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Is Gendarme manly?

post #1 of 28
8/6/06 at 5:09am
Thread Starter 
Is Gendarme best for guys or can a girl wear it without smelling too boyish?
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post #2 of 28
8/6/06 at 8:21am
It definetly smells masculine to me. Not because of musk notes or anything like that, but it's one of the few "clean/fresh" scents that comes across to my nose as more masculine and not unisex (unlike, say Clean for Men, which could be worn by both sexes w/o difficulty, or Mugler Cologne which is definetly unisex). I'm sure alot of people have other opinions though, that's just my nose's take
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post #3 of 28
8/6/06 at 8:47am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by poppy

Is Gendarme best for guys or can a girl wear it without smelling too boyish?

I have Gendarme20. It's a simple, clean musky fragrance that I think would be fine on a female.
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post #4 of 28
8/6/06 at 8:55am
I think the original and 20 are both very close to Carierre, the "women's" Gendarme, so I say sure, they'd smell fantastic on a woman. I also remember one of Indie Guy's stories from long ago. He ran into a woman wearing Gendarme at a club and thought it was incredibly sexy on her.

I say it works for everyone.
--Chris
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post #5 of 28
8/6/06 at 9:25am
Totally unisex. Genderless. In my perception, it may be the least gendered fragrance I've smelled.
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post #6 of 28
8/6/06 at 9:28am
I definatelythink a woman can wear this. And I'm not just saying that because my tastes lean toward more masculine colognes, either. I thing Gendarme is a very clean & soapy scent, and soap is genderless.
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post #7 of 28
8/6/06 at 9:42am
Personally, think Gendarme smells a little more masculine than feminine. But I don't think a woman would smell manly if she wore it.
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post #8 of 28
8/6/06 at 11:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DustB

I think the original and 20 are both very close to Carierre, the "women's" Gendarme, so I say sure, they'd smell fantastic on a woman. I also remember one of Indie Guy's stories from long ago. He ran into a woman wearing Gendarme at a club and thought it was incredibly sexy on her.

I say it works for everyone.
--Chris

In a thread a couple of months ago, someone had reported sending an email to Topper Schroeder, the man behind the Gendarme line, asking him what the difference was between the men's original Gendarme and the women's fragrance in the line, Carriere EDP. The answer, nothing except concentration. Gendarme original is at 12% concentration, Carriere EDP is at 25%. Ounce for ounce and dollar for dollar, Carriere EDP is the best value if your favorite Gendarme fragrance is the original Gendarme.

Even if I didn't know that Gendarme and Carriere EDP are identical, I would have still agreed with Chris and say that Gendarme is one of those fragrances that is decidedly unisex.

scentemental
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post #9 of 28
8/6/06 at 1:07pm
I've worn Gendarme off and on for years. A female friend of mine wears it all the time. To be honest, I think it smells better on her.
On her, Gendarme smells like a luxurious english soap.
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post #10 of 28
8/6/06 at 1:24pm
Funny topic because I think this is very feminine! The musk just doesn't float my boat...I believe this would suit any woman better than it would suit me.
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post #11 of 28
8/6/06 at 1:51pm
Gendarme is a really interesting scent... as others have stipulated.. it's very hard to attach a gender to such a fragrance.. because it has such an ambiguous 'fresh starched shirt or sheets' kind of nature to it... Everyone smells good in nice clean clothes, everyone loves the smell of a freshly made bed.. so, in that respect.. I also think it can be worn by both genders... While wearing it, I've also been told it's quite feminine and floral to the nose... so I suppose it's one of those scents that you "like" or don't like.. gender aside.

a.
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post #12 of 28
8/6/06 at 2:21pm
I just went to their website... www.gendarme.com, and ordered samples of their fragrances (well, the ones that have testers because several don't) and they didn't charge me for postage! Cool.
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post #13 of 28
8/6/06 at 2:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by paintrman

I just went to their website... www.gendarme.com, and ordered samples of their fragrances (well, the ones that have testers because several don't) and they didn't charge me for postage! Cool.

I recently ordered Grabazzi (blind) from their site after reading some of the reviews. ( No postage either ... Yesss!)

I'm keeping my fingers crossed ...
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post #14 of 28
8/6/06 at 3:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ziffy321

I recently ordered Grabazzi (blind) from their site after reading some of the reviews. ( No postage either ... Yesss!)

I'm keeping my fingers crossed ...

