New Perfume Review: Monsillage Eau de Céleri by Isabelle Michaud + Spring Green Chypre Draw

isabelle-michaud

Isabelle Michaud

Isabelle Michaud, the creative mind behind Canadian brand Monsillage, has followed an unusual and meandering path into perfumery. In the biography on her website, she talks about her love of fragrance from a very young age. A creative and intuitive person by nature she embarked on many wonderful adventures before finally reawakening her passion for scent. She became a qualified perfumer through the traditional route, by attending the renowned ISIPCA perfume institute in Versailles."Monsillage was born two years later; the result of a somewhat disorienting life path that has achieved, much like a spinning top, surprising balance. Perfumed memoirs gathered left and right along a winding road… the proof that not all who wander are lost."

photograph by Thomas Hawk eau de celeri

Photo:Thomas Hawk

So it seems that there is a lot of spirit captured within the elegant bottles of the Monsillage collection, which is made up of six fragrances. Vol 870- Yul CDG, Eau Fraiche, Aviation Club, Ipanema Posto Nove, Dupont Circle and the latest release, Eau de Céleri. A finalist for an Art and Olfaction award, due to be announced imminently, Eau de Céleri is an intensely green chypre that I've fallen rather hard for.  Before I began to educate myself in the realms of fragrance, I would answer the question "what is your favourite genre of scent" with a jubilant shout, "Green!"

photograph by Viviane Sassen

Photo: Viviane Sassen

However, once I understood what a 'green' perfume really was and delved into the mossy depths of the chypre, I began to change my mind. What I actually meant was that I liked bright, crisp florals and fresh citruses. Green fragrances, particularly those with a prominent use of vetiver, seemed masculine, clingy and very complex to my naive little nose. I was rather afraid of them. Over the years I have learned to appreciate and love many green fragrances, but if I'm honest I don't often reach for them to wear on a daily basis. Eau de Céleri may change that for me.

Ryan James Caruthers

Photo: Ryan James Caruthers

The scent opens with a photorealistic cut grass note, tuned higher with bitter lemon and tart grapefruit. It's an awesome blast of pure, spring-like verdancy, with a lovely nostalgic quality to it. I am reminded of school break time in warmer weather, when we were allowed to play out in the field behind the building. It is crisp, clear, crunchy and crystalline, little fragments of emerald and peridot gleaming in a freeze-frame of tossed grass cuttings. There is also a delightful dampness underlying  the bright top notes, vetiver and galbanum with all their dark and marshy qualities serving as a pulpy base for the lighter notes to sparkle and dance upon.

eau de celeri monsillage

Intermingled amongst all this is a savoury impression of celery seeds, bashed up inside an olive wood mortar. It a distinctive quality that resolutely sets Eau de Céleri apart from other, more forest moss-type green cyphres. Whilst the overall feeling is one of stem and soil, the sheer radiance of colour captured within the fragrance breathes new life into this classic genre. It is textural all the way through, crunchy as a fresh stalk yet with a tender delicacy (not to be confused with subtlety; this is a tenacious scent with impressive longevity) that really sets all the senses tingling. I would highly recommend Eau de Céleri for those who love green and earthy perfumes, yet it might also tickle the fancy of citrus lovers too. An exceedingly lovely fragrance and one made with a lot of soul. Not to be missed.

Top notes: coriander, galbanum, cut grass, bergamot, lemon, grapfruit. Heart notes: flower buds. Base notes: vetiver, patchouli, cedar.

Disclaimer- samples gratefully received from Monsillage, opinions my own.

Susie Baird, Editor and author of Epiphany.

eau de cel ri monsillage

Thanks to Twisted Lily we have three samples for three US readers. To be eligible you must be a registered reader. Please leave a comment with what you enjoyed about Susie’s review of Eau de Céleri and why you would like to win. Bonne Chance Isabelle!!!

Editor's note: Eau de Celeri won in the Artisan Category  a few hours after this post

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 spilled perfume

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15 comments

  • Doreen Stelton says:

    Green is my favorite color. Almost a favorite fragrance type too! I love art and the descriptive of bashing of seed, very visceral. An intriguing review! Thanks for the draw. I am in the US.

  • MikasMinion says:

    I walked the same path, thinking at one time I loved green fragrances but really mostly loving chypres and the warmer green chypres as well as earthy soil-y scents. I do own and love a few true greens but find them too sharp to wear frequently. Thank you, Susie, for creating another lemming. I’m in the U.S. and really must try to get my paws on Eau de Céleri.

  • Nemo says:

    I love the idea of a green perfume with celery seeds, especially with cut grass. I am in the US, thank you!

  • Cynthia says:

    This sounds so perfect for summer. I like the allusion of celery seeds ground up with a morter and pedestal. This one has been receiving a lot of positive press the last couple of weeks. I can’t wait to try it. I’m in the USA. Thanks for the draw!

  • fazalcheema says:

    I enjoyed the fact Susie was driven away from green scents because they seemed masculine at times but Eau de Celeri has changed that. with its grassy note as well as lemon, it seems like a great fragrance for spring time. thanks so much for the draw. i am in the US

  • sunnlitt says:

    I do love green scents, and would love to experience one that is crisp, clean and crunchy!
    Thanks for the lovely drawing.

  • Systeme D says:

    What an enticing review. I love citrus, and green, I am a sucker for a quality chypre, and in my opinion, celery stalks and celery seed are two of the best things about a Bloody Mary.

    I’d love to try this fragrance. After this alliterative string, “crisp, clear, crunchy and crystalline,” who wouldn’t?

    I am in the US.

  • Patty P. says:

    Sounds perfect as the local weather warms up and things outside begin to grow. I like the smell of celery seeds. You can’t read this review without thinking green. USA 🙂

  • Foxbins says:

    Susie illuminated for me those qualities I don’t care for in chypres–murkiness and a sense of gravitas that makes them feel masculine–and highlighted Eau di Celeri’s crisp, textural qualities. It sounds fascinating, and not your usual chypre and I’d love to try it. Congrats to Monsillage for the win!

  • jules says:

    What didn’t I enjoy about her review? The description about a base of dark balancing the light sounds like my idea of a wonderful balance of green. I also loved the winding road she spoke of the author of this scent took, so much of a scent speaks to the life experience of the person behind it, never thought about it until now.

  • SandiL says:

    Green scents haven’t been that agreeable on my skin… they just don’t play nice 🙁 That doesn’t mean I afraid to try them. I trust Susie’s perfume judgement and this one seems worth the try.

  • FearsMice says:

    Crystalline… Emerald… Peridot… cut grass… my favorite task as a homeowner is mowing the lawn. The crunchy, spring-time verdancy of the fragrance sounds enticing, and I’d love the opportunity to tell any inquirers that my scent is ” Eau de Céleri”!

  • hofken says:

    I enjoyed Susie’s review of Eau de Céleri and how it differs from the usual green fragrances and I would like to win to experience the celery