Review: Cal Exotics Coture Collection Amante Remote Egg.

I was sent the Amante remote egg by Cal Exotics to review a little while ago and have been hopelessly tardy in getting the review up! Hell, I've taken forever to try it full stop, due to life stuff getting in the way (which pretty much sucks)...

This egg is flagged on the Cal Exotics site as "coming soon", and likely for that reason, I can't find it on any of the stores I usually shop at.

At first glance, the box is decent. It's a whole lot sturdier than the Cal Exotics boxes used to be, which is great. It makes no bones about what it contains, but it also isn't tacky or cliched either, so I'm happy with that.

Hailling from the recently developed higher end Couture Collection line,  what you get with this toy is a two piece set, consisting of an egg made of silicone with a stretchy cord, and a matching plastic remote which works up to 5 meters away. The egg needs two N batteries and the remote, a single 12v battery - both of which are comparitively rare and therefore a little more expensive than, say, standard AA/AAA batteries. However, California Exotics have provided the first set, so hopefully it'll be a while before I need to worry about sourcing new ones.

I found the egg to be really comfortable when inserted, and while I'd certainly be a lot more turned on than usual, I could easily go about every day activities with the Amante in. Turning the egg on (via the remote), alllows you to cycle through 7 speeds and patterns of vibration, and all are fairly quiet. I know of quieter vibes, but only bullets. Saying that, when it's inside, given a normal level of day-to-day background noise, I don't think it'd be noticed.

The speeds felt different enough without feeling wildly opposed, and they definitely got me off. I think where this vibe would excel would be in a public play setting or generally in partnered play. It would definitely be hot to hand over the remote to a significant other and allow them to give you a thrill while at the bar or in the cinema, and is a great way to enjoy the feeling of public play without running the risk of being arrested!

I can't help but also set my mind to wondering about the toy's applications in a D/s setting - if you enjoy that kind of dynamic, a Dominant playmate or partner holding the remote could get a lot of fun out of making their sub squirm in awkward settings...?

Anyway, all in all, not a toy I plan to use a lot, but one that handles the right situation really, really well. Not to mention being the most comfortable and pleasurable of the remote eggs I've tried.

Read all about the Amante egg at the California Exotics site.

NK x

Review: California Exotics Masseur Clitoral Vibrator

California Exotics have been working for some time on their Couture Collection and have added many more products to the line recently. One of which is the "Masseur", a clitoral massager-style vibe which picks up where the likes of the Fun Factory LayaSPOT left off. Available in both metallic pink and a sleek black shade, the Masseur is five inches in length, and a little under two inches wide, with graduated curves designed to hug the female form in all the right places. Coming in completely cringe-free packaging, all it takes to get going are two triple A batteries and some 'alone time'. (If you like... the latter is really up to you!) In use, the Masseur is operated via two buttons; one being the on/off and on to adjust the setting - of which there are seven in all. So many vibes I have used in the past would have been significantly improved by the addition of an on/off switch, rather than having to cycle through many options to get to switch off! The buttons are easy to access, though the natural flow of the toy means where I find I would naturally hold it isn't ideal for the buttons, so I have to make sure I keep my fingers off them! (This may just be an issue for me and for similarly big-handed folk!) The contures of the toy do mean, however, that it snuggles nicely in towards my clit, so I don't seem to have to do too much work to get it to find the right angle. The big flaw in the Masseur though, is the vibrations. I don't know whether it's an issue within the materials (abs plastic with silicone, so fairly standard?) or the motor strength, but I found the vibrations didn't carry enough for me. It's not so much the "I need a stronger buzz" issue, more that the vibrations were... there. They just didn't seem to be travelling per se. Being waterproof, it's a doddle to clean and the box is designed in such a way it makes a great little storage box for the toy. Personally, my verdict is that the Masseur makes for a great massager style vibe if you like unfocussed, spread out vibrations. If a directed 'buzz' is more your thing, I'd suggest looking elsewhere. The Masseur isn't on any of the toy sites I know and trust yet, but you can explore the Cal Exotics range at LoveHoney (UK) or Eden Fantasys (US), or explore the Cal Exotics site!

NK x

Review: Petite Couture – Patina Vibrator

California Exotics are a hugely well known brand, with a history spanning over 15 years, and are truly known for creating up to date, popular toys that really deliver.

The Couture Collection is a recent development, still being extended. The high quality toys look easily comparable to those fetching a far more substantial price tag, and you get the joy of dealing with sumptuous feeling materials, variable vibration, and completely cringe-free packaging! Hurrah!

