Entice Emilia

September 23rd, 2014

Entice Emilia
$58.96 from Of Sex and Love Store

CEN’s Entice line is attractively designed. Sleek boxes and toys that come in purple or pink silicone with clean lines attracted my eye. I opted to try the Emilia. It’s a dual stimulator that’s almost-but-not-quite a rabbit. While I may have loved rabbits once upon a time, they’re not a favorite of mine anymore.

I actually first tried the Emilia externally. This was where I found myself curious about the flexible neck of the shaft. It’s not exactly floppy, but it’s not good for pressure that I like externally. This also isn’t going to make it a good thrusting toy internally, and while it’s not as difficult to use as the Dorcel vibe, I would prefer a more rigid shaft.

The shaft is also pretty small, so this might be a good toy if you’re not into gigantic insertables. I do tend to like something larger, however. The specs measure it as 1.25 inches in diameter. This is actually the max with at the toy closer to the edge of the shaft. It’s gradually thinner toward the neck, where it’s flexible.  I don’t typically need a pronounced head to get G-spot stimulation and the curve of the shaft was almost perfect.  This might not be the vibe for you if you do like a ridged head that you can’t possibly ignore.

Similarly, the tiny clit protrusion is just a fraction of the length of your typical rabbit. Unless your clit basically dances right at the edge of your vaginal opening, it’s not going to provide direction stimulation. This might be okay if you like general stimulation. The curve of the toy did seem to hug me almost perfectly.

It seems like CEN had some trouble with the two motors. Perhaps My Emilia is defective, but there’s a distinct rattle as though the housing isn’t tight enough around the inner workings.  While I’m use to the first settings being steady vibration, this isn’t the case with Emilia. The first setting is both motors, the second is just the clit stim motor and the third is just the shaft vibration.

This is followed by a fast pulse in both motors, a surprisingly deep escalation pattern and a back-and-forth escalation between the two motors. The last setting is both motors going steady. It seems to be stronger than the initial mode in the cycle. Fortunately, it returns to this first mode when you turn it off. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to describe the settings at all. They’re in some crazy order that makes no sense. The two modes where both motors are vibrating continuously should be right next to one another. And there’s no helpful material. The included instructions are generic for any sex toy and not the Entice line or the Emilia specifically.

All of this might you think that I dislike the toy. But to be honest, it was effective enough when used as anticipated to get my to squirt. I actually quite like the weird escalation setting, and some of the other settings seem to produce vibrations that are deeper than the steady vibes. There’s definitely some quality control issues, but this isn’t a terrible toy by a long shot. It even survived a silicone lube incident. My bad.

The shaft vibrations are fairly deep, but there’s a rattling of the housing that makes them seem buzzier than they are. The clitoral vibrations a deep, but any setting that uses both motors makes this less noticeable.

This is especially true when you consider the price. It’s less than $60 fro Sextoy.com. In fact, you can save 15% with code EMILIA15 when you buy it now.

Caveat: this toy is toy is touted as USB rechargeable. It comes with the cable and no AC adapter. You can find adapters for at cheap as a dollar at places like Walgreens, though. The real nit I have to pick is the charging port access through the silicone at the base of the toy. Other companies have tried that shrinking-hole style. It’s especially frustrating with  Emilia because the hole seems slightly misaligned with the port beneath it. I have to find the right angle to get it to go in. With frequent use, I’ll be a pro, but I’m not sure how frequently I’ll use this.

CEN Sexpert

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Categories: Reviews, Vibrators

Embrace Beloved Wand

May 28th, 2014

Embrace Beloved Wand
$55.13 from Of Sex and Love Store

I’ve really liked the design of Cal Exotics’ new Embrace line. It’s made of silicone and the designs tend to be sleek and more luxurious than you’re used to when it comes to CEN items. The company now even uses more luxurious packaging, which I’ll have a post about soon.

Many of the toys in the line are also rechargeable, as is the one that I wanted most. I was sent a G-spotter that relies on AAA batteries.

