Coming soon! Scarlet’s Letter Holiday Gift Guide 2011 will run between November and December, and will be filled with quality sex toy suggestions, adult products, hot toy picks, along with a few giveaways! Stay tuned.

I’m shocked. I’m pleasantly surprised. I actually like and approve of a Pipedream toy! I’m the first to admit that I can be a toy snob, it’s not that I only like luxury brands, thats not true, I only like quality brands. I’m all for affordable brands, it’s just that most of the popular mass produced toy brands on the market have proven disappointing in performance as well as toy material quality. When I found out that Pipedream came out with their own line of steel sex toys, I checked out the designs, and while a few of them definitely reminded me of some Njoy designs, I definitely wanted to give the new collection a go and see how they measured up to luxury steel toys. I recently got the Metal Worx Mr. Smooth, a pretty smooth steel dildo that is marketed for anal and vaginal play, though I had vaginal play in mind when writing my review. The toy is weighty in the palm, it’s actual steel and not hollow, it doesn’t feel cheap or low quality, and it’s shiny and sleek, cold to the touch as most steel toys are, but quickly warms to body temperature. It weighs just a few ounces over 1 pound, and it measures 6 inches in length with a girth of 4 inches around at the thickest point. Like all steel toys, it’s waterproof, and works will all types of lubricants including silicone or oil. It can be warmed up in a bowl of warm water, or cooled down in a bowl or ice water (don’t put it in the freezer…though strangely the write-up on the toy says you can…yikes! Icy metal + warm genital skin = not good). Made of steel it’s sustainable, body-safe, and with care steel toys can last you a very long time. They can be cleaned with anti-bacterial soap and water, toy cleanser, or even put in the dishwasher, just be sure to dry them with a lint-free cloth that is soft and free of abrasive materials. You don’t want to scratch the smooth sleek surface of your toy.

The toy comes in a black and silver case, that snaps for secure closing, the toy comes wrapped in a plastic sleeve package and sits in a foam base. You can re-use the case for toy storage, the case is pretty nice, not too flimsy or cheap, and the snap closure is easy to use, while the foam inside protects the toy from becoming scratched. This toy is marketed as an anal dildo and a vaginal dildo, however I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable using this dildo anally because in my opinion it doesn’t have a big enough base on either end to stop the toy from getting lost inside of the anus. It’s fine for teasing against the outer anus though, and can also be rubbed and teased against the neck, nipples, stomach and clit. One end features a smooth rounded ball that can be used vaginally for G-spot stimulation, and a longer end that is straight and meets the other end of this dildo at the small neck where the ball meets the shaft. I like the heavy feel of the steel, and thought this toy worked really well with both water-based and silicone lubes. I used both ends of the toy vaginally, and found both to be pretty nice. Steel toys are extremely slippery when wet, so it can be hard to get a hand on steel toys for thrusting, so I recommend a small drop of lube and a steady hand. It’s also ideal if you use this toy with a lover so they can thrust the toy inside of you. This double ended dildo makes either end ideal for penetration, and the rounded slightly tapered straight end feels nice when inserted, and the rounded ball end fits inside of the vagina and can be angled upward toward the front vaginal wall for G-spot stimulation. I actually really liked this dildo. The shape is nice and it offered two different kinds of shapes for penetration, the steel feels nice and warms well to the body, and of course the price is nice. This toy would be ideal for those who love steel toys or haven’t used a steel toy yet but are curious without having to pay a luxury price tag. You can get the Metal Worx Mr Smooth Dildo for $$35.95 at FunWares.com! Thats an awesome price for the quality of a steel dildo, definitely ideal for steel toy newbies.

