Hygeia

[Dark Alice]

HYGEIA
Hygeia, Gustav Klimt.
Red musk and red amber, sweet incense, Mysore sandalwood, tobacco absolute, golden musk, orris root, frankincense, and helichrysum.

This is the softest and nicest red musk scent I have had the pleasure of owning.

Wet: Red Musk, with the barest hints of orris root.

Dry: Soft red amber, hints of red musk, and on me something clean and golden. Dry this scent evokes something yellow in my mind...I guess it's the golden musk. This is truly a lovely scent and I am so glad that I accidentally ordered two. My mistake is truly my gain.

[stellamaris]

I can see that I am going to need a back up bottle of this. This is a really elegant red musk, with incense that is just sweet enough. I don't smell the tobacco for the first couple of hours, then I can smell it in the background.

[taoeizzm]

Wow! I will never regret buying 2 bottles of this - in fact, I might have to stock up even more. Gorgeous scent, absolutely gorgeous. The red musk is sublime with the incense and amber. Such a warm feeling - very red and gold, if I were to describe it visually. It's not a "dirty" kind of red musk (not the way that some people describe Smut, though I love that kind as well!), but very refined and elegant (like stallamaris said). It's not too sweet either, but just right. Instant love for me!

[Invidiana]

Damn this is sexy. It's delicious red musk and amber in the bottle, and only gets better once on my skin. If you love Snake Charmer like I do, this is in that Snake Charmer family of thick sweet resinous incense that screams sex from half a mile away. Once it dries down it the sensual warmth of the sandalwood and golden musk emerges as well with a hint of smokiness from the tobacco. I don't get much orris or sunflower but there is the very faintest hint of florals somewhere in the background. Instant win, nuff said.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

5mL from the Lab.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

This is one of those scents that got me more and more excited as I read my way through the notes. I was almost dreading a death note towards the end, but at the same time I was mentally screaming "Yes! Yes! YES!" All but one note in here is something that I either like or flat out love. The only thing I'm concerned about here is the hylichrysum. I don't generally do florals, but I've never tried sunflower and somehow I've got this idea in my head that it's going to be golden and lovely and somehow work for me. It's not going to ruin Hygeia for me. I know it.

 

First sniff:

 

Love in a bottle. This is like a softer, gentler version of aged Scherezade to my nose. It's got the sort of incensey red musk vibe that I get from Scherezade, but more rounded smelling somehow. I'm definitely getting the red musk, amber, sandalwood and incense and it seems like everything else is sort of swirling around in the background.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Lovely. Soft, musky and incensey. This is one of those "made for me" scents that the Lab does oh so well. I don't get any florals here, so they're apparently meshing seamlessly with the other notes instead of standing out on their own.

 

Dry down:

 

This is going in the favorites box. Yes, it's similar to Scherezade, but that's never stopped me before and it won't stop me now. Hygeia is a gorgeous, golden-amber-red scent that smells exotic and sensual, but down to earth. I love it.

 

The bottom line:

 

I'll be buying multiples of this one. No question. It's definitely in the same family as Scherezade, but less assertive and much smoother smeling. And the fact that the proceeds are going to a good cause is the icing on the cake.

[fetish911]

Why hello Red musk! Only, you are a sexier, softer red musk than I have ever smelled. Sandalwood!! Oh yes I do smell some sandalwood smoothing out the bite of red musk. This smells sooo good on wet. I can smell the amber too. Some ambers turn old lady powder/perfume on me, but this one, so far is behaving. I may need a bottle of this for sure. yum.

 

Drydown- still smells great. Its so teetering on edge of going powdery Behave damn you. I want to keep loving you. I can smell a tinge of dusty orris now too.

 

later- I love this oil. It has settled down into the most amazing skin scent that goes well with my chemistry. The powder threat stayed away and its such a golden warm scent, I will be getting a bottle of this one. yes. it is good.

