Watching Sex And The City was regular TV appointment viewing way back in the day. It was one of the first TV shows that talked about sex, awful dating experiences, the workplace and other slice of life topics in a way that seemed like I was talking with my girlfriends. Except that we were living in New Zealand and not the Big Apple, so it always looked 1000x more glamorous than our more mundane lives. Who remembers the ‘which SATC character are you most like’ quizzes that used to pop up on the computer before FB existed? Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) was always my favourite, although Miranda of course was the most sassy. Samantha was crazily sexed up at all moments of the day and night and Charlotte was a little boring with odd taste in men, although I loved it when Kyle Machlaclan appeared. They were all great characters though with strong bonds through thick and thin.

In Chandler Burr‘s book The Perfect Scent, SJP revealed the inspiration behind her first perfume. She intended to make a perfume that was a mix of an old musk oil, Bonne Belle Skin Musk and Comme des Garçons Avignon. Here was a celebrity that actually liked perfume and wanted it to smell better than the usual celebrity fodder. She was involved with the creation, not merely signing off on her likeness so to speak. Of course it actually ended up as Lovely which although a fabulous perfume, is worlds apart from what she was originally looking to create.

So now we have Stash, released last year. I’ve been wanting to try it for quite some time and luckily a perfume friend and reader of the blog sent me a sample. I admit that I haven’t been an avid celebrity perfume fan but I do like SJP and Lovely so I had high hopes with this perfume …

Stash EDP : Nose : Laurent Le Gurney and Clement Gavarry : Year : 2016 : Notes : Top : Grapefruit, black pepper, sage : Middle : Cedar, patchouli, white ginger lily, pistachio : Base : Incense, massoia, vetiver, musk 

This isn’t an overly complicated perfume and that’s not a bad thing. It smells good and it does what it does well. Stash is the perfume that gets much closer to what SJP originally had in mind in the first place, so on that front alone it’s a success. There’s a real sense of woods, particularly cedar with a slight milky vibe and tendrils of incense that permeate Stash. A tartness born of pepper and grapefruit open the perfume but things don’t stay like this for long. Quite quickly the spiced, milky wood character of Stash comes to the fore. In some ways Stash reminds me of Parfumerie Generale’s Indochine. Note dear reader that I haven’t pulled that out of my sample box as my organisation system leaves something to be desired and I can’t locate it. However there’s something in the milky woods aspect that I recall.

SJP revealed that there’s a dirty BO kind of smell in Stash and usually we know that cumin is responsible for this odour in perfume. Personally it’s only the grapefruit that may vaguely have a dirty element, there’s nothing else here that smells off so to speak. It doesn’t smell remotely like anything I think has that edge such as  Salome which is a  knicker and sex perfume if ever I’ve smelt one. Stash also has a hint of powdery old makeup that reminds me of an old makeup sponge my grandmother had that I liked to pat on my face when I was a young girl in the vain hopes of seeming more grown up.

Stash is  rather voluminous with a bohemian character, that would work well in the city or country. It’s an easy spray and go scent, equally as good on men or women.  Interestingly this perfume is a compliment getter, which is not what I’m looking for when wearing fragrance but it has to be said that this happens less when I whirl out something from my far more expensive stash. I can heartily recommend Stash to those who have not fallen down the perfume rabbit hole and do not want to own more than 10 perfumes. It’s also a fragrance I enthusiastically encourage niche nerds to try if you haven’t done so already. Plus let’s not forget to mention that a key attraction of this perfume is the lower price point which is just another bonus. You will not need to spend a small fortune on this. Hallelujah.

The Low Down : Smells like a bohemian dream with milky, woody nuances accompanied by a whiff of incense on a musky base. 

Read more about Stash on :   Australian Perfume Junkies  I Scent You A Day,  Take One Thing Off, 

Pricing : Widely available. In the UK available from Superdrug – 30ml for £23, 50ml for 35 and 100ml for £45. Also follow this link to sjpbeauty.com where you can purchase online for the UK, European and USA markets. 

Notes : Images :  Featured : Popsugar : Other : Superdrug

Disclosure : Sample gratefully received from a perfume friend.  Opinions my own.