I know. Sigh.

I hate toys that rely on AAA batteries. The vibrations are, without fail, weak and buzzy. The Beloved Wand is no different. Generally, my G-spot still responds, but that wasn’t the case with the vibe, which just had overly-weak vibrations that bugged the hell out of my hand.

The G-wand has 7 different functions and two buttons to use them. The buttons are on a flat panel on the base, which gives the Beloved Wand an interesting design in my opinion. It’s easy to turn on and off. Twist the base off to insert batteries. The Beloved wand uses sort of a gimmicky control setup. Each of the seven functions has seven different intensities. If you turn the vibrator on with the power button, it turns on to the lowest steady setting. The following vibration patterns/modes follow:

  • Medium steady vibes
  • High steady vibes
  • Slow pulse
  • short, short long pulse
  • Escalation
  • Five fast pulses, one long pulse

Pressing the power button once turns the toy back off, but pressing and holding it eventually turns down the vibrations. I’m not a fan of toys that do this. Like, what’s the problem? Start low. Go higher. It’s the natural order of things, folks!

The controls are totally awkward. It’s not always easy to tell when you’re switching between intensities. There’s no tactile feedback. Audible feedback isn’t consistent. I have no idea how to tell the difference between one setting and the next let alone determining when I can stop pressing. If you accidentally just press the power button, the Beloved Wand turns off.  It’s just dumb.

But here’s a positive. CEN is now creating toys of more colors than just pink or purple. This G-wand is also available in a matte grey, which is pretty awesome.

Some people will also like that the Beloved wand has a thicker shaft than many G-spotters. I don’t need girth as I use pressure and stroking to stimulate my G-spot. I don’t need to feel full, just stimulated. The Beloved Wand is thicker than Mona, for example. At 1.5″ at the end of the shaft, this is comparable to some of the larger internal vibes — like the Form 6 G3 — and water-based lube is definitely your friend. However, there is also a more drastic G-spot curve, and you can insert about 5.5 inches rather than both ends. At least, the edges on the base wouldn’t feel very good in my opinion.

It also features a rigid mechanism in the g-spot curve. Despite the plush silicone layer over this, it felt more rigid to me even though it’s silky smooth in my hand. I don’t know if I used this when my cervix/vagina was especially sensitive, but something about the design felt sharp. I actually pulled out the vibrator to see if there were any seams or angles, but there were none. T

he product description says this toy moves with your body but something about it just felt foreign. Like an intrusion. There is movement because the neck of the toy is flexible. You might not like this if you like frantic thrusting, and I know some people do. I don’t, but I think a hard toy all the way through is a little easier to manipulate.

Despite the flaws, this could be a decent vibrator if your anatomy likes it. It’s less than $60; although, you wouldn’t have to spend much more to get a rechargeable vibrators so keep that in mind.

CEN Sexpert

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Categories: Reviews, Vibrators

Odeco Aine Silicone G-Spot Vibrator

March 4th, 2014

Odeco Aine
£45 from Simply Pleasure

I feel as though many of my recent reviews for G-spot vibes have been lackluster. The Gigi 2 is not for me in any way, shape or, well, mostly shape. The Revive EnerG just didn’t do anything better than my Mona or Mona 2. Maia Toys and Pipedream. In fact, I really took a break for a while because I was so underwhelmed with new toys — most of which just haven’t done anything different.
After several years of sleek, silicone toys, the Aine isn’t groundbreaking. The shaft uses contemporary lines that aren’t phallic at all. The base and control panel are very Lelo-esque. I do like the black and pink scheme, however. It’s attractive. I prefer it to white and an accent colors. Aine doesn’t necessarily do anything new.
and I really feel like the difference between most G-spot toys at this point comes down to shape and, perhaps, charging mechanism. Aine’s shape is svelte with a relatively thin and. wider head and a swell at the gentle curve to stimulate your G-spot.

