Love in Black
Creed (2008)

I figured I’d review this even though I have not owned/worn this in years. I like iris/violet combos. I used to go to Neiman Marcus to test perfumes. (While I’ll never shop buy anything other than cosmetics, or perfumes there. Unless you are at a discounter the prices are the same wherever you shop for this stuff. Though I found NM gives out a more samples than other places.)

When this first came out, I tried it at the NM, and fell in love. Iris with violets, and. Touch of rose with a bit of indolic notes. It was sprayed on my wrists, and was all iris and violets I could wish for. I like the icy, powdery aspects of the iris.

I shell out the money and it comes home with me.

For some reason, I did not wear it until a few weeks later. I sprayed it on a whoa! I smelled like I had not bathed in weeks. I was overly floral, and had a stank. (I now realize it is the black currant. That gets really stanky on me) That offended me and the people around me. Another shower.

Another time, I thought, maybe I oversprayed, so I tried one itty bitty spray. The same thing. Overpowering, over floral.

I do not know why it changed so much from the initial try at the store. I do not know what I did with the bottle, but this is one of the few iris/violet combos I cannot wear or stand.

If you like strong florals with an indolic touch, this is for you.

I'm sampling various fragrances because I want to expand my usual go-to wardrobe. I've tired of unisex and masculine incense-y leaning scents. I'm once again exploring floral-forward fragrances, which I love when blended a specific way and with certain notes. I love magnolias, I love jasmine and I love violets. So, I purchased a violet-centric EdP sampler pack. Creed "Love In Black" was amongst the samples, so of course I tried it.

WOW...how times change and so do people, right? I owned several Creed fragrances in the past and I generally loved most of them. I recently sampled Love in White and it was waaaay too floral-girly-silly-young-saccharine sweet for my taste. So, "Love in White" or "Love in Black"...okay.

As I've matured, or maybe I should say aged, Creed fragrances definitely no longer hold their appeal. My experience with Creed (as with a few other perfume houses) is the overuse of a "signature" DNA throughout all fragrances. This gives the house their identify, or "je ne sais quoi," I suppose. LIB is no exception because that same ol' same ol' same ol' Creed DNA makes its obligatory appearance then refuses to leave. To me, the way Creed utilizes these signature notes is predictable and boring, which makes LIB unmemorable, at best.

Love in Black performs (per all Creed fragrances) with three VERY distinctive layers. LIB opens with nearly shrill and fizzy, almost harsh (like hurt-my-nose harsh) black currant, violet and iris notes. Yes, there's violet, for sure, iris for sure, (wildflowers?). Middle notes of musk and a bit of spicy (clove?) rise. Within 15 minutes, LIB lands with typical Creed cedar, musk, vanilla and some wafting floral notes, a little currant here 'n there.

Longevity is moderate at 3-4 hours average. Silage is moderate. Overall, I'm sorry to say Love in Black disappoints. Nothing extraordinary or memorable here...not for me. LIB is the predictable and (dare I say) boring Creed ride. And to make matters worse, on my skin LIB leans extremely masculine.

I know violet & iris. I like paired violet & iris because when combined in a certain manner and with specific notes (some of the listed LIB notes), violets & iris CAN unfold in a dark, slow, seductive, powdery, mysterious & (dare I say) sexy way. Violet fragrances can be sexy, right? When us perfume lovers see "violet, iris, wood, resins & musk" perfume notes, the evocation is brooding, heady, rich, powdery, seductive, dreamy, gothic, mysterious...even erotic.

Whatever the imagery Love in Black hopes to conjur...not necessarily the polar OPPOSITE of Love in White but whatever the imagery, I'm just let-down & disappointed. Even if I EXPECT the polar opposite of Love in White, LIB is not that. LIB is muddled, murky & boring. LIB lands relatively quickly, giving way to the Creed requisite amber resinous woody notes and departs. To me, LIB wears in a clumsy, poorly coordinated & unblended manner. And just to be trite-lol...I REALLY dislike LIB's bottle. It's masculine looking, it's flat chalkboard black and it is butt-ugly.

Wow...how times and (dare I say) people change. An okay fragrance but definitely not for me.

Adventuring through a damp, dense wood. You overturn a fallen cedar log, rotten through, and find the forest floor beneath awash in fragrant purple violets.

There can also be detected a distinct freshly baked bread smell. Perhaps a ration smartly stashed away in your pack, sustenance for the hike.

Dark, gothic, pleasant earthy decay. Spicy woods, powdered syrupy sweet violet, yeasty mildew notes. Composed in a way that will keep the compliments coming all day long.

Love in Black is very loud, slightly crass and loads of fun. Lots of powdery iris, violets and red fruit on a base of clean laundry detergent. I gave this away after I bought a wonderful bottle of vintage Violettes de Toulouse by Berdoues, which is similar but has a dusty animal-type musk at the base, which I prefer. Still, this is good if you like iris and violet candy.

I love "Love in Black". It's a little bit cheesy of me and a little gaudy, but I can't help it. It's a full power violet, rose and black currant attack. Smells like those violet hard tin candies from Flavigny. There is some musk in there as well to round it out and tame the screaming, and some kind of natural oil to give it depth and carry the intensity of the sweetness. I admit it, it's probably is over the top for some people. When would one wear it? ...to the fair, to the beach, to a festival, or if you are like me, in your living room working from home, or on your face mask so you can secretly bask in its girl fantasy while walking your dog at 7am. Im addicted to this scent. I bought it 7 years ago when I was single because it reminded me of a lover. This is a naughty aroma and now reminds me of the sexapades from my single days, pre my wonderful married life, doh! Gotta be honest. After I got married me and my hubby wore it out. It smelled amazing on him too, believe it or not. There is something incredibly sexy about a man who can wear a girly scent...ooh yeah. I have kept yearning for it and just bought another bottle. Oh the joy! I digress, so back to "Love in Black": its playful, young, deeply girly (think barbie doll fantasies of an 8 year old, neon pink mixed with electric blue, peach and lemon meringue yellow, unicorns, sparkles, magic at the end of the rainbow...the whole mess). Ok enough! Im making myself sick. Silage...I don't care, duration about 8 hours with a dry down that is soapy and pretty, with musk and violets staying till the end. It's not for everyone, but for those who started loving perfume at 8 years old (you know the kind in those perfume making kits) and enjoyed bubble baths with those old world pharmacy bath salts; this will bring you back... way back.

This is one of the better Creed offerings I've tried. Lovely floral with lots of violet and iris. It has just a touch of cedar and musk, unlike most others I've tried where there is just too much cedar for my taste. It's a bit short-lived, on my skin. It is nice, while it lasts.