About a year ago, I bought Parfums de Marly Altair (Full price, what an idiot). At the time, I wasn’t too deep into fragrances. I had tried Layton and Altair side by side, and surprisingly, I actually preferred Altair. It felt different, pleasant, and a little more unique to me in that moment.

For the first few months, I wore it almost daily, from fall through winter into spring. My wife really liked it on me too, so that helped. But as time went on, I started noticing some issues:

	•	The scent is nuclear strong. A couple sprays and it projected like crazy, sometimes way too much.

	•	If I overapplied (which was easy to do with this one), I’d end up with migraines or at least a nagging headache.

	•	The scent stuck around forever and felt intoxicating and overwhelming rather than enjoyable

At first, I convinced myself to keep it (after all, I’d dropped $400 on the bottle), but the more I wore it, the less I actually enjoyed it. This fall, I gave it another shot after not touching it for a while and instantly it reminded me why I had grown tired of it: headache within minutes, overwhelming, nausea… Anyways.

I sold it off for $100 and picked up Givenchy Gentleman Boisée and Hugo Boss Elixir instead. Honestly, I’m pretty happy with my new collection (I have a few others). Boisée in particular feels way more “me”: classy, versatile, and pleasant without choking me out. Elixir adds a fun twist to my lineup too.

Altair taught me a lesson: I don’t mind average performance/projection at all. I actually enjoy are more balanced, wearable fragrances that I can reach for every day without worrying about headaches or offending people around me. 

Anyone else had a similar experience ?

Sold my Parfums de Marly Altair - Here’s why