Sitting up with a Sick Friend

[shelldoo]

 

Sitting Up With a Sick Friend, C.M. Coolidge.

Tobacco smoke and leather bowled over by a powerful smack of heady, classic perfume and a whiff of rose water.

 

in the bottle:soft, powdery, hint of rose water

 

wet: rosy perfume possibly a hint of pinks, or carnation.

 

as it dries: this is a grande dame scent. powerful, feminine, regal. i am not really detecting the smokiness, and the leather is so light it just adds another demension, it isn't a frontrunner, and i only catch glimpses of it here and there.

Edited September 13, 2007 by Shollin

[edenssixthday]

Sitting Up With a Sick Friend - I continue to be amazed by the DPP Salon scents. This is yet another one that has me very impressed. This blend is predominantly a strong perfume scent that reminds me of something from an era gone by -- perhaps something my grandmother would wear, yet it's not an "old lady" scent (my grandmother is quite classy, sophisticated, and strikingly gorgeous!) It's a very floral scent, and I agree with the previous reviewer that there may be a touch of carnation in with the rose water note. The tobacco blends gorgeously with the floral and perfume notes, reminding me of something a classy French fragrance house might have created. The leather note is evident, but it's so subtle that if I didn't know it was leather, I may have never identified it as such. It adds a depth to the blend and grounds the florals in a way that keeps this blend from being a traditionally feminine and floral blend. I imagine this would be the perfect scent to wear when dressing up for the opera or another similarly classy and elegant event. Great throw, great staying power, and overall great blend.

[pariahsdream]

Okay, first review. >_> I have to agree with the other reviews, this is very much a 'ladylike' perfume. It's heady and clean, not a lot of individual notes to pick out (at least to my poor untrained nose).

I'd hoped for a bit more leather but I'm mostly getting the perfume/rose water, that turns powdery.

Not my favorite of the Dogs, but the first I've worn for an extended period.

[sarada]

I hesitated to get this and then sprung for it at the last minute. I really like the combination of tobacco and rose and have always wanted more in that vein -- Love in the Asylum has been the only one that really fulfilled that craving for me so far.

 

The idea of it being perfumey concerned me, but as soon as I sniffed this I knew I was in the clear. Oh, you have to like rose, but it is a pale rose, and I feel like this is a lighter version of Love in the Asylum, since I can smell that warm tobacco and the crisp bite of leather in the background.

 

They also give it staying power, some throw and a bit of sweet smokiness. All the time drifting pleasantly without becoming cloying.

 

I would also not be surprised if the "perfume" element of this might include a dash of carnation. But the overall impression I get is one of a soft smoky rosiness, and the only blend I can think of for comparison is LITA, which is definitely a scent-family I was hoping to get more of.

 

All of the Dogs are pretty much a success for me so far!

[filigree_shadow]

Aaaah, lovely. Yes, it reminds me of a classic perfume, but it also has a classic BPAL slant. If you're not a rose person, don't be put off by the rose water in the description. I'm very careful about roses, but I like the floral aspect to this scent a lot. It smells upscale and elegant. Warm and rich.

 

These Dogs Playing Poker blends have been outrageously good on me. I don't think any other BPAL series has worked this well for me. I've liked all four that I've tried so far, and that never happens. I wish these were going to be sticking around in the GC. I also wish $250 would magically appear in my bank account so I could have a nice little stash of the Dogs.

[supremegoddessofall]

In bottle: Mostly rosewater with a touch of something more masculine.

 

On me: Still mostly rosewater, but the other notes are...doing something weird...I think I like it but I'm not sure.

[bheansidhe]

The "heady smack" of this perfume is a strong, almost bitter-honey note that smells exactly like the note that ruined Faiza the Black Mamba for me.

 

Having smacked me upside the head for a few minutes, that unknown note settles back into its seat, grumbling, and lets Rose rise up and hang over my shoulder, slapping her leather gloves impatiently on her palm.

 

I feel like the beleagured husband in the painting, waiting for the umbrella to descend.

 

This eventually settles into what might be a classic, woodsy rose cologne - on someone else. On me it turns sharp and chemical, and the smoke note is the stinky whiff of cigar you can't air out of your clothes after visiting Uncle Vincienzo and his poker buddies. On my skin it lasted about three hours, and left a faint, very faint, whiff of powdered rose and soft leather. It has good throw in the first couple of hours.

 

Um, not me. But maybe you - especially if you loved Faiza the Black Mamba or Whip (though it's a much softer rose than Whip).

 

Re-reading my description, I'm amused that the scent captures the feel of the painting so accurately.