You will love Grabazzi...its my favorite Gendarme ! A fresh oriental !
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post #15 of 28
8/6/06 at 8:42pm
gendarme really reminds me of the steam powered professional irons we used to press fabric when i was in fashion school, I would always wear it there and everyone around would also comment at the similarity, but i'd say gendarme is more manly than womanly.. nearfantastica's freshly pressed dresshirts analogy is very on point as well...
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post #16 of 28
8/6/06 at 9:43pm
Gendarmzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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post #17 of 28
8/7/06 at 1:20am
I'm undecided. I have a small decant and I've worn it for maybe 3 - 4 days over the last few months. I don't have a problem wearing it but I don't think it's the most masculine scent I've ever smelled on me. And I like smelling like a M-A-N.

Regardless of gendre issues, the image I get from it is really odd. I get a slightly nightmare-ish scene from a hospital, as if a character has been drugged and when they wake up, they are squinting because everything is too bright, all the patients are moving in slow motion, all the doctors and nurses have overly enthusiastic smiles and the soft muzak in the background is a little too "happy".

Not really a "nightmare" scene, as such, but just a feeling that leaves me thinking there's something just not quite right here...

QE
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post #18 of 28
8/7/06 at 12:20pm
Although Gendarme is out of stock on the Sephora website, if you visit a local Sephora retailer you can find the Gendarme spray for $11.00.
Best bargain I ever got scent-wise, (2nd best is the Rive Gauche I just nabbed off of Ebay for $8.95 plus shillpin).
Gendarme is a wonderful, multi purpose,classy frag.
Gendarme V is even more complex.

B.G.
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post #19 of 28
8/7/06 at 12:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by busterb

Although Gendarme is out of stock on the Sephora website, if you visit a local Sephora retailer you can find the Gendarme spray for $11.00.
Best bargain I ever got scent-wise, (2nd best is the Rive Gauche I just nabbed off of Ebay for $8.95 plus shillpin).
Gendarme is a wonderful, multi purpose,classy frag.
Gendarme V is even more complex.

B.G.

You wont like Gendarme V if you dont like Vetiver.
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post #20 of 28
8/7/06 at 12:49pm
I thought it was very gender-less. Very plain and clean. Nothing gender specific about it.
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post #21 of 28
8/7/06 at 1:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by steveharrisonmc

I thought it was very gender-less. Very plain and clean. Nothing gender specific about it.

Yes, i agree.
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post #22 of 28
8/7/06 at 3:59pm
I've had a girlfriend tell me I smell like flowers from her grandma's house. But whatever, I like it on myself and I can imagine liking it on a lady as well.
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post #23 of 28
8/8/06 at 9:18am
Gendarme will never be labeled a testosterone bomb by any stretch, but I don't find it particularly unmanly either.

There have been reviews and statements to the contrary, but I've always experienced some amazing development and a decent amount of projection.

A newly laundered cotton shirt drying on the line in clean mountain air. Throw in a little starch, a bit of lavender and musk........

I use it frequently and in a myriad of situations with full confidence..............
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post #24 of 28
8/8/06 at 10:41am
I echo the other sentiments: it's definitely a scent for everyone.

That said, I can't wear it on my skin anymore. It just doesn't mesh with my body chemistry, especially on my face, so I took a tip from someone here and started spraying just my chest with it, allowing my shirts to absorb the scent. Then, it smells the way I remember it used to smell on me.

The last time I did this, I'd worn the shirt only for a few hours and hung it back up in the closet. My closet was scented for a good two weeks after with Gendarme...
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post #25 of 28
8/8/06 at 12:11pm
hey guys what do you think:

there was always one big obstacle for me in approaching those scents: THEIR NAME. i kwow this may be stupid or/and narrow-minded, but i couldn't imagine a name as vulgar and as cheap for a line of fragrances dating post-2000 than: Gendarme! but now, since being a BN-member and having read so many well-receiving reviews about products of that company i became rather curious. but i asked myself: am i just an awful snob or is there anybody else feeling the same???
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post #26 of 28
8/8/06 at 12:23pm
"Gendarme" sounds cool to me - certainly better than Dzing!, Timbuktu, Dzongkha, or Rahat Loukoum.
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post #27 of 28
8/8/06 at 4:07pm
What is the correct pronuciation of "Gendarme"?
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post #28 of 28
8/8/06 at 5:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by wxman

What is the correct pronuciation of "Gendarme"?

G like the j in john, EN like the un in under, DAR as in darling,ME like meadow or you can drop the E entirely; that's up to you! "gendarme" is an old tern for a kind of police agent, it's literal meaning is "man of the weapon: "gen-" is from les gens, the people, "-darme" is from originally "d'arme(s), l'arme means the weapon....
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