Monday, March 30, 2009

THE "Little Black Dress" to Have...


Every so often, a girl just needs a new fragrance. And how often is it that the house of Guerlain comes out with something new?

The latest Guerlain offering is La Petite Robe Noire (which, in English, translates to "Little Black Dress" in case you didn't know.) This fragrance is in limited supply Stateside, but I did manage to get my grubby little hands on it about a month ago from the Guerlain boutique within Bergdorf Goodman in NYC.

It retails for $150USD, and is a decent size of 1.7 ounces. The bottle comes inside a huge box (which is misleading, since the perfume is just a regular size) -- is in the same shape as the Guerlain classic fragrances. One side of the bottle is tinted a gradient black to gray, and there is a little drawing of a black dress with cute cap-sleeves and the name of the fragrance scrawled across in white.

Ah, now... for the juice... it is described on the Bergdorf website as:
"Sexy, and light as a champagne bubble, the scent features melt-in-your-mouth macaroon, the tang of the Sicilian lemon, a tender almond kiss, and a touch of licorice.

An armful of roses adds elegance, while smoked tea and patchouli give it character. And for a soft velvety touch, a caress of Musk and Vanilla."

Now, to my nose, in the initial spray, I detect the lemon and licorice, tempered with some floral (no doubt the rose.) However, the drydown is much smoother and warmer, and I detect a strong hint of vanilla and almond, and the musk and patchouli come out to play. Overall, I would describe the fragrance as a sexy spicy-fruity-floral, if that makes sense!

If you have ever smelled Viktor & Rolf's Flowerbomb (a fragrance which I once adored), there is something about LPRN that is very similar to it, except -- dare I say -- the Guerlain is much more sophisticated and a little less cloying.

As for the name, well, when I first heard about this perfume, I thought it was a bit lame, but now that I have experienced the fragrance, I do think it is quite befitting. La Petite Robe Noire, like the eponymous item of clothing, is eternally elegant, always poised, and entirely appropriate. And, like the perfect little black dress, it simply envelops you in glamour and beauty. A must-repurchase for me!