Can you keep a secret? Apparently with beauty brand Elizabeth Grant’s new lip exfoliator/lip balm wand you can! This is actually a lip balm on one end, and a lip exfoliator on the other end…but it vibrates! It’s supposed to help the exfoliator wand scrub off excess dryness and flakiness from your lips. You press the little lips button on the tube and it’s supposed to vibrate gently. It’s called Can You Keep a Secret? So, I’m getting the impression that this product is kind of meant to be cheeky rather than just an innocent little lip brush. You know, just like the Hitachi Magic Wand has packaging that shows a woman using it on her back, cause you know, thats totally what it’s mostly used for I haven’t tried this lip product yet, but if the vibration is decent, this would make for a very discreet clit vibe for on the go (just keep the cap on!) – Can You Keep a Secret Lip Exfoliator ($38)

The brand new Fleshlight Ice line is re-vamped and the slightly different than the previous Ice designs, now the Ice is the Fleshlight Ice Crystal, which features a unique and textured inner sleeve. The Fleshlight Ice Crystal Butt features a icy blue Fleshlight case, a sample packet of lube, and of course the Fleshlight Ice Crystal Butt sleeve. The sleeve is made of Fleshlight’s own SuperSkin and has an ass orifice opening in the front of the sleeve. The sleeve isn’t completely clear or transparent, nor is it fleshtone colored like the other sleeves, the Ice Crystal sleeve is slightly frosted and icy looking in appearance. This is fun because you can see your cock as it slides into the sleeve, which you can’t do with the other fleshy colored opaque sleeves. The sleeve is still soft and stretchy, bouncy and stretchable. The case and the sleeve will fit any cock up to 10 inches or so in length, and the sleeve will stretch to accommodate the width and girth of a cock, while still remaining tightly wrapped around your dick. The sleeve is compatible with water-based lubricant, and it can be very easily cleaned by turning the sleeve inside out, and rinsing thoroughly with warm water. Allow to dry completely before turning the sleeve rightside out. The sleeve can be stored in the Fleshlight case for storage and ease of use, so you can grab it whenever you’re ready! The case is made of hard plastic, is pretty easy to hold, and makes it ideal for masturbating in a variety of positions including sitting, laying, standing.

I lubed up two fingers with some Gun Oil H2O water-based lube and slide a finger into the butt orifice, the orifice is tight yet stretchy and is meant to look like an ass. Here is where it gets fun, because the inner texture is really cool! The texture, which you can see in the photo above, includes nubs and ridges and different sized chambers that move over and all around your dick as you slid in and out of the sleeve. This new texture might be one of my favorite Fleshlight sleeves. It’s very stimulating and creates all sorts of sensations when touched and felt, and that was just with my fingers, so with an actual cock, oh how nice it would feel. Since I’m a female and sans cock, I handed this Fleshlight over to a friend to test it out for me. He wasn’t a Fleshlight newbie but wasn’t exactly a pro either, but he has two Fleshlights of his own, so he’s familiar with the feel and performance of the Fleshlight sleeves. I gave him the toy over the weekend and then he emailed me a few days later with a great review. He said that the Fleshlight Ice Crystal Butt is his favorite sleeve, he said the inner texture was intense and really fun to use, he also liked the frosted color of the Ice Crystal sleeve and the blue outer case. I asked him how it differed from his other FL sleeves and he said that the Superskin was soft like the others but that the Ice Crystal looked less like a faux body part and more like an actual sleeve which he preferred and that the numbs and different chambers that you reach from the front of the sleeve all the way to the back of the sleeve was really fun and that it was way better than he thought it was going to be.

You can get the Fleshlight Ice Crystal Butt for $52.95 at FunWares.com – Fun Wares ships quickly and discreetly, in a plain box without any indication as to what is in the box, so buy with confidence guys!

