of Sex and Love

Maia Astral D3 Dong

Adriana — Mon, 13 May 2013 04:10:01 +0000

I’m still not sure about the naming over at Maia toys. I think perhaps something more memorable would help them out, and I kind of hate the word “dong.” But who doesn’t?

So this is the only dildo I was able to review for the company, but it’s also my favorite of the items that they sent me. The blue, or astral, is a medium sky blue. I also had a medium lavender, which I donated to a friend in need. For some reason, the box photos show a rather shiny finish, but this isn’t the case. This dildo has a satiny smooth exterior, which feels just great in my hand. It also picks up lint, but man does it feel good when I grasp it.

The shape is a bit more difficult to describe. It looks “twisted” but this dildo actually has ridges. If you’re looking at it from the side, they angle downward. There are four ridges, and while each is wide, they’re not that far off the shaft. However, you can still feel them quite well. If the contoured head, which reminds me of a number of Tantus dildos, isn’t enough to stimulated the G-spot or whichever spot you’re aiming for, the ridges will.

There is the slightest — and I mean slightest — G-spot curve. I find that the head works well enough for me, and the combination of the ridges and head should work well for most people. However, I can’t guarantee it. This thing is almost seamless. It’s super smooth, which is awesome.

The area around those ridges is the most dense of the entire toy. There’s some give but its mostly around the thinner part of the toy, above and below the area where the shaft is. All in all, I thought I wouldn’t like the size + shape + firmness, but I kind of fucking love it. It’s simple yet effective. It doesn’t require much from me, that’s awesome stuff, man.

To give you a better idea of size, we’re talking about 7.25 insertable inches, with a bit more length thanks to the suction cup, which sucks a lot.. in a good way. The widest part of the head has a diameter of 2 inches, but it’s oblong and narrower when you turn the dildo. Around the widest ridge, we’re talking about 1.9″. This dildo is on the larger end, and while it’s not the biggest toy you could ever play with, it’s certainly filling. The valleys on the shaft are probably 1.65″ wide or so, while it narrows to about 1.5 inches right below the head. This might not the dildo for the feint of heart or newbies.

It’s definitely the right toy for someone who likes bright colors, filling sensation and the ability to use it on a hard surface. Hey, that isn’t my thing, but there’s no judging thing. I find the suction cup provides an interesting hand hold that’s squishy and easy on the write. I like this, because the size makes it a little on the heftier side.

No matter how you use this one, you’ll need to wash it wish soap and water to rinse off any pesky dirt, lint or, as in my case, cat fur. Like every other Maia toy, this comes with a storage bag. It’s bright blue, to match the dildo, and soft and stretchy. Of course, you could store this with like material without worrying about reactions, but you’ll want to avoid silicone lube reactions if you like it.

I’ve seen this ranging from $27 to $35, and that’s a fucking awesome price. Plus, it comes in that windowed box. I like those. You know what? Go buy it, now.

Le Reve Rechargeable

Adriana — Mon, 06 May 2013 10:37:42 +0000

I have such a love-hate relationship with rechargeable vibes. I mean, you don’t have to buy batteries, which is awesome. Some of them are super strong – -also awesome. Being able to reach for a vibe and have it ready to go it great, but if you don’t use them frequently enough, they might die. Plus, when a rechargeable vibe does, you have to give it time to charge. you can’t just pop in new batteries.

Most of those things are fairly insignificant, and I’d be willing to overlook them if the vibrator gets me off and feels fantastic, but I just never know what to expect. This was the case with the Le Reve Rechargeable. It’s cute, but would it be strong? The answer to that question is ‘No.” Sad.

Let’s get this out of the way: this toy has the very sort of vibrations that I do not like. No, it’s not even an issue of liking it. They just don’t work for me. I need something more than weak and buzzy, but that’s all that this one offers. It’s a shame because I feel as though Pipedream is marketing this line as higher quality than other products. Fortunately, you can find it on Amazon for less than $30. So if you happened upon this vibe there, you wouldn’t feel quite so disappointed if it didn’t work for you.

The one thing that I noticed about this almost immediately was how similar it looks to this little mouse-shaped laser cat toy I have. The vibrator is the bigger toy — heh heh — but it’s got a similar shape.

