Love in Black 
Creed (2008)

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.

I love this! Don't let the haters deter you!
Yes, it's strong, it's linear, it's violet. If that's what you're looking for, you have come to the right place. If not, then of course it will disgust you.
I have memories of trying out violet essential oil as a pre-teen, wanting something special and unusual, but it was too strong. I wish I had this then... but I've got it now.
It surrounds me as I drift into a violet-scented sleep. It's great during the heat or during the cold. It makes me feel strong.
Rock on, violet lovers!

I am not a fan of Creed perfumes. Even though they smell lovely, they are not complex 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 composition. In this perfume 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 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 nice woody musk and violets. This perfume projects well for the first hour or two and goes into moderate sillage for much more hours.

I really like Love In Black. I think critics tend to pan it and perfumistas ignore it because it's Creed, but I believe it's a really fine perfume. Oh, and Frederick Malle has named it as a favorite, so that should earn it some amount of snob credibility...

In terms of smell, it comes on strong with nuclear but not-too-sweet violets colored with rose and cassis, which hover over a rich mix of suede and iris with sandalwood in the background, ending up as slightly funky soap. It's essentially a classic Cuir De Russie smell of violets over leather, but smoothed out and made quite beautiful by the iris. Seriously, that suede and iris with hints of rose and woods and subtle spices and musks with the heady violets on top are exceptionally well done - it's a glorious drydown that most perfumers should be jealous of.

I can understand the criticisms out there - it's loud in a very chemical way, but I find it that to be in balance because it's also very rich in the style of a classic extrait. It does scream "violets" at the top of its lungs, yet I don't find it anywhere near as "shrieky" as most violet perfumes. I honestly believe this is one of the best from Creed, certainly the best of their newer, non-classic scents.