Smartballs Teneo Uno

I love the idea behind kegel balls. A toy you can wear around as a reminder to keep your muscles in shape? Count me in! The problem I've always had, though, is that kegel balls usually come in attached pairs that are just too long for me to wear comfortably for any length of time. Enter stage left: the Smartballs Teneo Uno, a single kegel ball from Fun Factory, similar to the original Smartballs but with an updated silicone skin and handy little comfort features.

It comes in amazing colors, too!

This is a pretty sizable ball - 1.5 inches across - so it's not exactly something I can pop in unprepared in the morning on my way out the door. I have to be pretty turned on to start with to get it in place easily - which is a little odd for something touted for "maintenance" rather than part of masturbation. Though the silicone itself is soft and velvety, the core is rock hard, so there's no flex to the body. A little lube goes a long way to making this easier to use, but I still got a lot of resistance, mostly due to the ridges. But that little dip on the base of the toy? WAY more helpful than I'd ever expected. Having the indent makes it much easier to insert without having to worry about my finger slipping off and stabbing myself in my labia.

Another thing that's way more awesome than I could have imagined? The silicone string. It's soft, flexible, and not at all poky. The best part of all for me is that it's long enough that I can pull it forward once I have my ball in place and kind of "wrap" around my clit - so I get a little dual stimulation with every step. And when I give that little string a tug? Perfection. It pulls the Uno up against my g-spot and slides the string across my clit.

The inner ball creates small vibrations which are easy to feel in my hand, but once the ball is inserted they're not very noticeable. At least, not when walking around normally - more exaggerated hip sways get the inner ball really rolling, but unless you're going to be doing lots of belly dancing or hooping they probably won't come into play much. Where this ball really excels is g-spot pressure - I don't even care that I'm not getting the little rolling buzz because the shape of the ball is so wonderful. With the Uno set in just the right place, the little ridges rub and exert pressure across all the right areas and makes the ball do its job - it keeps me very aware of my muscles because squeezing them just makes it feel even better. It's not the effortless, "you'll do it naturally with no thought" type kegeling that the summary mentions, but I don't think any ball is really going to make that happen.

For the most part, I just use the Uno at home when I feel like doing kegels and playing tug-o-war. I get much, much more out of being able to squeeze my muscles and freely tug and pull the string for resistance. I haven't actually spent a lot of time wearing this in day-to-day situations, partially because it gets me very wet (which can be awkward) and partially because after more than 45 minutes or so it starts to get uncomfortable. I think it's just a little too large and textured for me to keep inside when I'm not already turned on.

Pleasurists #136

via MaleSubmissionArt
Welcome to Pleasurists, a round-up of the adult product and sex toy reviews that came out in the last seven days. If you like what you see and want more of it be sure to follow our RSS Feed and Twitter.
Did you miss Pleasurists #135? Read it all here. Do you have a review for Pleasurists #137? Be sure to read the submission guidelines and then use the submission form to submit before Sunday July 3rd @ 11:59pm Pacific.
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• Wecome Back S Spot Giveaway! Deadline: June 28th.
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• Tenga Double Hole Sleeve Giveaway Deadline: July 7th.
• Giveaway! Deadline: July 15th @ Midnight Mountain.
• Crystal Causes $12,000 sex toy giveaway & community fundraiser Deadline: July 31st.
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Editor

Scarlet Lotus
On to the reviews…

Pleasurists #132

Condom Garters by trajedichampagne
Welcome to Pleasurists, a round-up of the adult product and sex toy reviews that came out in the last seven days. If you like what you see and want more of it be sure to follow our RSS Feed and Twitter.
Did you miss Pleasurists #131? Read it all here. Do you have a review for Pleasurists #133? Be sure to read the submission guidelines and then use the submission form to submit before Sunday June 5th @ 11:59pm Pacific.
Want a shiny new toy? All you’ve got to do is enter.

• Win a Violet Fun Factory Share! Deadline: May 31st @ 11am Central.
• May Contest Giveaway – The Double Diver Deadline: May 31st @ 10pm Eastern.
• Win Blossom Organics Arousal Gel from Babeland.com! Deadline: May 31st @ 11:59pm.
• Coochy Shave Gift Pack Giveaway Deadline: May 31st.
• Flexi Felix Giveaway! Deadline: May 31st.
• Smartballs Teneo Giveaway Deadline: June 1st.
• Giveaway: Nosy Toyfriend Deadline: June 1st.
• Twilite Massager Giveaway Deadline: June 3rd.
• Delicate Illusions Plus Sized Swimsuit Giveaway Deadline: June 4th.
• $30 ToysForSex.co Giveaway Deadline: June 4th.
• EdenFantasys $25 Gift Card Deadline: June 4th.
• Crystal Causes $12,000 sex toy giveaway & community fundraiser Deadline: July 31st.

