Fragrance comparison

Magic Nights vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 16 ratings analysed

Magic Nights

Marilyn Miglin

4.119 votes

Rank #37,001 Yellow FloralAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

47%scent match

Some overlap

2 wins

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #62,986 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories.

Magic Nights
Choose it for a yellow floral and aromatic character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in summer, evening wear.
Shades of Darkness
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Magic Nights1/3

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: Magic Nights

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Magic NightsMarilyn Miglin

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.11/ 5 · 9 votes

Have 25%Had 6%Want 69%

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

33%Love

56%Like

0%Ok

11%Dislike

0%Hate

9 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

⏱ Longevity68

〰 Sillage54

♥ Love / hate78

⏱ 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

yellow floral100%

aromatic92%

green84%

woody77%

citrus69%

amber61%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match47%Some overlap · both woody, aromatic and green

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top30 to 45 minutes

BergamotMandarin OrangeBlack currant leafCurrant buds

Heart2 to 4 hours

NarcissusYlang-YlangClovesJasmine

Base3 to 5 hours

VetiverAmberBourbon Vanilla

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesBergamot, Black currant leaf, Narcissus and Ylang-Ylang. Durations are only published for Magic Nights, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring25

Summer100

Fall50

Winter25

Day17

Night100

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#37,001

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews3

Overall rank#62,986

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerMagic NightsHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Magic Nights by Marilyn Miglin delivers a distinctive floral woody musk arrangement built around yellow florals, tart greenery, and warm resin. The opening bursts with juicy mandarin orange and bergamot, shadowed quickly by the sharp, herbal bite of black currant leaf and currant buds. As the initial brightness settle…

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.

Recent comparisons

Head-to-head activity from live history

JeansMahoganyRUNNER-UP vs

Viva La Juicy So IntenseJuicy CoutureWINNER

1 person compared this today

Bad Boy Cobalt Parfum ElectriqueCarolina HerreraWINNER vs

Shiyaaka Shadow Khadlaj Perfumes for menKhadlaj PerfumesRUNNER-UP

2 people compared this today

Tiara Lux EditionHouse Of SillageRUNNER-UP vs

Knize Ten Golden EditionKnizeWINNER

1 person compared this today

Liyali Al HilmiyaNabeelWINNER vs

On ElJesus Del PozoRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Magic Nights or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories. Magic Nights is rated 4.11/5 from 9 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose Magic Nights for a yellow floral and aromatic character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in summer, 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, Magic Nights or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, Magic Nights 68/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Magic Nights or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness projects furthest (Shades of Darkness 72/100, Magic Nights 54/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Magic Nights and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Some overlap: a 47% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, aromatic and green accords. Common notes include Bergamot, Black currant leaf, Narcissus and Ylang-Ylang.

Is Magic Nights or Shades of Darkness better for summer or winter?

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

What are the notes in Magic Nights and Shades of Darkness?

Magic Nights has top notes of Bergamot, Mandarin Orange, Black currant leaf and Currant buds, heart notes of Narcissus, Ylang-Ylang, Cloves and Jasmine, a base of Vetiver, Amber and Bourbon Vanilla. 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.