 

 

Great scent. 4.5/5

Edited August 10, 2011 by Fetish911

[wendyb1063]

I'm loving this one (and most of the other Gustav Klimt scents). This is beautiful, somewhat subdued red musk... I've been wearing a lot of sweeter, brighter red musks lately (Berry Moon 2011 and Luna Negra, both of which are wonderful, and WILF and Snake Charmer which are some of of my all time favorites), and this one is much drier and more elegant.

[Blood onmy hands]

I think that I'm getting tired of red musk. It's one of those notes that really amps up on my skin, so most of the red musk blends smell like a similar red musk single note on me. I like it, but I already have so many similar things, if that makes sense.

 

The amber, sandalwood, and golden musk here sort of melt together into a dry, powdery, perfumey-sharp edge to the warm, slightly fruity/wine-like red musk. After about an hour into the drydown, it's a little smokier & darker as the incense and tobacco come out a bit. But mostly this is a dry, powdery, perfumey edged red musk, and a little too dry and perfumey for me. None of the Klimt scents have great throw or staying power, and this one clings close to the skin and only lasts about three hours on me. I'll keep my decant to see how this one ages, but don't need a full bottle.

[porcelina]

my first thought upon opening the bottle of hygeia was "i might need a second bottle of this." sadly, it doesn't smell quite so glorious on my skin, but it's still nice and i'm still keeping it. it starts off flat on the skin, but improves as it dries. i want more of this "golden musk" note- combined with the red musk and the sweet incense and the amber and sandalwood and tobacco- this is a keeper, and i think it will age well.

[Kamanjah]

I got a decant from Melliflous's circle. Thank you, thank you!

 

This is a deep red oil, in the decant I smell the musks and sandalwood. Wet on my skin, it is sweet and complex. This is so well blended I can't really pick out the individual notes.

 

Dries down wonderfully balanced, not too sweet, not too incensy, just right. Sometimes amber will go to powder on me, not this time. I'd say the amber and frankincense tame the musks and sandalwood to perfection. I couldn't really pick out the tobacco - darn! I love tobacco notes! But, I was sitting watching TV with DH and didn't want to keep huffing my arms - he thinks I'm nutz when I do, lol!

 

Light throw, DH said it smelled faint to him, but long lasting – could still smell it well into the next day. Bottle worthy? Definitely!

 

I think this will only get better with age. Maybe I need two bottles!

[AmyO'Shields]

Red musk heaven. The other notes are ALL there, but so well blended that it's difficult to pick them out. I love this.

[lilyliza]

This is less sweet on me than it is in the bottle. In the bottle, there's a lot more of an almost berry-like sweetness- I guess that's the red musk. On my skin, there's a lot more sandalwood and a little bit of smoky tobacco, creating a scent that's just sweet enough. I can smell the frankincense and sweet incense at the back, with just a tiny bit of amber. After a while, a very light and subtle floral pops out. I guess that's either the orris root, helichrysum, or both. I smell more of the golden musk as it dries too. All in all, it's a very classy scent- I think this would be a big hit with fans of musk who don't like overly sweet scents.

[yakiguri]

At first all I got was a single note red musk, and I feared that red musk had ruined another blend for me. >_< However, as Hygeia dries (and a long dry down she has!) I get more of the tobacco, incense, and amber. Hoping that with further aging the other notes reign in the red musk more.

[milo]

At first, this is all about the red musk, but it is more subdued as some other reviewers have noted. Dry, the spices appear, and now it's a slightly spicy subdued red musk blend. I'm not detecting any amber, sandalwood or florals at this point, but maybe it's adding to the blend in other ways. I still like it, though, but not sure if it's enough to keep my bottle. Will see how the rest of the wear goes, and go from there. This blend does depict the painting very well, deep oranges and yellows, very warm, inviting and spicy.

[angelamaria]

In decant: deep sensuous red. Sweet, incensey, and almost fruity--not sure where I'm getting that note from.

