Archive | October, 2009

Pleasurists #51

27 Oct

rubbing

via slutsoft

Pleasurists is a round-up of the adult product and sex toy reviews that came out in the last seven days from bloggers all around the sex blogosphere. Did you miss Pleasurists #50? Read it all here. Do you have a review for Pleasurists #52? Submit it here before Sunday November 1st at 11:59pm PDT. Please re-post this list on your own blog if listed.

Want to win some free swag? All you’ve got to do is enter.

Madame Editrix

Scarlet Lotus St. Syr

Editor’s Pick

  • Liberator Axis by Nadia West

    • And when you’re not getting it on, you can use it as a back support as you sit up in bed. I think there’s many uses I can come up with for the axis, it’s just a question of creativity and time.

    Note: Not only do I think this review is wonderfully succinct and has a great comparison of the Axis and Wedge (something I’ve been wondering about) but I couldn’t help but love the suggestion above as I’m currently lounging against a Whirl and using a Ramp as a laptop table.

On to the reviews…

Vibrators

Dildos

Toys for Cocks

Lube, Massage Oil, Bath Stuff, & etc.

BDSM/Fetish

Adult Books/Games

Adult Movies/Porn

Sex Furniture

Storage

Lingerie

Miscellaneous

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Pleasurists #50

27 Oct

booty

via sexual and deviantart

Pleasurists is a round-up of the adult product and sex toy reviews that came out in the last seven days from bloggers all around the sex blogosphere. Did you miss Pleasurists #49? Read it all here. Do you have a review for Pleasurists #52? Submit it here before Sunday November 1st at 11:59pm PDT. Please re-post this list on your own blog if listed.

Note: these are reviews that were posted approximately on or between October 4th and October 18th, Pleasurists #51 will be coming out shortly.

Want to win some free swag? All you’ve got to do is enter.

Editrix

Scarlet Lotus St. Syr

Editor’s Pick

  • Tantus Alumina Pace by namelesschaos

    • [A]ll Alumina toys are composed of two sides (with an o-ring in the center) which unscrew allowing you to mix-and-match them with other Alumina toys. Get 2 or more Alumina toys and you can unleash your inner sex toy maker/mad scientist and create all short of mix and match options.

    Note: I really enjoy this review primarily because of the combination pictures of Pace, Flow, and Revolve. This is the best example that I’ve seen of how the Alumina line can be arranged with each other.

On to the reviews…

Vibrators

Dildos

Anal Toys

Toys for Cocks

Lube, Massage Oil, Bath Stuff, & etc.

BDSM/Fetish

Adult Books

Adult Movies/Porn

Sex Furniture

Miscellaneous

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Review: Violet Blue’s A Smart Girl’s Guide to Porn

20 Oct

product picture
Book by Violet Blue
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Cleis Press Inc.

 

 

 As some of you know, I am an abuse survivor with PTSD.  As such, I have found it very difficult to watch, let alone enjoy, a lot of mainstream heterosexual porn.  So up until now I’ve been avoiding porn.  Really avoiding.  Recently, though, I said to myself, “Self, there’s a LOT of porn out there.  There has to be SOMETHING I can watch without it triggering a panic attack or flashback.” Having convinced myself of this, it was clear to me that the big question was how to find porn I’d be comfortable watching.  

I asked people on Twitter for their opinions, but none of them can really know what my boundaries are, what I can or cannot watch.  So I needed some more guidance.  I came across Violet Blue’s A Smart Girl’s Guide to Porn on Edenfantasys and thought it might be helpful for me, so I requested it for review.

I have to say that, for someone like me, this is a fantastic little book.  It’s clearly geared towards n00bs like myself (although the target audience is clearly not sex toy reviewers: she spends a good part of the beginning assuring readers it’s OK to enjoy porn).  She defines a lot of industry-specific terminology (a huge relief for me, since I knew very little of the terminology going into this).  There’s also a lot of discussion about the history of porn, which I found extremely interesting. (Did you know that Hungary is the European porn capitol?  I sure didn’t.)  

Her basic premise is that in order to build a porn collection you’re happy with, you have to a) do some soul searching and figure out exactly what it is you want to watch, b) try a bunch of different stuff and prepare to watch a few duds that aren’t going to do it for you in the course of your search, and c) always be willing to fast forward through things you don’t like.  

Among the interesting and useful things you will find in this book:

Good starting points for searches (since every reader will have different search criteria, Violet Blue can only really lead you to the start of your search) 

“Safer-sex” practices for your computer (although I’m a Mac user, so this was less crucial for me)

Pep-talks for getting the most out of brick-and-mortar store visits

Links to online review communities (participating can help you find what you want once you’ve narrowed down your own criteria)

A fantastic list of resources compiled in the back of the book (I was especially interested in the list of Netflix-like services for porn)

 

Violet Blue is extremely up front about the gender-role reinforcement and the homophobia in a lot of mainstream porn, so you know what you’re getting into.  She discusses issues in the industry from a feminist perspective.  She also breaks down the structure of the industry, explaining the relationship of the AVN and indie porn to the entire industry.  There’s a lot of really good information here that can help you figure out where you are in relationship to all the porn that’s out there.  

