Reviews – Sarah Jessica Parker – Stash

Sarah Jessica Parker (SJP) – Stash – SJP delivers the goods. 8/10.

Celebrity scents seem to get a bad rap. Fair enough too. Most of them are candy-sweet confections with little backbone or originality. Any wonder then that I tend to give them a wide berth when I see them on the fragrance shelf.

My celebrity scent snobbery extended to Sarah Jessica Parker (SJP) scents. Perhaps, it was because I didn’t know that much about her film or television pursuits, but I’d never taken heed, until recently, of any of her perfumes. My bad. Scents such as Lovely and Stash are brilliant. Seemingly, some effort has been put into her line. I believe SJP takes a hands-on approach to the perfume-making and development process.

Stash, the subject of my review today, has many interesting facets worth further exploration. From the opening blast, it is evident that something special is afoot. Stash’s spicy woody and herbal characteristics remind me of something from Comme des Garcons. Sage and black pepper notes give it a spicy accent and intriguing launchpad, setting the scene for what’s to come. Indeed, this is a dark, meditative scent, bereft of the syrupy sweetness and shampoo musks one usually associates with the genre.

The confluence of cedar, patchouli, vetiver, and olibanum notes gives Stash its woody, smoky traits. I’ve seen Stash compared to Santal 33, but Stash is more interesting. Undoubtedly, it differs from Santal 33 in some areas. For example, Stash has a more dominant green earthy patchouli component, and the smoky stamp of the olibanum gives it an added veil of mystery. Maybe, a combination of Diptyque’s Tam Dao and Comme des Garcons Wonderwood would be the more appropriate comparison.

Stash continues to surprise in the far dry down. The central milky/creamy massoia wood accord begins to unfurl after an hour. It’s not a note used very often, but Jean-Claude Ellena famously used it in the Hermessence scent, Santal Massoia. It casts a toasted coconut effect over Stash. It would be remiss of me not to mention the pistachio, which adds an intriguing nutty layer, and crunchy contrast to the woods and spices in Stash.

Sarah Jessica Parker used body odour, church, leather, and a few masculine fragrances containing incense and vetiver she owned as inspiration for Stash. It sounds like a very niche approach. And the final results are truly impressive. Thankfully, I’m not sure I pick up much in the way of body odour in Stash. However, I’d agree on the other aspects. For the record, the church incense quality in Stash is nothing compared to something like CDG’s Avignon. Instead, it’s considerably muted and multifaceted, perhaps more like a church set amongst the greenery of a cedar/pine forest. Maybe it’s the pharmacy-style bottle giving me this impression, but Stash is undeniably medicinal.

All in all, Stash is a beautifully blended unisex celebrity scent. Atypical and unique. Unequivocally, one of the best in the much-maligned category.

Quick Notes:

Launch Year: 2016.

Perfumer/s: Laurent Le Guernec, Clement Gavarry.

Top notes: Black pepper, sage, grapefruit.

Mid Notes: Patchouli, cedar, pistachio, white ginger lily.

Base Notes: Massoia wood, olibanum, vetiver, musk.

Longevity: 6-8 hours maximum.

Projection: 3 hours medium.

Season: Autumn, winter.

Price: I purchased my 30ml bottle for $10AUD, but on SJP’s official website I see it is priced at $75USD. That’s a fair price, however if you hunt around you can get this very cheaply.

Alternatives: CDG Wonderwood, and Avignon. Diptyque, Tam Dao, Hermes, Santal Massoia.

Have you tried Stash, and what’s your favourite celebrity scent?

Note: All photos by me.