Iridescence Bra and Thong

The Iridescence Bra and Thong set by Fantasy Lingerie is sweet and sensual.  Romantic and sexy, you get both with this set.  The lace is an ivory or cream, and I think this would make a wonderful bridal/honeymoon lingerie option.  It came packaged simply wrapped in pink tissue paper.  The tag features a model wearing lingerie, but no nudity.

Throughout the floral patterned lace in this set, there are shimmery threads.  The bra features adjustable straps, with pearls in the front.  For that reason, I wouldn't recommend this bra to be worn as an every day type item.  I was a little confused with the pearls at first, they come attached as shown in the above photo, which sort of makes them look like they're supposed to dangle down as decoration instead of being used as straps, and the rest of the straps were plenty long enough for me to wear that way.  I had to go back to the product page to double check how the pearls were supposed to be.  You have to snip them apart to wear as they're supposed to be worn.  The bra has under wire, and gives the girls a little extra support.  The back has a hook and eye closure.   There is no padding or lining, just the lace cups.

There's not much to say about the thong.  It's pretty basic.  It matches the bra perfectly.  I didn't like the tag being in the front, you can see it through the material.  I just cut it off, no big deal. 

The bra and thong are adorned with little bows that have tiny pearls attached.  There are three on the bra (one at the start of each strap, and one in the center), and one on the thong.  I didn't care for them, so I carefully cut them off.  Just a personal preference on my part...I'm okay with bows on some things, but most of the time I don't care for them.

You can machine wash this set, but it's delicate so I'd recommend using a mesh laundry bag meant for lingerie and delicates and washing in cold water on a gentle cycle.  You can hand wash as well, but I usually can't be bothered to do that, haha.  I don't recommend putting this set in the dryer, I have only laid it out flat to dry.

This is a cute set, and I'm glad I purchased it.  At $22.99 it's pretty inexpensive and I like to wear it under an unassuming nightgown to bed.  It makes me feel romantic and sexy, and I wear it when I would prefer to have a slow and sensual night...it's nice to have lingerie for every mood.

I purchased the XL and sizing seems to be right on according to the Size Charts at EdenFantasys.  I could have gone with a L for the bra size, but I'm a pear shape and I definitely needed the XL for the thong.  I have that problem with a lot of items, but the XL bra still fits me nicely as well though I feel I'd have more support and more "oomph" visually with my girls in a size L.  I'd love to purchase (and review) more bra/panty sets, but I wonder if I could give a good enough review without being able to fit into the panty if I purchase them in size L.  Many sets only come in S/M/L however, and I know I could fit into the bras so I am tempted to purchase them anyway. 

$22.99Iridescence bra and thong Bra and panty set by Fantasy Lingerie Material: Nylon Buy from EdenFantasys

The Beauty Sleeve Masturbator

Obviously, I didn't get this for myself, and this review will be from my female perspective.  I was shopping for some fun things for myself one day, and though, why should I get to have all of the fun toys?  The hubs needs something too!  Not that he doesn't have fun playing with my toys, but, still.  I wanted this to be a surprise, and I wasn't sure how he'd feel about a toy like this without asking him first (thus ruining the surprise), so I didn't want to spring for something as expensive as say, a Fleshlight or a Tenga Flip.  I knew going in that this was just to get a feel for this type of toy, and to see how he enjoyed using them.  The Beauty Sleeve, made by Toy's Heart, is $19.99 at EdenFantasys, which I think is very reasonable. 

The package is quite obviously Japanese.  Aside from the large lettering stating "Made in Japan," it features a manga style blonde cutie, ready to offer herself to you for pleasure.  There is no nudity, but it's rather suggestive.  It also shows a large photo of the product you will find inside and it's fairly obvious (at least to me) what the product is, so I wouldn't just go leaving this out for anyone to see if that might concern you.  There isn't much English on this package at all, and unfortunately I can't read Japanese (and I don't even know if it's Kanji or what).  Luckily, this product is pretty much self explanatory.