The upshot: this book is extremely encouraging for the uninitiated.  It gives you good jumping-off points to begin your search.  It’s well-written in a very conversational style (and short!  It took me about two hours to read the whole thing).  For people new to porn, unsure where to start, this is an excellent resource.  I could totally see giving it as a gift for the right person.  If you have experience with porn at all, though, the information in the book might be a little basic.  But for me, it was a great read.  I’ll be jumping into my porn search with Violet Blue’s expert help!

 

Sex toys - EdenFantasys adult toys store

Pleasurists #49

13 Oct

nakedfun

Oh My I’m Naked! via DeviantArt

Pleasurists is a round-up of the adult product and sex toy reviews that came out in the last seven days from bloggers all around the sex blogosphere. Did you miss Pleasurists #48? Read it all here. Do you have a review for Pleasurists #50? Submit it here before Sunday October 18th at 11:59pm PDT. Please re-post this list on your own blog if listed.

Want to win some free swag? All you’ve got to do is enter.

Madame Editrix

Scarlet Lotus St. Syr

Editor’s Pick

  • Hydra by Carrie Ann

    • So it does what it’s supposed to do amazingly well.

    But it also does other things.

    Things like…
    Get you off.

    Put it on the bed. Straddle it. Turn it on. Grind.

    Note: I think Carrie Ann puts it best when she says “Ahhh. The perversion of yet another vanilla massager.” I’m delightedly covetous of this massager both for it’s marketed purpose and the wonderful perverted purpose it seems to fill so brilliantly. Highly amusing and wonderful review as well!

On to the reviews…

Vibrators

Dildos

Anal Toys

Toys for Cocks

Lube, Massage Oil, Bath Stuff, & etc.

BDSM/Fetish

Adult Books

Adult Movies/Porn

Sex Furniture

Lingerie

Miscellaneous

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Review: Intimate Organics for Pinkcherry.com

8 Oct

Before PinkCherry.com sent me the products in the following review, the only Intimate Organics product I’d tried was Hydra, their water-based lube.  Hydra impressed (not just me, either), and these new products do not disappoint.  Thanks to Pinkcherry.com for sending them along!  

Relaxing Lemongrass and Coconut Cleansing Bath and Shower Gel

showergel

 

 

This shower gel comes in a hefty 240mL bottle (about 8oz) with the Intimate Organics logo on the front of the label (sort of risque, I guess?  I don’t feel uncomfortable leaving it on the bathtub ledge in full view of my 3 roommates I met a month ago, but YMMV).  The smell is predominantly coconut-y: I can barely detect a hint of the lemongrass (not that I’m complaining, I love coconut).  The instructions on the side of the bottle say to dispense some of the product into your hands and work it into a lather, but like any shower gel ever created, this works better with a loofah.  You don’t use much (I use about a quarter-sized amount every time) so the bottle will last you for a while.  I’ve been using this gel for about a week and I really like it: the smell lingers after the the lather has been rinsed off and it’s a good moisturizer.  It’s also really good for shaving (legs: I haven’t tried it in this capacity anywhere else).  Is it any more relaxing than my shower otherwise would have been?  Probably not, but it does smell nice.  

 

 

 

 

 

Energizing Fresh Orange and Wild Ginger Body Souffle

bodysouffle

 

The body souffle comes in a standard triangular-lotion-squeeze-bottle-thingie.  The bottle holds 150mL (about 5oz); I’ve been using it a lot this past week and it’s still going strong.  I’ll definitely be replacing this one once I’ve finished it.  The smell is lovely, with notes of both orange and ginger (neither one overpowers the other).  I’ve been carrying this around with me to use on my hands (again, Intimate Organics logo on the front, but I have felt totally unconspicuous pulling it out in public places).  What I like best about this lotion is that it’s absorbed by the skin remarkably quickly and doesn’t leave the skin slick or sticky (a problem I have with a lot of hand lotions).  According to the instructions it’s best used on damp skin.  I’ve used it both right out of the shower and later in the day and haven’t noticed a difference.  All around, nice product.  

 

All Intimate Organics products are paraben- and DEA-free, and they’re also vegan, so you don’t have to worry about what you’re putting on your skin.  Check it out: US customers go here and Canadian customers go here! 

