Sexual Sunday: Why I Still Love Doxy

You know the drill by now, I'm a beauty blogger by weekdays but come Sunday I'm all about the #SexualSunday blogging. Sometimes I review sex shops around Dublin, other times I just like to waffle on about anal, safe words and what sex toys I like. Theres always something new and interesting to find on the blog, especially for those who particularly like my Sunday posts. So lets feed the need and get onto this weeks updated sex toy review. 

Last October I wrote a review about the Doxy 'sports' massager wand which you can take a glance at over here. There I talked about my new found love and why I thought it was just so freakin' great. Since then it has come up in favourites and lots of posts - not to mention recommendations to followers and friends alike.  But a few weeks ago the worst thing that could have happened indeed happened. I was happily having a private moment with my Doxy and it just stopped working. For the life of me I couldn't figure out why as I stored it in a safe place, always careful to clean it and keep it away from water - and before any smart ass starts, no it didn't break from overuse. I have a toy for every day of the week thank you very much!

In my despair I was fumbling around for the credit card to immediately buy another when I decided to have a quick look around at other reviews to see if random breaking was an issue. After only having it at the time for 7 months, I didn't want to continue recommending it if it gave up so quickly. Luckily enough there were next to no negative reviews that I could find talking about any breakage, so I decided to contact Doxy directly. Explaining what had happened and asking about expected product life and so on, I got a quick and helpful response back. As Doxy has only been on the market for about 2 years, its still in many ways on trial. Their policy is that if it breaks within 12 months then it will be replaced free of charge. 

This reply reaffirmed my love for Doxy as it was quick, helpful and they even kindly sent me another within the week. Despite it being new to the market I had no trouble finding loads of reviews and even a good few porn clips where it featured (its hard work, but someone has to watch all the porn - for science reasons.) Its clearly not just myself who has a glowing review and the fact that my first Doxy gave up the ghost, it was oh-so-well loved, used and I think I got the moneys worth even in just those 7 months.

Its not an invasive sex toy, one of my favourite things about it. If you only have a short time to spare, it can still have you on cloud nine in minutes with its wide range of speeds and being a unisex toy, that means everyone can have their orgasms and.. cake to eat after? Try it on the shaft and tip of someones penis, on the clit or even a nipple. This toy knows no bounds and it has one of the longest cords I've had the pleasure of owning to date, so your not stuck to a wall socket in an uncomfortable or awkward position. For roughly €97 I think its an investment - even if I wasn't kindly sent a replacement, I would have bought another. Its honestly one of my favourite toys in my ever growing collection. 

And just because I clearly don't put my face and name to my Sexual Sundays enough - or so I was told, heres a few questionable pictures below. But thankfully, I'm fully clothed and my Doxy was still in the box. You guys can't say I never give you anything!

What do you think of Doxy? Find it here.

Sexual Sunday: Ann Summers Vibrating Bullet

Sunday is the day dedicated to all things sexy. I might not post every week (even I need time out from sexy things) but Sexual Sunday was born with the idea that I would tour the sex shops of Dublin so you don't have to. And thats what I've been doing all this week, you'll be pleased to know. But I'm going to save another shop review and this week instead talk about an Ann Summers sex toy. (You can read my review of Ann Summers on O'Connell St over here.)

Now don't gasp, yes we all know that I'm not the biggest Ann Summers lover. But that doesn't mean they don't have some really good qualities about them too. This week its all about a deadly looking shiny pink bullet vibrator. 'Cheeky clit slim that no handbag should be without', or so it says on the back. Its lightweight, palm sized and waterproof  with one speed. 

This is like any other bullet, theres really nothing overly impressive about it. I like that the battery - 1x N (LR01), comes with it and that the packaging opens up to explain in detail about the product and how to care for it. The packaging itself isn't over the top and dare I say even classy. This comes in other colours, but I'm a big fan of the shiny pinky shade. Its a simple press on and off button at the top of the bullet and you are good to go.

But lets get to why were all here. Does the thing actually work and if so, how well? In short, I've bought way better and cheaper bullets from Ann Summers before. It was one of my first ones and it rocked. (Until it gave up the ghost and I almost cried) This has only one setting, an extremely powerful one at that. Holding it in my hand for under 5 minutes and I could feel it starting to hurt and go numb, which is never a good sign considering its meant for your delicate bits. I find toys that have a few speeds are much easier to deal with, so you can work your way up through the more intense vibrations and not almost leap out of it when the toy makes contact with skin. That said, if you can deal with really powerful vibrations, you might be alright.

Another thing that bothered me was the hard plastic. It bullet is shaped so the main focus is the tip that you hold to your clit. This was just too hard and I found it a little painful (not in the good way) so I tended to use the length of the bullet instead. I know Ann Summers stock bullets with silicone topped tips, so I would recommend looking out for these instead if your shopping for a new bullet. 

Overall for €15 I don't think its worth it. It looks cute, is fairly quiet on the grand scale of loud toys, but its vibrations are too intense for my liking and the hard plastic tip caused more pain then it did pleasure. (But naturally I can't speak for everyones tastes.) I have to pass on this, but I'm not ruling out all Ann Summers bullets as I know they have some really good ones. I might even replace the one I had years ago, just for the craic!

