Tag: Lizzie & Thomas

21

The cream of the crop

Jack's Floggers crop

What we used: standard riding crop
From: Jack’s Floggers
Material(s): leather, glass fibre
Price: £12.00
Reviewer(s): Lizzie & Thomas

A crop is a crop is a crop. Or is it? Find out what Lizzie and Thomas think of their newest purchase from U.K.-based Jack’s Floggers.

First thoughts

Lizzie
So, can I just say that my eyes were going all over the place when I saw Jack’s line up of truly beautiful implements at LAM (the London Alternative Market), which is where Thomas and I bought this lovely, lovely riding crop a month or two back. The quality of Jack’s products was abundantly clear but, not only that, they were all, without exception, incredibly stylish. This crop stood out to me, first and foremost, because of the colour – I’m a sucker for red – but as soon as I picked it up, I thought ‘ooh!’. Our current Bondage Boutique crop, the one we reviewed a while back, is now a little worse for wear and, lately, we’ve noticed the keeper has started to part company with the shaft.

Thomas
Like Lizzie, I noticed straight away that this crop of Jack’s looked and felt far superior to our current one. And although they’re both about the same length overall (approximately 27.5 inches from end to end) the leather strop/keeper on his design is much longer (7.0 inches at the attachment point as opposed to 4.5). Continue reading →

11

Did the Shimmy make me Swoon?

Swoon Shimmy and Drive Me Balmy gift set

What we used: Shimmy mini pleasure wand and Drive Me Balmy arousal balm gift set
From: Swoon (part of the Lovehoney group)
Price: £14.99
Material(s) & Ingredients: Shimmy mini pleasure wand – soft-touch plastic (latex and phthalate free) • Drive Me Balmy arousal balm – (99% natural): Cocos Nucifera Oil (Coconut Oil), Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Olea Europa Fruit Oil (Olive Oil), Simmondsia Chinensis Oil (Jojoba Oil), Glycine Soja Oil (Soya Oil), Camellia Sinensis Leaf Oil (Camellia Oil), Butyrospermum Parkii Fruit (Shea Butter), Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Parfum, Menthol, Brassica Napus Seed Oil (Rapeseed Oil), Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil (Crambe Oil), Borago Officinalis Seed Oil (Starfower Oil), Camelina Sativa Seed Oil (Camelina Oil), Ribes Nigrum Seed Oil (Blackcurrant Oil), Echium Plantagineum Seed Oil (Echium Oil), Bisabolol, Benzyl Alcohol, Coumarin, Amyl Cinnamate
Reviewer: Lizzie

 

The Swoon Shimmy. Nope, it’s not a new Strictly Come Dancing routine but a little bullet vibrator from the folks over at Lovehoney. The question is, did it make Lizzie want to tango? And was she Driven Balmy?

 

First thoughts
The Shimmy is the first new vibrator that I’ve tried out in what seems like ages (we’re talking calendar months!) and, I have to say, I was quite looking forward to putting it through its paces. That said, I haven’t come across a vibrator that’s really knocked my socks off for quite some time, big or small, so wasn’t getting my hopes up too high for the size and the price of this one. I do have a bit of a thing for lotions and potions that stimulate the clitoris, though, so was very interested to see how the Swoon formulation compared against my current favourite, Durex O. Continue reading →

04

Love in a cold climate: Pipedream Icicles No.1 Dildo

Pipedream Icicles No. 1 Dildo

What we used: Pipedream Icicles No.1 Dildo
From:  Adult Sensations
Price: From $29.96
Material(s): Pyrex glass
Reviewer: Lizzie

A few weeks ago Adult Sensations, who have e-stores that serve both Canada and the U.S. (North American Chintz visitors, take note!), were kind enough to send the very stylish Icicles No. 1 dildo to us for review. This is the first toy we’ve reviewed in the Icicles range – there are 42 different designs, last we counted – and the No. 1 is the initial design in the series.

 

First thoughts …

Lizzie
Glass is fast becoming one of my favourite sex toy materials. It’s easy to clean, can be cooled or heated, and has a firmness to it that I find really, really pleasing during use (more on the later). Needless to say, I was really looking forward to trying the Icicles No. 1 out.