 

UPDATE:  I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the whole “organic” thing Intimate Organics has going on, and I just want to clarify some things.  Intimate Organics products are USDA certified organic, which, while it’s pretty cool, only means that the plant ingredients (like the coconut, lemongrass, orange, and ginger) are grown without pesticides.  It does not mean that everything in the products is “all natural”.  In fact, Intimate Organics acknowledges this and says that all the ingredients in their products are “naturally derived”.  As for what that actually means in practice, your guess is as good as mine (after all, high-number elements on the periodic table you can only get by smashing smaller atoms together in a particle accelerator could be called “naturally derived”).  So, all in all, I think that Intimate Organics products are probably safer for your skin than drugstore brands that don’t even make an effort.  However, I’d still like to issue a general caueat emptor: these aren’t products that are free from chemicals (it’ll be hard for you to find anything that IS free from chemicals.  Chemicals are sometimes very useful and safe).  There’s a certain amount of marketing going on here, as there is with everything.  That said, I still think this stuff is pretty awesome.  

 

Blogiversary Contest!

6 Oct

My friend Epiphora is hosting a kick-ass contest.  She’s giving away a veritable metric ton of awesome sex toys, including the Alumina Motion, the Lelo Ella, the Fun Factory Bootie, the Fleshlight, the Papaya Toys Candy Stick, Lelo Luna Beads, and all four of Tristan Taormino’s Chemisty DVDs.  Yeah, you want to head over there and check it our tout de suite.

Review: Luxotiq Eos for GlassDildoz.com

6 Oct

luxotiq_eos_pink__10280

When I asked the generous people at glassdildoz.com to send me the Eos for review, I requested the pink.  Now, blue is my favorite color and I especially love dark blue glass, but pink felt like the only appropriate color for a toy named after the Homeric goddess ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠώς, ‘rosy-fingered Dawn’.

 

The Eos comes in characteristic Luxotiq packaging: a sturdy white and pink cardboard box with satin ties to keep the box closed (I fully intend to keep the box for storage, it’s so pretty).  Inside, the Eos is nestled in white satin-covered foam.  Also inside the box one finds a small microfiber cleaning cloth (of the type people use to clean eyeglasses and presumably more for removing fingerprints than for actual cleaning) and a business card with “Luxotiq” emblazoned in cursive on one side and “For Novelty Use Only” on the other (one assumes so that the item in question can be sold legally in Texas or Alabama.)


The Eos itself is a very bright shade of pink, especially when viewed against the white satin of its box.  There’s an elegant cursive “L” on one side.  It’s a very atypical shape for a glass dildo, which is what drew me to it in the first place: it has two skinny ends (one slightly curved, one straight) and a very fat middle.   I’m actually a huge fan of this configuration: a lot of the time glass dildos have really wide heads which I struggle with because glass is, well, hard and unyielding.  

 

In practice, the Eos is a’ight.  I am not a size queen by any stretch of the imagination, so the fat-ass middle of the Eos is a little much for me.  The straight skinny end feels nice, but the curved skinny end doesn’t quite hit my g-spot (although it might hit yours if you have a shallow g-spot).  I imagine I could have made g-spot contact if I could have taken in more of the middle of the toy, but even when I was warmed up it kept hitting against my pubic bone.  Regardless, both ends provide something nice to clench around while using a clitoral vibe (like my beloved Eroscillator).  

 

So, final verdict: the Eos is a beautiful, elegant, sleek glass toy.  If you don’t like a lot of girth, especially in a rock-hard material, you may want to give this one a pass.  But otherwise, it’s lovely.

 

Head on over to glassdildoz.com and check it out!

 

UPDATE: I have now removed the cleaning cloth from the Eos’ box.  Henceforth it will live in my glasses case, since I didn’t have a cleaning cloth for my glasses.  Sweet.

Pleasurists #48

6 Oct

 

corsetheels

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pleasurists is a round-up of the adult product and sex toy reviews that came out in the last seven days from bloggers all around the sex blogosphere. Did you miss Pleasurists #47? Read it all here. Do you have a review for Pleasurists #49? Submit it here before Sunday October 11th at 11:59pm PDT. Please re-post this list on your own blog if listed.

Want to win some free swag? All you’ve got to do is enter.

Madame Editrix

Scarlet Lotus St. Syr

Editor’s Pick

  • Tantus Stroker by Undressed Reviews

    • I was really excited when this toy arrived. I really wanted to like it. Really badly. So badly that when I initially hated it, I just assumed that I was doing something wrong because Tantus and its Stroker were obviously above suspicion. On a mission to prove me and my stupid nerve endings wrong, I ask the internet about the Tantus Stroker.

Note: What makes this review is actually the accompanying visual aids, specifically the video of the awkward sound the stroker makes and the picture at the bottom of the review which I absolutely love. You must go see it!

On to the reviews…

Vibrators

Dildos

Anal Toys

Toys for Cocks

Lube, Massage Oil, Bath Stuff, & etc.

BDSM/Fetish

Adult Books

Adult Movies/Porn

Lingerie

Miscellaneous

 

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