Holiday Shopping with Babeland

November 25th, 2013

Babeland has officially released multiple gift guides for shopping for your loved ones this year. I figure I didn’t need to write my own. Epiphora already has one, and plenty of retailers do, too. Anyway, a guide would appear something like my “Best of” lists, and I’ll be writing one of those in a few short weeks. But I do have thoughts on some of the gift guides are that are out, so here’s my informal critique.

Tenga Flip by Babeland

Tenga Flip by Babeland

Top Ten Sexy Gifts for Him

This list includes masturbators, cock rings, anal toys  and a few kits. I’d  recommend the Tenga Flip for individual users and the Mio cock ring for couples. I’m not really a huge fan of kits because they all usually contain something that I really won’t use. Of course, a nice bottle of lube is ideal for anyone on your list. Babeland carries Ride Rub Stroke Oil intended specifically for jerking off.

Top Ten Gifts for Her

This list is almost entirely made up of vibrators with the exceptions of  the Under the Bed Restraints, which I do love! To be honest, I don’t really like anything else on the list. The Minna Ola was frustrating, the Form 2 sucked and the Pikobong toys are a joke. I do have high hopes for the We-Vibe 4 but haven’t had a chance to try it yet. So here’s my recommendations instead:

We Vibe Touch

We Vibe Touch

  1. Stronic Eins for unique pulsating sensation
  2. Siri for clitoral stimulation
  3. JimmyJane Form 6 G3 for strong vibes and versatility
  4. We Vibe Tango  or Touch for strong external vibes in a portable package
  5. Babeland’s Orchid  G for something that won’t break the bank or someone who isn’t sure what they want yet

Also, the list is sorely lacking in dildos. I love the look of the Babeland Mustang and the Candy dildos. You can also pick up the Leo with include bullet vibe.

Stocking Stuffers

If you’re running low on funds or just want to top of someone’s stocking this holiday season, Babeland also has a list of stocking stuffers under $30. This list includes Tenga eggs, which are perfect for masturbating on the run, and all sorts of Babelube.  I’m a particular fan of Babeland’s massage products, so check out the bars on the list. There’s even a mini riding crop for just a little (tehe) bondage fun.

I would personally add the Sliquid lube cube to the list. Why not toss in a condom sampler?

Kits

Although I said I don’t like kits, some of the pricier ones are an all right deal. There’s an entire page of kits. My recommendations are for the Start Kit that includes the Orchard G and a bullet vibe, Bootie + Sliquid kit, Mystic Wand + G-spot attachment, Jaguar Harness + Leo dildo, Power to the Pink (which has lube and a Siri) and maybe the Sweetheart Kink.

Right now Babeland is doing 30% off best sellers, so take a look. They’re also holding a contest for newsletter subscribers. You can win a $600 shopping spree when you sign up.

 

What’s on your Christmas list this year?

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You First

November 21st, 2013

I never say “I love you” first. I always say it in reply to someone else. This is probably for a couple reasons.

I fight falling in love. I fall too quickly, so the logical part of my argues with myself. “This can’t be love.” Eventually, it tuns to “Well, it’s not going away. Maybe this is love.” Eventually I resign myself to the fact that I am in love. “Fuck. It’s love. Now what?”

There’s also a safety in being the second person to say those three “little” words. I’ll let you bare yourself first, thank-you-very-much. Because waiting for someone else gives me time to figure myself out. It also means I don’t have to be vulnerable first. While I want someone with whom I can be vulnerable, I’m ultimately more afraid of rejection. If I let you go first, it’s okay to say “I love you.”

This all ties into the fact that I come off as reserved when it comes to things that I love. Music, movies, TV, games.. it’s all the same. You wouldn’t know that I am OMG obsessed with something unless you know me really well. I keep my cool. I keep my cool because it helps me retain control or, perhaps, the illusion of control. Because I can’t control anything else, only the way that I react. So I’m not going to throw myself at someone. At least, I’m going to try my very best not to. And when I find that control slipping, I feel angry at myself. So if I’m going to lose control and have a frivolous, emotional outburst such as “I love you”.. it really has to be a safe place.

