Lelo’s new vibe, Siri

A few weeks ago we mentioned that one of our favorite conscientious toy manufacturers, Lelo, came out with a new line of sophisticated sensual accessories. Well, we can’t keep up with them, because they’ve got another new product out, the Siri — and it’s got a lot going for it.

THE PROS:

Power: This is one of the strongest little external vibes out there (Lelo’s strongest yet), with 6 variable patterns.
Noise: It hardly makes any, which is amazing when you consider how strong it is.
Size: It fits in the palm of your hand nicely and is an un-intimidating accessory to partner sex.
Travel-friendly: It’s small and can be locked so it doesn’t go off in your suitcase or purse.
Material: Made of velvety silicone on the party end and ABS hard plastic on the business end, it’s non-porous, phthalate-free, hypo-allergenic, and latex-free.
Controls: Intuitive and easy to manipulate.
Rechargeable: No batteries! 2 hours of charging gets you 4 hours of playtime.
Color: You’ve got three to choose from (purple, pink and red).
Warranty: Quality guaranteed for one year!
Packaging: As with all Lelo prod, the packaging is beautiful. You’ll get a user’s manual, the warranty info, a satin pouch, the storage box, and the charging cord.

Read “the cons” on SUNfiltered

Okay, we know that the oil spill is BP’s problem, but that doesn’t entirely explain why so few people are eager to help out with the relief effort. It may not be the sexiest of world disasters, but a disaster it is. So here’s one way to help out: 20% of all proceeds from Oil Spill Condoms will be donated to help rebuild the Gulf Coast, via the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund. Oil Spill Condoms’ goal is to raise $50,000. And yes, in case you were wondering, the condoms are black. And lubricated. (The site is rife with cringe-worthy puns on everything from spilling to drilling. Let’s just leave it at that.) You can actually use the condoms, too, unlike so many novelty condoms: These ones are the FDA-approved Lifestyles Tuxedo brand.

Read the rest of this post on SUNfiltered

Lelo’s Etherea Silk Cuffs

One of our favorite toy creators, Lelo, just launched a line of sensual accessories for glamourous bondage experimentation, i.e. cosmopolitan kink, tantalizing teasing, filthy rich restraint, etc. The high-quality materials (which come in cherry red, deep purple, or black) and even higher price tags will make your dabbling in BDSM seem less, um, unseemly. But if you’re gonna get tied up and be forced to moan like a dying cow, might as well do it in style:

• Etherea Cuffs: With silk on one side and suede on the other, these can be worn around ankles or wrists. (Around $45)
• Intima Blindfolds: Adjustable and made from 100% pure silk. Here’s a tip — tie on the side of the head so your partner doesn’t have to lie on the knot. (Around $55)
• Boa Pleasure Ties: Long, silk restraints with pouches of freshwater pearls at one end, and stylish metal rings on the other. (Around $79)
• Sutra Cuffs: Like the Etherea Cuffs, except these come with a bit of chainlink so you can play around more with freedom and restriction, while feeling a little more badass. (Around $86)

No matter what you use to play around with bondage, remember: safety first!

Read our safety tips on SUNfiltered

From the “why didn’t we think of that?” department: Salon recently put together a slide show of the strangest “Twilight Saga” merchandise out there — most of it disturbingly sexual, especially considering how little sex there is in the series (and what sex there is, as you probably know, is utterly disappointing). These are the kinds of monstrosities that get created when sexual tension doesn’t have a healthy outlet.

