Mia Giveaway

August 6th, 2011

Recently, the folks over at the Sex Toy Stand contacted me about spreading the word on their new shop. What a better way to do this than to host a giveaway? They graciously agreed to offer Mia, Lelo’s USB-rechargeable vibrator, to one lucky winner. Not too long ago, I got my hands on a Mia Black, the newer model of the toy with the stronger motor. As I understand it, Lelo is manufacturing all new Mias, regardless of color, with this strong motor. You may remember, from my review, that I was pretty impressed with Mia.

Lelo Mia

Mia‘s got a few things going for itL

  • USB charging is novel for a sex toy
  • It’s small size is discreet and travel-friendly
  • It’s easy to use
  • It’s quiet
  • It has a cap so you it’s self contained and the charging port isn’t out in the open
  • It doesn’t attract lint

If you think you might like to try this vibrator, you can earn yourself some entries in the following ways (please leave a comment for each entry!)

  • Mandatory: Let me know something else in your life that would be awesome if USB-powered
  • Leave a relevant/thoughtful comment on any other recent (three months or so) post. Leave a comment here with a link to your comment.
  • Follow me on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway (once daily). For example: @adriana_r is giving away Lelo’s Mia vibrator courtesy of @thesextoystand. Visit of Sex and Love to enter https://ofsexandlove.com/?p=3216 Ends 9/1
  • Stumble/like this post on StumbleUpon (you can find a handy Share/Save widget on every post page that allows you to submit this post to social bookmarking sites).
  • Blog about this giveaway, including a link directly to this post.
  • Add TheSexToyStand as a Facebook friend.
  • Sign up for the newsletter on the front page of The Sex Toy Stand (leave your email).

This giveaway will remain open until September 1 and is open to US residents only.

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Babeland Tote

August 4th, 2011

Sadly, my tote ripped after having it for just a few weeks. I was not able to get much use out of it. Babeland has since discontinued the tote, perhaps because of quality issues.

I have a lot of tote bags and, to be honest, I don’t use them much. I did when I lived in San Antonio and walked to Wal-mar. The ones with especially long handles I could sling over my shoulders. These days, I use paper bags for recycling so the totes tend to stay in storage. But that won’t be the case with my Babeland Tote if only because that cats won’t let it.

The flash on the store images make this appear to be shiny, like vinyl. The tote is made from your typical, heavy tote fabric on all sides. The front features the Babeland logo in pink and the bottom is sewn rectangularly. There’s also a piece of plastic that sits in the bottom of the bag to fill out the shape. I love this because sometimes things with corners can wear away at the bottom of the bag, causing it to give out eventually.

The bag measures roughly 13.5″ high, 12.5″ wide, 8.25″ deep and has 20″. That’s standard size, which I like. It’d be great if the site included measurements because sometimes retailers pass of mini-totes as normal sized and that bothers me.

I haven’t actually gotten around to using the bag, not because I don’t like it, but because the cats have commandeered it. It must smell great because they keep knocking it off the dresser, rolling around in it, chasing it across the floor and pummeling it. My cats might commit suicide if they lose it. The other day I woke up and Phantom was sitting in it so I promptly picked it up to show the roommate. That said, the Babeland tote holds cats quite well.

At $1.50, it’s in the range of the bags you can buy at the grocery store and, if you had some leftover money on a gift card, I’d definitely pick one up.

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Booty Parlor Seduction Kit

July 31st, 2011

Booty Parlor Seduction Kit

Booty Parlor Seduction Kit

Booty Parlor makes a whole line of sensual items that come in fairly cute packaging. It’s all very feminine and reminiscent of Pure Romance, if you ask me. You didn’t ask me but I’ll tell you anyway.

This kit consists of lip gloss, lube, massage oil and a scented candle. Each has a clever little moniker like the “light my fire” candle. If I had read closer, I might not have opted for it because I’m not a fan of mint and the lip gloss is mint. It’s the super sweet type of mint (and the gloss tastes sugary in itself) so I actually don’t mind it. Unfortunately, if you are a fan, you’ll be disappointed because the scent and taste don’t last more than a few minutes. Then, you’re left with a waxy residue that would be a whole lot sexier, in my opinion, if it were still scented.

