At least when it comes to paps and STD testing. It’s been a few weeks now and I’ve not heard anything back. It’s good to have one less thing to worry about in my life.
Peace Reflections Glass Vibe
June 15th, 2010
Peace Reflections Glass Vibe
N/A
from
This is an archived review of a discontinued toy.
This is my first vibrating piece of glass, and I knew fairly well what to expect. Glass vibrators typically consist of a glass sleeve that fits snugly over a regular vibe of some sort, and I’ve used a handful of glass pieces now, so I know their feel and temperature properties well. It’s something else to put them together, though.
The first thing I noticed about the Peace Reflections Glass Vibe was its looks. The piece beneath the glass is painted a metallic purple, and with the glass atop it, the whole thing looks almost.. silky. It sounds weird, but that is exactly what springs to mind. The glass itself has several ridges around the straight shaft; they are slightly diagonal. This vibe has a rather pronounced head; it bulges outward from the shaft and tapers toward the end at a rounded point. I probably wouldn’t recommend Peace Reflections to a toy newbie because of this.
Numbers-wise, the majority of the shaft has a diameter of 1.32″ inches, and the widest part of the head has a diameter of 1.51″. Peace Reflections Glass Vibe isn’t very long and only measures 6″ total, about 5 of which are insertable.
My experience with the shape of this vibe was quite interesting. It doesn’t take much to reach my G-spot most days because it’s so shallow; in fact, even straight toys can usually do it decently, but this was not the case with this vibe. It just didn’t stimulate my G-spot with any sort of consistency. I think that it’s a bit difficult for me to wield because it’s short and so are my arms. A longer toy or a longer handle would be great. I imagine this toy would be even more frustrating if your G-spot happens to be really deep or your pubic bone is curved.
Still, Peace Reflections Glass Vibe was easy to insert, even without any lube. The glass is smooth and slick and will be cold to the touch unless you warm it (in warm water) first. If you wish, you can use water or silicone-based lubes.
I didn’t feel the ridges much when it came to straight thrusting but they were quite obvious if i twisted or turned the vibe. Actually, I didn’t particularly like this sensation, so I guess I’m glad I couldn’t feel them at any other time.
When I first used the Peace Reflections Glass Vibe, I could definitely feel the rigidity of the glass. My vagina was really sensitive that day, and it was too much for me to take. Subsequent uses have not proven to be as uncomfortable, however. I would warn that you be careful with rigid toys like glass, especially during partner play. It’s definitely easy to make a quick movement that can cause pain or discomfort when a toy is this unforgiving.
Even though I didn’t love the Peace Reflections Glass Vibe for internal play, the gently rounded head felt nice for clitoral stimulation. I sort of used the side of the head, and away we went.
The vibratory powers of this toy probably won’t blow you away. Peace Reflections Glass Vibe runs on a single AA, has three steady levels of vibration and operates with a single push button at the base of the toy. It’s quite buzzy, but the levels are distinct from one another. The noise output of this vibe is really quite minimal; although, the highest setting does have a little whine to it.
The glass is ridiculously easy to clean, and you can wash the Peace Reflections Glass Vibe with soap and water because there is an O-ring between the battery cap and the toy. This makes it safe to bring in the shower, but the glass can get quite slippery, so you might want to stick to dry, soft surfaces with this one.
For less than $25, you could really do worse. It’s definitely a cheaper option to explore glass.
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Am I?
June 14th, 2010
So I guess Cin thinks I’m a beautiful blogger and she wanted to pass on this award to me. I don’t know how she ever would have gotten that impression but I’ll take it either way. It’s not without requirements, however.
The rules of the game are:
- Give this award to 3 other persons.
- Name 7 things your readers may not know about you.
As for 7 things you may not know about me?
- I get really sappy over emotional things. Like the story about the girl’s dad who was made her a graduation video before he deployed and the school played it on the big screen during the ceremony? Military stuff really gets me. So does pretty much everything on sites like GivesMeHope. My husband says it’s cause I “have heart.” I don’t know.
