Kissable Lace Babydoll & G-string

May 7th, 2012

Kissable Lace Babydoll & G-string

Kissable Lace Babydoll & G-string

This is an archived review of a discontinued item. 

This review has been a long time coming and.. well, er.. I don’t know why. I think it’s because I just really didn’t like it in person and, in hindsight, I’m not sure why I thought I would like it. I guess I thought the Kissable Lace Babydoll & G-string looked kind of elegant in the product image but, in person, that lace just looks cheap and tacky. It’s all “I’m a Halloween store up in here? Would you like some black lipstick with that, Adriana?” And I’m all “Shut up about my teenaged years, you’re a hunk of fabric.”

Not much fabric, really,which is my second problem. This is one size but, like my recent Coquette experiments, is too small around my 38″ ribcage. In fact, this one seems smaller than the other chemise. I’d recommend it for 36″ at the most. I’m thinking that someone in the 32-34″ range would be better. Because the waistband is just a thin piece of elastic, it cuts into the skin as you get closer to the top of that range and, “fits up to 48-inches”? Coquette, you’re a fucking liar. There is NO way in hell this is going to fit beyond 40″. This is truly a one-size-fits-few piece.

So, I do like the cups. I love the black lace over the red triangle pieces and they’re less discount-Goth feeling. The lace extends on the side in a way that I could do without but don’t hate. There’s a cute little red bow in the center. It’s definitely feminine. They’re also pretty small, at least, they seemed smaller on me than the model. With just the thin elastic, you can’t much count on any support. Again, Coquette has made the mistake of using in inflexible ribbon for the straps, which I don’t feel is really going to stay put when you move the adjusters. In fact, I like elastic straps; I feel like they support me better.

The lace from the waist down is free flowing, so ideally it would suit different body shapes if, you know, the top wasn’t so damned tight. It’s not very long at all, though. It really barely meets the hips, as you can see on the model. It’s this giant floral and mesh motif that is just not pretty.

The G-string isn’t the cheapest thing ever. It features the same lace overlay on the front panel, with a centered red bow. The G-string runs just as small as the babydoll, however, and is mostly elastic. I didn’t spend enough time with either piece to have to launder it, but I don’t think you’ll want to put it in the machine unless you at least use a lingerie bag. Hand washing would probably be preferable. The set is 100% nylon, which the Internet says can be washed in warm water and tumbled dry on low. I threw out the box because.. it’s lingerie and it doesn’t need to come in a fucking box that is made of more material than the product in it!

So is this kissable? If it’s some sort of kissing my ass on the way out the door, then yes. If you’re the 1% you might like it but, if you have any reservations, please get something less shitty than this.

8 Comments

Categories: Lingerie, Reviews

Kissable Chemise

April 14th, 2012

Kissable Chemise

Kissable Chemise

This is an archived review of a discontinued product.

In a recent review, I talked about how I am in between Coquette’s OS and queen size. It’s frustrating. The leopard babydoll was too big, but this chemise just runs too small on me. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be available in plus size, so I was really hoping to make this one work. I should have known better as it’s form fitting, but I really like the design.

The Kissable chemise actually doesn’t look quite as bad as I’d expect, and that’s due to the material around the midsection and behind. It’s a slightly sheer nylon material that’s thicker than it looks in the pictures. On me, it’s not nearly as sheer. The material has some stretch, but it’s also thick enough to hug my curves like a dress and is slimming. Even though my curves still show in a somewhat less-than-flattering way, I was far less self conscious than I expected.

Then there’s the boobs.The lace that covers the boobs is cut flat along the waistline and it looks SO much bigger on the model than it actually is. At the tallest, the cups measure just 6″. I need far more material to cover my C-cups. The result is that they’re squished to my chest, making me look much smaller than I actually am. This is a shame, because it’s really the top portion of this that attracted me. There’s three vertical stripes of ribbon that add a bit of visual flair over the floral lace. This is arranged to cover the model’s nipples, but in real life, it’s less practical than that. I feel like my boobs would have looked better if they were perfectly round implants.

Let me give you an example of sizing. Flat, this measures 13″ at the bust and 18″ at the bottom hem, which is the widest part. To say it fits a 40″ hip is a stretch, literally. From the waistband to the hem, it’s 18″ long, give or take half an inch. This is pretty common, but it definitely seems to sit higher on me than on the model. It’s a barely-covering-my-ass kinda deal. This might not be the case with less curvy women, of course, but the material is probably stretched pretty far on the model. Although this piece stretches a bit past that, but not as much to truly make this one size. A 26″ bust is actually smaller than Coquette’s XS. If I had to resize this, I’d call it a S/M. It’ll work on very proportionate larges, but it’s definitely cut far smaller than the OS label suggests.

So the quality on this is better than I expected, considering how much I had to struggle to get in and out of it. I wouldn’t bother hand washing it if you have a lingerie bag. However, it seems like the entire kissable line used thin ribbons instead of elastic shoulder bands, and I hate this! The adjusters on the straps slip because there’s no friction on the straps, and the straps don’t offer the stretchiness that I like.