On the other hand, I kind of wish the scent of the massage oil would fade because it honestly reminds me of something burning or.. burned. Like they overcooked something in the process. It also smells a little dusty. It’s not super strong but it’s just too weird and unpleasant for me to enjoy the massage oil. I.. don’t know how this got past quality control, honestly.

The “add magic” lube doesn’t have a smell. It’s my favorite part of the set. It’s a thinner gel that runs a bit but nothing too bad. It’s slick enough and I didn’t have to reapply. The bottle is pretty small but comes with a pump and a cap so it’s easy to use and mess free. It’d probably be great in your purse or suitcase.

Praise is over now. The candle is generically floral scented in an overpowering way. Also, it’s not a massage candle. It simply exists for atmosphere. Not that I entirely mind that but since I don’t enjoy the scent, it doesn’t do much for me. Sadly, this also means I haven’t burned it to its end to see how long it lasts.

This set comes in a box with a clear plastic color. Pinks, red and white are the main colors and it all feels a little Victoria’s Secret. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it in a store.. but I wouldn’t buy it and now I’m not sure that I want to try any other Booty Parlor products, either. =/

Thanks to SheVibe for letting me try it, though.

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Guess What?

July 27th, 2011

I didn’t even realize that my giveaway had ended. Too funny. So it’s a bit late but I can announce the winner: macho99. macho99 is a friend on Twitter who has been actively participating in this giveaway so it’s a prize well earned! Congratulations!

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Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore

July 27th, 2011

The realization that I am in love is always a sudden one. I will, for months, be completely enamored. That I cannot deny.. but the movement from “I like you” to “I love you?” I miss it, somehow. And then, one day, I am thinking to myself, my inner voice all too well. Maybe it slips and thinks “love” or maybe I simply wonder “Do I love this person? Is it possible?” Sometimes both.

Perhaps I spend so much time thinking that I shouldn’t yet be in love (can I really fall that easily?!). I’m simply not ready to admit it yet and then my mind slips up and I can no longer deny it. Even though the feeling is always there for some time, the realization takes me by surprise. Yes, this is love! This is what love feels like.

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L’Amour Premium Weighted Pleasure System

July 23rd, 2011

Using vag balls is not quite like riding a bike. Yes, you can lose that skill. I guess the fact the getting back on the horse, or bike as it were, does share one similarity with vag balls: doing it wrong hurts.

Now, I can’t even remember the last time I’d used vaginal balls. It may have been two years. I did credit them with helping me locate my G-spot but I didn’t particularly enjoy using them. However, it’s been long enough that I was willing to jump back into the game when I received my most recent Sexpert assignment. L’Amour Premium Weighted Pleasure System are an awful lot like the vag balls in the Couture Collection and, we all know that I think the two are pretty redundant. The balls themselves are a hard plastic, with an elastic silicone connector and a long (3″ or 4″) silicone retrieval cord. They’re available in pink, purple or blue and while the blue is actually pretty cute, I received pink. The plastic is quite shiny and smooth, although there are raised “stripes” around the length of the oval-esque balls. The raised portion doesn’t feel sharp like a seam, however.

The balls measure about 1.5″ from end to end, length-wise. They seem comparable to other balls I’ve used and, even then, I remember them being large and a bit unwieldy. So I loaded up the Premium Weighted Pleasure System with some water-based lube (Frolic, if you’re interested), dropped the drawers and popped a squat.. and found myself completely unable to insert these things. I probably used a bit too much lube but the smooth plastic was definitely not working for me. That’s where Smartballs or K-Balls tend to win out: they’re better for grasping.

So I leaned one foot up on the bed and was able to insert one ball but not without stabbing my labia with finger nails and pulling on my hair. Man, how the hell did I manage it so many times before? When I was finally able to get the second ball in, it kept slipping out completely or just nudging at the opening to my vagina uncomfortably. I’d get it in, think it was staying, and it’d move right back down. I finally jammed both balls up there and they seemed to stay.. It’s kind of like the opposite of giving birth, you know.

