As most of the Demeters it smells exactly like it says on the bottle, solely and purely as freshly cut celery. Its green and sharp. I wouldn't call it fresh, there is a funky, almost salty note to it, but its crisp and edgy and cuts like a knife through warm, stale summer air. Demeters are not known for quality and long lasting fragrances and Celery is no exception. I find that Celery stays for about an hour, but then again, maybe you don't want to smell like celery forever?
Celery can be worn on it's own, but it's great to layer. To me, this is my new bergamot. Of course the scent is nothing like bergamot, but it goes with nearly everything, adding freshness and a zap of energy wherever applied. As an example, I've tried using it over Demeter "Fig Leaf". "Fig Leaf", contrary to it's name, does not contain any hints of leaves. In my opinion it really ought to be named "Figgy Smelling Sun Tan Lotion". Its very sweet and foody, mostly smelling of coconut, but when Celery is applied over it, it becomes true to it's name.
Another Demeter, "Dirt", also benefits from Celery. Dirt is a classic, the forerunner to the whole CB I Hate Perfume soil accord. Dirt can be gorgeous but I have a skin chemistry issue with it. On me it goes way too sweet, smelling like limpid beet roots that are bordering on going bad. It makes me think of those brown worms that come crawling out after raining. Again, Celery comes to the rescue, adding sharpness and focus to the whole thing, making it wearable.
And when one browses all the Demeter titles there is really no end to layering experiments to try out. Maybe one should get "Tomato" and "Cucumber" and become a green salad?
So, I'm rating Celery 4 out of 5. There is nothing "haute" about it, but it's a fun scent, great for people like me that love to play around with scents, layering and experimenting.
