Welcome back!

Sleek, cold, heavy stainless steel. I had been lusting after this toy by Njoy for a long time. So, when Pink Cherry offered me the chance to try out a Pure Wand, I was thrilled.

Like many high-end toy manufacturers, Njoy has put a lot of thought into attractive product and package design. The Pure Wand is gorgeous, shiny, and just a bit intimidating.  It comes in Njoy’s signature black box nestled in a bed of red satin. The box isn’t just pretty, it doubles as a very practical display and storage case.

Of course, the real question is always about the sensation and experience of using the toy. The Pure Wand gives you options. Either end can be inserted and enjoyed. It can also be used anally. The experience reminded me of my first time using a glass toy. Every sensayion was heightened. The cold was colder and the hard was much harder. I was stunned by just how much the Pure Wand was doing. It is designed as a G-spot toy and either end provides for great stimulation. I especially enjoyed the larger side for the fact that it gives a feeling of fullness but not a pokey sensation on the G-spot.

Because it is made of stainless steel, like all Njoy toys, it is completely sterilizeable and can be shared between partners with the proper cleaning. Overall, the Pure Wand is a work of art that can open up new types of pleasure in a variety of fascinating ways.

[FYI: You can get 20% off your order at PinkCherry right now by using discount code LOVE2009.]

I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing a few LELO toys at this point including the Nea, Gigi, and Bo (review coming soon). So, when Good Vibrations offered me the chance to try out the Mia, I thought I would pass the toy along to my gorgeous girlfriend Ariel so she could weigh in on this vibrator. Here is her report.

I love love love the design of this one. The size is unobtrusive and the shape is organic, but understated.
The color (pale pink) is pretty and it is fashioned from a nice material that is smooth and feels great against skin my skin.  Furthermore, it charges via USB! When I travel, I like to carry only items that charge with the
usb, so I don’t need extra cords and all that carry-on silliness so it makes this super convenient for me. Plus, I never have to worry about losing the cord. the lock function is extra-awesome, especially considering (what with the small size and the ubs charging and all) that folks might want to take this traveling with them. No more vibrating purses!

But of course it has to work well to be worthwhile, right? I was amazed at how strong the vibrations were for the size of the Mia. It is also remarkably quiet.  The vibe patterns and controls were pretty impressive – there are a large number of settings. I love lust need want the intermittent vibe patterns but I wish they came in different intensities.  I’m not into the buzzing always-on settings much, but those are the only ones
with softer intensities. I ended up simulating the intermittent setting myself, just pressing it against my clit then removing it.  I also wish that it would start up in the same mode it was on when I shut it off, so I could just flat-out skip the “always-on” setting, and so I could quickly resume what I’m doing if I get interrupted.
I found that the buttons are smooth and lovely to touch; however, it can be hard to hit the right button in the moment, especally when you have it in a tight space (such as between two bodies).

All in, I really like the design and idea behind the Mia.  Sadly, it’s not the just-right vibe for me, but it’s perfect for anyone looking for a high-quality pocket size vibe with all the bells and whistles.

January – Jay and I started the year by celebrating our 2nd anniversary together. If you want to refresh on how we first met (and the aftermath of that) you’ll have to look back to January of 2006. We were in Thailand for half of this month and pretty depressed to back in the US again. So, you didn’t hear from me again until. . .

April – Where I attended Sex 2.0 and had a fire lit under me. I started a Twitter account, got involved with FetLife, and relaunched my podcast. I finally realized that I was part of a community and felt like I belonged.

May – I started reviewing products on my podcast and blog for VibeReview.

June – I spent a lot of time thinking about sex work in both text and audio forms. I also got sort of pissy and ridiculous about blogging and met Artemis Hunter for the first time.

July – I had my first freelance work published in The Naughty American and dug up some old camwhore shots. I also experienced a bit of heartbreak, but it turned out a great piece of writing if I do say so myself. I also got tied up by Artemis and finally hooked up with Carmine who had previously only been known as “cross-dressing law student“. Finally, I began publishing the Musings on Masculinity series.

August – The biggest news and one of the happiest days of my last several years was telling my dad about my “secret identity”. I’m still basking in the joy of that moment as I remember it. Also in July, Jay and I got to know Hania much better.

