I got sent a small spray bottle of the Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire (translated as 'the little black dress') through the post, after applying for a sample on the Boots website. I was thrilled when I got this as it is the first Guerlain product I have tried.

Although only in a small sample size, the packaging was beautiful - the design of the card and the bottle looked really luxurious and expensive. The full sized bottle is also really nice - it's very vintage looking with tones of purple and a beautiful glass lid. The front of the bottle is decorated with the silhouette of a black dress - it looks very French and pretty and is definitely the sort of bottle I would be attracted to if I saw it on the shelf in a shop.

The perfume is described as being 'a creation embroidered with the most beautiful 'black' notes in perfumery: black cherry, black rose, patchouli and smoked tea'. I'm not really sure if I would have chosen the perfume based on that description, but I do think black cherry and black rose sound like quite a nice combination, so I wasn't completely put off.

When I first sprayed this, the first thing that hit me was the scent of patchouli. I am really not keen on patchouli I can usually bear it if it's mixed in with woody scents as a base note, but in this perfume it was a little too prominent and sharp for my tastes. As well as patchouli I feel the black cherry scent comes across quite strongly. I do generally like the scent of black cherry, but it is of course quite bitter and the bitterness of the cherry combined with the sharp tones of the patchouli was not really to my taste.

As the fragrance settles I think the floral notes of the black rose seem to come out more, but there is also a slight fruitiness which lifts the scent a little. I think that the scent is at its best around twenty minutes or so after application when the sharpness has worn off and these floral/fruity notes have come out. Although the official description mentions smoked tea, to me the scent has an undertone of plain black tea the whole time it is on the skin.

I think this is quite an unusual scent, I can't think of any other fragrance to compare it to and I can't imagine it will be to everyone's taste. I usually go for lighter, sweeter fragrances, but with this being a tad heavier, I have been wearing it throughout the colder weather, as it has quite a warming feel to it. I'm struggling to think of an age range for this scent, I reckon I'll go with 25 upwards, it might be a bit on the heavy side for anyone younger.

The fragrance is quite strong and lasts quite well. If I apply in the morning, I can still smell it when I leave work several hours later. My small sample size has lasted me ages and ages as one spray is more than enough per use.

Being Guerlain, this perfume is not cheap. The following prices are taken from the John Lewis website, but seem similar depending on where you shop.

30ml - £42
50ml - £60
100ml - £86

Overall, I'm finding it really difficult to decide if I would recommend this perfume or not. I would definitely say it is one you have to try before you buy. My husband loves this and always compliments me on it, but I think I could probably take it or leave it (most likely leave it at those prices!). I really dislike the opening notes of patchouli in this scent, but it is much nicer once it's been on the skin for a while and the sharpness has worn off. I think that I will settle in the middle and give this a very average 3 out of 5 stars.