JO So Fresh! Hygiene Cream for Women

November 5th, 2014

JO So Fresh! Hygiene Cream for Women
$15.39 from Of Sex and Love Store

I generally like System Jo’s lubes and massage products, but my experience with their bath and body products has been hit or miss. For example, their feminine spray? Pretty good. Their shaving cream and pheromone deodorant? Meh. I was excited to hear about some of their new products and reached out to see if I could do a review. The folks over there kindly said, “Yes.” Thanks, guys!

One of the products I received was the Hygiene Cream for Women. The site describes it as a product that ” delivers long-lasting moisture control and comfort wherever you need it most. Use daily on hands, elbows, knees, armpits, groin area or anywhere else you experience chafing or irritation.”

This talc-free product is designed to help combat moisture and side effects caused by moisture. Think chafing and smell. Now, the feminine spray already does a decent job when it comes to smell on a hot, summer day, but I am always looking out for something to prevent chafing, especially after I shave.

This cream is one of those cream-to-powder products. It comes in a pump bottle and comes out like a gel, but it turns into a powder once you rub it in. It’s like Monistat’s anti-chafing gel like that. In fact, it leaves marks on clothing and fabric like a powder. I noticed this on my black sheets.  So keep that in mind when it comes to getting dressed and wearing dark colors.

I experienced no ill effects from this product. I didn’t notice anything about the smell either. It’s pretty light.

But does it work?

Ehhhhh. I noticed no real protection from chafing. I tried it on a sensitive spot and it didn’t prevent additional chafing nor do it help to soothe the existig irritation. Nor do I think this absorbs moisture enough to be better than some sort of body powder or, you know, regular deodorant. At $15, you could get a couple of tubes of Monistat’s anti-chafing gel, SHE Aftershave Oil or go for Jo’s Feminine Spray instead.

I really wanted to like this product. I will certainly keep using it as long as I have it, but I can’t really recommend it. Perhaps it tries to do too much. Perhaps the gel to powder formula isn’t the right one.

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Categories: Reviews, Sexual Health and Beauty

Why You Should Design Your Own Bondage Accessories

November 4th, 2014

Wearing collars, cuffs or ankle restraints is often an expression of your style and personality if you’re into the bondage scene. Not everyone wants to wear spikes or plain black leather, however; some wearers like different colors or ornaments that reflect their personality or even make a comment about their BDSM relationship.

Unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with leather or metalworking skills to customize their leather goods. Purchasing these personal accessories generally means taking whatever happens to be in vogue or available, new or used, even if those items don’t necessarily reflect their personal style.

Fortunately, there are other options when it comes to custom leather gear. Many people want personalized gear that they have personally designed.  Traditionally, craftspeople often accepted custom orders like this, but costs can be prohibitive and quality varies widely among merchants. Refunds or replacements are often hard to obtain from craft fair merchants, leaving customers wondering where quality merchandise can be found, if ever.

Merchants specializing in custom orders and guaranteeing professional quality do exist, however. Designing your own restraints using a company like thecollarshop.com gives you the freedom to choose exactly what you want. For example, you can choose from several different widths, colors, materials, linings, decorations and so on for your leather gear. Professional artisans produce exactly what you request and ship it directly to you discreetly.

The company produces a variety of leather goods, including collars, cuffs, leashes and belts. They also offer advice on the various types of items you may need and the appropriate settings for them if you’re new to bondage. The company has beautiful stock accessories for customers not looking for custom work at the moment. Stock pieces make great gifts for your special friend(s).

This post brought to you by a partner with Of Sex and Love who wants to provide you customized yet affordable bondage gear!

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Categories: Shopping

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Flirty Little Secret Pink Caviar Scrub With Pheromones

November 2nd, 2014

Pink Caviar Scrub With Pheromones
$$20.99 from Amazon

I never thought I would try another Booty Parlor product if I’m being honest. The last time I did, I was rather unimpressed by the quality of multiple products, so I’ve stayed away. It’s been a while, and I’ve opted to review another product from the company thanks to SheVibe. The pink caviar scrub is a body product, sensual as best. It’s definitely not sexual, but I certainly feel sexier when my skin is soft and smooth!

