A Love Story 150 Years in the Making

The love affair with South America and its rugged, wild lands began more than a century ago for two different families, the Mitre and the Morrisons, when they crossed paths in Buenos Aires. Their encounter in 19th-century South America and the modern-day love story of their direct descendants who serendipitously met in Italy 150 years later is captured in the elegant, minimalist fragrance collection ALTAIA, the acronym for “A Long Time Ago in Argentina.” Only after they were married in 2012 did Marina Sersale and Sebastian Alvarez Murena discover how a remarkable series of events linked their families together once upon a time in Argentina. Instead of celebrating with a brilliant bottle of Malbec, Marina and Sebastian took their connection and their inspiration to an olfactory level and created a new perfume collection, which they called ALTAIA. Committed to the art of perfumery and the power of storytelling through scent, not to mention their shared history and true romance they created fragrances with each Eau de Parfum’s olfactory element intended to evoke their interconnected past and present.

Each ALTAIA fragrance has a unique resonance, striking a contemporary emotional chord rooted in long-ago legends and their modern meaning, consistently sharing timeless messages of love. The newest launch, Amank’ay, is named for the ethereal lily-like blossom, known as the flower of love, an incarnation of an ancient legend revealing the sweet bond of love. Amank’ay flowers cover rolling valleys in the wild lands of Patagonia, a place where emotions roam free among deep ancient forests and cobalt blue fjords framed by icy mountaintops. Marina and Sebastian say that “the spectacle of an Amank’ay meadow in full bloom touches the soul of all who behold it, and it is this awe-inspiring beauty that we sought to encapsulate in a luminous tribute to the tender surrender of one’s heart.”

This enchanting mix of petals, woods, and spice captivates the wild at heart as the fragrance blends the delicate essence of pear blossoms and lotus flower with a hint of pink peppercorn and the warm, sensual finish of Amber, Musk, and Sandalwood. Amank’ay is the newest entry in a sublime collection of ALTAIA fragrances including Any Day Now, a dark, deep sensual fragrant invitation that proves as Sebastian and Marina want us to understand, that “love waits, ready to surprise us, hiding just out of sight. Without warming it will sweep us away,” they emphasize that to encounter love, we have to keep our hearts open and wait for “love’s caress, as soft and fragrant as rose petals, to entice.”

Thinking that we need to feel sexy in our own skin, Marina and Sebastian created a fragrance to honor Argentina’s famed desert – Atacama – known for its salt flats and rare wildflower bloom, an unpredictable coating of the landscape in Fuschia flowers They created a beautiful, sophisticated Eau de Parfum that serves as a metaphor for this desolate ground, the highest desert on earth, the closest environment on this planet to Mars. Flowers float by on a dry summer breeze, tantalizing, just beyond our grasp. Like the scent of the blossoms carried on the wind, the seeds that lie beneath the sands of Atacama come to life with one kiss of rain. The notes, a subtle harmony of delicate flowers, freesia, and jasmine with a woody finish, soft and sensual as cashmere are luxurious, and gracefully understated, making Atacama a fragrant experience of quiet luxury.

Of course, the ALTAIA collection goes on to include many stellar scents, all – eight in total – are available at Beautyhabit or Beauty Frontier for USA customers. Among the ALTAIA scents, Wonder of You – joyful, sun-loving, Tuberose in Blue – a trip to Rio where enchantment prevails, Don’t Cry For Me – hot summer nights in Buenos Aires, Yu Son – intoxicating, passionate love and By Any Other Name – .a modern sultry floral. Find the one that speaks to your heart.

Photos by @davidcastillofotografo