Very nice, but doesn't top my regular polish.

Depending on your personal skincare needs, the Dona Body Polish may or may not meet those needs. I'm giving this 3 stars. Despite the fact that this doesn't measure up to my natural polish, it's still a nice product. For my skincare needs, it simply doesn't fit in well with my regime as it doesn't hydrate, exfoliate or clean. I had hoped it would cleanse as well as polish, but it doesn't. It smooths, leaves me glowy and reduces the look of lines and wrinkles on the body.
Published:
Pros
Look.
Feel.
Glow.
Smooth dry crack, lines.
Cons
Not as beneficial as others.
Benefits won't last long.
Sythetic scent.
Price!
Rating by reviewer:
3
extremely useful review

Use

System Jo's Dona line has several different scents to choose from. As you've seen in all the other reviews, just because it's listed as Acai does not mean it's actually that scent. This is something I find confusing and also something that has potential to turn possible customers off from even bothering with the product.

That aside, this polish is obviously Acai. Each body polish has an "aphrodisiac" and a scent. Your scent will vary depending on which one you choose.

The body polish is something that can be used by most people with the exception of those with allergies to any of the ingredients of course. However, this is probably not a product the bath and beauty princess will add to their must-haves. If you're used to a drugstore brand, this will probably be something new and fancy to you and will more than likely be something you find enjoyable to use. It will not be something that will drastically help your skin.

As for the Aphrodisiac factor, take that claim with a grain of salt (or however that saying goes) as this is not going to have an aphrodisiac effect. That was just something the manufacturer used to plump the product up and make it more appealing to the consumer.

Ingredients:
Sodium Chloride, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Oil, Glycine Soja Wax, Isopropyl Myristate, Modified Corn Starch, Sodium Lauryl Sarcosinate, Cetyl Palmitate, Sorbitan Palmitate, Sorbitan Olivate, Cetearyl Olivate, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed, Laminaria Digitata (Algae), Passiflora Edulis (Passion Fruit ), Oriza Sativa, (Rice), , Orbignya Oleifera (Babassu), Euterpe Oleracea (Açaí) oils, Luffa Cylindrica, Garcinia Mangostana (Mangosteen) Fruit , Fragrance.

Notice the last ingredient says "fragrance." That could be anything so be careful if you've had bad luck with the ingredient "fragrance" in the past.

Another thing to keep in mind is the ingredient Laminaria Digitata can possibly be an irritant and is often used in cellulite treatments. While I have used cellulite treatments that contiain the ingredient Laminaria Digitata, I can't say whether or not it's actually effective in reducing cellulite.

The ingredient Acai is something I've grown to be fond of in the past couple of years. When it comes to skincare and body products though, it's hard to tell if there are enough of the beneficial ingredients such as Acai to actually benefit your skin. I like Acai in my skincare products because it has some amazing benefits such as anti-aging; it contains a whopping amount of Omega essential fatty acids. Acai contains Omega 6 and 9. Acai is known most for the huge amount of antioxidants. The berry actually contains more antioxidants than blueberries, and contains phytosterals, vitamins, minerals and anthocyanins. It works to reduce inflammation as well, but I'm unsure if the body polish contains enough of the ingredient to benefit so intensively.

Another ingredient that stood out to me in the body polish was the Babassu. I'm fond of it because it has similar benefits to coconut oil, which I'm a huge fan. Babassu softens the skin and leaves it extremely smooth and free of cracks that you often see with dry skin on the legs and feet.



While there are some things that I hate about this product, there are some very great things as well. These include the product being Petrochemicals, Phthalates, Sulfates, Triclosan and finally Paraben free. However, just because it's safer than most does not justify the pricing.

Texture / Consistency / Thickness / Viscosity



Were you the kid who *had* to plunge your fingers into the leftover bacon grease after your grandmother cooked? If so, remember those warm moments of your fingers sinking into the grease and that's very close to how the body polish feels. Yes, I was that kid and I enjoy finger-sticking the polish even more than I do bacon grease! The texture of the body polish, besides some of the ingredients, is what makes it unique.

Unlike bacon grease, the body polish won't leave you as greasy. To me it feels like a mix between bacon grease and coconut oil (when left at room temperature). It sort of melts against your body heat like coconut oil does. It's thicker than bacon grease and about the same consistency as coconut oil.

