Fragrance comparison

Black Bold vs A Mid Summer Nights Dream

Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.

Updated 11 Oct 2026 23 ratings analysed

3 wins

Black Bold

L'Orientale Fragrances

5.004 votes

Rank #30,248 FruityLeather

Full profile Similar & dupes

65%scent match

Closely related

A Mid Summer Nights Dream

Shakespeare Perfumes

3.2619 votes

Rank #22,444 FruityWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Black Bold takes 3 of 4 categories.

Black Bold
Choose it for a fruity and leather character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.
A Mid Summer Nights Dream
Choose it for a fruity and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Black Bold3/4

A Mid Summer Nights Dream1/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Black Bold
Sillage & projection: Black Bold
Value for money: Black Bold
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: A Mid Summer Nights Dream

Head-to-head breakdown

Every category side by side, with the winner called out.

Fragrance

Black BoldL'Orientale Fragrances

A Mid Summer Nights DreamShakespeare Perfumes

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

5.00/ 5 · 4 votes

Have 9%Had 0%Want 91%

3.26/ 5 · 19 votes

Have 19%Had 8%Want 73%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

100%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

4 votes · too few to score

21%Love

32%Like

16%Ok

16%Dislike

16%Hate

19 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity96

〰 Sillage94

♥ Love / hate100

⏱ Longevity85

〰 Sillage74

♥ Love / hate57

Category winners

LongevityBlack Bold

SillageBlack Bold

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value81

¤ Price value55

Category winnerBlack BoldBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

fruity100%

leather91%

sweet83%

woody74%

smoky65%

fresh56%

fruity100%

woody92%

white floral84%

musky77%

sweet69%

citrus61%

Scent match65%Closely related · both fruity, woody and sweet

Note pyramid (duration)

Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = shared

Top15-30 mins

PineappleBlack CurrantAppleBergamot

Heart2-4 hrs

BirchRosePatchouliJasmine

Base6-10 hrs

AmbergrisVanillaMusk

Top

PineappleBergamotAppleBlack Currant

Heart

Moroccan JasmineBirchPatchouliRose

Base

MuskAmbergrisoak mossVanilla

InformationalShared notesPineapple, Black Currant, Apple and Bergamot. Durations are only published for Black Bold, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer100

Fall100

Winter0

Day100

Night79

Spring100

Summer100

Fall80

Winter60

Day100

Night60

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

Casual 31%Work 27%Date 23%Party 19%

Men0

Unisex80

Women20

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#30,248

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#22,444

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews5

Category winnerA Mid Summer Nights DreamHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Black Bold by L'Orientale Fragrances delivers a punchy burst of tart pineapple, juicy black currant, and crisp bergamot right out of the nozzle. Give it three minutes. The initial alcohol flash quickly settles into a rich core of smoky birch wood and earthy patchouli. You get that classic fruity-meets-smoky profile pe…

Reviews →

Shakespeare Perfumes captures a bright, crisp blend of pineapple and bergamot before settling into a dry birch and oak moss base. It suits daytime wear in spring or summer when you want a clean, fresh, fruit-forward scent profile that carries a classic woody structure without feeling heavy.

Reviews →

InformationalRead bothTaste is personal

How we score: ratings blend public fragrance ratings with Fragranxe member votes; longevity, sillage, value and sentiment are community vote scores, and season bars are relative to each fragrance's strongest season. Categories with too little data are shown but not scored. The scent match weighs accord overlap (60%) and shared notes (40%). More in the FAQ.

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Black Bold or A Mid Summer Nights Dream?

Black Bold takes 3 of 4 categories. Black Bold is rated 5.00/5 from 4 votes; A Mid Summer Nights Dream is rated 3.26/5 from 19 votes. Choose Black Bold for a fruity and leather character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose A Mid Summer Nights Dream for a fruity and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Black Bold or A Mid Summer Nights Dream?

Black Bold lasts longest (Black Bold 96/100, A Mid Summer Nights Dream 85/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Black Bold or A Mid Summer Nights Dream?

Black Bold projects furthest (Black Bold 94/100, A Mid Summer Nights Dream 74/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Black Bold and A Mid Summer Nights Dream smell similar?

Closely related: a 65% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share fruity, woody and sweet accords. Common notes include Pineapple, Black Currant, Apple and Bergamot.

Is Black Bold or A Mid Summer Nights Dream better for summer or winter?

Black Bold suits daytime wear; A Mid Summer Nights Dream suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Black Bold and A Mid Summer Nights Dream?

Black Bold has top notes of Pineapple, Black Currant, Apple and Bergamot, heart notes of Birch, Rose, Patchouli and Jasmine, a base of Ambergris, Vanilla and Musk. A Mid Summer Nights Dream has top notes of Pineapple, Bergamot, Apple and Black Currant, heart notes of Moroccan Jasmine, Birch, Patchouli and Rose, a base of Musk, Ambergris, oak moss and Vanilla.