We are starting to see more perfumery coming from the northern climes of the world: Andrea Maack, from Iceland and Byredo, from Sweden, are two lines we have come to enjoy. We introduce you now to a new player in the land of ice and volcanoes: Gydja.

The Gydja collection is a luxury fashion brand that is the brainchild of entrepreneur and designer Sigrun Lilja Gudjonsdottir. Launched in 2007, and rapidly gaining acclaim throughout the fashion world, her line consists of fashion, accessories, and perfumes. Her work is inspired by the powerful energies found in the geothermal pool of warm water lying under the surface of the geologically active country of Iceland, and many products contain materials unique to the country.

The perfume line consists of two scents named for Icelandic glaciers: Eyjafjallajokull (EFJ), which was released first and marketed to women; and Vatnajokull (VJK), marketed to men. They are airy and light, both being made with pure glacial water. Each bottle comes decorated with a piece of volcanic lava. The combination of glacier and volcano are symbolic of the powerful force that is created when the two meet (the Eyjafjallajokull glacier is also an active volcano, and a large eruption was responsible for the 2010 disruptions in air travel).

VJK is a nicely-done example of a modern fragrance for men. Crisp, with a bit of bite, it is slightly aquatic while still finding some softness from the woods. The jasmine is very quiet. I applied this to my arm fairly liberally, and it settled into my skin quickly, leaving a slightly bitter and quite masculine aroma. This is a scent for a crisp spring day, when you are in the sun but being whipped a bit by a chilly breeze. Upon reapplication, the opening notes were very reminiscent of gin-and-tonic and added some pizazz.

VJK – citrus, jasmine, white musk and cashmere wood.

EFJ uses a softer citrus note than the VJK, and is quite juicy. The roses are soft, but present, and are blended nicely with the vanilla and citruses. The citrus aromas are dominant for some time. Like VJK, it settled quickly, and I found it very wearable and summery. I am sorry that the weather was a bit chilly when I wore this scent, because I think it would bloom a bit in the heat and be quite refreshing. I re-applied, and the amplification was quite satisfying and fragrant. While VJK is, in my mind, truly geared to the young modern male, EFJ could be worn by either sex pretty easily.

EFJ – citrus, vanilla, roses and bergamot

My experiment with reapplication of both of these fragrances leads me to think that these are perfumes to be applied liberally throughout the day. The longevity is not bad, but the different facets that come through when the scents are layered on themselves are quite nice. Sillage is light – I do consider these to be skin scents. I would imagine their transparency is a by-product of being water perfumes, but I have little experience with that genre. Both fragrances are available in 50 and 100 mls on the Gydja website.

Thanks to the generosity of Gydja, we are offering a full 100 ml bottle of EFJ to one lucky winner. Leave a comment below and let us know what you think about water perfumes, or what you thought of this article. We will draw one winner on March 22, 2012 via random.org.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilt perfume.

–Tama Blough, Senior Editor