Friday 11 May 2012

Review: Durex Love Box

I bought Waz and I a Durex Love Box each a few weeks ago. Since then, they've become a staple in our bags. We don't use condoms together but do so religiously when sleeping with others outside our relationship, both for STI protection and an extra layer of pregnancy protection.

We're not especially loyal to any one brand of condom, preferring to buy whatever appeals or is on offer at the time - provided it's kite marked of course - so what really attracted us to this product was the tins rather than the included condoms.

The tins themselves come in a variety of colours and styles - eight are offered at Lovehoney, styles are selected at random - which means for us as we have two different tins we know which tin is ours.

The tins are nice and sturdy so far, not showing any signs of damage. A big part of why we bought these was due to the fact that condoms kept in wallets or purses run the risk of damage over any length of time, so to carry some on us the majority of the time without that risk was a real benefit.


The tins come with three durex condoms in them already, and a small informational leaflet which explains more about the love boxes. Once this leaflet is removed, I have found up to five condoms will fit in the box - though this is highly dependent on brand and style as some (for example Skyns) are thicker packets. 

The bottom line is that I'd recommend anyone who uses condoms on a regular or semi-regular basis would benefit from the reassurance having your protection protected brings!

The Durex Love Box is available at Lovehoney for £3.49 and comes with three condoms.

NK x

Wednesday 9 May 2012

Review: Lovehoney Bondage Boutique Wrapped Rattan Cane


We got this cane some time ago, in fact it was actually our first forray into the caning world! We selected the Bondage Boutique Wrapped Rattan Cane as our first cane for a number of reasons.

Firstly, it is an inexpensive item costing £9.99 and as it is from the Bondage Boutique range, every purchase means more stamps to stick on your card - which then becomes redeemable for free spankers (we recently claimed two free spankers of our own through the scheme).

Secondly, as we were (obviously) at the time totally new to caning we wanted something relatively simple, basic and unintimidating. Neither of us really had a basis for knowing what caning was going to feel like and as such, something fairly average seemed logical. We got it in black, though it's also available in pink.

Thirdly, it being a rattan cane wrapped in a "smooth plastic coating", we felt assured it would be fairly study and shouldn't splinter or break - something that has, thus far, held true.



So, in use? I am the submissive in our relationship and while I do admit I like pain, canes scare me a bit! There's a lot of flexibility to the cane, and this allows a great deal of control in the intensity of the strikes. At 27.5 inches in length, it feels long enough without being unwieldy and the 0.25 inch diameter makes it a moderately thick cane (the thinner the cane, the stingier, in general).

It does have a slight bend to it over time, though the extent to which your cane will do so is likely to have a lot to do with how well it is stored - keep it bend for too long and it will begin to retain the shape it's kept in.

We found it to be a great starter cane, but be aware if you're new to caning - in terms of pain and potential "ouch" this is a significant step up from spanking or flogging and with any real force behind it, it will leave red welts. I'd personally recommend a decent warm-up first (spanking, flogging and paddling all help) to allow for the caning to have a touch less shock to it. The only real negative to this cane versus the canes we have subsequently acquired is that this doesn't have any sort of handle, and the ones that do are probably a touch easier to handle, though the lack of one doesn't negatively impact the toy in a significant way.

All in all, a good basic cane I'd recommend - especially to those new to the art of caning. Not too pricey, unintimidating and from a brand I trust.

It's available from Lovehoney for £9.99 with free delivery.

NK x