Tag: review

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 →

24

Anal sex on horseback – is it possible?

Sam's Creed - Sarah McCartyI’ll rephrase that. Anal sex on horseback – is it possible while escaping men with guns, not falling off said steed and/or giving yourself a serious rectal injury?

Let me assure you, this is no idle thought. I’ve recently been reading Sarah McCarty’s erotic romance Sam’s Creed, and have spent waaaay too much time trying to get my head around the logistics of the sexquestrianism described in this book.

Yes, yes, I know it’s an erotic romance and therefore a work of fantasy, but when you actually have to stop mid-sentence and draw a diagram to help you work out what the hell the characters are doing to each other, then you know you’ve got issues. (Well, either I do or the book does – I can’t quite decide which.) Continue reading →

23

The cane; not just for Victorian schoolmasters

What we used: Rattan cane
From: Bondara
Price: £16.99
Material(s): Rattan (cane), leather (handle)

*Important: Canes can hurt in bad ways as well as good ways! If you haven’t already, please do take the time to read the Behind the Chintz Curtain Disclaimer before delving further into this post.

 

First thoughts …

Lizzie
Excitement and dread.

It’s fair to say that Thomas and I have been on a bit of a journey these past few years with impact instruments; first hands, then paddles, then floggers, then straps, then crops, and now, finally, a cane. We’d been discussing the idea of trying one for a while but had been gradually building up as we knew from all the research we’d done on them (and from playing with our other impact toys) that the pain level would likely be quite a jump. Additionally, because of their greater length, there was the worry that a cane would be trickier to control.

In the end, it was Thomas who took the bull by the horns and ordered  it – I was too chicken! Continue reading →

11

Play with me. Truth or Dare: A Game of Passion

What we used: Truth or Dare: A Game of Passion
By: Thrusti Kicki Grabbi
Price: From £10.79 (price varies by retailer)
Material(s): not applicable
Reviewer: Jane

I love games. Trival Pursuit, chess, Cranium, 500, Scrabble … But I have to hold my hands up and say that I had never played a sexy one before Truth or Dare: A Game of Passion. Would it feel contrived? Would it be embarrassing? What sorts of questions and challenges would we encounter? Would it just be a slightly jazzed-up version of the truth or dare gauntlet we used to throw down to friends as teenagers? But most importantly, would it be fun?

I actually bought Truth or Dare as a Christmas present for my husband and must admit it was quite fun watching him unwrap it. It took him a second or two to work out exactly what he had in his hands because the box is rather feminine (it’s predominantly pink and white) and thus it wasn’t immediately obvious what was inside it. Then he noticed the silhouette graphic of a woman spanking a man on his hands and knees with a hairbrush and started to chuckle. Continue reading →

09

Special Forces: Soldiers (Director’s Cut) – Aleksandr Voinov

Special Forces: Soldiers (Director's Cut)Title: Special Forces: Soldiers (Director’s Cut)
Author: Aleksandr Voinov
Publisher: Aleksandr Voinov (online only)
URL: http://www.aleksandrvoinov.com/special-forces.html
Reviewer: Jane

I’m not even sure how to begin describing this book, except to say that it is brutal. You pick it up, you’re entering a warzone – both literally and figuratively.

It’s the 80s and the Cold War is still in full swing. The Russians are in Afghanistan. The Brits are there, too. Unofficially. An August night in Kabul and an SAS solider is raped by a member of the Red Army. This single violent and awful act sets in motion a story of revenge, friendship and love between two men that spans, in this particular instalment of Voinov’s Special Forces saga, nearly a decade.

Special Forces: Soldiers came to my attention through the BDSM Buddy Read feature on Goodreads. From the comments of those who had already started it, I knew it was going to be full-on but I have to admit I was totally unprepared for the level of intensity I encountered. Just a few pages in and I was at once shocked, appalled, and totally hooked, as evidenced by my Soldiers Buddy Read ‘in progress’ status update: Continue reading →

14

The price of lube

The cost of lube

How much are you actually paying for a bottle of slippery stuff?

Over the past decade, there’s been something of a lube revolution. Where before we had pretty limited personal lubricant options (K-Y Jelly, basically), we’re now able to choose from a mind-boggling array of products – organic, silicone-based, water-based, sperm-friendly, anal formulations … The options are seemingly endless.

Recently, however, I’ve noticed that there’s considerable variation in the cost of the products out there. Obviously, the ingredients used in the different manufacturer formulations affect price (and a bigger bottle will, generally, have more of an initial impact on your pocket than a smaller one) but what are we actually spending, ml for ml, on the slippery stuff? I decided to do a little experiment and compare a random bunch of popular personal lubricants from different retailers, ml for ml. Here are the results, from least to most expensive  … Continue reading →

30

Reclaimed Surrender – Riley Murphy

Title: Reclaimed Surrender
Author: Riley Murphy
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave (08 February 2012)
ASIN: B0077ROL0O

A marriage on the rocks. A wife who longs to be taken in hand. A husband who wants nothing more than to recover the control he’s relinquished. Reclaimed Surrender is a fabulous exploration of what happens when the equilibrium is upset in a D/s relationship; of the havoc that ensues when a Dom, with the best of intentions, cedes to his sub.

Rene and Alexis Tanner are having major problems. Something has happened (I won’t spoil the book for you by saying what) that’s severely affected the level of trust between them – and it’s absolutely killing their relationship. To the point that they’re unable to relate to one another, to exchange power, in the way they both desperately need to. 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 →

14

Leave Me Breathless – Cherrie Lynn

Title: Leave Me Breathless
Author: Cherrie Lynn
Publisher: Samhain Publishing (06 November 2012)
ISBN: 978-1-61921-379-1

Can two people who, outwardly, appear so different have a future together?

I’ve been waiting for this, the third book in Cherrie Lynn’s Ross Siblings series for what feels like forever. Since falling completely in love with Rock Me and its fabulously tattooed and wickedly pierced hero, Brian, (apradavyas, anyone?) when it was released back in 2010, I’ve been sitting and impatiently tapping my foot for Leave Me Breathless’s release. Because there’s nothing I like more than a slightly left-of-centre hero – and Ghost (real name Seth) pushed all my buttons in Rock Me, despite his billing as a secondary character. Cue swoon.

Seth is the sort of guy most middle-class mothers give their daughters stern lectures about. He’s big, tattoos people for a living, is covered in ink himself, and plays death metal for a band named In the Slaughter. Macy, on the other hand, is your typically average woman: close-knit family, conservative, white picket fence. She even rides ponies. (Okay, horses.) Yet, despite their different backgrounds, interests and appearances, Ghost and Macy find themselves extremely attracted to one another. Even better, when it comes to sex, they discover they’re absolute dynamite. The question is, is their compatibility limited to the bedroom? Continue reading →