 

Wet on skin: huh, well, the red musk goes straight to powder for me. Incensey, smoky, and red--it's certainly beautiful incense, but incense all the same, and I'm not too much into incensey smells. I do think it's a pretty kind of incense--I think, what makes this pretty to my nose is the helichrysum--never encountered it before, but there is a not-really-floral but beautiful, slightly sweet and bright note that's swirling in that incense. It's also probably the note that I was getting as "fruity" from the decant smell.

 

Dry: powder and incense. Oh well, red musk and I just aren't friends as well, I guess.

 

Verdict: this will have to be a pass.

[zankoku_zen]

I'm very torn on Hygeia. I get red musk, tobacco, sandalwood and a sweet incense. If the red musk were slightly LESS prominent, I think I would love it.

 

This is a very sexy, very well blended resinous/musky blend.

[theseagrows]

oh wow, this is lovely. i was pretty sure this would work, since it's in the sexy red musk category along with trick #1 and ecstasy of passion, both of which i love. hygeia's red musk is clear and not heavy, as in those 2 scents. i feel like i detect something slightly woody in the background that almost has a hint of cocoa or chocolate to it, combined with the amber and musk. also, i think maybe the dominant musk here is golden musk, rather than red musk, honestly. this scent is very golden with red, like the artwork it is inspired by. beth did another perfect rendition of a piece of art. i have my degree in painting, so the salon scents hold a special little place in my heart, even if they don't work on me

 

 

[ljaylh]

This scent has beautiful, glowing tones of red, orange and gold to me - it's got a lovely sensuality about it.. velvety, musky, slightly powdery, and quite intoxicating.

 

There's a lot of complexity to this perfume - on my skin, it comes up with a really interesting interplay between the red musk, the red amber and the sandalwood - those are definitely the main players for me, but the frankincense is present too.. just not as obvious. The red musk is soft and warm here, which is good news for those who have trouble with red musk when it's in full-on strength mode. I don't really pick up anything floral or green, and I probably wouldn't have detected the tobacco note if I didn't see it listed, but I'm thinking it's that + the golden musk that's giving it the gold tones I can feel.

 

After it has fully dried down, Hygeia ends up smelling like a dusky incense on my skin.. a red musk/sandalwood incense. But there's a lovely subtlety to this - it's one of those BPALs that just kind of absorbs into my skin, so that it isn't really obviously a perfume - it's just a lovely scent cloud around me. I can't really see myself reaching for this one very often, but I do enjoy testing Beth's Salon blends because they are always something a bit special.. and this one is no exception.

 

PS does anyone else see a similarity to Crowley, in the 'red' tones of Hygeia? I know that's a very unlikely pair to put together as being similar, but to me they share the same kind of red warmth.

[kakiphony]

In the imp: Rich yet perfumey. Oddly floral considering the notes. I have some trepidation about this one. The notes listed sound nice for me, but this imp smells like a no-no blend.

 

Wet on skin: The red musk is dominant, followed by a top note of something very fruity -- I would have guessed plum or dragon's blood if I hadn't read the description. Perhaps it's the orris? Or the helichrysum?

 

Early dry down (10 minutes): Holy powder, Batman! This is turning very powdery, very quickly on me. It's all incense and dusty powder.

 

Late dry down (about an hour): Generic powdery perfume. Not for me!

[Aleah]

If this is what red musk smells like, then I guess I don't like red musk. I'm glad I only got a decant of this, I don't care for it at all. But then again, I do prefer sweet florals . . .

[Ghost of a Rose]

I had to get this one because I love that painting.

 

In the vial: Ooh, so very beautiful. A designer scent - one in which there are no obvious individual notes but instead it is a unique scent which is just itself. Sweet, feminine, unusual. I think I'm getting the musks, amber, florals, a honey-like note which is probably the helichrysum and/or amber, and incense the most strongly. I guess that's everything but the tobacco! I can't differentiate between the various types of musks and incense. It all blends seamlessly together.

