Love & Crime

"Afternoon Tea (Earl Grey) with Scones and Lemon Curd" I blind bought this one. I have not smelled Lira. This is All Love and Zero Crime. I am almost always into citrusy-vanilla scents. I loved Kerosene's Unknown Pleasures and thought it wasn't long lasting. I read all the reviews I could find on Love and Crime and Lira and decided to go for the smaller niche brand with Ex Idolo. This reminds me a lot of Arielle Shoshana's Sunday. I get a big hit of citrus and matcha green tea at the start (tea is not in the notes pyramid but it's totally what I smell). As it dries down the citrus wears off a little and it becomes a tea-like vanilla; imagine afternoon tea with scones and lemon curd. I actually don't find this to be gourmand at all. On me it's more like an edge of gourmand type of scent. It's super pleasant and I will easily blow through this tiny 30 mL bottle. It's also not especially loud on me, I'd describe it as a long lasting skin scent. That's the downside, I was hoping for better projection, since it's so pleasant this couldn't possibly bother anyone if they smell it. It starts off strong, but dries down to a whimper after 90 minutes and becomes (very realistic) play doh. On skin it dries down to play doh, but on fabric/clothing it dries down to chocolate. This is a love, 8/10. The first hour is the best feature. I'll definitely use this bottle for sure and we'll see about it's future in terms of back-ups and/or repurchase. Update August 2021: Reading some reviews before and after mine is causing me to realize this either drastically changes by the batch or by how you’re sampling or perceiving it. I’m almost finished with my bottle from 2020. This has zero florals on me and isn’t cakey or gourmand at all. It stays very citrus throughout and only softens to a lemon-vanilla-chocolate after a few hours. I still love it but am finding it interesting how differently it smells on others. I have since bought Lira which is much more delicate, sweet and soft (vanishing after an hour) but they do start off incredibly similar.

A citrus gourmand made from the heavens! Wow! I am sooo happy that I did my research on fragarantica and chose to purchase this over Lira by Xerjoff. I am getting more into the house of Xerjoff and loved the Casamorati line's packaging. I'm a presentation girl. It's just so pretty! I got a sample of Lira when I purchased Erba Pura. I instantly fell in love with the sharpness of the lemon fused with the buttery sweetness of the vanilla. Upon going on fragrantica and seeing the numerous comments on Lira pointing people to L&C, I eagerly clicked and the notes and reviews made me decide to purchase this over Lira. About a month later, I am proud to say I own a gorgeous 30ml bottle. Although I've only worn this fragrance once, I absolutely adore it! It's getting warm here in dc and I wore it in a temperature-controlled environment indoors. This fragrance is so creamy and buttery. a true-gourmand with a light spice and sensual quality that adds lasting power and really lends itself to the comforting feeling of this fragrance. The lasting power on me was well over 7 hours. I can't speak to sillage or projection as my office is socially distanced and a bit standoffish but I could smell myself all day–– fighting the temptation to eat myself for an after-lunch lemon cookie snack! This can be a nighttime fragrance to me if you add something with some more spice. I will try adding Kayali Sweet Diamond Pink Pepper to it. I think that will give me the perfect spicy-sweet-edible appeal I go for for a nighttime, sexy but still innocent gourmand.

Creamy, Buttery, Lemony, Vanilla Star Anise with Sugar Cubes. Absolutely intoxicating scent and possibly my favorite gourmand. The floral components are very subtle supporting notes that float in the back round but bring a sort of elegant smoothness to the composition. The pink pepper and star anise combination is what makes this fragrance so alluring. I do not detect any orange, only lemon. In the late dry down a white chocolate note seems to slowly reveal itself buried within the vanilla cream. It's a truly fun experience because different variables such as time of day, temperature, humidity, mood, etc...seem to bring out different facets every time I wear it. My skin devours scents yet this fragrance has outstanding performance and actually seems to amplify itself the longer it's on my skin. It seems to amplify until the projection hits it peak a few hours after the first application and then settles into a soft vanilla, with anise, and white chocolate leading the way. I'm probably one of the few males that considers this unisex, my skin seems to really accentuate the anise and pepper notes which gives a nice counter balance to the sweet floral notes. I get similar vibes to Nishane Ani, but still go their own direction. Ani being ginger forward and Love & Crime anise forward. If you appreciate Ani I can't imagine you would dislike this unless of course you dislike the note of star anise.

