This serum, which is actually a face oil, is one of the products I am testing out in my role as ‘expert’ in the LookFantastic awards (HERE). It’s really rather lovely, and I was planning on reviewing it – along with some of the other ‘contestants’ – in a couple of weeks’ time. The reason it’s on here today is that, whilst researching something else, I noticed that CheapSmells.com have a huge Décleor sale going on and this particular oil has been reduced from £39 to £25.41!

So, here we are today – on a Friday, a Friday 13th, no less – doing a semi-flash review. I’m loathe to call it an official Friday Flash Review because I’m not in the mood to go into a whole ‘stream of consciousness’ thing that one of those requires of me. I’m feeling rather serious and overworked and so I’m going to  do a very boring and serious review.

“NOT! Got you there, didn’t I? Like I’d ever be a) serious or b) overworked! Let’s have a gander at this little bottle of oil then, shall we? It’s small – very small. 15ml of product in a glass bottle that looks like something from a Wizard’s ingredients shelf. It’s quite pleasing to hold, actually, because it fits right into the palm of my hand.

First serious confession: I have used this oil/serum before. Last night, and yesterday morning. The reason for this is that otherwise I wouldn’t be able to tell you what it was like, which would rather defy the point of doing the review, so I hope you forgive me. But for now, let’s pretend I have never set eyes on the stuff.

Open the lid: a gorgeous bitter orange smell. Bitter orange oil smells very different to sweeter orange blossom or tangerine oils – it smells more business-like, less ‘perfumey’. It declares that it is suitable for all skin types, but let’s be clear on this one: if you have extremely oily skin or extremely sensitive skin, a facial oil may not be right for you! Some people are sensitive to bitter orange oil, some just to aromatherapy oils in general. Some oily skins simply can’t handle the application of even more oil to the surface and will, understandably, revolt. Just a word of warning there!

For the rest of us, life is good with a little touch of facial oil. This one is to be applied in the morning before moisturiser. I actually prefer to apply oils at night instead of moisturiser, but that’s personal preference. I often don’t have time in the morning (that’s a lie) to apply an oil and then wait and then apply cream, and I like the idea that I’m oiling my skin before bed so that the magic happens whilst I sleep. However, I can see the point in applying this in the ‘am’ – the oil blend supposedly helps care for skin exposed to daily stress, and there’s more stress during the day than there is at night!

For research’s sake, I tested this morning and night and found it lovely at both times. Before bed it was a pampering treat (although I’m sure Décleor do a more relaxing aromatherapy version for bedtime!) and in the morning it felt like a bit of a wake-up call. As I have no children, pets, annoying neighbours or proper job, I have no usual wake-up call and so pressing aromatic oils into my face is often the only way to rouse myself from slumber. (Guns are available to hire for £10 and the rubber pellets are in the ‘help yourself’ bucket. I’ll just stand by the wall whilst you fire at me.)

Little ‘oil’ tip for you: you should only need two drops of this oil max to treat your entire face. Unless you have a gargantuan cranium or a huge moon-face. Pop two drops of oil into the palm of your hand and then heat it up by pressing your other hand over it. Don’t worry if it feels as though the oil is disappearing – it’s not! Some is obviously absorbing into your palms, but you just have to have faith with this one. When you press your warmed palms onto your face you should impart just the right amount of oil onto your skin. Press rather than massage and you’ll deliver the oil to the parts of the face that are driest – usually the cheeks and sometimes the forehead – whilst avoiding potentially oily nooks such as the creases around the nose.

You really don’t want to go overboard with oil – for me, too much oil before bed and I wake up with a spot. Guaranteed! So tread carefully. The Décleor is a nice one to start with, I think – the Neroli isn’t targeted at super-dry skins so it’s ok for normal and even combination skin. It’s 100% natural with no parabens or colourings or mineral oil, and the ingredients look innocent enough. If you’re looking for a morning treatment oil then this could be a nice one to start out with – I adore Darphin’s oils, but with the discount the Décleor one comes in at almost half the price!”

Décleor Néroli Essential Serum, £25.41 from CheapSmells.com until Sunday 15th, here: http://tinyurl.com/6637sjy