It’s been a few years now since I’ve written a ‘Mini Review’ for the blog, a category previously reserved for Toy Cleaners. But recently I’ve acquired a few items as gifts, that while I’m under no obligation to write about and that aren’t even really substantial enough as a product to give a regular review to, I still want to share my thoughts on. As such, Mini Reviews are probably something that will become a bit more regular on the blog now! First up is a product I received from Lovehoney recently to celebrate Sexual Happiness Week, the Lovehoney Oh! Bath Bomb.
The first sex toy I ever took notice of was the original We-Vibe couples vibrator, which has now been followed up by toys like the We-Vibe Chorus. Even though this was back when I was in high school, I remember it being a big deal and watching the toy break through into the mainstream (or as mainstream as a sex toy can be). I enthusiastically told all my friends how much I loved the idea of it, and tried very hard to win one when I attended my first ever sex convention that year. Despite then going on to work in the sex industry and review toys professionally, I still never got the opportunity to review that infamous style of toy that started it all for me. It certainly hasn’t been without me trying though, as numerous times I’ve had offers to review a couples vibe only for it to fall through. But here I am, finally, after all these years, with my first ever couples vibrator. It may not be a We-Vibe, but I was ridiculously excited to try out the Paloqueth Dolphin anyway.
If I had a bucket list of sex toys, a traditional style rabbit vibrator would have certainly been present on it until very recently. I’ve tried a few toys over the years that take their inspiration from the dual stimulation first pioneered by rabbits, such as the SenseMax SenseVibe, Adorime Rabbit and Vibease Esthesia, but until late last month I had never actually tried a design where the external arm included the classic rabbit ears, which is where the name stems from. So, in true reviewer style, after longing over one of these vibes for so long, when I finally get one I get two at once. The first was the Paloqueth Rabbit, which I reviewed last week, while today’s review is on The Rabbit Company Come Hither, which I received shortly after. Trying the two out at the same time was certainly interesting, as while they look very similar, they couldn’t be more different. While Paloqueth’s Rabbit is only a simple, low-budget vibe, The Come Hither is an expensive luxury toy with more than a few tricks up its sleeve.
It takes a lot to impress me. At this point I’ve been doing this for just under 4 years, and with almost 100 reviews under my belt (and many more sex toys under my bed), I find it harder and harder to be wow’d by a toy. But last year one really stood out for me, and it was a simple $20 rabbit vibrator. I’m talking about the Paloqueth G-Spot Vibrator, or the Paloqueth Mermaid as they’ve now renamed it. This toy came in at Number 3 on my Top 10 Sex Toys of 2018 list, and ranking it so high was not an easy decision. Could a simple and generic $20 vibe really make it that far on my list? Could a company with no stockists, that only sell their toys on Amazon to the US and Germany really be included? What’s more, myself and a few other bloggers experienced harassment by one of the staff members in November last year. I felt by including Paloqueth’s product on my list it would make it lose credibility, but at the end of the day my mission here at the blog is to give you folks my honest opinions: and honestly, my G-Spot adored this toy. Since then I’m happy to report that the company has reached out and apologised for the issues I had with one of their staff, and have offered to send me some new toys for review. If it was any other company I think I would have said no, but since this was the maker of a toy I enjoyed so throughly, I couldn’t help but accept.
The Hot Octopuss Queen Bee is one of those toys that everyone knew about and wanted when it was released. The UK brand is known for their innovative penis-oriented pleasure products, so when they announced they were working on a toy for the clitoris, it was a big deal. Not just for sex toy reviewers like me either, as Hot Octopuss have a fantastic marketing team that had even the general public literally lining up to try this toy. Just the PR for this product was so good that it beat out McDonalds for an award on it, which I can’t imagine is an easy feat. But when the toy was finally released into the hands of reviewers… the thoughts were, well, mixed. I’ve heard fantastic things and I’ve heard not-so-fantastic things about this product. But that only made me want it more, how could a product have so many different opinions? Due to all this I was super excited when Hot Octopuss got in contact with me recently to review it for them.
Back in 2017 I worked with a Chinese sex toy manufacturer that was looking to reach out to the western market. Their name was ZALO, and their products were like nothing I’ve ever seen before. While their designs weren’t particularly new, the actual appearance of their products were amazing, taking design cues from Versailles and Lolita styles (which these collections are adequately named after) to create a range of products fit for a princess, or even a magical girl if you check out their Sweet Magic collection. I promoted ZALO as a sponsor for 3 months, and spent every minute of it lusting after their products, but my tight schedule back then meant I never actually got to test anything. Since then I’ve heard nothing but good things about the company and their US expansion, with their newly released Queen Set winning the coveted Luxury Pleasure Product of the Year award at XBIZ Europa. So when JOUJOU recently approached me to review it, therefore finally giving me the opportunity to try a ZALO toy for myself, what do you think I said?