OMG I was completely caught off guard by how gorgeous this is, especially since I am not usually a huge fan of dessert-sweet fragrances. I received a sample of this along with about 20 others from luckyscent, as I have been interested in trying some niche scents that are hard to find in stores. This one came in a curated sample pack of feminine scents, otherwise I don't believe I would've looked twice at it. Much to my surprise it is very my favorite of the whole order, and have used it on multiple occasions. On me it opens as a warm, sweet citrus scent, rather like a meyer lemon. The citrus fades slightly after a few minutes but does not go away completely and is never sharp or annoying like many citrus scents are to me. Settles into the cake-y scent everyone has already noted, but not straight sugar birthday cake. To me it makes me think of those trendy artisan bakeries that sell desserts that are just a bit different... not quite as sweet as expected and some extra secret ingredients to catch you off guard. I never pick up any chocolate notes on me. This works equally well as an everyday spring/summer scent as it would for an intimate date night (men seem to love this type of scent)... and you don't even have to let yourself air out for an hour before standing next to someone else, so that's a bonus! Definitely full bottle worthy for me!

Update: 1 month into wearing this, I'm addicted to this juice. Absolutely enamoured. I believed it would be sweet, warm, and smell of anise. And it has exceeded expectations. I have not had a blind buy work this well for me, ever. I am gobsmacked at how delicious the opening smells, how absolutely delectable this is. A warm orange, but not quite, so mandarin-cakelike scent captures me, on a warm bed of spice(s). The drydown is wonderful too, I adore being able to pick up the anise in the .. what I perceive to be as woody? spice-y blend of notes on my skin, with a nice hint of the sweetness from the mandarin, and sugariness that I expect to be in every warm autumnal drink. This is a dream. It has pirouetted to very top of my perfume favorites. Perfect birthday blind buy from me to myself! I found out a hack to test longevity, sillage etc. with this perfume: get a willing acquaintance / family member whoever, and spray a perfume once; then walk away from the room they're in, do your thing; with Love & Crime, I sprayed it on my mother and the scent trail upon first spraying literally filled the bedroom. and even an hour later I could smell it in the living room where she walked into; so 1 spray is enough; maybe can top up after 6-7 hours has passed just because the drydown smells different from the opening, but this is strong.

Lands somewhere between Lira and Unknown Pleasures. Very similar to Lira but lacks the lemon smack in the opening. Milder and less sweet like UP but without the tea and bergamot notes. If you're looking for straight up dessert--Akro Bake is what you want. It smells exactly like my kitchen when I make lemon meringue pie. It's easily my favourite scent right now and the most realistic dessert scent I've ever tried. If you want something smooth and sexy that is still very much a perfume rather than a dessert but without a whole lot of aggression, go for Love & Crime. This would be great for a night out. Lira is Bake's older sister. More obviously a perfume and not as photorealistic. Still lovely. Unknown Pleasures is a big yummy cup of tea with lemon, bergamot, and a heavy helping of honey. Choosing between the four is a bit like choosing which white wedding dress to wear. Yes, they are all white, but the vibe is still distinct. Were they wedding dresses, Lira would be Sophie Turner's dress. Unknown Pleasures would be Princess Eugenie's dress. Love & Crime would be Ariana Grande's dress. Akro Bake would be Audrey Hepburn's tea length dress from Funny Face, but paired with a brightly coloured cheerful bouquet of corals, yellow, blush, greens, and a smidge of blue sea holly.

