Gendarme V (2000)
by Gendarme

lemon and lemonbalm but not a lemony scent. i smell some lime and that's about it. i got a used bottle of ebay so it won't get a thumbs down.

Doesn't Gendarme do anything else besides soapy, clean scents. This one has a weird floral note (carnation?) in it. A little better than the original.

A clean, crisp and vibrant Gendarme with a quality civet note that brings it all together, as well as adding relative depth and surprising tenacity. It smells great and has a certain cerebral quality. I've been wearing it for months and I like it more all the time. I mean sh*t, there are times when I actually crave the stuff.

My girlfriend likes it as well. Thinks it’s sexy. Must be the civet.

I have a hard time distinguishing this from the original. As with the original, I don't find the unnuanced grassiness very appealing.

A less citrusy version of the original classic, the base of Vetiver and Tonka is what distinguishes it. One of my friends like this version better, and says that the earth Vetiver is what makes it stand out (he is a big fan of earthy vetiver scents). However to my nose, the combination of the clean fresh top notes and then a transformation to an earthy vetiver base, while sounds intriguing on paper, doesnt really work for me .. the fresh top notes and the earthy vetiver clash a lot and the scent seems unstable at times.

Subtle variation on the original Gendarme. To my nose, the same quiet purity and quality but a different dimension of clean with less of a citrus emphasis. Imagine a summer breeze blowing gently through the flimsy curtains of a quiet room that smells vey pure and with a faint odour of fine spice. As with the original Gendarme, a rather frail scent, but utterly wearable, calm and kind.
It's not surprising that some politicians apparently wear Gendarme scents. Perhaps their public relations people ought to insist on it. After all, these scents project such subtle subconscious cues about what a decent, upstanding fellow the wearer must be. No sleaze or chicanery around here, folks!