I recently found out about this amazing non-profit organization called the Nomi Network, they created a great cause called Buy Her Bag Not Her Body, which is a program that sells ethically made handbags, totes, and computer bags made by women in countries like Cambodia, the women are offered this job and are paid fairly for their work, and the purchase of each bag goes to helping to save women from sex trafficking and sex slavery. Each bag is made by an at-risk or sex exploitation survivor, and 100% of the profits go toward helping women, paying for career development, and programs for women who are in high-risk situations involving sexual exploitation. This is an awesome organization that I feel strong about and readily support, please check out these wonderful bags and help support these women. Crimes against women affect every woman, no matter where she lives or her status, and Buy Her Bag Not Her Body promotes helping and establishing a new life for many women who just weren’t given the chance before. Please check the site out and help support these women. Here are some of my favorite bags:

I recently took an interest in checking out some masturbation creams, which for the most part, are thicker in texture, creamy, and oil based, compared to fluid water-based formulas. Gun Oil creates a variety of great lubes for men, though women can easily use their great products also. Gun Oil Stroke 29 Masturbation Cream comes in an easy fliptop 3.3 oz bottle, featuring the fliptop on the bottom, allowing the bottle to rest on it’s lid, making sure you can get to all of the product in the tube. It has a black, white, blue and red Stroke 29 logo on the front. For the most part it’s a discreet tube, minus the cheeky name. I love the tagline for the lube, which says, “Can you make it to the 29th stroke?”. This masturbation cream offers a oil-based formula that is is thick and creamy, because of the rich oils and additives, and as the cream warms in your hand and against your genitals, the oils in it begin to melt to create a very slick and luscious lube.

Ingredients: Water, Octyl Palmitate, Prunus Amygdalus (sweet almond) Oil, Emulsifying Wax, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Cetyl Alcohol, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, Carbomer, Diazolidinyl Urea, Triethanolamine.

This cream has Vitamin E and aloe for a softening affect, and Almond oil for a nice slick feeling. It does contain parabens, glycerin, alcohol and wax, which aren’t exactly vagina friendly, however, remember this is marketed as a male masturbation cream.  Since I don’t have a penis, I offered up this lube of lubricant to a male friend who was only too eager to try it out (What! Free lube? Score!). My friend mostly uses water-based lube that he picks up from the local pharmacy, so he hadn’t tried an oil-based lubricant before, and I dare say he didn’t even know the difference. He told me that the Stroke 29 Masturbation Cream was awesome, greasy but not sticky or bothersome. He said that a dime sized amount is really all you need, and that the cream’s texture was cold as first when he put it in his hand, but it warmed on contact with his palm and once he got a good handle on his piece, things went very smoothly (no pun intended). I asked him to tell me if he made it to the 29th stroke, and of course he forgot to count, duh. He only mentioned that he liked the formula a lot and that his dick didn’t feel chaffed or raw like it can after jerking off with his previous lube (or even his own saliva) and that he was impressed with how slick and longlasting the lube was, and that he didn’t need to add any water or any more lube to keep things gliding along. While I wouldn’t think this would be a super ideal lube for women, or for partner sex, it seems to be a great cream for male masturbation. You can grab a bottle of Stroke 29 Masturbation Cream at FunWares.com $12.95

When I saw that the OhMiBod Naughtibod had been redesigned, I wanted to check it out. The OhMiBod Naughtibod 2.OH is not only cleverly named, but also even nicer looking than it’s first in command. This new Naughtibod still comes in bright colors, and still offers a smooth surface coating of PU over a harder ABS plastic frame. There is no metallic colored endcap, like the previous design, instead this design is fully made of the smooth exterior including the metallic colored trim of the endcap which screws off for you to insert the batteries (2 AAA). The control buttons are also different than the last model, on this 2.OH version there are plastic buttons Up/Down. The buttons are two in one, being more of a user friendly interface. It comes with a velvety OhMiBod storage pouch, user manual, and cord that allows for use up to 3 feet. The toy can be used with or without music, as it features 7 programmed vibration patterns that go from steady vibration to more of a slower or faster pulse pattern. The toy measures a little over 6 inches in length, with about 4.5 inches insertable, and measures 1 inch at it’s widest point. It’s a slim vibrator that features a ripple shaped shaft for added texture and stimulation. The toy can be used for external clitoral stimulation, or it can be inserted for vaginal penetration. The rounded tip makes for easier insertion, and even though the shaft isn’t curved, you can aim the head of the toy upward if you want to use it for G-spot stimulation. To clean the toy, wipe it down with a sex toy wipe or spray, or anti-bacterial soap and water. Be sure not to get water into the battery compartment, as the toy is not waterproof. You can also wipe the toy down with a solution made of 10% alcohol to 90% water. Dry with a lint-free cloth. You can use both water-based or silicone lubricant with this toy as well.

