Acteur

LANIER, originaldeftom, cowboykenny27, bigsly and flannelman (among others) really wrote some great reviews - thank you! I got a Vintage bottle recently prior to reformulation - the moss is definitely very much there and shows up in the mid-notes on the skin (on clothing, a touch more cleaner and slower evolution of scent - but I really prefer this as a skin scent - just a couple dabs to clothing from a splash). This is radiating a deep, dark brooding rose (but not dirty like Zino Davidoff's - different vein). Knightz is correct is saying that this is not a "fresh" bloom, but one that has already dropped a few petals into the bowl of fresh and dried fruit under it (definitely some nice fruit notes in here) - the rose petals are slightly wilted, darkening at the edges of the burgundy petals. However, what keeps the rose from being "off" is actually the sharp carnation, in my opinion (brilliant). I actually think it fits perfect into the structure. A bright, cheerful rose note would not fit into this simply wonderful composition...it is very deep, mysterious, & rich. I am in olfactory heaven with this brooding, masculine floral! It would take a confident man to wear this - most definitely. The wood in this is so well-integrated with the florals and the fermented fruits drying down a bit. And, the leather is well-done...warm, smooth. A key note is mace, or nutmeg flower, (which creates a nice spiciness) which really shows itself, however the note could be off-putting to those who don't know what it is. Not dominant, but integrated in the top with cardamom, some bergamot rind and the booziness from the dried fruit. A sharp opening that dries and really warms on one's skin. This is, indeed, better than a lot of the niche fragrances out there today - unbelieveably good juice. My score is 9+/10, for Vintage formulation...with a standing ovation. So, do as you may. This is a warm, deep, masculine and beautiful fragrance...one of the best offerings ever made by the Azzaro house, Vintage Acteur. For men, not boys. **Update** - I decanted about 20-25ml into a 30ml glass atomizer (to have some air in the spray bottle and really let it breathe!) After applying the same splash-on juice by atomizer, it really opens up beautifully. A lot more of the spices comes out along with the other florals mentioned (jasmine, and even more carnation). The note separation is fantastic. Less concentrated? Perhaps a bit - but it keeps the richness and prefer to apply several shots close in (to create depth) and a couple from a bit of distance to spread out the composition and let it reveal the top and heart notes more. I bought a Vintage 50ml spray bottle as well and realized how the scent wore different when applied through an atomizer. This is serious fragrance and you can really get a lot more notes by applying this way. The rose is not quite as deep and brooding with the leather, amber and oakmoss - but you get a slightly brighter top and a more integrated fragrance. Booziness is still there - you get the FULL effect. Impressive. Another aspect I did not delve deeply into is the actual spiciness and earthy wood structure of Vintage Acteur. I love the spicy cardamom on top - it is very distinct to my nose. It blends perfectly into the gorgeous and earthy patchouli (one of the most important notes I find in the entire composition) along with a nice warm cedar. Vetiver comes in at the end of the heart going into the drydown. It is not perfectly "clean" vetiver. There is a bit of damp soil on that root - lending an extra bit of depth to the entire wear and allowing it to transcend perfectly into the Oakmoss! The leather is gorgeous here - very classy and smooth and it blends brilliantly with the rose that stays from the top all the way through to the base. The effect is nothing short of the slightly wilted rose petals that are stuffed in the pocket of a rich, black leather jacket. The musk is well-done...another not-so-perfectly clean note, but perfectly befitting the 'mood' this fragrance creates. The amber is actually a more important note here as it blends with the musk and actually does two things - it adds even more warmth (this is one of the "warmest" scents you can find in Vintage Acteur) to the composition and increases the longevity, while at the same time adding a distinct note that provides a radiant feel. One should wear this on skin, and fairly liberally. It goes on with a wonderful sharp richness, warms incredibly on your skin and creates the "aura-effect" that Azzaro Pour Homme made famous. It is how the scent is structured that allows one to experience (and adore) this. If you look at the notes, this could have had some dialed up and the effect would not be there. Soothing and calming in Vintage Acteur - like a 'mature, confident actor' indeed. Some people have complained about the current juice being "fizzy" - which I simply felt was lacking the density and depth of Vintage (it was dilute, unimpressive and very short-lived), but interesting adjective. That is the last word that would ever come to mind when thinking about this gorgeous, rich scent in its Vintage form, though. Based upon that, and my experience with Vintage Azzaro Pour Homme versus the reformulation - I would say to seek out Vintage bottles of this if you want to truly experience the sheer depth, warmth and beauty that is in Original Acteur. Bravo!