Editor

Scarlet Lotus
On to the reviews…

Fun Factory Click 'n' Charge Angelo

Ahh, Fun Factory - one of the forerunners in my list of favorite toy manufacturers. The colors, the shapes, the vibrations, and velvety silicone all combine to make some of the most interesting and versatile products available in the great big world of sex toys. The latest addition to my collection is the Click 'n' Charge Angelo (not to be confused with the older, battery operated model Angelo), and it definitely lives up to my expectations.

 Angelo's vibrations, much like the rest of Fun Factory's toys, are absolutely delicious. They're nice and deep, rumbly and strong, all wrapped up in a portable little package. The vibrations are stronger than any of the paired AA or AAA bullets I have, and though they aren't quite as strong as the larger Fun Factory toys (the Smartvibes), they do over power the other rechargeable toys I've tried like the Lelo Liv. They're controlled by the simple plus and minus buttons, with 9 levels of strength in all (though the first is so gently and low that I can barely feel it). After reaching the highest level, holding the plus button switches to the three vibration patterns. They're a pretty standard pulse, speedy pulse, and wave pattern. The silicone is matte, velvety, and generously layered over the mechanical parts giving the whole toy a plush and squeezable feel.

My favorite use for Angelo is as a clitoral stimulator. It excels at that because the shape and texture on the toy give me a couple options to choose from: the most obvious being the tip for pin point stimulation, the indented curve right above the tip works to cup my clit, and using the back side of the head gives me the option for more diffuse vibrations and a really smooth surface. Essentially, no matter what mood my clit is in I can find a position on Angelo that makes me happy. Since the tip is solid silicone (whereas in the body there are firm mechanical part covered by squishy silicone) there's a little bit of give and flex, but still enough firmness that I can use lots of pressure without bending the end sideways.

 As a G-spotter, I find myself torn about Angelo. On one had, the curved tip is easy to get to just the right spot, and the vibrations are excellent. The relative flexibility of the tip in comparison to the body isn't even an issue - it stands up to the pressure and speed I need for g-spotting. The so called "feathers" of texture on the sides of Angelo are enjoyable without being overwhelming and painful (which is saying something, considering how quickly texture can do me in), and add just enough extra stimulation to make the shaft feel a little girthier than it really is. Unfortunately, the way I feel most comfortable holding the toy while thrusting leaves me with my thumb right on top of the minus button. Nothing is more frustrating than accidentally turning down the vibration in the middle of play, and I find myself unconsciously shifting back to the "bad" hand position if I try and hold the end in a different spot.

The Click 'n' Charge system is a really handy feature, and I prefer it to other rechargeable vibes with an open port. It's nice to not have another little cranny to worry about getting dirty, not to mention the lack of a port makes the Angelo completely water proof. The charge cord snaps into place in one position (and it's not hard to find, the magnets go where they need to be), and glows red while charging. It can be a little finicky, simply because the toy is rather curvy and prone to rolling, while the charger wants to be kept almost perfectly level to stay connected. Propping the vibe up against a solid surface (I usually lean it against my alarm clock) keeps it from accidentally coming undone.

Astute readers might recall that I also have Fun Factory's Spring vibe. Though these two are quite similar in style, I do find myself reaching for Angelo more than the Spring. I like Angelo's slightly larger size, the more pin point tip for clitoral stimulation, and the curve and extra bit of girth make it much more enjoyable internally.
Also, it's orange. That gives Angelo about 500 extra points in the visual appeal department, because, I mean. Fluorescent. Orange. Vibrator. It's beautiful, bright, and fun. What more can I say? (Aside from I love having options that are so very not pink!)

Gush: The Official Guide to the G-spot and Female Ejaculation

I wasn't really sure what to expect from Gush, the latest in a long line of films by Good Releasing. Of course reading the back of the DVD case clued me in to the gist - some Q&A, some show and tell, supposedly all wrapped up in a hot and sexy package. Sounds like an interesting deal, but as it turns out it's a little muddled.