I don’t normally buy ‘straight’ dildos – generally I opt for ones with a curve so that I (or Thomas) can better target my G-Spot. As such, the No. 1 was a bit of a departure from the path most trodden. I also tend to be a bit sceptical of ridged toys, often finding that the various bumps and protrusions don’t really add that much to the experience once they’re inside me. Would the spiralled ridge, which runs the length of the No. 1’s insertable shaft (which is roughly 7 inches long) be any different because of its glass construction? Continue reading →

26

Bodywise Liquid Silk personal lubricant

What we used: Liquid Silk lubricant
From: Bodywise
Price: From £9.99 for a 250ml bottle
Ingredients: Highly purified water, propylene glycol, isopropyl palmitate, dimethicone, cellulose polymer, polysorbate 60, sorbitan stearate, cetearyl alcohol, glyceryl stearate NSE, B.N.P.D, di sodium EDTA, phenoxyethanol, methyl paraben, butyl paraben, ethyl paraben, propyl paraben, BHT.

 

First thoughts

Lizzie
A quality lubricant in a decent-sized bottle – and at a reasonable price – is quite hard to find. On average, Thomas and I tend to replenish our supply of slippery stuff every two to three weeks. Granted, we’re pretty generous in terms of the quantity we apply to each other but it’s a pain to be constantly buying lube what feels like every five minutes. Enter the 250ml bottle of Liquid Silk.

 

How it looks

Lizzie
The Liquid Silk lubricant packaging is very simple. The bottle is a good size and resembles the sort you’d buy bathroom handwash in. I like that the pump dispenser isn’t the annoying fixed, squat design you find on the various Durex containers; it screws on, which means that you can unfasten it and get that last bit of lubricant out when you’re nearing the end of your supply. The lube itself is actually a milky white colour, which is quite different to many of the water-based lubricants I’ve used in the past. (The majority tend to be clear.) Continue reading →

22

Goodhead Oral Sex Mints: an easy pill to swallow?

What we used: Goodhead Oral Sex Mints
Brand: Doc Johnson
From: Sex Toys U.K.
Price: £7.95 for approximately 20 mints
Ingredients: Benzocaine (10 mg)

 

We’ve all been there. That uncomfortable moment during a blow job when he goes that bit deeper and your gag reflex kicks in. It’s not a particularly pleasant feeling. Enter Goodhead Oral Sex Mints. The question is, do they work?

 

First thoughts

Lizzie
Fellatio is not my forte. I always have the best intentions – and genuinely enjoy doing something that Thomas finds so pleasing – but man alive, my gag reflex is terrible. My technique has improved somewhat over the years and I’ve learned a few tricks to compensate or curtail it slightly (lying on my back with my head hanging over the edge of the mattress to give a nice, straight line to the throat, placement of fingers, angling my head to better use my cheeks, etc.) but I’m no Linda Lovelace. Not even close.

Goodhead Oral Sex Mints claim to repress the gag reflex with a mild anaesthetic, which, in theory, equals a bit of deep throat action for the person you’re fellating. Per the packaging:

 

‘Numb your throat to take him deeper… with less effort!’

 

Needless to say, I was intrigued to see whether they really would give me a little more, er, capacity. Continue reading →

31

Mawa Klamps: serious pressure for nipples and other body parts

What we used: Mawa Klamps
From: UberKinky
Price: £2.99 per clamp (discounts available for multibuys)
Material(s): metal (unspecified), rubber (unspecified)

If you’re serious about your nipple play, then these sprung Mawa Klamps may be just the thing. As Lizzie and Thomas discover, they’re certainly not for the faint of heart – and they’re not just for the top half of the body …

 

First thoughts …

Lizzie
If you’ve been following Chintz for a while, you’ll know that Thomas and I recently reviewed a set of Japanese clover nipple clamps and that I’m a big, big fan of them (and clamping in general). So when UberKinky asked if we’d like to review their Mawa Klamps, I was pretty keen. However, when I put these little beasts on the tips of my fingers after extracting them from their wrappings and felt how strong they were, I started to get a bit nervous! Continue reading →

24

Bliss for bottoms: Beginners Basic Anal Beads

What we used: Beginners Basic Anal Beads (purple)
From: Lovehoney
Price: £6.99
Material(s): PVC

 

If you’re new to anal play, this review may be for you. Lizzie and Thomas roadtest a set of anal beads from Lovehoney’s Beginners Basic range.

