Happy Earth Day! While many of us already do (or should!) make sure to appreciate the Earth and nature every day, April 22nd is a special day we carve to out celebrate and bring awareness to the amazingness that is the Earth.  And what’s a better way to show our love for all things earthly than to talk about sex toys!

In recent years, the sex toy industry has realized that folks are way more environmentally conscious, as well as looking for toys that safe for their bodies, and followed suit, offering up a delicious assortment of treats that are as eco-awesome as they are hot.  Let’s take a look at some of the fantastic natural materials that rock our bodies to the limit, while making sure that our earth-lovin’ politics are still in tact.

Wood: Forget everything you are thinking about wood.  No, these amazing toys will not break inside you and leave heinous splinters!  Wood toys are specifically designed and covered in body safe finish that keeps them smooth, protected and in perfect fucking order for a long time to come!  These usually beautiful bad boys are phthalate-free and super easy to clean (anti-bacterial soap and water).  Check out our review of the Nobessence Allure

Metal: Made of 100% medical grade stainless steel, metal toys are some seriously sex high quality playthings.  Not only are they super easy to clean (and sterilize), they warm up fast, cool down quickly and generally make you feel filled to capacity.  And with no motors to die, meltable qualities or any other Kryptonite, these amazing toys will last you forever and ever.  Check out the Pure Wand, our personal fav, by Njoy Toys.

Glass: Talk about beautiful!  As strong and smooth as they are a sight to see, glass toys are a fantastic option for a weighty, but not as heavy as metal toy.  And just as with the wood, worry not, toys made of glass are shatterproof and will not smash into shards in your cooch (or ass, or wherever!)  They cool down easily, or heat up to a perfect temp, and only take the tiniest dollop of lube to stay nice a slick.  Plus they are quite the mantle decor!  Amazing art and a way to get off – total win!  Take a peek at our review for the Topsy Turvy glass dildo!

Rechargable Toys: While not a material, per se, rechargeable toys are the bees knees in our book!  Anything that skips the battery middleman to get power is our kind of toy.  While plug in toys are great, sometimes they aren’t as practical in a sexy situation, but battery operated toys not only mean more waste, they have the power to drop dead in the middle of the hottest moments ever.  But not rechargeables (though they can die, but really, then it’s your own fault)!  They keep going and going…  We reviewed the Je Joue Mimi just for you to read!

This is obviously just a quick taste of all the amazingly hot materials and toys the world has to offer, but next time you are looking for something smooth and feisty to get you going, think back to all the naughty naturals we talked about today and use your eco-boner to lead the way. Happy Earth Day folks! Now go hump a tree or something…

xoxo
-JD

In recent years, we have started to really think about what we are doing to our planet and have started taking major steps to cut down on the huge amounts of waste we are accumulating and the destruction we’ve done to our environment. Today is Earth Day, a day which was created to help foster awareness and inspire action to help get ourselves on track and keep the Earth clean and healthy for our future generations. While recycling your trash, using cloth bags when you shop and flipping the light switch when you leave the room are all great ways to get green and very sexy in their own regard, we like to make sure you know how to be eco friendly and extra aware when you are getting sexy. Check out some of these tried and true green tips next time you find yourself in a red hot situation.

- Shower together to save water. Wasting water is not gonna cut it when it comes to being eco conscious, so why not cut down the wasted water with a shower together? To make sure you aren’t letting more go down the drain while you get frisky, get wet and lather each other up, then turn the water off. You’ll still be nice and slippery without wasting any water!

- Unplug yourself. You have better things to do than watch TV or go online and if you play your cards right, you probably won’t be needing the lights on either. Take advantage of the dark – it’s free, doesn’t use any energy and is totally sexy. And if it gets too hot, skip the fan/air conditioning; open a window instead.

- Play with organic foods. Foods grown with pesticides are bad for you and the earth, so bring only organic fruits and veggies into your bedroom. Fruits and veggies are particularly awesome to play with because they are usually sweet, yummy, healthy and have little to no packaging that will go into the landfills.

- Stay home! Why go out and drive somewhere if you can get down and dirty without leaving the house? Skip the car ride, which pollutes the air, and hang out at home instead. And if you need to get out to get your rocks off, take a bike ride.

- Use rechargeable toys… or any of the new toys that are solar powered or use a crank to power up. Cutting down on batteries not only saves on trash, but actually protects our environment by keeping it free of dangerous corrosive materials and pollutants. Many sex toys these days have rechargeable permanent batteries or rely on other non-battery power sources. You may spend a little more $, but you’ll save when it comes time to buy batteries.

