In 1905, a lovestruck young woman named Mazie Coyle devised a scheme to break her fiancee out of prison that would later become legendary- a hacksaw baked into a wedding cake. It was an escapade that would win the hearts of a nation, culminating in her joyous acquittal on all charges. To celebrate love, ingenuity, and the pleasures of nonviolently thumbing one's nose at the system, Ex Idolo presents Love & Crime, a delightfully bright floral gourmand with sass and style to spare. The scent is deceptively simple, a bold, lusciously romantic blend of rich vanilla and white florals, smooth, creamy and mouthwatering. However, just like the famous cake itself, there's a world of secrets hidden beneath the frosting. A vibrant note of red mandarin shines in the opening, bestowing a fruity brightness to the richly sugared exterior. Once we cut the cake, we're treated to both indulgent butteriness and, though a surprisingly dark, if subtle, note of cocoa, a hint of the illicit surprise within. But make no mistake, as things never take too challenging a turn- like the Coyle escape itself, this is a tale meant to charm and delight, and Love & Crime accomplishes that goal as deftly as a perfectly timed prison break.

Main Note

Vanilla

Fragrance Notes

Red mandarin, classic feminine florals, baking sugar, star anise, natural cocoa, vanilla sponge cake

Fragrance Style

Fresh - Citrus, Gourmand, Sweet, Creamy, Floral - White

Love & Crime Sizes Available:

30ml

$145

0.7ml sample

Scent Bar Staff Video Review for Love & Crime

If you like Love & Crime Eau de Parfum, we recommend you try:

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La Danza delle Libellule by Nobile 1942

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Ok, this one is way too strong for me, but I prefer scents that sit close with minimal throw. To me, it smells like a high-end version of a gourmand Britney Spears or Paris Hilton perfume, or maybe something similar to Angel or a Killian gourmand. It's that heavy, brown-sugary, sticky sweetness generously layered with fruit, spice, and citrus. My body chemistry seems to really amplify warm spices, so the anise and brown sugar notes may be overpowering everything else. A heads up if you have the same issue.

By The Unicorn - Artist from Seattle on 5/7/2025

This is a lovely cake fragrance. On me, it smells mostly like lemon cake with powdered sugar. It’s sweet without being cloying, and there’s some interesting notes that keeps it from feeling juvenile (anise and florals). It is quite similar to Lira, and if you like Lira, it’s a sure thing you’ll love this. Love the story as well!

By Kendall - Scent Lover from Boulder CO on 3/6/2025

I LOVE this fragrance!!! The sweet sugary scent and the smokiness together are so so good! I was skeptical my first few wears, but it has easily become one of my favorites!

By Summer - Aesthetics from Jackson on 11/23/2024

I absolutely love this scent!! It is very vanilla dominant (right up my alley!), but the citrus note reads as lime on my skin. One of my favorite things is how long it lasts on my skin. In my semi-large collection that is very vanilla centered, this is one of my favorites. I would compare it to Lira or maybe even a bit like Fire at Will. If you like any of those, you're more than likely to like this!

By Felecia - Self employedDaveen lacquer from Detroit on 7/20/2024

This fragrance puzzles me. I only get the cake sweetness if I catch a whiff of this, if I hold my nose steady on where I’ve sprayed, I don’t get cake or sweet, I get way too much of the anise!!! I’m on the fence with this one, I love and don’t like it, like the name suggests. It’s growing on me as long as I don’t take long sniffs of my skin, if that makes sense. I think I will eventually add it to my collection, but not in a hurry.

By Peaches - USMC from Bossier City on 6/17/2024

This is the more delicious and exquisite version of Devotion by Dolce&Gabbana. Gorgeous citrus, buttery soft vanilla sponge cake, and a very slight hint of cocoa. A non-gourmand lovers gourmand - not cloying or overly sweet. This is not an overwhelmingly strong scent, but it doesn't fade and sticks around all day long. This is perfect for spring (day and night) and will wear well into the heat of summer. So glad I didn't buy the D&G and bought this one instead.

By ericka - exec assist from san francisco on 3/25/2024

This is really really good. You have to like gourmands, but it is a wearable gourmand. It’s like a powdered lemon butter cookie. Lemon or orange. My daughter loves this one better than everything else I own. She’s finished half of my bottle, haha. If you are trying to choose between this and Lira, this one smells higher quality imo.

By Nat - Aesthetician from Austin on 11/15/2023

Testing from a warmer climate, but working indoors mostly with AC. This has got to be the most delicious opening ever, made my mouth water. I do wish the fresh citrusy opening carried to the dry down though. The dry down is very similar to Lira and gives powdery cocoa-ish, which is not unpleasant, but not as rich chocolatey as Montale Chocolate Greedy... also I daresay slightly less creamy than Lira on the dry down too. Still a wow at 4 to 4.5 stars.

