Fragrance comparison

L'Heure Bleue Eau de Toilette vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 5 Nov 2026 877 ratings analysed

L'Heure Bleue Eau de Toilette

Guerlain

4.32870 votes

Rank #2,976 FloralPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

24%scent match

Clearly different

2 wins

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #63,534 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories.

L'Heure Bleue Eau de Toilette
Choose it for a floral and powdery character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime wear.
Shades of Darkness
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.

L'Heure Bleue Eau de Toilette1/3

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: L'Heure Bleue Eau de Toilette

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

L'Heure Bleue Eau de ToiletteGuerlain

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.32/ 5 · 870 votes

Have 63%Had 17%Want 19%

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

54%Love

33%Like

6%Ok

7%Dislike

1%Hate

870 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

⏱ Longevity65

〰 Sillage60

♥ Love / hate83

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

SillageShades of Darkness

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value54

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

floral100%

powdery92%

violet84%

vanilla77%

iris69%

warm spicy61%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match24%Clearly different · both powdery and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15 to 30 minutes

AniseBergamot

Heart2 to 3 hours

CarnationTuberoseNeroliRose

Base4 to 7 hours

IrisVioletBenzoinTonka BeanVanilla

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesBergamot, Carnation, Neroli and Iris. Durations are only published for L'Heure Bleue Eau de Toilette, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring78

Summer39

Fall100

Winter76

Day100

Night83

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men2

Unisex23

Women75

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#2,976

PerfumerJacques Guerlain

Launched—

Reviews75

Overall rank#63,534

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerL'Heure Bleue Eau de ToiletteHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

L'Heure Bleue Eau de Toilette by Guerlain presents a gentle, atmospheric blend centered on cool iris, powdery violet, and warm anise. The opening couples sharp aniseed with a quick splash of citrusy bergamot. Soon after, the scent softens into a classic floral bouquet featuring spicy carnation, neroli, rose, and tuber…

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.

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Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, L'Heure Bleue Eau de Toilette or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories. L'Heure Bleue Eau de Toilette is rated 4.32/5 from 870 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose L'Heure Bleue Eau de Toilette for a floral and powdery character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime 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, L'Heure Bleue Eau de Toilette or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, L'Heure Bleue Eau de Toilette 65/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, L'Heure Bleue Eau de Toilette or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness projects furthest (Shades of Darkness 72/100, L'Heure Bleue Eau de Toilette 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Do L'Heure Bleue Eau de Toilette and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Clearly different: a 24% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share powdery and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Bergamot, Carnation, Neroli and Iris.

Is L'Heure Bleue Eau de Toilette or Shades of Darkness better for summer or winter?

L'Heure Bleue Eau de Toilette suits daytime wear; Shades of Darkness suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in L'Heure Bleue Eau de Toilette and Shades of Darkness?

L'Heure Bleue Eau de Toilette has top notes of Anise and Bergamot, heart notes of Carnation, Tuberose, Neroli and Rose, a base of Iris, Violet, Benzoin and Tonka Bean. 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.