Inside the package you will find the Beauty Sleeve masturbator, nicely wrapped in plastic.  It is clear, and while the entrance is reminiscent of labia and a clitoris, it is not very realistic.  I happen to like that about this.  As a first toy of this type, I didn't really want something that looked realistic.  As well, the company has included a small sample of "Moisty" lubricant in a bright pink package.  This also features instructions/information written in Japanese which I can't understand.  I'd love to translate it for you all, but I don't even know where to begin.  I went through an anime/manga phase in high school and I can speak a little, but never delved into learning the writing style. 

This is a great product if you're a new user of masturbator sleeves and just want to test the waters.  Wonderful for spicing up masturbation or for use in foreplay with a partner.  As a first time user of the product, I found it difficult to insert my partner's member into this at first.  I used what I thought was plenty of lubricant, but ended up going back for more and then actually using my hands to spread the hole of this wide enough to slide it on to him.  Once he was inserted, it was smooth sailing.  I moved it up and down to stimulate him.  He really enjoyed the different sensation that all of the nubs and ridges in this provided and I loved hearing him moan with pleasure.  It was a fun experience for the both of us and I'm glad I picked it up.  I'm definitely interested in trying some "higher end" models at some point, but for now this works beautifully. 

The outside of the Beauty Sleeve is designed to be easy to hold in your hand, which really helps when things get a little slippery.  The inside is delightfully ridged to provide ultimate stimulation.  It is *very* stretchy, and will accommodate a great variety of sizes.  As I mentioned above, I did have trouble with placing this on my husband at first.  It does have a fairly tight opening, but I figure most of my trouble was due to inexperience in this type of toy, a dark room, and me being nearly blind without glasses.  It's hard to see a clear toy in a dark room... and without glasses, I pretty much just see shapes and colors, so yeah, finding that hole without the use of my own fingers was difficult. 

Another thing I didn't really care for about this, was the...uh...slurping/sucking/squishing noise from the suction.  It was a little distracting to me, but not so much so that I couldn't enjoy the experience...and my partner didn't complain at all.

The toy was very easy to clean, I found that I could turn it inside out with little effort and I could wash it with hot water and soap and really get all of the ridges clean that way.  I was thinking to myself as I was washing this that one of those bottle cleaner things would be great for this if you didn't want to have to turn it inside out, which might eventually lessen the life of this thing...stretching it out so much.  You shouldn't boil this toy, stick to soap and water/toy cleaner. 

The Beauty Sleeve is made of TPR.  It can be used with both water and silicone based lubricants.  It's very soft and stretchy.  It almost reminds me of those little sticky bugs and animals and hand things I played with as a child.  Mostly from twenty-five cent machines, and you'd sort of throw them a bit and watch them stick onto things?  This is a bit sticky like that.  It definitely attracts lint and I'd recommend picking up a small storage case for this thing.  I plan to get the Striped Pleasure Can from EdenFantasys for this.  Currently I'm storing this in a zip lock bag to keep it clean.  It's fairly obvious that this toy isn't going to last forever, with repeated use and wear, this material is just too prone to tearing, but for $19.99 I think it's worth it and it's great to start out with. 

$19.99Beauty sleeve Masturbator by Toy's heart Material: TPE Safety: Buy from EdenFantasys

Talkin' 'bout Hot Love

You're making me crazy

Hot Love, you're making me bad

Hot Love, you're making me crazy

Think I'll go mad...

Oh, sorry.  80's flashback there.  Not that I was around for much of the 80's or anything.  Okay, okay, I was three when this song came out...

The Hot Love set contains two bright pink warming gel packs, perfect for a "magical massage."  They are labeled Hugs, and Kisses.  Cute, huh?  I love that this contains two packs instead of just one.  These are the perfect size for holding in your hand and gliding across the skin for a warm and relaxing massage. 

Made by California Exotic Novelties, these gel packs come packaged in a black box, covered in XOXOs and a photo of the packs.  The back of the package has instructions and suggestions for use.  Inside these soft packs, is a bright pink liquid that when activated, warms instantly.  To activate, you simply bend the metal disks that float around in the liquid.  When bent they should activate the packs and immediately start turning the liquid into crystals that heat the packs.  The bright pink liquid will quickly turn pale pink and begin to harden and heat up.  I had a bit of trouble with bending the disks at first, I had to play with bending them back and forth a bit before the packs crystallized for me.  They get hard when they are warm, but you can still bend them and move the material inside around just a little.  If you need the shape of these to conform to a certain area, place it there immediately after clicking the disks to activate the heat.

