L’Amour™ Premium Silicone Massager – Passion “G”

April 14th, 2011

L’Amour Passion "G"

L’Amour Passion "G"
$48.99 from California Exotics

Can I be honest here?

Cal Exotics should take a cue from some of the boutique companies that make few toys but make them well. CEN just keeps pumping out toy after toy and I can’t even tell them apart anymore. The L’Amour™ Premium Silicone Massager – Passion “G” is highly reminiscent of the Couture Collection, the name is a mouthful and a bitch to search for on their site. In short, there is absolutely nothing remarkable about this vibrator except for the fact that it uses 2 AAs, something I am glad to see because I am strictly anti-AAA battery.

The box and website describe a “[c]ontemporary intimate high quality massager” that features 7 functions of vibration, pulsation, and escalation while remaining quiet. The functions are easy to use: one button is a dedicated power switch while the other cycles through the settings. A light appears by the buttons when the toy is on to help you see but why it is red is beyond me. A nice white would better match and appeal to my sense of aesthetics.

In terms of shape of size, it’s a rounded, typical insertable vibrator. There are some grooves that run lengthwise to offer additional stimulation but sort of just look like the mold was mis-shapen. The plastic base and buttons are white with silvery details. The shaft is straighter than some might like; although, the silicon offers some flexibility. Of course, those you like firm G-spot stimulation might find that to be a hindrance to their enjoyment. The L’amour Passion G is 6.75” in insertable length, with a 1.5” diameter. It’s a decent, mid-sized vibrator that isn’t overly intimidating. The soft blue is also quite welcoming in appearance.

Like every other CEN toy I’ve ever seen, this one is waterproof. That usually doesn’t win me over, though. I’m not much for playing in the bathroom but, if you are, this might be a plus. This is also a characteristic that all the non-rabbit, L’amour vibrators seem to share and none of the shapes are necessarily varied enough that I would recommend one over the other. Like every other vibrator, CEN states this is quiet. Whisper quiet? I think not. You don’t need to hold it to your ear to hear it. Will it wake the neighbours? No but.. eh.

The price point for this entire line also seems ridiculously high. You can get a silicone, G-spot vibrator for $10-$15 than the MSRP. For such a basic piece, I couldn’t really recommend this, especially to someone who’s just getting into sex toys. For a few more bucks, you can get something rechargeable by Fun Factory.

Maybe I’m just super jaded but the L’amour Passion G is just utterly forgettable. I don’t see why California Exotics needs two lines of remarkably similar silicone vibrators.

CEN Sexpert

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Party On

April 13th, 2011

The other day I went to a sex toy party, as I mentioned on Twitter. It was my sex toy party and it probably will not be my last, despite the fact that I don’t buy anything from these parties. The party was hosted by a friend, at her house, and she and another friend were familiar with the representative. The rep was a lady in her upper middle ages, in her late 40s or 50s, I’d gander. She was boisterous and energetic and funny and I suspect that those qualities help the folks who might be uncomfortable at this sort of a gathering to forget about what’s going on in their minds. It could be helpful. The down side to this, is that sex and sex toys were not necessarily being discussed in a calm and intellectual way. We shouldn’t necessarily have to make a production out of sex, in order to talk about it.

The representative was from Pure Romance, one of the big names in sex toy parties and, if I recall correctly, the same company that hosted the party I went to the first time. Since then, the company has made a big shift toward their bath and beauty products. Lubes, lotions and oils abound while Pure Romance now carries lip glosses, facial washes and body sprays. On the toy end, our representative made a big deal out of discussing what she referred to as “the boys” and, while she explained that toys were not there to replace the men in our lives, this nickname seems counter productive to me. She passed around a handful of toys and everyone got to “ooh” and “aah.” I was sorely disappointed at the quality, not only because the toys were mostly jelly but also because they just lacked the power I like.

Not surprisingly, all of the toys were pretty much rebranded (and marked up) items from California Exotics. I recognized a couple pieces specifically. I’d expect the same can be said about the bath products but I’m not familiar enough with that type of product to make a definitely statement. I can tell you, though, that the new packaging reminded me quite a bit of the Boot Parlor line.

Our rep stuck to some tried and true exercises. She recommended touching vibes against the tip of your nose because of the erectile tissue there. She stressed about not inserting bullets and how easily something can become lost during anal play. She encouraged storing toys in Ziploc bags but I do not think she mentioned just how ridiculous chemical reactions can be between jelly toys. She touted the Pure Romance brand toy cleaner–which my friend bought–and while I’m sure it works well enough, I cringed when she said you can’t use soap to clean toys and indicated that their toy cleaner would somehow stop jelly toys from eroding after time. It will happen, no matter how well you take care of them. Period.

