It was at a sex convention that I first fell in love with adult products all those years ago, but while so much has changed in this industry since then, it seems conventions, sadly, have not. Walking into a sex con, such as Sexpo, today, looks much like it did seven years ago, and if anything things have gone backwards. With the vast majority of products being non-body-safe, barely any representation from quality brands or retailers, and questionable guest stars, I find myself struggling more and more each year to attend. But the thing that keeps me going is the thought of finding a diamond in the rough, and by that I mean the opportunity to scout out new local businesses that I might not have found out about otherwise, and then share them with you all. In previous years this has led me to finds such as the MiaMaxx Hand-Held Thruster and Cloudnine Hummingbird, and it’s even where I first met Geeky Sex Toys, who I now work for. But it was at the most recent convention that I first came into contact with a small business who I believe represents everything this industry needs right now, and that business was Deeper Blue Ceramics.
Prioritising Pleasure Giveaway!
Let’s face it, things are pretty bad right now. Whether you’re stuck at home, have lost your job, or are “lucky” enough to be deemed as an essential worker and doing overtime (thank you!!), it’s hard to imagine anyone that this pandemic hasn’t affected at this point. Plus, while most of us spend more time at home, it’s far from the days off we usually daydream about. Anxiety is at an all-time high, and with financial uncertainties growing daily, even the usual comforts of online shopping and take-away food feel out of reach. Most of all, this contrast between both having more free time yet doing less is bringing up feelings of guilt and inadequacy in the best of us, whilst things like self-compassion and pleasure seem all but forgotten. Despite this, staying in touch with our bodies and minds has never been more important, and even if it may seem like the furthest thing from your thoughts, prioritising pleasure is essential right now. As such, I decided to put this giveaway together to help you do exactly that, and so I’ve teamed up with the amazing folks over at Xcitme to help send their fantastic new Sym-B Sensual Collection to five of you lucky readers!
Review: Lovehoney Gyr8tor
If I had to name one initiative in the sex toy industry that I really love, I think I would have to say Lovehoney’s Design a Sex Toy competition. Launched in 2009, the contest is essentially just a way for Lovehoney to come up with new sex toy ideas, except unlike other companies who may just take a customer’s idea and run with it, Lovehoney definitely make it worth your while. Aside from a $5K cash prize upon your idea being chosen, you will also receive royalties from the product if Lovehoney decide to actually make it. In fact, you’ve probably heard of the Sqweel, which, aside from being the first product to win the contest, went on to become so popular that it ended up making its creator over $600K AUD in royalties. So yeah, the Lovehoney Design a Sex Toy competition is a pretty big deal, and if you ever have an idea worth entering I’d highly advise it. Anyway, the reason I’m talking about all of this is because today I will be reviewing the latest winner of the contest, which is a toy so different that Lovehoney have even gone so far as to include the word “revolutionary” in its tagline. Introducing… the Lovehoney Gyr8tor.
Review: Xcitme Sym-B Sensual Collection
Versatility is one of the most sought-after and important traits for a sex toy, yet it’s something that continues to seem out of reach for a lot of companies. Whether it’s creating a single toy with multiple uses, such as the MysteryVibe Crescendo or ZALO Amorette, supplements for an existing product, such as the We-Vibe Wand’s attachments or the Uberrime Tentare Tentacle, or a modular toy that can be adapted for alternative uses, such as the Ooh by Je Joue, in my experience these products generally never seem to live up to the lofty claims of their advertising. Out everything I just touched on, however, modular design is the only type that I haven’t personally reviewed before, but it is something I’ve always liked the sound of. I still remember how excited I was when the Ooh by Je Joue first came out in 2015, and how obsessed I was with the idea of being able to buy just one base product and then mix-and-match the attachments I wanted. Which is why it was so upsetting when I finally tested it out at a convention and found that the core toy’s vibrations barely transferred through the modular pieces. As such, when I was recently contacted by Xcitme about their new modular product, the Sym-B, I was both cautious and intrigued. The thing that ultimately made me accept it for review, however, was that unlike the Ooh by Je Joue and similar products, the Sym-B’s attachments have their own motors, which is a game-changer.
Review: Womanizer Premium
It always surprises me that despite suction toys now being my favourite type of adult product, I have only ever tested one toy from the company who arguably invented the technology. In fact, even that toy I only got a few months ago, and while brand new at the time, the Womanizer X Lovehoney Pro40 ultimately was a re-release of one of Womanizer’s early products, and as such didn’t really do much to show me what the company is capable of now. Still, even with that it was good enough to make it on my Top 10 Sex Toys of 2019 list, which is no easy feat. Afterwards it was pretty clear what needed to be done, I had to get my hands on one of Womanizer’s newer products and finally find out what I’ve been missing out on. So, after much consideration of the brand’s impressive catalogue of toys, I decided to go with one of their latest releases and current flagship product, the Womanizer Premium. Plus, since it has just been re-released in two beautiful new colours, Blueberry and Raspberry, I was lucky enough to secure one of these for review!
Review: Rocks Off Regala
If there is any product I am most weary of trying these days, it would have to be rabbit vibrators. It’s not that I have anything against them, but just that out of all other sex toys they have the biggest capacity for failure. Designing a product that stimulates both the clitoris and G-Spot perfectly is no easy task and one that I wouldn’t wish on anybody, since the distance between these two lauded stimulation points can vary so much between bodies. Toys like this need to be both flexible, in order to work for as many people as possible, and firm, so that enough pressure is applied to achieve pleasure, and that’s before you even start to consider the amount of power required in both arms. Due to all this, it takes a lot for me to put my faith in one of these toys enough to test it for review, especially since my G-Spot is typically not friendly to vibrators in general. So, when Rocks Off recently contacted me about their latest dual stimulation vibe, I wasn’t interested at first, but that was until I read a bit further into it… because the Regala isn’t just your typical G-Spot and clitoral vibrator, but rather an A-Spot and clitoral vibrator!