Review: Pevonia Botanica Phyto-Gel Cleanser
Pevonia first made its mark on me after a particularly good experience in Suriya Spa, Crowne Hotel. You could totally smell the treatment even from over the reception desk. It's hard to explain... Although the scent was very distinct, it wasn't annoying nor overpowering at all. I could have stayed all day in that area and not feel a headache afterwards. Plus, their products feel really good on the skin :)
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| Pevonia Botanica Phyto-Gel Cleanser |
Cost:
I used a free sample from my December-January 2013 BDJ Box. This 5ml sample lasted me exactly three weeks.
The full size is 150ml and costs Php 2950. Pevonia is available online .
Product Description:
The product is a runny, clear gel. It is sooo runny, that in opening the tube, I immediately spilled a line of product. Without squeezing the tube, the contents just pour of their own free will.
It's touted as non-alkaline, and therefore, non-drying. This sounds about right, and it's consistent with what I've said about skin pH and dryness here and here. For those too lazy to check out my links, I've basically been saying that our skin is naturally a little bit acidic and soap is mostly basic so most cleansers cause a skin pH imbalance, resulting in dryness, oiliness and/or different forms of irritation. A non-alkaline cleanser should solve that issue.
How to Use:
Lather up a small amount on your palms and rub on your face using your fingertips. Rinse with warm water.
Performance:
I love the scent, I really do. It's very fresh and I try to get a whiff of it every time I use this. And even though it doesn't lather really thickly, it seems to work fine on heavy makeup. However, that's where all my praise ends :(
I did not like how runny it is. It becomes a minor hassle having your palm on standby near the opening as you try to simultaneously open the cap and catch the product.
The major hassle would have to be how it reacts with room temperature water. You have to use warm water to lather it up nicely and warm water to rinse it off fully. I don't know about you but our sink does not have temperature controls. It would be fine if it worked well with room temperature water, but it doesn't. It hardly lathers up and it's really difficult to wash off. I even had a case of super duper dryness on the first few days, because I wasn't getting it all off my skin. I guess even non-alkaline soap, as long as it's not washed off properly, can still cause dryness.
Lasting Power:
The scent has a refreshingly grassy note but easily fades under the next steps of my skin care routine. It can wash off even heavy foundation.
Edge:
The scent really sets it apart. Pevonia has built its brand around fantastic-smelling products and it's in a league by itself.
Rebuy:
Sadly, no. I just cannot work with high-maintenance products. Neither does it have enough pros for me to make the effort of stepping in the shower to get warm water.
Beauty by Tellie score:
2/5, and that's just because of the scent. Maybe I'd feel different if warm water was readily available to me. It's just, haller, we live in the tropics. The sun alone makes the water uncomfortably warm.
I did try it with warm water one time. The texture was amazing and I had a better experience. I just feel like I can find a product that can deliver the same result without requiring warm water. So... Next!
2/5, and that's just because of the scent. Maybe I'd feel different if warm water was readily available to me. It's just, haller, we live in the tropics. The sun alone makes the water uncomfortably warm.
I did try it with warm water one time. The texture was amazing and I had a better experience. I just feel like I can find a product that can deliver the same result without requiring warm water. So... Next!