This is partly due to the fact that I have expressed love — of people and things and ideas — and I’ve been made of for it. I’ve received flack from people whom I loved, from the very people who I expected that I wouldn’t have to be reserved around. Nothing hurts quite like the hurt from the person to whom you said “I do.” And maybe it’s not necessarily healthy or helpful to keep my cool, to hide parts of me. When I say it like that, it’s obvious that it’s all some sort of defense mechanism.

Even now, I think I owe the bartender an announcement of “I love you,” but I can’t quite put my finger on “Why?” and I certainly haven’t figured out the “How?” It all seems so sudden, so abrasive when I have to say it first.

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Make love to your long distance lover online

Revel Body

November 19th, 2013

This is an archive post. SheVibe no longers sells the Revel Body or attachments.

revel body
What can I say about a vibrator that others have dubbed the “shit orb”? Seriously. I guess I’ll start by saying I don’t think this is necessarily a shitty toy. In fact, it uses some new technology and does some things in a way that make sense to me. However, as a whole, it’s a very peculiar vibrator that’s going to work for a very particular sort of person. I think the success of a sex toy often hinges on its versatility, but if the Revel Body doesn’t work for you, there’s no “plan b” about it. $180 is a lot of money for a toy that just might not work for you. Fortunately — unfortunately for the company — I expect a lot of these will go up for sale or swap as us reviewers finish with them.

But let me tell you what you need to know about this toy to see if you’d like it. The Revel Body is a spherical base with a cylindrical hole down the center. The hole and base of the attachments are magnified so they stick together when you insert it. This is brand new to me, and the magnetic attraction is amazingly strong. Don’t worry about it not working because it’s not going anywhere during use. This led me to stick the attachments to my refrigerator. So that’s kinda cool.

There are multiple attachments, and I’ll talk about them in another post. The main attachment has a rounded shape. It’s inconspicuous, boring perhaps. There head is made of silicone that’s squishier than the rest of the toy. The silicone sphere has a texture that’s quite easy to grasp. I rather like this about it. It’s not so small that it will cramp your hand. It’s not the first time that I’ve enjoyed a round toy.

The vibrations transmit through the magnetism so that the entire attachment vibrators in the hole. Of course, this means it’s the type of toy that you can’t achieve a lot of pressure with; otherwise, it dulls the sensation. This is absolutely a deal-breaker for me, which is a shame. I rather enjoy pressure, but I also like something about the revel body…

The vibrations. They’re rather deep and rumbly, and they’re designed to be that way rather than strong. I can deal with weaker vibrations if they’re strong. Interestingly, as you increase the strength of the vibrations, the frequency goes up. The manual explains that it’s the third setting or so that is the deepest. They feel buzzier as you increase them. In fact, you can continue to increase the frequency to the point where you can’t even feel it. This happened to me, and I could have swore the Revel Body was broken. I guess I don’t understand the point of these “higher” settings, like why do they even exist?

I was instructed to press the “-” button five times to fix it, which worked. However, the idea that the strongest/deepest vibrations are somewhere in the middle just makes sense to me. I just.. don’t need anything else. Nevertheless, you get both high and low power. Press the power button to switch — the light strength indicates high or low. At many settings, I didn’t notice a difference. In many ways, Revel Body just seems overly complicated.

Furthermore, I need to be able to apply some sort of pressure, and the Revel Body just doesn’t provide it. You get a sphere that doesn’t do anything when it actually makes contact with you. You have to hold it at a very particular location away from your body and this is just annoying. Obviously, this isn’t the type of toy where you just turn it on and stick it in or on wherever you want to stimulate. It’s sort of like the Eroscillator in that this is a toy that you have to learn, not one that learns you. And let’s be honest.. ain’t nobody got time for that.

Another issue is that it’s the loudest on those most rumbly settings. This is because the attachment is moving the most in the hole. It certainly makes sense, but the Revel Body is not whisper quiet in any way, not like the site suggests. It’s more like some of the wands, and your body won’t muffle this sound because you can’t press it to yourself.

