Love in Black

A VIOLET ORIENTAL My Favoriten Creed. Violet, roses and iris , very nice composition. Indeed extremely similar to insolence and lipstick rose . Insolence being more on the younger and sweeter fruitier side and LOVE IN BLACK more grown up and earthy. (Lipstick rose being more powdery aldehydic .) I like the ceader and cloves in here as well as the blackberries. Violets and irises are strong in the opening and the rose seems to be more in the dry down. The dry down is my favourite part, so fresh and slightly sweeter than the opening , this is when you can smell the blackberries and the rose the most. I own lipstick rose and when I wear Love in Black I constantly think of Lipstick Rose. Its a lady like perfume , very purple and feminine. Like most violet Perfumes LiB is not everyone's choice as violets are something people relate to the past. Which perhaps is what I love about it. The musk in here is clean. I just ordered a 75 ml bottle. Can't wait. This to me is an all around suitable choice for winter and summer , day and night. Love it. Completely agree with the review by Lust87 its a sweet cosmetic elegant violet powder with black currant. So charming ! Update ; MISIA is out now which is very much in the same category. Misia being softer and more powdery and less spicy , like a younger sister or more tame lady. Love in Black is very similar yet louder !

This is georgeous! Alot of people compare this to insolence, and like the reviewer below me, i agree this is not comparable to insolence. Insolence didn't work on me, it smelled like grape skittles and was close to the skin. But creed love in black smells like real wood violets! It's very waxy,lipstick scent. I can actually feel the wax, smell the wax lipstick , it's amazing! It doesn't fade into vanilla like lipstick on, it stays lipstick all the way to the end, a little cedar note comes out at the end. Beautiful! Long lasting! Sillage is 3ft. And stays 3ft for about an hour before remaining at an arms length sillage for a good 5 hours and gradually gets closer to the skin. This is a sexy lipstick scent! How many times did i say lipstick in this review, lol:) I forgot to mention that some people say they smell a synthetic plastic smell, i think it's the way their nose interprets the wax note in here. Without the wax note or would not be a true lipstick scent and would smell more candyish

Creed's Love in Black is a very elegant fragrance with depth and a touch of sophistication. The violet and iris are prominent but they're not overwhelming. The soft fruit and musk notes tame the powder bloom and the cedar adds a slight dryness which is more noticable once the fragrance settles on the skin. There's a soft sweet spicy note forever in the powder bloom that can't be distinguished, but you know it's there. The rose isn't heavy, but rather sweet and graceful. Toward the end you're left with a sweet soft floral that gives you a sense of comfort and confidence at the same time. Love in Black performs well in cooler weather (late fall/winter) and can be worn day or night, especially in winter. It's even better if you allow the perfume to fall on your "hot spots" rather than spray close and directly. Three sprays is sufficient. Longevity is astounding with 8+ hours, and the projection is pleasant and unoffensive. It will always have a place in my collection.

I am not a fan of Creed perfumes. Even though they smell lovely, they are not "complicated" enough for my taste or their price. However, Love in Black is a beautiful perfume. For me, this fragrance is all about the violets (which I LOVE). I can smell them from the very beginning till the end (it lasts around 12 hours) on my skin. Violet here is just gorgeous. I can detect some black currant, and it uplifts the fragrance in a fresh and just a bit sour way that goes well with the rest of the composition. Iris doesn't smell like a baby powder (that's what I usually get with iris), but a lovely, kind of weird combination of bread dough and a gentle, sweet, powdery note that complements the violet note very well. I can't detect any cloves on my skin. In a dry down, I get a pleasant woody musk and violets. This perfume projects well for the first hour or two and goes into moderate sillage for much more hours.

My husband bought Creed Love In Black for himself cos he loves this scent on him! I know Creed fragrances are all pretty much unisex but this was marketed as a feminine scent. On my husband, the violets provide the strong floral notes and the black currant notes provide the sweetness that reminds me of strawberry and cream lollies from Streets. On the dry down I smell more black currant and musk notes and the black currant is not as sweet as the first initial spray. The other floral notes are not as noticable. It is a wearable everyday scent and actually more subtle than most of the Creed fragrances I’ve tested. Unfortunately this is not cheap and also I advise not to blind buy it either. But I like Love In Black. Update: I sprayed this on my hair today and 12 hours later I can still smell it!! Other perfumes I’ve tried on my hair didn’t last longer than 3 hours but this one went the distance.

