Fragrance comparison

Carmine vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 9 Oct 2026 37 ratings analysed

Carmine

House of Matriarch

3.9030 votes

Rank #40,071 FloralSweet

Full profile Similar & dupes

33%scent match

Clearly different

2 wins

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #58,821 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories.

Carmine
Choose it for a floral and sweet character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
Shades of Darkness
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Carmine1/3

Shades of Darkness2/3

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Shades of Darkness
Sillage & projection: Shades of Darkness
Value for money: Not scored
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Carmine

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

CarmineHouse of Matriarch

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.90/ 5 · 30 votes

Have 9%Had 4%Want 87%

3.00/ 5 · 7 votes

Have 6%Had 9%Want 85%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

37%Love

43%Like

0%Ok

13%Dislike

7%Hate

30 votes

14%Love

29%Like

0%Ok

57%Dislike

0%Hate

7 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity74

〰 Sillage60

♥ Love / hate73

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

SillageShades of Darkness

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value38

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

floral100%

sweet92%

aromatic84%

warm spicy77%

woody69%

balsamic61%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match33%Clearly different · both warm spicy, woody and aromatic

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top20-30 mins

MarigoldPandanusWoody Notes

Heart2-4 hrs

ChampacaArtemisiaBlack Pepper

Base8-10+ hrs

Masala ChaiPebblesSandalwoodTobaccoAmberTonka BeanOakmossVetiver

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesChampaca, Artemisia, Tobacco and Vetiver. Durations are only published for Carmine, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring13

Summer25

Fall100

Winter75

Day54

Night100

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex50

Women50

Date 39%Casual 29%Party 19%Work 13%

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#40,071

PerfumerChristi Meshell

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#58,821

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerCarmineHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Carmine by House of Matriarch opens with a bold flare of bitter marigold and pungent green kewra, cutting through the air before settling into something remarkably deep. Within minutes, the golden floral sweetness of champaca takes hold, spiced by crushed black pepper and a savory swirl of hot masala chai. The base re…

Reviews →

Shades of Darkness is a dense, vintage-leaning oriental fragrance that moves from sharp galbanum greens to a deep, animalic, and resinous base. Launched in 2015, this composition offers a complex journey for those who appreciate old-school, heavy, and artistic perfumery suitable for cold weather evenings or formal aut…

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, Carmine or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories. Carmine is rated 3.90/5 from 30 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose Carmine for a floral and sweet character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Shades of Darkness for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Carmine or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, Carmine 74/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Carmine or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness projects furthest (Shades of Darkness 72/100, Carmine 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Carmine and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Clearly different: a 33% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, woody and aromatic accords. Common notes include Champaca, Artemisia, Tobacco and Vetiver.

Is Carmine or Shades of Darkness better for summer or winter?

Carmine suits evening wear; Shades of Darkness suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Carmine and Shades of Darkness?

Carmine has top notes of Marigold, Pandanus and Woody Notes, heart notes of Champaca, Artemisia and Black Pepper, a base of Masala Chai, Pebbles, Sandalwood and Tobacco. Shades of Darkness has top notes of Galbanum, Carnation, Artemisia and Fig Leaf, heart notes of Ylang-Ylang, Narcissus, Jasmine and Iris, a base of Incense, Tolu Balsam, Civet and Castoreum.