Riviera Nights Jacques Bogart 2010

Another from one of my favourite houses!

This frag doesn't get the credit it's due.

From the opening the neroli and bergamot come through strongly and are predominant and I can smell maybe a touch of lavender.
The woody element is there straight away but not as a smoother pencil shavings scent.

The "dried fruits" notes start to come through quite quickly with a hint of rose in the background... Not sure if anyone else is getting that? Hmmm....I can't really smell cardamom and only a little bit of nutmeg or mace.

The woods and vetiver then become strong and that pencil shaving smoothness is helped by the tonka bean which seems to settle the woods and stop the harshness. Yes it may be a bit synthetic but not as much as some that are triple the price.

I could only seem to get this in a 50ml bottle in Britain which is a shame as this is in my top 10.
I would love to try the Arabian Nights frag too.

Riviera Nights is a well put together
Frag that is one of Bogarts more modern creations but it still has a not to their classics.

A lovely fragrance.

Riviera Nights was the source of much hype a number of years ago, and when I was at peak collecting compulsivity, it was an easy grab for its price. I smelled it, set it aside, smelled it again some time later, set it aside, and it didn't occur to me that deep within my mind my subconscious was telling me that this is in fact rather staid.

21st century Jacques Bogarts come in varying shades of charmingly crude, but Riviera Nights just reeks of synthetic neroli, heavy on the methyl anthranilate to the point that it reminds me of Grape Fun Dip, with a plasticky dried fruit accord, with a dry down vaguely like a sports spray that would be worn by a guy named Todd in the 2000s.

That's a synthetic fruity smell that did not work for me.

There's also a huge cardamon smell that actually does not smell good.

Sillage, projection and lasting power are great (around 10 hours).

Updated January 2014

For a long time, I hesitated to try this fragrance; somehow I sensed a lascivious direction that many quickly pigeonhole.

Well, the name sounds like - oh, I'm struggling with the terms - cinematic amusement for adults.
And now many are wondering, can this film direction even be captured olfactorily?
I would say, somehow yes.

Sizzle!

The typical opening in Bogart style.
Quite bitter hesperides, here supported by the tough facade of the floral neroli, which is inherently amusingly contradictory.
Yes, yes, it gets even better.

The cardamom exudes a certain greenish sweetness, which inevitably suggests a rounded flirtation for trained noses, as something humanly appealing pushes forward.
Young man, it becomes clearer thanks to the nutmeg.
Somehow it reads like the double entendre of otherwise everyday lines.
Both spices strut boldly, especially the dry depth of the nutmeg triggers something in the happiness area of the brain.

If now the voice is modulated a bit deeper with the help of dried fruits, Barry White can sing about love for all I care.

This accord could be the reinterpretation of the sexy vibe of the late 1970s, just more consistent and without digression.

What's interesting is the setting of the whole thing.
In keeping with the name, the location was found somewhere in a Mediterranean cedar grove.
Virginia cedar?
It's as virgin as I am gourmand!

The wood has absorbed the heat of the day, blowing dry the ethereal happiness hormones into the nose.
But it remains pleasantly spicy; after all, the cedar merely provides the backdrop for this.
And this becomes crackling-smoky - autocorrect didn’t want to accept "knatter" - lined with grassy vetiver, very light and nebulous.
Greenish woody the scene.
So the gliding tonka bean must not be missing to round off the edges.

The end result is impressive.
Everything harmonizes perfectly, remains dry, ethereally light, and never overwhelms, which is an achievement considering the spices and dried fruits. After all, the setting is at the northwestern Mediterranean.

And yet, somehow an ironic suggestiveness peeks through.

Honestly?
The fragrance knocks several current competitors off their feet.
Not only does it enter the race with a slightly oriental spice, but especially through the dry cedars, the slightly smoky vetiver, and the gently sweet tonka bean, it is distinctive and unmistakable in the sea of today's mass fragrances.
It also creates a successful difference from its Oriental relatives, as it dresses lighter and more refined, without brutal synthetics from the base. And you can sense its European vein.

The longevity isn't very long, but that's welcome. Such a theme can quickly become overwhelming and annoying if it lingers too long.

When used correctly, the fragrance can create a fun atmosphere.

Just speak a bit woodenly and ambiguously, preferably an octave lower.
The gesturing should definitely be practiced in front of the mirror.

Clothing and surroundings should thematically match.

Very important, plan the situational comedy with the surprise effect well away from potential onlookers to save yourself a lot of trouble.

If permitted, the background music by Patrick Cowley is now highly appreciated.
A bit stupidly monotonous, but not distracting.

I gladly leave the rest to each person's imagination.

Camera rolling!

Please bear with me as a novice perfume writer, but I definitely won't be delivering any prose or writing short stories or epic tales here. I’m just going to write freely and simply describe my scent impression. And that’s really what it’s all about.
So, here we go:
The really well-balanced blend of spice and fruit makes this fragrance so interesting. And at a price of under €12, you can definitely take a chance on a blind purchase. After the first application, the fruity aspect initially prevails, but after a while, the spicy-classic scent emerges and becomes increasingly intriguing: strong but not overpowering, classic but not outdated. Fruity but not cloying. All in all: For me, it’s like a shot from outside the 16-meter area volleyed straight into the corner: Gooooal!