So let’s start with the positives. This thick scrub has some serious scrubbing power thanks to the sugar granules. I’m not sure if the caviar beads help. I can’t really tell the difference between them and the sugar, honestly. The texture is well mixed.

Secondly, I like the smell. It’s generally sweet. The scent is supposed to be raspberry lemonade. I get a hint of lemon if I’m looking for it, but the sugary smell really stands out.

However, there’s something about the overall texture that prevents me from loving this scrub wholeheartedly. More specifically, it’s slick and hard to rinse off. When used on my feet in the shower, it’s slippery. In fact, the residue stays on the floor through several showers, so I couldn’t imagine how slippery this would be after several showers if I used it every time.

Secondly, it’s nearly impossible to wash off my hands and body. To some people, this might feel moisturizing, but it’s definitely intense and not going to be everyone’s cup of tea.  This feeling/residue might stick, but the beads do wash off, so it’s still effective.

And to be honest, I never notice after I’m out of the shower, but it bothers me enough that I’d really like to see the ingredients list changed. When moisturizing becomes potentially dangerous, there’s room for improvement.

I’m not entirely sure which of the ingredients is making it so slippery, but they include Jojoba oil, Shea butter,  grapeseed, soy, and pheromones. It’s likely the shea butter or oil that’s causing this to be sooo slippery. I’m not sure how I could reduce this for the tub that I have left. Like I said, it works well and smells good.

So any suggestions how to make this a little less likely to cause a broken bone in the shower would be great.

Otherwise, you might give this scrub by Booty Parlor a try.. but $26 is a steep price for a product that doesn’t do everything it’s supposed to with flying colors.

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Categories: Reviews, Sexual Health and Beauty

Scandal Corset with Cuffs

October 27th, 2014

Scandal Corset with Cuffs
29.41 from Amazon

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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Categories: BDSM, Reviews

Best Sex Writing 2013

October 19th, 2014

Best Sex Writing 2013
$13.83 from Amazon

I’ve been a fan of the Best Sex Writing series for years, The most recent edition is Best Sex Writing 2013 because it doesn’t come out every year. This one  was edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel with a foreword by Carol Queen, two names you’re probably familiar with if you follow sex education or erotica — or even if you’re just a fan of other Cleis Press publications.

This edition offers 20 different stories about the “state of sexual culture.” Each of the pieces is supposed to represent the sex writing about sex, but the authors, themes, subjects and approaches are all different. Some of the authors are those with whom you may already be familiar, including Carol Queen herself, but some of the authors aren’t really from the sex realm, which I find adds variety.

Of the twenty stores, two or three really stood out for me.

“Very Legal: Sex and Love in Retirement” introduces us to the dynamics of relationships and sex in a retirement community. The writer, Alex Morris, does a good job treating these people like people, which is sometimes difficult with a generation that the world would otherwise like to leave behind closed doors — let alone discuss their relationships.

“Rest Stop Confidential” was an interesting look at the culture of anonymous gay sex in bathrooms and one of the personal accounts that I found more interesting.

Lori Selke’s “Dear John” is literally a breakup letter to the leather community that has transformed and is no longer welcoming to her. I can imagine Lori might be stepping on some people’s toes, but I think it’s a very interesting glance into the workings of the alt community as a whole.

However, my absolute favorite must be “Lost Boys.” This lengthy piece toward the end of the book talks about issues with homelessness, sex work and abuse on the streets of large cities such as NYC. The writer, Kristen Hinman, takes a look into a groundbreaking study by Curtis in Dank, Not only did this research shatter the illusion of who was a child sex worker — teenaged girls — but it also painted a picture about how many underage sex workers were actually walking the streets. The importance of this, I learned through reading, has a lot to do with the organizations that are leaching money out of the government and taxpayers for programs to help this population, a population that is realistically little like the story we’re told that pulls at our heartstrings. You should really read the piece in this book or the published study because there’s a lot of interesting information to be had there, and it’s stunning that this survey hasn’t had a greater impact.