- Recycle your toys when they die. Give your beloved sex toys the honor they deserve by sending them to be turned into another useful object instead of just added to a pile of junk.

- Forget about the gym. Gyms use a ton of energy to power those huge treadmills and elliptical machines. Save the gym membership and the planet by getting your exercise horizontally… or vertically, or sideways, upside down, what have you! Sex is a great calorie burner and a whole hell of a lot more fun than the stairmaster.

See, being green can be super sexy. Plus, now you have a few more excuses to turn those lights off and get busy!

Happy Earth Day!

- J.D. Bauchery

I own a lot of high-tech sex toys. As much as I love the bells and whistles of whatever the latest toy everyone is talking about, when it comes down to it, I typically reach for more basic items in a pinch.

Nobessence Fling is made of wood, which is as basic as it gets. If you’re anything like me, your first reaction is probably one of apprehension. I’ve had enough splinters from stacking wood to second guess a wooden dildo, but let me reassure you that this is one of the nicest dildos I own. Each Fling is handcrafted and amazingly smooth. Nobessence also coats each toy in their trademarked finish, Lubrosity. It’s a waterproof, phthalate-free, hypoallergenic, and odorless. In fact, according to their website, “it forms an impermeable barrier to chemicals and bacteria,” which is pretty amazing when you think about it. All you need to do is wash it in a mild soap and you’re all set. For those of you who are sensitive to other materials, this may be the perfect toy for you!

This is also the ultimate green toy. It’s hand crafted from organic wood that Nobessence grows on sustainable farms for this purpose! Kind of crazy, but also super awesome.

For those of you looking for aesthetically pleasing things to shove up your cooch, this toy is absolutely beautiful. This is the type of toy you can tuck onto a shelf when your mom is coming to visit and expect compliments! Another cool thing is that each toy is as unique as the tree it is crafted from – so you’re buying a one of a kind piece of art that will do far more than gather dust on a shelf.

Of course, all of that is nice, but what about performance? The fling is surprisingly light and incredibly smooth. The head of the toy is a little big, so you’ll want to invite your BFF lube to play along, but once it’s inside it fills you up in that good way without being uncomfortable. I think that’s because the stem is really thin – but it’s really no matter because it just feels amazing. It’s a really good toy for g-spot stimulation and the flared base means it’s safe for anal play too. For those of you with willing boytoys, I’m guessing it would hit the prostate just right! I also really enjoyed the feeling of the fling being run up and down my body – it’s a little cool and really smooth. Plus, it makes a resounding thud if you’re smacked across the ass with it – yay for multi-tasking toys!

Overall, this is a pretty amazing toy. It’s good for your body, the earth, and performs really well when it counts.

Got Wood?

When you’re in a long-term relationship, it’s important to remember to make time for things like hour-long make out sessions and back rubs. It’s important to be intimate, even though work sucked and the dishes need to be done. One way to do that is turn off the TV, turn out the lights, and set something on fire.

I recently received a Ilume Velas de Casa candle from our friends at Edensfantasys.com and thought it was the perfect excuse to treat my lady friend to a lovely evening. I’m really excited about this particular candle (as excited as one can be about a candle) because it is made out of soy and has a lead free wick. That means it burns a lot cleaner than your standard paraffin candle and you won’t be filling the air with toxic carcinogens. For those of you that identify as hippies, or conscious human beings, soy is also a renewable resource – so this candle is better for you and the environment!

The Ilume Velas de Casa comes in a few different scents, but I got the Flor de Sol, which happens to smell exactly like Elizabeth Arden’s Sunflowers perfume. It’s totally not overwhelming and the scent is really fresh. It also comes in an attractive frosted glass jar that will fancy up any room. The 7.4 ounce candle is said to burn for around fifty hours, so it will provide you with lots of quality time with yourself or a special friend.

For those of you who are reading to move past the cuddling into a kinkier realm, I have good news! Soy wax burns cooler than paraffin, so this is a great candle for wax play. My only complaint is that the Flor de Sol is a light yellow color, so it didn’t really stand out in contrast to my pasty skin. There are other colors though, so you may want to consider that if you’re buying this for that particular reason.

The best thing for me is that turning off distractions and sitting by candle light keeps my girlfriend and I connected, whether we’re cuddled up talking about what happened at work or partaking in one of the aforementioned hour long make out sessions.

Get yours now!

