Black Perfecto by La Petite Robe Noire

Just picked this up and thought it would be a great blind buy, since LPRN EDT was such a lucky untested purchase for me. Very happy to have taken the chance. Opens with a cherry almond blast, and I mean blast, with rose quickly joining in, and to me, they do kind of a dance, but not for long. The bones of LPRN are certainly there, but it is darker and thicker. It is a bit "cough syrup" but that's my unimaginative husband talking (and we did joke about how well it would disguise the smell of arsenic.... because I'm an imaginative wife). I know it's quite common to associate things, but it's a matter of perspective, and the cherry and cough syrup or cough drop equivalency is one I don't personally share. Let's call it a little boozy instead. This dissipates fast, at any rate, and only warrants this seeming disclaimer because it is such an instant turn-off for some people. I think it's beautiful. My favourite part though is when it gets to the deep, black cherry incense phase, smoky and still rosy with a burnt hint of licorice, but more faint leather, which for some people in the reviews is too burnt - I get that, but I love it. Patchouli seems more like a heart note, picking up here but then taking the incense with it as it dries down, and the black tea is nowhere in there for me, and not picking up much tonka, either, which is kind of a drag. But the skin scent is a lovely light cherry candy rose, surprisingly day-friendly and carefree after such a gothic little trip down Medicine Avenue to get to the Head Shop by midnight, LOL. And again, that journey can be very easily reframed as "new car driven by person with a bad cold crashes into a house full of hippies". Just depends what you're into ;) *For some reason, the bottle and scent remind me of Amy Winehouse, which isn't at all a bad thing - just odd. Maybe I'll listen to some of her music while wearing this in my pyjamas. I'm getting more new car than motorcycle, but overall I'm very pleased with this perfume, and understand the mixed reviews. Although a wonderful gamble for me, it probably wears very differently on everyone. It's deeply comforting right now as it's Easter Sunday but everything is closed and nobody has plans, and it's freezing rain here today, and there are few opportunities left to wear this before she gets packed away for next late fall & early winter. Trying before buying might be impossible because it is discontinued.

I love La Petite Robe Noire Black Perfecto and its hilariously long and redundant name, even though I think there are way too many flankers of Guerlain fragrances (or any other popular fragrance, by any other house). That said, this is magical, and surprisingly affordable for a Guerlain--the bottle is just as pretty, if not prettier, than my other Guerlain bouchon coeur bottles (because it's black and opaque), and I spent no more on a new 50-ml bottle from a trusted discounter's site than I have spent on inferior juice from inferior houses. The only minor drawback is that my husband wasn't nuts about it on a test strip--I think it might have been the assertive patchouli in the opening, which dies down markedly as the other notes emerge--but I think he'll feel differently about it on skin. When I saw comparisons to Lolita Lempicka, I got a little nervous because I own Lolitaland by LL and find the anise or licorice note a bit oppressive in that context--but LPRNBP is not really like that. It reminds me more of Lost Cherry, at least at the beginning, before it morphs into a beautiful cherry-rose-marzipan-leather chimera. There is a moment in the drydown while the cherry is transforming into the rose where LPRNBP even reminds me of my precious Nahéma, although the fragrances aren't that much alike otherwise. Guerlain, much like God and Dolly Parton, don't make no trash. I hope Guerlain doesn't discontinue this flanker (I haven't even tried the first La Petite Robe Noire). I wish there were a Guerlain store (rather than a mere counter at a department store) nearby so that I could sweet-talk the staff to send me home with samples of everything. Then I would probably beg them for a job so I could get an employee discount, and eventually my soul would be owned by the company store. I suppose it's probably for the best that I remain in my cow-town, hours and hours away from the land of Guerlain. Update: I'm seeing other reviews suggesting that this is being discontinued, perhaps in favor of the EDT. I hope not. This is such a beautiful fragrance--it deserves much more than a cumulative 3.98 or wherever it is at the moment--and it doesn't really smell like anything else in my collection. I was thinking about giving my BUB to a friend, but I don't think I can do that if there is a chance this will be discontinued.

