare products for dry skin, in three steps is a good map.

Hypnôse mascara arrived in 2004, and the brand has built a small family around it. The Hypnôse Mascara, Hypnôse Drama for instant full body volume, Hypnôse Custom-Wear volume and the 5-Color Eyeshadow Palette all share the name, while Lash Idôle, including the Curl Goddess version, takes the lash story in a longer, curlier direction. The Suite Escape and Adventurous palettes are the playful ones, and Le Stylo Waterproof eyeliner gives a clean line. The Monsieur Big Volumizing Mascara Duo and the Mini Juicy Tubes with a travel size Lash Idôle are the small, gift-ready versions. What I would skip is layering a volumizing mascara over a curling one on the same morning; choose the formula that matches the lashes you already have. For an everyday face to wear them with, see an everyday makeup look with skin tint, concealer and mascara.

Sets are where Lancôme shows the range most clearly. The Tonique Confort toner and Crème Mousse cleanser set is a skincare beginning, the 3-Piece Génifique Ultimate Recovery set and the Absolue Cream Skincare Set go deeper, and the Génifique Ultimate Serum Holiday Collection puts the 2009 serum front and center. On the fragrance side, La Vie Est Belle L'Original and Hypnôse Mascara share a Christmas set, the Idôle Eau de Parfum has its own, and the Mini La Vie Est Belle and 5-Piece Perfume Sampler sets let you try before committing to a full bottle. Lash fans have the 3-Piece Définicils set and the Lash Idôle Flatter Extension pairing, and the Trio Juicy Tube and Juicy Summer Essentials sets keep the lips covered. For more ideas, beauty advent calendars and gift sets to open early is a nice companion.

Teint Idole is Lancôme's face makeup line, and this group shows how far it goes: the Ultra Wear C.E. Skin Transforming Highlighter, the Serum Concealer, the All-Over Concealer and the Shape Stick Blurring Multi-Use Foundation. The Rénergie Lift Makeup Foundation brings the skincare idea into base makeup, and the Blush Subtil is an oil-free powder blush. Then there is L'Absolu Rouge, the hydrating lipstick that connects back to the 1938 Rose de France, a pale pink glossy lipstick launched when blood-red lipsticks were the norm. I love that detail, because it makes a pale pink lip feel like a brand tradition rather than a trend. If you are choosing a base, foundation makeup by finish explains skin tints, serums and sticks side by side.

The last group is small and a little romantic, four pieces that tie the whole brand story together. Think of it as the rose at the end of the page, with a practical lash tool tucked beside it. Absolue 6 AM Rose Eau de Parfum brings the brand's rose symbol into fragrance, and La Vie Est Belle Very Cherry is a fruity twist on the La Vie Est Belle name. The Cils Booster XL is a lash primer for the Hypnôse and Idôle mascaras above, and the Rénergie Skincare Set is an easy way to try the firming line in one go. If you want to begin where the brand began, with a rose, the Absolue is the one that carries the symbol. If you are new to perfume, how to shop perfume by scent family instead of by note takes the guesswork out of the fragrance side.

My Lancôme shelf would start with the Advanced Génifique idea, a serum and an eye cream, then add a Teint Idole concealer, a Hypnôse mascara and L'Absolu Rouge in a soft pink that nods to Rose de France. The rose perfume would sit at the end. After 90 years, what I like most is that the brand still tells one story: a perfumer, a flower and a French way of making beauty feel personal.

If you want to keep going, Fenty Beauty Skincare and Makeup and Rare Beauty Makeup and Fragrance pair well with this edit.