The Lily is a tiny rechargeable vibe from Lelo, the makers of the amazing Liv. At first I was a bit surprised by the diminutive size of this “personal massager.” If I had done my research I would have known how little it was, but I taken aback to discover that it’s about the size of my three middle fingers held together. Don’t worry though; sometimes good things come in small packages!

The Lily is definitely a high-end product that made my day before it even got close to my girl bits. Its arrival coincided with a long car ride and we used to massage my shoulders and lower back as I drove down the east coast. The next day I woke up with killer cramps, and, after reading that vibration can help alleviate them, I spent the morning curled up with a book and my new purple buddy resting on my lower belly. I’m sure you’re more concerned with how this vibe performs when it REALLY counts, but I’m totally into multi-tasking and had to share.

On to the bedroom, or well, den actually. The multi-speed Lily is pretty powerful for its size, but it’s probably not the best toy if you’re looking for a quick orgasm. I used it by myself and it did the job nicely in time, but if I were looking to get off and get on with my day, I’d reach for something a little more powerful.

I thought this one was better when used with a friend. It’s shaped to fit a woman’s body perfectly, so it’s really easy to incorporate into your fun. It works like a natural extension of your hand and hits all the right spots without much thought if you’re into lots of external stim. Because of the way it’s shaped, I stuck it on the bed while going down on my girl and was able to press back against it for some hands free fun.

Overall, I thought that the design of this one was pretty good. The shape is just about perfect, although for me the control buttons were sometimes hard to get to. You can use either side of this toy, so sometimes (often for us) the buttons were pressed up against a body and inaccessible. It would be great if you could speed things up or slow things down more easily. One great thing is that it keeps its charge for a long time (they claim 7 hours, but I recharged after probably 5 just because.) Either way, it’s not going to run out half way through your fun! Finally, it’s made of a nice smooth (Phthalates free) plastic so I was able to break out my bottle of I-lube, a fantastic and relatively cheap silicone lube I highly recommend.

Because of the size, reliable charge, and the fact that it’s relatively quite, it’s perfect for travel or a night on the town! This multi-taskers’ dream is one I’m sure I’ll put to good use often.

For a dilly of a good time, get a Lily!

The day Delight was delivered to the office, I was both confused and excited. I always look forward to toy reviews – who wouldn’t? I like postponing social engagements using the excuse, “I’m just swamped with work.” But when the Delight came, I knew it was going to be a good night – if I could figure out how this was going to work. I’m not saying I’m extra deep down there; it just seemed small for all these rave reviews. Even in my hands it seemed small, and anyone who knows me will vouch for my diminutive hands.

Here’s a tip before we get into the good stuff – charge the Delight right away. I know it seems pretty obvious but trust me, you’re not going to want to wait three hours to use this guy. I charged mine at my desk so when I got home it was ready for me.

My first experience with the Delight was good. I played with some of the settings, the size was perfect in that it matched up with my clit and my g-spot, and I enjoyed it. However, I wasn’t sold on it; I felt like it was kind of a let down. I had heard so many good things and it was just good, it wasn’t great.

But if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. So I did – and I’m so very thankful I did.

Beyond the traditional vibration settings (which are anything but traditional), there are also a few pulsation settings. The pulsations weren’t strong enough for me to reach orgasm, but with a little bit of rocking back and forth it got the job done. The Delight also heats up slightly after being used for a long time which feels really good if you’re into slight temperature play.

Cleanup was easy and then I popped it back into the charger and that was that! Right now, the Delight is my favorite toy in my box – literally and figuratively. The price may seem a little steep at first, but you can’t put a price on a great orgasm. In my opinion, this toy is a must-have.

Spend a delightful afternoon with the Delight!

When I first gazed at the fancy black box that houses the Liv, I knew I was in for something special. This Lelo vibe not only came to me decked to the nines in classy outerwear, she came with her own travel sleeve AND an electrical plug for easy recharging. How hot is that?!?

I’ll admit that I was a little wary of any toy that I needed to read an instruction manual to figure out. I mean really, how hard can it be? Press button, start vibrations, play, press button again. But as soon as I put my grumbling aside and picked up the instructions, I firmly shut my piehole. Sure Liv vibrates, but if you know how to work the buttons, she also pulses, revs up, and does a number of other foxy moves that you’d be a total fool to miss out on for lack of taking the five minutes to read up.

Great for both clitoral and vaginal play, Liv hits my g-spot every time. Seriously, every time I take her out for a ride, she takes me for an even bigger one. And like any other slacker, I of course always forget to plug it back in after playing. But lo and behold, every time I’ve reached for Liv, she’s ready to go, with enough juice in her to get the job done and leave me too fuzzy minded to remember to grab the power cord.