I agree that this isn’t all that similar to Lira. The first 10 seconds they DO both have very similar bright citrus + sugar openings....but they both start to morph in different directions super fast. Maybe the comparisons come from the fact that both have luscious edible vanilla dry downs? They are definitely in the same family, but “just like” is a bridge way too far. Lira is exquisitely composed and throughout its wear different aspects wax and wane....but you always have citrus and vanilla and a familiar wear. Love & Crime not only changes throughout each wear but is different every time I put it on. Sometimes it opens with a vivid Terry’s chocolate orange, sometimes straight up Lira, others citrus and white cake! Similar experience with the middle...but there’s always chocolate and spice in there somewhere. Whatever the wear it always lands in an ever so slightly dirty musk (there’s no musk listed but I always get musk), spice and a luxurious candied vanilla. As a fellow Lira lover I’m sad the previous reviewer was so disappointed. I hope they give it another try sometime with new expectations. I nearly didn’t sample it because I thought “I already have Lira” — but the notes looked different enough to be worth it. I’m so glad I did!!!

Totally disregarded my sample size at first, thinking it would be a let down like so many other gourmands have for me. And then, I decided to try it. This is the most complex, yet simple gourmand I have ever smelt. I would gladly wear this to bed any time of the year or for an outing in the cold weather. Love and Crime opens with a lemon (not orange) note and it cuts through the vanilla and cacao. Neither lemon nor vanilla overpowers the other in the opening. Then, the lemon slowly dissipates and leaves a sugary vanilla trail. On my skin, the star anise comes out strong. There is a slight hint of bitterness from the star anise which goes nicely with the sweet vanilla and cacao notes. The scent never grows too sugary for my nose unlike Lira. Then the scent seems to grow some depth and have this boozy, incense like quality that makes me continue sniffing my arm relentlessly. This phase of the fragrance seems to last a while. After 8 hours, all that is left on my skin is a beautiful, soft vanilla with some lemony nuances. This blew me away. I am very tempted to get a full bottle even if there’s a high price tag.

Concur with the reviews that this smells similar to a lemon sponge cake, but the pink pepper (and perhaps star anise?) give it a kick to keep it smelling uniquely lively & warm! A fun, modern, and seductive flirt that stands out. I think this could be unisex, but definitely has a feminine lean. All weather friendly (except maybe summer)? Every time I sample, I love it more and more. FB worthy for sure! UPDATE: my full bottle arrived and I have been wearing this to work daily. It smells SOOOOO good! I keep getting whiffs of it throughout the day after only 3 sprays (one on each wrist and one at base of neck), and it is already my most complimented fragrance from other people. This actually may be my favorite ever and replace Electimuss Trajan as my signature scent. My only nitpick is that it is the most boring perfume bottle I own lol the front is literally just a sticker that is already peeling off. I'm sad that such marvelous juice doesn't get the best representation on my shelf, but I suppose it's worth the tradeoff ;-)

I absolutely love Lira, so when I got a sample of Love & Crime and it turned out to smell a lot like Lira with a sweet cocoa note on the dry down, I bought a bottle. I would say that Lira smells like lemon cheesecake whereas Love & Crime smells more like mandarin cake with a little cocoa powder dusted on. And I can't get enough! I got my bottle Friday and had to force myself to wear something else yesterday because I wore Love & Crime three days in a row (which is unheard of for me since I wear a different perfume everyday)! It has me addicted! Love & Crime lasts all day and all night too! Although I do wish that Love & Crime came in a bigger bottle with more juice, the 30ml will last forever for me since a little goes a very long way (I only use two sprays and I am surrounded by a scent bubble of goodness all day) and I have so many other perfumes that I use also. HIGHLY recommend if you love gourmands!!

Woke up thinking this would be the perfume of the day. It literally made me giddy with joy! Love at second smell, I have it for about a year now. I sprayed Lucid Dream on my left wrist and Love and Crime on my right thinking ‘hmm..ok, quite nice that Love and Crime one’. But THEN, after a few minutes.. ‘hang on, what is that delicious smell..? Oh! That lemon cake smell.. the best. And the lemon cake smell stays on me. It does not transmute into something bland in the dry down. It reminds me of when it was my birthday turning 8-9 or 10 and we went to La Formosa cake bakery in Breda, the Netherlands, where they sold lemon whipped cream cake. I am truly in heaven when I think about wearing this perfume and then to put it on is so so nice. It is cold, sunny and crisp today in New Zealand. The perfect day for this delicious perfume. In my top five most loved perfumes.

