The Mangosteen Experience - Part Four of Five

Added to review 2/18...

It is very important to note that when you see "Camu Camu" or "Pomegranate" or any other name on these products - these are NOT the names of the scent of the product. These are the names of the APHRODISIAC INGREDIENT that was used in the product. The scent may actually be quite different than the aphrodisiac that is listed. It is important to read several reviews to get a feeling from the reviewer of how the scent smells to them. A good example of this is Camu Camu which is a superfruit with a very high vitamin C content. In the Camu Camu products you would think this means a citrusy/fruity smell but that is not true for most of the reviewers on Eden and on the company's facebook page. Instead, Camu Camu is being described as a vanilla/coconut scent and one person (Cookie Monster Mike) is thinking he smells some pink lemonade in there. Needless to say, this will not be the Camu Camu scent that you would find in other products - like say Scenty's Camu Camu wickless candles. (I used to sell Scentsy and have the samples here).

The company does not give out a description of the scents either because they find them to be "indescribable" and different on each person as they wear them.

So please - as you read about these products, understand that what you might think is the "scent" is actually only the superfruit that is used in the product and not the intended scent description.



After communicating yet again with the DONA rep today, I want to start out this review by commending Eden Fantasys for their diligence in finding toys and products to interest their customers. If they were a catalog store with paper catalogs, we would see updates maybe once a year or twice a year. Instead, every week they bring us new products that have just been released by companies. If you know someone who is a "trendsetter" when it comes to bath and body stuff (or sex toys), I highly recommend that you send them to Eden Fantasys.

Back to the DONA representative that I was talking to today via. email. I decided to ask her how long these products had been on the market. After all, System JO is a large company, perhaps they had been sold before under a different name or with different packaging. I didn't mention that to her, I was simply curious to see how long they had been out.

Are you ready for this folks? Put down your coffee or soda - stop eating that cookie. You know what the rep said to me? (By the way, I was asking specifically about the candles for a personal reason). She said, "The line has been out roughly since the beginning of this year (it’s still very new!), the candles included in that."

That's right folks - if you tell someone about these awesome new products that you found and they reply with something like, "Oh, I've seen that before..." or "I used that for months" - I would doubt them and suggest that they might be mistaken. This is a BRAND NEW LINE of products.

From what I understand from other correspondence and research I've done - they were showcased recently at an Expo that buyers go to - and that is how the wonderful buyers at Eden Fantasys found them for us and got them.

As I visit their Facebook page, I'm reading about store after store that is "discovering" their product and starting to sell it or wants to find out more information about the products. But Eden - as forward-thinking as they are - found them for us in January and had them here about - what - two weeks ago I think? I know it was fairly fast.

So I know you'll all join me in saying, Thank you Eden for searching high and low to bring us the newest products on the market."

Ok - with that said, I'll get off my soapbox and start talking about this product.

This product is a linen spray. It is NOT designed to go on your body but instead it is designed for your linens. It can also be used to freshen the room with a few spritzes or to spritz on some rose petals if you wanted to have a special night. I will have more on the rose petals later on.

This is one of the products that is offered for the fourth ritual ("Illuminate") in the five ritual series. All rituals (and scents in this line) will be listed near the bottom of the review. The purpose of the "Illuminate" ritual is to "enhance your natural beauty and space" per the company's paperwork I received. The other products that are available from the company for this ritual are a shimmer spray and a lip balm, along with the unscented rose petals which are part of the fifth ritual product line which is designed to "engage" and "share the fun with others".

This ingredients in this product are: Purified Water, Caprylic Capric Glycerides, Polyglycerol-6 Dioleate, Glyceryl Caprylate Caprate, Propanediol, Saccharide Isomerate, Passion Fruit (Passiflora Edulis) Seed Oil, Rice Bran (Oriza Sativa) Oil, Açaí (Euterpe Oleracea) pulp Oil, Babassu (Orbignya Oleifera) Seed Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Garcinia Mangostana (Mangosteen) Fruit, Fragrance

Once again, I would like to point out that this product has no petrochemicals, no phlates, no sulfates, no triclosan and is paraben-free.

"Although this is a water-based product, you may want to do a patch test with this on a portion of your fabric that will not show if you are concerned about it staining."

This is a water-based spray that is in a pump bottle. When you spray it, it comes out in a mist type format. I sprayed this on my hand to test and see if it burned and it did not. In fact, it looked a bit glossy on my hand after I sprayed it on there and it felt like it left a sheen to it. However, it did not feel oily or greasy at all.

When I spoke of the other mangosteen products I had and how clear the scent was or if it had a soapy afterscent, I forgot about this product. I had sprayed it a few times and then put it aside to review in more detail later in the week. That was a big mistake.

