Review: The Pirouette by Pleasureworks

Say hello to the Pirouette!

 

This squiggly little thing is a vibrator for internal and external stimulation.  No butts, please- not only is it missing a flared base, it also gets quite slippery, as noted below!  The pirouette is a waterproof vibe made of ABS plastic.  It’s very hard, with no give.  The vibrations are medium-strength and the vibe uses 2 AA batteries.

This vibrator has a nice swirl shape that does make it feel a little girthier than its modest 1 1/8″ diameter.  At 6″ long you’ve got some room to hang out with your hand, but not much.

 

 

The Pirouette turns on with a twist of the bottom piece, and you can twist up or down to control the level of intensity.  This is a two-handed maneuver, which I am not wild about.  Because the Pirouette is sold out right now (more in stock soon!) I had guessed the price of this toy to be $25 and it turns out to be only $18, which is a pretty good deal. Still, as you may be able to tell from my lack of exclamation points, this vibe didn’t wow me.  It’s kind of nothing special- none of those features that draw me in.  I like g-spot stimulation, or girth, or lovely texture, or interesting vibration patterns, or novelty.  This toy was just kind of… meh.

After being spoiled by silicone, stainless steel, and glass, I just don’t love the feeling of plastic on my skin.  My biggest complaint, however, was that after some thrusting paired with clit stimulation with my hitachi, this toy got so slippery I had trouble holding onto it.  Turning the power up, down, or off was a full-stop two-handed ordeal, which was pretty disruptive to my masturbatory flow.  My vagina does tend to run on the lubier side, so this may not be a problem for everyone.  Also, do note that this toy doesn’t need a ton of lubrication to feel nice, which is a plus!

 

 

A helpful re-design would have ridges around the base for help gripping, or something that is easier to navigate with one hand.

I totally dig beginner-friendly toys that are less expensive (and therefore less of a commitment.)  But it can be tricky to find good toys at affordable prices!  This brings me to a point that you know I’m all passionate about.  Cheaper toys are not inherently bad!  BUT- if you’re looking for something inexpensive, please be careful about what it’s made of.  In my early days of vibration exploration, I went to my seedy local sex shop and got a toy that, in retrospect, was made of super unhealthy jelly plastic.  But here’s where shit gets political, dearies.  I only review and bring to you toys that are safe (like this one!) and are from reputable stores whose mission it is to stock safe toys.  The good news about Good Vibes?  Literally anything you could get there is made to be ok for your bod.  They’re nitpicky about it because it’s important, and I hope you’ll be careful with your body too.  (Or throw a condom over your jelly toy.)  For more on this rant, you can read my manifesto here.

I know the words “beginner toy” are kind of taboo in the reviewing scene and for good reason.  All bodies work differently, and what gets you off might be different than what gets me off!  “Seasoned” vaginas do not all prefer super strong vibrations, or curves, or whatever.  That’s not a thing.  If you find something that you like, more power to you!  When I say “beginner-friendly toys” here, I’m talking about toys that aren’t super pricey, and are good to explore with.  I wouldn’t recommend some of my favorite toys to beginners- the Hitachi Magic Wand or the Pure Wand, for example- because the Hitachi could be too strong and could make someone think toys aren’t what their bodies like, and the Pure Wand has a strong and firm g-spot curve that some folks find is uncomfortable on their pelvic bones.  Purchases like those make more sense if you’re sure that’s what your body is looking for.   But if you’re looking for a first-time toy, or if you’re re-exploring what your body responds to (because bodies do change over time!)  I would recommend less expensive toys- and different toys than this one.  It’s not actively bad in a huge way (though the control really does bug me), it’s just not really anything special, and it’s kind of difficult to use.  And there are LOTS of other special toys out there, of all price ranges.  Good Vibes even put them together on a page for you, because they love you!  May I recommend the Purple Passion for good multi-speed clit vibration that changes with the push of a button, or the Dreamy-G for g-spot stim that’ll really get you going?  Or you can check out this post about good beginner toys.

 

Sorry, Pirouette.  You might be right for some people, but you weren’t a match for me.  2 out of 5 stars.

Thank you, Good Vibes, for sending me this toy in exchange for an open and honest review!

Review: Butterfly Bliss

Introducing: The Butterfly Bliss!

I’ve seen this vibe before and it was never really one that appealed to me much.  As a lady who enjoys the feeling of fullness, the thumb-sized knob of the butterfly bliss never called to me.  Furthermore, it’s been years since I’ve used a battery-powered vibe.  I tend to go for the convenience and green-ness of rechargeables.  That being said, as a sex toy reviewing veteran returning to the scene, I’ve realized I’ve been in a sex toy rut and am ready to give things a new go.  Bodies and pleasure change, and it’s always good to circle back every few years to revisit sensations!

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised!  Andy, my friendly Good Vibes affiliate contact, sent me over this vibe and a Pirouette (review to come) along with a little personalized note and some lubes, because he is adorable.  Here it is with the dino, for scale:

Stats-wise, this is a silicone vibrator powered by 2 AAA batteries.  It’s waterproof and phthalate free and has an insertable tip of 2 3/4″ by 1 1/8″ (aka, Not Enough For Kate’s Cavernous Vagina.)  Different vaginas like different things.  Mine is all about HEAVY g-spot action, cervix nuzzling, and stretching.  This is not a toy for that kind of thing.  The bulb on the insertable part of this toy does give a nice gentle fullness in the sensitive lower part of the vagina, but I found myself mashing it into me to try to get the fullness 2 fingers would provide.

