17 Oud Mosaic

I'm not sure where the previous reviewer got the idea that Banana Republic has discontinued this fragrance, or that they've discontinued making fragrances altogether. This frag is still sold online, and is relatively easy to find at rack stores. I picked mine up new at Burlington just a week ago, from a bunch that was on the shelf. Banana Republic keeps a selection of their frags in stock at their stores, and they added two new frags to the Icon line just last year. So I don't think this fragrance is disappearing any time soon. Anyways, the frag itself is nice. It's a pleasant oud, not too challenging. Definitely a cold weather scent. To me the oud does give it an older vibe, maybe too old for me. I enjoyed wearing it the couple days that I tested it, but I feel like I would opt for fresher or sweeter scents on a more regular basis. Still, I like having it in the collection alongside my other Banana Republic Icon frags. The quality for the price though is great, especially if you can get the 75 ml for half price at rack stores. It gets decent longevity. At this price point it's probably all synthetic oud, but it doesn't smell cheap or artificial. If you're an oud lover on the lookout for good cheapies, definitely check this one out. Edit: On wearing it more I've warmed up to it and am actually really enjoying wearing it to work and such. It especially goes nicely on "rainy days", I think.

I was fortunate enough to find 7.5 ml bottles of this a couple years ago at a Banana Republic Factory Outlet store for under $10 each. Not sure what batches are like now, but I've had those two bottles last me since Autumn 2020. At the price point, this is a great value. The Rose is robust here and vibrates throughout but much nicer, in my opinion, than say... Cartier's Declaration d'un Soir. If you're a man who doesn't like the smell of Rose on you, or a woman who wears a more floral Rose, this may not be the one for you. However, if you like darker tones and oriental or incense vibes, this Rose could be for you for here she blooms with spices in a very masculine direction due to the use of an interesting Cardamom accord. Eventually this dries down to a very sensual woody scent especially attractive on clothing. I can't imagine BR using real Agarwood in this blend at the price their offering but what Mr. Dir has done here with their budget is create a wonderful blend of the classic (and often times very expensive) Rose/Oud combination making its way into the Western World. The scent can be quite powerful and pungent at first, especially for those unfamiliar with Oud fragrances, however this is a very good fragrance for anyone looking for something sensual, daring, and willing to make a statement on a cool summer night.

I bought this mostly because there is a discounter in my country selling the 75ml bottle for 11$, which is crazy cheap. I don't have Oud Ispahan to compare with, but I have OudTouch, by Franck Olivier, and I must say I hardly find any similarity between the two. Franck Olivier is way more synthetic in the beginning, and is barely tolerable in the first 30-40 minutes. Oud Mosaic is quite tame compared to OudTouch and it starts much more natural, I do get the oud and the rose, but I also get a boozy feel which lasts for about 2-3 horus. During these 2 to 3 hours the booziness slowly goes away and what you are left with is a combination of rose, oud and fruits. Also during this time it tames down and it gets more animalic, and believe me when I'm telling you I get whiffs of Kuros. It's not as in your face and urinal like Kouros, but tame Kouros by 80-90% enough to doubt the smell is even there and add the notes I described earlier. Overall I love it, more than OudTouch, but only by a small margin, it smells a more natural than OudTouch it is also less linear than OudTouch, but it loses points if you take into account the longevity and projection.

This might be one of my top blind buys of all time. Now I’ve never had the chance to smell oud ispahan so I can’t really talk much about the comparisons to that, however, the note break down intrigued me and I already owned cypress ceded from the icon line and loved it so I actually went out of my way to hunt this down at Burlington. I managed to find it for around 22$ and at that price this is an absolute steal. Too me this oud doesn’t come across animalic or barnyardish in any way. Instead it is a beautiful oud rose combo that have a good amount of sweetness counterbalanced with dark woods and spices that linger around the edge of the fragrance. It’s extremely wearable even as a guy in his early 20s. I think you can wear this casually or dress it up as it has a good amount of depth and sophistication to it. Personally I love wearing this scent to bed as I find it one of the most relaxing scents in my collection. Longevity is good. It’s even survived showers on occasion. Projection is very very good in the first few hours. Overall for the price I paid this is an absolute must own cheapy if you like oud and or rose

This is a beautiful perfume! The rose, though dominant throughout, is dark, almost "jammy" (as has been noted previously), so you need not worry that this is a bright tea rose. The oud wafts out now and then, but this is certainly not an oud dominant perfume. For the record, I am a 56 year old male who works in an office environment. For the office I use one shot to the chest, and I layer it with either one shot of Lalique Equus or Givenchy Vetyver. What I end up with is a more balanced woods and rose combination which I find heavenly, yet not so challenging to western scent wearing stereotypes. Longevity is good: 6-7 hours. Projection is moderate to my nose, probably because I find rose scents so noticeable. This is an excellent perfume by which to add in a rose note via layering. For the price (and because I have a BR store in my city), I can definitely see this being a permanent addition to my collection.