~ Aromessence Mandarine Smoothing Serum (£49.50/15ml)
~ Energising Smoothing Cream (SPF 15) (£52/50ml)
~ Aromessence Mandarine Smoothing Night Balm (£33.50/15ml)
~ 2-in-1 Dark Circle & Eye Wrinkle Eraser (£32.00/15ml)
Since I do not have the benefit of sponsors to send me free stuff before launch, I visited a department store to nab some samples to try out ;) I wanted to snap pictures of the packaging and look up the ingredients (since Decleor do not publish ingredients lists online *growl* Even the "key ingredients" tab is blank!!) but ... well. I forgot. At least the sample of the Aromessence serum has the ingredients printed on the back. As for the rest... I'm trusting Decleor and hoping for the best haha.
First Thoughts:
Aromessence Mandarine Smoothing Serum
Absorbs quickly and without any shininess - which was unexpected, because when I applied some against the back of my hand in store there was an obvious sheen. Smells like lemon rind.
Ingredients:
Hazel Seed Oil - moisturising, has astringent properties and helps protect skin against free radical damage
Camellia Kissi Seed Oil - moisturising. Have to mention that this originates from Japan! Banzai!
Sunflower Seed Oil - contains Vitamin E. Helps repair the skin and reduce inflammation
Passiflora Edulis Seed Oil - anti-inflammatory properties
Evening Primrose Oil - anti-inflammatory properties
Mandarin Orange Peel Oil - Mandarin Essential Oil is a key ingredients in the Aroma Lisse range, which Decleor have apparently proven to have "preventive and correcting properties". This oil is made of 80% D-Limonene which "effectively stimulates youth protection within the skin by protecting and detoxifying cells from damage caused by free radicals. In addition it also repairs DNA damaged by UV radiation." Sounds great but general internetting hasn't produced anything to back up this claim! The most I've heard about Limonene is that it's an irritant and photo-toxic. Not sure what to make of this!
Bergamot Fruit Oil - another citrus oil, also known for photo-toxicity
Linalool - fragrance ingredient
Michelia Alba Leaf Oil - can't seem to find much on this, other than it being used primarily in perfumes
Lemon Peel Oil - detoxifies the skin and helps improve skin tone. I'm starting to feel some de ja va...
Tocopherol - AKA Vitamin E
Grapefruit Extract - anti-oxidant. Potentially irritating to skin but I've read that it's OK in small amounts
Soybean Oil - helps improve skin tone and is a source of anti-oxidants.
Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil - astringent properties. Like other citrus oils it can cause skin irritation.
Citral & Citronellol - fragrance ingredients
Night Balm
I found this to be much less heavy and oily-feeling than other Decleor balms (e.g. Iris and Ylang Ylang) but there is still some shine. You're going to bed so who cares? It leaves your skin soft and smooth like a baby's cheeks. Really. I've never found my own face to be so cute. Also has the less than endearing smell of lemon rind.
Update: full ingredients list and review here
Eye Cream
Even without an ingredients list to look at I'm pretty sure this contains yellow pigments to give it dark circle erasing properties. Try to dispel the image of yellow eye bags that that brings to mind - it won't make you look jaundiced. I was left with a yellowy residue on my ring finger after applying but I couldn't see any difference to the eye area.
Update: complete ingredients list & review here
Energising Smoothing Cream
The cream has a smooth, thick texture (thicker than Hydra Floral) but doesn't feel at all heavy on the skin. My make-up and other products went on fine afterwards, no piling or other annoyances. Unlike the Hydra Floral cream which is packaged in a jar, this product (full-size) comes in a twist pump bottle which has the benefit of being more hygienic and less fiddly without spatulas and all that. It's also better for preserving the ingredients. The downside is that product tends to get stuck in the bottom and wasted, as happened to me with the Aroma Purete Fluide :(
This product also differs from Decleor's other offerings in being the only moisturiser with sun protection (excluding the Sun Expert range, smartypants). I wish it wasn't though. I feel like it reduces the size of useful moisturiser with useless suncream because cosmetics/skincare with added SPF don't provide adequate sun protection. I use a separate suncream so it doesn't make sense to buy a moisturiser with SPF.
My other peeve with products+SPF is that they tend to use chemical suncream - which I avoid. I don't know whether this is chemical or mineral, but I'll update in due course.
Final comment: smells like lemon rind. Just take it as given that EVERYTHING SMELLS LIKE LEMON PEEL.
Update: complete ingredients list & review here
Will I be buying the full sizes?
The day cream is lovely - it's so hydrating and "smoothing" just as it claims. As much as I like it, the SPF has put me off. :( As for the eye cream, I'm not too keen on putting lemon juice around my eyes. It stings a little if you get it in the tear ducts! The Aromessence serum and night balm are my favourites - and these are the products which I think Decleor do best. I'm quite impressed with the amount of anti-oxidants in the serum, but I'm not entirely sold on the mandarin and citrus oils. Which is only like the whole point of Aromessence "Mandarine". I have at least five serums in my collection to use up before I even consider buying another! The night balm is another thing that I "want" but don't "need". (Have multiple night creams and balms) Yah I have way too much stuff in general. Maybe when I've managed to get a list of ingredients and when my other stuff runs out I'll make a little trip to Decleor...
Prices:
First of all, Liberty has 10% off this week *runs to Regent Street like maniac* Right. The Serum works out to be around £326/100ml and the Baume around £223/100ml WHICH IS FLIPPING INSANE. Have you seen what a 15ml bottle looks like? It's about the size of a Haribo sour dummy. Complete joke. Once you've mustered up the courage to buy a serum/balm, YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT. Decleor = Fantastic.
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