I love the 2008 version of Creed’s Love in Black (I am yet to try the new one, and I really hope it isn’t any different from this, because this to me is perfection in a bottle). This is quite possibly the most powdery perfume I own. It definitely has a dusty, vintage quality to it, which is amplified by the clove note - that just serves to make this seem like a perfume from another time. I absolutely love it. It might be the most polarising scent in my collection based in reviews, but I absolutely loved it right from the first sniff. I never had any mixed feelings about this one. It’s powdery, soft violets, a calming herbaceous facet that comes through and adds complexity and the clove that adds a fascinating spicy depth to an otherwise very feminine scent. It’s extremely soothing, and I love wearing it to bed, which is unfortunate because of how costly it is.

Ok. Honestly most of my recent purchases have been blind, thanks to Fragrantica. So with confidence I bought my first Creed, in a place where they had no tester, anxious to get home and spritz my wrist. At first spray it smell like París YSL, but only a few moments. Then, it borns another face, more deep and dark,it remind me a little to TF black orchid and a sweet whistle of Fleurs d'ombre violette and menthe by JCB. It's strange, so i like it. Sweet, with some of fruit, but not girly, this perfume is misterious, sexy and elegant, all in one.If you want feel yourself like a new woman, different, and make turn the heads to you, you must buy it. Is true, is not a cheap fragrance, but it cost drop to drop , this price. Only for someone, with personality. Sillage good, and very good lasting power. Best of all, I fell in love again! (Fingers up)

This beauty put me right back on to the Violet cravings First when applied i was a bit hesitent , it was bold and strong, a bit dry almost and mysterious. But after wearing it and getting to know it on my skin this realy is a beauty. The Violet is damp and dark Its like a clearing in he woods filled with Dark purple Violets . The damp earth and moss give it a crisp freshness , I can feal the Blaccurrant and it adds to this a fruityness and also a dryness . how can they be mixed he he , The Rose and musk also pretty bright and Pink adds to the Violet a Romantic and flirty feal. Reminds me a slight bit of Paris YSL . Cedarwood gets more prominet in the ending . I cant say i feal the Cloves much I realy realy like this , a blind buy gone realy well . (I can not realy relate to the comparising of Insolence and Jesus Del pozo In black, )

I'm absolutely head over heels in love with this in spite of myself hating the Creed brand in general for a lack of fragrance performance in most of their offerings despite a high price tag. If you are looking for a fresh violet that isn't dominated by powdery or 'lipsticky' iris then this is worth trying. It's like smelling fresh blooms of purple violets and it's utterly gorgeous. It makes me smile when I wear it because it reminds me of the very first perfume I ever bought when I was around 10/12 years old with my pocket money which has long since disappeared from sale. Creed, you have captivated me at last. Performance is pretty good for a Creed offering. I get moderate longevity and strong silage, so be careful not to overspray. Highly recommended for all my fellow violet lovers and full bottle worthy.

I really love this one! It's nice because you don't get that sugar overload like you do in Insolence (and others). This is a beautiful violet perfume with a noticeable iris note. There is also a green aspect, as if they threw in the violet leaf as well. It manages to be a lovely, powdery violet scent without hitting you over the head with violet candy, and the scent stays as fresh as I've ever smelled in a violet-based scent. The scent is very strong but not syrupy or thick. It manages to be strong but soft and delicate. Sillage is fantastic. I would highly recommend this to a violet lover, especially if perfumes like Insolence don't exactly float your boat. Obviously the price is crazy so I bet you could find a nice violet scent that costs less, but I do think this is really a work of art :)

This scent is my absolute favorite, and my signature scent. It is sophisticated, a backless black velvet gown feeling. For a floriental, the scent is quite fresh. It is cool and sweet, then turns into something warm and luscious, not too sweet, but still yummy. The violet is noticeable to me initially and during dry-down, which thrills me. The iris is in harmony with the violet and makes it even more gorgeous. The spice adds complexity, the cedar is fresh and grounds the fragrance, and is quite lovely. Sillage is perfect. Mellyhelly is correct, I'm a warrior-woman and LOVE it. :) Aeternitas, you've nailed it! Make no mistake all, these fragrances are NOTHING alike. As black and white, so are Love in Black and Love in White. If you have an affinity for violets, you simply must try.

