Description
She Came to Stay is a natural perfume created in 2014 by Timothy Han. Inspired by Simone de Beauvoir’s novel of the same name, She Came to Stay is a warm fougere fragrance with deep woody notes. Opening with geranium, basil and lemon, the fragrance yields to a spicy heart of Indonesian clove and nutmeg, atop a base of patchouli, vetiver, labdanum, oakmoss and cedarwood. She Came to Stay is composed entirely of natural ingredients in a base of certified organic grape alcohol.
She Came to Stay is available as a 50 ml eau de parfum, packaged in a box unique to each edition and crafted from paper manufactured from sustainably managed forests. The first limited edition run of 500 boxes features one of five prints created by American artist Kirtland Ash.
Paradelph – :
I was so excited to sample this 100% natural botanical perfume, and when I finally got my little hands on it, I was very bummed out to discover that it smelled so much like a 100% natural botanical perfume that I already own–Atlantic by Strange Invisible Perfumes. Both have a minty top note as well as strong vetiver in the base. Both have a slightly sweet, ambery note lingering throughout. But there are some differences too.
She Came to Stay seems more complex because it adds another dimension–specifically spice and citrus. I do get the clove and nutmeg in the heart, which eventually dissipates, but the citrus note lingers well into the drydown. The pyramid suggests lemon, but on me it turns out to smell, most unfortunately, like rotting orange peels. So at the end of the day, I end up with a perfume that smells like my beloved Atlantic mixed with the icky smell of orange peels from the trash can.
I would still recommend that others give it a whirl, as chemistry is a finicky thing, so it might not smell like rotten orange peel on others. Also there are not that many 100% natural perfumes on the market that I would refer to as “fine perfumery”, but She Came to Stay is no doubt complex enough to be at that calibur of artistry. It’s one of those perfumes that I still appreciate, despite not working with my chemistry.
I’d love to try On the Road…..
sarichev-dima – :
The first release from the house of Edition Perfumes by Timothy Han is She Came to Stay, and was welcomed with a warm reception, but it’s a little bit of a letdown for me after sampling his second perfume, On the Road, yesterday.
She Came to Stay is noticeably more unisex, an slightly more fresh, herbal, earthy blend of which the standout note to my nose is clove, which I generally enjoy, mixed with a lot of woods.
The fragrance starts off a bit cloying and sharp–the top note of basil doesn’t play well for me–but it dries down into a more harmonious mix of clove, patchouli, vetiver, and cedar. It becomes significantly more agreeable in the dry down.
Still not one I’d buy but I ended up being a little bit more pleased with the dry down experience overall than the opening.
6 out of 10
DreamButterfly32 – :
I am wearing this right now. I like it a lot but I certainly wish that it had better village and greater longevity. It reminds me of Terre d’Hermes. It’s pleasing. And I think it could be worn either day or night. Both formally and casually. I was hoping it would be longer lasting. The “green” quality of it’s ingredients is very intriguing.
St1m82 – :
I am wearing this right now. I like it a lot but I certainly wish that it had better village and greater longevity. It reminds me of Terre d’Hermes. It’s pleasing. And I think it could be worn either day or night. Both formally and casually. I was hoping it would be longer lasting. The “green” quality of it’s ingredients is very intriguing.
hunternaxov – :
This is delicious! Comfy and sexy both. Has a resinous-sweet top that reminds me of a high-quality root beer, but with an earthiness throughout. It settles into an oakmoss-patchouli accord, though still with a playful spiciness dancing through it. I’d say most people would call it more masculine than unisex, but as a woman I’m happy to wear it too.
BathRoomStormr – :
Powerful and thick at the first spray, it kicks in very herbal with a slight medicinal hue. It feels very green and slightly leathery at the same time; the geranium leaves are very concentrated and, along with the spices (mostly cloves), are making the fragrance cold and serious.
30 minutes in and it starts to settle. It’s not shouting anymore and there is a slight sweetness lurking underneath those spices that rounds the sharp edges.
The minty herbal aspect is gradually fading and the scent metamorphoses from cold to warm as the dry down is sweeter, woodier and smokier. It lasted for about 10 hours on my skin with moderate projection.
I appreciate it as a blend, but it’s not really my cup of tea.
Scent: 6.5/10
Longevity: 9/10
Projection: 6/10
micherin1977 – :
This strikes me as a candied, herbal rose-esque scent with some solid cedar powering it. There’s a citric twist up top for contrast which also counterbalances a slight soapiness from the florals. Clove is playing a big role, yet it doesn’t throw the balance at all. In fact, the blend itself is meticulous with all the pieces working in unison. It sits somewhere between Diptyque’s Geranium Odorata and Neil Morris’ Gotham without forming a bridge between them. In other words, I imagine that this scent is flexible enough for multiple contexts: it’s crisp and direct (akin to the Diptyque) but its depth reflect’s Gotham’s more moody, pensive state as well — appropriate, given the scent’s namesake. Perfectly unisex, but best suited for fans of herbalized florals with a slight classical edge to them. If this is Timothy Han’s debut, keep your nose to the ground, as this is seriously impressive.