By Irene - M.D. from Dumaguete on 8/22/2023

Delicious!! Sweet vanilla, lemon cake. Long lasting.

By Isel - Accountant from Weston on 8/11/2023

I liked the backstory of this perfume enough to invest in a bottle. Bag of sugar sweetness with a warm citric introduction followed by a very peppery backbone and noticeable anise. There is a chocolate note, enough to make one "think" of cake, but it's faint. This fragrance has a bit of oiliness when applied to skin. The fragrance does not last, but a few hours. The full dry down revealed the synthetic side of things... almost plasticky. Not worth the price tag, but a cute scent in the vein of pink sugar.

By Nancy - Artist from BC on 8/11/2023

This is a diabetic coma sweet treat fragrance that highlights the citrus and the anise. Vanilla is present, cocoa is barely there. Florals add some prettiness, but are not discernable individually. Honestly, to me it smells rather synthetic, but wearable for times when you want to invoke cuteness. Translates better on clothes than my skin. I think the bottle should be at least a 50ml for the price. Fun backstory and name.

By NN - Artist from B.C. on 7/30/2023

Love and Crime. I really enjoyed wearing this fragrance. It has longevity and of course smells good and unique. Would I buy a full bottle? No.

By A Woman - Wrist Sniffer from New York on 5/21/2023

Don't get me wrong this smells beautiful and the projection and longevity are top notch... however, giving 3 stars for the price because I also have the perfume Limone e Vaniglia by Fragrenza and it smells EXACTLY like it and lasts just as long and comes in 100ml bottle...the only difference is the Ex Idolo bottle is so pretty.

By Mandy - Nurse from Zephyr on 4/30/2023

This was nice. I smelled a vanilla sugar with anise in background. Didn't really smell the floral. There is a slight citrus blended into the vanilla, but it's nicely done. I did not smell the cocoa either. I'll wear it a few times before I decide if I'll purchase. It leans feminine in my opinion. I think it's unique and definitely a gourmand. Would recommend if you like anise because I think that is the strongest throughout so far. I was glad I got a sample because it is a very skilled perfume to experience.

By Deby - Social worker from Chesterfield New Jersey on 4/28/2023

I am leaving this review a year later because I want to share a complete honest review. The scent itself is beautiful, feminine gourmand heaven. My complaint is that I noticed the cap has changed and for very important reason. One day, I looked at my Ex Idolo and freaked out! The cap was completely chipped. Idk the proper term when that happens but you fragheads can correct me with the right term. Idk if there's a way that we can get access to just the cap because that should not happen with such a luxurious scent and bottle.

By Jess - Dentistry from California on 4/20/2023

Very potent.

By Clementine - Healthcare from San Diego on 4/3/2023

Love & Crime smelld delicious! If you like true gourmand fragrances than you'll definitely love this one. This is definitely a feminine fragrance. It smells like cake and vanilla. I love a good gourmand fragrance. I've wore this with Killian's Angel Share and received numerous compliments. If you want that cake scent this is it. If you want it to be a little less sweeter than just wear it with a sexier fragrance to balance it out. Trust me you won't regret it.

By Tish - Registered Nurse from California on 2/3/2023

Holy moly this sweet. Like biddity-bobbity-boutique sweet. It lasts and lasts way past the stroke of midnight....

By Leslie - something from CHESTERBROOK on 8/21/2022

No, absolutely not! Kitchen citrus cleaner overtop a plasticky, over-sweet vanilla, with sour florals in the background. It sounds lovely, but this citrus gourmand rendering just doesn’t work. My sample somehow got more sour as time went on, but never lost that cloying vanilla note. Lira is a better version of this, but I don’t love that perfume, either.

By Brittany - RN from Carrboro on 5/15/2022

The name summarizes my reaction to this scent. I love the candied orange opening where I detect the pepper very little but the sugar and star anise seem to be at the forefront too. But after roughly an hour, the love has ended and the crime has begun. It becomes mostly floral and kind of sour and slightly decaying-type floral at that. And that's where I check out. I have a sample, and I am using it up by re-applying more often now that I see consistently I don't like it past the first hour. So heaven knows how long it lasts---I'm not going to find out. This may not be very helpul, but thumbs up at first,, then thumbs down later...

By Lisa - writer from Chicago on 3/18/2022

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Ex Idolo

Eau de Parfum

Love & Crime

Eau de Parfum

by Ex Idolo

Scent Bar Staff Video Review for Love & Crime

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