Fragrance comparison

Sarcastic vs Shades of Darkness

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

Updated 11 Oct 2026 19 ratings analysed

Sarcastic

Puzzle Parfum

3.0012 votes

Rank #60,806 WoodyIris

Full profile Similar & dupes

39%scent match

Some overlap

3 wins

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #59,545 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Shades of Darkness takes 3 of 3 categories.

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

Sarcastic0/3

Shades of Darkness3/3

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: Shades of Darkness

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

SarcasticPuzzle Parfum

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.00/ 5 · 12 votes

Have 17%Had 6%Want 78%

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

17%Love

33%Like

17%Ok

0%Dislike

33%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

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate50

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

SillageShades of Darkness

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value35

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

iris91%

smoky83%

powdery74%

amber65%

balsamic56%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

Scent match39%Some overlap · both woody, amber and powdery

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

NutmegAngelica

Heart2-4 hrs

IncenseOrrisTobacco

Base6-9 hrs

CedarVetiver

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

InformationalShared notesNutmeg, Incense, Tobacco and Cedar. Durations are only published for Sarcastic, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring20

Summer20

Fall60

Winter100

Day45

Night100

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men86

Unisex14

Women0

Date 35%Party 24%Casual 22%Work 19%

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#60,806

PerfumerCengiz Yatagan

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#59,545

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerShades of DarknessHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Puzzle Parfum Sarcastic hits the air with a dry, bitter herbal punch of angelica paired against warm ground nutmeg. It is dark, woody, and unvarnished. Within fifteen minutes, the brisk spice gives way to smoldering incense, buttery orris root, and rich dry pipe tobacco. You get an earthy, resinous warmth that feels c…

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, Sarcastic or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness takes 3 of 3 categories. Sarcastic is rated 3.00/5 from 12 votes; Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose Sarcastic for a woody and iris character. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Shades of Darkness for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Sarcastic or Shades of Darkness?

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

Which projects more, Sarcastic or Shades of Darkness?

Shades of Darkness projects furthest (Shades of Darkness 72/100, Sarcastic 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Sarcastic and Shades of Darkness smell similar?

Some overlap: a 39% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, amber and powdery accords. Common notes include Nutmeg, Incense, Tobacco and Cedar.

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

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

What are the notes in Sarcastic and Shades of Darkness?

Sarcastic has top notes of Nutmeg and Angelica, heart notes of Incense, Orris and Tobacco, a base of Cedar and Vetiver. 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.