SHE AfterCare: AfterShave Oil

July 1st, 2013

Natural Intimate AfterShave Oil

Natural Intimate AfterShave Oil

This product has been discontinued.

It’s summer. I’m shaving my legs and thighs and bikini area frequently because I have to wear shorts. Or nothing at all. But shorts when I leave the house. I walk everywhere, too. You need to know that this results in some awful after-shaving rash. It’s not razor burn, nor do I have ingrowns most of the time. The sensitive skin on my inner thighs just can’t deal with the friction and chafing caused by the heat and movement. I know I’m not alone with this.

At first, I thought that a product like shaving cream alone would help. It does help, but not nearly enough. So, I need a product to use after shaving, too. In the past, I’ve used products from the drug stores. I’ve sprayed myself with Coochy Aftershave spray, but it just wasn’t enough. It was a thin layer that seemed like it existed to provide relief after the pain. What the hell is the point in that? I need something to prevent the rash and discomfort in addition to soothing it.

This AfterShave oil is it. Now, this line of product is created by Sexual Health Enthusiasts, which also makes Afterglow wipes. There are four products in the lineup, including a feminine wash and another that I’ll review shortly. Unfortunately, the markup at $20 seems high. However, it is the best product I’ve used for my sensitive inner thighs after shaving. Period. If you don’t experience the irritation that’s so bad you can’t sleep, this isn’t something you need. It’s something I might club you over the head with a stainless steel dildo for, though.

Use is as simple as spraying on after I shave. After a fresh shave, I might spray twice in a day. The instructions say to rub it in but since rubbing is part of my problem, I only rub it in if I’m using the aftershave oil on other places, but my thighs will do the rubbing in right for me. The base of this is silicone, so it’s pretty much lube for your shaved skin. IF you don’t rub it in, it’s going to feel heavy and wet. However, this is actually ideal for me. You might consider it before going for a walk or a run or anything where friction is an issue. I can’t help but wonder if silicone-based lube would work in a similar fashion.

I usually spray twice on each thigh. I’ve had this bottle about a week and made a little dent, but I’ll use it much less frequently when it cools down and I can slip back into jeans. Plus, I only use it daily for the next two days or so after a shave. If you have to shave less frequently, the 4-ounce bottle will definitely last you longer. I still think it’s worth it.

This spray oil has an abundance of ingredients that also sooth and soften. The ingredients list is really much longer than your typical silicone lube:

Isopropyl Myristate

  • Cyclomethicone
  • Dimethicone
  • Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
  • Chamomile Oil
  • Salicylic Acid
  • Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
  • Mineral Oil
  • Meadowfoam Seed Oil
  • Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil
  • Vitamin E
  • Retyinyl Palmitate
  • Squalane
  • Bergamot Fruit Oil
  • Rosemary Leaf Oil
  • Orange Peel Oil
  • Phenoxyethanol

All in all, the list is pretty natural. Almost all of them are intended to moisturize or soothe your skin. You’ll notice Vitamin E alongside chamomile, for example. However, you’ll want to take notice if you’ve got sensitivities to mineral oil. Of note is Salicylic Acid, which you’ll usually find in acne products. This could be a boon to you if you break out in the places where you tend to shave.

Having used this for months, maybe years, I’ve found no negative effects from any of the ingredients. Nor does it stain my clothes. The scent is light and definitely plant-like. It’s not something sweet that I love, but I don’t mind it at all. It’s clean and fades quickly. It’s similar to the AfterTrace Odor Neutralizer. I cannot imagine anyone taking offense to this.

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Categories: Reviews, Sexual Health and Beauty

Devour Me Lickable Body Oil

March 10th, 2012

Devour Me Lickable Body Oil

Devour Me Lickable Body Oil
$7 from Good Vibes

I’ve enjoyed me some creme brulee in the past but I don’t entirely enjoy the creme brulee flavored body oil. There are some things that I like about it however. The glass bottle is adorable. It’s thick enough that it doesn’t feel like it will break — and it didn’t when my cats knocked it off the dresser. In addition to this, the label is modern and clean. That’s part of the reason that the product attracted me to begin with.