The OhMiBod Naughtibod works with your iPhone, iPod, or any other audio output including plugging it into a radio, CD player (does anyone use those anymore?), or even your computer. The long cord connects from the base of the endcap of the toy, and plugs into your audio output of choice. Once plugged in, you can turn on iTunes or any other music or sound file, and once the toy is turned on, the toy will vibration to the rhythm and beat of the music/audio. If you don’t want to use music/sound with the toy, you can use it in manual mode, turn the toy on, and use the up/down buttons to browse through the different vibration speeds and patterns. This toy isn’t super powerful, at it’s highest it’s still pretty moderate, but really this toy is meant more for the fun technology and music play than for it’s speed and power. It’s a fun way to get off to music, your favorite movie, or even your lover’s voice (Skype, anyone?). The toy is small and discreet and can easily fit in your nightstand or drawer. The shape and size aren’t intimidating and would be ideal for newbies or those who love music. I used this toy both manually and with music, and I definitely had more fun with the music mode (Duh, It’s marketed as a music vibe for a reason). In manual mode, it was easy to change the vibration settings with the press of a button even with lube on my fingers and in use. This toy’s vibrations are on the weaker side and definitely aren’t as strong as it’s big sister vibe, the OhMiBod Freestyle G, so if you need a lot of vibration to get off internally or like a curved tip for G-spot stim, you might enjoy this toy on your clit more. You can turn the music on and let the toy bee bop against your clit as you change songs, or the tempo picks up. A fun and affordable way to try an OhMiBod toy for the first time. You can get the OhMiBod Naughtibod for $43.95 at Fun Wares!

LELO, one of my favorite sex toy brands, has branched off in a few directions creating fun collections of other branded toys and accessories that are similar to LELO’s main luxury brand of toys. The ONO Intimate Moisturizing Balm is a lubricant that is safe for LELO toys, and all other sex toys in your collection. This lubricant comes in a cute black plastic bottle, with a pop up lid and spout pump. The ONO design on the front of the bottle is colorful and fun, and this lubricant packaging looks more like a hair product accessory than lubricant, which is a good thing, especially when you have roommates or want to be discreet. The ONO line is a collection of bath friendly sex items, so this lubricant is a lovely water-based lube that is thick enough to stay put but also silky and smooth and glides nicely. It’s called a balm, but it’s really very silky and smooth and not waxy or what one might expect from a product referenced as a balm. The formula is glycerine free, paraben free, and scent-free. The formula works very nicely on silicone toys, and I also liked it when used on steel, ABS plastic, and glass. It’s not too drying, but eventually like most water-based lubricants do, you can re-active the wetness by adding some saliva or another drop of the balm. One of the softening ingredients in this formula is aloe vera, so it’s healing, gentle, and soothing to the delicate vaginal skin. This is a nice lubricant for women and couples, and I especially like the paraben-free and glycerin-free qualities of this lube. You can get a bottle of the ONO Intimate Moisturizing Balm for $12 at Tabu Toys!

I recently reviewed the new LELO Lyla the wireless bullet vibe, next up in the new Insignia SenseMotion, is the LELO Insignia Oden, the wireless vibrating couples ring, which is basically a nice way of saying a luxury cock-ring! Oden comes in a standard black color, made of body safe smooth silicone and metallic colored ABS plastic. Oden features a “ring” end that is made of silicone, a bulbed end, where the vibrations occur and also where the wireless connection is made, also made of silicone, where the two ends connect together with a band of silver color ABS. The toy is rechargeable, fully waterproof, and works best with water-based lubricants. It’s companion is the remote control sphere that is used to choose how the Oden vibrates. The remote control features a silicone interface, with seamless control buttons on one side, and the other side features a silver colored plastic battery compartment cover. To unseal the cover, you insert the included black turn key to twist open the compartment and insert 3 AAA batteries (included) into the remote control.  While the Oden ring *is* rechargeable, the remote is not, so it does need batteries. It comes packaged in the usual sturdy and pretty LELO black box, along with a satin storage pouch, Insignia brooch, user manual, 1 year warranty, black turn key, and charger. The matte silicone is soft and sleek to the touch, and when added with natural lubrication or water-based lube it slips over the skin nicely. Oden is very lightweight in the hand, and is pretty discreet in size and design. It weighs in at under 1 oz, and it measures in at a little over 3.5 inches.