The main portion of Gush is the Q&A "talk show" with Dr. Carol Queen and Michelle Meow in a radio studio, mixed up with sex scenes that help to illustrate the questions Dr. Queen covered. In theory, it sounds like a good idea, but it made the questions and porn both feel rather choppy and disconnected. Though the questions were kinda-sorta related to what the performers were doing, there wasn't enough continuity for me to really get into the scenes before they were cut off again. I can understand why they tried to intersperse them, since the talk show on its own wasn't particularly interesting in spite of Dr. Queen's sweet and approachable manner of addressing her callers. Were her answers to the questions good? Without a doubt. She completely avoided saying there was "one way" to find your G-spot, or that you'd need a certain $200 dollar toy or anything of that nature. But the questions themselves just felt... scripted and awkward. There wasn't really a direction to them, and it definitely wasn't any sort of progressive, guided tour of the G-spot. If I didn't already know where my G-spot was, I can't say that these questions really would have done anything to help me find it. In fact I'd say Good Vibes online how-to article, G-spot and Female Ejaculation, is a better basic primer than the radio show.

The sex scenes and couples were just as diverse as I expected from the description on the box. The couples are Syd Blackovich and Sophia St. James in the first scene, then Mirabelle Hayes and Maxwell Silver, Jiz Lee in a solo scene, Dylan Ryan and Mickey Mod (a rather long scene with an "plot" intro and two different locations), and the final scene has Gloria and Altair Shadow. Being focused on the G-spot, there's tooooooooons of fingering and lots of G-spot toys to be found through out all of the scenes, as well as safe sex practices and lube. Though they're supposed to be instructional (I think), they kind of... aren't. They're closer to scenes of normal people having sex, without any regard to teaching technique. The only two scenes that really appealed to me in any case were Jiz Lee's solo scene and the long scene with Dylan and Mickey. They just seemed to have the most fire and chemistry (is it possible to say someone in a solo scene had chemistry with themselves? Whatever, Jiz rocked it.) out of all the performers. There was nothing wrong with the other scenes, per se, but they didn't really strike any chords and I just felt like hitting fast forward.

The extras actually turned out to be more interesting and informative than the main Q&A, especially the 25 minute clip "G-spot Hunting with Dr. Carol." It was much more what I was expecting to see in the main feature on the DVD - talking about the G-spot, women's anatomy, pleasure cycles, and various myths. There's also a 45 minute slide show with Sheri Winston (a certified nurse and midwife), where she talks over slides covering the detailed features of arousal and anatomy. The animations on the slides aren't particularly good, but it is pretty interesting to watch if you really want an in depth look at anatomy. The last extra section had cast interviews, which I thought was the most helpful piece in regards to actual experiences with locating your G-spot and hearing women's real experiences and physical feelings.

So, all in all, I think if you're terribly curious to see everything, your best bet would to be to spring for one of the stream-to-own options, or see if you can convince your library (depending on how progressive it is about it's sexuality section) to get a copy of Gush. The information is interesting and the extras are very helpful, but I don't think I'll reach for this DVD again for the main feature.

Tantus Little Secret Spoon

I'm a sucker for little battery operated bullets. Though I know they generally can't provide the strength or rumbliness of larger vibes, I can't resist the urge to try and find one that works well so I'll have something awesome for travel. Needless to say, Tantus' new line of mini vibrators, the Little Secrets piqued my interest - not a small part of that was due to the amazing colors of the sleeves, I'll admit.

Yes, I did immediately ruin the box with

my awesome package opening skills.

 I chose the Spoon, the fluorescent orange little G-spotter. Overall it's a little over four inches in length, the sleeve being about 3.25" with the butt of the bullet making up the rest. The bullet that's included looks and feels just like a silver version of the RO-80mm bullet I reviewed previously, though it is from Levett rather than RO. To quickly recap - it runs on an N battery, is rather strong (stronger than watch battery bullets, in the area of two AAA style large vibes), but it's buzzy. The vibrations are very pin point, focused in the tip, and on its own I found the bullet overpowering to use for more than a few minutes use.

My black RO bullet, the silver bullet that comes in the package, and the sleeve

The sleeve is everything I've come to love from Tantus silicone - plush but firm, with a shiny finish that slicks up like a dream with a drop of lube. The head of the Spoon is a solid blob of silicone, making the first inch fairly sturdy, while the rest is hollow and flexible (to accommodate the bullet, obviously), and it all transfers vibration very well. I tend to use a good amount of pressure on my clit with any toy, and I found that the head on this one tended to bend back a little while I was using it, right where the solid silicone ends. It was easy to find the right angle to keep it flat where I wanted it, though, and once in place it was perfect. The head provides a larger area of vibration than the bullet on its own, and it's more diffuse, making it much easier for me to use multiple times in a row.

Though the Spoon is marketed for G-spotting, I didn't particularly love it for that. It's just a little too small and flexible to really work for me - it reminds me of a slightly more rounded, flexible Lelo Ella in shape, which I didn't particularly like for G-spotting either. Things that are soft but very large (e.g. Vixen Creations' Buck or Maverick) work better for me in that regard, so I think for me it's just down to this particular shape not working with my anatomy.

