Fragrance comparison

Handbook For The Recently Deceased vs Keep Trying Me

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

Updated 21 Oct 2026 26 ratings analysed

Handbook For The Recently Deceased

DS&Durga · 2021

2.789 votes

Rank #23,052 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

12%scent match

Clearly different

3 wins

Keep Trying Me

Mai Senza Profumo

3.5317 votes

Rank #57,588 MuskyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Keep Trying Me takes 3 of 4 categories.

Handbook For The Recently Deceased
Choose it for a woody and amber character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
Keep Trying Me
Choose it for a musky and aromatic character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

Handbook For The Recently Deceased1/4

Keep Trying Me3/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Keep Trying Me
Sillage & projection: Keep Trying Me
Value for money: Keep Trying Me
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Handbook For The Recently Deceased

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Handbook For The Recently DeceasedDS&Durga

Keep Trying MeMai Senza Profumo

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

2.78/ 5 · 9 votes

Have 8%Had 1%Want 91%

3.53/ 5 · 17 votes

Have 38%Had 6%Want 56%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

22%Love

11%Like

22%Ok

11%Dislike

33%Hate

9 votes · too few to score

47%Love

18%Like

6%Ok

0%Dislike

29%Hate

17 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate44

⏱ Longevity86

〰 Sillage80

♥ Love / hate63

Category winners

LongevityKeep Trying Me

SillageKeep Trying Me

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value35

¤ Price value70

Category winnerKeep Trying MeBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

amber92%

smoky84%

beeswax77%

balsamic69%

warm spicy61%

musky100%

aromatic92%

animalic84%

fresh spicy77%

powdery69%

warm spicy61%

Scent match12%Clearly different · both warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

IncenseChalk

Heart2-4 hrs

Woody NotesArtemisia

Base6-8 hrs

BeeswaxPaperPatchouli

Top

CinnamonClary SageGrapefruit

Heart

GeraniumCarnationLavenderArtemisiaCoriander

Base

CivetBeeswaxMuskCostusVanillaOakmossIrisPatchouli

InformationalShared notesArtemisia, Beeswax and Patchouli. Durations are only published for Handbook For The Recently Deceased, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring20

Summer20

Fall100

Winter80

Day69

Night100

Spring44

Summer11

Fall100

Winter78

Day63

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men57

Unisex43

Women0

Casual 41%Work 26%Date 22%Party 11%

Men84

Unisex5

Women11

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#23,052

PerfumerDavid Seth Moltz

Launched2021

Reviews7

Overall rank#57,588

PerfumerMiguel Matos

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerHandbook For The Recently DeceasedHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

DS&Durga Handbook For The Recently Deceased brings an eerie, atmospheric character to life through dry incense, blackboard chalk, and aged paper. The initial spray releases a cool mineral breeze that feels like striking cold limestone inside a shadowed chapel. Within twenty minutes, the mineral edge softens as green a…

Reviews →

Keep Trying Me by Mai Senza Profumo is an unapologetic aromatic fougere that leans heavily into animalic textures. Launched in 2022, it opens with a sharp spike of cinnamon and grapefruit before settling into a deep, resinous base of civet, musk, and beeswax. This is a scent for those who prefer their fragrances to ha…

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, Handbook For The Recently Deceased or Keep Trying Me?

Keep Trying Me takes 3 of 4 categories. Handbook For The Recently Deceased is rated 2.78/5 from 9 votes; Keep Trying Me is rated 3.53/5 from 17 votes. Choose Handbook For The Recently Deceased for a woody and amber character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Keep Trying Me for a musky and aromatic character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Handbook For The Recently Deceased or Keep Trying Me?

Keep Trying Me lasts longest (Keep Trying Me 86/100, Handbook For The Recently Deceased 73/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Handbook For The Recently Deceased or Keep Trying Me?

Keep Trying Me projects furthest (Keep Trying Me 80/100, Handbook For The Recently Deceased 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Handbook For The Recently Deceased and Keep Trying Me smell similar?

Clearly different: a 12% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy accords. Common notes include Artemisia, Beeswax and Patchouli.

Is Handbook For The Recently Deceased or Keep Trying Me better for summer or winter?

Handbook For The Recently Deceased suits evening wear; Keep Trying Me suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Handbook For The Recently Deceased and Keep Trying Me?

Handbook For The Recently Deceased has top notes of Incense and Chalk, heart notes of Woody Notes and Artemisia, a base of Beeswax, Paper and Patchouli. Keep Trying Me has top notes of Cinnamon, Clary Sage and Grapefruit, heart notes of Geranium, Carnation, Lavender and Artemisia, a base of Civet, Beeswax, Musk and Costus.