Oden ring and remote control

This toy can be cleansed with a toy wipe, toy cleanser, or good old fashioned anti-bacterial soap and water. I would recommend boiling it or tossing it in the dishwasher simply because of the internal toy motor and the fact that the toy isn’t 100% silicone and it could damage the ABS plastic. Any water-based lubricant will work well this toy, including saliva, and natural bodily lubrication. This couples ring is marketed as the first wireless controlled cock ring for couples, featuring an interesting and unique design, that features a curled and flexible arm that reaches around the girth of the erect cock at the base and allows the vibrations to move through the silicone to stimulate both partners during sex. Alternatively, it could be used as a solo sex toy for men during masturbation, and could even be used solo as a woman’s toy focusing the bulbed end on the clit. Like with the Lyla, I suggest reading the entire user manual to figure out how Oden works before digging right in and giving it a go. To charge the toy pre-use, simply grasp the silver colored band in the middle of Oden, twist and pull, which will open up the charging port. Plus the charger into the charging port and allow to charge using any electrical wall outlet. Once charged, you can re-attach the two ends of Oden the same way to removed them. Simply twist the ends together, to be sure you get the toy situated in the right position, twist the cap on backward, then as you turn it to tighten it, it will line up in place properly. To insert batteries into the remote control, use the black turn key to loosen the silver colored lid, add or remove the batteries, then close the lid with your hand or use the turn key to tighten it. There is a small groove in the center of the silver cover, place the turn key inside the groove and twist.

Oden unscrewed and ready for charging

To begin to use the toy, first you need to establish a wireless connection (see the wireless button above on the right side of Oden? It looks like ((o)) – that is the wireless button that needs to come in visual contact with the remote control to establish connection). To do this, press and hold the + button on the remote control, then press and hold the wireless button on Oden, both the remote and Oden should blink and then begin to vibrate. Now, you’re in SenseMotion Mode, which means you can hold the remote control any which way you like up and down to create a more intense vibration or softer vibration. Simply move the control in you hand upward or downward, and both the remote and the toy will vibrate at the same frequency. It can be a bit noisy as both toys vibrate, but thats because they are vibrating in unison, though the remote is a bit louder than the actual toy itself. Since Oden is waterproof it can be used in the tub, shower, or pool, and the wireless connection means tat the remote can be used up to nearly 40 feet away from the receiver (Oden).

SenseMotion Mode 2 consists of shaking and using the remote controller in a rounded motion, rather than an up and down movement. This shaken motion will change and create different vibration speeds and pulses. If you want to change the vibration setting to a pulse or buzz rather than standard vibration, you can press the middle button, the Insignia button to browse through 6 different vibration patterns. There is also an additional mode called Manual Mode. To get into manual mode, instead of pressing the + button the remote to turn it on, press and hold the middle Insignia button, and then press the wireless button on Oden, this should put you into manual mode which will create a full steady vibration without having to move the remote, this turns the SenseMotion technology off, and allows you to press the + button to intensify the vibration, and the middle Insignia button to browse through the vibration patterns. Once you’re in manual mode and find a vibration setting and speed you like, you should be able to press and hold the middle Insignia button for a few seconds, which should create a blinding light on the remote and will shut the vibration off on the remote, so only Oden is vibrating rather than the extra noisy vibration coming from the remote control.