Just add a little mouse face and, bam!, same thing.. sorta. This shouldn’t bother me, but it kinda does. The shape tapers, so it’s all about pinpoint stimulation. If that’s not for you, and it’s not my cup of tea, then this toy isn’t for you.

It does curve to fit in the palm of you hand or against your mons, but the curve doesn’t quite fit with my pubic bone. This might not be your issue, however. Nevertheless, the buttons aren’t positioned so that you can simply hold the Le Reve Rechargeable in your palm. They’re at the rounded end, which means you couldn’t just turn it around if you wanted a broad contact area.

Although the toy is small, the vibrations really are focused at the end, however. It’s weird how quickly they taper out. This may be due to the hard, plastic body of the toy. It’s glossy and slick. You won’t need much, if any, lube with the Le Reve Rechargeable. However, if you like drag ,you might be better off with a silicone clit stim like Siri. There is a ridge that I can feel going around the toy; although, it’s not seriously protruding.

The buttons consist of two, a plus and minus. They’re silicone and easy to find, even in the dark. I appreciate this. A similar soft silicone covers the charging port, which is on the port near the butt of the toy. You can see it just a bit in my photo above. This makes the toy waterproof, but I wouldn’t submerge it. According to the product page, you only need to charge for an hour, which is a plus. I’ve charged it once, but I’ve used it far less than that, so I can’t tell you — yet — how long the charge will last.

Operation is super simple, and while some places this list as “ten function,” I think there’s actually more vibration levels than that. However, they’re all quite buzzy and quite close together. I can find more difference between the sound output than the vibration output. Le Reve Rechargeable isn’t the loudest toy I’ve ever owned, and you should be good if you close a door and turn on a fan, but I find it to be a little loud for its strength.

My advice? Skip this one if you need power.

Get Nervous

Adriana — Fri, 03 May 2013 07:31:55 +0000

I am an anxious person. I am less so than I was during my divorce. In fact, I may be the least anxious I’ve ever been in 2013, save for a period in 2010 when I may have just been in denial. Thus, I tend to overthink things. I analyze them, and I have a hard time putting things on the back burner. I don’t even think that I have a back burner, in fact. I have to deal with everything right now. Of course, things that can’t be dealt with until the future drive me crazy.

I’m going a little bit crazy in this odd sort of purgatory space that I seem to be operating in with the bartender. I know that I like him and he likes me. He’s said that he won’t do anything with anyone else as long as we are having sex, which we are. The same is true for me; although, I haven’t said as much. One could assume that about me pretty easily, however.

But nothing’s official, and I’m not even sure what’s in movement. I’m just not much of a go-with-the-flow sort of person. I like to control things, and I know he wants to move slowly, but the purgatory is weird. This is especially true because we don’t see each other quite as much as I’d like, but I don’t think it’s possible, given out current schedules and transportation issues, for us to see is more. I’d be happier in this position if I saw him two or three times a week or knew exactly when I’d see him next.

So the fact that he’s been a little quiet has me getting a little nervous. He tends to pull away when he’s stressed, and he’s doing this now. I know that giving him space is the best course of action, but it’s difficult for me to do so. In the interim, my mind races circles, wondering if his stress has anything to do with me or if he’s lying because I’ve done something and he’s pulling away.

I don’t necessarily think that any of these things are true but I worry that they could be because I am a nervous Nellie like that. And I’m more than a little cautious after he stopped talking to me for no good reason for several weeks. So I may be a bit worried that he will repeat or that he’s cooled off since then or that the suggestion that eventually I will want to label what we’re doing has scared him off, and maybe none of those thoughts have any merit

But what if they do?

**Pat Benatar because she’s awesome. I will punch you in the throat if you disagree.

Jerk.

Adriana — Wed, 01 May 2013 07:30:20 +0000

May is masturbation month. I’ve normally given it an amused nod in the past, but I think I’m going to try to keep up by masturbating every day until my birthday. Wish me luck!

Silicone Personal Pleasurizer

Adriana — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 23:01:48 +0000

At taking one look at the Silicone Personal Pleasurizer, you might expect me to hate it. In fact, I expected the very same. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised when I popped in some batteries and I didn’t. So I will tell you why I didn’t hate it, and why it might work for you.. if you aren’t me.

