Those of you who read my reviews regularly will know I am a sucker for the aroma of bergamot - so much so that I actually find it hard to walk past products which are scented with it.

I recently spied Comfort Exhilarations had added a new fragrance to their fabric conditioner range, entitled Wild Bluebell and Bergamot Thrill. I honestly think they could have had me in mind when they were developing this fragrance - well certainly I was thrilled to see another product with my beloved bergamot! Add to that childhood memories of picking copious amounts of bluebells in the woods across the road from my parents' house and of the beautiful scent these pretty wild flowers left when put in vases throughout the house then this was a "must buy" for me.

The one thing that did put me off however was the price. I try to only buy Comfort when it's on offer purely because of the price, which seems to be around the £2.20 mark currently for a 750 ml bottle. I usually shop at Morrisons but they only had the larger 1.5 ml bottles, so when I found myself in Asda a couple of weeks ago with my daughter and her friend, I decided to pick up a 750 ml bottle while I had the chance.

~~The Product~~

The Comfort Exhilarations range includes several scents but the only one I have used prior to the Wild Blueberry & Bergamot Thrill is the Strawberry and Lily Kiss version which I must admit was my fabric softener of choice until recently and something I would always stock up on when it was on offer. Sadly those offers seem to have dried up of late, leading to me using Cussons' Morning Fresh range which I have reviewed previously.

The 750ml bottle of fabric conditioner is supposed to be sufficient for 21 washes but this is only the case if you follow the dosing advice for normal loads and only use 35 ml of product. If you use a full cap of 55ml then you will only get 13 washes from the bottle.

The conditioner itself is a very deep shade of blue and the smell when you open the bottle is very strongly floral - but not instantly detectable as bergamot - or bluebell for that matter. You do have to bear in mind that this is a concentrated fabric conditioner however and as such you are not going to get a really good idea of how this will smell until after your washing machine has finished washing clothes dosed with this product.

~~My Experience~~

I have been using this softener every day and in every load for the past week and have to say that I was a bit dubious even when I picked this up in the shop to try about how "intense" the fragrance is. My doubts weren't due to any lack of intensity - more by the sheer power of an indeterminably floral aroma which emanates from the bottle when you open it.

I had to remind myself however that the Morning Fresh products have been a bit of a letdown in the fragrance stakes so hopefully the pungency of the fragrance would be a good sign.

I have to admit at this juncture that I have been using a full cap every time I have used this product. That's probably more by habit than anything else and I haven't really got an excuse because unlike the Morning Fresh fabric conditioner, the correct doses are measured inside the cap with 18ml marked for handwashing along with a clear line showing 35 ml. The cap capacity is 55ml.

When I opened the washing machine after using this for the first time I was delighted to be met with a more recognisable aroma of bluebells and while the bergamot isn't as obvious as I would have liked, you can still pick it up. The overall fragrance is one of the bluebell wood where I used to play as a child and I have to say I really like it.

I have been very happy with the softness of my laundry too, with towels coming out noticeably softer. I've also found it seems to make ironing a little easier too.

The aroma seems to linger on the clothes too - and certainly when I am drying clothes indoors you can pick up the fragrance indoors as it dries. The fragrance doesn't hang about on the clothes so much if they are dried outdoors and as such I am minded to stick to using the cheaper Morning Fresh product on days when the sun shines and keep this one purely for when I need to dry indoors.

The floral fragrance might be a bit too feminine for some men too - I live in an all girl household so it's not an issue here but I can't imagine my husband would have liked this one at all!

~~Conclusion~~

Comfort do claim this product has an intense fragrance and I really cannot disagree with that. However it's perhaps a little too intense before it is diluted and I wouldn't recommend you leave the bottle open for long otherwise the scent does become a little overpowering. It's fine once it's been diluted in the washing machine.

I have been a bit concerned that because the aroma is so strong that this might irritate the skin but there have been no problems. I do my mother's laundry as well as my own and she has eczema and other skin problems but this hasn't caused any of these problems to flare up.

It is also expensive - especially if you use a full cap - but at the end of the day I can't argue with a fabric conditioner which softens so well and also fragrances clothes so well. Just don't expect the aroma to linger if you line dry outdoors however - this is one for days when that's impossible.