September – I was named #5 on the list of the Top 100 Sex Bloggers of 2008 among started a bajillion other projects. We also went to Dark Odyssey Summer Camp which was a watershed event for me despite the fact that I haven’t talked about it too much. I also presented at the Fetish Fair Flea Market and got to meet Catalina and Marky for the first time.

October – The posts slowed down and the earth stopped moving because something remarkable happened. We met Ariel and Michael and fell in love and my feet still haven’t touched the ground. At first I could only express the feelings in music. But. . .

November -  . . . soon I found more detailed words and images to express my thoughts. I captured the unique sadomasochistic relationship that Michael and I have developed as well as the experienced of being fucked by Ariel for the first time. And the sexy gave way to the mundanely profound as we found ourselves forming a type of family, broken hollondaise and all.

December – Ariel starts lending a hand with reviews and I think that the format suits this site. Jay and I also visited New York and saw tons of the friends that we met through the year. I also spent a sedate Birthday and Hanukkah at home with my new chosen family.

I am one of those unfortunate people than relatively unsensitive nipples (not to be confused with insensitive nipples, that will insult your mother and spit on your dog). But, luckily, I can get some added sensation with just the right type of stimulation. That is where Variations Nipple Clamps come into the picture. Nipple clamps are such a standard requirement for BDSM practitioners that I’m sort of ashamed to admit I didn’t own this important sex toy before this.

I tried out these clamps on myself but there is no interesting story to tell there. Instead, I’ll let you in on how Ariel felt about trying them.

Ellie: Nipple Clamps – Did you like them?
Ariel: Yes
I was nervous about them at first – I’ve never used proper clamps before, and I was worried they might be much more of serious business than I was ready for
Being adjustable definitely helps, and I love it when you play with the connecting chain
Ellie: Yeah, I just tried them on and the chain is interesting. Just the weight of it causes this low-level stimulation that is constant.
Did they seem sturdy?
Ariel: From my side it did seem sturdy, although I didn’t spend much time studying their construction
Ellie: No, I guess you wouldn’t have ;)
Tell me what it felt like when I took them off?
Ariel: It burned like coal-fire and made me want to cry for a moment, just a moment, then it faded down quickly to a hot rush of sensation
Ellie: You made such a pretty noise.
Ariel: My nipples are pretty sensitive and every time I pressed against any of you for the rest of the day, I could instantly remember exactly how it felt
Ellie: I was very cross the other day when I saw that someone had removed your clamps without me while I was looking for a toy. I wouldn’t put them on if I didn’t want to be there to see that look on your face ;)
Ariel: Yeah, J did one and M did one, they cheated you out of your prize
I do promise to make it up to you, though
Thats what I get for letting boys get at you when I’m playing.
So, overall, you’re a fan of the clamps?
Ariel: I’m definitely in the fan club
Ellie: President? Treasurer? Rank-and-file member? ;)
Ariel: Secretary maybe
Ellie: Excellent.

The Buzz 1 is a great little realistic silicone dildo. I was impressed with the shape of the head, in particular and the fact that it comes with a bullet vibe to convert it to a vibrator readily.

I played with the Buzz 1 and found the shape and size incredibly satisfying. It occupies that not too small and not too big range for me. The silicone is ultra-smooth which means that with a good application of lube it gets really slick and lovely. Another bonus of this toy is that it is harness compatible with a 1 1/2” O-ring. I tried it out in my Corsette harness and decided that it was quite majestic and impressive looking.

I haven’t had a chance to fuck either of my boyfriends with this yet and my girlfriend is a big fan of Goliath, but I might see if she wants to experience the Buzz 1 next time around. Afterall, variety is the spice of life and we’re all quite accustomed to stunning variety.

Cheap BDSM Toys is a pretty clever site. It is designed to identify the original uses of some toys that are sold for a high markup in many adult shops. According to the site’s main description:

Many sex toys are manufactured for other purposes. They can often be purchased for much less than the sex stores charge. Often the hard part is simply finding out what something is called or what it’s original use is. Once you know that, Google is your friend.

This is a growing repository of what sex toys were manufactured for, what they are called, and where to find them.

So, check out the site, you’ll be excited to find cheap versions of expensive toys and more than a little tickled by some of their original uses.

