Altamir

One of the better cheaper vanilla ambers. Generic nowadays, but still comforting, familiar, it still has a sparkling edge. On me it dries down sort of powdery, but it never loses its musky sweetness. Addictive to my nose. I have more oily than dry skin, and while on the downside I attract mosquitoes like a magnet, on the plus side perfumes last forever on me. I see a lot of reviews below claiming that the current formulation doesn’t last or project long. I got my bottle just several years ago off a popular discounter site and this stuff is very strong on my skin, it projects well for several hours, like several feet around me, and its still perceptible the following day. Just another demonstration to me that experiences of perfume are totally subjective, there is no objective truth aside from the formula itself. The way people perceive the notes, and how it wears on them specifically is going to be slightly different (if not entirely different) for everyone.

Altamir was never meant to be a milestone fragrance. It wasn’t a celebration or a reward or a symbol of anything grand. It was simply one of my first bottles: warm, ambered, a little syrupy, the kind of scent you buy when you’re young and hopeful and don’t yet know how much life will ask of you. I had a small postgrad scholarship, a few tutoring hours at uni and a bank account that lived permanently on the edge. I didn’t know then that this inexpensive bottle would become the quiet witness to the hardest, most transformative years of my life. I didn’t know it would become the smell of my postdoc. I remember the first morning I wore it. The sweetness rose around me like a soft, golden haze as I walked toward uni on September 2011, backpack heavy with articles I didn’t yet understand. There was something naïve in that sweetness, something earnest, the kind of optimism that only exists at the beginning of a long journey, before you realise how much of yourself you will have to give away. I breathed it in and felt, for a moment, like someone who belonged in that world of research and ideas, even though I was barely holding myself together on a scholarship that stretched thin and tutoring hours that kept the lights on. As the months passed, Altamir changed on my skin the same way the PhD changed me. The sweetness deepened, the leather emerged, the woods settled in. I would spray it before meeting supervisors, before teaching tutorials, before opening another document that needed rewriting for the third or fourth time. It became a small ritual, a private act of steadiness. When the work felt cold, the scent warmed me. When the world felt unstable, it grounded me. When I felt like I was dissolving into drafts and deadlines, Altamir reminded me that I still had a body, a pulse, a presence. There were nights when the campus was nearly empty, when the only light came from the screen in front of me and the only sound was the hum of the air conditioning. I would catch a faint trace of Altamir on my sleeve and feel less alone. It was a scent that didn’t judge, didn’t demand, didn’t pretend. It simply stayed. Through the exhaustion, through the uncertainty, through the quiet fear that maybe I wasn’t enough for this path I had chosen. It stayed when I questioned everything. It stayed when I kept going anyway. And then, slowly, the work began to shift. The final year arrived with its own kind of gravity. The scent softened, or maybe I did. The amber felt calmer now, less like hope and more like acceptance. The vanilla felt like breath returning to my body. The woods felt like something earned: a quiet strength carved from years of pressure. I would smell it on my wrist during late night edits and think, almost in disbelief, I’m close. Close to finishing. Close to becoming someone I had been trying to meet for years. February 2016, on the morning of my graduation, I reached for Altamir without thinking. It felt inevitable. The scent that had been with me from the first page should be with me at the last. I sprayed it onto my skin and felt the years gather themselves into a single, warm exhale. When I took my seat, second row from the front, close enough to feel the ceremony unfolding, far enough to see the whole room breathe. The amber rose softly around me, familiar and steady. It felt like a hand on my back, like a whisper saying, You made it. When my name was called, the scent lifted with me. Not triumphant, not loud, not dramatic. Just present. Just mine. A quiet companion that had walked with me through every chapter of becoming. I crossed the stage and felt the weight of the robe, the warmth of the lights, the soft glow of Altamir settling into the moment like it had been waiting for it all along. The bottle still sits on my shelf. Simple. Unassuming. A little worn around the edges. But when I open it, the years return: the sweetness of beginnings, the leather of endurance, the amber of arrival. It is not just a fragrance anymore. It is the scent of survival, of growth, of the long, winding path toward a version of myself I once doubted I would ever reach.