The Patina is a rabbit style vibrator, but in a creamy, pure shade of white as opposed to the standard-issue pink, which makes for a great change. The main body of the vibe is made out of silicone (the finest, medical grade silicone, from Japan, apparently), and has a silky smooth texture and a firmness that’s just right – not too soft but not too rigidly unforgiving either.

Once you’ve popped three AAA batteries in, you’re good to go. There’s an on/off switch (handy if you need to quickly turn it off!) and two extra buttons, one to cycle through the 7 vibration settings (including a variety of pulses and speeds) and one for the 3 speeds of the all-important rotation that made the rabbit vibe so well known! The controller-end of the vibe is in a classy silver tone; all adding to a really high-end feel to this vibe! The packaging is every bit as classy as the toy itself, as shown in the pictures, and this vibe is waterproof too!

All in all, a great gift so far – but how does it perform? My first thoughts on this were good – the shape of the toy is great… it doesn’t hit my g-spot as well as the iTap G-spot vibe did, but it still feels damn good. The silicone feels great in use, and the rabbit ears are long enough to reach everywhere they should!

The vibration on the lowest setting is hard to hear over a running computer, and while louder on the higher settings, still compares very favourably to other quiet vibrators on the market. The thing that normally makes rabbits louder than their counterparts, however, is the noise from the shaft rotation. In the case of the Patina, the rotation is louder than the vibration, but considerably less than many other rabbit vibes!
 I found that in use, the vibration levels are great for me, and carry brilliantly though the silicone. I seem to get on best with the rotation on its “medium” setting of the three speeds, as the lower setting seems hard to notice, and the highest seems to rotate my arm more than the toy… But that may have a lot to do with how I “grip” toys internally? I’m not sure. All things considered, I really like this toy, and feel it has such aesthetic appeal that it would make a great gift for someone special ;)

There are certainly more "all singing all dancing" rabbits around, but as a good, multispeed rabbit with what is simply a great tactile feel, you can't go far wrong with the Patina! See what Cal Exotics have to say about the Patina here. (Under "Couture Collection") No UK stockists found yet for this vibe, but browse LoveHoney's Couture Collection range here. For information about the reviews found on NymphetamineKiss.com, click here.

NK x

EDIT!
There is now a UK stockist of the Patina; LoveHoney! Click to go!

Bargains Galore at Springtime!

I don't do that many of this sort of post these days, but I really felt this deserved some attention! LoveHoney are running a bargain week! I always love these, normally - as this time - the level is set at a tenner a toy, and some of the greatest little pleasure-givers are cherry picked from the LH vaults for some seriously bargainous swag. From the ranks of these bargains, I've selected the top toys I'd recommend you nab while they'll still leave you with plenty of change in your (electronic) pocket! First up, the Evolved Fleur De Lis Bliss Waterproof. I have, and love, the Evolved Waterproof Amore True Love Edition - review here - so I couldn't resist treating myself to another evolved toy! As I mention in the previous review, one of the fantastic things about Evolved toys is how gorgeous their packaging is - as you can see from the picture! There are a range of Evolved toys down to a tenner this week, so do check them out while you can still grab them at such a fantastic rate! Next up, the iTap Gspot vibe! Now, it really wasn't so long ago I reviewed this baby, and you may remember how much I raved about it. If you don't, go. read. now! I was lucky enough to be sent one of these little wonders by Cal Exotics, and really loved it. I've been hunting for a good gspot vibe that works well for me for a long time, with the rock chick decidedly not rocking my world, and countless other toys being fun but not really finding that magic spot, I was starting to give up hope and presume my gspot had enrolled in some kind of witness protection scheme... As it turned out - and was perfectly proven by this vibe, gspot joy is all about the angle. It's my presumption that this is why gspot toys seem to be love or hate entities, like the rock chick for example. It all comes down to our own angles! But if, like me, you've tried a few gspot toys and not made much progress... Try this! Last up, I wanted to mention the Mounty Realistic vibe. I don't own this toy, but I do own it's slightly older brother, which is a very similar toy in purple, though it does has less detail and is generally smoother. I mention these toys though, because I've read so many reviews of suction cup dildos and vibrators where the reviewers were disappointed that the toy had a really poor suction cup - which is often the whole reason they'd bought that particular toy. The appeal is definately there - especially for those of us who enjoy being taken from behind, or being on top - the opportunity to be able to replicate those delicious sensations seems to be offered - but with a poor suction cup, it's never going to work. I can't be certain about this toy, but it's purple older brother worked like a dream for me - with a good strong suction cup that's enabled it to travel around desks, laminate flooring, tiles... you get the picture! Anyway, happy sale shopping in this bargain week!