This little vibrator is a lot like a bunch of pieces of crap given names like “butterfly kiss.” This one does not have a butterfly on it. Yay for that?! I’ve tried a number of these, and I didn’t really like any of them. I certainly didn’t keep them in my collection – gah! This is mainly because they were all made out of crap materials, so I have to give Cal Exotics pops for moving to silicone with this one. No, I didn’t flame test it before passing it off to a good friend who definitely needed it more than I did, but even some silicone is better than the TPR or jelly crap of yesterday.

One of the other things that I disliked about similar toys is how flexible the neck was. Tiny girth + too much flexibility = no good G-spot stimulation. Fortunately, CEN has also disappointed less in this department by making the silicone a little more dense. It’s still flexible, but you’ll get more G-spot stimulation with fewer problems. This is great for anyone with a more sensitive G-spot, but it’s not going to be your cure-all if you need a lot of pressure.

Another improvement is the longer neck; at least, it seems longer to me than I remember this style of vibe being in the past. The shaft looks something a little like a thumb, and while the whole thing is 2.75″ long, you can insert around half of that. The product page says its got a girth of 1.5 inches, but this isn’t true. It might be at the point where the clitoral stimulator is, but that’s not going inside you. No, this one is much more like an actual thumb width — somewhere between .4 and .75 inches, depending upon the location you measure it on the shaft. Obviously, the tip is bulbous for G-spot stim, so it’s thicker there.

And you know what? There’s one more thing that I don’t hate about his toy. This one’s going to be a shocker, too. I like the vibrations. I mean, they’re not earth shattering, but they’re impressive for using just two AAAs. The package says this has two motors, and it actually makes a difference. The vibrations are both stronger and deeper than I ever may have experienced from that power source.

There are only three levels of steady vibes and no other settings, but I think the vibes would be enough for some people. The downside to this is that the toy gets quite loud on the highest settings. It’s not whisper quiet. Sorry guys. Companies should really stop using that descriptor, period.

A single push button operates the toy, which is easy enough to use. An o-ring makes it waterproof, so you can enjoy it in the shower, and that would mean the sound output matters a little less.

Still, it’s not a perfect toy. The clitoral nub is directly at the base of the shaft, which means that if you clit isn’t pretty close to your vaginal opening, you’re SOL. That’s really the biggest downfall to these type of toys, shaft flexibility aside. And the nubs on this clit stim? Are kind of weird. I’m not really into them. I’d be just as good with smooth silicone.

So this isn’t the perfect toy for me, but it’s a definite improvement and better than I expected it to be. You might like it, and with an MSRP of $28, it’s not badly priced, either.

Fun Factory Through the Years

Adriana — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 16:26:01 +0000

If you were to ask me my favorite sex toy brand, the answer would undoubtedly be Fun Factory. I don’t have to think about it, and this has been true for literally years. My history with Fun Factory has always been a positive one. One of my very first toys — the Laya Spot — is a Fun Factory vibe. In fact, I still regularly use it, and after four years, mine finally died. I bought another one right away as you’d have guessed.

While the company has used the same basic buttons throughout the entirety of its lifetime, Fun Factory has made some changes over time. The addition of the boost button, for example, is one of those. One of the first toys I noticed it on was the Boss, while Fun Factory still uses it on the Yooo. To be honest, the latter is strong enough that I don’t even use the boost button, but it’s a nice option.

Fun Factory was also one of the first companies to create fully waterproof, rechargeable vibrators. The Sinnflut line, which is sadly discontinued, was strong and ergonomic well before its time. The charging cradle was almost perfect, but mine suffered a sad accident. If it hadn’t, I can almost guarantee that I’d still use is frequently. The current lineup of Fun Factory vibrators uses the company’s magnetic chargers. The G4 line, which includes an upgraded Tiger/Twist and the Calla, is both sleek and powerful.

This is one of the few companies that makes toys that I can enjoy either internally or externally. I also got my hands on the original Delight, a G-spot and clitoral vibrator, and while I lost the charger, I opted for the new design. I quickly fell in love with it or its dual sensations. The Curve is another fantastic dildo for G-spot stimulation, and I can’t deny that the Stronic Eins is a brand-new sensation that I quite like.

To top it all off, Fun Factory has almost exclusively used high-quality silicone for its toys, which come in bright colors and fun shapes. I certainly can’t wait to see what’s next.