Since it's somewhat clumpy and thick like coconut oil, it will stay where you put it, but if you're in a hot bath and you scoop a clump onto your body, the heat will cause it to sort of melt. After massaging the polish over your body and dipping into the water, some tiny bubbles will appear for a second. The body polish makes the bath water milky and if enough is used, it'll leave a slick grime on in your bath. Break out the Scrubbin' Bubbles! It's really not that bad. It won't leave your tub slick as an oil by far, but you may experience some slipperyness at the bottom of your bath tub.

It melts and disappears in the water almost as quickly as you put it on. It doesn't leave hardly any residue behind, but compared to my more expensive and natural polish, there's more residue left after using this one.

Surprisingly, it doesn't feel greasy on the skin which is one reason why it reminds me so much of coconut oil. It looks greasy and may feel that way to your fingers, but when applied and rinsed, you won't feel very greasy. After bathing, it feels like it's rinsed away for the most part and leaves me smooth and slightly moisturized. If you have dry skin, don't expect to have the liberty of skipping your moisturizer though! In super dry areas, you may still need to moisturize.

Taste / Aroma

The scent of this body polish is most strange. When I open the container it smells extremely plasticy with a hint of a berry. I am not fond of the overly synthetic scent until it's on my legs in the bath. I really expected a better scent. I'm not picky as long as it doesn't cause me a migraine and this does not, but like I said, it's very unusual. Once I'm in the hot water and I apply it, it's just a somewhat subtle sweet scent. Still very much synthetic, but it loses the plasticy scent. I actually thought this was due to the container, but I scooped half of the polish out and stored it without the container and it's indeed the polish that produces the odor.

After I've applied the body polish and dried off I can smell it just a little as I'm getting dressed. After I've dried, dressed and began my day I never smell it again. When I stick my nose directly to the area I previously applied the polish, I am unable to smell anything after about one hour.

There's really nothing that compares to this smell. It doesn't smell like a particular fruit or berry, but it seems as if it was meant to smell like a fruit. That was a major fail. If you're picky about scents that are chemicaly or plasticy, you might consider skipping this one.

Performance

This is the hard part. I'll discuss in detail how this performs on my skin and in my experience section I will compare it to my two favorite body polishes and scrubs.

I like the ingredients (assuming there is enough of each of them to actually benefit) and I like the texture and consistency of the body polish. It's pretty. It's chunky white with tiny purple flecks.

It's lightweight and I can hardly feel it on my skin after bathing. The body polish does leave a subtle glow like the manufacturer claims. This glow only lasts for a few short hours though. It leaves my skin smooth after using a medium to large amount. My skin is left with a very matte, smooth look and a hint of a glow. These nice things do not last very long and I need to use a lot of product to get them. They are so nice while they last and if this product were cheaper, I'd be a lot more enthusiastic about it! However, it's absolutely over priced for what it does. If I had been using a drug store bought body polish before this, I would probably be ecstatic about this one!

I have very dry skin and therefore I have to moisturize and be picky about what I use. I also have to exfoliate and have a need for actually getting clean. This product absolutely lacks in those areas. Without using an exfoliant or washing off well before using this, you'll only be sealing in the day's dirt! This product does not clean or exfoliate like other products do. It contains those cute purple flecks, but they are not abrasive enough for someone who requires a good exfoliant. Keep these things in mind if you expect this out of a body polish! I didn't know what to expect at all so I went into this experience without a clue, but with an open mind.

Instead of leaving you with a thick film, you'll only notice a light film or nothing at all. The water washes it away well and with a touch of soap, you'll be free of the product. If you need a body polish that's also moisturizing, you probably won't get that. If you have oily skin, this could make you look a little more greasy than normal. If you have slightly dry skin, you may have get just enough moisturization from this.

Besides using this in the shower, I also tried it as a body oil/moisturizer. I say oil because it feels more like an oil than a moisturizer, but isn't too oily on the skin. For dry, cracked feet, this is really nice to use overnight! If you can stand wearing socks to bed, slather on a thick layer of the body polish and cover your piggies with socks over night and they'll be smooth in the morning. This works nicely for dry patches.
    • Reapply often

Packaging


The body polishes come minimally and simply packaged in the little tub with a clear plastic over it. It's just a chunk of plastic with a bread tie around in. The little tub seems like plenty until you realize that you have to use so much to reap the rewards. The tub has a sticker that says Dona and mentions the Aphrodisiac and Acai. As far as discreet enough for my own life, this is just fine. The only thing that may worry you is the word "aprhodisiac." If that bugs you, store it under your sink. I found it to look decent enough for gift giving and I gladly gave it away to my mother. It doesn't look like a fancy, high quality gift. It's not something that would make most people think of sex either. The word aphrodisiac on a body polish mostly just gives the impression that you'll have a nice mood while in the shower. Don't expect this to actually alter your mood.

