Product Review: Butterfly Kiss and Butterfly Kiss Platinum

Yeah, yeah. I know. Its been awhile. How have you been? I’ve been fine, other than a tad bit of writers’ block. I went a few days without posting. Then weeks. Then eventually months. It took a big push from a few friends, but I’m going to try and get back into the writing groove, and I suppose the best way to start is with a product review.

The Butterfly Platinum

This thing really sells itself, what with the bulbous g-spot head and the vibrating butterfly wings that seem to stimulate not just the clitoris, but the area all around. However, I have a coworker that just loves to sell the ever-living shit out of it. I’ve stood by and watched this man sell our entire stock to giggling gaggles of bachelorette parties and lonely single women alike. It seemed to be a pretty universally-loved product, and the women we had always came back with raving reviews.

We carry two versions, the Butterfly Kiss, and the Butterfly Kiss Platinum.  The Butterfly Kiss has three vibration settings. Pretty strong, Strong, and Scrape-you-off-the-ceiling. The third setting is the big selling point. The motor is located in the base of the butterfly, but the vibrations travel all the way up the shaft to the bulbous head. They are made by California Exotic, a pretty reputable brand. The toys are also fairly cost-friendly. The Platinum edition going for $15 on Amazon and the regular version going for as low as $7.50 on Amazon.

The Butterfly Kiss Platinum boasts 7 settings. The three basic low-medium-high, and 4 settings of varying pulsation, escalation, and strength. This was the reason I chose the Platinum over the normal Butterfly, I like to have a little variety. However, the big downside is that the motor in the platinum is not quite as strong, so the highest setting isn’t quiet as high as the normal Butterfly, however, it still has a pretty strong hum to it.

So I bought the Platinum, and brought home my new toy. Broke it out, and lubed it up with some basic water based lube. (For the love of god never use silicone based lube with toys – aside from hard plastic and glass.) The first thing that I noticed was how well the butterfly was shaped. As said earlier, it is shaped so the whole thing provides stimulation, instead of direct simulation to the clitoris like a lot of rabbit-style toys. It was nice to have the vibration spread out a bit. The bulb on the end could have been a bit bigger, but it would be great for someone who needs smaller toys. It was the right size and length to hit the g-spot nicely, and had a wide range so that it could move around, since not all vaginas are created equal.

The biggest downside was the size of the bulb, however, this is mostly a personal preference. Many women only feel stimulation in the first 2-3 inches, and most of that sensitivity is located at the g-spot and clitoris. However, I need something a little more “filling” to be able to reach climax. So if you’re the kind of gal that likes a bit more, this might not be the toy for you. But if you only need some clitoral stimulation, and the g-spot action is an added bonus, this kind of toy would rock your world.

A word on Lubricant

I know, I know. I already did a review of lube. But I thought i’d make a post going into detail on different types of lube. At my store, we have a case full of just lubes. Warming, flavored, tingling, long lasting, desensitising, more sensitising, water, silicone, gel, hybrid, hypoallergenic. There is something for everyone, but often people are overwhelmed by how many choices they have to make, and are unsure of what exactly it is they are looking for. This is where we, your friendly pornclerks, step in.

Right now, we’ll just go over the basics. Water vs Silicone vs Oil based.

WATER BASED:

Water based lube is a good, standard, well rounded lubricant. Quality of the lube depends heavily on the brand, however. Astroglide tends to get sticky after just a few minutes, but Gun Oil seems to last forever. My favorite thing about water based lube is that if it does dry out or get sticky, you can just apply a drop or two of water and you’re riding a slip n’ slide. I tend to keep a bottle of water next to the bed anyway for that after-sex cotton mouth, so applying a drop or two of water isn’t a problem.

Water based also comes off easy, washing off with just some water and a washcloth. Because of its water soluble nature, it is also super easy to get a lube stain out of the sheets.

As mentioned earlier, the biggest drawback is the fact that it gets sticky. Oh, and its also not very good for shower play, if you’re into that sort of thing.

SILICONE BASED:

Silicone based lube is my personal favorite. So I might be a bit biased in writing this bit, but I’ll do my best to be as objective as possible.

Most major lube brands (Wet, KY, Swiss Navy, Gun Oil, Astroglide…) make silicone based lubricant. However, it can be a bit harder to hunt down at your local wallgreens. Most people don’t know much about silicone lubricant, which is a damn shame. (When I was in high school, our sex ed class only informed us about oil and water based lubricants.) Silicone is perfectly safe with latex (meaning most condoms.) And with pretty much any sexual play. Silicone lube is silky smooth, and feels more “slippery” than water based. It washes off with soap and water, and is ideal for shower play, as it doesn’t come off as easy as water based. The phrase “A little goes a long way” Has never been more true than with Silicone based lubricant. A drop is all you’ll need, and usually you don’t need to reapply at all, it works so well.

However, it doesn’t work well with silicone toys (The silicone lubricant will break down the toys.) . And most toys on the market today, if not made with plastic or glass, have some silicone in them. (Those “realskin” and “cyberskin” toys contain silicone.) So if you’re looking to use it with your battery operated boy, or pocket pleasure pussy then you might want to look elsewhere.