First time I tested Love In Black I was at a fragrance shop in Cancun. There was no doubt it was genuine as the scent projected off my skin the entire day and into the next. I also had a card sprayed with it which scented my suit case with violets and cedar for weeks. Needless to say, it is potent stuff. I couldn't get it out of my head and bought a bottle as soon as I returned to the states. The powder and woods was amplified in my cooler, dry climate, whereas hot & humid Cancun brought out chocolatey violets, soft spice and a little powder and woods. I learned that even though the depth and strength of it would seemingly make it a cold weather scent, it's actually most beautiful in warm, humid territory. Tropical nights is the perfect setting for Love In Black, unexpectedly.

I've put this on my skin today and I am still not 100% in love with it. I am considering getting rid of it, I have to say, because it doesn't play on my skin how I'd like it to. The musky-animalic elements only exist at skin level, they do not waft up to me the way the way the violet and iris does, and so that is keeping me a little more grounded, but the fact remains -- that stanky musk is still there. The blackcurrant note adds some cold, mechanical elements to it too, giving it a point of difference, but overarching feeling I get from this is soft, dainty, cold and a little stanky. Does this fully appeal to me? Who can say -- but, I feel I need to spray it on the neck and chest to be 100% sure, if it's not an instant love, then I might be moving this one on, I think...

I don’t get the hate for this. It may be Olivier Creed’s experiment on molecules but the effect to my nose is amazing. I never get the artificial notes some people talk about. Maybe the testers, being over warm store lights get spoiled (why oh why the stupidity of most retailers to insist on doing the worst you can do to a bottle of perfume). Each time I wear this I get a compliment. If you spray between skin and clothes or the nape of the neck it lasts till night. I like to smell myself, and I get delicious purple wafts throughout the day. I find it linear but I like it that way, it stays in the sweet spot. Get a fresh bottle, not a warmed up one. And a bit irrelevant but I can’t stand Insolence, maybe the neon violet is my thing.

I'm really loving this stuff!! I tried it a few years back & wasn't impressed. I was out @ neiman's looking for a new scent & decided to give this another try, since I know my tastes change every few years. This is why I have so many perfumes & I'm always looking for something new. I was very surprised a lot of people love the beginning, with the sweet violets & don't care for the dry down? To me the dry down is the best part, it has enough of the sweet violets & it adds a twist of ingredients ( it must be the black currents & musk? Maybe)that give it a suede/ leather type of smell & it's so beautiful!! Another thing I love about this is that, it actually lasts!! Yay!! Thank you, Creed!!

I think I have reviewed before but what prompted today’s is I just received a vintage bottle of GUERLAIN Insolence, sprayed the vintage Insolence on a blotter and on another blotter , I sprayed my vintage version of Love in Black and forgot about both of them for about six hours . When I walked back into my bathroom I was pleasantly surprised and when I put my nose to both blotters it was clear Love in Black was the one that I was smelling. Both are fabulous but Love in Black is Phenomenal, nuclear and persistent. An absolute collective there are so many in this genre that are fabulous but this just says “ keep trying “ it’s a love ❤️ for me To be clear this is an early batch

Parma violets, totally. There is a tart sweetness underneath that carriers it away from being too powdery and dated, perhaps blackcurrant. There is a crisp slightly sharp cedar note permeating from the back giving it an ever so subtle rose note too, without pricking your finger, but the blackcurrant again keeps it from going to full steam to powder town thankfully. It stays at middle stage for ages. Sweet, tart and soft powder. Truly delicious. I adore this perfume. Light & soft but pronounced. Dry down is slightly mossy violet powdery vetiver, pleasantly sweet. Interestingly, when I mix this with Blanche it throws heady gardenia liquorice violet note.

The iris is a little stronger than the violets, and they both are quite loud and potent, but for me this scent is just a little too sweet. It doesn't work for me... The fruit berries and the rose kinda makes it a little too 'pleasant' for mine. My usual 'go to' comment for something that is too sweet, too pleasant and too proper is to liken it to a Bvlgari scent -- nothing at all wrong with these scents, it's just that they're all so goshdarned PROPER. This scent, unfortunately, suffers from the same affliction. It is just TOO proper, too office-friendly and too inoffensive. I really like it, don't get me wrong, I just could never wear it...

OK, Love in Black. Well it's my sinful little secret fragrance that I use when I simply dont care what others think. This is very youthful and expressing, imho, the budding of sensuality. This is the stuff of female sex fantasies. Think punk rock, pink lipstick, violet pastilles, patent leather black stilettos, the first time you ever went clubbing on extacy and were blasted with club smoke, Alice in Wonderland, and psychedelics. If you like that kind of thing then this will plunge you right back in time to all that naughty stuff, and to your little girl dreams when you fantasized about what life would be when you were finally a woman.