The tub has a black screw on lid like every body butter, body polish and scrub I've owned. It's simple, but be careful if you leave it in your shower as the water beating down can seep into the lid and eventually build up in there. This would only happen over a course of time if the tub is left in the shower.

To apply the body polish, simply screw off the lid and dip in your fingers. I would not take a bath product of this size on vacation with me. Instead I place only a small amount of my products in travel jars to take up less space. Since this is not liquidy it won't run out so if you do travel with it, leaking should not occur.

The jar comes with a tiny sticker seal. Mine was purple. The sticker runs from the middle of the jar to the lid. Just a seal to show it hasn't been broken. You can see a little bit of the tiny purple strip in my photo. If the polish comes without a seal or it is broken, you should not use it.
    • Does not leak
    • Easy to use / dispense

Personal comments

Small warning:
Be careful using this after shaving and do not use it as shaving cream! I'm usually oblivious to cuts and nicks, but after shaving I used the polish and it really irritated a cut! It burned like crazy. If you're extra sensitive to cuts and nicks, avoid using this directly after shaving.

Experience

For close to two years now I've been using a natural body polish and a natural body scrub. These were very beneficial to my skin and worked so well that I stuck with them. I guess that makes me a little biased when it comes to comparison, but considering this body polish is a bit higher priced than my favorite natural polish, I felt it was fair to be biased and compare. Dona Body Polish does not measure up to my old one. Not that I'm a huge prude about my body/skincare products, but it's hard not to feel negatively toward this polish in my situation. I order my natural body scrub and body polish and pay a few dollars less than this one by System Jo. Since my usual product is totally natural and has such incredible benefits to my skin, I feel that the Dona line is unfortunately priced.
Body Polish and body scrubs I normally use
My natural polish exfoliates. It cleanses. It's anti-aging. It's both soothing and healing and it even repairs broken skin. It smooths out dark spots and leaves my skin hydrated, glowy, clean and exfoliated. Not to mention each time I use it I'm anti-aging, I'm smoothing, glowing, hydrating, preventing and more. That is a lot of benefits for a small price whereas the Dona line doesn't do a fraction of those things. It may have nice benefits such as anti-aging, but I've not been able to find any real facts about these actual products.

So compared to something of such high quality and a bit of a price difference, the Dona polish doesn't stand a chance and maybe it's unfair. I will give credit to the very good things about this product though.

Those great things include the nice smooth skin I have after using it. The way it smooths out those lines from dry skin, tanning, etc. Those are fantastic things! System Jo did a good job with this product and had it been fairly priced, I wouldn't feel duped, I guess is the word. Paying the price for it put me under the impression that I'd receive at least equal benefits to what I get with my regular.

Compared to most drug store body product, this stands out! I like that they focused one some healthy ingredients and took the effort to stay away from harmful ones. There isn't many drug store body polishes that will look or feel like this one.

I wanted to give this the benefit of the doubt, but for 7 days straight, this polish was only another product to use. It didn't do much extra for me and I still had to moisturize. I would've been impressed if I hadn't already had such nice results from my natural polish though. Since I did want to find a way to still enjoy this polish, I mixed in some of my own ingredients so that it would give my skin what it needed.

After my 7 days of use, I gave the polish to my mother, but still had a medium sized clump left over. I added one of my old skincare remedies in. I use one crushed multi-vitamin and 2 teaspoons of sea salt, a squirt of lemon juice and a little plop of coconut oil. This was enough to turn this into an exfoliant and skin softener. If you find yourself needing a bit more than what this polish is providing, try adding sugar or sea salt if you do not have the other ingredients on hand. If you don't need to exfoliate, leave it as is, but it can't hurt to add some coconut oil!
This content is the opinion of the submitting contributor and is not endorsed by EdenFantasys.com

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  • Contributor: wetone123
    Another excellent review! I, like you make my own exfoliant. If this product doesn't exfoliate, hydrate or even cleanse---I don't need it at all! Thanks for the truthful honest review. Some have really overdone the pumping up of this product.I had suspected exactly what you had to say about it. I do like your idea about putting on feet and wearing socks to bed, but I have a much better time with that using other products that I don't have to doctor up to make them work.
  • Contributor: mpfm
    Awesome review. Thanks for all the details. I want to know 2 things. Do you still stick your fingers in bacon grease and what body poish scrub/lotion do you use?
  • Contributor: A.Mari
    Would also like to know the name of the scrub you use. Great review!!
  • Contributor: PeaceToTheMiddleEast
    Great review I still have yet to try the body polish out, I forgot to grab it with my order. It sounds like I should not waste my time even trying it. Thanks for sharing.
  • Contributor: TheSinDoll
    Great Review! I want the name of the scrub you use, too!
  • Contributor: wrmbreze
    Great review as usual Kendra.