These get quite warm at first.  A nice and toasty 129 degrees (F).  I was expecting warm, of course, but they're not kidding when they say HOT.  This was a pleasant surprise.  On some parts of my body, this felt amazing, and on others I was more sensitive to the heat, so I'd recommend keeping a small towel or washcloth handy to use as a barrier if the heat is uncomfortable at first.  Within about 15 minutes, the pack cools down considerably to be still warm, but completely comfortable. 

I was worried that these might not feel so nice with the vinyl touching my skin, but I was surprised at how soft these are.  These are perfect for use in massage (almost like a hot stone massage...but they're not quite as hard), but they also have many other great uses as well.  If you have sore muscles you can use these to focus heat like a heating pad.  I just started going to the gym for the first time...since 2002, haha, and needless to say my muscles are a bit angry at me lately.  Heat and massage (and of course time) are slowly making them happy again.  They would be great for back or shoulder pain, to ease cramps, etc.  I think these would be awesome to stick in your pockets if you need to be outside on a cold winter's day, or to warm up frozen toes (I think my husband might appreciate this come winter, as my usual method of choice is to put my cold feet on him when I climb into bed, hehe).  These are small, about 3 inches across, so they're great for travel too.

These are re-usable, so you get a lot of bang for your $9.99.  Simply boils for 7-10 minutes until the crystals are gone.  I keep an eye on them and pull them out of the pot with tongs, and immediately lay them on a towel to dry and cool off before I put them away.  Do NOT attempt to microwave these instead of boiling them. 

There is a slight smell to the vinyl, but it's not overpowering or anything and I only noticed if I put them up to my nose with the intention of smelling them.  I have no idea what is actually IN these packs, but if you happen to puncture to vinyl and get any on you, I would recommend washing it off ASAP and taking caution not to ingest any.  The package does say to keep away from children and pets. 

If these ever break or stop working, I *will* be purchasing more.  I love these!  The only downsides I see are that you do have to boil them to re-use them, which is kind of a pain, and that they only last for about a half an hour to forty five minutes.  Which really, is long enough, but I were to be using these as hand warmers I might want them to last longer.  This problem can be solved though by just purchasing more than one set so I have a backup for when the first is no longer warm. 

$9.99Hot love Massager by California Exotic Material: Vinyl Safety: Buy from EdenFantasys

I know something you don't know...

But I'll let you in on it.  :) 

I just picked a winner for the Blossom Organics Warming Lubricant from Good Vibes.com!

Random.org selected the comment number ONE!

Woohoo, congrats

Rebecccccca!

I'll email you in just a second :)



Tantric Natural Soy Massage Oil Candle - Vanilla Breeze

$21.99Tantric candle Massage candle by California Exotic Buy from EdenFantasys

Go check out my review for the Tantric Vanilla Breeze massage candle at EdenFantasys!

If you're a member, leave me some love.  ;)

LifeStyles SKYN

I found out shortly after losing my virginity, that I was allergic to latex.  Um... ouch!  Not a fun way to learn about a skin sensitivity.  After that I began using birth control pills, and didn't worry about condoms for years (note, I have only ever had one sexual partner: my husband).  Eventually after years of not liking the way I felt on the birth control pills (no sex drive=no fun) I finally decided to stop them.  I track my cycles the best I can for someone who has PCOS and irregular cycles.  I love NFP when we are actively trying to expand our family, but when we aren't, I like to keep condoms on hand (err, by the bedside). 

My go-to brand is LifeStyles, for their SKYN variety.  They were introduced in 2008, and I have been using these for about two years (well, my husband has, but, you know...).  I have tried the (few) other non-latex brands/options out there, and these are typically the least expensive.

LifeStyles SKYN male condoms are made of Polyisoprone Material, and state that they do not contain natural rubber latex (woohoo for latex sensitive peeps!).  In doing a bit of reading, I have found that polyisoprone is actually the same type of rubber as latex, it just doesn't contain the natural proteins that lead to most people's allergies and sensitivities.  While there are no condoms currently on the market that have guaranteed 100 percent birth control effectiveness, the polyisoprene condom has been tested to show improved strength and less openings in the condom material itself.  In all of our uses of the SKYN condoms, we've never had a breakage.  I must note that we have never used these for STD protection (never had a need for this), only pregnancy.

