Guerlain Dresses Us Up In Petals with La Petite Robe Noire Eau Fraiche & a GIVEAWAY!!

Oh has it been almost 2 years since I first encountered Guerlain’s La Petite Robe Noir? Thinking back, it was one of my very first fragrance review [read here], and it was an extension of the deep love that I had for Guerlain makeup at that time. Since then, I have gone on many fragrance adventures, and it feels almost like I’ve come full circle to the latest flanker to that now-infamous little black dress… Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire Eau Fraiche.

La Petite Robe Noire Eau Fraiche is this Spring-Summer 2015’s release, and like others bearing the same “fraiche” label, it is relatively more light-hearted than its more serious EDP sister. I was very happy to find that it still retains the same spunk and attitude of the original LPRN, and was not merely a watered down version. With the tag phrase of “Ma Robe Petales” (my petal dress), this latest fragrance from Guerlain has a more floral heart and a slightly warmer base. Sounds counter-intuitive perhaps, but I really adore this twist!

With the EDP, I had always found it just a bit too much for me. Not that I don’t love a good strong brew, if you’ve been following my blog for some time, you’d know that I’d rather go for the unexpected and bold than an easy-to-please scent. However, something about the sweet/sour cherry-cola accord mixed with the slightly bitter licorice of the EDP never quite agreed with me. The La Petite Robe Noir EDP was a fragrance that I admired for its bold, unexpected and spunky character, but never fully embraced for daily wear. It was more about what the bottle represented – the historical legacy of Guerlain as a royal perfumer made accessible. Ma Robe Petales on the other hand, manages to retain the original spirit of LPRN yet spun in a style that I simply adore and have taken to wearing on a daily basis!

The precious fluid is tinted green, and opens with fresh citrus of Bergamot, Mandarin, Lemon and Orange Blossom. It is fizzy and fun, and the original cherry accord still abounds but it has taken on a sunnier disposition. The heart of Ma Robe Petales is a white floral bouquet, the roses toned down and given a creamier feel with freesia, almond blossom and jasmine sambac. The spicy licorice and aniseed of the EDP has been replaced by pistachio and white musk in the base. Not that my nose can pick out the pistachio, but the overall effect is slightly nutty instead of spicy.

I went back and gave La Petite Robe Noire EDP a good whiff and found Ma Robe Petales to be decidedly the same yet different. Nobody will fail to recognize this as a LPRN, but yet, I found it so much more pleasant to wear and much less demanding. After all, it is not everyday that we will be taking our Little Black Dresses out to the office, school or wherever your day takes you. But if you still want to remain distinctive, feel expensive, then be sure to check out Guerlain’s La Petite Robe Noire Eau Fraiche!

Thanks to the lovely folks at Guerlain Singapore, I am giving away a 50ml bottle of La Petite Robe Noir Eau Fraiche to 1 of my Instagram followers! To enter in the giveaway, simply pop over to my Instagram here and join in the fun!