I forgive Stash many things:
1. its name (to me, "Stash" doesn't jibe with the advertising or bottle);
2. the fact I could only smell Stash at Ulta Beauty (I went to two Ulta stores in order to get a sample of Stash. At Ulta No. 1 the S.A. said: "Uh, nope, we have Stash but not a tester bottle...I have a bottle here I'm making into a tester." Me: "Can I sniff it?" S.A.: "I'm making a tester...SOON." She chuckled and moved on. The store was empty.
3. Sarah Jessica Parker (whose roles never resonate with me). SJP: hie thee to a desert, strip your face of all makeup and play a character with little money and no "wardrobe;" perhaps a graveyard-shift nurse who also runs an animal rescue farm near Albuquerque with her lazy-ass teen sons and bitch of a mother...Sissy Spacek? Kathy Bates?
I admit I didn't have much hope for Stash, even when Parker said the perfume was "all about leather, cognac and, yes, body odor. 'It’s old and sexy, like a sweater from a guy who was on the Eurorail too long or something.'”1 Though that statement and the notes (grapefruit zest, black pepper, sage, Atlas cedar, patchouli, ginger lily, pistachio, olibanum, massoia wood, vetiver and musk) sounded promising, I couldn't believe Stash would come close to the perfume Parker dreamed of making pre-Lovely (the one based on her own recipe of Comme des Garçons Incense Avignon, Bonne Bell Musk and "Egyptian Musk").
I was wrong!
When I finally sprayed on Stash, I smelled sweet grapefruit and pepper, a resonant wood note and perhaps a floral touch; the perfume was very light. Minutes later, something great happened: the fragrance bloomed and surrounded me with wonderful aromas of grapefruit, vetiver, milky woods, frankincense and benzoin. For some faint-nosed souls who hate all things "dirty," Stash may be a bit "unclean" but to me its grapefruit, cedar and vetiver don't conjure an unwashed man on the Eurorail (notice how Parker can't find a similar guy on...Amtrak?) In fact, Stash joins the meager ranks of non-Eaux de Cologne that I would wear to bed; its final stage of talc-y vetiver is soooo comforting and cozy.
Stash reminds me of a quieter Frédéric Malle Vétiver Extraordinaire; it also brought to mind Eau d'Italie Bois d'Ombrie and one of my favorite soaps: Nesti Dante Villages and Monasteries. Stash has good lasting power but stays close to the body; it's unisex but veers masculine to my nose (but will non-perfumista guys buy it?) I wore Stash after my test run of Versace Pour Homme Dylan Blue and all I could think was: "Donatella, hire Sarah Jessica Parker and her team of perfumers (Clement Gavarry and Laurent Le Guernec) the next time you need a new Versace men's scent." I'm serious.
Sarah Jessica Parker Stash SJP Eau de Parfum is currently exclusive to Ulta and is available in 30 ml ($50), 50 ml ($75), and 100 ml ($85) sprays, a 0.34 oz rollerball ($25) and a 30 ml/$50 "Elixir" (fragrant oil in a dropper bottle). As Parker says herself, Stash calls for liberal application; keep that in mind as you choose a size.
1. Via Sarah Jessica Parker’s New Fragrance Smells Like Sexy European Men at The Coveteur.
You have truly sparked my interest….and I still haven’t gotten around to trying that Nesti Dante soap..one of these days!
Will Stash be making its way into other stores for sampling? No Ulta near me…
Cmarzipan…it seems Ulta is it…at least for awhile
In the UK this hit the big department stores, I tried in in Debenhams yesterday so seems only exclusive in the US
(Though it was tucked away in a corner with no PR, no fanfare, I just stumbled across it hidden away on a bottom shelf)
Superdrug has it too! I tried it today and it started well but unfortunately there’s something in the drydown I can’t bear. I was a bit surprised as I love vetiver and I know lots of people really like this one.
Mention grapefruit, cedar, vetiver, two perfumes I love and a soap I adore, and I’m sold.
Dusan…yes, it hit the spot for me
SJP is one of the celebrities who truly gets involved in her fragrance development without being afraid to try new and experimental things.
Eaudemale…I wouln’t call this experimental at all…but it’s not your usual celebrity scent for sure!
I am very curious about this based on your review. It’s been a long time since I’ve even thought about smelling something new, and thankfully we have an Ulta in the area that I drive by from time to time. I hope to be pleasantly surprised.
Anns, and I hope your Ulta SAs are nice! Ha!
I think makeup is more the thing at our Ulta, but I can manage the very small fragrance counter. Hopefully they’ll have a tester.