Like the body polish and body mist lotion, this is also a very clear representative of the mangosteen fragrance as far as scents goes. There is no after-scent of soap or of chemicals. You simply smell the mangosteen and the fragrance comes out very strong and STAYS very strong for a lot longer than the body products do.

I know that some people have stated on the other reviews that they wished they could use the body products but would have problems with them for one reason or another. Yet, they liked the idea of this scent. Well let me tell you - you don't have to miss out on the experience of mangosteen just because you can't use the body products. You can use this in your linens or to spray your room and still enjoy this fresh, sweet melon scent.

As I've mentioned in my other reviews, and I will try to keep it brief - when I learned this was a fruity scent and then received it, I mentally went through the various fruit "families" that I tend to group scents in. It wasn't tart like a citrus, it wasn't sweet like a berry. It wasn't tropical like pineapple, coconut/banana and it wasn't apple/pear type scent either. That left me with pretty much the melon family - and to me, this smells like a very sweet melon - without any cucumber scent added on the side.

For those who are wondering by the way, Mangosteen is a real fruit. Back in 2007, it was selling in some New York specialty fresh food stores for something like $45 per pound, according to Wikipedia.

This scent does eventually lighten up but it takes a good half hour to an hour before you realize that it has done so...if you spray it in the air. We found that if we sprayed our linens with it - we could still smell it very lightly hours later.

When I sprayed this on our linens, we found that when we got up the next morning, we could still lightly smell the fragrance. When I sprayed it in the air, we found that we could still smell it for about 30 minutes to an hour before we noticed it had faded away.

I hate to admit it - but when I sprayed it on my hand - I could still smell it over 2 hours later and almost wanted to use THIS as a perfume instead of the mist lotion.

I forgot to read the instructions in the company's paperwork and there were no specific instructions on the bottle as far as how far away from your linens you should be when you sprayed this. So, I did a test spray of 3" away and of 6" away. It did not stain our linens at all (I was spraying it on maroon colored linens so I could see if it stained). However, the paperwork that the company sent me suggests spraying this 10"-15" away from the linens.

Can we say "Whoops"?

I would like to add that this can be used with items other than your linens. You can use it with DONA's rose petals or with ribbon on craft projects. I would imagine you could probably spray it on a stuffed animal to freshen up the scent a bit.

In another review on this site, the rose petals are reviewed and the reviewer stated that there are about 35 petals in the container. I contacted the rep about this because that seemed like a fairly high price and she stated that the petals are sold be weight and not by count because sometimes two or three will get stuck together. So - I am ordering the petals tomorrow and will do a review on those and use them with this spray (and update this review with how well it works with those petals) and also try other products on those petals to see how they stand up. I may even try to get some cheap petals at Walmart (we don't have any craft stores for almost 200 miles - so my selection is limited). Watch for that review to come!

However, I would think that with this spray you are only limited by your imagination. I have been known to use perfumes and put a few drops on a cotton ball and then put the cotton ball on a light bulb to help the room smell fresher.

By the way - with this product, you will be amazed at how large an area one or two spritzes will cover.

I love this little bottle. It is just so pretty and I love the lacy design of the label.

First of all, from what I understand, every product has its own color/design label (you will see some of them below in a minute). That product's fragrance is printed on the label - but there is also a brown strip that states the product's scent that is on the container also. (It should make sense once you see the picture below).

This means that if you have the linen spray in several scents - you will need to check the little sticker to see which scent you're grabbing to use if you're looking for a specific scent.

First, the bottle next to a 20 ounce bottle of water for size comparison:


Next - the whole series (as much as I have that is).



If you look at the jar of body polish, you might see a brown label/sticker along the top. That is preprinted with the name of the fragrance in that container.

While the package does state "aphrodisiac infused ritual", I don't find the bottle to be indiscreet because there are no naked ladies, etc. on the label.

For those who didn't get to read the first two reviews:

I want to share here the 5 step ritual and some more information for those who might have missed it in my first review.

The five rituals and the products designed for them are:

1. Relax- "slow down and set the sensual tone"
Massage Candle, Bath Salts, Bath Milk, Arousing Herbal Bath Essence, Chromotherapy Bath Treatment (colors the water too)
2. Cleanse - "to purify your body using luxurious lathers, exfoliaters and gels
Body Wash, Body Polish, Bath Foam, Shave Gel, Lingerie Wash
3. Nourish - "to make your skin touchable and kissably soft"
Body Butter, Body Lotion, Body Mist Lotion
4. Illuminate - "to enhance your natural beauty and space"
Shimmer spray, Linen Spray, Lip Balm
5. Engage - "to share the fun with sensual, play products"
Massage Oil, Kissable Body Drizzle, Pheromone perfume gel, Rose Petals (unscented)

The six fragrances that Dona uses for their aphrodisiac properties are:
acai (increase stamina)
blue lotus (said to strengthen the bond between couples)
Camu Camu (energizing, mood-lifting, strengthens immune system)
Goji Berry (increases testosterone levels)
Mangosteen (helps stimulate vitality and mood)
Pomegranate (keeps the skin young and gives you energy and vibrancy).