Wow. When I sprayed it on paper, even though it is not a note the fragrance smells of a beautiful pipe tobacco to me, reminding me of when my father would take puffs of his sweet smelling Captain Black. While I know it doesn't smell like that, it's the memory that it evokes. I get unlisted velvety nutmeg, neroli, and light citruses (pineapple comes off as citrus to me here) on the open that transitions big time into tonka sweet orange blossom (the star of the fragrance) with jasmine accents. In the base it warms, giving me that Captain Black feeling (less on skin than paper admittedly) as the patchouli, teak, grasses, and musk combine with the tonka and amber to give me that nostalgic scent. I love this. I also believe this is quite unisex; ladies, if you are into scent profiles like Polysnifferous Amberish Absolute Intense and The Queen, you would probably enjoy this as well.

This is ok for the price. Sweet , leans feminine, generic, every day scent most likely for younger crowd because it is sweet floral scent.

current formulation 6+ hours on skin............. 9 Minutes lasting power??!! joke lvl lie

Althair is pretty close to this. It's like mixing this and Sculpture, and you get Althair.

Nothing to do with Gaultier 2. Gaultier 2 it's unique I buy 2 bottle of Altamir I get rid of them Guys don't trust advices on fragrantica, people are crazy

Perfumes Scent: 9/ 10 Longevity: 6/ 10 Sillage: 8.5/ 10 Versatility: 8/ 10 Uniqueness: 7/ 10 Quality: 9/ 10 Presentation: 5/ 10 Price: 9/ 10 Not sure why folks below are straight lying, but this is on par with YSL MYSLF. If you enjoy sweet, floral with an amber finish, you'll enjoy this. I recommend trying decants before blind-buying full bottles, this scent and more than 800 others available at www.scentswithsense.com

A very pretty white floral with a little freshness up top from the bergamot. I'm not totally sure what pineapple leaf smells like, but there's something green up top that I don't recognize, but I like it. The dry down is soft, musky, a little sweet, tonka powdery, ambery. I think it's discontinued, but I found it super cheap from an Australian seller, even after shipping. The built in atomizer is total garbage. But whatever

It's a nice amber scent, not heavy, pretty lightweight and doesn't seem to have a decent longetivity on my skin.

My first fragrance. It just have a special place in my heart. Trying liquid brun remind me in a way of this fragrance. UPDATE: If you liked the scent profile, but not the projection/longevity and quality overall, I FOUND THE NICHE/CRAFTED VERSION OF IT: ELITE BY AURORA SCENTS!!!!! IT'S NEXT LEVEL STUFF!!!!

Get this instead of YSL MYSELF

This literally smells like Flowers growing out of hot horse CaCa and chapped a$$!! Being so honest right now!!

Don't like it at all, too powdery and patchouli. Maybe is just a perfume that's inspired on another decade but for a 2007 fragrance it felt like something a grown up man in the 80's would wear.

A very pleasant sweet golden (amber) floral scent. This is exactly what a wealthy, older woman smells like in my mind. Still good enough to rock it from time to time lol. Solid performance for an EDT, good versatility, good value. 8/10, would smell like wealthy aunt again. Edit: This absolutely reminds me of YSL Myself Le Parfum.

Delightful! Fresh, floral, citrusy, vanilla with a bit of woody odor later on. Good performance for a fresher scent: longevity good, sillage good. Punches WAY ABOVE it's weight. I don't know if there's a "freshy" EDT this good at this price anywhere. Ever so slightly leaning toward a male fragrance, but it is certainly unisex. Win for everyone! Edit to add: Gave to my son because he loved it. I'm sure I'll swipe some as needed :-)

