L’Heure Bleue Extract vs Shades of Darkness
Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.
34%scent match
Clearly different
Quick verdict
Which one should you pick?
Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories.
L’Heure Bleue ExtractChoose it for a powdery and violet character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
Shades of DarknessChoose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.
L’Heure Bleue Extract1/3
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 Extract
Head-to-head breakdown
Every category side by side, with the winner called out.
Fragrance
L’Heure Bleue ExtractGuerlainShades of DarknessNimere ParfumsWinner
Ratings & consensus
Average rating and ownership split4.65/ 5 · 395 votes
Have 50%Had 7%Want 43%
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 hate76%Love
18%Like
2%Ok
4%Dislike
1%Hate
395 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
Category winners
LongevityShades of Darkness
SillageShades of Darkness
Value for money
How fairly priced voters find itCategory winnerNot enough dataBest value score
Main accords
Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by bothpowdery100%
violet92%
vanilla84%
iris77%
warm spicy69%
amber61%
amber100%
woody92%
warm spicy84%
green77%
aromatic69%
powdery61%
Scent match34%Clearly different · both powdery, amber and warm spicy
Note pyramid (duration)
Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = sharedTop15 to 30 minutes
AniseBergamot
Heart2 to 3 hours
ClovesNeroli
Base7 to 10 hours
IrisVioletVanillaBenzoinTonka Bean
Top
GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron
Heart
Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli
Base
IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin
InformationalShared notesBergamot, Neroli, Iris and Violet. Durations are only published for L’Heure Bleue Extract, so this is not scored.
Seasons & time of day
Relative to each fragrance's best seasonSpring46
Summer31
Fall100
Winter91
Day62
Night100
Spring100
Summer33
Fall100
Winter100
Day100
Night50
Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round
Who wears it
Gender appeal votesNot enough votes yet
InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored
Ranking & credits
Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launchOverall rank#2,250
PerfumerJacques Guerlain
Launched—
Reviews36
Overall rank#63,534
PerfumerNikolay Eremin
Launched—
Reviews1
Category winnerL’Heure Bleue ExtractHigher overall rank
In a nutshell
Description & review snapshotL’Heure Bleue Extract by Guerlain represents the richest, most concentrated interpretation of the historic 1912 creation by Jacques Guerlain. It opens with an unexpected pairing of spicy anise and bright bergamot, delivering a cool, aromatic lift that quickly softens. As the initial freshness recedes, a warm heart of …
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.
Guided comparison
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Common questions
Straight answers from the data above.
Which is better, L’Heure Bleue Extract or Shades of Darkness?
Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories. L’Heure Bleue Extract is rated 4.65/5 from 395 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose L’Heure Bleue Extract for a powdery and violet 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, L’Heure Bleue Extract or Shades of Darkness?
Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, L’Heure Bleue Extract 77/100), based on community performance votes.
Which projects more, L’Heure Bleue Extract or Shades of Darkness?
Shades of Darkness projects furthest (Shades of Darkness 72/100, L’Heure Bleue Extract 67/100), based on community performance votes.
Do L’Heure Bleue Extract and Shades of Darkness smell similar?
Clearly different: a 34% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share powdery, amber and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Bergamot, Neroli, Iris and Violet.
Is L’Heure Bleue Extract or Shades of Darkness better for summer or winter?
L’Heure Bleue Extract suits evening wear; Shades of Darkness suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.
What are the notes in L’Heure Bleue Extract and Shades of Darkness?
L’Heure Bleue Extract has top notes of Anise and Bergamot, heart notes of Cloves and Neroli, a base of Iris, Violet, Vanilla 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.
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