In addition,I have found out that mangosteen is used in two "fragrances" that folks may recognize. I have never heard of the first fragrance and I do not know how easy it is to find these fragrances. However, I want to share them here so that if you recognize them and have smelled them, it might give you an idea of what mangosteen smells like when used in a fragrance.

For men, the product Paradox for Men by Jacomo uses mangosteen as one of the three scents that are part of the middle notes of the fragrance. This fragrance came out in 1999.

For women, With Love by Hilary Duff which came out in 2006, uses mangosteen as the middle note in the fragrance along with Cocobolo wood.

I'm also researching the other scents in the Dona line for future reviews.

I want to start out by going back to the beginning of this review when I talked about how great Eden is about bringing in new stuff for us. I'd like you to take a moment and think - how many other companies do you buy from that bring in new things every week AND are able to provide reviews for you to read about those products shortly after the new items are posted. I bet you could count them on both hands - at the most.

A lot of our selections though are based upon a couple of things. They are based partly on the trend setters - the folks who buy the product immediately because they have to try it. Then there are the folks who hang back a bit or they buy at the beginning but then they buy in another scent or repurchase the same item a month or so later.

Eden looks at these purchases we make and that is how they make their decisions on what to bring in and when to bring in the full lines of products (if they choose to do so). At this time - DONA has 20 products and Eden carries 13 of them - and not in all the scents that are available.

What I'm about to post here is a repeat from yesterday's review (Part three of the five)...just in case you missed reading how Eden makes their decisions and how long it might take to get the full line of product in stock.

I saved this section to discuss my conversation today with an Eden Fantasys customer service representative. I had to call Eden about a problem with an order and while speaking with the representative, I was going on and on about the DONA products. I asked her if she knew or could find out if Eden would be carrying more of the product lines. She asked me if I was willing to hold while she checked with the stock manager.

When she got back to me and shared the answer, I asked for permission to share it with y'all and she gave it.

So...here is how Eden works when they introduce a new product line. Eden will usually pick up some of the product line to try and see if their customers like it. I am assuming they will try to get the most popular product types (or the newest product types) and scents - but honestly, I don't know how they make their choices. I mean - HOW COULD THEY NOT HAVE GOTTEN THE BODY BUTTER????

Anyway, they then monitor the sales for the next couple of months. They know that initially there will be surge of sales as people try the new product but the question becomes, "will there be enough of an interest in this to continue to carry it?"

Now I know that all of us want all of everything and we want Eden to offer it now. However, I do remember from my business management classes years ago that it costs Eden time, space and money to put their money into inventory that may not sell very quickly. They have to create space in the warehouse, update their databases, etc. etc. etc. Bringing in a new product line - particularly when there are 20 products and most are in all 6 scents - is not an easy task and it isn't always economically feasible for Eden to do something like this and continue to give us the awesome points and review program that we have here.

The customer service rep didn't state that - I am stating it.

So - I am guessing that Eden will be waiting another month or so to see if there will be continued demand for the DONA products or if it will die down.

As for me - I'm probably buying one of every product that I can because I love the quality and the scents (as far as I know). I know that when I placed my order today, I ordered the body mist lotion in two more scents plus the candle in the mangosteen scent so I can keep it on my desk and put my body polish back in the bathroom instead of leaving it open on the desk so I can frequently sniff it.

I hope this helps anyone who may be wondering why Eden doesn't carry the full line and when we might see them carrying more of the products.

I simply want to take a moment to say that I based my review on how the product performed as a linen spray and how it smelled, etc.

I tried to do research into aphrodisiacs and how they affect the body when they're in fragrances but could not find anything substantial worth sharing.

Also, I wanted to share that I love this product so much that today I purchased (from Eden) the mangosteen candle to review and also the body mist lotion in pomegranate and camu camu. I can not do another review on those scents for the body mist lotion - but when I update my review, I will share more detailed information on those scents.

In addition, I should be receiving from DONA soon the following products to try:
Body butter (acai)
Body butter (pomegranate)
Body butter (camu camu)
Bath milk (goji berry)
Chromotherapy (blue lotus)
Massage oil (acai)
Kissable body drizzle (pomegranate martini)
Herbal bath essence (goji berry)

I will review the ones that Eden carries as soon as I can and try to describe all of the fragrances for you too - including finding alternate perfumes which use the same ingredients in their formulations.

It looks like tomorrow I will actually be ordered MORE DONA stuff too ... so keep watching!