Riviera Nights
Jacques Bogart (2010)

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.

Riviera Nights by Jacques Bogart (2010) smells every bit like it's made for a night spent in the backseat of an old Buick Riviera (boattail) rather than the actual French Riviera; but considering it was part of a two-fragrance set initially pitched at the Middle East, its heady and sweet floral concoction was never going to win mass appeal in the repressed realm of commercial perfume in the West. That said, Riviera Nights is nowhere near as ostentatious or mind-blowing as Arabian Nights by Jacques Bogart (2010), the other half of this one-two punch. If you've smelled Bogart pour Homme (2004) or Silver Scent (2006) by Jacques Bogart, you're already familiar with part of the dry down here, and the rest is borrowed in part from Arabian Nights. In a nutshell, this is a floral tobacco scent at its core, but with some really exotic choices in the top and heart notes that peg this as not your average bear, with some callbacks to clubbers of decades past in so doing. Despite this, Riviera Nights feels more like Christopher Cross than Kriss Kross in personality, being the rare Bogart that doesn't bark, much like the original Bogart Eau de Toilette pour Homme (1975) before the brand realigned to performance-oriented products. One other thing: Riviera Nights does not pound the Western gender norms randomizer button quite like Arabian Nights does, so the he-men among us need not fear it, since it doesn't lean as heavily gender-neutral like true traditional Arab perfumery.

The opening of Riviera Nights is sweet like Lagerfeld Photo by Karl Lagerfeld (1990) and Nikos Sculpture Homme (1995), the former which is quite the unicorn these days, commanding hundreds per unmolested bottle. So, if you crave that sweet orange blossom and lavender, you may have a new friend in Riviera Nights, at least for a while. The scent soon shifts a melange of oriental spice as per its market direction, taking you through cinnamon, cardamom, and dusty nutmeg. Herbal and additional floral facets emerge later, like the grape-ish parma violet note from Arabian Nights and some muguet. This one avoids the tuberose and other golden florals that would spook a manly-man, going straight into a dry leafy tobacco note similar to late 80's through mid 90's examples like Montana Parfum d'Homme (1989) and Dolce & Gabbana pour Homme (1994). Dry tonka is a rarity these days, so I can appreciate this. Cedar and vetiver are probably also responsible for some of that dryness too, and very late in the wear, I get a nag champa incense note like Furyo by Jacques Bogart (1988). Some smoke from the incense and vetiver shows up late in the wear too, showing no shortage of complexity. For such a cheap scent, Riviera Nights sure knows how to unravel slowly like a high-end niche perfume. Performance is only upwards of average, but long-lasting enough you won't need to re-apply. Best use is going to be more temperate climates, as this suffers in cold, while not being hardy enough for sweat and humidity.

In conclusion, Arabian Nights will make a grand entrance for better or worse, but Riviera Nights is for the after-party. I quite like it and although it feels perhaps a bit too gussied up for a daily-wear tobacco scent, when my go-to Aramis Havana (1994) or Versace The Dreamer (1997) start feeling a bit boring, I can trade in my cigar for a hookah and go to town. Really, that's what Riviera Nights smells like to me: floral flavored hookah smoke, as I had a friend who enjoyed smoking all sorts of things from one. Plus, the price for a taste of the exotic has never been better, since this along with Arabian Nights have since made it along the spice road into Western discounters along with One Man Show Gold Edition (2011), the formerly Middle East exclusive flanker to One Man Show (1980) that later spawned a flanker family that saw global distribution. It'd really hard to argue with a brand like this that doesn't follow the norms of the mass market, does so much unique stuff, and still delivers at a bargain price. I honestly do not know how Bogart Group stays in business, unless they subsidize their eponymous range with profits from higher-end portfolio brands. Do you like old clubbers? Do you like crossing them with oriental spice and florals? Do you like older-style dry tonka treatments with a touch of incense, before Tom Ford Tobacco Vanile (2007) and Paco Rabanne 1 Million (2008) turned all future tobacco scents sugar bombs? If the answer is yes to any of that, check out Riviera Nights, Buick sold separately. Thumbs up

Another winner from Bogart. Just one or two light sprays, and you're good for hours. Riviera Nights is a fairly tame by Bogart's usual nuclear strength standards. It's a nice, herbal tonka accord, something that would blend well with a night of upscale clubbing and yacht rock. Reasonably office-friendly, too. Great value at Bogart's traditionally attractive prices. Go ahead and toss Arabian Nights into the shopping cart while you're at it.

I tried Riviera Nights by Jacques Bogart. I then tried Arabian Nights. After comparing the two, I found Riviera Nights to be unpleasant compared to Arabian Nights, so I purchased Arabian Nights instead. It is a beautiful scent reminiscent of a cross between One Man Show Gold Edition and Silver Scent Intense. I do love it though and will be keeping this one and stocking up on it. The bottle, similar to Arabian Nights, is also beautiful, sleek black with silver top sprayer and gold band. Love it!

This is a spicy fragrance with a hint of musk & vanilla, a classy scent that is ideal for more formal situations. It is not overpowering, which is a bit unusual for Bogart. Very pleasant, I like this.

This review is for Jacques Bogart's Riviera Nights. I believe the "Nighta" is a mis-spelling of Nights. I really enjoy this fragrance. It is a spicy and somewhat withdrawn fragrance, which I use for office wear since I consider it to be more formal and classic in its presentation. It is not very powerful and won't overwhelm anyone in the office who is allergic to floral scents.