I tried this without reading the reviews and was struck but how much it reminded me of Unknown Pleasures, which is already one of our favorites. Love & Crime is more cakey, orange instead of lemon, no coconut, and gives me a marshmallow accord. Mouthwatering! Definitely on the List of Perfumes That Make Me Want To Eat My Husband Whole But Then I'd Be Lonely. I thought he'd love it but right away he says he gets a "warm rubber tire" element. Then I remembered that the last time he said that was about Kyse's Delizia di Marshmallow a year ago!! Something about the sugar or vanilla in these perfumes affects his nose like that, no matter which one of us is wearing it. I can smell the "warm tire" if I try to, but it's not at the forefront for me. Ultimately he vastly prefers Unknown Pleasures and I think they're similar enough to not need both. Haven't tried Lira.

In my search for the perfect version of Lira, I have tried many interpretations of this fragrance profile, from the budget friendly Tendre Madeleine by Les Senteurs Gourmandes to hidden gems like Linari’s Angelo di Fiume. From the seemingly endless parade of fragrance ‘cousins’, the only ones which captured my heart were Kerosene’s Unknown Pleasures and Ex Idolo’s Love & Crime. To my nose, this is an elevated version of Lira, with much better sillage and longevity. The heavenly lemon cake drizzled in caramel is still there, sweet and intense, made even more delicious by a decadent cacao note. This is a rich, deep gourmand fragrance, suitable for colder days and guaranteed to make your presence known. It’s the best version of Lira I was able to find, and well worth the price. Unknown Pleasures is also lovely, but a bit more citrus and less sweet.

I adore this scent. This is my top citrus gourmand of all time (I own and love Bake, Siesta Drive, Unknown Pleasures, and Mrs. Gloss’ Lemon Sherbet). The citrus reads more lemon than orange to my nose; I get a fluffy lemon cake- definitely sweet, with more of an icing/powdered sugar topping rather than frosting. Somewhere between like a lemon angel food cake and a lemon bar. If I get the cacao, it more adds to the “powdered topping” aspect, rather than smells like identifiable chocolate. I really don’t get the anise vibe either. It is linear, but that’s honestly perfect for what I want it to be. I get an arms length sillage at least, and it lasts over 8 hours. For me, it’s light and fluffy enough to wear during the summer and works just as well in the winter. I’m halfway through my second bottle and will definitely be buying another backup!

I don't know why I threw this into my latest sample mix from Lucky Scents but I'm glad I did. It initially reminded me of Lira (not surprising as it has a similar notes profile) but Love and Crime was far more intoxicating. While I enjoyed Lira very much, it only made me consider buying a full bottle. With Love and Crime, it's only the frightening postage fee that's stopping me from getting the full bottle right now! I may actually go ahead and get it if it continues to delight me this week. I don't know what the X factor is with Love and Crime. Perhaps the Cacao? It's beautifully balanced and while the mandarin/citrus does lead at first, everything blends well together overall. I don't think of it as citrus fragrance at all. It also performs well and I'm looking forward to enjoying the skin scent going to bed tonight.

This is one of my favorites in my collection for a reason. I am constantly on the hunt for the most perfect balance of lemon and vanilla, thanks to my enormous sweet tooth and predilection for Starbucks iced lemon loaf. I'm surprised not to see butter listed in the notes, because this evokes a buttery, moist yellow cake drizzled with lemon icing. Other reviewers have noted play doh, and they're not wrong - for me, it's like a sprinkle of kosher salt in the batter. This a delicious treat for true gourmand lovers. It does develop over time and after about half an hour, I can pick up some of the sharper, darker notes (bitter chocolate, pepper.) Don't get me wrong though, this stays delectable right up to the very end, which on me is around 6 hours. My only wish is that it had stronger projection for the price.