*I did not pay for this item, it was a PR gift.  Please see my disclaimer here.

DOXY! Sex Toy Wand

It feels like an age and some since I've posted about anything sex related. Try as I might to fix this, theres always a lipstick or cream that distracts me slightly. After all, you can't have I-feel-sexier-then-sex, sex without a little help, so the beauty side of it goes hand in hand. (Look at me trying to justify my rooms full of products and crazy spending habits.) But I couldn't hold out any longer, I have to tell you all about *DOXY. Christ on a bike this is some sort of  black magic, and I hate to be cliche. But I am bewitched by it. To begin with, I was slightly unsure if I wanted to spill this secret, but why keep this wand with its magical powers hidden when the world needs it? (Anyone suddenly get a superhero vibe there? just me...)

Secrets Ireland kindly sent this out to me after asking if I'd like to give it a whirl. It came in the most discreet packaging and I can't get over how quickly it came either. It was all no fuss and nothing out of the normal. That was until my gran appeared. I occasionally get post from PR companies and she can never wait to see what it could be, bless her little socks. But the day I got that she hounded me, for what reason I'll never know. Perhaps as the packaging was so plain, she was more intrigued then normal. It ended with me legging it to my room shouting about secret Christmas presents. Grannies, eh? But once I opened the packaging I was met with extra measures to ensure the buyers blushes were spared. It was in the most beautiful pink soft tissue paper. If for some reason the outer plastic packaging was to break, no one would ever know what was inside with all that paper. Major thumbs up to Secret Ireland for going to all this trouble. Love it!

So, what is it that made me give such a glowing report in my opening paragraph? Well, to begin with I love that this toy doesn't require penetration. I think its a stereotype to a certain extent that in order for it to be a 'good' toy, it must perpetrate the person in order to get pleasure from it. This toy is a perfect example of how those ideas are thrown out the window, and I love it. There are those who don't find any pleasure in penetration and also, sometimes I personally just don't feel like having something inside me. Maybe its my claustrophobia, maybe its something else. But itsn't it wonderful that theres such a wide variety of toys like this that I can choose that option and still know I will get just as much pleasure from it? I think its a sad thing that I don't actually have more non penetrative toys like this. Truly a new leaf has been turned for me by this massager.

Not only that, but both sexes can enjoy this, its a wonderful unisex toy. I find that most toys can be unisex, but particularly with this toy I know the question 'but how?' was asked a lot when I talked about DOXY with friends. I can honestly say that men would (and do. Testing it out in the name of science and a well rounded review, don't you know!) get just as much from it as you would expect a woman to. Now, thats a statement I don't say too lightly at all. High intensity  vibrations to your clit is the obvious one. But what about the anus, nipples, sensitive thighs and penis, to name a few? If its an exterior body part, this can be used on it. Or simultaneously feeling the vibrations with your partner while you have sex is another option, this isn't just for solo use. As always, skies the limit with toys if you just think about it.

This is really easy to use, there are only three buttons. And believe me, when your 'otherwise occupied', three buttons is all you can handle. An on/off button, and the other two to control the speeds. You can also hold the on/off button down to set it to a pulse setting. A few things that I want to nit pit over are things like the speeds. When you turn on a toy it normally starts off on the slowest speed and then you can gradually make it speed up. But with DOXY it starts off on a mid speed and if your like me, every time you use it you've forgotten this and leap away from it in shock. Its not a big thing, but I'm Irish and entitled to say 'Jesus, me nerves!' without judgement. (Cos' who would ever judge me for writing about sex toys and masturbating on the internet!) It also gets hot. Use it for over 12/15 minutes and it starts to heat up. I'll admit thats the one 'scary' thing about DOXY, or any sex toy for that matter. But it does give you warning in the booklet that comes with it. And lets be honest here, unless some sadist is your partner, your not going to have the toy turned on for a extended period. (Unless you do, you lucky person, you!) But its one to keep an eye on.

A few more wonderful things to note now. Its super easy to clean, and although it doesn't say it in the instructions as something it can do, I take off the smooth grey cover that is made from hypoallergenic medical grade material that is free from latex or phthalates, to clean it and pop it back on. I think this is one of of my easier toys to clean, if theres such thing! Theres no small fecky parts to try and get the warm soapy water into, lifes made a littler easier. Its also got a cord that is the length of today and tomorrow, so your not restricted to being pressed against the wall in order to reach a socket. Instead, you can have the pleasure of being pressed against the wall for an entirely different reason.

DOXY is a loud and proud thing. I take back any toys I've crowned as jack hammers, this beats the best of them. Going from extremely quite - for a sex toy, to utterly glass shattering in a few presses of a button, this isn't one to use while the house is full. Having said that I've used my fair share of toys by now to expect that unless they only vibrate inside you where its slightly soundproofed, there is going to be a certain level of noise. 