Overall, the submissions to last year’s Best Sex Writing anthology tended to be more personal or anecdotal in nature. This doesn’t make them less interesting to read, but for me, they’re less memorable. Pieces that are more scientific or studious in nature tend to resonate better with me, The notable exception is Carol Queens’ “Ghosts: All my Men Are Dead.” In this sad tale, the sex educator talks about how the men she met as a queer person who moved to California have passed away, almost all from HIV/AIDS. It’s a somber story but also an interesting look into sex education and rights movements, which initially had little room for a woman.

You might prefer the personal stories in Best Sex Writing 2013 more than I did as a whole. Either way, I am certainly not going to stop checking out these books. There’s certainly going to be variation depending upon what authors and researchers do over the past year or so, and I will always be interested in picking up the next Best Sex Writing book.

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Categories: Books, Reviews

Svakom Leslie

October 18th, 2014

Svakom Leslie
$175 from Svakom

So let’s talk about the shape. Leslie is a gently curved vibrator that will provide subtle G-spot stimulation. It has no hook a la Ella or Gigi, so you’re not going to get intense stimulation of your G-spot. The silky smooth silicone feels quite nice in my hand.

Yet, it’s not the shape or size of this toy that is its main appeal. Leslie is a self-heating vibrator that has the ability to raise temperature on its own and either in combination with or separately from vibrations.

A separate button enables you to turn on this function, which in and of itself isn’t that impressive. I don’t think I’d ever use Leslie without vibrations is what I mean. There’s a very gradual increase in heat, so you’re not worrying about burning yourself. At its warmest, it’s supposed to get up to 104 degrees F (40 C). If you’re just letting it test for curiosity’s sake, you’ll definitely feel the heat!

I would hazard a guess that some people wouldn’t feel it that much when used internally, however. I like it, though. Paired with the vibrations, I feel like this is a solid vibrator. There are 5 different modes:

  1. Continuous vibes (with multiple speeds)
  2. Escalation
  3. Pulsation
  4. Faster/stronger pulsation
  5. Fast pulsation

The manual lists 6 modes, but I’m not sure what the last one is. Perhaps heat? While the steady vibes aren’t too buzzy or weak. In fact, I really like them.

The four buttons on Leslie work in an interesting way. There’s a single button to turn on and off the heat, and there’s no way to control the specific temperature as far as I can tell. The control panel remains lit as long as heat as on, so you’ll never forget it. There is a “S” button that you press and hold to power on and off. It takes a few seconds to do this. There are also two arrow buttons. Pressing them once will cycle through speeds or strengths of the current setting while pressing it twice takes you to the next setting. It’s not difficult but it is different to use.

The build reminds me of other upscale toys and, like I said, I love the silky texture.  However, During some of the modes, I can hear an obvious rattle internally. This wouldn’t stop me from using Leslie, but it’s a sign that more work could be done and it’s distracting on the lower settings, when you can more easily hear it.

Leslie isn’t terribly loud, but the stronger modes do seem louder than I’m used to. I’d like to see the maximum noise output be equal to the quietest setting ideally.

Leslie is rechargeable via port on the bottom of the toy. It’s not covered like other toys, but Leslie is designed to be water resistant. I think that water would minimize the heating effect as I always find water distracting when in the shower.

Although there’s no serious G-spot hook, the shaft is curved slightly and large enough to feel filling thanks to the rigid inner core. Size queens will have to look elsewhere, however. With an overall length of just over 8 inches, Leslie offers about 6 inches for insertion until you’ll hit the buttons. The control panel is in an interesting position, by the way, on the side of the toy and running vertical. You could insert past the buttons, but you won’t be able to adjust the vibrator obviously. At its widest, Leslie is about 1.5″ in diameter. The tip of the shaft tapers for easier insertion.