NK x

Review: Cal Exotics C-Teaser.

Okay, so as an aside I debated briefly with myself whether to post this as 'C-Teaser' or 'Clit-Teaser' - as Cal Exotics and certain retailers seem to differ. That and the fact I feel C-Teaser sounds a little more coy than I'd like. Still, I went for what the packaging states!

On to more interesting things! I'd like to quickly thank Cal Exotics for having me on board as a Sexpert with them, and for providing this toy to test.

This was actually my December review toy, so if you thought this seemed overdue, you were right. I keep having fights with couriers to actually get my pretty buzzies delivered. I'm currently repeating the process for January's toy! Upon first glance at the packaging, I was expecting this to be a more 'hollowed-out' shape than it is. The scoop shape which is designed to fit the female contour is actually quite a thick bit of pink, translucent, jelly rubber [apparently, it's TPR or 'skin safe rubber', regardless, it's phthalate free, which is the significant bit!].

I have to admit, I do feel the packaging could be improved, seeing as it goes for the 'busty blonde' route, however on the bright side, she's not in a metallic bikini, so it could be worse, I guess.

Saying all that though, we know better than to judge a book by it's cover, or indeed a sex toy by it's box, surely?

This picture shows the design a little better - the contoured jelly houses the vibe, which is somewhere between a large bullet and a smallish egg. It takes a nice, easy to find pair of AAs and is wired to the seperate control unit as you can see. One thing I was really pleased about was the fact Cal Exotics included an OFF switch! This may seem obvious I know, but so many manufacturers make it so the user has to cycle through all the options before finally reaching off!

I found the jelly teaser nestled quite well, with the form being a reasonably good shape. The stregth of vibration is about average, with 10 settings, ranging from really quite low to intense. I found that while it was enjoyable, and the shape made for a different experience to most clit vibes, it couldn't get me off on it's own. In that respect, I'd say the name is an excellent representation of what the toy does well; it's an enjoyable warm-up toy, and it certainly did that for me.

The main let down for this toy, in my opinion, is that the jelly doesn't quite conduct the vibrations as well as it feels it should. Perhaps it's just a touch too dense? Either way, I'd be curious to test a silicone re-make of this toy.  

All in all - a nice addition to the collection, but a toy best used for a teasing warm up rather than the 'main event'. For full product info, go to the Cal Exotics website Available to buy @ LoveHoney [£22.99 - price correct @ time of writing]

NK x

Review: California Exotics - iTap "G" Vibe

The uber-observant types out there may have noticed a rather pink box that appeared to the right recently; yes, the gorgeous guys & girls at CalExotics added me to their ever growing band of Sexperts! Yesterday I got my first toy from them to review, and I was pretty pleased to have been sent the iTap™ "G" Vibe (in white).

I'd had my eye on the iTap range for a little while; the standout feature (as may be given away by the name) is the way in which they're operated - there are no buttons on this baby! No dials or rocker switches, or anything similar.

The base is touch sensitive, so you just "tap" and go, so to speak! I liked this idea when I first heard about it, as in the heat of the moment a lot of buttons can be fiddly, and I don't have much luck with dials to be honest. The iTap range has other styles of vibe in it, such as eggs, wands and bullets (Click to see the entire iTap range) but in all honesty, I was glad to get the G vibe. I'm on a bit of an ongoing quest to find the perfect G spot vibe and I'm always up for trying another one!

When I first took it out of the box, I noticed the angle the G spot curve is at feels a lot more dramatic than many others, which I took to be a positive thing, I've not had much success with some other 'gspot' toys so I don't think the 'softly softly' approach works with me! The vibe itself feels velvety soft, thanks apparently to CalExotics "Velvet Cote" er... coating! Anyway, it feels really silky, just gorgeous. It's average length at 6" and fairly slim at 1", which is a reasonable size given that it feels more due to the curvature. Cycling through the options, I found 5 settings that can be ran through, though I must admit I spent more time on the first, lowest setting, than any other.

On the lowest setting it's fairly quiet, but as it gets to the higher setting or pulsing/escalating settings it's more noticable. I'd say the volume's about average though, and nothing a TV/radio couldn't drown out - but perhaps not one for times when you need to be very discrete. Given that though, it probably wouldn't matter if it was the quietest vibe in the world, I still wouldn't use this if I had to be very quiet... I don't think I could keep quiet if I tried!

