Geir Ness is the answer when people asked the question “What does Norway smell like as a perfume?” His creations Laila and Geir for Men play heavily on his Norwegian roots and Laila even carries the tagline of “Essence of Norway”. Now two young Norwegian women, model Britt Hovde Ross and actress Elisabeth Steen would like to add a third point of view to the fragrant Norwegian conversation. In conjunction with perfumer Pierre Constantin-Gueros, of Drom Frgagrances, the ladies decided to create a men’s fragrance that embodied the ship-building and beach retreat of Kristiansand, Norway with the city vibe of New York and thus created the 2010 fragrance Kristiansand New York.
New York City
Norway
Mr. Constantin-Gueros described the process by which he would create this fragrance as, “It was clear to me that this fragrance needs to reflect the fascinating contradiction that Kristiansand New York stands for,” he says. “Kristiansand New York embodies the modern, cosmopolitan and fashion-forward New York lifestyle while paying tribute to the founders’ native Norway, a rather quiet place with a lifestyle much closer to nature. Both places are equally fascinating.” To achieve that goal as in the name the fragrance begins in Norway before hopping our imaginary Lear Jet of the Olfactory and ending in New York.
The top of Kristiansand New York begins with a green-herbal accord of raw green pepper and sage. The sage is the more prominent of the notes on my skin but the vegetal quality of the pepper is actually kept well in check and adds a bit of complexity to a standard herbal beginning. The heart of this is a powdery lavender matched with some clean cedar and balsam woods. This is pretty standard fare for a men’s fragrance and while it doesn’t necessarily tread new ground it is well executed and if you like a woody lavender fragrance it is a quite good example of it. The base is also nothing groundbreaking as a clean musk is paired with a warm amber. As in the heart, while there is nothing here that will make you think this is the next new thing it does feel good as a different variation on an old thing.
Kristiansand New York has average longevity and average sillage.
Kristiansand New York is a good example of a men’s fragrance in the early 21st century. It is a versatile fragrance good for both the office, post-workout, and the evening and would be a solid choice for a man who only wanted to own one bottle of fragrance.
Disclosure: This review was based on a sample provided by Kristiansand New York.
(Note from Michelyn: I tested this on women, and it is a gender -bender fragrance , easily unisex).
Mark Behnke, Managing Editor