Bogart CityTower

My bottle of City Tower went from rags to riches. I now consider it a new old friend. Bogart really is a hilariously self-unaware fragrance house packed with in your face cheapies that make a statement. All Gallic balls to the wall and retro 1970s bottles. I embrace vaguely disgusted sniffs I hear when I walk into a busy store having sprayed 8 blasts of the genuinely wonderful One Man Show Oud Edition over my hair and face. Every now and again though, Bogart comes out with something very understated. Force Majeure was the slightly minty sports fragrance I wear to bed in the summer and nowhere else. Alongside it was City Tower. CT sat in my fragrance box for about five years after its first wearing. Despite coming in a weighty bottle that could easily be used as a murder weapon, it was no more than vaguely plasticine tinged, slightly greyish water. The colour has changed in the following half-decade (it's now an increasingly bold mid-blue), so has the smell. Now it possesses moderate projection and smells like an inoffensive though thoroughly puzzling combination of smouldering sandalwood incense sticks, rubber bands and the leather on an expensive sofa from the 1980s. It's pleasant, nice, safe and completely versatile. It's as bland as a fragrance can be. You could wear it to any event at any time of year for any occasion. Nobody will hate it, some may love it and nobody will think you're out to steal their thunder. That full bottle is now one third empty as it has become my go-to of the moment. I've worn it out, to work, to dinner, to a funeral, the cinema, breakfast and a bar mitzvah. Far from being unloved and lonely, City Tower now sits on my desk next to a select bunch of Penhaligon's Legacy of Petra, Quorum, Dior Homme Eau For Men, Azzaro Pour Home and Boucheron Jaipur EDP as the bottles I sniff when I need some comfort.

Epic Journey Into the Bottled Yonder, 114 ------------------------------------------------------- Purchased August 2019 Beginning to hate this site... What's with the accord ladder up there? Fresh spicy? "THIS" is "fresh spicy"....? How? I'm waiting. Ok I'll explain.. It's an incensed oud. Not smoky as hell, but more dark woody powder as hell supported by the incense and then the oud, "and" some leather! This isn't for children, it's not for boys, it's not for men but for those who underSTAND what this hobby is about. When hidden gems like these are thrown out there it's up to us to discover them, and hell yes we'll eventually seek you and destroy. Because this destroys every room I enter, nobody questions it because it's confidence in a bottle. It's the type of scent that elevates your natural born qualities, the things nobody questions, that's what I mean by that thing above. Legitimately a you-won't-know-until-you-know frag. You don't walk into a room and people question your sense of style, manliness, attitude, perspective, your existence on this earth. CityTower reveals that to you and apologises to nothing. But goddamn is this a comforting scent also. Pure luxury and relaxation. This isn't for the office, but it can be daily worn, not sure about signature wear. If this site had another favourite frag slot this would obviously go in there next to my choice of Arabian Nights. Yes I know most of these comments came in previous 4 years, but all of you don't understand what an opposite-of-hyped, real man's fragrance that was new was like, and somehow this is from 2008. Talk about magic. This was preposterously ahead of its time. Modern classic hands down, not often this can be said. Atomiser even oversprays for you.

Oh, these fragrances by Jacques Bogart. How not to sigh by thinking about so many powerful, masculine and stunning creations? I am aware that there are people who don't like any of them; many are actually synthetic, in some way, but as they say: "what would be of the yellow if everyone liked the blue?". In 2008, when some companies began to use the note of Agarwood, the brand has released City Tower, also exploring the note that made a revolution in perfumery. Bogart City Tower was inspired by global trends: Blue buildings, the luxury of Dubai and the stunning and modern skyscrapers around the world. It has the perfect harmony between the concept of the city, its architecture and its towers. In its composition, notes of bergamot, pink pepper, and frankincense, in the output. The heart warms the chest with nutmeg, cardamom, and geranium. All this rests on a soft base of musk and leather, along with the richness of oud, which comes hand in hand to labdanum and its ambery and oriental consistency. On my skin, it behaves like a true oriental-spicy scent, with creamy nuances – like almonds – around hot spices. During various moments of the evolution, it is possible to feel a nuance of vanilla, although it does not exist. To give an idea of the fragrance, I felt a certain similarity with Body Kouros and Laguna Homme, mixing the nuances of labdanum and nutmeg from both. The surprise was the projection, which I found more contained, if compared to the other creations of the House. But don't be fooled: exudes very well and has the typical lasting power of a Bogart scent. The bottle began one of the visual lines of the brand, of which Riviera Nights and Arabian Nights are part of.

City Tower smells far better, is far stronger, and is longer lasting than it has a right to be at its price point (barely more than $20 for 100mL). It could easily be passed off as an EDP. Sprayed it on before bed, and yup, still there in the morning. I ordered this because the notes are very similar to Amouage Epic Man. I can't afford to drop that much on a fragrance, so thought this had the potential to be a decent alternative, especially since Bogart seems to have a reputation for powerhouses. The bottle is deceiving. There is nothing light or aquatic or blue about this fragrance. It is a purely oriental concoction. I find that it seems to be a well blended combination of Epic Man and Penhaligon's LP No.9. Very spicy and incensey, announced with an opening of pink pepper. The drydown remains strong and distinctive, with the musk coming through. I don't get much leather. The oud is a bit understated I think, but it is there. I could do with a bit more. Spices rule. And they last forever. City Tower won't replace Epic Man (it doesn't really touch the luxury or quality of Amouage), and I still have my eye on that one . . . but at least this will hold me over for a while, and will be something to wear when I don't want to use up the really pricey juice. It really is a great frag. Definitely worth the buy. Even blind. I got my bottle at Cheapsmells, but the best price I could find was at Scentsations of Troon.

I blind bought this one at a discount from local store. I didnt have a clue what I was exactly getting, but have always wanted to test any Jacques Bogart fragrance. I am not going into the notes breakdown, but instead the feeling this scent gives me. Even though it is a fairly modern design, instantly at the very first test spray I was transported in my mind into a 70's cafe with leather boothes, at a time when people smoked inside. It just gives me a 'funky' vibe. I dont really know why, since I wasnt even born in 70's 😀 It really is kinda unique, at least I dont think I've smelled anything very similiar recently. Edit: After a few wears this fragrance has really grown into me. I love it, especially the dry down. Initially I felt like I dont like fragrance, but after some wears my mind has changed completely. Anyway I'd recommend to test this one before blind buying,even though it was a cheapie buy (around 13€ for 100ml). Longevity is amazing on my skin. Right now I've passed a 9-hour barrier and still can smell it easilly from 20cm away on my forearm. Projection was quite average, and the scent projected for a way above average time.