- I have no blood relation to one set of my grandparents but they are grandparents in every other sense of the phrase. <3
- I desperately want to believe in love over everything else. Love is really all I need to survive happily.
- I’ve only had sex with one person.
- I Love Mountain Dew. Seriously. A lot. I don’t talk about it much here on this blog, though.
- I got my first job at 16, as a cashier at a grocery store. I was laid off a day after my 17th birthday because the company who owned the store went bankrupt and our store closed.
- Someone once described my voice using the words “Midwest Minnie Mouse.”
5 Comments
Eden Waterproof Body Blossom
June 9th, 2010
Eden Waterproof Body Blossom
N/A
from
This is an archived review of a discontinued toy.
Another dual stimulator? Yea! I love the idea. It’s why I’ve tried the Rock Chick, Mini G-rock, G-Ki, Gia, Adonis and Delight–not to mention a few non “c-shaped” toys. And I’ve got the Ultimate Satisfier waiting to be reviewed, too.
The Waterproof Body Blossom is part of a line of toys from Adam & Eve that promote their Eden movie. So I suppose the little flower clit stimulator makes sense, even if it’s a bit silly. The Body Blossom’s general shape is similar to the Rock Chick; the insertable portion is fairly straight with an angled head for G-spot stimulation. It’s more angled than round so both parts of the toy rest fairly close together in its natural state. However, the jelly in this toy is much more malleable than the Rock Chick’s silicone so there’s a greater range of movement. The Body Blossom also has 3 little wave-like ridges on the insertable shaft–to match the theme, I suppose.
The whole thing is translucent purple. I haven’t used a jelly toy in a while so I have to admit, I missed the look. There’s a matching purple micro bullet that slips into a snug hole near the clit flower. It’s a pretty generic bullet and operates with a single push button. You can easily replace it with any bullet that comes with silicone dildos (Tantus) and some corded bullets (you’ll probably get more power this way). The bullet takes three watch-style batteries, and Topco provides two sets to the consumer (one set comes in the bullet). Removing the bullet to swap out batteries requires a little finesse finagling. I added some lube to the bullet before I slipped it back in, but it was still hard to remove again.
As you can expect, the vibrations are extremely buzzy, and while the bullet isn’t overly loud, the noise matches the feel. I was slightly disappointed at how the vibrations traveled throughout the toy. However, my G-spot seemed more sensitive to the vibrations than my hand, which is good. If you’re not as sensitive to vibrations, it might not do you any good.
That is, if the damned bullet works at all for you. From the get-go, the included bullet gave me problems. I tested it out, and the button didn’t seem to do what it was supposed to. I got it turned off–until my cat bumped it or my husband picked it up. Movement was setting this thing off at random times, and the button stopped responding at all. When it came time to use it, I dropped it on the dresser to turn it on and had to let the batteries drain completely before it would shut off. I inserted the second set to see if it was a battery issue but it still doesn’t work in a way I understand. Because of this, I’m not sure if this thing is maybe supposed to have multiple settings or if it just really sucks. Of course, like I said, it’s easy to replace, so even if I were a customer, I wouldn’t try to exchange it or anything.
The jelly of the Body Blossom is phthalate-free, so it doesn’t smell like a shower liner. It has that slightly chemical-ly scent that some TPR toys have, but it’s within reason, I think. It’s a little sticky and will pick up lint and add friction during play. You can use your choice of water or silicone-based lubes. I actually used Wet Synergy, a hybrid lube. Even though I went a little lube-crazy, the Body Blossom just didn’t blossom for my body. The wave ridges made it a bit difficult to maneuver, and I tend to like my G-spot toys with a little less angle to the head.
I also like external pressure a lot, but the flexibility of this toy didn’t provide that. The flower rested gently against my labia. It’s a problem I and others with fleshier vulvas run into with this style of toy; I experienced it with Rock Chick, too. I couldn’t really spread my labia to fix the issue, either. The angle of the toy meant that it kept trying to slip upward toward my mons instead of staying in place. This is pretty typical for this style toy. I can get either G-spot stimulation or clit stimulation but not both simultaneously.