This material is very thin, and it feels soft to the touch.  Visually, they are a see through soft white...I would almost say clear, but not quite.  The material is more form fitting than latex, and we have never experienced any slipping during use.  They look quite snug and tight to me when worn (especially width-wise), but I have never heard a complaint from my husband.  LifeStyles did recently introduce SKYN Large, which I think I will purchase in the near future to see if maybe he's just too big for the standard size and the Large fits better.  We'll see.

Measurements are:

Length- 7.48"

Width- 2.08"
Thickness- 0.0027"

These are lightly lubricated.  Feel free to add more of the water based lubricant of your choice if you like (oil based lubricants can decrease effectiveness).  There isn't much of a taste to these (just very slightly bitter, in my opinion from the lubricant) and no smell at all. The lubricant is water based. 

The slogan for these is "Closest Thing To Wearing Nothing," and while I think they are thinner than your average latex condom (at least from what I can remember), I would hardly say they feel like nothing.  I much prefer the feeling of real skin-to-skin contact, but I believe in safe sex and family planning... and since there just isn't much on the market for latex sensitive people, I'm glad these exist.

There's really not a whole lot to say about these other than they are a fantastic alternative to latex condoms for those with sensitivities, or for those who would like a thinner condom that feels probably as close as you're going to get to skin while still using a condom.

When you open the box, you will find information about effectiveness, storage (room temperature, and preferably not in your back pocket or wallet, please!), and usage in both English and Spanish.  The condoms themselves are wrapped individually in easy to open, gold foil packs with the LifeStyles and SKYN name in black.

You can purchase these at most grocery and drugstores, in packs of three or twelve, but at the moment EdenFantasys carries only a three-pack for $4.99.  I do wish they carried the larger boxes.  And while we're at it, I wish that there were more "fun" condoms available in non-latex materials.  I mean, don't get me wrong I'm thankful to even have these, but it would be fun to have a little more variety.

$4.99LifeStyles Skyn Male condom by Ansell Material: Polyisoprene Buy from EdenFantasys

Speaking of massages...

Scandal in the Choir Loft is offering a giveaway for the Babeland Body Essentials Kit I recently reviewed!  This is a great kit, so go enter, now!! 

Plus you will have the opportunity to win a Jimmy Jane massage candle as well as other goodies if you submit a story to the Scandalous Massages Contest!

Strut Your Stuff

Question of the week: What do you do to de-stress?
I take a long hot shower and ask the husband for a massage.  Mmm...memories of the most recent massage I asked for when he whispered in response "I'm here to please you."  Lucky lady, I am. 

I do like to take a long hot bath, with candles lit all over the bathroom, a good book and a cup of tea by my side...but our bathtub here is a bit too shallow for my liking so I don't do it often.  I dream of a nice deep tub!

Babeland Body Essentials Kit - Romance

A few weeks ago I received the Babeland Body Essentials Kit from Babeland for review.  I actually requested this product because I was interested in trying more of Babeland brand items.  I had tried the Babelube Natural in the past as well as a Babeland Body Massage Candle and loved both.  Plus, you all know by now how much I appreciate a good massage.

The Babeland Body Essentials Kit is available in four different color/scent variations.  Love (pink), Delight (yellow), Pleasure (blue), and Romance (orange).  I received the Romance kit.  Everything in this kit is nestled neatly into a clear plastic container representing the color of the kit.  This makes it easy to pack everything back up and keep it all together, and is great for storage. 

You get a lot of bang for your buck with this $24 kit. 

The items are small, I would absolutely say travel size, but with each of these products, a little goes a long way and there is a lot of sensual and relaxing massage enjoyment packed into the box.  Plus it's a great way to try several different products to see what works for you and what you enjoy most of all.