 

On me, wet: The oil is a dark amber color on my skin, but the color quickly disappears, leaving no trace on my skin. (I would take care not to let it come in contact with my clothing or other fabrics while it is wet, though.) It smells much the same as in the vial, except that now I can also identify the violet-like scent of orris. And yes, a faint undertone of tobacco. This is very sophisticated, elegant, and smells outrageously expensive. It would be amazing for a formal event. It's interesting how feminine this is - from the ingredient list I expected a unisex or even a masculine fragrance. But the femininity better suits the work of art that inspired this.

 

On me, just dried: A bit of spiciness comes out. The scent is now leaning more towards the incense notes, and thus it is becoming warmer in mood. Yet still very formal.

 

After 25 minutes: The spiciness/incense/tobacco notes (which remind me of the snake in the painting) continue to strengthen and have now slightly overtaken the florals. A bit of sharpness has also developed - unusual for this to happen on drydown, those are usually top notes. And I have no idea which ingredient it's coming from. It's almost like clove or menthol. The sharp note sticks close to the skin. From a few inches away, the fragrance is a gentler wood/incense note with some florals.

 

After 45 minutes: The scent is now predominately wood, but it's a highly balsamic wood (like pine) rather than the gentle warmth typical of sandalwood. That's due to the sharpness. And there's a bit of frankincense. The florals have faded, but still have some presence.

 

After 1 hour: The scent has faded quite a bit and is now rather faint. What remains is a gentler wood note than previously, and sandalwood. The florals have gone.

 

After 2 hours: Practically no scent is left - just the faintest hint of amber.

 

This beautiful, elegant, and ever-changing scent doesn't last for a long time on my skin. Reapply every couple of hours or use a scent locket.

 

My rating: 5 stars

[dawndie]

In bottle: sugared red musk

 

On skin: slightly sweet red musk

 

Half-hour later: more dusty from the amber and incense

 

In conclusion: I liked the beginning, that aggressive red musk which is more prominently featured in Marianne and Spawn of the She-Demon. The ending is mellow, sweetened dry incense. It's demure and shy instead of its bawdy and loud red musk sisters.

[Wwindy]

As others have said, this is a gorgeous, luminous, red-gold smoky haze of a scent. It reminds me a little of Virginia, but this is... uh... more warm and glow-y than Virginia (hee, it's so hard to write anything that makes sense about scents!); it's also a little reminiscent of Scheherazade, but more refined, more elegant, not at all head-shoppy.

 

Red musk sometimes gets almost cloying on my skin -- here it's staying under control, which is nice. The overall impression is of a lovely warm cloud of incense-y but surprisingly sweet (temperament-wise, not necessarily actual sugariness) and gentle musk.

[moonslipper]

This is a beautiful scent. Sigh. I was a little worried that it would be quite similiar to Spellbound, which I wear a lot, but it is so different! I can see the comparison to Snake Oil, but it is so subtle, which is good because I'm not a big fan of Snake Oil!

I've been wearing it now for a couple of hours and it has softened down, but definitely still there, wafting around me. There is a very evocative note in it for me, it could be the amber or maybe the tobacco, but whatever it is, it takes me back to a very nice, comforting, time and place and it makes me smile. I ordered two bottles based on the wonderfully descriptive reviews here and what a great decision.

Marks: 5 out of 5. Utterly divine. ~Siobhan

[VorpalBunny]

The description had me tempted, especially because sandalwood is one of my favorite single notes, but I seem to have bad luck with sandalwood blends so I wasn't sure. Then I got a frimp from a swapper. I opened the imp, and I loved the deep incense-y smell and had to try it right away (luckily I didn't have time to put on any BPAL before going to the post office).

 

WOW! As I wear it, it just gets more complex, with a wonderful musky note with a hint of sandalwood. This is definitely one of my favorite scents. I am so glad I got to try it in time to order myself a big bottle!