FRAGRANCE | M7 by Yves Saint Laurent (Vintage): Does this trailblazer still hold up today?

halfwhiteboy - YSL M7 EDT (Vintage) 01

I was not that into fragrances yet at the time but apparently the original Yves Saint Laurent M7 (of the Tom Ford era) caused quite a stir when it was launched back in 2002. Controversial ad campaign aside, it was regarded as groundbreaking for introducing oud to western fragrances. I got hold of the reissue first, M7 Oud Absolu, and then later, a partial tester bottle of the original.

Although mine is missing the cap, I'm digging the minimalist but elegant bottle design—from the brown glass and the rough edges all around, to the off-center placement of the sprayer. There's also just something about how the color brown is rendered here. I don't see a lot of bottles in this particular shade and I like it.

As to the scent, I was expecting a beastly oud but was surprised to find how pleasant the fragrance is, fresh even. Yes, I get oud right off the bat, which is beautifully sweet and woody, and laced with a light and fleeting citrus around the edges. It's far from the density and darkness of say, Black No.1 by House of Matriarch, let alone the animalic pungency of Diptyque's Oud Palao. There's an ambery sweetness to M7, which is now a rather common treatment of oud, lending it a nice and comforting warmth. A mild powdery accord soon follows while musk starts building up in the background.

halfwhiteboy - YSL M7 EDT (Vintage) 03

Not long after does the the musk start taking over. Although it doesn't completely wipe the oud out, it quickly dominates the scent, which all happens in under 30 minutes. Whereas M7 Oud Absolu is woody and earthy because of patchouli, this one is musky. And at least the oud is more perceptible here than in the reissue. Still, the musk outlasts the oud. Projection and longevity are both moderate, with the scent staying close to the skin after only 2 hours or so.

With so many oud-centric fragrances nowadays, M7 can easily get lost in the crowd. It may have been a trailblazer once but sadly it no longer is a standout, more so since the oud isn't as dominant and lasting to begin with—although my juice may have turned, I'm not sure. Just the same, M7 remains a beautiful and well-blended fragrance. And for whatever it's worth, I'm happy to have it in my arsenal.

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