Read the full post on SUNfiltered

Bcurious available at EdenFantasys

The latest from Bswish, makers of the Bsoft and the Bnaughty and the Bgood, is the Bcurious (whew, that’s a lot of Bs!). And it’s been getting a lot of good reviews all over the web. It’s one of the few clitoral stimulators that’s rechargeable (that cord in the image is powering up the toy — it’s not connected during actual use). Here are some of the Bcurious’s good qualities:

• Pthalate-free. It’s made of ABS plastics with silicone accents. It’s not 100% silicone, which some descriptions suggest, but at least it doesn’t contain phthalates. It’s also hypoallergenic.
• Rechargeable: Charge it two hours for two hours of play. Chances are it won’t slow down as it’s running out of juice, it’ll just go caput like that — so make sure you’re fully charged beforehand.
• 7 functions: Low, medium and high, with four different patterns. You’re not going to get vibrations the strength of a Hitachi Magic Wand out of this thing, but for a small (5″ x 1.5″), rechargeable toy, the intensity isn’t bad.
• Quiet: Again, it’s not the Hitachi Magic Wand which can sound like a dying cow.
• Unique shape: The tip, where the vibrations are concentrated, can deliver pinpoint stimulation to your favorite, shall we say, point. But you can also straddle it so the tip dips in ever so slightly (though it’s not an insertable toy) while the rest of the toy presses against your upper vulva. Make sense?
• Waterproof: Though some say you’ve got to watch out for water pooling in the jack.
• Price: $79.99 — under $100 isn’t bad for a rechargeable toy. Think of the money you’ll save on batteries over time!

Okay, so the marketing materials for these shoes don’t specifically mention walks of shame, but we are not afraid to point out the obvious. Because the only thing worse than a walk of shame on a Sunday morning in a glittery short dress is doing that walk of shame in a pair of heels that are killing you. But who wants to hit the town with a pair of sneakers in their bag? Not to mention how presumptuous your bulky overnight bag might seem to someone you’re chatting up at the bar. Why don’t you just bring your blankie while you’re at it?

Foldable ballet flats to the rescue! These shoes — the brainchild of two young single New York ladies, natch — fold up (CitySlips) or roll up (AfterSoles) into a little pouch the size of a make-up kit. And that pouch then expands into a handy tote for your heels the next morning.

The squeaky clean marketing materials also mention that you can switch into the faux-leather flats on the dance floor, at a wedding, or on your way home from the office or a dinner party. But we, your dirty minds in residence, would like to induct them into our Regrettable One-Night Stands Hall of Fame.

(Of course, Lo would like to point out that you could do yourself and your feet a favor and not go out for the night in shoes that cause you actual pain, thus avoiding the need to carry around any walk-of-shame accessory in the first place.)

The two of us were just discussing the other day how some ob/gyns totally get that reproduction has something to do with sex and some just don’t. Ask one about Kegels, and she’ll happily stick in a gloved hand to see if you should be doing more of them; ask another, and she’ll look at you as if you’ve just asked about the mating habits of emperor penguins. Which is why it’s kinda cool to hear about Dr. Andrew Scheinfeld, the first American ob/gyn to sell sex toys out of his practice. (He’s based in Manhattan, not Peoria, natch.) The bad news: they’re not covered by insurance…at least not yet. The good news: “Dr. Feelgood” has partnered with a manufacturing company that makes high-quality toys that are not only beautifully designed (none look like scary medical devices) but that are also safe for the body: Swedish company Lelo (we’ve been long-time fans). He has them displayed in the therapeutic healing section of his office, but has his female office manager introduce the products to his patients (he thinks it would be inappropriate for him to do so).

Read the rest of this post on SUNfiltered

Fun Factory’s rechargeable Delight

What better way to celebrate Earth Day today than to experience those earthly delights that come from safe, environmentally friendly sex toys? Just remember what eco-qualities to look for when choosing your party stick:

• Safe materials: You want toys made from non-toxic, non-porous, hypoallergenic, medical-grade, pure materials. Avoid phthalates at all costs (those plastic softeners that make a toy wreak like a vinyl shower curtain or a new car). And just because the packaging mentions silicone doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a bunch of toxic additives. Look for toys made from 100% silicone, surgical steel, safe metal, solid glass, hard plastic like acrylic, or wood.
• Rechargeability: Consider all the batteries you’ll never have to use and throw away when you invest in a rechargeable toy, like Fun Factory’s Delight. Even better: the self-powered, hand-cracked Earth Angel vibe!
• Long-lasting quality: It’s worth investing in high-quality, perhaps slightly pricier items, because they’ll last much longer (which means fewer toys in landfills ultimately). The longer the warranty, the better. Jimmyjane offers a three-year warranty on their items (that’s an eternity in sex toy years!). Their Little line is also the only everlasting vibrator because of its patented replaceable motor system.
• Reputable manufacturers: In addition to Jimmyjane items, check out toys made by Lelo, Fun Factory, Tantus, and Vixen Creations, to name a few.

In honor of Earth Day, Eden Fantasys is having a sale on 33 of their silicone and glass toys, but hurry because it may end at any time!

• This post is a part of Sundance Channel’s Naked Love Blog
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The G-Ki from Je Joue

The G-Ki (pronounced gee-kee) is just out recently from Je Joue, the UK makers of another awesome toy, the SaSi. This vibe has got a lot of fantastic features, which is why we’ve selected it as our toy of the month. It’s:

• Body-safe — It’s made of 100% food-grade silicone that’s non-porous, phthalate-free, hypo-allergenic and latex free.
• Rechargeable — It comes with a magnetic recharger that just clicks in place externally.
• Waterproof — You can submerge this baby.
• Nice packaging — It comes in an elegant black box with a handy instruction manual in several different languages.
• Adjustable vibration — It’s got 5 different speeds, with some pulsating modes.
• Adjustable positions — The G-spotter head (the smaller end of the toy) can be tilted in three different positions, while the the slim neck can be moved into 8 different positions, turning it from a straight thruster toy into a J-shaped dual-action vibe that can give you clitoral and labial stimulation (with the wider end of the toy). It takes a little bit of maneuvering by holding the adjusting buttons down hard, but that’s probably it’s only drawback.
• Other uses –Straighten the neck out, curve the head, turn it around and try to find your PS-spot (on the back wall of the vagina, opposite the G-spot)
• Under $100 — That’s not bad for a quality, good-looking toy.

The G-Ki is available from our friends at Eden Fantasys.

Cloud 9 from Babeland

A contributor friend of ours, who wishes to remain anonymous, has a confession to make:

One of the oft-cited benefits of buying a sex toy online is that you don’t have to see or speak to anyone. You don’t have to interact with a real human, period. But what happens when you lay out your hard-earned student cash on a brand new vibe and it doesn’t show up?

It was a happy day when I opened the Babeland box and found the condoms and lubricant sample pack I ordered… until I realized that the package was missing the most important item: my very first vibrator, portentously named Cloud 9 (and, even better, bought on clearance!).

I nervously called the Customer Service number on the back of my shipping form. An automated machine picked up, with an official sounding voice. I immediately laughed, feeling goofy that I was calling a specialized sex toy shop. I pressed the extension and listened to some hold music. So far, so… normal. I can do this, I told myself.

“How can I help you?” a live representative said.

I told the woman something was missing from my order and gave her my customer number. She asked me to verify my name, and I did, guiltily imagining that she would somehow know my mom.

I blushed as I imagined her looking at her computer screen to see exactly what I ordered.

“What was missing from your order?” she asked.

I coughed.

“Um, the Cloud 9,” I whispered. Why oh why did I have to order something with such an obvious name? It practically screamed “girthy in all the right spots,” as the product information had claimed.

A few minutes passed while she checked the system. Finally, the lady came back on the line.

“So the actual toy is missing?” she confirmed.

I looked back in the box. There was definitely not a pseudo-penis-shaped vibrator in there. Unless it was a really disappointing specimen.

The lady kind enough offered to send a replacement at no charge. I thanked her and said goodbye awkwardly, as if we had just been on a blind date. And then I hung up feeling exceptionally pleased with myself. I had just demanded — and received — excellent customer with regards to a vibrator. I am woman, hear me… moan.