I didn’t love either aspect of the Body Blossom enough that I’m really upset, however. I guess I need a shaft with less going on for consistent G-spot stimulation, and I don’t usually like my clitoral vibrators to have little fluttery bits. I would definitely recommend the Rock Chick or Delight over the Body Blossom, although they’re both a little more expensive. I think the Body Blossom is discontinued, anyway.
Find vibrators like this at one of the biggest selections of sex toys online at store.ofsexandlove.com
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Can you see me now?
June 6th, 2010
Jules wrote a post about a post that AAG wrote about being in the in-crowd. They both make great points about the so-call in crowd but I didn’t have much to say until I read an anonymous comment about this so-call “in” crowd and here I thought I was mostly ignored until I saw this:
It shows up regularly on blogs, on forums and in reviewer chat rooms.
Hey, wait! I know what this person is talking about. Yep, it’s the chat room I created many moons ago where reviewers could get together and talk about.. reviews and toys. Actually, I cannot take the credit. DBD first made a room on Meebo but it was public and we often got random strangers that would come in long enough to say “You like toys? You must be fat bitches. EWW! Perverts!” So I made a new room, password protected.
I figured we’d talk about reviews, toys, toy companies, websites and blogging but it has become so much more than that. Yes, we talk about those things on a frequent basis but the room has turned into a place where I’ve made real connections with real people except, maybe, AAG’S anonymous commenter. This started out as a reply to that person but I think it fits better here:
I love that you have first-hand knowledge of the chatroom I created! This means that you asked to be invited in and we let you in, regardless of affiliations. This probably means we’ve laughed together and shared some silly stories. It’s likely that you’ve seen us being critical about companies but we’re pretty equal opportunity. Lots of people and companies do things we don’t love (even folks in the “in” crowd but I’ll get to that later). Spend any time in the room and you will also see how much time people spend being positive and supportive. I know, I frequently hop in chat when the stress of my divorce is just too damned much.
If you’ve spent any time in the room, you know that some folks are still with EF. If you’ve stuck around, you’ll probably see that EF employees (like Sammi) and backers were still allowed and welcome even after the shit hit the fan. You’ll also note that AAG has never visited (for no particular reason other than she hasn’t inquired, I would suppose). Neither have any other staff members of EF but that’s because they never asked me for the password. Not once. As the chat room admin, I might even be inclined to let people in but it doesn’t matter because someone has been reporting every damned thing we say to others anyway. Tattle tale much? Since when is anything we say in a relatively private place up for argument?
And if you spent more than 5 minutes in the room, you will see that we often disagree with each other because WE are real people, too, not just “them.” We do not hang on everyone’s every word but, because of the amazing feedback and support we’ve been able to give each other within that chat room, we believe we can trust one another. So if Epiphora says something happened, I believe her. Not because she can do no wrong but because that’s what friends do. (But even though I trust her, maybe sometimes I think she’s full of crap, too.)
Does that make me part of this so-called in crowd? Making friends with people who give me the time a day? Then guess who else I’m friends with: Carrie Ann and Sammi. (Okay, they don’t have to admit it, but I consider them friends). Sorry to go throw a kink in your hatred and stereotyping there but let me make it really confusing for you: over a year ago I stopped following AAG because I just don’t particularly care about most things she blogs about (no offense intended to her, she blogs about broader subjects than I care to read in this corner of the blogosphere). Yet here she is, apart of the same in-crowd and we’ve never spoken 2 words to one another.
Anonymous, you missed the point. Entirely. It’s not that there are no cliques on the internet, it’s just that sharing an opinion does not a secret club, make. No one can name others in this group because we all associate with many people on a frequent basis, including some people who don’t get along so well with others we like. As grown ups, we can do that.