Utterly fab fragrance, I just picked up the oil today. Not predictable at all and yet very wearable. Lovers of resinous, woody fragrances rejoice. I see this going into my Fall rotation along with Papillon Anubis, Tom Ford Sahara Noir and Olympic Orchids Dev 1.
Hey, any chance you kept the box? I’m dying to know if it’s a silicone oil, or a “real” oil (jojoba or something). Very odd that so far nobody seems to have the ingredients listed online.
I bought the oil the day it was released! Here are the ingredients
“Fragrance (parfum) Citral, Coumarin, Eugenol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool.”
Well that’s weird, there is no oil ingredient in there at all! All of those are fragrance components, aren’t they?
Thank you though, I do appreciate that you went and looked for me!
I am so glad you like it as I was worried to post daily that my SOTD has been SJP Stash for over a week now. I re-apply when I can as it is close to the body and SO good that I want to refresh. I got a rollerball as well so I can discreetly re-apply at work. LOVE this scent!
Cindyk…NEVER worry about such things!
Thank you Kevin.
I want it. I’m a big fan of Lovely and of the Covet. I don’t doubt that I would really like Stash too.
But I agree: the name leaves me a little confused. Stash it where? Or is it my stash? What am I stashing?
Hi baconbiscuit212 – there is a video interview with Sarah Jessica Parker on the Stash page of sjpbeauty.com. It goes through where the name comes from and more.
Got it! Thanks!
Welcome.
I liked Covet, too — and I loved its commercial!
Now I am really curious to smell it, but have no idea where to go in Canada…
The first thing I thought of when I saw the name was MUSTACHE- as in facial hair…
The notes do sound right up my alley so if it’s in my local Ulta, I will give it a sniff.
Deva, funny!
I had the opportunity to try Stash at Ulta over the weekend . When I first tried it on I couldn’t smell a thing . Then , as you said , it bloomed quite a while later on me . Not sure I care for it . LOL at the comment that SJP can’t find a guy on Amtrak !
Perfumey…ha! Amtrak has no ‘romance’ I’m sure!
Well, Kevin, I see there’s one thing you have in common with SJP: she sprays “a lot of freakin’ fragrance on.”
http://nymag.com/thecut/2015/10/sarah-jessica-parker-is-creating-a-new-fragrance.html
(As well as the article you linked.)
I’m curious about how you happened to review this, since you are not a big SJP fan, it’s nominally a feminine fragrance and it wasn’t exactly strewn in your path. Did you get a hot tip? Did Robin twist your arm? Or what, if you don’t mind saying.
I’m glad you did, of course, as I can always use a snuggly, modestly priced fragrance to sleep in.
Or maybe it’s supposed to be genderless; she talks about that. But the ads only show her, so I think people would assume it’s for women.
Lol!
Noz, I think I was the first one at NST to get a sample…and then I liked it! I like to review women’s fragrances but this one IS unisex. Angie, Angela, Robin and myself will sometimes ‘reserve’ a scent for review here, but otherwise it is a free-for-all.
Thanks, Kevin! I knew you had reviewed unisex fragrances but was too lazy to check further to see if you’d reviewed any specifically feminine fragrances. I think I do remember you comparing something you reviewed years ago to Barbie in a vinyl raincoat.
Funny thing is, no Ulta in NYC.
We got it all but no Ulta. And the gal is a New Yorker!
I like her, and appreciate how serious she takes her brand. Will eventually find it on one of my travels.
Fun review
Floragal, that’s strange! Surely New Jersey has Ultas galore?
Well, there are 3 Ultas within 20 minutes’ drive from my house… and I’m in south Jersey!
Jalapeno, same situation here in Seattle…and I had never even heard of Ulta, or noticed!
Facebook comments are comparing it to Dita von Teese Erotique, but I haven’t smelled that either so I can’t comment on the similarities.
Cazaubon…me neither.
I say this with All Due Respect and Friendship… That you liked this fragrance has intensified my already rabid desire to Smell/Buy this fragrance a Thousand-fold! I know Kevin, it takes something good for you to be impressed and I respect that and Now, since I am already a fan of ALL THINGS SJP am tittering with your wonderful review. I cannot wait to get my own Stash of “Stash” It overjoys me that Sarah got to make her unique scent finally! Although, Am I the only one who thought “Covet” was a little off the reservation as well with it’s Bold opening of Chocolate and Lemon??? SJP has always had kind of a Kooky sense of Smell and one that I personally jibe with Totally.
Thank You for the Honest and Compelling Review.
Thenoseknows, thank you, and hope you enjoy Stash!