Oh man, this is definitely a love from first sniff. It's an ambery floral that has vintage vibes but done so magnificently that it feels like a modern fragrance. So it's a modern take on an old school ambery white floral that is on the border line of unisex, leaning masculine to my nose. Maybe an older sophisticated woman can pull this off. I don't know why I imagined a female judge or lawyer pulling this off. It's starts off with a blast of semi-sweet fruity citrus. I can't tell what kind of citrusy fruits, sweet but pleasant. The muskiness of the florals ties in so beautifully to cut the fragrance and it balances the sweetness out exquisitely. After that, when it starts to settle and begins it's transitional phase, you get this ambery slightly powdery floral scent embedded with vanilla and woods. A little bit of earthiness as well just to give it a back bone and even the florals with the Tonka/vanilla. It's buttery smooth, even though it has a tad touch of a faint powdery feeling at the end of each snif you take. I don't think it's synthetic. It's actually really well blended and of good quality...For that price? Just delicious. I already stacked up a few. If you are a man and you don't like florals in your fragrance, then this is not going to be for you. Leave it for the real men, men with character. who can wear this without having to worry about what others think of them.

hidden gem! i’ve never tried gaultier 2 but this definitely seems like it could be a le male flanker. sweet, with some powdery florals and light aromatics. very warm and inviting, women love this stuff! especially for the price, this is a decent pickup.

This is a very nice smelling floral scent with pineapple leaves. But it is very feminine leaning. It smells like a classy 30-40 yr old woman for everyday use.

I dont know if mine was fake but i trully disliked this scent. I got it as a present from my uncle. Opening was nice, sweet but the dry down smelt like a aftershave cologne mixed with a laundry. Longevity and sillage was really bad also.

This is not that similar to Gaultier2. As some has said, Gaultier2 has a musky ambery feel with a floral opening but its more Jasmine than Orange Blossom. Here, the Orange Blossom is King. Super refreshing with a Nice creamy tonka base. Really Nice One. Like mixing Sculpture with an ambery tonka base. I didn't care much at the beggining but after a couple of wears, i became a fan. Unfortunately, i only have a small decant and the fragrance became unavailable. I own Gaultier2 and find it more feminine and really different from this one. I prefer this.

Another Cloying Sweet Scent..yaaaay whatever 🥱 I Prefer Ted Lapidus Pour Homme or Black Soul Imperial over this anyday.

So, not bad. But not my favorite. When I first sprayed it and let it dry, Prada’s Luna Rossa Sport came to mind (I haven’t smelled any other from that line) as well as something else that’s very popular and available at Ulta and/or Sephora, but I can’t figure out what it is. This isn’t my typical kind of fragrance. But I do like it, so I plan on wearing it. However, the bottle is so big I can’t bring it with me to refresh unless I use a backpack. So I’ll use it until I don’t want to, and then I’ll maybe pass it on. I’m still curious as to whether this smells like Gaultier2 as I’ve not had the chance to smell that. Also if anyone has any layering suggestions from my wardrobe for this, please send me a message. ♥️ 🥀 Update 03/21 - Turns out that tonka is too much for me. Im really picky about tonka/coumarin and how it is blended. If it’s a main note I probably won’t enjoy the composition. And this turns very tonka forward on my skin. Thankfully I found a co-worker who loves it and so now I’ve passed the bottle onto them to enjoy.

Fantastic Fragrance ❤️ perfect scent for fall &winter days! Love it ❤️🏆

#572 in my "Tour de Fragrance" This is an under $30 scent I've mentioned a lot, but realized I've never reviewed. Over the course of the year I've come to accept that some bergamot scents trigger my sinuses a lot, a little or not at all. I'm sure it's the difference between natural and synthetic oils because I don't get a lot of trouble with notes labeled "calabrian bergamot", but if it's just "bergamot" it's almost certainly one of the hundreds of synthetic bergamot oils the industry uses. This one does bother my sinuses a little at first, and you'd expect a $20 product to be 100% synthetics as I'm sure it is. But it has a nice mix of fruit, floral, wood, vetiver and tonka, no note particularly accentuated once the bergamot fades. Then it is just vaguely citrusy and comes off like a less spicy version of the Jade East my dad used to wear. Yeah this scent has some nostalgia for me. In fact a lot. Performance isn't awful for an EDT, but it is just an EDT. So I wouldn't buy this again, but I have found this and other such scents useful for layering, especially with otherwise dry and overpowering fragrances like so many oud scents can be. In the course of assembling my collection I picked up a lot of very "oud-forward" scents that really hit the agarwood and guiac hard, and they can come off smelling like a wooden furniture factory assembly line. One of the worst for this is Renaissance Oud which is all oud all the time. I found that by layering scents like that with a lighter more complex fragrance, ones like Ted Lapidus Altamir, Bogarts Silver Scent line, Reyanne Tradition's Insurrection II line, Dunhill's Desire line, and most any Tommy Bahama (all colognes with no real base notes to speak of), you get a nice mix of notes that at least hangs on as a skin scent till the lunch hour. So, I don't recommend this for everyday wear, but I do suggest that if you want to experiment with layering and you have a bunch of EDTs and colognes you rarely use because of performance issues (the scent's, not yours), and you have some EDPs and parfums you aren't wearing because they're kind of one note, try layering that Shaghaf Oud Abyad with some Altamir or that Renaissance Oud with some Tommy Bahama St. Kitt's, and see if you get something from the combination that you like better than both. It's made me feel better about all the money I dropped on all those colognes and eau de toilettes that were sitting in a bin in the attic because by themselves they underperformed. And it especially made me feel better about the EDPs I wasn't wearing because they were too boring. So try creating something new with layering, but do it in the evening. If the experiment goes wrong you want to be able to shower it off without worrying about being late to work. Good Luck and Good Hunting!