This piece comes in a box, FYI. Hate that. So wasteful.

This is one piece that I’ll probably keep around a while, in hopes that I drop some weight and can pull it off. I might even consider wearing it as a slip, beneath a dress. I would absolutely buy it in queen size, though. For now, I hope someone who is considering buying this will be steered in the right direction because of my frustrations.

4 Comments

Categories: Lingerie, Reviews

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Kookie Riding Crop

November 17th, 2009

Kookie Riding Crop

Kookie Riding Crop
$24 from Babeland

This is an archived review of a discontinued item. You can try this silicone crop or Sportsheets crop, instead.

Riding crops are sleek. I’ve never been an equestrian but so are horses. I suppose someone thought the same thing about humans to adapt the tool.. Or maybe not. Just a conjecture.

I do know a bit more about playing with riding cops after playing with my very first one, the Kookie Riding Crop from Babeland. I know that the Kookie Crop is made of a handle attached to a nylon-covered shaft, which is then secured to a piece of folded-over leather to make the tongue. The handle is made of a firm plastic or silicone piece, which is textured and has a lightly engraved diamond pattern, which makes it easy to hold even under slipper circumstances. The braided cover of the rod is secure and neat, and the leather of the tongue is thin, unfinished on the inside (although I’m not sure why anyone would be feeling it other than for review purposes), and sewn in an arc around the shaft with contrasting thread. At its widest, it’s only 1.5″ wide and the thin “neck” of that piece is then further secured by a thin piece of string which is wrapped countless times around the tongue and shaft. It seems like the string was then treated with something to make it quite hard and firm. Overall, the quality is decent. For only, $18, this seem to be a good starter crop that will like a while, if not forever.

I was a bit surprised at the overall length of this crop, admittedly. I expected something a bit longer and a quick glance at a variety of crops shows that many are in the 24″-25″ range. However, the Kookie Crop is not far off at 18.5″ in length. I do think the slightly shorter shaft makes it a bit less flexible than other crops. I’m not positive because I’m quite the amateur in this; it just seems like a longer shaft would allow for a bit more flexibility but it could just seem that way. Either way, the tongue can be pulled back about 30 degrees – which seems to be a good amount of flexibility without becoming floppy – and then released to flick. That flick is definitely noticeable but, because of the length, this method seems to work better, the closer I am to the target and it certainly cannot be used too far away because the crop simply won’t reach.

Of course, I was surprised at other methods this toy can be used. The generic method is to simply flick a wrist at arm’s length but my pathetically weak wrists couldn’t deliver a blow nearly as powerful as using my whole arm. This was the method I had to use to get a good feel of the crop when using it on myself. I guess that’s good news for those solo BDSMers; you can easily bend yourself over and swing away. My experience was that swings focusing more on the leather-only part of the tongue were less intense than swings that involve the end of the shaft.

I was actually quite surprised at the range of sensation provided by the Kookie Riding Crop when used in the traditional manner. It can be used to simply tap, not cause any pain at all. Even my medium to strong strikes were bearable (at least on my ass), the marks outlasting the pain by far. The feeling would be more intense on more sensitive parts, of course, but it could be used comfortably on the vulva area, I think. I found the aftermath provided a sort of warmth and hypersensitivity to the area struck. Actually, I might be more of a masochist than I knew because that feeling is great! The feel of the strike itself feels much like a slap and stings like one as well.

Alternatively, one could focus on using just the edge of the tongue with a quick back and forth motion which feels more like frictional (I had to look up that adjective; wouldn’t frictious sound better?) rubbing. It’s not quite intense and becomes like an uncomfortable chafing after prolonged exposure. Lastly, the handle can be used for impact, like sort of a makeshift cane. The blows from the handle definitely feel heavier. I suppose that is what it meant when one describes “thuddy” impacts. I imagine this method would more quickly result in bruises, and it’s the type of pain I definitely do not like in any sense, although some surely do.

Of course, the stiff leather tongue wasn’t nearly as fun to run over the skin for general sensation play. Other toys with suede, premium leather or even fur are better for that. The handle could be used for penetration but it’s thin enough that it would leave me unimpressed unless there was a specific goal that I am not creatively enough endowed to think of.

When it comes to wielding a crop, I was definitely impressed. This lightweight instrument is so completely easy to use and really isn’t taxing at all. I completely understand the description on the product page when it says it “will have you betting to see which lasts longer–your arm or their ass.” I also love the slapping sound, which makes it fun for striking all sorts of things when a partner is blindfolded to make them jump. There’s lots of potential for mind fuckery. It’s a treat for the eyes as well, leaving quite the skin bright red without much effort at all.

Overall, the Kookie Riding Crop is a steal. It does what it advertises well but doesn’t do much more. I’m not sure why Babeland needs to ship it in a giant, 3″ long prism box, however. It dwarfed the lonely crop inside (which I do not believe was further packaged, nor did it have any tags/info) and I’m sure there are smaller, less wasteful ways to send it – like a poster tube, perhaps.

2 Comments

Categories: BDSM, Reviews

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