Fragrance comparison

Destiny vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 9 Oct 2026 30 ratings analysed

Destiny

House of Matriarch

3.2223 votes

Rank #60,400 White FloralGreen

Full profile Similar & dupes

26%scent match

Clearly different

2 wins

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #58,752 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories.

Destiny
Choose it for a white floral and green character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Shades of Darkness
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Destiny1/3

Shades of Darkness2/3

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

DestinyHouse of Matriarch

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.22/ 5 · 23 votes

Have 17%Had 8%Want 75%

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

30%Love

17%Like

0%Ok

48%Dislike

4%Hate

23 votes · too few to score

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

⏱ Longevity68

〰 Sillage78

♥ Love / hate55

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

SillageDestiny

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

white floral100%

green92%

aromatic84%

floral77%

fresh69%

citrus61%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match26%Clearly different · both green and aromatic

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top20-30 mins

GalbanumWildflowersTangerinePepper

Heart2-4 hrs

NeroliGardeniaTuberoseJasmine

Base6-8+ hrs

Jasmine SambacOakmossVetiverBenzoin

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesGalbanum, Neroli, Jasmine and Vetiver. Durations are only published for Destiny, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer80

Fall60

Winter40

Day100

Night35

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Not enough votes yet

Casual 42%Date 24%Work 21%Party 12%

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#60,400

PerfumerChristi Meshell

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#58,752

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerShades of DarknessHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

House of Matriarch Destiny delivers a burst of bitter green resin and sunlit citrus right out of the nozzle. The opening pairs crushed galbanum and bright tangerine with a peppery bite. Within twenty minutes, the initial bite softens as lush tuberose, gardenia, and sweet neroli bloom on warm skin. An earthy base of oa…

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, Destiny or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories. Destiny is rated 3.22/5 from 23 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose Destiny for a white floral and green character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Shades of Darkness for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Destiny or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, Destiny 68/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Destiny or Shades of Darkness?

Destiny projects furthest (Destiny 78/100, Shades of Darkness 72/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Destiny and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Clearly different: a 26% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share green and aromatic accords. Common notes include Galbanum, Neroli, Jasmine and Vetiver.

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

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

What are the notes in Destiny and Shades of Darkness?

Destiny has top notes of Galbanum, Wildflowers, Tangerine and Pepper, heart notes of Neroli, Gardenia, Tuberose and Jasmine, a base of Jasmine Sambac, Oakmoss, Vetiver and Benzoin. 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.