I was disappointed not to see any silicone toys and the catalog still includes vaginal shrinking and anal numbing creams. Many of the retailers for which I review have long done away with these items. Still, the night was not without its highs. It is fun to hang out with other women, to have a drink and to eat penis cake. We hit up the bars afterward and I had a great time. I was thoroughly entertained, if not thoroughly informed. And, because I am the savvy type, I will be hitting up Ebay to save myself some money and purchase some body spray. I can’t say that I loved my experience at a Pure Romance party but I can say that it’s a step up from your corner adult book store.

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Little Su Natural

April 11th, 2011

Little Su Natural

Little Su Natural

The Little Su Natural no longer appears to be available. However, you can still purchase the Little Su Tulip.

I was attracted to the Little Su by Joya as soon as it was released. I was, at that time, really into dual stimulation products and the novelty of a dual-stim dildo–as opposed to a vibrator–intrigued me. That it comes in a cool, faux-book box was only icing on the cake. However, the reviews were a bit lackluster and I put it on my back burner. When I got the chance to review one for SexToy.com, I said “It’s time. Sign me up.”

This silicone dildo is intended for dual stimulation and has a very modern look. The internal portion consists of a firm shaft that gradually grows in width and tapers so a slight point while the external portion is quite narrow and features ridges that stimulate the body There’s a small, flared point at the end (think the Devil’s tail ;)) It was pretty obvious, out of the box, that the external portion wouldn’t really work for me. It seems like the toy is meant for rocking to create a back-and-forth sensation but I like something more firm and frenzied and the thin neck on this piece wasn’t going to do it. I prefer something more broad, more smooth. More spherical, in general.

I was also unpleasantly surprised at how large and firm the insertable shaft felt but this is almost entirely due to the fact that I haven’t been playing with penetration that frequently as of late. With more lube and some patience, I found a much more comfortable position but the result was more along the lines of “There, I can’t feel it” rather than “That feels nice.” That’s usually not what you want with a sex toy. This is due to the fact that the Little Su Natural has edges that run the length of the shaft and end in a rounded point. I just don’t like this as a design feature (as you saw in my review for the Aurora vibe).

Furthermore, the angle where the two parts meet doesn’t cradle my pubic bone the way that I like.

Frequently, I wind up having a lot to say because dual stimulation toys tend to work in one place but not the other. Unfortunately, as with the Little Su Natural, neither part really worked for me. I think this just goes to show that sometimes, unique packaging, quality materials and a thought-provoking design do not work for everyone or.. maybe anyone. I admire Joya’s efforts but still feel like this toy fell short, especially considering the price tag. I suspect I’d like vibrators better, with their more rounded design, but they still have a lot of molded designs and this is another complaint of mine. I don’t like to spend a lot of time cleaning my toys, thus I prefer them to be smoother. Little Su has ridges that face the body, on the external portion of the toy–ridges that also make it more difficult to clean and dry.

Thus, this review ends. I have little more to say about the Little Su dildo. It’s simple and it simply doesn’t work for me.

Sponsored by SexToy.com, one of the biggest selections of sex toys, including G-spot dildos online.

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What You’ve Been Waiting For

April 10th, 2011

  • The winner of the Silicone Rose Vibrator from MyPleasure is Rose
  • The winner of the Sliquid Swirl Strawberry Pomegranate is Liz.
  • The winner of the Pink SweetHeart Glass Dildo is Venus.
  • The winner of the Candy Ball Gag is Lithaewyn.
  • The winner of the ONO Massage Candle is Amber.
  • The winner of the Sweetheart Duckie and flavored condom pack is Venus (again!)
  • The winner of the Liberator Jaz is Cassondra.

Congratulations!

A huge thank you to everyone who participated! I had hundreds of entries from dozens of visitors, many of whom had not previously visited of Sex and Love and all of whom I do hope return. I had a lot of fun running these giveaways, despite the fact that I didn’t post everything in a timely manner and I sincerely hope you all enjoyed playing along.

Once again, thank you to the following company who sponsored items for the giveaway: MyPleasure, Babeland, Pink Cherry, Fascinations, RubyGlass21, Good Vibes and Tabu Toys.

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Ultimate Erotic Massage

April 8th, 2011

Ultimate Erotic Massage

Ultimate Erotic Massage
5.40 from Amazon

I enjoy getting massages and I guess I’m okay at giving them but it’s one of those activities that I always wanted to learn more about. Enter the book Ultimate Erotic Massage and, truthfully, this book was a real eye opener for me. Sure, it has the sort of hokey, new-age feel that sometimes annoys me (and others) but I think I had to move away from the mechanics of massage and learn how to intuit the practice to better understand that–and Ultimate Erotic Massage absolutely helped in that pursuit.

