Fragrance comparison

M’Lady in Havana vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 9 ratings analysed

M’Lady in Havana

The Dua Brand

4.002 votes

Rank #51,737 Warm SpicySweet

Full profile Similar & dupes

29%scent match

Clearly different

2 wins

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #60,550 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories.

M’Lady in Havana
Choose it for a warm spicy and sweet 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.

M’Lady in Havana1/3

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: M’Lady in Havana

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

M’Lady in HavanaThe Dua Brand

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.00/ 5 · 2 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 hate

0%Love

100%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

2 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

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate75

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

SillageShades of Darkness

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value75

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

sweet92%

cacao84%

amber77%

violet69%

vanilla61%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match29%Clearly different · both warm spicy and amber

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

CacaoToffeeBenzoinVioletPatchouliTobaccoCoffeeMadagascar VanillaOrange BlossomNeroliFloral bouquetTurkish Rose

No top / heart / base split published

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesBenzoin, Violet, Tobacco and Neroli. Durations are only published for M’Lady in Havana, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring0

Summer0

Fall100

Winter50

Day47

Night100

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

Date 35%Party 29%Casual 22%Work 13%

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#51,737

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#60,550

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerM’Lady in HavanaHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

M’Lady in Havana by The Dua Brand brings together a lush floral core with the cozy richness of a Cuban cigar lounge. The opening introduces a sweet mix of juicy pear, orange blossom, and bright neroli before settling into an indulgent blend of roasted coffee, rich cacao, and warm tobacco leaves. Smooth Madagascar vani…

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, M’Lady in Havana or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories. M’Lady in Havana is rated 4.00/5 from 2 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose M’Lady in Havana for a warm spicy and sweet 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, M’Lady in Havana or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, M’Lady in Havana 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, M’Lady in Havana or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness projects furthest (Shades of Darkness 72/100, M’Lady in Havana 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do M’Lady in Havana and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Clearly different: a 29% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy and amber accords. Common notes include Benzoin, Violet, Tobacco and Neroli.

Is M’Lady in Havana or Shades of Darkness better for summer or winter?

M’Lady in Havana suits evening wear; Shades of Darkness suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in M’Lady in Havana and Shades of Darkness?

M’Lady in Havana features Cacao, Toffee, Benzoin, Violet and Patchouli. 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.