But can you? Can you look beyond the “them” and “not us” and see us as real people? Or is it okay for you to abuse your invitation because you’re so much better than me? Because you’re a real person but none of us are?
When I made this room, I considered myself a no one at EF, even though I’d been around over a year. I’m past the 2 year mark, now, and I still feel like a nobody because of some frustrating staff interactions (but that’s not exactly irrelevant). I’m certainly no sex blog celeb, either. So you can’t go around talking about how there’s some special group intimidating other people. Did you ever think that you might be intimidating us? Using your logic, I can easily label you as apart of the in-crowd, a crowd I most certainly can see because I am not apart of it. Funny how the works, isn’t it?
And if you took the time to talk to me, you’d know I’m planning on re-inventing the room, so to speak, after everything cools off. Here I was looking forward to a room where more reviewers would feel welcome, where we could have a fresh place to chat. Shit, I’m not very good at this in-crowd thing.
6 Comments
Lelo Mona
June 5th, 2010
Mona Red
N/A
from
Lelo has since replaced this with the Mona 2.
In the past six months or so, I have increased my selection of Lelo toys fivefold. Previously, I’ve reviewed the Luna Beads and Lily, both of which left a little something to be desired, so while I was excited when Lelo released Ina and Mona, I wasn’t sure if the toys would work well for me personally. I actually wound up purchasing Ina a while back and have played with her to limited success. I was a little disappointed and thought perhaps Mona would have been a better fit for me and AdultSextoys was kind enough to provide me with Mona (and right before my birthday, too!).
Ina and Mona are very similar if you’re comparing them. Essentially, Ina has a small clitoral stimulator, while Mona is just an insertable shaft. Mona has an angled head for G-spot stimulation, and it’s slightly bulbous but unique from most other G-spot vibes. It’s not exactly spherical, nor is it ovular; at some angles, Mona almost looks like a golf club (but which one? I don’t know. I don’t play).
Mona’s handle is slick white plastic, while the insertable portion is rigid velvety silicone. Mine is a gorgeous red (orange-based, not purple), but you can also get Mona in grape purple. The shaft isn’t large and only has a diameter of 1.43″ but I find that it tapers a bit suddenly and might not be a great beginner’s toy because of this.
Mona offers about 5″ for insertion with another 3.5″ for the handle. The lines are sleek, making this vibrator look quite modern and attractive. The length was more than sufficient for finding my G-spot, and I think most people would be satisfied with Mona’s design.
Mona’s vibrations are fairly strong but a little buzzier than I like. Mona feels drastically weaker than Ina because it only vibrates in one place. I was actually a bit shocked at the difference in performance. I don’t think that Ina’s shaft is any stronger; it just seems that way when both motors are on. Regardless, Mona offers consistent pressure for G-spot stimulation and is easy to wield (she’s quite light!) if you’re into thrusting.
Mona has a lot of vibration variety, but they feel a little lame after experiencing Ina. There are 8 or so settings of steady vibration, slow pulsation, fast pulsation, escalation, up-and-down escalation, and a mode of mixed pulsation and escalation. Everything is controlled with four buttons. Arrows page backward or forward through the modes while you can adjust strength with plus and minus buttons. You can lock Mona when not in use by pressing the plus and minus buttons simultaneously. I cannot specifically remember if Mona’s instructions were unclear, but I know Ina’s manual did not properly describe how to do this.
I had to press buttons multiple times with Mona and Ina. I know others have complained of the same issue. My understanding is that some users could too easily press the buttons on older Lelo designs. It seems a bit like a Goldilocks thing. Too easy, too hard. Give us “just right.”
Initially, you must charge the vibrator with the included adapter until the blinking light remains solid for a full charge. Lelo also says charging takes about 2 hours. Lelo claims up to 4 hours of use for every charge, but I don’t buy that. Both Mona and Ina seem to die pretty quickly (about an hour, I’d say), especially when using the pulsation settings. There is a noticeable decrease in power when this happens. If you’ve used other Lelo toys or vibrators with digital motors, then you may be familiar with the high-pitched whine that sometimes occurs. I noticed this only on the last setting of Mona, however.