On the other side is the Svakom logo, which matches in shape. There’s an LED light that shines through, which I never noticed before. It’s really not going to be something you can even see during use, but it is pretty.

Don’t be like me and use silicone lube with this toy. It’s a bitch to wash off.

At $175, this toy is more than luxury priced. If you are spending that much, I’m not sure if I would recommend Leslie unless you really want to try the warming function, and you have the expendable cash. I completely understand that this is more than just your typical vibrator, but the temperature aspect isn’t so remarkable that I would recommend Leslie to everyone. Some discerning buyers will definitely enjoy it, however! When buying directly from Svakom, you have your choice of plugs, which is awesome!

Leslie comes in black, white, wine red and purple. In person, the wine red is more of a deep raspberry. Pink haters beware!

You can take your chances and buy it for ~ $130 at Amazon. You can check them out at my affiliate store for under $150, too! There aren’t that many retailers selling Svakom products, but Leslie is definitely one that would do well in an upscale sex toy shop, I think.

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Categories: Reviews, Vibrators

Make love to your long distance lover online

Wrapped Around Your Finger

October 16th, 2014

Wrapped Around Your Finger
A Story of Submission
$16.95 from Amazon

I don’t know that I’ve ever reviewed a full-length piece of erotica before. I tend to stick to anthologies, and most of those stories are quite short indeed. I’ve avoided 50 Shades of Grey for reasons of sanity.  I’ve read the first book in the Sleeping Beauty series, but it’s not very long at all. In comparison, the approximately 225 pages of Wrapped Around Your Finger seems like a Tolkien tome. However, it’s really not that long. I read this cover to cover in 3 or 4 sittings, and in one of those I consumed at least half of the book.

Wrapped Around Your Finger is actually the third in a series about a BDSM relationship by Alison Tyler. It’s part fiction and part memoir, and I don’t personally know where the line is drawn, but I don’t think I want to know. That’s part of this illusion.  While this is the third in the series, you certainly don’t need to have read the first two. It might help clarify a few things, but it’s not necessary.

I started this book knowing nothing about submissive Samantha and her dominant partner, Jack, but it didn’t take long to get to know them and the dynamics of their relationships, which is 24/7 power exchange. Samantha is young, perhaps in a cliche, but Alison Tyler’s writes a character who is aware of this and what her well-to-do partner’s status means in regards to her youth and perhaps naivete.

In spite of that all, Samantha and Jack manage to pull off a relationship that allows them both to grow through power exchange and the introduction of Jack’s assistant Alex. Samantha isn’t blind or abused. She’s intelligent. In fact, she’s a sex writer in the story, and this plays out in her interactions with Jack.

Because of Jack’s money and status, the couple is afforded a somewhat more lavish life, which Samantha isn’t accustomed to, but it’s not limitless. Jack has connections, but he’s not magical. He has power and dominant characteristics, but this isn’t all he is. As the characters learn more about one another and themselves, we understand how intricate these relationships — any relationships — can be, and how that can both be damning and a blessing. This, folks, is good storytelling.

With the impending 50 Shades of Grey movie and a miniseries featuring Sleeping Beauty in all her erotic glory, I could see Samantha on screen. Not only do I think it would make a better movie, but I think that Ms. Tyler’s descriptive writing would work well in live action, especially when it comes to Samantha’s intricate outfits.

I cannot help but compare this to 50 Shades of Grey. There are obvious similarities, but skilled writing, more three-dimensional characters and general forethought on the part of the author makes this read both more interesting and more sexy. In fact, I can say that I am not a fan of Samantha’s personality or even her relationship with Jack as a whole, and I still found Wrapped Around Your Finger to be rather enjoyable. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants a more realistic view of BDSM or simply a sexy story that’s decently written.

You can buy it from Amazon or any of the retailers that stock books from the publisher

 

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Categories: Books, Reviews

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