OIL BASED:

I didn’t really even want to get into oil based, since I am not a fan, and we don’t even bother to sell it at the shop. Most oil based lubes consist of things like Vaseline, and organic vegetable oil, which can be used as lubricant if washed after. Oil based lubricant has the advantage of being easily accessable, and is best used for solo play. It can be used with silicone based toys as well. However, Oil based lubricant will break down latex toys and condoms, so its not advisable if you plan to use it for intercourse with a condom. Oil based also tends to take a back seat to water based, as it is so hard to get off, without feeling a whole lot smoother than water based. The chart we have at work highlighting the features of different lubricants doesn’t even mark Oil based as use for anything other than self play. I imagine you can use it for vaginal intercourse without much issue, but I wouldn’t try using it for anal unless you want to shit brown toothpaste at extraordinarily high speeds.

In a nut shell:

Water: Good for every day use with almost any kind of intercourse, but not in showers. Gets sticky, but a drop of water will fix that.

Silicone: Smooth and good for showers. Doesn’t get sticky, but you have to use soap and water to remove. Do not use with most toys.

Oil: Use it to spank the monkey, but if you need lube for sex, water is probably your best bet.

Going out of town

Just wanted to let you two know that I’m going out of town for the week on monday, and probably won’t be able to make any posts til I’m back. (First day back to work is Friday.) Hopefully I’ll be able to whip something up for you guys. So, til then!

Review: Wet Synergy Water Silicone Hybrid Lubricant

So anyone who knows me well enough to know my lubricant prefrence, will know that I swear by Silicone based lubricant. Water can just get too sticky, and we don’t even bother to sell Oil based lube in the store. (Its mostly good for masturbation. We don’t like to remind our customers of their loneliness, married or otherwise.) The only thing I don’t like about most silicone based lubricants is that it is a bitch and a half to get off. (No pun intended.)

Then, we got a product in called Wet Synergy. It is a water based and silicone based hybrid lubricant. I was dismayed when I noticed we had no test bottles, or sample packets. I wanted to know what this odd concoction felt like, but I didn’t want to dole out $20 of my hard-earned money. But I knew that I needed to get some different lube, because my little packet of Silicone had run out, and Astroglide is like trying to masturbate with honey water. A little slick at first, but in no time your junk is sticky as flypaper.

Finally I caved, in the form of buying it for my husband for his stocking. The days ticked by until Christmas, and I was all giddy and excited to try this new, strange lubricant. Finally on Christmas my husband emptied his stocking of various sex products, and a ton of t-shirts. We wasted no time trying out our new toys, and I have to say that the Wet Synergy was positively amazing, especially after having to use Astroglide for the past few weeks.

Now on to the actual review part:

Wet Synergy is superior to other lubricants because of the fact that it is a hybrid. As mentioned earlier, the problem with water based is that it gets sticky, and the problem with silicone based is that it never fucking comes off, even after you’ve done the deed. Wet Synergy found a delightful middle ground. I was able to wipe it off my hand after applying it, but was also able to leave it for a tad bit more foreplay without having to worry about it getting ridiculously sticky. It did the job, and then some. It wasn’t thick enough to take away sensation, like some lubricants, but it was just thick enough to keep on going.

I don’t really have a whole lot of bad to say about this product. (Although the price is just a tad steeper than other lubricants of the same volume.) Its lubricant. Either you like it or you don’t. Just like everything else in the world of sex and sex toys, it really all depends on your personal preference. But Wet Synergy is at least worth a shot – if you are looking for something to suit your needs, and the astroglide is just not cutting it.

I just love to help people

And I’m not being sarcastic. Helping people find exactly what suits their needs is probably one of my favorite things about working in a porn shop. I’ve been interested in human sexuality since I discovered my own, and since college I’ve always loved learning and talking about it. However, some people aren’t so open. So when I can be that someone to walk them through the process and help them find what they want, it makes me feel good. I like knowing that when someone walks out the door, they are pleased with the service, the knowledge they obtained, and the product they now are about to enjoy.

So while most people would be weirded out by a phone call I got the other day, I was delighted. A woman called and asked if we had the Wedge in stock. We’d just sold it a few days prior, and she sounded a little dissapointed when I told her we were all out.

“Well you see, my boyfriend and I have been trying anal, and we’re trying to find new positions to use, and my girlfriend told me the wedge was the best.”

It wasn’t until a few minutes into the conversation I realized that she was the one giving, and her boyfriend was on the receiving end. She proceeded to tell me that she usually had to start out slow, and work her way up, and by  the time she was “really giving him a good pounding”, he was getting pretty loud. She didn’t specify from pleasure or pain. I went over our selection of ball gags with her, and told her it might help to quiet him. I also suggested a few anal lubrication products to help ease him into it better.

Then we moved on to positions. I was surprised at how little knowledge she had of anal positions! Someone who was so willing to try something so taboo, and she still believed that doggystyle was the only way to anally penetrate someone? I went over a list of different positions with her. Edge of the bed, classic missionary, (With him on the bottom instead of her.) side anal, and the anal drop were a few that I could list off the top of my head, and explain to her. I suggested that she come in and rent a porn to that effect, and watch it with her boyfriend so they could decide what looked good and what didn’t. (Or alternatively, to Google search anal sex positions.)

By the end of the phone call she seemed incredibly thankful for my help, and surprised that I was so knowledgeable and willing to help. She mentioned that she was coming in later that night to look at a few products I suggested, but unfortunately it was just at the tail end of my shift, and I never got to see her come in. However, I left that day with a smile, knowing that I helped a couple learn more about the world of anal.

I hate to hit you guys with another poll, but…

I recently got a ton of hits overnight, and now have no idea how often I should update the blog. How much is too much? How rare is too rare? I know being hit with walls of text every other day can be a little daunting, but waiting around forever for a post can be just as bad. So what do you think?

A little poll for my (very few) readers