The Premium Weighted Pleasure System is pretty damned effective at stimulating my G-spot if only because of their sheer size. They touch everything in my vag so if they managed to miss my G-spot, it’d be almost miraculous. I noticed almost immediately that I could feel the inner weights moving around. I mean, there’s no mistaking this. You don’t need to do jumping jacks or go for the job. Those suckers just move! I feel them when I walk, I feel them when I do chores, I feel them when I shake my hips back and forth just ’cause I can. I don’t remember any of the kegel balls I’ve tried before making such an impression. And after the initial movement, I feel the inner balls bouncing around a bit as they settle back into position. These are the vag balls I’d want to use during spanking.

I still don’t entirely love the concept, however. Because I’m not G-spot orgasmic, the constant pressure becomes a bit annoying. Sure, it makes it easier to squirt but it doesn’t exactly feel good. The balls, once in place, aren’t necessarily uncomfortable but if I move my muscles, they can be.

Because of the lack of texture, these balls slide ride out easily. They wash up with soap and water but those decorative ridges create seams in the balls and I’m curious why California Exotics wouldn’t just choose to use a silicone coating. In addition to that, if you really pull on the separator, you can pull it out of the balls further than it should be, and see the beginning of a loop. Granted, I was being pretty aggressive but the constructions leaves a little to be desired.

So, if you’re more into the idea of vag balls than I am, I’d probably recommend the L’Amour Premium Weighted Pleasure System.

CEN Sexpert

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Defense Protection lubricant

July 22nd, 2011

PSA: Intimate Organics is now known as Intimate Earth and sells this product as their Defense Protection Glide.

Thus far, I’ve had about a 50-percent chance if liking any Intimate Organics product that I’ve tried. Their Hydra Lube? Eh. The shower gel? Yea! G-spot Gel? You betcha! Their defense protection lube? I think I’ll pass on this.

I was really intrigued by the product description. Intimate Organics uses only natural ingredients, including those that are FDA certified organic, in their line-up. The important ingredients in this lube are carrageenan and guava bark extract. Carrageenan has been gaining popularity in lubes and apparently interferes with infectious viruses like HPV while guava bark is known for treating and preventing yeast infections. If you’re thinking Defense Protection Lubricant sounds ideal for anyone prone to infections, you’re right. Luckily that’s not me and I’m not entirely sure that I’d want to be prone to infections just to write a better review. Sorry? You’ll notice that this water-based lube is free of glycerine and propylene glycol, ingredients that can cause irritation in some people.

Anyway, this lube comes in a green bottle with green-tinted packaging. It’s a far cry from the typical pink and purple color schemes and is simply interesting. The lube itself isn’t actually green but I wouldn’t be quite surprised if it were. It would certainly make me think “natural.” It’s sort of a thin gel. It won’t stay exactly where you put it but it doesn’t run all over the place, which I can certainly appreciate with toys.

However, I expected the same issues with Defense Protection lube as I did with Hydra. The lubricant has a tendency to quickly rub in, rather than staying on the surface long enough to reduce friction. This is pretty much the worst possible characteristic that a lube could have when I’m using clitoral toys because I use short and fast movements but, even when I tried to use it with the First Mate Dildo. I added more and more and it just never seemed like enough. It’s the wrong kind of wet for lube.

Not surprisingly, this lube leaves virtually no residue but, you’ll probably still want to wash your hands and other parts after using it because it stinks to high heaven. It has a cosmetic/natural scent that is funky and strong and smells clean but really unpleasant. It’s also very strong, so strong that I found it to be a turn off during play and strong enough that I’d be afraid to use it with a new partner lest they ask “What is that smell?” That’s no good.

While I really, really like the idea of defense protection lube and natural ingredients, I’d much rather have a chemical-laden lube that works. It looks like Intimate Organics lubes just aren’t meant for me.

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