Fragrance comparison

Magistral vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 9 ratings analysed

Magistral

Legendary Fragrances

3.502 votes

Rank #64,730 PowderyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

43%scent match

Some overlap

2 wins

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #60,693 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories.

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

Magistral1/3

Shades of Darkness2/3

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Shades of Darkness
Sillage & projection: Magistral
Value for money: Not scored
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Shades of Darkness

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

MagistralLegendary Fragrances

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.50/ 5 · 2 votes

Have 33%Had 0%Want 67%

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

0%Like

0%Ok

50%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

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage75

♥ Love / hate63

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

SillageMagistral

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value25

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

powdery100%

woody88%

warm spicy77%

violet65%

iris53%

earthy42%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match43%Some overlap · both woody, powdery and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

ClovesVioletIrisSandalwoodLilySaffronBenzoinVetiverCedarVanillaMusk

No top / heart / base split published

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesViolet, Iris, Saffron and Benzoin. Durations are only published for Magistral, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day67

Night100

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

Date 37%Casual 25%Work 22%Party 17%

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#64,730

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#60,693

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerShades of DarknessHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Magistral by Legendary Fragrances combines dry spice with dense, cosmetic powder and smooth woods. The first spray releases a pungent kick of cloves and saffron before settling into cool violet petals and earthy iris root. Within thirty minutes, creamy sandalwood and dry cedar take over the midstage, backed by a gentl…

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, Magistral or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories. Magistral is rated 3.50/5 from 2 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose Magistral for a powdery and woody character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in spring, evening wear. Choose Shades of Darkness for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Magistral or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, Magistral 80/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Magistral or Shades of Darkness?

Magistral projects furthest (Magistral 75/100, Shades of Darkness 72/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Magistral and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Some overlap: a 43% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, powdery and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Violet, Iris, Saffron and Benzoin.

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

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

What are the notes in Magistral and Shades of Darkness?

Magistral features Cloves, Violet, Iris, Sandalwood and Lily. 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.