I love this. Even though it's not listed I smell lime? And not sweet lime but rather a dry lime. Maybe it's just my skin that pulls this lime kind of note but it reminds me of vanilla insensee. So strange. This is BEAUTIFUL and I has great longevity on my skin. Can't wait until my bottle arrives and I can use it with a sprayer! Bake: love and crime is similar to Bake if you removed the lemon and replaced it with orange (or for me, lime lol) Lira: very similar but Lira has the added lavender note but it's not very strong Devotion: love and crime once again doesn't have the Lemon note and doesnt have the dominant orange blossom devotion has Unknown pleasures: I just simply don't see a resemblance other than they are both gourmand

When I wear this, I feel like a towering wedding cake made of citrus sponge and vanilla buttercream, with an explosion of gumpaste flowers cascading all the way down from the seventh tier. Somebody spent two months' mortgage on this cake, and it's the best damn cake you've ever eaten in your life. Love & Crime is the gourmand-lover's gourmand. My children wanted to try it and I could smell them all day long with just a half-spritz, and I would get wafts of it from my own skin for hours and hours. Ex Idolo is pricey, but you truly get what you pay for: an excellent sugary perfume that never edges into nauseating or girlish like so many sweet fragrances, masterfully tempered by fresh citrus and a little spice. Absolutely divine.

Lovely, lovely scent. Very similar to Lira (which I own and prefer over this) but with less citrus and an added chocolate note (that you smell right away in the opening, even if it should be at the base). Lira's opening with blood orange, bergamot and lavender is truly unsurpassed; in the dry down the similarities between the two increase. There is no point in having both, I'll stick to Lira and when I feel more "chocolaty" I'll layer it with some drops of Choco Musk oil. Update 1y and a half later: after some time, and despite my declaration that you don’t need both, I got this because of the poor longevity of Lira on my skin. Love&Crime, on the contrary, is eternal and now I prefer it over Lira. “La donna è mobile” 😂

This is just SO delicious. Wow. Love & crime is a fragrance I loved at first sniff. It's completely edible, cozy, and feminine. I know I'll wear this one to bed so I can be wrap myself in the warmth of a citrusy sponge cake. This to me has the richness and gooey vanilla that's in Nishane Ani without the spice and ginger. It also has a bit of cocoa, which rounds it out nicely. This smells how a warm blanket makes you feel. Update (5/25): I absolutely adore this one, but it's settled into something that's syrupy and pungent now that my bottle is almost finished. To be such an expensive 1 oz bottle (US) I feel like it shouldn't do that. I ended up purchasing Lira, even though I think was WAY better, as a substitute.

Coming back to share that I've used up my whole (30 mL) bottle in a matter of months. Love & Crime is interesting because it wears differently on different days; could be the weather, who knows. Sometimes it's very orange/citrus predominant and stays that way. Sometimes it becomes more vanilla baked good. Sometimes it smells more like cocoa/chocolate powder. I've thoroughly enjoyed this fragrance and am now on the fence about buying another bottle. There are always so many new things to try. But I really enjoyed this and literally used up my whole bottle! 10/10 Yes, it’s similar to Lira, but it’s better because it at least has moderate longevity, where Lira is a complete vanishing act.

Simplified review could only consist of three words: citrus and sugar. However this perfume is anything but simple (as in basic ;)). If you can imagine icy winter evening, coming home after a brisk walk. Next thing would be throwing on some comfy clothes, wrapping yourself in a cashmere soft blanket and sinking into the welcoming arms... of your sofa. Have I mentioned cup of delicious honey & lemon tea? Yes, that’s a must too. Love & Crime is that blissful feeling- bottled. Main players being mandarine, sugar and vanilla but it also has a big spoon of cocoa, just enough to keep it from being cloying. It does remind me of L de Lolita and discontinued Honey & Lemon from L’Occitane.

