Cheating Heart vs Licorice paint color comparison

Cheating Heart vs Licorice

Cheating HeartBenjamin MoorevsLicoriceTikkurilaΔE 1.9Subtle difference

Cheating Heart is a Benjamin Moore color while Licorice comes from Tikkurila. These are both greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within grey to land. With LRVs of 9 and 7, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. With a ΔE of 1.9, the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side to reliably tell them apart. Below you'll find 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.

Cheating Heart vs Licorice in Real Spaces

1 real room side by side. Cheating Heart and Licorice are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.

Kitchen

Kitchen lighting tends to be bright and directional, which sharpens contrast and makes undertone differences more apparent. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.

Cheating HeartBenjamin Moore Cheating Heart kitchen island

@our_dream_in_the_country

LicoriceBlack kitchen walls with Tikkurila X499 Licorice color

https://www.instagram.com/p/CV91sBYghwH/

Color Details

Cheating Heart
Benjamin Moore · 1617
Hex#4B4D4F
LRV8.8
BrandBenjamin Moore
Number1617
UndertoneBlue
TemperatureNeutral
BrightnessDark
Licorice
Tikkurila · X499
Hex#484A4A
LRV7.1
BrandTikkurila
NumberX499
Undertone
Temperature
BrightnessDark

Cheating Heart vs Licorice Simulated Comparison

5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cheating Heart on one side and Licorice on the other.

Bathroom
Bedroom
House
Kitchen Cabinets
Living Room

Digital color is approximate. These simulations are generated from the manufacturer's hex values and overlaid on grayscale room photos — your screen's calibration, brightness, and viewing angle all affect how they render. Before committing to either color, test physical samples in your own space under the light you actually live with.

More Cheating Heart comparisons

See how Cheating Heart stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.

Cheating Heart
White Dove
Cheating Heart vs White Dove
Cheating Heart
White Dove
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9

White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.

Cheating Heart
Ammonite
Cheating Heart vs Ammonite
Cheating Heart
Ammonite
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9
Farrow & Ball
Ammonite
LRV 69

At LRV 69 vs 9, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.

Cheating Heart
Iron Ore
Cheating Heart vs Iron Ore
Cheating Heart
Iron Ore
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9

Cheating Heart reads slightly lighter (LRV 9 vs 6), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Cheating Heart
Purbeck Stone
Cheating Heart vs Purbeck Stone
Cheating Heart
Purbeck Stone
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9

At LRV 52 vs 9, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.

Cheating Heart
Evergreen Fog
Cheating Heart vs Evergreen Fog
Cheating Heart
Evergreen Fog
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9

At LRV 30 vs 9, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.

Cheating Heart
Mizzle
Cheating Heart vs Mizzle
Cheating Heart
Mizzle
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9
Farrow & Ball
Mizzle
LRV 52

Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.

Cheating Heart
Agreeable Gray
Cheating Heart vs Agreeable Gray
Cheating Heart
Agreeable Gray
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9

At LRV 60 vs 9, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.

Cheating Heart
Accessible Beige
Cheating Heart vs Accessible Beige
Cheating Heart
Accessible Beige
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9

Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.

Cheating Heart
Denim Drift
Cheating Heart vs Denim Drift
Cheating Heart
Denim Drift
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9

Denim Drift reflects far more light (LRV 27 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.

Cheating Heart
French Gray
Cheating Heart vs French Gray
Cheating Heart
French Gray
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9

At LRV 43 vs 9, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.

Cheating Heart
Naval
Cheating Heart vs Naval
Cheating Heart
Naval
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9
Sherwin-Williams
Naval
LRV 4

A 4-point LRV gap (9 vs 4) makes Cheating Heart the marginally brighter of the two.

Cheating Heart
Tranquil Dawn
Cheating Heart vs Tranquil Dawn
Cheating Heart
Tranquil Dawn
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9

Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.

Cheating Heart
Bancha
Cheating Heart vs Bancha
Cheating Heart
Bancha
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9
Farrow & Ball
Bancha
LRV 13

Bancha reads slightly lighter (LRV 13 vs 9), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Cheating Heart
Hardwick White
Cheating Heart vs Hardwick White
Cheating Heart
Hardwick White
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9

Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.

Cheating Heart
Pure White
Cheating Heart vs Pure White
Cheating Heart
Pure White
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9

At LRV 84 vs 9, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.

Cheating Heart
Artichoke
Cheating Heart vs Artichoke
Cheating Heart
Artichoke
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9
Sherwin-Williams
Artichoke
LRV 21

At LRV 21 vs 9, Artichoke is decisively the brighter choice.

Balboa Mist
Cheating Heart
Balboa Mist vs Cheating Heart
Balboa Mist
Cheating Heart
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9

Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.

Cheating Heart
Shoji White
Cheating Heart vs Shoji White
Cheating Heart
Shoji White
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9

Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.

Cheating Heart
Snowbound
Cheating Heart vs Snowbound
Cheating Heart
Snowbound
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9
Sherwin-Williams
Snowbound
LRV 83

Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.

Cheating Heart
Pewter Green
Cheating Heart vs Pewter Green
Cheating Heart
Pewter Green
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9

Pewter Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 9), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Cheating Heart
Skimming Stone
Cheating Heart vs Skimming Stone
Cheating Heart
Skimming Stone
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9

Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.

Cheating Heart
Dix Blue
Cheating Heart vs Dix Blue
Cheating Heart
Dix Blue
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9
Farrow & Ball
Dix Blue
LRV 41

At LRV 41 vs 9, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.

Cheating Heart
Calamine
Cheating Heart vs Calamine
Cheating Heart
Calamine
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9
Farrow & Ball
Calamine
LRV 68

At LRV 68 vs 9, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.

Cheating Heart
Treron
Cheating Heart vs Treron
Cheating Heart
Treron
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9
Farrow & Ball
Treron
LRV 25

At LRV 25 vs 9, Treron is decisively the brighter choice.

Cheating Heart
Vintage Vogue
Cheating Heart vs Vintage Vogue
Cheating Heart
Vintage Vogue
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9

Vintage Vogue reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 9), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Cheating Heart
Saybrook Sage
Cheating Heart vs Saybrook Sage
Cheating Heart
Saybrook Sage
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9

Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.

Cheating Heart
Pale Green
Cheating Heart vs Pale Green
Cheating Heart
Pale Green
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9
RAL ClassicClassic
Pale Green
LRV 31

At LRV 31 vs 9, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.

Cheating Heart
Pine Needle
Cheating Heart vs Pine Needle
Cheating Heart
Pine Needle
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9

Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 9 vs 7), so neither reads brighter in a room.

Cheating Heart
Cement grey
Cheating Heart vs Cement grey
Cheating Heart
Cement grey
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9
RAL ClassicClassic
Cement grey
LRV 24

At LRV 24 vs 9, Cement grey is decisively the brighter choice.

Cheating Heart
Guilford Green
Cheating Heart vs Guilford Green
Cheating Heart
Guilford Green
Benjamin Moore
Cheating Heart
1617 · LRV 9

At LRV 57 vs 9, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.