Racine Carrée

I have learned that I enjoy smelling like carrots and celery. Why, you may ask? I suppose what it does is fire certain happy neurons in my head and may be a source of comfort for me the same way as, say, sweet dessert smells may do the same for someone else. The vegetal, the rooty, the herbal all seem to reflect my fondness for gardens and plants in general. I have often thought that if reincarnation were true, in my past life I lived off the earth. It may also explain my penchant for overalls as a teenager in the 90s—sure, they were "in" for a hot minute, especially with one of the straps unhooked. My favorite pair was green Cross Colours, worn with a Phillies Blunts t-shirt underneath, but I digress... I am drawn to both carrot seed or celery seed, or just plain carrot or celery in any notes pyramid. I do think one of the reasons I adore Caron Yatagan is its distinct celery overtone. So, when I learned of Lebreton's Racine Carée (√) I just had to give it a whirl. There is a chilled, crunchy, wet sensation of our noble veggies from the very start. The truth about both carrot and celery is that they are both highly aromatic and were prized for this in the past, being anything but pedestrian, once having been regarded as culinary centerpieces. I do highly recommend reading more on the history of their use. In Racine Carée, they are honored as worthy of a perfume centerpiece. What is ingenious is how Lebreton carries their impression after the natural materials have evaporated, by anchoring with orris, vetiver, and cypriol. Some may find it a bit too directly vegetal and cold for their taste, but I think it's a sheer delight and especially festive to wear during late summer's harvest. Chef's kiss!

Why on earth (or under earth, rather) would I want to smell like celery, you ask? The answer is: because of this very aptly named perfume, which is surprisingly delightful. It’s roots, roots, roots, with a big side of celery. Opens with the same strong, earthy orris as L’Eau Merzhin, but that dissipates much faster here, giving way to a duet between carrot and celery. The carrot is not at all sweet, it smells like freshly pulled from the ground, with the greens still attached. The celery smells extremely realistic, like biting into a crunchy stalk. For 20 minutes or so, I get carrot and celery alternating in dominance, every now and then a hint of licorice root. The celery wins out eventually, and only at that point does the beautiful vetiver start shining through. Green and earthy, not smoky. There are still hints of celery at this point, and a spicy note I can’t quite place. These are all cold notes individually, evoking damp February soil, but somehow the composition as a whole has a cozy, lived-in feeling to it, that makes it much more wearable than I expected. Lebreton has a real knack for turning an innovative artistic concept into a well-rounded, perfume with a classic feel. Impressive.

Surprisingly highly bitter, dark suede green, at first sniff I had the feeling that it was almost smooth leather with a quick onset of harsh earthy herbs. The celery dry scratchy theme is recognizable, carrot is possible, although I can't specifically find it. Chamomile is a beautiful idea and addition, at least if I perceive it as seamlessly blended. Licorice, iris and clary sage highlighted by a harder introduction, you won't find a gram of unnecessary sugar, ending with vetiver...simply great. This is how it should be done. More for male, here even tougher women will have something to do to make the fragrance theirs and not the other way around. Nice, original piece, thank you, just please stretch the sillage with something - the beginning is really good, the longevity is not bad but the intensity quickly falls to intimate, but don't worry, it's not skin only, a tiny lingering note will keep a bubble of interesting aura around you. Not violent at all, yet capable of being a signature scent.

The best from this brand, a fragrance that is cerebral and contemplative and calming. Crisp without being fresh, vegetal without being green. Subverts expectations at every turn. Vetiver can be tricky for me because it's usually too fresh and citrusy and masculine. I also don't like the smoky and woody aspects of vetiver, again too severe for me even though I like smoke generally. This goes full in on the vegetal and rooty aspects of vetiver with a slight woody drydown. Could have been a gimmick, with the perfumer limiting himself to only roots for ingredients, but it turned out beautifully. The celery is absolutely crunchy, you can feel it breaking in half in front of you. Every other note adds depth and nuance.

A vegetal, earthy, rooty vetiver. It's got that aromatic feel of traditional vetiver, but also plays up the clay-like feel of vetiver with surrounding vegetal notes. I smelled a very rooty iris and then the celery and carrot notes also totally make sense to me. I also get the sage - it's aromatic and earthy, with a nice spice to it. Again, don't know that I'd wear, but I appreciate the artistry. For me,the chamomile is soemthing I smell in hindsight. I was unable to detect it, but seeing it as a note, and then re-smelling it's like ah yea of course.