However, the bottle isn’t all that practical for a massage oil. The mouth is quite small and you can’t actually pour from it. Instead, you have to tap tap tap until you get some product out and that’s going to be something that frustrates anyone. So, I haven’t been able to get a nice pool of product out to test. It’s not sticky, as the product description implies but you’re going to head to an easier to use bottle if you want to give a long and sensuous massage. You may wind up transferring this to a different container, which kind of defeats the purpose of such a nice bottle.

The little that I did use was slick but could have been slicker. It wasn’t sticky and left my skin feeling soft. I didn’t feel the need to wash it off. The scent also stayed with me for quite some time.

The creme brulee scent is really interesting. In the bottle, it smells exactly like sausage and pancakes. It makes me hungry. I realize I chose a food scent but there’s a definite salty meat and maple syrup smell which I just don’t quite love. Once I began massaging the oil into my skin, the scent changed to something lighter and more appropriate for use on the body. I’m not sure if it’s exactly creme brulee, however. There’s a sort of spicy cinnamon or nutmeg mixed with hints of vanilla.

The taste test left a lot to be desired, really. It tasted like a spicy nutmeg. It was a little too much for my preferences and I got nothing sweet out of it at all, like I would expect. I’m sure that my problems are related to the specific flavor I picked. The reviews indicate that the pina colada is quite enjoyable. I just wanted to try something different.. and it was a miss. The Devour Me Lickable Body Oil is really cheap enough that you could purchase a few flavors to see which you liked the best and pass the ones that you don’t love off to someone else.

However, application in large amounts is still a problem. I’d forgo the pretty bottle for one that worked better.

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Categories: Massage, Reviews

Crazy Girl Soy Massage Candle Pink Cupcake

February 4th, 2012

Crazy Girl Soy Massage Candle Pink Cupcake
$15.99 from Store.OfSexAndLove.com

Right, so let me go ahead and say that this product is the one I liked the least even though it smells amazingly like the other products. Well, sort of. The cool wax does and the first time I burned it, it did but then the scent changed into something that smells a whole lot more like burning hair and wasn’t amazing. Initially, I thought I might just use this as an actual scented candle because it’s so awful as a massage candle but I guess that’s out too.

The problem with this as a massage candle is that the melted wax — which is soft and has a low melting point so it doesn’t get too hot — feels thick and sticky. It actually made it more difficult for my hands to move across skin and the tacky feeling remained on my skin so that I wanted to wash it off. I suspect that the melting point is actually too low and that this is solidifying prematurely but, whatever the case, it’s not thin and slick enough to work well as a massage product and that makes me sad.

Otherwise, this is a sulfate-free formula like the other pink cupcake products. It comes in a heart-shaped, metal tin with a cover which make it easy to store or travel with. The wax is supposed to contain soybean oil, coconut oil, hemp seed oil, Vitamin E and carotene and a million other natural oils — all of which are good but because I cannot stand this on my skin, it’s not going to moisturize or any of the other benefits. According to the product description, these ingredients are all awesome because..

combats wrinkles and uneven skin tone
healing properties
skin softening
reduces appearance of wrinkles
neutralizes effects of dehydration
protects against dry skin
anti-inflammatory.
soothing
relieves dry, itchy skin
improves skin surface
assists in scar and acne treatment
protects skin from itchiness and free radical damage
We can assume that this list is slightly exaggerated but, either way, I want a product to do what it says before offering all these extra perks and this soy massage candle just doesn’t. I wish I loved it but I can’t. Maybe some of Classic Erotica’s other candles work better.

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Categories: Massage, Reviews

Lelo Massage Candle

September 29th, 2011

Lelo Massage Candle

Lelo Massage Candle
53.39 from Store.OfSexAndLove.com

When it comes to the design of Lelo’s massage candles, they’re really quite solid. Each candle sits in a black ceramic (I think) glass that is just a tiny bit translucent. The candle has a metal lid with a looped handle on top. The handle is made of an amber-colored plastic that, in my opinion, is the low point of the design. It’s probably just because it’s not my favorite color.

When you first open the candle, there is a piece of foam with an attached ribbon. I’m not entirely sure what functions this serves. Perhaps it helps to seal the easily melted wax in place? Or keeps the scent for longer? It’s a bit like the cotton wad at the top of a pill bottle.