This is an amazing, complex scent. I could only buy it online, but trusted the reviewer I listened to before buying it. The opening is strongly citrus and lasts longer on me than I thought, in mid dry down it smells slightly like a lemon pie, drizzled in a vanilla/caramel sauce. It’s gourmand, but definitely perfume-y at the same time. On my skin, this scent is very strong and lasts for a long time, but if oversprayed, it can get heavy and irritating. If you like Lira, I think you would like this, though in my opinion the citrus in Love and Crime sticks around longer than Lira, which dries down into a lovely vanilla/caramel/slightly spicy sent. Both very warm and yummy, though.

I love this scent for fall and winter. So gourmand, for sweet lovers, I can smell orange, vanilla cake and cacao (I can't smell floral notes). It is a linear scent. The sillage and longevity are good. I like the story behind: "The forgotten story of Mazie Coyle and Thomas Howard in their most romantic 1905 Boston prison escape. Mazie’s daring plan to smuggle a saw into the prison in a wedding cake, led them both to escape the same night. The nationwide press coverage that followed made them folk heroes of the day, even more so when Mazie was acquitted of all charges with the support of the nation behind her. Mazie’s bravery was translated into LOVE & Crime." 9/10 for me

Projection is nuclear - no more than two sprays for me, *maybe* three if I'll be outdoors. Longevity easily last eight hours even with tons of physical work. The small whiffs I get from the fragrance are always pleasant. I don't think it is cloying, but it can easily become so if one sprays more than twice. I've received a couple compliments on it if that matters and I've gotten others hooked onto Love & Crime. Similar enough to Lira that I can't really pick out differences, but Love & Crime is at an agreeable price compared to Lira. The top is a beautiful lemon cake with a little bit of chocolate while the remainder is a beautiful, moist, fresh baked vanilla cake.

Love & Crime is a warm, sweet, orange, caramel liquor perfume with a strong sillage and great performance throughout the day. This has been compared to Lira, and with one on each wrist I prefer Love & Crime over Lira. Love & Crime is creamier, more dessert-like and has a stronger caramel note. Lira has a sharp citrusy note that leans more lemon cleaner to my nose, the lavender adds a floral herbal note which takes it away from gourmand territory and Lira does not project as well, nor does it last on the skin. Love & Crime, however, is perfect and I enjoy smelling my wrists throughout the day as it stays true to those rich caramel/orange gourmand notes. 10/10.

what i love about love & crime is that it improves upon everything that i don't like about lira. on my skin, lira is quite faint and there is also an underlying smokiness in that fragrance that bothers me. L&C is not only much stronger, it's smoother, maybe a bit sweeter and does not have any smokiness. out all of the citrus gourmands i've sampled/own (i.e. devotion, unknown pleasures, lira, bake), this one is my favourite. ex idolo doesn't seem to have any australian stockists but i genuinely don't mind paying for the pricey international shipping because i love this so much. it's comforting, beautiful and will be perfect for the upcoming winter.

The first spray is a large blast of citrus, I know it’s supposed to be mandarin but I mainly get lemon. That quickly subsides and the cacao and vanilla come forward. The combination is not as sweet as you would expect initially, but over time a sweet cake like quality develops. It’s extremely well blended, and at the end of the day I get a lightly spiced pound cake covered in simple syrup and a hint of cocoa. To my nose, the cacao adds depth more than a chocolate character, and any florals are minimal. The provide only a lightly airy quality to keep this from getting cloying. It’s comforting but also has this luxurious depth.

Got this in the mail over the weekend from a fellow scent lover and I have to say, this may have knocked Lira off her throne for me... Maybe. Lira is such a lovely scent. This one is, what's the word? Deeper, richer, more in your face. The yumminess of Lira but with more of a bold punch. On me, it has a decidedly cola, pepper citrus burst, then it mellows into that gourmand anise, cola and cocoa smoulder that I love. It lasted hours on me, especially on my shirt. Everyone at work was a fan as well. If Lira is the beauty that lives in the gated community, Love & Crime lives in the really nice neighborhood next door.