To me this is a very beautiful fragrance. Powdery, mysterious and warm. Very much a night time spring or fall fragrance for me. It opens up with a strong violet and after that powdery iris and musk. This is indeed a very powedry scent,so if that is not your thing you'd better avoid this one. The dry down is quite spicy and Woody on me, but the violet and iris are still there in the background. Longevity is pretty good,as it should be for a fragrance in this price range. The Classic Creed bottle in black is also stunning and a true gem for the dresser.

If you enjoy the smell of violets, then you will love this unique, incredible, high-quality perfume. I have a bottle I was able to purchase at a big discount because the cap was missing (and I think it was partially used as well). I'm dying to buy another bottle but am holding on to the last drops I have in the meantime. I even wore this on my wedding day, it's that good and sophisticated. Even though this is more of what I would think of as a winter/night-time scent, it's still so uplifting and even refreshing. This perfume is truly incredible.

I’m not experienced in the poetry that goes with perfumes, so I’ll just say it the way I experienced it. This is a violet lovers dream. The opening lasts a good hour with pure violet fresh violet maybe a little bit Parma Violet candy , but not too much. There’s a very light leather fragrance and in the background, you can smell flowers wildflowers very beautiful and it lasts a very long time . It is in comparison with Insolence perfume like this one isn’t as sweet. Very close though. You have to really love Violet to enjoy this Perfume.

Woody, dark, wet violets - a forest nymph, both serious and seductive, wild and reserved. I just love to drown my nose into my wrists while wearing this scent. I don't get much rose, fruit or even iris, but an amazing combination of violets and deep green moss, excellent woody notes. I fell in love with this scent and, for me, it's well worth its price. It's both exciting and comforting, suitable for every day or for an elegant evening. A true candidate for my signature scent. Longevity is moderate to good and sillage moderate.

I keep coming back to this, it smells like pure parma violet sweets the whole way through. The projection on this is absolutely enormous and it lasts forever and a day - it's not powdery either which I often find in perfumes with violet and iris in, it's a very sweet, sugary and feminine perfume. I absolutely love this but unfortunately cannot justify the price tag... maybe one day! Lush's V is a pretty decent dupe for it, it's not as sweet and is more intense during the opening but the dry down is very similar.

I just got a bottle of Misia yesterday so I thought I’d compare them side by side. I initially thought Misia would be sweeter with the listed berry notes, but it’s Love in Black that is sweeter and softer because of the violets. They are different enough to get both if you really like “make-up accord” scents. Misia smells more like a lipstick, while Love in Black is more of a face powder. LiB actually reminds me of the Guerlain meteorites pearls more than the actual meteorites perfume.

I didn't expect good scent from comments and ratings here. However, when I tried this on my skin, I immediately fell in love with this. It smells weird on the paper, and it starts like BO scent in the beginning ngl. However, it turn into glamorous and mysterious powdery leather scent after 10〜15 mins. The note seems wrong here. Base note also include suede. The suede note in LiB reminds me of Daim Blond by Serge Lutens and Cuir d'Ange by Hermes. It's absolutely sensual!

I'm in Love with this beautiful scent! When I first spray it on my skin it smells exactly like sweet Parma violets and violet candy.Then it dries down to shy violets, black currant & night blooming jasmine. Thank goodness theres only a hint of the cedar, as too much would ruin it. Love in Black is a masterpiece of a frangrance and I'm so glad I recieved a huge bottle as a gift. Due to the high price, there are fakes out there. Get it from Creed.

The sales lady showed me this when I told her I was looking for a fall perfume by creed. She told me Jackie Kennedy wore this. It smell like lipstick rise except sweet. I love it, but it smells way too modern to have been worn by jackie kennedy during her time in the White House. Well, lo and behold, my nose never betrays me. Its attributed to jackie Kenned, not worn by her. Love in black is definitely a lovely fragrance and it's a love for me.

VIOLETS! I agree with Tommy_girl! It is a love or hate relationship with Creed but this one for me is just heaven. I adore Violets in fragrances and this one is immaculate in it's creation. It's for a strong opinionated woman but not an overbearing one. It's a confident woman with a playful side. I love it, It's one of my signature scents and I also layer it with Virgin Island Water if I want to knock off the sweetness.