Since the bullet comes out, obviously you can try anything you like in place of the standard issue one. The sleeve does fit quite a few of my other slimline toys and mini bullets, so if you have another little bullet that you want a sleeve for I wouldn't hesitate to pick up one of the Tantus Little Secrets instead of the usual junky sleeves. The Spoon sleeve also fits my middle finger really well - creating potential for an awesome Little Secret puppet show with its brethren - but more practically it works as a kind of finger-extension for internal stimulation, which could be very useful if you like the shapes and just want a little bit more from your finger banging sessions.

So all around, I really do like my Little Secret as a clitoral vibe. It's easy to store, and easy to use during partnered sex without it getting in the way. Also? It's ORANGE. I can't get over how amazing and vibrant this silicone is - I know that's a little silly, but I'm tired of everything small and travel friendly being bright pink and making me want to vomit, or black and easy to lose in the bottom of a bag. My little Spoon is a great balance, I think.

I was sent my Little Secret from Tantus Direct, and if you choose to buy one from them I'd definitely suggest taking a look at their closeouts for an awesome discontinued toy on the cheap. You can also use "NEATLYSORTED10" at checkout for 10% off your Little Secret vibe!

BabeLube Natural

BabeLube Natural is one of the latest and greatest water based formulations of lubricant made for Babeland by Sliquid. It's a lusciously thick type this time - described as a gel rather than the usual thin liquidy stuff - made up of primarily organic ingredients:

 Purified water, plant cellulose (from cotton), aloe barbadensis (moisturizing and soothing), natural tocopherols (Vitamin E), carrageen (linked in some studies to preventing HPV transmission), extracts of hibiscus, flax (healing and emollient), alfalfa, green tea (anti-inflammatory) and sunflower seed, potassium sorbate, citric acid (from citrus fruits)

It is also vegan, cruelty free, paraben and glycerin free, and contains no other type of artificial sweetener, which is nice for us particularly sensitive folk.

This lube comes packed in the same 4.2 ounce sized bottle as the smaller Sliquid lubes, only in a dark blue shade with a black cap. The bottle and cap are just as sturdy as the regular type, thankfully - the cap still stays closed no matter what type of jumbled drawer it's thrown in, and the lube dispenses easily without oozing out all over the place and gumming things up.

BabeLube Natural is described as tasteless and odorless on the site, but there is a very very faint hint of something botanical to it. It's nothing that bothers me, and it's really just a tinge of a scent. It's something I really didn't notice until I stuck my nose right on the opening of the bottle - it's not so noticeable once you have your lube squeezed out and spread around.

As for the most important part of all, the texture? It is glorious. This isn't one of those lubes that claims to be thick and ends up being just shy of water, nor is it one that goes too far in the other direction and ends up acting like rubber cement. BabeLube Natural hits the sweet spot - it's definitely a thick gel type lube, but it's so slick and spreadable that it works for everything. It feels cushy without feeling like it's in the way or muting sensation. Even better, it leaves no residue at all. I squirted a bit out onto the back of my hand, and made 177 circles with my fingertip before it felt like the lube was gone. It didn't feel like it was dried out and flaky; it just absorbed into my skin leaving it feeling nice and moisturized.

And for comparison on the number of circles I can make with various other lubes (just what I have on hanging around at the moment, all water based):

Sliquid H2O: 92
Regular BabeLube (old formula, 4oz tube): 96

Ride H2O: 146

Carrageenan: 84

So you can see my joy at getting this lube: BabeLube Natural outperforms even my old favorite from Sliquid, Ride H2O, which is a thick, gel-like lube as well, marketed for anal sex (though it's meant for sex for MENZ hence the MANLY NAME AND DESIGN RAWR). Side by side, BL Natural is a little slicker, and little thicker, and all around just a little better at giving the feel I like to get from a lubricant. It clings to dildos and vibrators just as well as it clings to living flesh, and it's really awesome to have a toy make it from lube application on the side table to my vagina without little drips of lube following the toy across the bed.

Upside down bottle, open cap - no dripping!

In my experience, this lube really only takes one application for a 20-ish minute romp. The addition of natural fluids keeps it from even thinking about drying up, and when I'm done it still feels rather slick. For something like a hand job that gets a good deal of air contact, or anal which just requires a bit more care, you might end up wanting to reapply just to stay on the safe side. Since it's water based, it's easy to rinse away with very little effort and I haven't had it stain anything it's gotten on (t-shirts, pants, or sheets).

From now on, I think BabeLube Natural is going to be my go-to when I need to buy more lube. Really, I have only one complaint - where's the 16 ounce size?!