Fragrance comparison

Ex Votos vs Cleopatra

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

Updated 9 Oct 2026 23 ratings analysed

Ex Votos

House of Matriarch

4.1921 votes

Rank #47,836 Yellow FloralFloral

Full profile Similar & dupes

12%scent match

Clearly different

3 wins

Cleopatra

Kesma

4.502 votes

Rank #50,745 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Cleopatra takes 3 of 4 categories.

Ex Votos
Choose it for a yellow floral and floral character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
Cleopatra
Choose it for a woody and amber character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Ex Votos1/4

Cleopatra3/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Cleopatra
Sillage & projection: Cleopatra
Value for money: Cleopatra
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Ex Votos

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Ex VotosHouse of Matriarch

CleopatraKesma

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.19/ 5 · 21 votes

Have 20%Had 6%Want 74%

4.50/ 5 · 2 votes

Have 36%Had 9%Want 55%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

52%Love

24%Like

19%Ok

0%Dislike

5%Hate

21 votes · too few to score

50%Love

50%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

2 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity58

〰 Sillage48

♥ Love / hate80

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate88

Category winners

LongevityCleopatra

SillageCleopatra

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value35

¤ Price value50

Category winnerCleopatraBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

yellow floral100%

floral92%

beeswax84%

honey77%

amber69%

musky61%

woody100%

amber92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

white floral69%

powdery61%

Scent match12%Clearly different · both amber

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

BeeswaxExotic floral notes

Heart2-4 hrs

GoldenrodNarcissusBroom

Base6-8 hrs

Ylang-YlangDeer Tongue GrassAngelicaResins

Top

BergamotCinnamonGalbanumPepperCloves

Heart

Orange BlossomYlang-YlangHeliotropeNarcissusTuberoseJasmineHoneyClove

Base

SandalwoodPatchouliLabdanumWormwoodOakmossLeatherVetiverIncense

InformationalShared notesNarcissus and Ylang-Ylang. Durations are only published for Ex Votos, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring80

Summer80

Fall100

Winter80

Day92

Night100

Spring0

Summer0

Fall50

Winter100

Day–

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex46

Women54

Date 33%Casual 31%Work 28%Party 8%

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#47,836

PerfumerChristi Meshell

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#50,745

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerEx VotosHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Ex Votos smells like warm golden honey dripped over sunlit prairie wildflowers. Christi Meshell leads with unbleached beeswax, sweet exotic florals, and the dusty pollen edge of wild goldenrod. It feels earthy, textured, and deeply natural from the very first minute. You will not find synthetic sugar or clean designer…

Reviews →

Cleopatra by Kesma is a dense, unapologetic oriental floral from 1983. It opens with a punch of cloves and cinnamon before settling into a rich, resinous heart of tuberose, ylang-ylang, and honey. This is a cold-weather classic that leans heavily on its base of incense, leather, and oakmoss for a deep, vintage footpri…

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, Ex Votos or Cleopatra?

Cleopatra takes 3 of 4 categories. Ex Votos is rated 4.19/5 from 21 votes; Cleopatra is rated 4.50/5 from 2 votes. Choose Ex Votos for a yellow floral and floral character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Cleopatra for a woody and amber character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Ex Votos or Cleopatra?

They last about the same: Cleopatra 60/100, Ex Votos 58/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Ex Votos or Cleopatra?

Projection is very close: Cleopatra 50/100, Ex Votos 48/100 for sillage.

Do Ex Votos and Cleopatra smell similar?

Clearly different: a 12% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber accords. Common notes include Narcissus and Ylang-Ylang.

Is Ex Votos or Cleopatra better for summer or winter?

Ex Votos suits evening wear; Cleopatra suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Ex Votos and Cleopatra?

Ex Votos has top notes of Beeswax and Exotic floral notes, heart notes of Goldenrod, Narcissus and Broom, a base of Ylang-Ylang, Deer Tongue Grass, Angelica and Resins. Cleopatra has top notes of Bergamot, Cinnamon, Galbanum and Pepper, heart notes of Orange Blossom, Ylang-Ylang, Heliotrope and Narcissus, a base of Sandalwood, Patchouli, Labdanum and Wormwood.