Edited May 8, 2007 by bheansidhe

[Little Bird]

Okay... this is going to sound weird... when I was little, my mother had these taco scratch-n-sniff stickers that she gave me... and that's exactly what this smells like in the vial and on my skin at first. Spicy taco stickers, lol. I kind of wish that it would keep that smell.

 

In the drydown, this is a bit much for me. The slightly soapy rose mixed with dirty tobacco and cold leather makes me a little nauseous. I can pick out all of the listed notes, and it goes soapy and cold on my skin. Over time, this just gets sharper and more soapy as the rose water and 'perfume' amp up even more. Boo. The Dogs don't seem to agree with me

[penemuel]

The rosewater is nice, but the perfumey scent in this one doesn't thrill me, and the leather keeps turning into a vaguely warm... something. I'm not sure what it is, but if I didn't know it was supposed to be leather, I'd never recognize it as such. It's... odd. It's not terrible, but it's definitely not my favourite of the DPP set.

 

If you don't like scents that are reminiscent of cologne, you may not like this one. However, if you're worried about the rosewater being overpoweringly rosey, it isn't. It's very light (on me it's nearly overpowered by the cologney scent).

 

The longer I wear this, the better it blends and smooths out, so even though it's not for me, I'm liking it more. I am glad I just have the decant and not a bottle, though

[ivyandpeony]

This is very pretty and very hard for me to describe accurately! It is definitely "perfumey" - I cannot identify a dominant note the way I can with so many BPAL blends, just a big blurry feminine cloud around me. It has a more formal feel to me as well, not something I would throw on with my shorts and tee when I am headed out to run errands, but a scent for when I am more put together, whether it's for meeting up for a nice lunch or going to an evening party. I definitely see the parallel to Love in the Asylum that Sarada mentions (and appreciate her mentioning it, because I don't think I would have made that connection).

 

My husband and I still laugh about an experience at a very elegant restaurant in Charleston (SC) years ago - there was a dish on the menu, a seafood lasagna flavored with orange zest and vanilla. We were intrigued and asked our waiter about it, not realizing that he was Jeff Spicoli's younger brother His advice? "If you think it sounds good, you should definitely order it." But now I do understand what he meant, just a little bit... because that's kind of what I'd advise you regarding Sitting Up With a Sick Friend. If the reviews intrigue you, you should definitely seek it out and try it, for the experience alone - it's a unique blend and one that I will definitely enjoy wearing, even if it's not destined to be my every day scent.

[tinyvulture]

this makes me think of a perfume that a grandmother would wear – a classy, stylish grandmother. “classic perfume” indeed -- powdery and lightly floral. the rose water is soft and lovely, and combines beautifully with the sweet tobacco smoke. (i’ve really been blown away by the “smoke” notes in all of the dog blends.) the leather is barely there. an nostalgic, polished, feminine scent. at first i didn't think it was "me", but it grew on me in no time, and now i just love it.

[slave1]

SITTING UP WITH A SICK FRIEND

 

In Bottle: Smoky powery perfume

 

On Skin: Hmmm… this one isn’t agreeing with me. It reminds me of cleaning up the carpet after you’ve spilled something on it. That smell of the carpet cleaner (usually something floral scented) and the mix of wetness, slightly dirty carpet and maybe some smoke lingering from last nights party in the background. That sounds terrible, I know… sorry. But… yes there’s a but… after about 10 minutes it becomes much more pretty. Powdery and rosey… very feminine but slightly old lady like. So while it does turn out better than it started, it still doesn’t do much for me. I’m not fond of rose and the smoke in the background combined with the floral just seems a bit icky on me. The leather also never really comes out much, so I don’t think I would label this as a “leather scent” at all. Light throw and average wearlength.

[theseagrows]

ooooh i find this really sexy! it's warm, musky and powdery with a floral that seems closest to orchid to me. it's rosey but in a different way than i associate with most bpal rose scents. it's less crisp and more warm somehow. it is very perfumey, and reminds me of another perfume i've smelled at one time. i quite like it and might try to hunt down a bottle someday.

[The_Merf]

Few scents in the BPAL catalog call their name to mind as perfectly as this one. From the moment I opened the bottle and smelled Beth's encapsulation of weakened perfume shrouded by the remnants of too much fun (just the slightest bit of smoke), I was instantly reminded of a group of people waiting up to make sure that one of their companions was going to be OK. As the perfume goes on wet and dries, the very light rose and classic woman's perfume (there's gotta be some ylang-ylang in here, as the BPAL this immediately reminded me of was La Petite Mort) remains and the smoke fades away for good. This perfume manages to suggest aged, breaking down, worn perfume and smoke without smelling unpleasant or stale. My only gripe is that this one is not very strong (which is usually a deal breaker for me), but this is so evocative and such a lovely rose (one of my favorites so far), that this little bottle isn't going anywhere!

