Scandal Corset with Cuffs

October 27th, 2014

I’ve kept my eye out for the pieces in the Scandal line because I love love love the black and red design — even if it matches nothing in my bondage drawer! The control cuffs worked well, and the “corset” is pretty sexy. Unfortunately, the corset is also once-size-fits-most. What do we know about this kids? That one size never fits all and rarely fits most and usually pisses reviews like me the fuck off.

But let’s back up. This corset is really a small waist cincher. There’s no boning, either plastic or metal; although, the fabric is definitely reinforced. There’s a series of hook and eye enclosures on the back that secure it. To either side of the fasteners, which you won’t see in any of the photos, is a thick strip of elastic, which makes this adjustable — and also less attractive from the front. CEN has added another ribbon – 31 inches of it on either side — for you to tie over the elastic and hooks to make it prettier. In the front, it’s laced with ribbon like corset, so you can extend it a bit if you loosen it or lace with with longer ribbon instead. As this stretches, skin will peak out from the front.

The default setting was one that I could just squeeze into. As a general size XL in most tops and lingerie, I could just make this fit, but it wasn’t comfortable, and I worried that I would damage it if I wore it for long or during strenuous play. I would say this is probably most intended for someone in the size medium to large range. Lying flat, it measures 17 inches in half. It will stretch slightly more than 34 inches thanks to the elastic, however.

By default, the corset comes with an extender with 5 hooks, like you might buy for a bra but obviously 4 inches wide, the same width as the hooks and elastic part of the bra. This is a fantastic idea on the part of California Exotics. If you remove it, you can tighten the corset by several inches, and you can gain 2.5 inches if you add it. Technically, you could buy another 5-hook bra extender in black to add more inches, but that’s not something that I care to do. You could do that and have amply ribbon to tie over it, however.

I did find the height to work well. You can wear it over a top — black or red makes the most sense — of course, or with a bra. There’s also the option to wear the corset by itself if you want to bare all.

Of course, this matches everything in the Scandal line, but you don’t need separate wrist cuffs because a pair is included. There is a D-ring on either side of the corset to which the cuffs attach, which keeps arms relatively prone as your sides. The cuffs are detachable, so you can instead attach them to one another or even

Aside from the red and black fabric, the cuffs are secured with long Velcro straps. There’s potential that someone who is strong enough could break out of them, but whether that would happen before a seam in the corset itself would give out is up for debate.

scandal coset with cuffs

scandal coset with cuffs

The cuffs are intended for wrists and just over 2 inches thick but would work for some ankles. They measure about 10.5 inches around with no overlapping. They’re lined with a super fuzzy material that I absolutely love, but the squishiness makes it more difficult to overlap the cuffs to make them smaller in diameter. There are about 5 inches of Velcro that you can adjust to make it wider, but it’s not going to hold as well.

The hardware on this is surprisingly impressive for this line, especially when you consider that there are decorative cuffs connected by a strand of faux pearls. Remember when I reviewed one of those? Nope. There’s nylon wrapped around an O-ring to securely attached it. Each cuff has its own double ended bolt snap — like this — painted black to match. It’s attractive and effective to both connect the cuffs to the corset or to one another.

While the Scandal corset with cuffs certainly isn’t one size fits most, it’s an attractive piece that’s going to work well for some people who care a little more about form than function, which is kind of the purpose of the entire Scandal line. But with a price around $50, you’re better off getting something a little more functional.

CEN Sexpert

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April 10th, 2013

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Corset Vibe

May 13th, 2010

Like Juliettia, I wanted the Corset Vibrator from Babeland mostly because of looks. I like corsets and I like vibrators and was thrilled when Babeland offered it up for review again (they ran out of stock last time).

But something about the Corset vibe is just a little confusing and I’m not talking about the name change. The package actually calls it the Girdle Vibe and I suspect that makes sense because Touche is a European country. I get that Babeland would change the name because the idea of a girdle is just not sexy to Americans but, no, something else is more confusing.

It started with the batteries. Touche provided 2AAs which is pretty neat. I unscrewed the battery cap at the end and slid them in and then I spent about 5 minutes trying to get the damned cap back on. Now, I’ve talked to someone else who did not have that problem but I actually thought there was some defect issue with the threading on either the cap or the vibe itself. The inside of the cap doesn’t have continuous threading and it can be a bit tricky to get it lined up. However, I have gotten better at it.

So I get the cap on and I am staring at this beast. I mean the Corset Vibe is just much bigger than I expected. I figured the size would be similar to the Evolved Seduction which also has a similar shape but I was wrong. It’s almost 8.5″ long and its girth varies between 4 3/16″ and 5 5/8.” Definitely not something I’d suggest for beginners.

The design itself mimics a corset with the center of the shaft being the narrowest while the vibrator gradually expands toward either end. The insertable end also tapers to a slight point. There’s also a pattern embossed/engraved into the silicone, on the back of the vibrator. It is styled like the ribbons on the back of a corset–hence the name–so the overall design really works well.

The size genuinely surprised me but it wasn’t confusing. It came when I went to turn on the Corset vibe but nothing happened. So I switched batteries. Nothing. I switched back. Eventually I picked up the manual (actually, there are 2 and there are instructions in like a dozen languages) or something and I realized you have to press the button for several seconds before it turns on. It’s not a big deal now that I know it, but it was annoying having to figure it out and I know others had the same problem. I do slightly prefer vibes which turn on faster.

So I got it on but I wasn’t sure if it was working. Yes, my confusion continued. You see, the Corset Vibe didn’t seem to go on to a steady vibration setting like vibrators usually do. I played around with the settings but it seems like Touche really missed the mark. After some experimenting, I have come to realize that the first 3 settings are supposed to be steady vibration but the “low” and “medium” modes are extremely rumbly, almost spastic which makes them seem like they maybe aren’t steady. The highest mode of steady vibration is normal, however. These settings are followed by a pulsation and escalation setting (1 each).

The whole rumbly vibration thing makes it a little hard to gauge the strength of the Corset Vibe. The first 2 settings feel pretty strong but almost like they’re not performing how they should be. In comparison, the highest steady setting is a bit weak and I didn’t particularly care for the escalation mode.

The noise output from the Corset Vibe is a bit much. It’s not going to wake the neighbours or anything but I think similar vibes are a bit quieter. The Corset Vibe is getting up there a bit, like some rabbit vibes

So once my confusion was cleared up, I spent a bit of time with the Corset Vibe but I wasn’t blown away. The tapered head felt a bit pointy and although you can bend the shaft a bit, the shape didn’t do a whole lot for me. While the vibrations are centered right in the head, the Corset Vibe is long enough that it wants to slide right past my G-spot.

While I could feel the texture provided by the corset detailing; I didn’t like it or not like it. I suppose if you use a bit more lube (water-based, only) than usual, you can minimize this effect a bit. Be prepared to spend extra time cleaning up any lubes or liquids, however. The ribbon design provides a ton of nooks and crannies for gunk.

But it is pretty. If you’re a collector, the corset vibe will surely look pretty on a shelf or in your hand. It’s just a bit more novel than practical and I’m not sure that this is enough of a reason for me to have to struggle with all the quirks.

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