Grabazzi (1995)
by Gendarme

I've smelled everything Gendarme has to offer, and although I'm trying to rate and review all of them, I can say with confidence that, longevity issues aside, this is the one I dislike the most. It seems harmless enough, just smelling like soap, but something about it is just off-putting enough to cause me avoid getting too close to people while wearing it. It's pretty clean, with some woody, musky, spiciness blended together. There's a note in there that reminds me of Chanel Pour Monsieur Concentrée's "cough syrup" note, but that's neither here nor there.

There seems to be an evolving nuance to Gendarme's other offerings even though they all appear soapy, but Grabazzi stays true to it's first impression: it smells like hotel soap.

25th September, 2010.

Grabazzi evolves a fair amount, and proves difficult for me because it constantly flirts with being a shampoo scent. The immediate opening is very sharply herbal, and rather invigorating. For a while, it smells decidedly blue to me, like a Blue Cherry Icee. There's some definite fruit at the beginning, but already the herbal shampoo is beginning to appear. A lemon component emerges, but such a thin, acidic lemon peel scent that it's very off-putting. Fortunately it doesn't last long. As the base approaches, I realize that anise, fennel, or one of my other sworn enemies is becoming noticeable, even if not very much, and that is a big part of the cheap old shampoo association that I get. In the end, I'm left with a subdued aura of either Dr. Pepper or sarsaparilla over breakfast cereal, and I'm not in great need of that scent in my life.

13rd June, 2010.

Clean, clean, clean and soapy as they get. The top notes are really unique and lovely, but the dry-down becomes, as one poster noted - "Lava Soap". Still, if you want to offend absolutely nobody, this is a great cologne, although you can achieve the same effect for a lot less money. I like the Gendarme line a lot, but this one...hmmm.

16th March, 2009.

One reviewer has noted a “good tar soap” note; another a tar note. For me, those are very close to my experience. It reminds me of a pumice soap I used years ago (called Lava). At any rate, this is a clean scent, albeit a different type of clean. Not bad, but something I would go for. I get decent longevity out Grabazzi.

31st January, 2009.

Loud soapy laundry detergent. If you want to smell like this, why not dab some softner on your neck?

30th January, 2009.

Smells like really good tar soap, and really good lavender. Reasonable sillage and longevity. The most linear and one-dimensional offering in the gendarme line-up. It's good, just really expensive for something so plain.

9th December, 2008.