If you do happen to like hte Revel Sonic, note that it’s fully waterproof thanks to the design. This makes cleaning easy, too. It charged on a donut-shaped base where contacts meet together. It looks kind of cool, sort of futuristic but that means jack if the toy doesn’t get you off. The vibe comes with a USB cable and an AC adapter, so you can charge it from an outlet or your computer. Yawn. This is expected now. According to the manual, 90 minutes get you a full charge, and you’ll get about 60 minutes of use per charge.

So what can I say? It’s interesting. There’s some ideas I like. The design is sharp, but Revel Body will probably never get me off.

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Happy Birth Control Day!

November 13th, 2013

I can dig this advertising/label gimmick on Sir Richard’s Condoms.

a

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D.1 Larvikite Stone Dildo

November 12th, 2013

D.1 Larvikite Stone Dildo

D.1 Larvikite Stone Dildo
$100.00 from Tabu Toys

You know how it takes you forever to write a post when you feel like a sex toy is just mediocre? Yea, that wasn’t the case with the D1 stone dildo. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. I liked it so much from the very beginning that I knew I wouldn’t be able to express it well enough.

It’s just that good.

It’s just that gorgeous, too. I took a photo almost immediately, which I posted to Twitter. There is this subtle blue texture to the stone that probably makes it the most attractive toy I’ve ever used. Sure, I’ve joked about keeping things on the mantle, but I mean it with this one.

You wanna come over and look at my dildo? Okay, but don’t touch because it’s mine.

The website describes it as “blue pearl,” but it’s almost got this smokey appearance. I’m sure that every dildo looks just a little bit different because of the material. Black Moonstone is something I’m sad not to have known before. The product description reads as follows:

a blue-gray hue with flecks of black and silvery, light-blue reflections that catch the light.

I kind of put off using this dildo for the first time because I was afraid it was going to be all form and no function. Yes, I liked the way it looked in my hands, but what if that’s all it was?

Fortunately, that’s not the case at all! In fact, I loved if. The heft and rigidity are perfect. It’s compact and not unwieldy. There’s a balance that makes it easy to use. G-spot aficionados will appreciate the gentle curve. It took literally zero effort to reach my G-spot. The pressure I was able to achieve made me squirt nearly instantly. I won’t promise thecar same to you but this is one effective dildo for me because I know that my G-spot likes pressure. The D1 didn’t disappoint.

You know another thing that I like? The packaging. Not because it’s all sort of fancy but because it’s a simply cardboard box that you can recycle. The focus is on the luxury toy, and that’s what I like. Seriously. Lelo needs to get on board with this. There’s supposed to be an included storage pouch, but I totally threw it away by accident if there is. Oops. I guess I was too busy eyeing up the stone.

Now, this dildo is also available in a bright pink silicone. However, the stone version costs less than $20 more, and I think that this is probably the better deal. If you don’t think you’ll like the weight, go ahead and opt for silicone, but I absolutely adore the stone dildo. And, let’s be honest, it’s far better looking.

While I haven’t handled the silicone version to compare, I feel at those the “creases” would feel sharper with that material. Stone is ungiving — and porous, yay! — but the ridges seem smoother than they would with silicone. I’ve used silicone with creases like that and they were painful.

I wasn’t worried about stone being too hard because I love glass. However, the one end definitely comes to more of a point, so you’ll want to be careful when inserting it. Unlike most glass dildos, the texture is smooth and slick all the way. It’s easy to insert with a little lube, and you can choose to use either end if you want. Size-wise, you’re looking at 8 inches — plenty to stimulate the G-spot and control the toy. However, I do find the squared end to be better for grasping. The pointed end might slip out of your hand if it’s covered in lube.

The other end is a bit more squared off, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea. The pointed end is also slightly narrower, and rigid materials like stone can often feel larger than they actually are. Of course, you hopefully know this and you want a toy like this one, which will last you forever. This toy falls to in the medium range. The description says the diameter is just under 1.5 inches, but my measurements come up a bit smaller than that. The squared end has a diameter of under 1.35 inches, but it’s not perfectly round. The pointed end is more like 1.20 inches.