[via Rambling Newbie and Fetlife]

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve always been sort of skeptical about Liberator products. I’ve seen them advertised and touted for a long time, even by people whose opinions I really trust (like Tristan Taormino) but I still didn’t get it. I’ll admit it, I thought they were overglorified pillows. It isn’t easy for me to say but let me declare that I was certainly wrong.

I was lucky enough to get to try out a Wedge/Ramp Combo recently and my mind? Consider it blown. These items have quickly become a big part of my sex life and when we go out of town to see Michael and Ariel I often find myself wishing we had brought them along. Luckily they come with very nice carrying cases so we are able to on occasion.

I’ve waited awhile to write this review because I really wanted to put them through their paces and try them out in a variety of ways before declaring an opinion. Now I’ve decided that they are both worth the price and more. Here are my top 5 reasons that a Wedge/Ramp Combo should be on your holiday shopping list.

1. Positions Positions Positions. You can do some things that you haven’t even dreamed of using these as props. They also make positions that you may do all the time suddenly more sustainable and comfortable. If you have a disability or injury, positions that you haven’t done in years suddenly become available again. If you have a height differential with your partner, you can make up for it. Or, if you’re like me and you regularly have more than one sex partner in the bed, you can create some great staging areas for multi-partner sex.

2. G-spot. The main point of a lot of the positions that you can achieve with the Liberator products is G-spot stimulation. The Wedge/Ramp is their signature product because they can be used to achieve excellent, deep thrusting and perfect angles.

3. Removable and washable liner and travel cases. I’ve washed the microfiber covers a few times now and they are coming out without any fading or wear and tear. I’m confident that they will last a long time and continue to be comfortable and functional. The travel bags are also great for protecting them when not in use. If you live in a home with animals, you’ll be thankful for these because they keep pet hair and other debris off of your sex furniture.

4. Made in America. I actually visited the Liberator factor and flagship store in Atlanta about a month ago. I was given a tour of the place by the Vice President of the company and shown the entire operation. Everything they sell is made there from cutting the foam cores to sewing the microfiber covers and making the restraints that go on their Black Label bondage series. The lingerie on the site? Designed and manufactured in-house. Do you know how rare it is to see a sex product made in America with quality standards? I was seriously impressed and you’ll have a chance to be impressed too because the interview and part of the tour will be on a future episode of my Bedroom Radio podcast.

5. Right now they are on sale and you can get a great free gift. I don’t normally talk a lot about prices on this site but as of today Liberator has an excellent sale on the Wedge/Ramp Combo and it is selling for $195. You can get an additional 15% off (of your entire order at the store) by entering discount code “JOLLIES” at checkout. And to further sweeten the deal, you get a free Love Artist kit with a Wedge/Ramp Combo, it includes Silk Bondage Sashes, a Kama Sutra DVD, a Snake Charmer Cock Ring, the Liberator Position Guide, a Zomi Adult Toy Case, and a Sample of Pjur Bodyglide. If you haven’t caught on yet, this is a really good deal on some great goodies – you would get all of these things for $166. I’ve seen crappy, made in China, rabbit vibes sell for $125 easily, this is an amazing value.

I left the Liberator factory last month wanting a job there and fully ready to sing their praises. This is a company with a unique product and a great track record for quality and customer service. Now that I’ve tried their products I want to try more and am blown away about their usefulness for great sex.

Pleasure Tops from Babeland

This is a very unique toy that mimics the shape of a high-end toy like The Cone (which I haven’t tried but have always been curious about). As far as I can tell, though, Pleasure Top actually goes farther because it includes a well-engineered clit stimulating thumb on the side.

When I first got this item out of the box, it wasn’t immediately obvious how to proceed with it. The entire thing was smaller than I expected and I couldn’t quite imagine straddling it. However, I grabbed my Liberator wedge and placed the pleasure top on the corner of it. At this height straddling made sense again.

I was instantly happy I had been patient with figuring out this toy because it absolutely worked fantastically. I’m sensitive to vibrations and found that the slight penetration coupled with the perfectly-shaped clit stimulator was a winner and reminded me of some of my best experiences with the Rock Chick.

The Pleasure Top is made of phlalate-free silicone that has a great, cushy texture making it wonderful to rock back and forth on the toy. I also tried it on my back and liked it better than the experience of some rabbit vibrators I’ve tried. Overall, this is an economical and increadibly unique toy. If you think that you’ve tried everything, this is a new experience to have and there are a variety of ways to enjoy it.