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M7 by Yves Saint Laurent

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M7 is Tom Ford's first YSL entry after taking the reigns and was released in 2002. As far as I have heard, M7 has been reformulated once and the first time I sampled it was while it was still the original formula.

I have recently sampled it again.....courtesy of rickbr......and while unsure if the current sampling is original or reformulated, it matters not to me. I cannot recall  the initial wearing years ago; other than M7 being medicinal and possessing longevity that would startle Methusaleh himself.

This is about the 3rd time I have sampled this scent in the past week. M7 has numerous fans and detractors which is understandable. This is a strange fragrance that opens with a jagged cough syrup accord with cherry attributes and agarwood. Not exactly what Western noses are accustomed to, but that doesn't make it bad. It's got its own particular charm in an unrefined way. The opening is very noticeable and recommend being frugal when applying M7.

There's spicy citrus in the topnotes courtesy of bergamot and rosemary. These make for interesting companions with the agarwood and listed vetiver in the heart of M7. The vetiver isn't how I normally perceive that note, but after 10 minutes or so, both heartnotes fuse to give me a nice subtle smokiness once the cough syrup aura subsides. The drydown takes awhile on my skin and a musky amber reveals itself, albeit slowly. There's an earthy quality to it and fits quite well with the smokiness I still sense from the heart.

M7 is groundbreaking due to the likable strangeness that is inherent in it. The sillage and longevity are commendable and gives opportunity to those sitting on the fence with oud to experience that note in a slightly different presentation. Is M7 great? Not to me, but what the hell is? Good is good enough....and M7 is that. My opinion is that it's a worthy addition to a masculine wardrobe for cooler temperatures and offers a rendition of oud that is in the background. I can live with that. Too many scents featuring oud are completely dominated by the note, but not so with M7. Whether this was by design or an economical decision, I am happy with the result. Thumbs up for YSL's M7 from Aromi.
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Comments

  1. Carrie MeredithDecember 24, 2010 at 2:07 PM

    "Is M7 great? Not to me, but what the hell is?" This is why your reviews are quickly becoming some of my favorites. :)

    That said, M7 sounds very interesting to me, I like the idea of cherry and oud. May need to give it a try.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AromiEroticiDecember 24, 2010 at 2:30 PM

    Thanks Carrie, That's kind of you to say. I have enough left in the vial to sample if you want.

    You can email me at :
    marriedwithoutchildren@bresnan.net

    ReplyDelete
  3. Carrie MeredithDecember 25, 2010 at 2:48 PM

    Sweet! Just emailed you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. HenriqueDecember 31, 2010 at 2:46 PM

    Aromi, the sample i sent you is from the first version of it. Well, for me M7 is great, a memorable long-lasting scent. I have tested a bunch of fragrances so far, but is still one of my favorite ones. It's a shame that it getting so hard to find :(

    ReplyDelete
  5. AromiEroticiJanuary 1, 2011 at 12:34 AM

    Thanks Rick ! I couldn't tell by sampling it. I know a few years ago I tried the original, but it was too long ago for me to compare by memory.

    Yesterday, I stumbled upon a listing that was close to ending and ended up winning an original 50ml with about 45ml remaining for a very good price.

    I appreciate the sample my friend and it resulted in a good addition the the drobe.

    ReplyDelete

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