My one major, I mean major issue with this toy? DOXY is marketed as a sports massager. And while I like to think of sex as a sports (God knows, its the best form of exercise I ever get!) I wish that DOXY was shouting from the roof tops that this is a sex toy by name, considering how amazing a product they have here. Sure its sold on sex toy sites, its Twitter picture even has a girl pressing it against her clit, but its not sold as something sexy, fun or even informing the general public (read: me the daft slow cow) that its actually for your fun bits. Its won awards since starting out in the UK in 2013, boasting to be the worlds most powerful wand massager. Thats something to be proud of. 

So, would I buy it at €97, knowing full well that I'm the queen of bargains and skimping on money? I'd feckin' buy two. Seriously, I can't get over how this thing works its black magic. Theres not a bit of me that doesn't wholeheartedly agree with that statement. I'm sorry I didn't know about it back in 2013 when it was first released. And we all know how much I love a good bitchin' if I'm not 100% happy with a product. Bonus points, it now comes in purple too. If anyone is stuck for a Christmas present, I'd suggest investing in a toe curling, scream inducing, dehydrating and exhausting-you-in-the-best-possible-way, DOXY. 

You can get yours from Secrets Ireland.

*I did not pay for this item, it was a PR gift.  Please see my disclaimer here. 

Juicy Jewels Vivid Rose

I've talked at length about sex, positions and consent in past posts - thats grand. But I have yet to do a full on 'female' sex toy review, so here it is. Bare with me a little if you can, this is brand new to me (the blogging about toys that is) and if I'm honest I'm a tad scared. Its all fine and dandy to giggle over a fun pound shop Dealz bargain or a new position, but to go waving a dildo or two around on the internet? Its safe to say I'll never see the gates of heaven as I have been told in a recent email. (Please keep sending them by the way, they brighten my day considerably and make me giggle!) But when I was approached by Secrets Ireland to try out this, I couldn't say no. I'm a big fan of this company, not only because they kindly gave a talk and demo at my blogger meet up, but because they always bend over backways to help if you email or call with questions. Not only about the toys (which I have to say they have a huge knowledge on) but also happy to answer sex questions. Take a look at the blog here too. They do free postage (oh yeah, love a bit of free postage, me!) and they have plain packaging so nothing about what goodies are in your box is known to anyone but yourself. 

First to the name, 'Juicy Jewels vivid rose' By PipeDream Products. I know theres a lot of cringe worthy names slapped on toys out there, but this one really made me facepalm. I've had the same cringing reactions from friends after I've told them what its called, its just that bad. But embarrassing, badly thought out name aside, I'm a fan of the packaging. Theres nothing I like to see more then a nice air tight, totally sealed toy. Its nothing over the top and they have, thank god, spared us the half naked girl, mid orgasm with the help of whatever toy they are trying to sell on the front. Bonus points in my book! 

The instructions on the back tell you that its 'made from super-soft phthalate-free jelly' which is always important in any toy you use, silicone and phthalate free is the way to go, however the 'jelly' is new to me, although it is 100% body safe. Its claims to be waterproof, have multi speed vibrations and is easy to clean. You also need 2AA batteries that are not included - remember the tv remote if your really stuck!

The vibrator itself is a light pink colour that I must admit, I'm a fan of. Its covered in veins and ridges along with a rose petal shaped part near the base for clitoris stimulation. Its easy to bend and move - but not so easy that its structure wont stand straight on its own. What I'm not a fan of is having to screw the bottom in order to turn it on/off and to regulate the speeds. This always causes problems in general with these types of toys. Its sometimes hard to reach, it can turn itself on when its put away (whatever is that buzzing sound coming from your bedside table?!) and then it can just be hard to manage in general. I would always suggest that you totally unscrew these types of toy when storing them, it makes for less potential awkward situations.  

Apart from having to screw the bottom for speeds, the main problem I have with this is that the vibrating part of the the toy is located at the very top, which means that all the vibrations and sensations are being mainly felt there and not anywhere near the rose petal shaped part that helps to stimulate the clit. No matter how I tired (and my god, did I try) I just couldn't get it to work out for me. This could be due to the very possible chance that I'm all about the clit and if it can't stimulate that then Huston we have a problem.  If the vibrating part of the toy was located nearer to the bottom I think this might have been a very positive post, however I can understand that the space is being occupied by the batteries. Now saying that, there are a wide range of different vibrating strengths which I was very impressed with. The one negative thing though is the noise, honestly you would not want to have thin walls when using this thing. I'm a massive fan of quiet toys and unfortunately not every product will have that bonus. 

On a much more positive note, this was my first time trying out a jelly toy and I really enjoyed something a little different from the hard plastics (bold I know) and silicones of most products out there. It was extremely easy to clean and heavy enough to threaten a good smack with - you'll eat all your veg and take out the bin now, wont you!

Overall I didn't like this vibrator personally. As with any screwing functioning toys, they are hard to work and annoying and I feel the placement of the vibrating part could be rethought,  but thats not to say others will agree with me. I know I'm slightly bias (or at least my clit is) but I also do like how easy it was to clean and the novelty of a jelly toy. For €36 I don't think its going to break the bank and if you don't like the sound of this particular vibrator then I would suggest you still try out a jelly toy, they are totally different from other things out there! Have a goo at them here.

*I did not pay for this item, it was a PR gift.  Please see my disclaimer here.