No Plump Here!

DONA by System Jo Plumping Lip Balm in Blue Lotus Sorbet really fails to meet my expectations in a lip balm. There is no plump in my pout when I use it. The gritty texture and strong scent is really hard to look past when applying. I really enjoy that it was a cheap lip balm because at least I don't feel like I wasted a lot of money on this. I will not be recommending this balm to anyone.
Published:
Pros
Price; Lots of Variety Available; Tasteless
Cons
Doesn't Plump; Strong Scent; Gritty Texture; Sticky
Rating by reviewer:
1
extremely useful review

Use

Blue Lotus Sorbet Plumping Lip Balm is part of the DONA line by System Jo and is intended to be used as a lip balm. It can be used by anyone, but is clearly marketed to women by labeling it a plumping balm. This lip balm can be used as frequently or as sparingly as you would use any other lip moisturizers.



For people with sensitive skin or product allergies, be sure to check over the full list of ingredients before buying or applying this lip balm. I don't see anything that jumps out as a trigger for an allergic reaction, but the complete list of ingredients is as follows:

Olea Europeae (Olive) Fruit Oil, Beeswax, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Riicinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Propylene Carbonate, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Simmondsia Chinesis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Menthoxypropanediol, Tetrahexyidecyl Ascorbate (Vitamin C), Vanillyl Butyl Ether, Lycium Barbarum (Goji Berry) Fruit, Flavor.
  • Who / How / What
    [ ? ]
    Who might this product be best for? How is it best used? What are the best circumstances or situations for using this product?
    • Anyone
    • Gift
    • Personal use
  • Body / part areas
    [ ? ]
    What areas on the body can this product be used / what areas does it stimulate best?
    • Lips

Texture / Consistency / Thickness / Viscosity

This lip balm is really gritty and thick when it's applied. It doesn't glide on the way that a lip balm should. It's way too textured to be worn comfortably or used as a go-to kind of lip balm. It's hard to apply because of the gritty texture and you end up having to rub in the pieces of the balm that come off in small clumps on your lips.

DONA by System Jo Plumping Lip Balm does stay in place nicely once you have rubbed in all the clumps and smoothed it onto your lips. It lasts an average amount of time between reapplications, but does leave your lips feeling sticky and uncomfortable when it starts to wear off.
    • Sticky
    • Textured
    • Thick

Taste / Aroma

This lip balm has a strong beeswax scent that is very overwhelming at initial application, but once you've rubbed it in and pressed your lips together a few times, that scent disappears completely. Once it's been on your lips for a few minutes, it has no scent whatsoever which is a really big letdown considering it boasts that it's blue lotus scented/flavored.

As far as flavor goes, it doesn't have one. I personally find this to be a good thing as I lick my lips too often and end up having to reapply frequently with really tasty lip balms. If you want a flavored lip balm, look elsewhere as this one won't deliver the results you want.
    • No taste
    • Strong smell

Performance

This plumping lip balm lasts about 25-30 minutes before you begin to notice that it's warn off and need to reapply. The reason that you notice that it's worn off so quickly because it starts to feel sticky. When applied, after it's rubbed in to your liking, it does have a slight shine to it, but not a glossy shine. It's probably best described as having more of a light sheen to it, really.

This balm is supposed to plump your lips but it doesn't do that at all. This is just an average lip balm that moisturizes your lips while it's on and does nothing for you in the process. I haven't even noticed the simplest of changes in my lips as far as plumping goes. It's really disappointing because I've always wanted fuller lips.

To remove, you can either let it wear off naturally or wipe it off with a dry cloth. It wipes off very easily. If you don't splash your face with water after using this product, your lips will be sticky. Water is the only thing that I've found that takes care of the stickiness.
    • Gets sticky
    • Needs to be washed off with soap and water
    • Reapply often

Packaging

DONA by System Jo Plumping Balm comes in your average-sized, plastic, lip balm tube. There is nothing especially amazing about the packaging, but it is appealing to the eye in simple black with light blue lettering. It's a standard twist-up tube with no instructions written on it. The manufacturer states on the packaging that this product is natural, eco-friendly and paraben free. There is, however, a complete list of ingredients on the side of the tube.

This tube is discreet, small, and suitable for any type of travel. There is nothing on the tube that suggests it came from EdenFantasys.com so it can easily be stored in a purse or pocket. It's 0.5 fl. oz. so it can easily be taken through any security checkpoint with no hassles.
    • Travel friendly
    • Would make a nice gift

Special Features

There are no cooling, tingling or warming properties associated with this lip balm. It also doesn't increase or decrease sensitivity.

Personal comments

The sticker on the cap of this lip balm claims that it's aphrodisiac-infused. It never increased my sexual desire in the slightest, nor did it increase the desire of my partner when I kissed him with it on. His exact response was that my lips 'taste gross' which is certainly not a mood enhancer for me.

Experience

I'm really disappointed in this lip balm. I've tried it multiple times and every time I try I wish that I had gone with something else. It's way too textured for me to wear comfortable on a daily basis. I'll continue to try it from time to time, but I suspect that this will land in the bottom of my purse and it will stay there until I clean it out the next time.
Follow-up commentary
I can't wear it any longer so I just tossed this balm in the trash and came here to write a quick follow-up review. It's gross. It's gritty and has to be rubbed in to lay smoothly on your lips, leaving them feeling sticky when it wears off. I've used this three times every day for over a week with no results. There is absolutely no plump in my pout and I'm very disappointed in this product.
This product was provided at a discounted price in exchange for an unbiased review. This review is in compliance with the FTC guidelines.

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This review was edited by
  • DeliciousSurprise Contributor: DeliciousSurprise
  • Rank:
    6.7 / 10
  • Edited reviews: 144
Comments
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  • Contributor: rosythorn
    gritty texture? eew
  • Contributor: rosythorn
    gritty texture? eew
  • Contributor: Shayla
    great review...sorry this didnt work for you, I was going to try it because of the flavors but not after hearing about the rough texture, and I have a habit of licking or biting my lips so I dont think it would be a good choice
  • Contributor: Cat Enderly
    Thanks.
  • Contributor: heather-mooney
    thanks for the review!
  • Contributor: New Girl In Town
    I had this in my cart and decided to come check the reviews your's is making me hesitate trying it. I hate gritty textures, I even have a hard time using thick lipsticks because of the heavy feeling. Thank you for the honest review.
  • Contributor: iabicpl09
    Thanks
  • Contributor: ARPKasso
    Thanks for the review. I was interested in this but the idea of a gritty texture is giving me second thoughts.
  • Contributor: MK434
    Thnks for the review!
  • Contributor: DixieDoo
    I didn't have high hopes for this product, and now reading your review, I know I am not going to waste my money trying this product. Great review, thanks!
  • Contributor: tortilla
    don't like gritty texture - thanks for the info
  • Contributor: faust
    nice review
  • Contributor: lovebites
    thanks for the review!
  • Contributor: Allison.Wilder
    Thanks everyone!
  • Contributor: Rhazya
    Eww, might as well put sugar on your lips for the gritty texture and it'd taste better.
  • Contributor: improbableomnicide
    We sad to hear
  • Contributor: minxx
    thank you for this review, I almost bought this, but I'm not liking the sound of the gritty texture...
  • Contributor: minxx
    correction...I almost put this in my wish list...
  • Contributor: LoneOokami
    thanks for the info.
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