My initial thoughts on the angle of the head proved fairly accurate - that feels divine rubbing against the gspot, and I really noticed the difference the coating made. Considering it only takes 2 AA batteries, it really packs a punch! Like I said, I spent a great deal of time on the mildest setting, and found that plenty strong enough. It has a great deal of versatility too, I used it for clit stimulation and found it worked brilliantly for that too.

My only major gripe with the iTap "G" Vibe is that in order to turn it off, you have to cycle through all the 5 settings. Not so bad if you're on the last, or second-to-last one, but if you've been hovering around the first one, that takes some tapping! Another small potential issue I considered was the probability of accidentally 'tapping' to the next setting when you didn't mean to, as the touch sensitive pad on the base is quite sensitive (about as sensitive as my phone's touch screen, if that contextualises what I mean?) - however I think both these issues are a small trade off for doing away with dials and buttons, and for gaining such simplicity.

• Excellent G-Spot stimulation from the angled head
• Velvety-soft feel
• Runs on widely available AAs
• Good strong vibrations
• Much less fiddly than other vibes; touch sensitive base

• Having to cycle through all settings to switch off
• Potential to slip and skip through settings

The issues are small enough to easily overlooked, and the returns ROCK. Easily the best G-Spot vibe I've enjoyed, and one I will be using time and time again. P.S. It's just technical-sounding enough to make any guy want to have a go ("touch sensitive pad you say, oh... interesting" will be the words you'll likely hear) - and if there is one thing better than a damn good vibrator, it's a damn good vibrator in the hands of someone else, doing the work!

 
A single point lost due to minor 'cons' - otherwise outstanding!
 

View all the info for the "G" vibe or the entire iTap Range @ CalExotics' website, UK readers may wish to buy @ Lovehoney for £22.99 (price correct as of writing)

NK x

New Lustings.

I do love the What's New section of LoveHoney. I generally have a look at it every couple of weekdays just to keep up to date with what's around, and to see if there is anything that must be added to the Wishlist asap! ;) I thought I'd post a little round up of the latest additions that I personally, find intriguing and have a bit of a natter about them! Inked Vibes from Cal Exotics: I saw these a little while ago on an international site and had hoped that LoveHoney would get them in! I'm not exactly sold on the pink one, but I've found myself torn between the white or black options... This is a vibrator that I can admit I am buying purely on aesthetics, I don't think they look like they offer anything especially new and different in terms of functionality, but they're just damned gorgeous! Vibes with tatts? It's totally up my street, and in all honesty if I'm playing with a toy that looks like Kat Von D's, all the better for it! Doc Johnson Discreet Desires: Now, my first thought when I saw this - and indeed the reason I've chosen to mention it - is the resemblance it bears, in my opinion, to the Fun Factory LAYAspot. That toy was discontinued at LH a little while ago, though. The main difference I noticed was the raised little bumps on the 'business end' of the toy - I'm not sure what they add to the functionality and I'm also not certain if the operations of the toy are similar or not, but the shape in general is very similar. I did think it looked a little more plasticky, though the white and pink colourway much less so. Definately curious about this one though, as to whether it is just the Laya by a different brand? Now, something else that confused me: Toy Covers Non Lubricated Vibrator Sleeves: The reason I say that these confuse me is this; what's wrong with a condom? We've been told for years now that if we're sharing toys or going from anal play to vaginal use with a toy, to condom it... Now, most people have condoms, and the price has improved dramatically over the years. Granted they're not perfect, but I don't entirely understand what the proposition of these is - an improvement on condoms? I'm guessing a better fit for vibes, which is good and all, but I wonder if the concept isn't possibly a little counterproductive - in that it could steer people away from seeing condoms as routine with shared toys? I don't know, maybe I'm reading way too much into this. Yeah, probably... Still though, if someone does know what the enhanced features of these are, please do comment, as I'm not being sarcastic here, I'm legitimately puzzled! Finally, on to something a bit more 'out there'- Belladonna's Magic Hand (also by Doc Johnson): Like I said, a little more 'out there'. For me at least. For a long time now, I've held a quiet curiosity about fisting, or rather being fisted. I have to state at this point that I do mean this in a vaginal sense, not an anal sense... (though never say never and all that..!) Thing is though, that I have quite big hands, as does my boyfriend. I've never been totally sure how many fingers he's had inside of me before, though there have been times when it's felt like quite a lot... Yeah, I know, kinda lame to not ask I suppose. Still though, I know I've gotten fairly far during solo play but these damn man-hands of mine interfere with that! So this is oh so tempting! The one thing that puts me off is that, well... it's creepy. A severed arm in my toy drawer? Hmm. Come to think of it, do i think of my dildos as being severed penises? Maybe the logic falls down there. I do find the arm creepy though.

NK x