After reading this review, I think I will head to Ulta and get a whiff of it, which is right around the corner from where I live!
Probably should have sprayed more on when I sampled this at Ulta, but it reminded me somewhat of Kate Walsh’s Boyfriend that Sephora used to carry. Boyfriend was never quite right for me, but I will revisit this one and see if it grows on me.
I thought the same thing too, only I loved Boyfriend (my bf and I wore it together, sweet sexy goodness) and so I may like this!
thank you for this review! It sounds wonderful (despite the eurorail connection – I do not associate it with any great glamour and romance) and I am always on the hunt for good cozy unisex scents. I wonder when it’ll show up in Europe and where… I’ll look for it!
Parley, curious…is Sarah Jessica Parker widely known in Europe?
I would say she is! sex and the city is widely known after all, and I have seen her previous fragrances for sale (though not prominently displayed).
My nearby Ulta also had Stash for sale last weekend, but no testers. “Next week, maybe,” said the manager, after being flagged down by the SA, whose attention it took me quite a while to obtain, as she was busy following a young Black woman around the store. That last visit, combined with the fact that while they have a reasonable selection of perfume, and testers for nearly everything, they have no samples or blotters, and their coupons can never be used for anything I want to buy, has pretty much discouraged me from going back.
Laurels, oh, Ulta has tons of samples…when I finally found a helpful SA, she opened a cabinet stuffed with hundreds of samples. Like at Macy’s…getting one of those samples is difficult!
God help the man looking for samples from Macy’s!
Why does she need to do number 2?
Snorky, to be honest, I don’t know the in’s and out’s of these “exclusive” arrangements…or why Ulta of all retailers was chosen
Oops, I meant number 3!
It sounds like she actually enjoys doing fragrances. There’s a book about the making of her first one.
I really love it. It reminds me of a lighter version of Donna Karan Black Cashmere and Chaos, neither of which I could wear anymore because it doesn’t get cold enough in the Pacific Northwest. When I lived on the east coast, I wore them only on the most frigid of days.
I think SJP did a great job with Stash, but her choice of retailer leaves me cold. There’s always something “off” at Ulta. It’s trying hard to be Sephora, but in reality it comes off more as WalMart with overtones of TJ Maxx and Marshalls. The SAs are maddeningly unhelpful, although I was lucky enough to get my hands on a Stash tester when I went in to try it.
Interestingly, I like the scent more when it is sprayed, rather than rolled on. I wasn’t ready to commit to a full bottle when I tried it, so I bought the roller ball. I ended up going back yesterday to purchase a 100 ml bottle.
God, how you hit it on he nail with Ulta. The saving grace is the in house salon and the makeup tools. Otherwise I go to Sephora or Nordstrom’s for makeup/fragrance needs.
“Stash” is, for me, forever and always a nickname for Stanislav, so that’s where my mind goes here.
I really loved Covet and I’ll probably check into this, too.
Good lord – I tried this today after reading the review and really enjoyed it! With discounts in store I could have had 100ml for just over £40 which is a bargain too !
I had a small sample vial, and I started using it twice a day, few drops in the morning and more mid afternoon. I am addicted to this stuff, and I dont know why!!!
LOVE it!!!
I bought a 100ml bottle and will get another at Christmas to stock up, because I cant get enough of its sexy, seductive, sensuous scent, absolutely can sleep with this…
I bought the 100 ml bottle as well and glad I did. I just love it and have been wearing it ever since I bought it!
Boy howdy, does this ever have my name on it. Not that my name is Stash …
After hearing the buzz about this on fragrance forums, I tested this not once but twice when Stash made it’s debut. On paper, it was everything I adored so I thought it would be a major win. Alas, it seemed to fall flat, my skin sort of are the fragrance and it just was not love at first sniff.
Fast forward to now, the holiday gift sets were on sale at Ulta, fragrance forums were abuzz with people falling in love with this all over again and I decided to give it a third go.
The third time was a charm! My skin seems to ADORE Stash in the cooler weather and I am now in love. I’ve been spraying and re-spraying since I purchased this at Ulta on Sunday. I can’t get enough! It just came together for me finally, all of the notes, herbal at first, then smoky, smouldery, woody. Slightly skanky in the very best of ways…
It’s definitely not what you’d expect from a celeb fragrance. It smells very indie or niche. I find it so cozy and soothing. I have stocked up and purchased two gift sets. Hopefully, I’m set for awhile…at least until the next big sale at Ulta…
That should read *my skin sort of ATE the fragrance* ahhh autocorrect fails me.