Oden with the ring around the base, bulb on top

LELO Oden is supposed to be placed with the flexible ring around the base of the cock, while the bulbed end is meant to be pointed upward near the wearers stomach. In the photo above, I wrapped the Oden around a realistic looking dildo to show how the ring wraps around the base, you can adjust the bulb anywhere you’d like, but with it situated upward, the vibration can be felt more with the partner. This ring would be ideal for missionary or girl-on-top sex, so that the vibrations from the toy can stimulate the woman’s clit and vulva. The vibration comes from the bulbed end and travels through the flexible ring that rests around the cock, as the vibrations travel through the silicone shaft. Oden offers an interesting design and cool way to incorporate a lover’s toy in their new SenseMotion line, however, I found that with this toy, the remote control can be a bit temperamental, often losing connection with the Oden and stopping vibration at times. Not fun, when you’re right in the middle of things. The ring creates an interesting fit, as it’s not a completely closed ring, so it may not fit a man with a very large or girthy cock. The large bulbed end can also get squished between two bodies if the ring moves, or if it’s positioned downward near the balls instead of upward near the stomach, sometimes making the toy lose connection with it’s remote control. The remote control can be rooms away and even work through walls, but it seems like it must be within sight-range to still work, so it’s a bit tricky and can be a little iffy when used in both SenseMotion and Manual mode.

Overall, I like the design and the look of this toy, and I liked the idea that it’s marketed for couples and can essential be used in various positions and settings, however I would definitely have liked the remote-to-toy connection to be more stable, and I would have loved the vibration to be a bit more quiet making it more discreet. The vibrations resonate nicely, like they do with all LELO toys in my opinion, but they aren’t knock-your-socks-off powerful, but are rather a moderate-high vibration. I think it would have been a little better had the bulbed end have been smaller, though I’m thinking it needed to be this size to make sure the wireless SenseMotion technology in the toy had a broader range to pick-up on. I also would have liked if the toy were 100% silicone without the ABS plastic, and it would have been great if the remote control were chargeable just like the Oden itself. This is definitely not my favorite LELO toy, but the design and the modern technology make it an interesting piece for couples play.

You can get the LELO Oden Couples Ring for $139 at Pleasure Galaxie – you’ll also get FREE SHIPPING with your purchase. Oh, and a little birdie told me that if you enter the discount code LETTER10 at checkout you’ll get 10% off of your order!

I tried Gun Oil H2O lubricant several months ago, and really liked the formula and the fun packaging that is ideal for men but totally useable for women as well. Gun Oil also has a hybrid lube, that is to say, a lube that is part silicone and part water-based, called Gun Oil Force Recon Lubricant. This lube gives you the best of both worlds, it gives you the slick and smooth long-lasting formula of their original silicone lube and gives it the ease of use and functional of their water-based H2O formula. This clear lubricant is smooth and silky and glides very nicely, it’s thick without being too gel-like but offers enough fluidity to give it a good spreadability. This formula is so soft and sleek, but as it’s part silicone, and water-based as well, it cleans up a lot easier and is a not less greasy than some silicone lubes tend to be. This hybrid lube works well for sex, including anal play, as well as masturbation for both men and women, solo and couples. This formula works great on glass toys, as well as steel, ABS plastic and aluminum. It’s non-staining, unlike a lot of full strength silicone lubes, and unlike full strength water-based lubes, this lube won’t wash away as quickly or dry out as fast, so that sex in the shower or water is ideal. The added slip to this lubricant makes it awesome for manual sex, as well as anal sex. The hybrid formula is latex safe, so it’s condom compatible and it’s also tasteless and fragrance free. This is one of the only true hybrid lubes that I’ve tried that I actually like. The formula slides beautifully over the genitals and makes for great use when using both external and internal toys. I could see this being an awesome lubricant for men to masturbate with, as it has all the great benefits of a silicone lube, but cleans up easier and won’t stain your clothes or sheets. You can get a 3.3 oz bottle of Gun Oil Force Recon Lube for $10.95 at Fun Wares. A little of this product goes a long way, so a bottle will last you a long time, and the fun and unique camo logo is discreet and will suit even the most macho of dudes.