[PurringPulsar]

Sitting Up with a Sick Friend

 

In the imp: posh perfume with tobacco.

Wet on skin: there's a hint of leather, but it's mainly posh perfume with a touch of rose.

Dry on skin: mmm, this smells perfumey, but it's quite a nice perfume! it smells grown up, very sophisticated, a definite 'dressed up to the nines' sort of perfume that an older woman would wear for going to the opera. There's a sweetness to the perfume, almost like amber. There's also leather (I get the impression of a sleek leather handbag) and dry, crisp tobacco, and the rosewater mixes with the perfume to become part of it.

After a while: the perfume reminds me slightly of the drydown I got from Jailbait, only a little more old fashioned and grown up. There's something oddly almond like about it, and it reminds me slightly of Fabienne by Possets, but darker, heavier and without the slight foody touch. There's also that perfumey sharpness, and the leather underneath enhances the sleek sophistication of this scent, with tobacco it seems almost like a mingling of men and women's perfumes. It is a very 'heady smack' of a scent though. A little too heady for me!

The scent remains a 'old perfume' scent. Smells one of those expensive French perfumes, it is very classy. Not sure exactly what perfume this smells like but it does remind me of something I've smelt before. there might be amber and/or musk to this, some heady florals (other than rose). after a few hours I think I smell a bit of ambergris, seems that was what the amber-like perfumey scent I got from here may have been after all. The scent becomes a little bit powdery at the end.

Verdict: whoa, now that's perfumey. Really, really perfumey. It smells like something very expensive and makes me think of posh hotels/theatres with gilded ornate décor, and also department stores, this stuff smells like it costs a lot. The tobacco is heavy, the leather is sleek and warm, and there's a nice touch of rose, but the heady perfume is what dominates. I can't tell what's in this perfume but I'm guessing ambergris, a musk note, definitely some flowers too. It has a slight golden scent and makes me think of dressing up in your most pricey clothes for a very posh night out, it smells so grandiose! But it's much too much for me-it smells like something my mum would wear. Not my thing.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? not really.

If you like this, try: Riding the Goat, Jailbait, Love in the Asylum, A Bold Bluff

[zankoku_zen]

I definitely find this one to be a more traditional sort of perfume. I get the rose water and perfume the most, and on wet there was this ever so slight tinge of tobacco.

 

Interesting.

[rayvn1]

This started out as a healthy dose of my beloved leather and tobacco, but a tide of flowery perfume has crept farther and farther into the mix until that's about all I'm getting. Flower perfume and a hard edge of clove. Slightly smoky.

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Slightly powdery floral perfume, a little bit of rose, but I get mostly violet.

 

Wet: Deeper; I get a bit of the tobacco, but it is indeed smoky, not as deep as I'd like. The leather is, alas, the De Sade chemically-plastic kind. I find this a bit soapy and powdery/old ladyish.

 

Dry: Why oh why do I get rose-tinged ORRIS POWDER and little else from this? It's a bit sugary; the rose water note reminds me very much of L'Heure Verte. The leather makes this a bit sickly cloying and oddly sweet, too. Strong throw and longevity.

 

 

[crebbsgirl]

Powdery rose and violets here, with just a hint of leather. I can only really detect the smokiness if I'm actually looking for it. Mainly on me this is a powdery floral perfume, very classic, and very vintage feeling.

[romarin]

Goes on a complicated mixed floral with undertones of soap (in a good way) and maybe sandalwood. Feminine but not twee, tea at the Ritz kind elegant old fashioned. Quite strong initially, on me it fades within an hour to a vague Camay soap.

[brilliantcat]

Imp: Powdery traditional perfume.

 

Wet: Sharper. The powder I smelled in the bottle isn't in evidence, thankfully. Something in this is tickling my brain, I feel like I recognize a note that's not listed but I can't figure out what it is. I don't get any tobacco or leather at all. It definitely reminds of a very elegant, classy older woman, nothing I associate with typical "old lady" perfume.

 

Dry: Strongly floral. The rose is amping on me as usual. This one isn't for me.

[LavenderCoffee]

In the bottle, the rose water is surprisingly potent and sharp, practically leaping out to greet me.

 

Wet on my skin, rose water remains loudest as the classic perfume opens up. These two scents remain most prominent to me through the drydown, but the leather is quite sneaky and pokes its head out from time to time. I really like the hints of rose water and leather as a combo. Wonder what those would smell like together sans perfume. 

 

I don't get much of an impression of tobacco or smoke. Overall effect is that of a bold, femme perfume scent, with a touch of powder and decent throw.