When my coworkers were comparing DiSC profiles a couple of weeks ago, one of the more interesting themes was unexpected results, particularly in the lists of motivators and stressors. One colleague was surprised that something he put great importance on was listed as a stressor. I happened to have the same thing listed as a stressor, but it wasn’t a surprise because my interpretation was that it was stressful precisely because I cared so much about doing it right. I certainly hope that’s correct, because I find myself easily stressed these days. I wasn’t always like this, so perhaps I won’t always be, either.

In mundane updates, when the online order I had placed from a local business hadn’t shipped after 2 weeks, no one had responded to my emails, the phone number was defunct, and I saw that there had been no activity on their social media for over half a year, I opened a dispute on the credit card transaction. The next day, it shipped, albeit with no acknowledgement of my communications. So, I had to withdraw my claim… but I’ve now received the goods. Case closed. The international package is still stuck in customs at Porto airport. Apparently it’s already cleared US customs for import as the paperwork was sent in advance, but hasn’t yet cleared EU customs for export.

The sample of Kirsch eau de parfum by Headspace that I’ve been wearing is probably not one I would normally have chosen. Its provenance is a story in itself. On the last day of my trip to Paris in June, we went to Dover Street Parfums Market and I was intrigued by the intensely green, figgy Prolégomènes extrait by Notes de Bas de Paje. The spritz on my arm lasted me the whole way home to the US. A couple of days later, my other half, who was still in Paris for work, happened to be going to Le Marais again briefly, so I asked him to buy it for me, and ask for samples (specific ones), and get the tax refund at the airport if possible…

Well, one can’t have everything, but he bought Prolégomènes, and I was quite impressed by how he ended up with this vial of Kirsch. It turned out that Dover Street Parfums Market was not the sort of place to offer samples, and when he asked, they had only 3 options on hand, from which he could choose one. The first was “basically Hedione,” so he knew I wouldn’t like that. The other 2 were from Headspace, and one was Absinthe, which we’d already smelled on our first visit. Judging by the scent, he thought I would most likely like Kirsch.

I thought I would have written about Prolégomènes first, but I’ve struggled with it, possibly because it’s better in the cooler Paris weather than in the hot, humid summer we’ve had.

At first sniff, I wasn’t sure I’d like Kirsch, as it was very boozy and sweet. However, once the initial ethanol blast evaporated, it became much friendlier. It allowed room to interpret the specific booze notes that it intended, namely sake and rum. This perfume is meant to feature the headspace of sake. I have the now-discontinued aromachemical, rum ether, and can smell some of the sticky sweet and plasticky nuances of that note. True to its name, Kirsch by perfumer Paul Guerlain is cherry forward, accompanied by what I perceive as green apple in the opening, quickly followed by a synthetic-smelling leather. This quality deters me from sniffing too hard, as though I might inhale fumes that would not be good for me. A dark sweetness soon emerges, which took me a moment to realize was the saffron note, which forms a sturdy bridge between the cherry and the leather.

Kirsch doesn’t claim to have any oud notes, but it leans in that direction. On fabric, I also get grass, hay, and smoke. The cherry loses intensity but is always present. Toward the end of the day, something wispy and inky started wafting up at me that I thought was vetiver. However, this root is not listed, so it might be the Ambroxan and oakmoss creating this cool, airy effect.

I wish I could detect the iris more, but it seems to be smoothly blended with the leather note, supporting the cherry. While nice to have tried this perfume, I prefer my leather fragrances to be slightly less sweet.

Have you tried this or others by Headspace?