This is nothing like Gaultier2. No similarities in the opening, mid or dry down. I can't fathom why anyone would even compare them as being similar. Gaultier2's overriding accord is sweet vanilla toned with a musky amber, which is ubiquitous and linear throughout every stage of that fragrance. Altamir has ZERO vanilla and a bitterness that is the diametric opposite of G2. It is beyond me why this has gone unnoticed. I've never written a negative review on here - I prefer to write about fragrances that excite me - but felt compelled to after purchasing Altamir based on the many reviews comparing this to Gaultier's masterpiece. I can only assume that the reviewers who make the comparison either haven't actually smelled Gaultier2 or are just blindly agreeing with the many - (why?) - others who see this as a credible comparable fragrance - possibly because of the colour of the juice? Even as a stand alone fragrance without any connection to Gaultier2, Altamir smells like a synthetic, generic Lynx/Ax body spray, only with less longevity - though it's a blessing in disguise that it's gone in under 10 minutes as I personally find it repulsive. The sense of smell is a subjective concept and I understand that everyone will experience a fragrance differently. Maybe in a parallel universe this smells like Gaultier2, but in this universe it bears no resemblance whatsoever - keep this in mind when purchasing based on the reviews here.

OK I've had this for long enough now to come back with a proper review. There's just something in the undertone of this that puts me off, something somewhat plasticky & sticks around kinda like how peanut butter sticks to the top of your palette if you're eating it straight with a spoon. My wife loves it though, that orange blossom & neroli with the accord of vanilla that comes from the tonka bean. So I've learnt to appreciate it, mostly on days spent with the wife. This comes across to me a bit like a budget Layton. I don't like Layton for the same reason of that sticky plastic note that just smells a shade of flat. That vanilla & apple matched here with tonka & pineapple probably? Anyway, for $40 at Chemist Warehouse, it's a steal. Doesn't have to be my signature scent, doesn't have to be a daily wear, just on date days with my wife. :)

Sweet vanilla/amber ice cream. Does go on a little harsh, but when it dries down........HEAVEN. I guess I got lucky because my bottle has exceptional performance, and was quite affordable. This is a love.

Drydown is likeable and even this one has a honey note as a result of the mix, just like Poker Face. Maybe that's the Ted Lapidus secret.

- Ted Lapidus Altamir Review - Like or dislike- Ok (Was expecting more out of it but didn’t get it) Best to wear on- Winter / Spring / Autumn Nights (Can be worn anywhere on any occasion & during cooler days) To my nose- 55% Musk / 30% Vanilla / 15% Floral (Has a lot of similarities to givenchy pì) Longevity- Long Lasting (7-12 Hours on skin or 1 day on clothes) Projection- Intimate (Sits close to the skin without a trail at all) Gender- More Male (Ages up to 60) Value for money- Good Value ($40 Retail price) Overall score- 5 / 10 (Not recommended as a blind buy as it has been reformulated and just isn’t as good as what it’s potential should be)