Yves Saint Laurent
Yves Saint Laurent
925 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
That mineral-citrus introduction hits like cold metal warmed by hands—the mandarin and bergamot feel almost effervescent, but there's something steely underneath that prevents sweetness from taking hold. The synthetic quality isn't a flaw; it's the point, creating an urbane gloss before the deeper materials emerge.
The oud unfolds with patchouli's earthy weight, creating a woody density that the rosemary cuts through like a blade, its aromatic camphor preventing the composition from becoming too heavy or solemn. It's here that the spice accord truly announces itself, not through obvious cinnamon or pepper, but through the interplay of these darker, more austere materials.
Labdanum and myrrh dominate the final act, their sticky, balsamic resinousness merging with amber and vetiver to create something between worn leather and ancient incense. The musk anchors it to skin with an almost animalic warmth, whilst the sweetness that's been lurking finally shows itself—subtle, ambered, never cloying.
M7 Oud Absolu takes the original M7's mineral-mandarin strangeness and plunges it into something altogether darker and more resinous. This is Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud working with oud before every luxury brand demanded it, and the result feels genuinely exploratory rather than obligatory. The opening citrus—bergamot and mandarin against those peculiar mineral facets—creates an oddly synthetic shimmer that shouldn't work but does, like catching expensive fabric under fluorescent lighting. Then the oud arrives, but it's not the typical medicinal screech; Cavallier cushions it with patchouli's earthy darkness and an unexpected jolt of rosemary that brings aromatic bite to all that woodiness.
What makes this compelling is the dense, almost chewy base where labdanum and myrrh create a leathery, church-incense intensity that refuses to play nice. The amber accord here isn't soft or cosy—it's got teeth, reinforced by vetiver's smokiness and a musk that reads more animalic than clean. This is oud for people who find most oud fragrances either too polite or too aggressive; it occupies a middle ground of controlled intensity. It's unisex in the truest sense: neither masculine nor feminine, just strange and compelling. You'd wear this to feel quietly powerful, to suggest you've got secrets worth keeping. It's for late evenings when central heating makes everyone else smell the same, for people who appreciate that fragrance can be challenging without being unwearable.
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3.8/5 (102)