    I read this review earlier and I wasn't going to comment because I was a little ticked after I read some things. I direct this comment to wetone123 because it was that comment that upset me. I am going to say this as respectively as I can. What you said kind of bothered me. I like being here on Eden because I can get so many different viewpoints on products. I have used quite a few Dona products and have honestly loved them all. I don't make my own products nor do I use a lot of different body products. Maybe if I had I would feel differently about the Dona products. What bothered me was that it was implied that because Kendra had a less than stellar opinion of the product somehow made her review more honest than the others is just crap. Every review that I have written is my HONEST opinion, I may like/love something that someone else doesn't but that doesn't mean I wasn't truthful about my opinion of it. Yes, there are a few of us who really love the product but doesn't that happen with any product. It doesn't make our opinion any less truthful than the person who hated the product. I respect your opinion Wetone123 but I think maybe that could have been worded better.
  • Contributor: Cookie Monster Mike
    ^^ I honestly felt very similar, I was bothered by it thinking that somehow my review wasn't honest? I also write honest reviews. The product does in fact exfoliate, cleanse, and hydrate. But the results will always vary between each user. Kendra obviously uses something that works better for her and that's great. I'm going to also point out the price is expensive here on Eden and other places, but since I have taken the liberty to find out as much info on this line as I can, this product usually runs $4-$6 at some places. So yes the price is high, on Eden.

    Any ways, more on point, it's really weird this stuff felt like grease but from what I have seen of the body polish in different aphrodisiacs the consistencies are different. My mangosteen polish was nothing close to the consistency of this so I appreciate you describing it like this because now I know not to get the Acai. I'm not sure how I feel about this scent yet either. It's far from my favorite.

    I do have a question though Kendra, maybe I missed this but I didn't see a mention of anything about the salt in the product? Did you actually have chunks of salt in yours? I ask because in my body polish there is a fair amount of salt and ground coffee and this product works fairly well for exfoliating....for me at least.

    Well I'm sorry this product didn't measure up to your other product, again the Dona polish isn't for everyone especially those who regularly use other products or have a personal favorite. I'd like to thank you for saving me from trying out the Acai aphrodisiac in this. Sorry to go on a rant but I guess I was disagreeing with a few things.
  • Contributor: lilly555
    Kendra, I just wanted to say that after receiving my own DONA polish, Blue Lotus, that I have had similiar problems. I compared it to two others I own, one a homemade gift and the other from Victoria Secret and have found that DONA is somewhere in between. It has it's faults, you're right about the grease and mine has rice as an exfoliant which is not great. It also has its good qualities, it's probably best for those with sensitive skin and what not. So I have to say that while not everyone may feel the way you do because you use a natural polish you do have a point. Plus the thing about DONA 'scents' is that they're each different so no one gets the same thing unless its the same scent. Some of us have bad expereinces and some others have had good it just depends.
  • Contributor: K101
    Wow. I just now seen these comments and I don't know if I'm sorry I seen them or glad. First, I will say, to Cookie Monster, no there is not salt or abrasive exfoliating pieces in this product. You see tiny purple chunks, but they're soft and you cannot feel them. It's soft. Like I said, similar to bacon grease only it doesn't leave you greasy.

    Second. I think everybody mistook WetOne's comment. She did not say my review was better, nor did her comment even come across as that! I think she was just appreciative to read a DIFFERENT review from a DIFF person. I mean, this product as well as a lot of Dona's line is very pumped up as we mentioned and nobody else thought that except me because I have other products that do much more SO she was appreciative to read this coming from someone who has something with much more qualities/benefits. I really can't help but think she was a bit attacked here. I have communicated with Wetone since I started here and I can promise you that her comments were not directed towards you guys. YOU may like the product. I even like it. I don't think it is bad, but when I have something that does so much more, plus this product being pumped up with petty claims, it's hard to give a rave review. FOR ME it is not rave-worthy. I think this was an misunderstanding on everybody's personal preferences.
    You guys wrote your reviews based on your experiences and I wrote mine based on mine. I happen to have a product that does better. Simple as that. Wetone appreciated that I said honestly that my other does better. She didn't say anythign about ya'll's reviews. Yours were honest. She did not say or imply that they weren't. She was simply talking about the fact that I was honest that it didn't measure up to a different product and that I was able to look past the hype of this product.