Ultimate Erotic Massage is a soft cover book of nearly 200 pages by Kavida Rei. After an introduction to erotic massage and its benefits, it is split into three main sections: sensual massage, intimate massage and erotic extras. There’s also a brief section, in the beginning, that is dedicated to the basics of massage, including supplies, setting the mood, negotiating the scene, connecting with your partner as well as basic techniques. It’s here that Rei introduces the idea of using body parts other than hands–such as hands or your mouth–as part of your massage technique.

A short description of each section:

Sensual message discusses how each sense plays into massage and gives suggestions for helping either sex become sensually aware. The next chapter in this section breaks down sensual massage techniques by area of the body with extra information on stimulating a woman’s breasts and, again, using your mouth to please your partner. This section wraps up with some interesting information about soapy and/or wet massages that are somewhat based on Thai techniques.

Intimate massage delves into genital massage and Rei breaks down techniques for each gender and includes an entire chapter on oral massage. Kavida stresses that we should take the time to enjoy giving and receiving erotic intimate massage on its own–without necessarily leading to orgasm or sex. I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of a chapter about self massage. Rei’s advice helps the reader connect with herself, even when no partner is available.

All of these sections include small blocks of text on large backgrounds of individuals or couples. Like the cover, these images are pretty sensual in nature, if not necessarily explicit, and make this book pretty conspicuous. Most, if not all, of the couplings are heterosexual and while there author never explicitly states so, the book itself has a rather hetero-normative flair and it wouldn’t hurt if it were a bit more inclusive for homosexual or transsexual folks. All the chapters also include a variety of inserts: pictures, lists, activities and technique so it’s varied, easy read. Despite that, it did take me a while to get through this book. I just couldn’t get into it–through no fault of the book

Erotic extras finally segues into orgasm through erotic massage. It is in this section that the author begins to suggest that massage may lead to orgasm and introduces us to arousal, seduction 65yt6and, finally, orgasm. Unfortunately, in the sensual massage portion of this guide, I almost found the tone to suggest that something is wrong with achieving orgasm through these techniques. Obviously, it may not be the point but I’m not entirely sure why it should be entirely avoided, either. It could be just how I read it but I was glad to see the middle chapters discuss the possibility at all.

The final chapters discusses massage as an element of fantasy, roleplay and BDSM before Rei finishes the book with some information about Tantric massage. Like other sex/massage guides, there are a couple pages dedicated to resources and retailers to guide you on your journey to the ultimate erotic massage and a useful index at the very end. Interesting, there is no information about the other. You might be interested to know that her personal website describes her as a “Tantric Goddess.” I usually like to know how someone is qualified to be writing such material.

After finishing this book, I definitely felt as though my arsenal of massage information had bulked up, in addition to having a greater understanding of the art itself. Ultimate Erotic Massage laid it out in a very easy to digest format and, although I read this book cover to cover, you could easily pick a place where you want to focus. I can see myself referring to it in the future and that it something I rarely say about guide books that I have had the pleasure of reading.

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In Case You Were Wondering

April 4th, 2011

I will announce all the winners for my giveaways at one, after the last one closes. Good luck to everyone who is still vying for the Liberator Jaz!

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All That Jaz

March 25th, 2011

The final item that I am giving away in this series of giveaways (that I have been less than successful in posting in a timely manner d=) is the Liberator Jaz! I have included it in my giveaway, not because it tastes sweet (I mean, you can lick if you want..) but because it’s a pretty sweet prize, even if I don’t normally use the word in that manner. This is on of Liberator’s memory foam pillows and is one of the smaller Liberator pieces. Small but no less awesome, I assure you. I have one, in my closet, waiting to be played with.

Liberator Jaz

Want sex that never goes flat? Practice improvisation and create perfect harmony with your soul mate. With the travel-sized Jaz, you’ll hone your technique and never play the same song twice. This smooth bolster pillow, made from furniture grade foam, is small enough to take with you on tour for the best sex the road has to offer!

Machine washable microsuede covers (not designed to interlock with other Liberator Shapes) with moisture-proof interior liners that protect the foam inside. Jaz dimensions: 18″ x 14.5″ x 6″. Cherry red. All Liberator products are made with love in the USA and come with a 1-year manufacturer’s warranty.

Tabu Toys will ship a Liberator Jaz position pillow to any winner in the continental United States.

Leave individual comments for each of your entries below.

  • Leave a comment here telling me why you want to win this, which sex toys Tabu carries that look good to you or something you learned from their forums (mandatory).
  • Follow Tabu Toys on Twitter (leave a link with your Twitter name so I can check!).
  • Tweet about this giveaway. Something like this will do: It would be sweet to win the Liberator Jaz from @adriana_r and @buytabutoys. Enter here: https://ofsexandlove.com/2011/03/25/all-that-jaz
  • Blog about this giveaway or series of giveaways. Link to any one of the individual giveaway posts in your entry and leave a comment on that specific entry with the post URL.

Giveaway ends April 8.

Check out the other items in this giveaway!

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Image © MisterUnlucky; used with permission.