The 1/4 lickable body oil in the orange Romance kit, is a delicious chocolate orange.  Ingredients include simply sweet almond oil, and flavorings.  I was hesitant at first because I don't normally go for edible/lickable products...they are just not my thing, so before attempting to use this I poured a little on my hand and massaged it in.  While I love orange and citrus scents, I wasn't sure I'd like the chocolate scent in a body product but I actually quite enjoyed it.  It gives just the right amount of sweetness to really draw you (or your partner) in for some kissing, while the orange keeps you energized.  The taste is slightly sweet and more of chocolate than orange to me.  I do recommend massaging it in well before licking though, because who wants a tongue coated in oil?  Not me! 

The body massage oil is in a one ounce bottle with a flip top cap.  It's size is perfect for holding in your hand and the cap makes it super easy to apply more during the massage.  The scent in the Romance kit is Orange Blossom and it is heavenly.  Citrus scents are just so clean and refreshing.  While the massage with this oil is relaxing, the scent is uplifting and energizing.  Perfection!  It contains only sweet almond oil and fragrance (I love that there is not a huge list of hard to pronounce ingredients with this!), and can also be used as a moisturizer.  I like to use massage oils to give me legs and feet a rub down after a shower because they keep my skin so nice. 

The massage oil spray was something I was excited to try.  I have several bottles of massage oil and sometimes, they can get a little messy when I'm pouring the oil if I'm not super careful and sometimes I do pour a little more than I need to.  With the spray, I can spritz just enough and never too much.  This is the pretty much the same as the body massage oil (the only difference is the addition of cyclomethicone to the ingredients) in the Orange Blossom scent, it's just in a different bottle with a spray pump.

I'm sad to say I really was not excited to try the BabeLicious flavored lube, because as I mentioned above, flavored body products just aren't really my thing.  I'm always leery of them tasting horrible or leaving an aftertaste and I worry about the ingredients in flavored lube messing up the balance of my delicate areas.  That said, I played with this and tasted it, but I didn't actually use it for it's intended purpose.  Sorry!  The 1/2 ounce bottle in this kit is the Chocolate Orange flavor.  Ingredients are  Deionized Water, Sorbitol, Cellulose Gum, Polyquaternium-7, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Citric Acid, and Flavor.  Water based, so safe for use with all of your toys.  This is glycerin and paraben free, and Babeland is a women friendly place to shop for lubes so I do feel confident that this would probably not bother my bits...I'm just overly cautious with flavors.  Personal (even if irrational in this case) preference.  It smells great, and it does have a pleasant (albeit slight) chocolate taste with just a hint of orange so it could be fun to use for a blow job though and I will probably try it for that at some point...I'm just also a little iffy about getting too much lube in my mouth.  Texture thing I guess (if you couldn't guess, I prefer not to swallow too :P  I will, it's just not my favorite thing ever, haha).  Does anyone reading use flavored lubes and want to sing their praises to me?

The massage bar is .5 ounces and almost looks like a little chocolate while it's all wrapped up in foil.  This is actually a full size product, I don't see a larger bar carried by Babeland.  It is very small, so it's super easy to carry with you.  It can slip into a purse easily and it's not at all messy (though it might become messy if left to sit in a hot car or something...though I haven't tested this out).  The scent is Orange Blossom and as I already mentioned, I love it!  I was very curious about this bar, and wondered how different it would be from massage oil and if it would be like using a solid massage candle.  This bar just glides across the skin leaving a thin layer of oil.  It's like the perfect amount of oil for massaging in and you don't have to worry about it running all over the place or getting onto your sheets because it's such a light layer that it absorbs quickly when massaged.  It's a different and yet pleasurable sensation to have the bar glide across your skin too.  Ingredients include cocoa butter, shea butter, and fragrance.  You could use this like a lotion bar as well, it is good for your skin. 

The final product in this kit is a one ounce massage candle, with the nice addition of a small box of matches.  The scent included is Citron Fig, and it is amaaazing.  I love it.  You can actually purchase this individually at Babeland and it will run you $6.  Burn time is roughly three hours (though obviously this will be less if you use all of the oil for massage faster than that).  I personally think that a little goes a long way with these candles, but everyone has a different idea of what feels good to them.  It contains only soy wax, shea butter, and fragrance.  I love the ambiance of candles and it's so nice to have a candle with more possible purpose.  I have previously reviewed a Babeland Body Massage Candle, so you can go read more about this romantic addition to the kit here.  The only differences would be the scent, size, and container.  This one ounce size comes in a cute little tin, which makes it perfect for toting around.  It can fit almost anywhere, it would be sure to fit in an already overstuffed suitcase or overnight bag for traveling and then as a bonus everything would smell nice, haha.

