Fragrance comparison

Questionable Motives vs Lost in the Desert

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

Updated 22 Oct 2026 78 ratings analysed

3 wins

Questionable Motives

Mirus Fine Fragrance

4.4010 votes

Rank #33,167 AmberMusky

Full profile Similar & dupes

44%scent match

Some overlap

Lost in the Desert

Memoirs Of A Perfume Collector

3.7668 votes

Rank #11,910 AmberVanilla

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Questionable Motives takes 3 of 5 categories.

Questionable Motives
Choose it for a amber and musky character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Lost in the Desert
Choose it for a amber and vanilla character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

Questionable Motives3/5

Lost in the Desert2/5

Ratings & consensus: Questionable Motives
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Questionable Motives
Sillage & projection: Lost in the Desert
Value for money: Questionable Motives
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Lost in the Desert

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Questionable MotivesMirus Fine Fragrance

Lost in the DesertMemoirs Of A Perfume Collector

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.40/ 5 · 10 votes

Have 10%Had 5%Want 86%

3.76/ 5 · 68 votes

Have 22%Had 8%Want 70%

Category winnerQuestionable MotivesRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

80%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

20%Dislike

0%Hate

10 votes · too few to score

43%Love

24%Like

12%Ok

12%Dislike

10%Hate

68 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity93

〰 Sillage64

♥ Love / hate85

⏱ Longevity79

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate69

Category winners

LongevityQuestionable Motives

SillageLost in the Desert

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value75

¤ Price value51

Category winnerQuestionable MotivesBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

musky88%

woody77%

animalic65%

vanilla53%

balsamic42%

amber100%

vanilla90%

oud80%

fresh spicy70%

woody60%

white floral50%

Scent match44%Some overlap · both amber, vanilla and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

AmbergrisOlibanumVanillaAmbroxanPetitgrainWoody NotesWhite Musk

No top / heart / base split published

Top

VanillaBergamot

Heart

Bourbon VanillaMyrrhIndian JasmineCedar

Base

OlibanumAgarwood (Oud)Ambroxan

InformationalShared notesOlibanum, Vanilla and Ambroxan. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer50

Fall75

Winter50

Day100

Night80

Spring53

Summer30

Fall87

Winter100

Day68

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Not enough votes yet

Men29

Unisex63

Women7

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#33,167

PerfumerNeal Peters

Launched—

Reviews2

Overall rank#11,910

PerfumerDario Fini

Launched—

Reviews18

Category winnerLost in the DesertHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Questionable Motives leans into amber, musk and woods, then shifts with a salty ambergris effect that gives it a stranger, more resinous edge. Warm vanilla softens the structure without making it feel sugary. It reads mysterious, textured and quietly sensual, with an old-world feel under the modern amber-musky base. …

Reviews →

Lost in the Desert opens with a sharp flash of bergamot that quickly collapses into smoky olibanum and heavy resin. Dario Fini built this around a core of Bourbon vanilla and dark cedar, framing the gourmand element against raw desert dry woods. The heart lets Indian jasmine add a subtle floral breath before agarwood …

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, Questionable Motives or Lost in the Desert?

Questionable Motives takes 3 of 5 categories. Questionable Motives is rated 4.40/5 from 10 votes; Lost in the Desert is rated 3.76/5 from 68 votes. Choose Questionable Motives for a amber and musky character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Lost in the Desert for a amber and vanilla character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Questionable Motives or Lost in the Desert?

Questionable Motives lasts longest (Questionable Motives 93/100, Lost in the Desert 79/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Questionable Motives or Lost in the Desert?

Projection is very close: Lost in the Desert 66/100, Questionable Motives 64/100 for sillage.

Do Questionable Motives and Lost in the Desert smell similar?

Some overlap: a 44% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber, vanilla and woody accords. Common notes include Olibanum, Vanilla and Ambroxan.

Is Questionable Motives or Lost in the Desert better for summer or winter?

Questionable Motives suits daytime wear; Lost in the Desert suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Questionable Motives and Lost in the Desert?

Questionable Motives features Ambergris, Olibanum, Vanilla, Ambroxan and Petitgrain. Lost in the Desert has top notes of Vanilla and Bergamot, heart notes of Bourbon Vanilla, Myrrh, Indian Jasmine and Cedar, a base of Olibanum, Agarwood (Oud) and Ambroxan.