The wax itself is soft and white. It’s not difficult rub some off with a finger but it is noticeably more firm than any other massage candle I’ve tried. This means that you will have to burn the candle either hotter or longer than others and it’s peculiar, to say the least. However, perhaps Lelo wanted to stress the longer burn time over the massage properties. There’s certainly a balance to be achieved and I think this product just missed the mark.

The scent I requested to review was vanilla & creme de cacao. I’m not exactly sure what that should smell like. Red velvet cake, maybe? I’m also not entirely sure how to describe what it does smell like. The unlit candle isn’t pleasant in the least. After lighting, it smells better and I can detect the vanilla.. but it almost smells like spoiled caked batter. It’s almost like something snuck in there with the good smell.

Even if I loved the smell, I’d still have to complain because it’s virtually impossible to detect unless I hold the candle right under my nose. It doesn’t waft through the air. It’s nearly impossible to detect.

Perhaps Lelo has still created a product that works well even if it doesn’t smell amazing, you ask? No, they didn’t. I don’t know what to say about this one but I lit the candle to melt before I started writing this review and even after letting it burn for several minutes, there’s barely enough wax melted to give a handle massage, let alone a full body one. I can also feel that the wax is much hotter than other candles and I suspect it burns so hot that the wax is literally melting away rather than melting into oil. Plus, the candle really doesn’t burn evenly. There’s still plenty of wax on the sides.

The cylindrical container, while cute, isn’t actually ideal for pouring what oil there it. That’s why I have drip lines of wax down the side. You have to pour it directly into your hand and risk burning to avoid spilling. It’s kind of a crappy choice, in my opinion, but my furniture is more expensive than my skin so there’s my choice.

Unfortunately, the list of moisturizing ingredients doesn’t include aloe –even though it does include vitamin E, soy wax, shea butter and apricot kernel oil– so I can’t use this handle to heal the wounds it causes. Just kidding. It’s not that hot.

If you’re patient enough to wait and then to use this too-hot product, you’ll probably still be disappointed. It’s probably the greasiest feeling massage product I’ve ever used. It rubs into the skin quickly and has a thick feeling that actually seems to cause drag. Lelo’s massage candles really make me want to wash my skin as quickly as possible.

I can’t wait to burn this up so I can put something useful, like pennies, in the container. Other than that, there is not a single redeeming quality about the Lelo massage candles.

8 Comments

Categories: Massage, Reviews

Afterglow Candle (Cucumber Water)

October 4th, 2009

Afterglow Candle (Cucumber Water)

Afterglow Candle (Cucumber Water)
$17.72 from Amazon

In my latest review of Jimmyjane’s Little Embers Massage Candles Set, I mentioned I was impressed by their packaging. I don’t want to inundate you by repeating that but, if anything, I was even more impressed with the packaging and presentation of the full size Afterglow candle.

The Afterglow candle comes in a paperboard box designed in white, grey and a seafoam-ish green. Overall, it’s clean and neat. This houses a paperboard construct which holds the candle and other implements steady. If you pull the entire thing out of the box, the construct folds away for easy access. I believe my instructions and other info was stuck to the top of the box to begin so, when I opened it, I saw the candle first. The candle sits on a box of stick matches and there is a pocket in the holder where an applicator brush sits. Once again, the attention to detail is immaculate.

The candle itself is in a cube-ish, frosted glass holder and, like my Little Ember candles, is sealed on top. During shipping, the candle must have been on its side because the uber soft wax has definitely shifted. The Afterglow is so soft it’s difficult for me to call it solid; it’s one of those in-betweens like jelly. I could dip in my fingers and use it like lotion, if I wanted. Because of the softness and shifting, the white wick was a bit difficult to find and I had to clear the area directly around the wick to light it. I know Juliettia had a similar candle and she had to dig into hers to find it. Mine wasn’t quite so difficult but, honestly, I’d forsake the all natural wick for a bit of dye so that I could actually see it.

All this playing with the wax allowed me to smell the scent. I chose Cucumber Water because I generally find cucumber to be refreshing and the “water” part sounded even more so. I was surprised at just how floral the scent was at all. I wasn’t expecting that at all, from the name. There was a crisp, wet smell but the cucumber was effectively drowned out for the floral smell. After lighting, however, the scent is more balanced. It’s still extremely strong and a scent which I don’t love. The smell was noticeable in my living room and even overpowered my air fresheners (which I’d just changed). After having the candle lit for only a few minutes (10, tops), I had a headache. I think I would better appreciate the strength of the scent were it something I liked more.

