WHAT I SMELL:  Rose Etoile de Hollande opens with a bright peach layered upon aldehydes, which is then quickly followed a disconcerting clove note.  What opens and pretty, soon becomes strange and sour and somewhat biting.  Thankfully the rose steps out a bit which helps to soften the clove, but there remains a sharpness that I am hoping will dissipate.  After around 15 minutes or so, the rose retreats and the peach once again makes it to front and center.   The peach is tangy and bright.  I wouldn’t say it’s juicy, but it does have a warmth about it which cuts the sharpness experienced from the first 15 minutes.  This is strange.  Where’s the rose?  All I get is peach and more peach.   More strange is that another 15 minutes it seems like I am back to the beginning with the sharpness that I experienced earlier and a bit more rose than all the peach.  After a lengthy dry down, Rose Etoile de Hollande becomes slightly woody and much softer with hints of heliotrope.  And after even a few more hours, you’ll notice a very light smoky incense leather added to the mix.  Rose Etoile de Hollande overall is rather pretty and comforting, but it’s all peach and little to no rose.   Surprisingly, for a Mona di Orio fragrance, Rose Etoile de Hollande sits close to the skin and is rather light in its projection.  Overall, it’s a beautiful fragrance in the end.   I just wish there was a little more rose and a little less peach.

Top notes are aldehydes, white peach and bergamot; middle notes are rose, cloves and geranium; base notes are leather, patchouli, cedar, heliotrope, vanilla, benzoin, amber and peru balsam.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  peaches

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ROSE ETOILE DE HOLLANDE:  peachy, bright, semi-sharp

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ROSE ETOILE DE HOLLANDE:  Perfume-Smellin Things, Olfactoria’s Travels, Cafleurebon

BOTTOM LINE:   Rose Etoile de Hollande is perplexing to me.  I really want to like it, but something is holding me back.  I think it’s the peach.  It’s just a bit too dominant for my tastes.  However, if you love a good peach note, I can see how this could be wonderful.  It’s no Mitsouko, but it is nice.

• Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
• Scent:  Floral
• Nose:   Mona di Orio
• Classification:  Unisex, but leans feminine
• Expense:  $230 for 100ml EdP