Celebrity fragrances are a dicey bunch. For every exquisite ‘Truth or Dare: Nake’ by Madonna there are five silly bottles of candy water by Britney Spears. Most famous folk just seem to be in it for the money, their eyes turning all shades of violet in the hope of tapping into the cash-creating legacy of Elizabeth Taylor. Every once in a while, however, someone comes along who puts a little more time and care and research into what the world will forever associate with them, and Sarah Jessica Parker has done just that with her successful beauty line.
I was impressed by the way Ms. Parker came off in ‘The Perfect Scent’, Chandler Burr’s telling of the creation of two new perfumes. She was making her debut fragrance ‘Lovely’ and it sounds like ‘Stash’ was her original, albeit slightly too dark and out-of-the-box for the masses, attempt at what she actually wanted to produce. Thankfully, ‘Lovely’ became a smash and ‘Stash’ came along a few years later for those of us whose tastes veer a little dirtier.
Its triumvirate of top notes includes two of my favorites: grapefruit and black pepper, with some sage thrown in for good measure. After they dissipate a more resonant collection of notes comes through: cedar, patchouli, ginger lily and pistachio combine to give it the woody heart that pulls the perfume to a more traditionally-masculine space. It doesn’t quite stay there, however, as the dry down becomes something exquisitely beautiful and unisex – with the sweet and pungent base notes of olibanum, vetiver, musk and Massoia wood. On me, this turns into a rich sandalwood, which also happens to be my go-to for holiday scents (think Tom Ford’s ‘Santal Blush’ and Diana Vreeland’s ‘Absolutely Vital’). It comes into its own during the fall season, when its smoky edge can ease into the coziness of the cooler nights.
This not-quite-linear journey makes ‘Stash’ an impressive addition to the wildly popular SJP Beauty line, and it’s rare to find such gorgeous complexity at an affordable price point. If you find that it doesn’t linger as much as you’d like, there are supplemental items such as the hair mist and body oil to bolster the effect. Personally, I enjoy its lighter touch, especially in the office or during the crisp early days of fall descending.