I must say that the candle looks quite sophisticated and classy when list. The flame produces a yellow glow inside the frosted glass and these candles could double as decor and ambiance setters, too.

There’s not much to say about the matches except that the box is designed nicely and it certainly adds to the flare of the candle. The smell of sulfur is quite overpowering, initially, but I don’t frequently use matches. I will probably use a lighter with these candles from now on.

After only a few minutes, the soft wax had pooled into usable massage oil. I tested a little on my arm, first, because my experience with the Little Embers made me cautious. I had no issues with the wax being hot at all. In fact, it was probably a little cooler than I expected. The oil was rather thin (thinner than most massage products I’ve used) and slick which makes for gliding ones hands over skin quite easy. It wasn’t sticky in the least and absorbed completely into the skin, leaving no residue.

Although the candle comes with a brush to apply, it certainly makes more sense to pour the oil straight onto the skin. You can better control how much and go for more right away, if you want. You’re also losing less product to the brush itself, which becomes somewhat hard after the oil dries back into wax. I’m not a fan of a lot of upkeep so I will likely toss the brush. However, the square candle holder isn’t ideal for pouring either and, like the Little Embers, the oil dripped down the side.

The information booklet says each 5oz candle will burn for 42 hours but I think it’s important to note that using it for massage oil will obviously detract. It also advises to burn the candle until the wax at the edges has turned to oil or about 30 minutes (to ensure even burning each use). I have probably only burned it for 20 minutes at a time so the edges were not quite melted. I only like to let it burn until there’s just enough oil to use and it seems like 30 minutes is a bit excessive, especially when you have curious critters or children around.

In general, we used most of the waxed that had melted into oil, but when I went to see if any was still melted, it had already hardened. I find it difficult to believe 30 minutes had already passed and suspect that this estimate is also if you let it burn for 30 minutes. While this isn’t a big drawback for me, it might be if you’re into long massages.

Overall, I was impressed with the function and feel of JimmyJane’s Afterglow candle. It looks great, is presented nicely. has a strong smell, melts into wonderful oil, performs admirably and doesn’t leave any sticky residue. However, my experience with JimmyJane’s scents seems to be hit or miss and my next product choice will be made more carefully.

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Categories: Massage, Reviews

Little Ember Massage Candles Set

September 30th, 2009

Little Ember Massage Candles Set

Little Ember Massage Candles Set

This is an archived review. Jimmyjane no longer makes the Little Embers set. However, you might be able to purchase it from retailers like this one. You can also buy the full-sized Ginger+Date candle from Babeland.

This week shall be the week of JimmyJane, I think. It was pretty awesome because I got not 1 but 2 JimmyJane products in a short period, a while back. Enter double excitement over my first JimmyJane products! Onto the good stuff, shall we?

The Little Ember Candle set is a great introduction to what seems to be some new products from JimmyJane. Unlike the Afterglow candles which are 5 ounces each and come in familiar scents like Pink Lotus, the Ember candles are 12 ounces and feature a pairing of scents to create an overall ambiance. JimmyJane describes the candles as such “a base note that leads the way, plus a charismatic top note to set the tone.” Sounds pretty neat to me. Of course, you guessed that the larger size means a larger price tag; Ember candles are almost twice the price of an Afterglow candle and, if you’re not sure that you’ll love it, that can be money better spent elsewhere. That is where this set comes in so handy. You can experience some of the scents in miniature form and for a significantly lower price than a full sized candle. It’s a no brainer really.

Decision made, I assume most people would be pleasantly surprised by the packaging. I know it’s something other people have mentioned before but Jimmyjane’s attention to detail is something which really puts them heads and shoulders above the competition and what makes them a luxury brand. The Little Ember set comes in a white-topped box with the Jimmyjane name and logo in silver on top. On the top front, coming onto the front is a pink-ish red square which says the product name. A similar rectangle is printed on the bottom sides of the box (which is otherwise black) which can be seen through two rectangular cutouts which make pulling off the top a cinch. The candle scents are also listed on the bottom back of the box lid but aren’t in the way. I actually missed that at first. The simple design and colours are definitely a hit, very sophisticated.