Perhaps what is surprising is that toy runs on AAA batteries in an age when most toys are rechargeable. This leaves Aine with a much lower price point than most rechargeable vibrators — about $75. Sure, you can find some rechargeables at that price. The Lovelife line is a decent example of that, but you’re going to pay $100 or more for the big-name toys.

Now, I am notorious for hating toys that rely on just 2 AAAs. They cannot provide the strength or depth that I want, but maybe I have been wrong. On the lowest steady setting, Aine is stronger and deeper than Mona. As you turn it up — there are 4 steady settings — the vibrations get buzzier and Mona’s highest setting is higher overall, but I was impressed enough with the vibrations that I actually forgot this was battery powered when I sat down to write my review. I think manufacturers need to recognize that turning up settings almost always decreases depth. In fact, I think the Revel Body touched on this but didn’t leverage it correctly.

Simple cardboard and plastic packaging

Simple cardboard and plastic packaging

The other settings include a quick pulsation that is identical in duration to one on the Mona. It’s noticeably stronger, however. I am really not a big fan of pulsation. I prefer steady vibration by far and the weakest but deepest setting is my friend. All of this is controlled by a round button. The button has a +, – and a center power button that you have to hold for a few seconds each to power on and off. I like instant gratification. This just won’t do. The other two buttons cycle through strengths and settings, similar to the Layaspot.

With more girth than Mona, Aine is a good vibrator if you want something that feels more filling.  Aine measures 7 inches total. You can insert about 5 of those. The shaft has a diameter of 1.5″ at its thickest, but it’s oblong and not perfect round as you can see in the photos.  There are also some stylized ridges, but I don’t feel them during insertion so they’re neither here nor there. It’s got a thick silicone layer that’s silky but unyielding so it’s easy to apply pressure during insertion. Aine is much louder, however.

The packaging with this one is fun but easily recycled, and that’s all that I care about. There’s no storage bag which is a bummer because the silicone collects lint, but it’s nothing that can’t be rinsed off. This vibe is only splashproof, so not taking it into the tub. The battery pack slides off the back of the base, and there’s not much to protect from water. This isn’t a deal-breaker for me. It might be for you.

 

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Categories: Reviews, Vibrators

LoveLife Cuddle

January 26th, 2014

Lovelife Cuddle

Lovelife Cuddle
$68 from PinkCherry

I’ve read a lot of pretty positive reviews for the items in this line. Indeed, OhMiBod’s official move from musically-enhanced sex toys to plain Jain toys seems to have been pretty successful. There’s less novelty here and more solid function. I give this a thumbs up.

Also, I kinda like the shape of the Cuddle. There’s just the faintest hint of a ridge on the head to provide G-spot stimulation more so than any other toy in this line. This includes the Dream. A more noticeable angle of the shaft also makes finding your G-spot easier. The ridge is made of plush silicone. In fact, the silicone over the shaft is quite plush. It’s softer than any Lelo vibe, for example. You can get pressure you need but it’s not going to make your pubic bone feel like it’s stabbing you from the inside out. Yay for that.

The shaft offers about 4,5 inches to insert with another two inches for grasping. The size of the Cuddle is good all around. However, you might opt for something thicker if you’re a size queen as this one tops out with a 1.25-inch diameter.

But here’s something I don’t like: the name. The cuddle? I want someone to name their toy “Motherfucking vibrator.” Let’s just be out with this cutesy BS, okay? It reminds me of that book about anal where the author was afraid to say anus.

There's just so much packaging!

There’s just so much packaging!

I really want to add another positive here, but let’s go on a tangent, instead. This Cuddle comes with all sorts of packaging. There’s this outter sleeve with a cutout heart and you see this cute pattern through it. When you remove the sleeve, there box has a top and bottom that you must separate. Not rocket science, but a lot of packaging. Once you do this, the Cuddle sits on a tray specially made for its. It’s nice packaging, okay. I like pink! I love pink and white! I just wish it weren’t wasted on packaging, which I am ultimately going to throw away. Had I not tried over 9000 Lelo toys, I would be more impressed.