The wings and antennae are intended to tickle and buzz against the clitoris.  For me, they did a little- but the buzzy vibrations numbed me pretty quickly and I had better luck grinding my clit against the textured body part of the butterfly.

 

I experimented with different motions- rocking, swirling, pumping- and found a rocking motion worked best for me.  The vibrations were stronger than I expected.  Unfortunately, they were not enough to get me off completely.  To be fair, I’ve been using a hitachi a lot lately!  However, the squishiness of the silicone (which, BTW, is body-friendly and awesome) enabled me to maneuver things around and use another vibe on my clit without pinching my skin, which was good.  I also liked the one-touch power supply- which cycles through 3 levels of power at the touch of a button.

 

 

This toy is not the noisiest, but it does make some noise.  I tend to vibe out (!) under the covers and once my nighttime noise machine is on, and this was not audible over that.

This would be a really good beginner vibe for someone.  It’s versatile- it can be used for penetration or clit stim or both.  It’s very reasonably priced at $28, which is pretty great for a silicone toy.  It’s body-safe, which is a great way to start off on the right foot!  It’s quiet enough, and also waterproof for added noise protection (showergasms!) for those living with roommates or parents.  Also it’s not huge, and it’s cute.

My one major beef with this vibe is that the ridges and highly textured surface make it obnoxious to clean.  My typical toy-cleaning routine is 2-fold- a quick wipe-down right away with a baby wipe, and then more thorough cleaning after the afterglow has faded with toy cleaner.  This butterfly’s ridges and wings and crevices require a LOT of attention.  Like, scrubbing with a toothbrush.

 

 

And I am too lazy for that.

3 out of 5 stars.

You can pick up one of your own at Goodvibes!  This vibrator was provided to me by Good Vibrations in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.  Good Vibrations, as you know, is a fabulous, woman-friendly sex toy store invented by vibrator fairy godmothers in 1977 that provides good quality, body-safe toys, all-body sex education, and general badassery.  I choose to review for them because I believe in their mission.

 

So You Want to Dip a Toe Into Sex Toys for the First Time: Nonthreatening, Inexpensive Toys for the Trepidatious

Hey there beginners!  This is the first in a series I’m going to attempt called Personal Shopper.  These are friendly, non-threatening, and not too pricey.  All toys here ring in at under $30, because I love you!

If you’re looking to try a first sex toy, I recommend going for something small and inexpensive.  The True Blue Kit is a nice place to start.

 

 

The True Blue contains lube, a vibrating cock ring, a basic vibrator, and a massage bar.  The lube is a really nice one- water-based (which means you can use it with any toy) and body-friendly- free of parabens and glycerin.  The vibrator is a buzzy insertable (for vaginas, NOT for butts) that runs on batteries.  To translate:  some vibrators are buzzier (more like an electric toothbrush) and some are thuddier (more like an off-kilter washing machine.)  Neither is inherently better- it’s a matter of personal taste.  Personally, I find buzzy vibes to be a little numbing sometimes, but they’re definitely stimulating and tend to be a little cheaper.  The ring can be slipped over a cock or a toy for added clit stimulation while you enjoy penetration.  The massage bar is a really nice way to get in touch with your partner.  Batteries are included (!) and the whole package is $24.  Not too shabby!  (Oh, and all of those elements are available for individual purchase if you want just one of them.  Click through the link and you’ll find them.)

Another fun, buzzy option is the Colorpop FingO vibe.  

This little guy is a perfect transition for folks who like to masturbate with fingers.  These vibes are easy to wear and incorporate nicely into solo or partner play.  They’re subtle, if you can say that about a jelly-sleeved neon vibrator- in that they’re just kind of a turbo-boost to whatever motions you were doing on your own.  They’re not very strong, which is what some folks are looking for.  $20, nice little toy!  They come with batteries too.

For boys looking for vibes, may I recommend the Man Eater:

This $29 little weirdo is a firm plastic vibrating alien.  Yep.  Basically you slide your cock inside his mouth like an ear of corn.  Some guys find vibration to be very pleasurable, and some don’t, but at $29 you don’t have much to lose.  I recommend lubing this guy up with some water-based lube and sliding him along the underside of your dick, focusing on frenulum and head.  This would be fun for solo or partner play- including in the shower, because it’s waterproof.  And if you find it numbing (I doubt you would) it would be a nice fun way to last longer with later play.  For added cute, you change his settings by pressing on his belly button.  Adorbs!

Also for gentlemen- The Tenga Egg.

  

I know these are a little weird looking, but trust me here.  Inside these plastic shells are little egg-shaped sleeves with fun textures inside.  You put some lube inside and slide them onto your cock.

 

The magical elastomer material inside stretches to accommodate your member, and the squishy slippery insides feel like nothing you’ve felt before.  Though marketed as single-use, these eggs can be gently washed and left inside-out to dry and used 2 or 3 times.  Turned inside out, you can also stretch one over the head of a Hitachi Magic Wand for a squishy, slightly dampening (in a good way) treat.  They’re $8.50.

(also available in a stylish Keith Harrington edition!)

 

And last but not least- some beginner butt toys!  Butts are fun for everyone.  May I introduce the Sidekick:

This is a nice silicone smallish toy that’s not too big and not too small.  The wide base keeps it from getting sucked up inside you (ALWAYS use a flared base!) and the wider bulb/ narrower neck means it’ll stay in your bum hands-free, so you can do other things while it’s in there.  Also, silicone is my personal favorite toy material, especially for butt toys, because it’s completely sterilizable.  You can even boil them!  Many silicone toys are pricier but this one comes in at $22-$24 depending on size.  

SO.  Be brave!  Go buy a toy.  Let me know how it goes!