Lovehoney Flash USB Rechargeable Mini Vibrator

Adriana — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:08:51 +0000

As a techie, I love that so many sex toys now charge via USB. Hell, I even stole the adapter for one to charge my iPod. As someone who likes a lot of power, however, I’ve found most of the available options to be pretty disappointing. I wish I could say differently about the Flash (aah ahh) but.. I can’t.

I can’t really write this review without comparison the Flash to Lelo’s Mia, which may be the first USB vibe I ever tried. I liked it quite a bit — and still do — and it’s kind of set the standard in terms of strength and quality. No, the Mia isn’t what you’d ever call a “powerhouse,” but it is designed well and is enough to get me off (when the damned thing isn’t dying on me! arg.).

So let’s start with design. This really isn’t that much different from a flash drive — hence the name — except there’s a soft, silicone tip. It’s has a gentle curve and tapers a bit. I don’t feel either way about this shape. It’s easy enough to use and it would work for many people. It provides pinpoint stimulation, which would better for me if the vibrations were stronger. However, I do generally prefer diffused vibes.

The shaft is roughly four-sided with rounded corners. There’s a single, soft button about halfhalf up. It’s easy to find and there’s tactile feedback when you push it. It’s also lit from beneath, so that helps if you can see it during use. To use, you press the button once to turn on and keep pressing to go through all the settings. You have to press and hold to turn off the vibrator. In my opinion, you have to press and hold a little too long. But that’s just me nitpicking.

The vibes are really high shallow, and this becomes even more apparent as you go through the three steady settings. It’s ridiculous and almost nonexistent on the “highest” setting because the frequency increases so much. I hate it. Seriously. I like Goffrey Lannister better. Then, there are four escalating and pulsating patterns that you probably won’t care much about because the Flash just doesn’t have the power to make them interesting. I’m sorry, but it’s true.

Another thing that really bothers me about the Flash is the quality. The toy pulls apart into two pieces, one plastic and one silicone. The area where they join just seems weak. I feel like if I apply pressure in the wrong area, the whole thing would just break. This makes me wary when I wash it. It’s supposed to be 100% waterproof, but I wouldn’t submerge this.

It’s between this area where the standard USB interface lies, and you just plug this into your computer or AC adapter as anyone with an Android device has one of those handy. This is convenient.. and it makes me really want to love the Flash and similar toys but, my God, they all fucking suck.

So this toy? Didn’t get me off. My clit quickly became “immune” to the vibrations that were too weak and buzzy. I opted for the Mia, which is much, much stronger and a little deeper in comparison, but it died. Sometimes I just want to insert batteries, you know?

Wartenberg Pinwheel Giveaway

Adriana — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:15:09 +0000

Do you guys remember when I reviewed my wartenberg wheel so many years ago? Literally years ago. Man, I have been at this gig for so long. And it hasn’t been all ups, but there have never been enough downs for me to consider quitting. Things have changed in a lot of ways that I couldn’t have seen coming in 2008. No one did really, but I’m still here.

UberKinky wasn’t one of the companies I was working with five years ago, but they’ve just started their program, and I’m glad to be on board. I’ve been able to hold a couple reviews, and this one will be for a wartenberg pinwheel.

When I first tried one, I was impressed. To some people, this device looks like torture, but it’s really quite versatile. You control everything, so if you use a gentle touch, your partner will feel a light prickle but no pain… unless you want them to, which is easy to do by applying more pressure.

It’s really hard to do this concept wrong; although, a few companies have modifying BDSM pinwheels to have more heads, colors or larger spokes. The concept, though, is hard to mess up. Perhaps this is why I am so likely to recommend them to people who are looking for something different. Work it into medical play, use it to build up to knifeplay or engage in a little CBT.

I hope I’ve got you considering and if I have, you should keep reading because you can win one. Use the Promo Simple giveaway below to enter. This giveaway is open to US and UK residents, 18+. If you’re experiencing issues entering your address, use a placeholder — we’ll get your info if you win. Make sure to check your email so you don’t miss out!

Wartenberg Pinwheel

Click here if you have trouble loading the form.

The giveaway will end on May 15th, and I will use a plug-in to randomly generate a single winner. The winner will be contacted by me via e-mail and UberKinky will mail the prize directly to the winner. Of Sex and Love is not responsible for delivery.

