M7 (2002)
by Yves Saint Laurent

Edit: I wised up about 2 years ago and re-acquired M7, and eventually, M7 Fresh. Somehow, it now works on me, and it's in the normal rotation of things. I can't believe I <b>threw away</b> a nearly full bottle of it! The horror!

Old review: I got M7 on a total whim - back when it was first released, and we could get it easily in the US. Big mistake. It was very, very heavy and cloying on me - I felt like I had this M7 aura visible around me. Very cool bottle, however, but I pitched it.

Edit: I have no interest in writing another review on M7. All I'll say for now is that it's a fairly well made, rich woody oriental that smells good enough if you like vetiver-amber accords. The same goes for Gucci pour Homme 2003. If you want to smell a great vetiver-amber, try Sublime.

The stand-out note in the opening is the agar wood but the ambergris is definitely there in equal measure. The agar wood jars the nose more but it's the ambergris that provides the body of M7. There is a freshness given by the vetiver, and a spiciness that doesn't marry to the stated top notes (to my mind) with the agar wood bringing a woody and medicinal quality. The ambergris 'rounds' off the fragrance, providing the sweet smoothness (which some refer to as vanilla). The top notes are very nice and give extra character but sadly disappear off too quickly, rendering them ultimately unimportant.

The spiciness has all but gone after one hour leaving the musk, agar wood and ambergris blending well together. One moment I feel that I mostly get ambergris (which I loathe in isolation) the next the agar wood would become the more obvious. In the end it’s the always long-lived ambergris which remains the more powerful element and sees M7 out. Now ordinarily this would be intolerable for me but there is just enough trace amounts of musk and agar wood to keep it pleasant for me.

Some have felt that M7 needs thirty minutes to tame before they believe they can face the world. Myself I like the opening most. M7 sits more in the realm of niche fragrances than designer, as rich and thick as Blue Amber or Chergui. I prefer M7 over the aforementioned, it has a less pronounced ambergris, a nutty character and swapping the ‘vanilla’ sweetness for a ‘cough syrup’ sweetness is just fine by me.

Many people complain about the top notes. I absolutely love M7 from A to Z.
As most of top notch fragrances, everything has its place for a reason. Top, middle and base notes are supposed to work together as a team, bringing you the complete picture. By themselves, they are just a nuance. But if you put them together, like a symphony orchestra, they will bring you the complete composition. Of course, like a sheet of music, they will only be exceptional if they are put together by a master.
I find agarwood intoxicating. Vetiver and rosemary are sublime here. Not cloying like another YSL release – Opium PH.
Is it original? You bet! Is it sexy? Girlfriends and “curious bystanders” seem to think so. Is it powerful? Oh yeah! Is it supposed to be embraced by everybody? I don’t think so!
In some of the reviews below was stated resemblance with Gucci Envy. I personally cannot detect any. They are both favorites of mine, but I don’t find them similar.
And there you have it. Very unique, powerful, intoxicating and provocative oriental, one of the best ever made.
Huge thumbs up!!
Definitely try before you buy!

a "perfect" blend imho. we are lucky to have designers scents as M7 available to us at our local store for a song.
the mood is sweet, syrupy medicinal in it;s openign accords...to powdery, intense woods and earthy vetiver by mids to an incredibly unique and even more dense and spread out accords of rotten wood towards base with oudh. it;s unforgiving and it's sexy. M7 rocks !

Cutting to the chase: it is a masterpiece.
Not quite the beast urban legend has cut it out to be. M7 is warm, wonderful and wearable.
It is all there: the cherry cough syrup, the smokey oud, the "mentholated" resonance in the middle, the intoxicating dry down. It is simply a fragrance I would never want to be without.
Now if only it were more readily available!