    No more hurt feelings I hope? Let's be nice now!
    You guys can read all the reviews and find out whether or not this product would be something you enjoy. There is nothing wrong with someone not loving it. Can't expect everyone to have the same opinion.
  • Contributor: wrmbreze
    I totally understand what you're saying and my feelings aren't hurt, like I said it could have been worded better..The part that I was speaking of was-
    Some have really overdone the pumping up of this product. How is it overdoing the pumping up of this product if it is how someone really feels about the product? I really respect Wetone's opinion and I believe that the wording was wrong. You can't read intent so I can only go by what I see in print. If I offended Wetone or Kendra I apologize, it was not my intent. I value the different reviews that I read and I know that everyone isn't going to feel the exact way that I do about products. That is part of what I love about Eden, all of the different people and opinions that I find here. Again I am sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings.
  • Contributor: Hot 'N Sexy TexasMama
    First of all - Kenda - thanks for a really great review. Although I feel very differently about the DONA products (and I do have the Acai body polish) - I liked the way you gave both the good points and the bad points. The word I think of when I think of this review is "balanced".

    The body polish was not designed to exfoliate as much as it was designed to cleanse. I forget where I read this - if it was with my various correspondence with DONA or if it was when I was researching the differences between body polishes and body scrubs. A scrub is designed to exfoliate with some cleansing and a polish is designed mainly to cleanse with some exfoliation. There is actually a difference between the two product types and what they are designed to do.

    @Wetone - your comments about how some have overdone this product line (I forget exactly how you put it) is a slap in the face to those of us who have tried these products and enjoyed them and written reviews. I'm really not sure why you would say that - for instance, I can't stand the CAKE lines and the PRINCIPESSA lines because they give me migraines - but I would never accuse anyone who loves their products and gives raving reviews of them to have "overdone the pumping up of the product".

    The only thing I can think about is that perhaps you are upset by the fact that some folks received free products from DONA when we contacted them as part of our research to get more information and find out more about the various product lines. In that case - let me state that DONA did send me 6 products to try - but let me also state that I now have over 40 of their products in total that I bought before and after they sent me products to try. Some I have liked - some I haven't - and some I have yet to review.

    I am tempted to flag Wetone's comments as to me (and I'm sure to others) they sound like they are accusing those of us who like DONA as lying in our reviews. However, I decided against that. I decided that the powers that be probably have more important stuff to do than worry about this.

    With that said, Kendra - I'm sorry that DONA didn't work as well for you as it does for me. Living in a small town and having problems with many products giving me migraines, I have had limited options as to what I could buy locally and I never really looked for stuff on the internet before finding EF. I LOVE the product but I do understand where you are coming from. Thanks for your review!
  • Contributor: Adriana Ravenlust
    The comments here are just ridiculous. This is the first review I've rated EU for this product, because I felt it was the right length, tone, info etc. To me, Wetone was talking about the companies promoting this product. I may be wrong but I was so confused when other reviewers said they were offended.

    I think if Dona was aiming at a cleansing product, they failed hardcore. I was as surprised as Kendra was that it doesn't cleans. It's completely the wrong texture.

    So, good review! Sorry for the weird comments.
  • Contributor: Cookie Monster Mike
    Wow no salt in it? That's horrible! There's about 3 things in this whole product line that need to be completely re-worked! I'm really glad that you mentioned this though, it will save people getting this one. That is so stupid there is no salt in there ugh! lol Just the thought of feeling bacon grease...yuck. But thank you for responding to my question.

    My only thought is maybe they are trying to use the rice as an exfoliant? But I have no clue how that is supposed to accomplish anything really, in mine I can see this rice/paste like stuff, but there's no real texture to it. The salt content is rather high in mine. In the end it sucks you had to get this one that failed, but good for others who can now see there are differences between the products. Thanks again
  • Contributor: soe
    Not as many opinions on this, just thanks for the review
  • Contributor: booboo111926
    thankss
  • Contributor: Cat Enderly
    Nice review.
  • Contributor: tami
    thank you for the review, you really do a nice job on all of the reviews I have checked out
  • Contributor: GingerSpice
    thanks for comparing great info!
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