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need advice about gendarme

post #1 of 10
12/6/05 at 4:34pm
Thread Starter 
Hello everyone,

This is my first post on basenotes. Â*I am a middle age male who has just started collecting frags. Â*I just received a sample of gendarme and must say am quite impressed with the fresh scent, however longevity seems to be a problem, at least on my skin type. Â*I would like to know if there is another frag that I could use with gendarme that would compliment it and still allow me to maintain that fresh, clean scent. Â*My initial small collection includes the following:

gendarme
gucci envy
eau sauvage
versace L homme
pierre cardin bleu marine
escada casual friday
escada silver light
lauder for men
kenneth cole new york
green irish tweed
dolce & gabbana
pi
hugo boss edt

Would any of the above mix well with gendarme. Â*If so, would I apply the gendarme first and then the other frag, or vice versa. Â*Thank you much for any replies. Â*Look forward to participating more on this great forum.

Jim
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post #2 of 10
12/6/05 at 4:55pm
Hi wolfpackfan,

Welcome to basenotes! I don't have any suggestions for you but I guess you could sit around one weekend and run some experiments. If it stinks, just wash it off and try again.

Good luck and keep good notes.
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post #3 of 10
12/6/05 at 5:00pm
Welcome to Basenotes Jim!
I too am a great admirer of Gendarme so I am aware of how elusive it can be. First off let me say that once you start mixing Gendarme with other scents, it isn't going to be Gendarme anymore but something of your own creation. The only way you are going to know how well it works on you is to start experimenting. For me personally, am trying to get the scent to linger by availing myself of the many "extras" you can buy that are scented with Gendarme: shower gel, deo, after shave balm. All good products and all smell great.
Another thing you might try is to see how you like Gendarme 20. It is basically an EdP concentration of Gendarme. Gendarme 20 has a more pronounced lavender/thyme note, but it is quite nice and the overall effect is very similar to the original Gendarme. The good news is, it seems to last longer than the original and seems perfect if you wanted to layer it with the original.
The other day I wore Chanel Platinum Egoist all day when I got home form work I wanted to freshen up and something made me reach for the Gendarme. Layered over the CPE drydown it smelled fantastic! I see you don't currently own Platinum Egoist but it may be something to keep in mind.
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post #4 of 10
12/6/05 at 5:27pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the welcome whitebar and loungeboy. Forget to say in my initial post that I did use my eau sauvage as my SOTD. Applied it at 8:00 am this morning. My sample of gendarme came in around 3:00 pm. I applied a small of gendarme over the eau sauvage on my forearms and was surprised at the nice scent created. Of course the sauvage was on for 7 hours before applying the gendarme and was getting weak. Guess I will have to experiment with other frags, or better yet, try the gendarme after shave balm and body wash as loungeboy suggests.

Have any of you guys ever tried the lauder for men frag? Kind of hard to find these days. I used to use it back in the 80's and liked it very much. Just found a source for it and ordered. Reminds me of the "old days". Very nice, manly scent and lasts forever.

Jim
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post #5 of 10
12/6/05 at 5:36pm
I just got a small bottle of Lauder for Men a few weeks ago. I also used it way back when and when I saw it for sale this year I figured I had to try it. Estee Lauder has a gift pack that has small bottles of all of their current men's scents and I picked that up. Lauder for Men is very nice and several folks who smelled it on me both said the same thing, "It smells masculine". There is something in Lauder for Men that actually makes my nasal passages tingle.....and not in a bad way or a way that makes me sneeze. It is very bizarre. I like it.
How do you think Gendarme would be layered over it? Not something I would think to do but you never know.
Your Eau Sauvage/Gendarme combo sounds like it might be a better mix.
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post #6 of 10
12/6/05 at 5:49pm
Thread Starter 
Glad you like the lauder for men, loungeboy. I too, have received some nice comps when I wear it. Don't think it would work with gendarme though, although I will probably test it when I'm trying to find a good combo. Have you ever tried Happy? Read somewhere that someone layered it with gendarme and obtained a wonderful scent! May get some Happy and try that. Have heard some good things about Happy by many posters. Don't know if it would be too "young" for me, but what the hell. By the by, I notice your post time was 1:38 am. Where are you guys posting from? It is 5 hours earlier than that on the East Coast.

Jim
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post #7 of 10
12/6/05 at 5:52pm
I also recommend Gendarme 20. When my original bottle ran out, I replaced it with this one. Side by side, you may tell a very slight difference in concentration. But the sillage is identical.

Still not the longest lasting frag in my collection, but MUCH more longevity than the original.

On the downside, it's only available in a 4 oz. bottle for $72.
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post #8 of 10
12/6/05 at 7:41pm
Hello Wolfpack,

I too am a big fan of Gendarme. It is a well known quirk of Gendarme that it disappears from YOUR nose rather quickly, but it can be smelled by OTHERS for a long, long time. However, if you like to smell yourself throughout the day, I'd agree with buying the bath products or just get a small atomizer for a little refresher now and then. I haven't smelled Gendarme 20 to confirm if its stronger or longer lasting.

As for layering, I have never layered Gendarme. A good rule for layering is to layer scents from different families, so stay away from anything that is too floral or herbal. Try a citrus like the Happy mentioned above or woody like Envy. In my head, the eau savage + gendarme doesn't sound good, but you can try anything once

Welcome to Basenotes
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post #9 of 10
12/6/05 at 8:55pm
Gendarme + Original Vetiver
Gendarme + Happy
and don't freak out guys....

The SA at Sephora showed me this today.....

Gendarme + Pi.....it was SUPRISINGLY good.
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post #10 of 10
12/7/05 at 10:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by wolfpackfan

Glad you like the lauder for men, loungeboy. Â*I too, have received some nice comps when I wear it. Â*Don't think it would work with gendarme though, although I will probably test it when I'm trying to find a good combo. Â*Have you ever tried Happy? Â*Read somewhere that someone layered it with gendarme and obtained a wonderful scent! Â*May get some Happy and try that. Â*Have heard some good things about Happy by many posters. Â*Don't know if it would be too "young" for me, but what the hell. Â*By the by, I notice your post time was 1:38 am. Â*Where are you guys posting from? Â*It is 5 hours earlier than that on the East Coast.

Jim


I'm in Hawaii.
I love Clinique Happy for Men. It is extremely fresh on its own so I would think a shot of Gendarme would just be guilding the lily. But heck, it is worth a shot. I'll have to try it when I get home.
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