I'm not a big buyer of perfumes but I never say no to a free sample, and get especially excited when, instead of just a scent strip on an advert in a magazine, I get a whole vial to play with. I'm on all sorts of mailing lists and I think that's how I ended up with this, as I didn't request it but was quite happy to accept it. I kept it for a time when I would be travelling, and that's how it ended up making the trip to Colombia with me.

I have seen this in Duty Free, and it comes in a lovely, attractive, tall, thin bottle as shown in the picture, which would definitely make it stand out next to the more squat ones on a dressing table. Apparently it "is designed to evoke the same elegance as a Giorgio Armani dress" which brings me on to my next point. Perfumes really confuse me. What do fashion designers know about perfume? What do random celebrities? I would never buy something like this just because of the name, but I suppose the flip side is that I wouldn't NOT buy it because of the name either. And at least it's a little less embarrassing than purchasing a Jade Goody scent and then blushing crimson anytime anyone asks you what you're wearing.

Armani Code is a much more heady and potent scent than I am used to, but I surprised myself by liking it from the get go. It's more of an evening scent than it is a daytime one for me because it smells quite rich and sultry, with a musky, sensual feel, and I love how long it lasts, meaning I don't have to carry it round with me for a refresher, even after hours have passed.. Obviously this is less important with my trial size anyway, but for those investing in the larger bottle it's useful to know.

The features of this female Armani Code are top notes of African bitter orange and sweet Italian orange, heart notes of Tunisian orange blossom absolute and jasmine Sambac and base notes of orange blossom, vanilla and a drop of honey.

That's fine in theory, but I always want to know how something smells when actually applied to a living, breathing human being. Scents smell different on different people so this is based on how I think it smells on me. When first applied it's quite 'boozy', and not all that feminine. Although this is the 'pour femme' version, it reminds me of cologne more than perfume at first sniff, and I had to be careful not to apply too much as it could quickly become overwhelming. Over time the scent mellows slightly and the citrus definitely emerges more though for me it still has that hint of masculinity to it, tinged with a heavy musk (not your Body Shop White Musk!) I definitely prefer the scent that comes out over time, mainly because when the first drops hit your skin it is very strong and, if it was one someone else, I would probably move away from them at that point. It quickly becomes a much more wearable scent, however, you just need to be organised and spray it a little earlier in the getting ready period than you might normally, to give it time to settle.

I do get compliments when I wear this, but I sometimes feel they're like the compliments I get when I slap on make-up - neither is something I normally wear, so it could be the difference people are commenting on rather than the scent itself. To me as someone who doesn't wear masses of perfume, this is quite a 'dirty' scent and makes me want to do all sorts of naughty things that lighter, flirty day time scents don't inspire. They say 'sultry and sensual and seductive', I say 'dirty'. This is why I do not work in perfume marketing.

My sample was a glass vial, and it recently broke. There wasn't much left so I wasn't too sad, but my nostrils hissed in alarm at what it did to my bathroom. Even once I had wiped it up I could still detect it then and for several days - it stank and it stayed, and unlike when applied to skin, when it's splattered onto tiles it doesn't fade nearly quickly enough. Obviously you are not simply supposed to break your bottle all over your bedroom or bathroom, but for me this is now my lasting memory of the scent which is a shame as originally I like it, but now I want to dock marks.

In the region of anything from £30 to more than £50 for 50ml it is definitely worth shopping around, and I do think you are paying for the brand name. I think it could have quite limited appeal, and it is super hard to explain scents in a way that make people reading 'smell' them, so I would recommend you try this in a department store or duty free first. It's not for everyone, and the initial hit is very strong, but I did like what it faded to over time, and how long it lasted, so it's a tentative recommendation that you give it a sniff initially and then go from there.