Citrusy vanilla caramel, very similar to Xerjoff Lira but this is more orangey (Lira goes more lemony to my nose) and adds a hint of cocoa. Similar to Kerosene Unknown Pleasures too but I'd say Lira is somewhat of a tweener between the two. This is my favorite of the three, though, as the chocolate is a nice added touch. I can vaguely pick out floral notes but if you didn't tell me they were there, I wouldn't notice. I get a very consistent moderate-soft projection over 3-4hr off my skin, longevity 8-10hr. Lira and UP start out stronger but die down quicker and don't last as long.

Delicious!!! Vanilla sponge cake with prominent citrusy facets from the blood mandarin and a hint of chocolate. This is sweet, gourmand, and warm. Quite oily so I would avoid clothing and stick to applying on skin. Moderate projection/sillage but great longevity (I get 10 hours on my skin). Perfect for cold weather. I think it can be too dense or too sweet for some, possibly cloying. I find I love it better when I do not put too much on and avoid hot days, if you really love gourmand then give this a try! It becomes so delicious as it warms up on the skin :)

Smashingly gorgeous! Couldn’t place it at first but reminds me of Allen’s Jaffa’s - a popular orange hard shell candy with a chocolate centre here in Australia. So a gorgeous Orange Liquor with choc covered in a super oily syrupy vanilla with an impression of a bit of almond/marzipan. As I’ve previously mentioned not far off Pierre Guillaumes Felanilla (minus the orange and more amber with the same sugary syrup). Both a must if you like super performing Vanilla that’s not you’re average fare. I’ve had very macho men comment about how good it smells.

This is one of the most beautiful fragrances I've ever smelled. I absolutely agree with others who have said that, at least on a paper strip, it smells like a literal lemon pound cake with a caramel drizzle. On skin it has an extra dimension so it's still delicious but not QUITE such a literal gourmand-- it's a little spicier, muskier (but just a bit). After awhile it maintains it's sweetness but the anise and cacao become more prominent and are warm, comforting, exotic. I can't get enough of this.

Xerjoff Lira was a love at first sniff with its lavender, citrus and caramel vanilla opening. Sadly, this opening softens and the scent loses its character within an hour. I'm so in love with Love & Crime because it smells just like a mandarin cocoa take on Lira, but actually lasts longer and projects. It is both flirty and comforting, and can be worn on a milder summer day to a cold winter night. After about 6 hours, the dry down is a fluffy citrus and cocoa vanilla. This is in my top 5!

Check my reviews on Lira, Orchidee Vanille, Tihota, and Chocolate Greedy. Love & Crime falls in the same category; in fact, they're VERY similar especially in the dry-down. Out of these five vanilla fragrances, Love & Crime is probably at the bottom of the pole. However I still find this fragrance very likeable and delicious. But since I already have Lira and OV, which imo are a tad more superior without the weird spicy notes, I won't be spending $$$ on this.

Gorgeous, though for the price I prefer Felanilla 21 by Pierre Guillaume. Virtually identical though L and C has a creamy lemon opening that when it dissipates after 5 to 10 minutes then syncs with PG. A minor nose to skin reveals L and C to be a teeny bit smoother and FELANILLA to be a tad darker. Otherwise both are a syrupy amberous sugary vanilla to die for. I had someone in the car - a male no less comment ‘geez it smells good in here’.

Really does smell like Lira only more citrusy. It's beautiful. I have a tiny little sample and let me tell you this is POTENT. It's true that it's longevity and scent bubble beat out Lira. I ended up buying a small 30ml because I love this scent profile so much. I do think Lira is a smidge more floral and complex. The bottle also beats out LnC. So if you care about that stuff and love citrus gourmands, it might be worth having both.

This is near-identical to Lira, but has ditched the basil and herbs from Lira, in favour of a sprinkling of cocoa powder. It The performance is about 10 x better than Lira - it's simply stronger. Do I prefer this to Lira? I'm not sure... I'm leaning towards Lira, as I do quite like that it has an aniseed note and herbal elements, and while this is lovely and performs way better, I could do without the cocoa notes.