I bought Acteur maybe 8 years ago or even much earlier and wore for 2 or 3 times. Never cared for it. At that moment, I was overwhelmed by my curiosity of exploring the greater reign of perfumes, vintage and female perfumes in particular—This is shortly after my first serious encounter with perfumes. Acteur came to me at the end of a phase when I bought and tried men's fragrances exclusively. It was a period when I was amazed by the roughness and toughness of Aramis, appalled (in a good way) by the vulgarity and decency coexisted of Kouros, mesmerised by the (re)freshing cleanness yet skanky dirtiness of Mouchoir de Monsieur and captivated by the solid (if not sacred geometrical) structure of Sagamore and I thought I knew them all, all the great male fragrances. But unfortunately, Acteur failed to stand with these great works shoulder to shoulder, at least not to my preference nor judgement. The reason? I completely missed the rose. Hard to believe but it's true. I would raise a brow and look at you in skeptical look on my face should you tell me that there is a predominant rose note presented in Acteur while all I could perceived have always been waves of spicy-woody leather rushing into the nostril and to the shore of my memory, until tonight. Out of a very coincidental reason, I grabbed Acteur and sprayed heavily on my forearms and my neck for around 6 to 8 times. At first, as expected as always, the spicy-woody leather facet took over. I felt its very coarse texture and could not really appreciated it, I layered my Coty Wild Musk, hoping its soft and smooth musky vanilla would mellow the edges then I went to bed for a nap. When all the leather and sweet musky vanilla faded, the rose, oh the delicate yet stubborn rose arose. All of a sudden, I was surrounded by the magnificent, opulent and glorious aura of velvety fuchsia shade. It was unmistakably the rose I missed and misunderstood for so long. Romantic, poetic and vividly realistic. Acteur is the leading tenor of a long-awaited opera for which you've been saving money to get the best seat possible. The skills to create Acteur is technically perfect but on top of that Acteur itself is breathtakingly beautiful. And this could be easily proven if 1) you try it yourself or 2) read reviews by some of the most respectable connoisseurs of male fragrances here in the Fragrantica community. But most of all, the surprise Acteur brought me tonight is just another example and valuable lesson to me: the appreciation of perfumes is an acquired taste and ability. And it takes time and experience to grow wiser, indeed. At last, I am so glad I didn't sell or swap Acteur so a second chance was given to me and the rosy gem.

The sumptuous red velvet curtain rose silently. The stage was as dark as 3:am. Then an amber spotlight widened from just a pinpoint at the center of the stage to reveal a lone handsome figure. The Actor. “To spray or not to spray, that is the question.” The audience cupped in the neo classical splendor of the Comédie Française Theater was spellbound in shimmering silence. “Whether ’tis nobler for the body to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fragrance, Or to take arms against a sea of scents, And by opposing end them?” He raised a bottle of Acteur Azzaro to inspect it and then popped the top and sprayed it out over the assembly. Thunderous applause shook the rafters of the theater and caused a microscopic show of plaster to fall from the ornately vaulted ceiling lightly dusting the audience. The following morning the Parisian papers trumpeted the reviews, The Acteur is bombastic, over the top, and in the grand style of another age. Yet despite all of that, it is a fabulous exciting hit. And indeed it is. What a perfect name for this late 80’s power fragrance, Acteur, the Actor. It demands attention and carries a natural charisma that only a true star possesses. The drama of its theatrical opening is huge! It is a tangy spiced cocktail of Fruit, nutmeg, bergamot and cardamom that nearly knocked me over. This opening quickly dissipates into a really romantically masculine and sublime mix of rose, jasmine, vetiver, cedar and patchouli that carries authority in that special 80’s way some of us love. The dry down is a sensuous mix of leather amber musk and oakmoss. I do have to say that throughout the entire performance of this fragrance the leather and amber do move up into the middle notes which temper the rose and burnishes it and the jasmine quite nicely. The silage is fine, a range of about medium and it last a good 6 to 8 hours on my skin. If you are looking back to the 1980’s for a fine mature fragrance with some authority and panache, Acteur should take center stage for you. FIVE GOLD STARS *****

