Witness by Jacques Bogart

1992 found Jacques Bogart releasing the eclectic Witness. It's hard to believe it has taken me until now to finally snag a few bottles ( dirt cheap I might add). A thread dedicated to Witness was going a few months ago on basenotes and it compelled me to look up the accords since I have never sampled it let alone wore it.

After finding the listed notes, I laughed out loud since there's at least 26 notes comprising Witness. There's nothing funny about it except already knowing what vibe it would project compared to what's formulated today. Suffice it to say that, once my bottles arrived, it didn't disappoint.

One of the first things I noticed upon wearing this Oriental Woody was that it had similarities to Jaguar Mark II circa 1995 and that the opening assault was borderline aromatic for the first few minutes. I have a proclivity for the boisterous, but that doesn't mean I like all rambunctious scents. Witness won me over however, mainly because it quickly adjusts its volume and proceeds to emit unadulterated masculinity. The first few minutes had me in indecision, but gave way to gratitude that a workhorse frag this good can be had for literal peanuts.

Witness is a testament to masculine scents that are extinct. Look at the accords :

Top: Aldehydes, Artemesia, Basil Oil, Bergamot Oil, Coriander, Lavender, Lemon, Orange

Heart : Carnation, Cinnamon, Fir, Geranium, Honey, Jasmin, Rose

Base : Amber, Benzoin, Cedar, Cistus Oil, Moss, Musk, Patchouli, Sandal, Styrax, Vanilla

This fragrance opens with a jolt of orange-tinged woodiness that is aromatic. A spicy citric thread is interwoven in there for a very noticeable top accord. I find it comparable to renditions from the 1980's. It surely makes a statement and subtlety be damned.

The heart lowers the volume a notch and brings cinnamon and a dash of honey to augment the topnotes. There's intermittent fir and geranium wafting around in this brew as well before Witness becomes even more low key. By the time the base unveils itself, a soft woody-tabac made comfortable by a van-amber is apparent, along with a dusting of moss and patchouli. In spite of the sheer number of notes implemented, they all seem to get their opportunity for team-play in Bogart's Witness.

Allow me to say that I have other masculines in my rotation that are akin and cost quite a bit more, yet aren't as impressive as Witness. Need I say more? If you're on the fence, go sample this and decide for yourself. Aromi gives Witness a big thumbs up.

Newport by Caswell Massey

Bergamot, Mandarin, Lemon, Lavender, Geranium, Muguet, Rose, Ambergris, Cedar, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Musk. After wearing Newport by Caswell Massey a few times and then reading what others had to say about this recent formulation, I found some of the opinions harsh. I have no way to compare it to the heralded vintage formula, nor can I use memory as I've never tried the original. Enter the current version. I do agree with some reviews that this rendition does not bring about the sense of beach and salt, but there's a long line of fragrances that fail to represent their depictions. However, Newport isn't so far off the mark that it's a complete misrepresentation. I can imagine wearing Newport ( or something similar ) in a beach setting. It smells classic due to the way Citrus, Lavender and Geranium are implemented. It's assuredly retro, but it seems to have that intangible I like that keeps me sniffing. Newport, at least on my skin, is top heavy in the sens...

Black Suede by Avon

Nutmeg, Clove, Amber, Musk, Moss, Wood Notes. Yes.........I am reviewing one of the Rodney Dangerfield's of fragrance. Black Suede has been gracing medicine cabinets, for better or worse, since 1980 my friends. If you're expecting me to inform you ( like others may have already ) that Black Suede is a nasty scrubber, you will be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're expecting a glowing review claiming it's a diamond in the rough, you won't hear that from me either. I will say though that Black Suede doesn't deserve the hate it's received and most of that is due to snobbery aimed at Avon products in general. I kid you not when I state that a close relative to this fragrance is Cacharel Pour L'Homme. The array of spice in both ensure comparison, but the "smoother" of the two is Black Suede due to its implementation of Amber. While wearing Black Suede, one can detect a hint of "drugstore". That quality doesn't manife...

Lanvin L'Homme

Lord knows the world has enough fresh woody citrus fragrances. It's a hackneyed genre of masculine perfume, having been done to death by countless designer firms cranking these things out since the 1990s, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. Lanvin L'Homme, released in 1997, is one of the early woody citrus releases, but it (along with Essenza di Zegna) stands out because it's one of the best. That may sound like it's not saying much, but Lanvin L'Homme really is excellent. I won't get into a long treatise about all of the notes contained in this and how they evolve. Lanvin L'Homme is sparkling, spicy, woody, transparent and dry. What I love about this scent is how brilliantly it uses vetiver - the vetiver gives Lanvin L'Homme a woody, dry and somewhat bitter smell, but it also manages to create an effect of sustaining the citrus top notes for several hours. This results in a fragrance that smells fresh and cheerful from beginning ...

bosunkoyaNovember 24, 2010 at 10:30 AM
Glad you finally got your hands on Witness. Your review and comments are spot-on, as usual.

Cheers.
AromiEroticiNovember 25, 2010 at 8:15 AM
Thank you bosunkoya. I have worn it a few times now and like it very much. It seems it's an overlooked classic.
shamu1November 26, 2010 at 6:59 AM
I'm surprised you hadn't tried Witness until now Aromi. It is a great scent. I bought a couple of bottles blind two years ago and haven't regretted it. It's an overlooked powerhouse from an era known for wimpy fragrances (i.e., the 1990s). Enjoy.

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