I don’t understand the hate this receives... to my nose it is so elegant, refined and a bit mischievous. It is the only violet that I love, others smell like old boudoir (Insolence, I can’t stand it) but this smells like a contemporary violet/iris, and expensive. And it is, sadly. I’ve had strangers stop me to ask what am I wearing, maybe my skin loves and displays the best out of this scent. Awesome for formal events.

This has been reformulated. I’d bet my life on it. I can distinctly smell leather which was not a note in my now empty bottle from a few years ago. I love leather so I’m not entirely disappointed- but - it’s a far cry from the orginal formula which was a violet lovers dream. I’m not sure how I feel about this. I think I want my original formula back 😭😭😭

When I recognized Love In black ,I felt violets and were similar to Annick Goutal Violette. I put away the paper. The morrow ... dazzle, What the beautiful scent .So he changed .So straight off I gave on the skin .Is splendid , beautiful balm,freesia, violet, musk on end I feel fruit with the sugar. Wonderful... Try give chance :)

Sweet musky violet that is so sexy, mysterious and alluring. The perfect date night and evening scent for a confident woman, who wants to smell absolutely gorgeous. The violet and iris combo are heavenly together. Along with the cloves and musk the scent lingers on sweet, but doesn't get too much at an point. I think it's perfect.

Life is scattered with impermanence, the flowers wilt, the trees rot, the animal howls, and yet we have springtime flowers, soft kisses and the coziness of love to balance the austerity of what ends. Love in Black does not hide from any reality but enmeshes in life's cycles. Love in Black is cedar, cloves and wildflowers

Love it! It has least 4 stages of different smells, and all of them are perfect for me. It’s a very classy scent profile, light, sophisticated, resinous, quite unforgettable. Could be worn any time, except of very hot days, but requires some level of confidence, true femininity in a bottle.

Wow, love in black is literally like a big purple explosion. All I see when I wear this is the colour purple which fades out to almost like a lilac colour. It’s very strong but not over powering and love how sweet it is without being sickly. If you like parma violet then you will love this

I don't understand the number of dislikes :( It's a pleasant, powdery and sweet scent that feels cozy. Very similar to insolence and misia. It's also quite strong; I left a piece of paper with one spray of it in my tote bag, and everything else that was in there smells powdery now!

This begins with violet, iris and musk for the first couple of hours, then I begin to get some black currant, cedar and cloves. Love in Black is beautiful, elegant & sincere, she carries the inner strength of a warrior with bellows of darkness and melancholy.

I know it's wrong to compare Love In White and Love in Black, but Love In Black is the warmer fragrance by far, possibly as a result of the violet top note. This is a sweet, elegant scent with moderate sillage and longevity. It's definitely on my wishlist.

I was underestimating the power of violet until I tried this perfume. When it settles on the skin it smells unmatched. I feel feminine, elegant, and and beautiful wearing it. I would suggest that if you don't like powder, you will not like this perfume.

Love in black Opens up warm,bitter sweet and a little herbal but quickly changes to sweet powdery floral concoction. This perfume is simply femminin.Nothing complicated but still has its great personality.Decent sillage and lasting Very lady like.

I get juicy black current and candied violets with a powdery cedar base! A deliciously dark powdered violet. I cannot compare with anything else, but this is what i am looking for. Nothing old fashioned, quite modern. Full bottle asap!

I get a blast of juicy and tart black currant, violet, rose and musk. In that order. It's a beautiful, and quite unique DNA. It's versatile and grown up but I could see people of all ages enjoying this one. Performance is great.

I like this scent a lot. It reminds me of my mother in the best way. Sweet and syrupy and plummy with something nutty underneath to balance everything out. A feminine, “grown woman” scent I’d wear everyday!

I like to return to this scent on autumn. It smells then so as all left to us the summer: sweet sappy fruit, trees warmed with sun, fully developed flowers ! I love this!

I love it. Maybe it was my first scent that I've ever smelled a strong violet note, but immediately gravitated to it. Interested in exploring other violet fragrances now.

I love this one!!! Smell like lipstick from Chanel and man compliments me. For True mastery woman! Smell 7 Longevity 7 Unique: 9 Price x quality: yes worth it

Imagine an animated cartoon character of a violet flower, but in the art style of Jessica Rabbit. It's sexed up violet. And that's sometimes all you need.

Love in Black smells like Parma Violets candy. It also smells just like Bond No. 9's Broadway Nite. Side-by-side I couldn't tell the two scents apart.

This is the best perfume from Creed and one of the best Perfumes ever made... why some people hate it is something I will never understand. 10/10