Initial notes after spraying is cherry but it's a very different cherry scent from Tom Ford's Lost Cherry, Maison Alhambra's Lovely Cherie and Zara's Cherry Smoothie. Here the cherry and almond combo is laced with licorice. So you've got anise competing with and sweetening cherry's tartness. It's also pretty powdery. The result is a very artificial smelling cherry scent that briefly went into urinal cake territory a minute in before the powder emerged. 15 mins in, it's basically just cherry scented baby powder. Weird that whenever it gets hit with cold I can smell the sweetened cherry but when it gets hit with heat I only get powder. 55 mins in, the powder has dropped off significantly from just 5 mins prior. The cherry also seems to be going. 1hr 30 mins in the powder is still there but faint. The sweet cherry, surprisingly, is still very detectable. Tom Ford's, Maison Alhambra's and Zara's cherry accords only lasted an hour on me. Guerlain's seem to have staying power. 2 hrs in, there's no more powder. There's still some cherry but it's already giving way to rose. That's a pretty clever decision by Guerlain's in-house perfumer Thierry Wasser because the similarities in scent profile between the licorice sweetened cherry and rose result in making the transition seamless and imperceptible and tricking you into thinking the cherry scent is lasting forever. Bravo. 10 mins later and the transition to rose is complete. It's a sweet yet slightly tart rose. 4 hrs in. So far I haven't gotten any leather or black tea. If they were there, they're hidden deep in the background. I can imagine someone like Dita von Teese wearing this complete with matching cherry red lipstick and a fascination with 1930's cabaret. Can be worn to work in the morning but works better as an evening scent for going out. This also seems like it would work in any weather. 6 and a half hours in. The intensity of the rose has waned significantly. Otherwise no change. Seems like this frag will end as a rose. 7.5 hrs in the rose is starting to go, giving way to a heavy musk and tonka beans. 8 hrs in, musk slightly scented with rose. Very faint now. I need to have my nose touching the skin to smell it. I think it'll be gone soon. After 9 hrs it's just about gone.

Black Perfecto has a Bohemian quality that is out of this world extraordinary. I love Patchouli and it is here, though not in an extreme amount, mixed with the prominent Cherry, Leather and the most delightful Rose notes. Upon first spritz I get a bitterness that lasts for only a half a minute. I believe it to be the Black Tea and Sour Cherry top notes blasting me. The Leather and Patchouli are quite noticeable too at this stage and for Black Perfecto's entirety. As BP starts to develop I start smelling the creamy Almond and a slight Powdery note which I believe is the Tonka. The Rose comes in with these notes and it is as stunning as it is in LPRN. Then I pick up on some licorice which is not over the top but which adds a spicy dimension. The Musk is faint but it adds a sensuality that is soft and pretty. The dry down is very similar to LPRN. Black Perfecto has more of a sultry essence though due to the animalic Leather note. It is calming and uplifting yet there is an intrigue to this very well made juice. This is a sophisticated Greenwich Village interpretation of the color black not the biker babe type. I think of Bohemian types and Artists when I smell this. Personally I love it. The black bottle is gorgeouusss! I rarely talk about bottles because I believe the juice's integrity should be most talked about...but...this is just a stunner! It is tough looking yet it has that chic feminine look. Very classy! Very Guerlain! The longevity of this masterpiece is extremely long on me. I smell it after bathing after a full day of romping around. The sillage is huge for the first hour and then it is moderate. My love loves this on me and I do too! I give Black Perfecto a 10/10+++

Let me just add a disclaimer: I've never found a scent that didn't totally overwhelm and disgust me on the opening. There is no exception with Black Perfecto. On my skin, I immediately get hit with sickeningly sweet artificial licorice flanked by an indescribable faux floral that gives a "bathroom air freshener" vibe, an apt descriptor I've seen used for it before. Rose in general is hit-or-miss. I think it's an overused floral and not always the safest option when jasmine is so much more user-friendly. However, the dry-down is quick and incredibly appetizing. A sweet almond-cherry with the noticeable backdrop of leather. The licorice is still present I find, though it does begin to highlight the presence of other notes lightly. I do not detect any vanilla, which is a good thing for me considering that whenever a vanilla note is present, it's very hard to mix well without letting it overtake the entire scent profile. This is *not* a luxury Guerlain and it does smell like it, so keep that in mind. I find the La Petite Robe Noire line overall to aim for a more youthful, budget-tight audience. It isn't a sexy-mature scent by any means, but more like a playful-sexy. It's a very good thing that the latter is what I like, as I personally find most "mature" scents to be a bit samey. I wouldn't say it's entirely a safe blind buy, but I received a 1oz. bottle for around $25, so you really don't have much to lose only IF you like youthful scents. I'd wear this to a goth or industrial night at the local club.