Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire Black Perfecto Review
Guerlain’s La Petite Robe Noire is the fragrance equivalent of the world’s coolest movie franchise. She’s a super hero, of course, kicking butt with her deadly stilettos. Her costume? Why, she rocks a designer LDB, naturally! How could you even ask?! So far we’ve seen La Petite in a number of adventures – she’s ridden the wind in La Petite Robe Noire Intense, become a pistachio fairy in La Petite Robe Noire Eau Fraiche and now she’s starring in a brand new, Quentin Tarantino directed crime epic: La Petite Robe Noire Black Perfecto.
OK, OK, so that may be stretching the movie metaphor a little bit too far, I agree, but it’s fair to say that La Petite Robe Noire has character in spades and Guerlain has done a fantastic job of taking the fruity floral genre and having fun with it. Each of the fragrances in La Petite Robe Noire’s wardrobe presents a fun twist on the signature smoky cherry accord that makes this Guerlain so cheeky and modern. Now with this latest interpretation, Guerlain are giving their fancy, fun loving signature fragrance (their modern signature, that is) a rocky edge.
Dubbed Black Perfecto, this La Petite Robe Noire is billed by Guerlain as an Eau Florale, possibly due to the fact that it showcases three rose materials; rose water, rose essence and rose absolute. These rosy facets are set against a backdrop of black leather, creating something that intends to be wilder and more reckless, but just as ‘ready to wear’. So let’s dive into the La Petite Robe Noire closet and pick out this latest accessory to see whether it really is the latest look for this season. Spoiler alert: it is
The Notes
Top: Rose Water
Heart: Rose Essence, Rose Absolute and Almond
Base: Black Tea, Black Leather and Black Musk
How Does it Smell?
The opening of Black Perfecto is juicy and tart with the sharp sweetness of cherries and the delightfully dewy refreshment of rose water. You can smell it and instantly know that this is La Petite Robe Noire, but somehow it feels more vivid, almost as if this is the fragrance cast in an ultraviolet glow. There is, however, less fizz than in the Eau de Parfum, which pulls Black Perfecto away from being a ditzy glamazon into the territory of something darker, wilder and a little bit more steely eyed. She means business this Black Perfecto, that’s for sure.
At her core, Black Perfecto is all about almond. Here the texture is crunchy and dark, giving the impression of a delicious tart baked just that little bit too much. The toasted aspect is lovely and it acts as a nice link between the juiciness of the top notes and the rich darkness of the base. Of course, no La Petite Robe Noire fragrance would be complete without rose – the flower that she wears as her corsage. In Black Perfecto the rose feels electric as if it carries a live current of thorns and spices right through its petals. She rocks an electric rose, how’s that for a description?
In the base, all of the dark, smoky materials come out to play and it’s in the dry down that one really gets the feeling that this version of La Petite Robe Noire has switched out the little black dress for an even littler, even blacker leather jacket. The addition of leather in the base really brings a new layer of complexity to La Petite Robe Noire. It smooths things out a little, making it less glittery and more glowing, but at the same time, it adds a really intense richness that amplifies the musk and smoke notes, allowing the fragrance to end on a dry vibe that is pretty badass.
Black Perfecto smells GOOD. It’s not entirely dissimilar from the Eau de Parfum but it just feels like it has more of everything. There’s smokier black tea, more of a prominent rose note, more cherry pie and more musk. It’s darker, richer and more rebellious, showcasing black leather against a veritable patisserie of gourmand notes. Black Perfecto is so cool, so much fun and so very Guerlain it’s hard not to sniff it and smile. So if you love La Petite Robe Noire but just want MORE, then look no further than Black Perfecto. I thoroughly enjoyed wearing it and in fact, I think it may be my favourite version of La Petite Robe Noire to date!