Love & Crime is to me a more palatable Xerjoff Lira due to the absence of the lavender note. L&C is a great light gourmand fragrance as it utilises both the fresh aspect of the blood mandarin note and the depth of vanilla and the other notes. It reminds me of a lemon meringue pie. Unisex, can be worn all year round (go lighter on the sprays in the warmer weather), performs well, and available at a decent price.

A very very sweet, beautiful perfume that smells like orange chocolate! The opening of this is very sour but after a few seconds, I get the sweet sugar, chocolate, star anise and pink pepper notes. I am not a fan of these spicy notes, but they are not bad at all. This perfume just gets a little bit too sweet and spicy to me. I definitely prefer Xerjoff-Lira over this one as that one is softer and not as sweet.

This is absolutely delicious! I love the blood orange in the top notes, so sweet and slightly sour. I then get the sugar, star anise, vanilla and cacao in the mid notes to drydown. This definitely reminds me of Lira, but sweeter and with a more intimate projection. The pink pepper adds a subtle spiciness to the composition and it is absolutely beautiful! Full bottle worthy and a love for me. 8.5/10 ❤

Lira-lovers: This is the perfume you actually was hoping Lira would be. I love Lira, but lets be honest, its lacking in both sillage, longevity and depth, and Love & Crime fill all the blank boxes here. I’ts a bit sweeter than Lira as well, and I swear that even if this is a caramell/vanilla scent for sure, I am sure that the anis is the real star og this show ❤️ A true sweet, cozy and warm gourmand.

I bought this perfume because so many previous reviewers compared it to Lira, which is my favorite. This does NOT smell like Lira. It starts out with a bright, citrus opening and quickly turns into play-doh. Update: This is actually quite good. I decided to try it again and I’m so glad I did. I’ve gotten a few compliments. Sillage and longevity are awesome too. I will be reaching for this often.

Love & Crime by Ex Idolo is a bold, ultra-gourmand fragrance that smells like a lemon meringue pie. Zesty, creamy, and sweet with a warm, powdery finish. It's strong, long-lasting, and perfect for winter or summer nights. A romantic, cozy scent ideal for date nights. Reminds me of Lost in Paris by Roja Parfums, but at a much much better price. Deliciously addictive. I rate it 9/10.

Caramelized orange sponge cake in a hot silicone cake mold. It might just be the batch that I got, but the juice in my full bottle has a less pronounced orange note and amplified bitterness. For me, Love and Crime has always had a bit of a "burnt plastic" undertone that takes center stage when compared to the samples I've used. I don't mind it, but I do miss the lightness.

Yummy! This is a gourmand with *sophistication*. It’s edible but still classy, womanly, grown. Starts off with a blast of tart orange, sugar and spicy anise. The dry down is a dense, sweet chocolate cake with a spiced orange glaze. Absolutely edible, but not in a juvenile way. This is for when you want to smell delectable, but also like a boss babe!

Smelt at a boutique in Paris 2 years ago. Love at first sniff. It is intoxicatingly beautiful. I keep sniffing myself all day when I wear this. Emptied my 30 ml bottle in less than a year. Can’t wait to repurchase. The orange, the chocolate, the spicy nuances - everything is perfect and creates a beautiful harmony. Nuclear performance. Try it! ♥️

I have Lira the college try, I really did. A ridiculously linear & weak frag to me. Lemon pound cake? Sure, but give it some complexity! This is where L & C beats Lira by a mile. Perfectly blended confection with a soft, cozy dry down. Lasting. It’s like if La Danza by Nobile & Killian’s AS had a baby. Grab this. It is lovely.

The quintessential “classy” vanilla cake with chocolate icing gourmand. The citrus note dissipates during the dry down. Projection is low but with Lasting stamina, there’s nothing challenging in the composition. I’m enjoying my small decant but it’s a pass as Love and Crime would not be a unique addition to my collection.

The opening Smells like the Golden Grand Marnier cake that my mother used to bake all the time during the holidays! It dries down to a less cake-y, more spicy, warm vanilla with a touch of dark chocolate orange. Interestingly, I'm not picking up on florals much. This would be an absolute banger in wintertime!