So, Cuddle comes with its own little sleeping bag. I think I’ll call storage pouches this all the time. Mucho good-o. I’d much rather store toys in pouches. In fact, I kind of have to after rearranging my nightstand. I broke up one drawer of toys I really like in two: dildos and vibes. But I digress.

This vibrator has a little heart-shaped control pad surrounded by an LED. The heart shape works well for the three buttons. Plus, minus and tilde (~). I do not get to use that word frequently enough. I like standard three-button controls, but this isn’t it. To turn the toy on or off, you have to hold the ~ for several seconds. I don’t understand why companies don’t understand that we need to be able to turn off toys instantly. This isn’t negotiable, people!

The + and – obviously allow you to change the strength of the vibrations. To be honest, this might be the place where the Cuddle best excels. Even on the lowest setting, the steady vibrations are strong and pretty rumbly. The tilde also switches between settings. Aside from steady vibes, you get:

  • Pulsation
  • Fast pulsation
  • Escalation/pulsation combo
  • Slow then fast pulsation
  • Fast then slow pulsation
  • Fast pulsation, escalation, pulsation again

The strength of the motor makes the pulsation much more interesting than weaker vibes, and I actually rather like the last setting even if it’s difficult to describe. This is pretty high praise coming from someone who doesn’t use those extra settings at all.

The strength does make this toy a little louder than I’d like, however. It’s certainly louder than any of my Lelo rechargeables. I have yet to drain the battery, but it’s running now on full force so we’ll see if it dies before I finish this review (I got 1+ hours before I shut it off cause it was bugging me, too. There was no decrease in power at all). In case you were wondering, my cat does not like this.

The LED serves as a charging indicator, blinking as Cuddle charges. The port is proprietary and surrounding by a soft silicone that’s intended to help waterproof, so you have to wiggle the charger into place. I dislike that this only comes with a USB cable and no outlet adapter. I have some, but I don’t have any place to permanently plug cables to let things charge. According to the manual, it can take 2.5 hours to fully charge, and you’ll get about 2 hours of use.

However, for a USB-powered vibe, Cuddle is one of the more powerful I’ve tried. If this were my first G-spot or USB vibe, I’d probably love it. However, I’m eager to recommend it as a rechargeable G-spot vibe that’s affordable. Pinkcherry has it for just $68 right now. If you wait for one of the store’s awesome sales, it’ll be even more affordable. This makes Lovelife a brand that many first-timers might try, and I can’t argue with that.

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Categories: Reviews, Vibrators

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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Categories: Dildos, Reviews

Platinum Edition G-Bliss

October 12th, 2013

PLATINUM G-BLISS BLUE

PLATINUM G-BLISS BLUE
$22.30 from Of Sex and Love Store

This is a weird vibe, and not for any reasons that you’d notice on the outside. It looks like a slew of other vibes that CEN has released before. But the features — of lack there of — are kinda weird. You see, there’s no steady vibration, and while my G-spot certainly responds to pulsation, I generally prefer the sensation of steady vibrations.

What you have instead are escalation like an airplane, escalation like a race car, escalation like a car that’s about to break down, pulsation like a bumblebee, fast pulsation, longer pulsations, fast-fast-slow pulsation and something that I’m pretty sure is Morse code.

Some of them just seem too similar for me, and while the pulsation is decent due to the power source — 2 AAs — I don’t want fancy. I can’t bring myself to care that this is waterproof when it doesn’t do what I want outside of the water. I just want what works. This is all controlled by heart-shape buttons. Gag me, and not in the erotic way.

I also found that the shaft doesn’t work for me. It’s just under 1 1/4 inches wide, and I feel like I want something bigger these days. The little wave on the shaft doesn’t extend enough to reach the clit, so it’s just for looks, but I’m not sold on the look of this vibe.