Mona comes with a satin bag, typical of Lelo toys. Ina was a bitch to get out of the package, but the glue was practically useless on Mona’s packaging, so it slid out effortlessly. Once you toss that, though, you’re left with Lelo’s traditional storage box.
Aside from storage, you’ll want to take care of Mona, so this sex toy will last you a lifetime. I recommend only water-based lube (Mona is not very comfortable for me without it) and taking care of the charging port when washing. Mona does have a little cover over hers, and it’s fairly secure, so this shouldn’t be too hard. Just ensure it’s not submerged or in the direct stream of water. Mona will pick up a little lint, so you may want to use a microfiber towel and toss it in the storage pouch as quickly as possible.
If I had to toss all my G-spot vibrators save for one, I’d probably keep Mona despite the whiny motor and buttons. Even though it hasn’t made me squirt like Ina, I will definitely keep practicing. Mona seems significantly stronger than other Lelo vibes (Lily or Elise, for example), which gives me high hopes for the direction they’re taking.
This sex toy review sponsored by Adult Sex Toys : over 8,000 sex toys and adult toys to choose from.
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Wet Synergy
June 4th, 2010
Wet Synergy
N/A
from
This is an archived review of a discontinued product.
Wet isn’t the first company to develop a water-silicone hybrid lube but they’re definitely advertising theirs more than other companies (say, Pink). I jumped on the offer to try the new products because they sounded interesting and Wet sent me two bottles: a “regular” version of Synergy and a tingling type.
Each bottle contains 1.9oz of product and is quite tall and narrow with a press-top for dispensing the lube. The regular version has pink detailing against black and silver, while the other bottle has teal details. The bottles themselves are cute.
I tried the regular lube first and was pleased to see it was thicker than any silicone lube I’ve ever had. It’s slightly gel-like but definitely not solid. Texture-wise, Synergy feels like a silicone lubricant and doesn’t get sticky like water, and it lasts well after I am done. I don’t mind silicone lubes with toys–although most of my toys are also made of silicone, so I don’t have that many I can use with it. It’s also scent-free.
I have to be honest, though, I do not like the feel of Synergy for PIV sex. It feels too plastic-y. I never minded condoms, but silicone-based lube feels like a physical barrier and reduces my pleasure. Of course, silicone-based lube leaves an interesting feel on your flesh after use, and that is also true for Synergy.
The tingling version of Synergy is really, really effective. I mean, use with caution. I went a little overboard with it because I wasn’t thinking, and my vagina damn near froze off. Toy play seemed to increase the sensation, and it was a good 10 or 15 minutes of consistent tingles before it started to fade away. It also seemed to make me negatively sensitive and tender, maybe because of the peppermint, which you can definitely smell during use.
Overall, my experience with tingling Synergy was just a little too much. I think I might be extra sensitive to some cooling/tingling lubes, and I would definitely recommend you try out just a bit before diving right into this bottle. I usually do, but my mind is elsewhere.
Wet Synergy does contain one ingredient that some folks prefer not to see in their lubes: glycerin. Besides peppermint, the ingredient lists are identical and read as such:
- glycerin
- aqua
- dimethiconol
- sodium polyacrylate
- dimethicone
- cyclopentasiloxane
- trideceth-6
- peg/ppg dimethicone
- pentylene glycol
Because I do not especially like the feel of silicone lube for intercourse, and most of my toys are silicone, I probably won’t use Synergy frequently. I guess I just prefer water-based lubes, and while I enjoyed the fact that this product is thicker than standard silicone lubes, it doesn’t deviate enough to my liking.
If you’re interested, you can request a sample directly from the Synergy website–which is pretty neat! Synergy is not yet available for sale in most places, so I’m not sure how much it will cost. Wet products are usually fairly reasonable, however.