Just A Little Game

Adriana — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 09:33:05 +0000

Let’s pretend, just pretend, that I do anything other than dream — both night and day — about fucking you. Let’s not talk about the fact that I spend so much of my time unable to do anything other than touch myself just thinking about you. And we’re not going to acknowledge that those few briefs moments have been seared into my brain so indelibly that I couldn’t wash it away even if I wanted to.

I’m not going to tell you how much I want it, you. I’m not going to lay it out on the table, but we’ll both know it’s there anyway. It might be plain as day that even thinking of your name sends me to an insatiable state, but I know you know anyway.

We’ll just ignore the fact that I’m masturbating for you again, that the thought of you is only ever a heartbeat away. Tonight’s topic of discussion isn’t going to be how you send me over the edge every day without even knowing it.

You don’t need to hear the words coming out of my lips, nor is it necessary for you to see the words on your screen. Save your flattery and your compliments. I don’t care if you can’t forget about me. I can’t think about you thinking about me because, then, I’ll never get your out of my head.

Because, for just a little bit, I need to maintain my power, my dignity, my stance. I need to pretend that I don’t know that you already know. And as we’re pretending that we don’t know what’s coming, it will be electrifying when it finally comes.

State of the Porn Address

Adriana — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:28:06 +0000

A while back I came across this study of porn. I bookmarked it, and it slipped my mind until now. Jon Millward took a look at thousands of porn stars to determine things like typical bust size, name and race. The result was “Deep Inside – A Study of 10,000 Porn Stars and Their Careers.”

The six-month-long project resulted in a pretty interesting PDF and some awesome infographic. The full infographic would take so long to load that I cannot possibly consider posting it here on Of Sex and Love, but Millward did take time to create a smaller infographic about the race results of his research. Surprise! Most porn stars are white. Very few are Asian or the infamous “other.”

TeeThere were plenty of surprises, though. While you and I might think of the typical porn actress as a busty blonde, she’s actually a B-cup brunette whose name is probably Nikki. In fact, blondes represent about one third of the total porn star population, which seems a little like a stretch if you only exposure to adult entertainment is Hef and his crew. Nevertheless, many of those blondes are what we’d call “bottled.” In a recent post, I did talk about how Playmates are becoming both thinner and bustier. Millward’s research into porn stars indicates that the same thing is true here, and he even created a funny little graph that mimics the shapes of boobs and butts to prove his point.

Apparently, I was born just an hour too far to the north to make it big as a midwest porn actress. I’m probably cool with that.

The survey goes on to discuss the type of activities that most porn stars do. Facial and anal are almost a given, even if the same isn’t true in private bedrooms. Interracial scenes, which I feel shouldn’t even be labeled or novelized as such, are also done by 52% of women. I suspect the other 48% are missing out. Only a third of women swallow and half of them are able to squirt — but I wonder if it’ real?!

If you keep reading the infographic, you’ll see information about the most popular roles women play in porn:

Teen
MILF
Wife
Cheerleader
Nurse
Daughter

Can we say “Yawn” to most of those?

Jon Millward attempts to squash the commonly-accepted myth that most female performers only do a single video, too. It’s true that somewhere between 10% and 30% of women quit the biz after making a single film, but there’s obviously some who have stuck it out to stick in time and time again. Still, the average career is becoming much shorter. In the 2000s, men spend just four years making porn.

Nina Hartley, who does sex education now, has almost 1,000 films under her belt with about 200 different partners. Hartley’s male counterpart has a list over over 1,100 partners, though. This illustrates the chasm between the sexes, which I can’t help but wonder about. Is it because women are and can be choosier? Is it sexism in the industry?

Men have sex with an average of 45 women per year on film while women have 8 partners annually. The majority of the most “prolific” entertainers are men, and while they might have many more partners, Millward discusses how it’s more difficult for a man to break onto the scene. I find this true in an anecdotal sense. I mean, I know the names are far more female performers. I’m aware of many males, but I generally don’t give a fuck about them — pardon the pun.

There’s more insights and visuals over on Millward’s blog, and I’m sure he’d love some comments on Twitter. I just found this too interesting to pass up talking about, even if I have little to add myself.