I love this fragrance very much! I bought a sample cause of the positive reviews that I read about this being a frag. that has a prominent rose note in it. The rose note(s) are hard to detect when first applied until the beginning part of the drydown. After that, the rose notes stand out more(at least with my chemistry). This frag. is the best one I've smelled out of the "Loris Azzaro" design house so far. This fragrance has very good longevity. I applied a little on myself before going to bed and the next morning I could still smell it. The final phases of the drydown smell similar on me like the middle stages except a lot lighter, almost like low end or dimestore perfume for women but in a good way, and that's ok with me. This is definetely masculine enough to be worn by most guys. If it weren't I wouldn't be wearing it, as my chemistry wants to lean more towards floral and (or)sweet notes. This fragrance is floral enough and slightly sweet enough to lean towards being a unisexual frag. There's probably more then enough rose perfumes out there for women better then this one. I highly recommend this for the guys, especially if you're wanting something very different or a rose type of fragrance. Give it a try first by sampling it, and if you like it, buy it. There were some rumors going around that this is discontinued but that's not the case according to another fragrance website. I would like to also say that I compared this with my other unisex cologne that's also smells of roses called "Intense Oud" by Jovan. I like this one a lot better, as Intense Oud smells more feminine and way too much rose, so I'll wear that once and while at home. "Declaration d'un Soir" by Cartier is another rose frag. for men. There's one more fragrance that has a rose accord, for men. It's called "Loud" by Tommy Hilfiger. It smells nice, not as strong as "Acteur" which I like better than it. I like "Acteur" so much that I didn't hesitate to buy a bottle of it online.

ACTEUR 1989 by Maurice Maurine I do really believe that it is imperative to have a historical grasp of the history of perfumery, if one wants to write properly about perfumes. Acteur is a groundbraker, the equivalent of a seminal paper. Maurice Maurine went at length to unchartered territory with this heavily dense rose, anticipating Mancera, Montale, Kurkdjan, and Roja Dove. Importing the idea by the Arabian Middle East world, he showed that rose can be and should be used in masculine fragrances (remember that there were a clear division in place with regard to gender in the fragrance world at that time). So: no aromatic fouger, no heavy cyphre, no aggressive leather; just a beautiful rose supported by a hint of jasmine and a good dose of a piquant carnation. The oil rose here is slightly fruity, but it is surronded by a good amount of spices, namely clove and nutmeg, or bettr, mace which is a fragrant oil made from the dried aril of nutmeg, it's sweeter and milder than nutmeg oil. It is both a little bit soapy and emanates a cidary aurea that probably originats from the muguet and the jasmine. With time, it gets darker when the soft sude base emerges joined by some woody accents (patchouly for the most part and then some rooty vetiver) immersed in a good dose of pungent oakmoss. For me it's a very romantic and unmistakabely masculine; an acteur at centre stage who is bitter-caustic and turbulent, distant and intimate at the same time. Acteur conveys that sense of elegant and masculine adroitness. There's something about its expression of greens, spices, and flowers that brings class and ruggedness into the same room, sits them down, and negotiates a truce. Acteur is handsome and timeless; for me a masterpiece! Follow me on IG @alexolympia6