The target demographic is just not me. It also seems like this toy is geared toward beginners with its price tag of less than $25. In fact, it really seems like a step down from some of the company’s recent efforts, which use silicone and rechargeable vibrators. There are words embossed on the base about recycling and such, information that’s on the box and certainly doesn’t need to be on the toy itself. The use of this translucent TPR seems like a way to produce a cheap toy, especially after this recent discussion about TPR on Twitter, but this is ultimately one of those toys that I would advise shoppers to get only if they’re not absolutely sure that they like toys.

 

CEN Sexpert

 

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Categories: Reviews

Revive EnerG Review and Giveaway

October 11th, 2013

Revive Ener G.

Revive Ener G.
$61.64 from Of Sex and Love Store

I just got off the phone with Cinnamon, and we laughed as I said that I didn’t need another G-spot vibe. I really don’t. At this point, it either works or it doesn’t. I could sum up all my reviews in two or three words if I really wanted to.

Except for this one. What makes the EnerG the exception? I’m going to guess it’s the dual motors and the specific patterns that my G-spot seems to respond to, but let me backup.

It’s yellow. Bright freakin’ yellow with a tinge of green. It’s a brighter version of the pistachio green than my new Layaspot came in. It’s exactly the type of color for someone who hates pink. Also, I kinda like the box with its greens and purples. It’s modern, but it could do without the forever-happy chick laughing on the side. If you took that away, I’d really like the packaging, which is recyclable and easy for me to forget about.

One thing that I didn’t forget about was the bag it comes with. It’s this super smooth microsuede type fabric with bright yellow ribbons to cinch it. However, after I popped the vibrator into the bag for a few days, there were dark spots on the silicone when I pulled it out. It’s like wearing a brand new pair of jeans that turn your legs blue. It doesn’t mean you can’t use it, but it certainly makes the vibrator less pretty to look at as you can see in the picture below. I have a leper vibe, now.

The newer vibes do not ship with this bag for this very reason, though.

Dye spots on the Energ

Dye spots on the EnerG

 

This is also a good shop of the design of the toy. There’s a G-spot curve and a silver band toward the base, which gives it a rather attractive appearance overall in my opinion. It’s not a gigantic vibrator by any means. It’s 7.5-inches long overall, with about 5 inches are insertable. The vibe curves and flattens out in different ways. Toward the base, it’s flatter — think the Minna Ola — and about 2 inches wide, though you may not fully insert the toy at this point. The G-spot curve is narrower across but about 1.5 inches wide through the front and back.

I found it comfortably filling. The silicone, while flexible, has a density that lends to this sensation. The curve worked well for me, and it was easy to use. The red backlight under the buttons, which have audible and tactile feedback, makes them super easy to see. You could almost use it as a flashlight in the dark.

One button powers it on, the other cycles through settings. Blush describes this as having seven functions. There’s a high and low steady vibration from both the motors — the one in the tip and the around the silver band. There’s usually three settings on vibes, so keep this in mind. They are of medium strength but quite buzzy. The other five settings are a slow pulsation, long pulsation, fast pulsation, a pulsation back and forth between the two motors and fast pulsation of both motors.

The regular pulsation is pretty typical, and the single motor isn’t impressive by itself. While I didn’t enjoy the steady vibration from both vibes simultaneously, my G-spot really responded to the back-and-forth sensation. I found myself squirting more forcibly and.. with more length than I ever have. It was a surprising but fun shock.

I can’t make any promises for anyone else, but with a price of just over $60, this rechargeable vibrator is quite the deal. When it comes to charging, there’s a port on the bottom and a thick cover that protects it from water. The charger that this comes with is USB, and it comes with its own adapter. I am liking USB-powered vibes.

With that said, one of the readers at Of Sex and Love will have a chance to win their very own EnerG. Good luck!

Revive EnerG Giveaway

Follow the prompts in the widget below to enter. I’ll contact the randomly-generated winner for shipping information. I am not responsible for prize fulfillment.

Click here if the widget doesn’t load.

Giveaway is open to US and international residents where shipping is allows and ends November 10.

Blush-assorted-toys

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Categories: Giveaways, Reviews, Vibrators

Image © MisterUnlucky; used with permission.