 

First thoughts …

Lizzie
Anal toys. There are so many to choose from. Plugs, beads, dildos, hooks – from the small and slender to the eye-wateringly enormous, the choice can be both overwhelming and daunting. Although Thomas and I have played with butt plugs and anal dildos in the past, we’ve never owned a set of anal beads. These were unchartered territory. We’d heard lots of good things about them, though – in particular the effects they have when extracted at the point of orgasm. So this little sex toy road-trip was quite exciting for us – and a product orientated towards first-time users seemed a logical place to kick off our adventure.

Thomas
I’d never used anal beads before but I had heard many a story of their effectiveness when extracted during an orgasm. Since these anal beads are quite a small toy (in butt terms) I was interested to see if their performance would equal their reputation. Continue reading →

15

A touch of glass: the Spartacus Smooth G-Spot Dildo

What we used: Smooth G-Spot Glass Dildo with finger loop
From: Spartacus
Price: From £29.99
Material(s): lead free borosilicate glass

Dildos don’t vibrate, but they do have their charms … Lizzie and Thomas play with the Smooth G-Spot Glass Dildo from Spartacus.

First thoughts …

Lizzie
A couple of months ago, Thomas and I had a major toy box clean out. We threw out a load of stuff – things that we’d bought and didn’t like, mostly, but also some toys that we’d enjoyed and thought were past their use-by date. Amongst them, a monstrously large dildo that Thomas purchased for me as a birthday present. It was an awful, flesh-coloured thing that was eye-wateringly large (he didn’t check the size properly before ordering it – or so he told me) and smelled strongly of latex. So strongly, in fact, you could smell it halfway across the room if the lid on our toy box wasn’t shut properly. Still, we had quite a bit of fun with it before it was eventually consigned to the dustbin, although I can’t say it really sold me on dildos generally; vibrators always seemed to have far more to offer. Needless to say, I was pretty ambivalent about the Spartacus Smooth G-Spot Dildo. Turns out, I grossly underestimated what a well-designed, well-made toy could do for me. Continue reading →

04

The Wartenberg pinwheel: the sharp edge of sensation play

What we used: Wartenberg pinwheel
From: Bondara
Price: £8.99
Material(s): Stainless steel

The Wartenberg pinwheel, while originally invented as a medical device for neurological use has become something of a BDSM staple over the years. So what does one feel like? Should you be afraid of those rather sharp looking spikes? Lizzie and Thomas find out.

 

First thoughts …

Lizzie
I’ve wanted to try a Wartenberg pinwheel for ages but, for various reasons, Thomas and I just never seemed to get around to purchasing one. As you’ve probably gathered from my previous toy reviews, I’m not averse to a bit of pain during sex but, on balance, my experience runs to impact and pressure toys (such as floggers, paddles and clamps), so anything sharp has the power to make me shiver a little. Continue reading →

03

A floral milestone

I can’t quite believe it but Behind the Chintz Curtain has been live for three months as of today.

Nearly 3,000 of you have visited since the first post went up and every day, more and more of you stop by. So a massive ‘thank you’ to all my regulars, and a warm ‘hello’ to those who are here for the first time.

Sixty posts in (this is number sixty one) and guess what the most popular entry has been so far? No real surprise – it’s Lizzie’s Fifty Shades of Grey-inspired review of jiggle balls, which is sitting at the top of the pile with over 500 pageviews. But I think E.L. James’s ben was may be in for a bit of competition; also making appearances in the top ten, C is for clitoris, c is for clip and the wonderfully erotic Victorian birching story, Uncle Charles’ Girls by Anne Randolph. (Clearly, there’s call for more toys in the Toy Box and some red-bottomed literature!) Continue reading →