The only downside to this super luxe vibe is that when I’m in the heat of things, sometimes my fingers have a hard time managing the buttons and instead of hitting the faster button, my finger gets to close to the button that changes the settings. But then again, that might just be my brain telling my fingers to check out the pulse and tease me just a little bit longer.

Lighweight, yet perfectly powerful (and I like my vibes to be super strong), this little plastic and silicone creation has buzzed it’s way straight to the top of my toy bin. In fact, forget the top, this baby is all nightstand drawer. You know what I’m talkin’ about.

Live the good life with Lelo’s Liv

I’ve read a lot lately about bringing green ideals into the bedroom. Of course, the ever-conscious people over at Babeland have a new organic lube to help you save the earth and your girl parts!

Naked is a water-based lube (which means it’s perfect for all the silicone toys I love to recommend) and doesn’t contain petrochemicals, parabens, or anything else you shouldn’t expose your body to.

It’s also vegan and I have to admit I didn’t realize how fantastic that was until I told my hippie-vegan friend and she freaked out. From her reaction, I’m guessing that vegans all over the world are twirling around in celebration of this new product. As a rule, I try not to expose my cooch to any meat products after seeing an unfortunate video that involved a pork tenderloin, so I’m pretty stoked too.

When it comes to function, you won’t hear any complaints from me. It’s a little on the thick side, but I don’t have any problem with because it means you’re far less likely to end up with lube running down your forearm. As is the case with most water-based lubes, after some time you may need to reactivate it with a few drops of water or saliva if it gets a little sticky. I’ve tried lots of different products that I wouldn’t recommend and can tell you that with Naked, you won’t end up a sticky mess 10 minutes in.

You also don’t have to worry about it leaving a bad taste in your mouth. I typically don’t like my lube to have any flavor, but the slight hint of vanilla is surprisingly nice. This is a quality product that you’ll find yourself reaching for time and time again.

Finally, it comes in a fantastic blue bottle with a pump. Anyone who uses lube a lot can tell you how helpful it is when you’re provided with a handy dispenser. No one wants to get stuck messing with packaging when it comes time to get it on and this bottle makes sure you never end up with way too lube.

This is my first organic lube, so I can’t compare it to others. I can, however, compare it to a number of other water-based lubricants and highly recommend it. It’s a bargain at just $12 and 100 percent natural. I really can’t think of any reason for you not to buy your own!

Get Naked – because buying organic apples just isn’t good enough!

Yay, vibrations that are super strong yet clit friendly! I do love myself some Hitachi Magic Wand, but no way am I sticking that directly to my little spot-o-sensitivity. The Aphrodite Massager is a baby-step down in intensity (has a high and low setting), and has the added bonus of silicone attachments that are very nice for overall comfort and also for some different options. They include a smooth dome, a nubby dome (my fave) and a “nipple shaped” attachment. This one confused me somewhat at first (is it just for a small something touching you? Definitely not big enough for insertion, because it’s really just a tease that makes you want more), but has made its way into a very welcome part of my mix – sometimes I do want a smaller something touching and a tease of insertion! It also has infra-red heat which sounded really exotic and exciting, but I’m not sure if I really noticed it?

The box includes an intense diagram of your lady parts, so you can brush up on some anatomy (or leave around for someone else to brush up on, hint, hint… on second thought that may be kind of creepy…).

It’s rechargable, which is nice, except you do have to charge it when you first get it (or at least I did), so don’t get too excited when you first open the box! Also, it does lose its charge more frequently than other toys, leaving me hanging one day as the ZZZZZZ slowed to a ZZzzzz…. stopping dead exactly when I didn’t want it to. If you leave it plugged in you’ll be ok though.

For the price, I really do wish that the battery charge was more reliable, but if you’re good with planning ahead, the Aphrodite Massager is definitely worth it.

Recharge yourself with the buzz of the rechargeable Aphrodite Massager

I’m thinking this really isn’t the greatest idea. I guess if you live someplace like San Diego where the sun shines like 90 percent of the time, you might be able to get by with a solar powered vibe, but in New England you’d be setting your cell phone to vibrate and praying for telemarketers from October to May.

I mean, if someone wants to send me one and prove me wrong, I’m sure that I’ve tested way crappier toys in the past and will give it a fair shot. Honestly, in theory I think this is a fantastic toy! I just can’t get past picturing myself running into the back yard with my hand down my pants as it loses power…

Has anyone tried one of these out? Am I just being a jerk?

The Porn Librarian.