Tingling? Yes. Plumping? No.

Dona plumping lip balm from System Jo is an aphrodisiac infused balm that's supposed to make your lips fuller and more sensual looking.

While this product seems to be targeted more toward women, it's not limited to a specific gender. This isn't meant to be used as a medical treatment and doesn't claim to help with chapped or cracked lips. It's primary use is to help 'plump' your lips, and if nothing else, keep them from getting chapped in the first place.

This balm can be applied as often and as thick as you'd like and can be used like any other standard chap stick to help moisturize your lips.

Dona products are well known for being natural, paraban free, cruelty free, and eco friendly; so there shouldn't be much of a worry about being sensitive to this balm or having an allergic reaction. Here are the ingredients, directly from the stick:

The texture of this balm is very nice. It doesn't have a thick waxy feeling, nor does it feel heavy or greasy; it gives a nice, light coat of moisturizing protection for your lips. The texture doesn't feel much different than a brand you would generally purchase from you local department store. When you press your lips together and rub them back and forth it feels nice and smooth, not gritty, lumpy, or anything negative.


It doesn't look very nice when you first open the tube, but once you've used it a few times, it has a much smoother look to it.

When you first apply the lip balm, you instantly notice a tingling sensation. It almost feels minty, but doesn't taste or smell that way. The tingle makes you feel a fresh feeling on your lips, and lasts for approximately thirty minutes before fading. The sensation fades before you have the need to reapply the balm. The tingling sensation can be lightly felt on your tongue as well, if you happen to lick your lips.

Dona Plumping Lip Balm comes in six different 'flavors'; Camu Camu, Blue Lotus, Goji Berry, Pomegranate, Mangosteen, and the one I'm reviewing; Acai.

The label on this lip balm says that it's Acai Passion Fruit. It has a light berry/fruity smell to it, but isn't overbearing or unpleasant. It's just enough that you can lightly smell it when it's on your lips, and really have to put the stick up to your nose to get a good whiff. It's a very mild, appropriate strength as far as scents go.

The balm itself doesn't taste like much. It feels a little waxy on your tongue, but doesn't give off a powerful taste. In fact, it doesn't taste any different than an 'original' flavor of Chapstick, which is nice, especially if you're planning on locking lips with your lover.

This balm lasts a fairly long time before you feel the need to reapply, but does need to be used more often than a typical chap stick. I would say I reapply about every forty-five minutes to an hour, depending on what I'm doing.

If the balm feels a little heavy on your lips, you can always rub it in a little bit better with your fingers and it helps it to absorb faster than if you were to just leave it. Obviously temperature will play a factor in how well it absorbs and how easily it's applied.

As far as plumping, there's no noticeable difference. I took photos before I applied, and twenty minutes after to show a comparison. Nothing changed in that amount of time, and no matter how many times I catch myself by a mirror, it doesn't look any different.
BEFORE

AFTER


As you can see, it did leave my lips looking glossy, but there was no plump whatsoever!

This lip balm comes in a standard tube the same size as any other chap stick you would purchase in the store. You get .15 ozs of lip balm in each tube.

The label on the balm is nice looking, but does state that it's supposed to be a plumping balm, and also says on the cap that it's 'Aphrodisiac Infused'. Both the label and the sticker on the cap are easily removed, leaving only the black tube which makes it very discreet.




What I find to be odd about the label is that it has a website (www.DONAbyJO.com) that I was unable to find online. I'm not sure if they changed their website or not, but I did find that to be strange to have that on there.

Because this is the same size as a standard chap stick, it fits easily in your purse, backpack, pocket, etc. Just please keep in mind that if you leave it in your pocket, it will warm up and have a little bit of a different consistencey than if left at room temperature.