All in all, this is a fantastic kit and offers a great selection of products.  Everything in the kit works well together or on it's own and will give you hours and hours of enjoyment.  I wish I could have a massage with this kit right now.

Shunga Arousal Gel

Shunga's Secret Garden Arousal Gel.  One ounce of this pleasurable gel comes nestled in a beautiful box.  The face of a Japanese woman with stunning red lips graces the front of the box.  So far, of all of the Shunga packaging I have seen, this is my favorite.  Inside the box is a small bottle, with a twist/screw top cap.  The bottle reminds me a bit of a few makeup foundation bottles I've seen before.  I will say that the cap is hard to get off if you need to reapply and your hands are already a bit slippery.  Not impossible, but not ideal.  Also included is a paper with instructions, and a history of Shunga.  Both the box and the bottle are tasteful and I would not hesitate to leave them out where they might be seen.  No one would be able to tell what this was unless they already knew, or got close enough to read the tiny white font on the packaging.

As soon as I opened the package, I could smell the peppermint.  This ingredient causes the main effect in this arousal cream/gel.  The consistency is definitely more of a gel than a cream, though the packaging does describe this as a cream.  It is a clear gel that rubs in easily and cleanly.  It is thick enough that it won't immediately run off your fingers when you're about to apply, but it does melt with body heat.  It reminds me a bit of a high quality lube, though I don't think I would want to use this as a lube for penetration, I think it would feel uncomfortable internally.

Ingredients include: Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, L-Arginine HCL, L-Ornithine HCL, Hydroxyethyl Cellulose, Damiana Extract (Tunera Aphrodisiaca Extract), Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Peppermint Oil (Mentha Piperita), Vitamine E (Tocopherol).

The peppermint oil (Mentha Piperita) is responsible for creating the cooling, warming and/or tingling sensations.  Damiana extract (Tunera Aphrodisiaca extract) is a fragrant herb that stimulates blood circulation.  L-Arginine HCL and L-Ornithine HCL are amino acids that are known to work together to increase blood flow.  All of these properties work together to enhance the sexual experience.

When applying, I immediately feel a cool and tingling sensation that eventually turns to more of a warm and almost burning sensation.  It is not uncomfortable, but the heat is there for me.  The effect can be different for everyone depending on your level of sensitivity, and how much you apply.  I like to apply just a small dot to the clitoris.  Any more than that and the sensations become too much for me, though of course I would advise you to play around and see what works for you.  Shunga advises that if you'd like the effect to be more intense, to apply more and wipe off the excess, and if you'd like to build up a tolerance to the cream for a weaker sensation, just use more each session.  Shunga notes that for some women, it could take up to three consecutive days of using the product to experience the heightened orgasmic results. 

A bit of a warning, the Shunga Arousal Gel is not recommended for use by pregnant women or by people with STDs. Those who have genital herpes should not use this, as some of its ingredients can cause outbreaks. This also contains glycerin and parabens, which may cause infection/irritation in some women. Those with sensitive skin should use this product with caution.

If you're interested in heightening sensations in your Secret Garden with the Shunga Arousal Gel, you can purchase it at Babeland for $22! 

Go enter now!

The Toys for Sex Co blog is having a giveaway!

Four gift cards are up for grabs:

* 2 - $10

* 1 - $30

* 1 - $50

What are you waiting for?  Go enter!!  http://toysforsexdotco.blogspot.com/2011/07/giveaway.html

Random

“Real love stories never have endings.” - Richard Bach

I have such a crush on my husband.  I really do.  We have been together for about a decade and my heart still flutters when I see him (and given the nature of this blog...other areas flutter too! :P).

Just had to get that out. 

I should probably tell him more often.  I mean, I tell (and show) him I love him, of course.  All the time...but I don't usually share that I totally still have a giggling swooning school girl crush on him, haha.  I have this...thing...where I have to be "cool" and "indifferent," and I really don't know why.  It keeps me from speaking far too many of the things I'd like to say.  Something to work on.