Fragrance comparison

Library vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 15 Oct 2026 19 ratings analysed

Library

Vartan Perfumes

4.0812 votes

Rank #52,011 TobaccoWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

17%scent match

Clearly different

2 wins

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #59,884 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories.

Library
Choose it for a tobacco and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
Shades of Darkness
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Library1/3

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: Library

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

LibraryVartan Perfumes

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.08/ 5 · 12 votes

Have 8%Had 3%Want 89%

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

50%Love

33%Like

0%Ok

8%Dislike

8%Hate

12 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

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate77

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

SillageShades of Darkness

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

tobacco100%

woody92%

leather84%

whiskey77%

sweet69%

animalic61%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match17%Clearly different · both woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

LeatherBergamot

Heart2-4 hrs

TobaccoWhiskeyFig Leaf

Base6-8+ hrs

SandalwoodMusk

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesBergamot, Tobacco and Fig Leaf. Durations are only published for Library, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring0

Summer0

Fall100

Winter75

Day47

Night100

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Not enough votes yet

Date 35%Casual 29%Work 22%Party 14%

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#52,011

PerfumerKristen Vartan

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#59,884

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerLibraryHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Library by Vartan Perfumes feels like settling into a worn armchair with a glass of bourbon. The leather hits first. A crisp splash of bergamot lifts the dark hide before rich pipe tobacco and oak aged whiskey roll in. The green bite of fig leaf keeps the sweetness in check. As hours pass, creamy sandalwood and soft m…

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, Library or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories. Library is rated 4.08/5 from 12 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose Library for a tobacco and woody 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, Library or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, Library 73/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Library or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness projects furthest (Shades of Darkness 72/100, Library 63/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Library and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Clearly different: a 17% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody accords. Common notes include Bergamot, Tobacco and Fig Leaf.

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

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

What are the notes in Library and Shades of Darkness?

Library has top notes of Leather and Bergamot, heart notes of Tobacco, Whiskey and Fig Leaf, a base of Sandalwood and Musk. 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.