Like glass, stone is cool to the touch. You may warm it with water, but it seems to stay cooler than metal, for example. I like this, but you may not be such a fan. Not every material it for every person.

Care-wise, you can wash it clean. The packaging claims it could break if dropped on the floor. I’d be extra careful with this beauty.

So where does this leave me in this review?

Would it be too cheesy for me to tell you to go get laid?

Yea, I’m going to do it anyway.

Get laid.

 

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Sex Is Like Blogging

November 8th, 2013

I’ve been running away with the analogies today, so what better time to write the post that I’ve been mulling over in my mind?

Sex is like blogging or, rather, blogging is like sex.

I mean, I guess I’ve been blogging for longer than I’ve been having sex. Now, isn’t that kinda weird to say?

Back onto the topic at hand.

I’ve discussed with many people before how sex becomes more of a “necessity” the more you have it. This is true for me. When I have sex frequently, I want more sex more frequently. When it’s been a while, desire dies down a bit. I almost have to psych myself up to get back into the mood. Often, I do this and think “What have I been waiting for?”

Blogging is much the same. When I don’t blog for a while, I get bogged down with the idea that I “owe” my readers a blog post. I should get on it, so on and so forth. However, the longer I wait, the less likely I am to open up WordPress in my browser. Timely posts become too late to be important, or drafts sit in my dashboard for weeks or even months as a time.

It takes quite some convincing by the time I add a new post, and it’s usually because I feel as though an arbitrary amount of time has passed. However, when I blog and get into a groove, I can write three or four posts right away. The inspiration flows, and I don’t want to stop.

But when I’m going through those slow periods, I don’t remember this. I don’t have the passion or yearning.

Of course, blogging isn’t quite the same as sex. Sex falls into the category of necessity for me. Sex, when done right, fulfills needs that I didn’t even know that I had. Sex can even solve my biggest problem: my anxiety. Blogging doesn’t quite fulfill me that way. It’s a hobby that has perks, so it’s less likely that I’m going to stress out over my lack of activity in it.

So let’s extend this analogy a bit:

  • When you’re really into sex or blogging, the result will be better for everyone involved.
  • Sex is like blogging in that watchers make it more fun, and that it’s better to have fun, laughing content rather than serious.
  • You get more out of it when you get something into it.
  • Sometimes it’s easier to be vulnerable when blogging or having sex than it is during everyday conversation.
  • There’s always more to both worlds than you realize initially.
  • Anonymous sex and blogging can both be hot.
  • Hell, you can make money from both.. and companies use both sex and blogging to sell products.

So, for you, how is sex like blogging?

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Followup Reviews: Gigi 2 and more

November 4th, 2013

Lelo Gigi 2

Lelo Gigi 2

Lelo Gigi 2

The folks at Lelo wanted to send me a new Gigi 2 after my review. They suggested that it was defective, so I now have a cherry-colored Gigi 2, too. That’s a weird sentence, eh? So I charged them both up to full power to compare. One thing I noticed is that the second one holds charge a lot better than the original one I received in grey. That one died after a couple tests and one use. There was no life in it, so I had to charge it just to compare.

The second Gigi 2 I received seems slightly stronger, but it’s still a pretty buzzy vibe all around. Lelo has definitely made better IMO.

Sheer Lace Top Thigh High Stockings With Backseam

I also have to report some serious disappointment with the thigh highs that I reviewed shortly ago. I put them on for testing purposes, intending to wear them for my Halloween party. When I slipped them on, without catching on anything, I got a huge run down one of the stockings. Despite the fact that I had leg warmers over them all night so there was no way for them to become (more) damaged, they were ripped to shreds and hanging off my feet in my shoes by the end of the night. Just.. no. Ugh.

I mean, I don’t expect these things to last forever but.. c’mon!

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Image © MisterUnlucky; used with permission.