Inside the box you see the candles as well as a white rubber band and a black book of matches, both branded with the Jimmyjane logo. In this kit are three .7oz candles in each scent: GINGER + DATE, TRUFFLE + GARDENIA, LYCHEE + LAPSANG. It is arranged so each candle is in a corner with the empty corner making room for the matches and band. It’s impressively impressed and, at this point, I would expect no less from Jimmyjane.

Each candle is roughly cube shaped (1.5″ deep and wide, a little over 1″ tall) and sits in what appears to be a white, ceramic holder. Each container is wrapped in a translucent plastic sticker, branded with the logo. This keeps the candles sealed before purchase and, because mine were shipped, I appreciated this. Although some of the wax may have shifted to the side of the container, it couldn’t escape so no product was lost.

And with the soft, soy-based wax, melting and shifting is pretty common. Soft wax is par for the course when it comes to massage candles; I imagine this is because it allows them to melt as lower temperatures. You can dip your finger in the candle, make a dent and rub a bit on as lotion but if it’s a nice pool of massage oil, lighting is in order. Of course, this is as easy as peeling off the sticker and lighting up one of the included matches.

Because the candles are mini, it doesn’t take long for them to melt to a usable pool of oil – a few minutes at most. Jimmyjane says you can get 4 hours of burning time out of these and it seems a stretch for the size and it definitely doesn’t take into account that these candles are actually, y’know, for using. The instructions also say to blow them out before pouring, never a bad idea. In my experience, the candle holders never became very hot but the provided band is for slipping around the candle to shield your fingers from any heat.

I would also recommend waiting to use the oil. For whatever reason, the Little Ember candles seem to get unreasonable hot; perhaps because of the size. The first time we used them, it was too hot to pour on his skin directly and hurt my hand a bit. Other than that, the oil is quite slick and makes for a good massage. I’ve never had a massage candle about which I can complain; however. Little Embers do nothing terribly wrong in my book. I might like a slightly better method for application because the oil never failed to drip down the side of the containers, onto my furniture. The scent is also quite strong. We started with Truffle + Gardenia which I quite enjoyed and the scent stuck around the room for at least a day and a half.

Which leaves me to discuss the scents available in the Little Ember Massage Candles Set. They’re quite the interesting combinations and, I must admit, I was completely unfamiliar with most of the components. I don’t know what lychee or lapsang even are, I’ve never smelled a date and I never knew a black truffle is a root. The scent descriptions on Jimmyjane’s site give some insight but don’t really prepare you for the reality of the scents:

TRUFFLE + GARDENIA: The dirty decadence of Black Truffle grounds the airy notes of White Gardenia. This pair of aphrodisiac scents swings between the earthly and the ethereal.

GINGER + DATE: The crispness of fresh Ginger is warmed by the burnt sugar hint of sun-drenched Date. This pair of aphrodisiac scents entices with its rich notes and warm embrace.

LYCHEE + LAPSANG: Tangy Lychee fruit mingles with the smoldering indulgence of Lapsang Souchong tea. This pair of aphrodisiac scents suggests intrigue, where the familiar meets the exotic.

Tackling this one by one, Truffle (which is apparently a root) and Gardenia is my favourite, hands down. It’s floral, of course, but a sophisticated floral and not perfumey in the least. The candle has just a bit of spice which balances this out perfectly. I can see where the scent description is going.

Although I knew ginger smells a bit spicy, I wasn’t prepared for just how spicy it would be. Also, the scents do vary a bit from just smelling the candle to burning and using it. I found this scent to be much too strong in the candle but, in use, it became bearable (although enjoyable would be a stretch). Ginger is noticeable but I can’t smell anything like burnt sugar; instead, it seems like the other ingredient is herbal.

Finally, lychee and lapsang is a scent which basically evokes what I think old Oriental ladies would smell like. It’s herbal, soapy, woodsy, pinesol-y and tea-like and doesn’t venture anywhere near pleasant. It’s a bold move; perhaps a move that should be left undone.

With that said, Jimmyjane definitely got one of these scents right and my nose is not all noses so who’s to say that my experience isn’t limited? I would still recommend the Little Ember Massage Candles Set to anyone who wants to get a feel for these candles and I did Ienjoy them for their massage properties. Because of the presentation, this set might even make a nice present, if you’re comfortable gifting someone massage candles.

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Categories: Massage, Reviews

Oil of Love – Raspberry Kiss

September 4th, 2009

Oil of Love - Raspberry Kiss

Oil of Love - Raspberry Kiss
$10.72 from Amazon

What can I say about Kama Sutra products that hasn’t already been said? Their name is synonymous with sensuality and products are known for quality. So to say I was expecting an awesome product with their Oil of Love is an understatement, especially considering that I have literally wanted the product for years. It was one of the very first products I considered buying when my husband and I wanted to try new things with our sex life. I’m glad I finally tried the Oil of Love, even if it took years for me to do so and I can say without hesitation that this is one of the few products that is better than I expected.

Like other Kama Sutra products, the Oil of Love came in the green/gold tin, slightly smaller than a soda can, with a black cap. This tin was also in anopen-endedd plastic bag but, unfortunately, neither of those was sealed at the cap had popped off and was floating loose in the box. Inside the tin was the glass jar containing the oil, which is corked shut and sealed with plastic. Despite the seal, the bottle did feel slippery, as though it had oil on it already. I gave it a wipe down before opening to ensure the bottle wouldn’t slip out of my hands and break or spill all over. The only adornment on the bottle is a stick/band which goes around it with a floral motif and the Kama Sutra logo/Oil of Love label on the front. What you mostly see is a gorgeous dark fuchsia colour of the oil itself and while it might be a bit more purple than I would expect for something raspberry, it’s gorgeous to look through the liquid.

After breaking the seal and popping the cork (which doesn’t require anything near the strength of a wine bottle, thankfully), the scent isn’t immediately noticeable. Overall, I found the scent to be light and refreshing, never overpowering. The scent becomes discernible after a bit of friction by either rubbing the oil in my hands or on another body part. It was also much more noticeable to me as a massage giver than receiver, probably because I kept leaning forward to kiss and lick my husband’s back. As the receiver, I was a little disappointed that I could not smell it better, though.

Unfortunately, I have to say that this smells nothing at all like a kiss of raspberry as the scent – Raspberry Kiss – would suggest. It smells wonderful and sweet but not berry-like in the least. In fact, I think a perfect suggestion for this scent would be vanilla cotton candy and my husband agrees. It’s a great scent, just misleading.

So I mentioned the kissing and licking, yes? It’s because the Oil of Love is also flavoured! The Oil of Love have a sweet flavour that is reminiscent and very complimentary to it’s scent (in this case, vanilla cotton candy), to provide that much more experience. Really, it almost tastes like candy and I have half a mind to drink the bottle, but won’t.

But that’s not all!

It also warms upon blowing which just adds another element of excitement to your massage. I don’t think this property was as noticeable to my husband or myself as the receiver but I definitely noticed the heat on my mouth/face when I leaned down to blow. This could just be because our backs are not as sensitive and I know that the fan was on during my massage so it may have been a little counterproductive. Kissing and licking also seemed to activate the heat so that’s another plus.

We’re not into giving really long massages and you probably won’t get hours out of one application of the Oil of Love as it is a bit thicker/heavier (that is, if you don’t lick it all off first). I probably massaged between 10 and 20 minutes with one application and it definitely made it easier to manipulate my husband’s skin. When it was my turn, it also improved his – usually awful – technique and helped him to not be so rough (although I’m still training him). It did get a bit sticky on my hands toward the end but we were both able to dress without feeling the need to wash off the oil from our skins.

I found that it really doesn’t work very well for hand jobs. It becomes too sticky for the quick motions and works much better for a luxurious massage. While the tin states that this product is latex safe (because it’s water and not oil based as one might think(, it also warns not to use it internally so I would shy away from using it as actual lube.

You’ll be relieved to know that Oil of Love is non-staining, too, because, no matter how hard I try, I am a messy person. After massage time was over, I noticed pinky spots on the bed from the oil but they washed out in the laundry just fine.

I am more than blown away with this product, in the end. The few shortcomings absolutely pale in comparison to the scent, flavour, warming and non-staining properties. While Oil of Love may not be the perfect product for hours of massage, it couldn’t be more perfect for us.

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Categories: Massage, Reviews

Image © MisterUnlucky; used with permission.