Sexual Sunday: Porn Banned In The UK

Every Sunday I talk about something to do with sex and this week I'm taking a break from reviewing sex shops to discuss the new laws in the UK  surrounding porn. Back in December, the 1st to be exact, the UK quietly introduced restrictions on the porn sold and made there (Communications Act 2003). Under these new censoring laws, the Audiovisual Media Services Regulations 2014 requires video on demand online porn to follow the same guidelines as DVD sex shop porn laid out by the  British Board of Film Censors. In short, it is now illegal to do the following acts:

Spanking

Caning

Aggressive whipping

Penetration with any object 'associated with violence'

Physically or verbal abuse (regardless of if consensual)

Urolagnia (water sports)

Role playing as non adults

Physical restraint

Humiliation 

Female ejaculation

Strangulation

Face sitting

Fisting

The last three in that list are viewed as potentially life threatening by the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC). Now do not fear, this doesn't stop anyone from viewing the above acts if they choose. Those acts can still be carried out in porn from countries that are not the UK or don't have similar rules. But from my point of view (and the out cry of many others) it looks like the BBFC has it out for the majority trying to enjoy themselves. Those in the porn industry producing BDSM, LGBT and lesbian sex now essentially have their hands tied behind their backs. (Wouldn't that come under 'physical restraint'?) 

Personally I feel outraged that face sitting could be considered to be life threatening. Not only is it utterly bizarre, but its depriving women of pleasure. My same line of thought extends to female ejaculation. Depicting a male orgasming and ejaculating is perfectly acceptable for the UK, but dare a woman orgasm  and have physical proof, well thats just outrageous and banned. It would have been laughed out of law if male ejaculation was censored, I can't see why the same shouldn't be said for women.

Now don't get me wrong here, this isn't merely some feminist crusade fighting for womens pleasure, but for the pleasure for whoever this effects. Spanking, humiliation, abuse and the rest could and does come under the umbrella term of BDSM. Anyone who has a particular kink or interest in these acts is being essentially told by UK laws that they are wrong to want this. It is not ok, they are banned. And so we again see the great divide between those 'weirdos' with their unwholesome sexual behaviors and those who are fine upstanding people that would never indulge in such things.  All I can say is it sickens me that this is a law now, to discriminate and make prejudice of people who engage in these acts in the porn industry, and those who enjoy it.

Its easy to argue the point of protecting people. Protecting the children, Oh wont someone think of the children. I realise that from a young age children are more exposed then ever to over sexualised images, video, etc. But is banning it through porn really the way to help and discourage these deemed wrongful banned acts? Does it really instill confidance of the general public that the UK are setting these standards? Deeming womens pleasure unacceptable? Disregarding sexual preferences and drawing the sexist line right down the middle for what men can do and what women can't? I could go on for another ten paragraphs. 

I have no answers, I doubt most of you do either. But if the UK have banned so much, what can we expect for Catholic Ireland, or whatever other government or organisation who feel they need to censor people. Tell them what they can like, what they can't. Make those in the porn industry redundant and move underground to do these 'dreadful, harmful' acts. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this below

Fushia Make Up: The Pro Collection

Back before Christmas I attended a lovely Christmas blogger dinner hosted by Lisa from PinkSugar. We were spoiled with goodie bags from lots of generous companies and one of them was Fuschia. In their goodie bag we got a *pro palette and also some lip products, but what really grabbed my attention was the palette. I'll be honest and say that it took me a few days to try this out, I was in no hurry as I had read some awful reviews of this brand. I had previously got a sample size lip gloss to try and although I adored the shade, it didn't apply well and smelled horrible. I thought this would apply across board for all of their make up.

But I couldn't have been more wrong when it came to their eye shadows and blushes. This massive magnetized palette holds 9 blushes and 12 eye shadows. Hand over my heart when I say this - I use every single shade here, especially the crazy red, orange and the matte purples. Playing it safe, I normally only have dark browns, greys and other neutral colours in my collection. This palette however has brought me over to the dark side and I now utterly love wearing a bright pop of colour now. The shadows themselves are highly pigmented which was a great surprise. Theres a lovely mixture of mattes, shimmers and glittery goodness. The very same goes for the blushes and what I can only assume is some sort of contour - the almost black one at the bottom of the palette that I've still not used. Its a bit of a intimidating colour to use!

Not having a clue about Fuschia, I went onto their site to see what the craic was. There they give you the chance to create your own palettes starting from a single (€8.50) up to a five pan (€25) of the 60 different eye shadows they have on offer. Blushes come in single pots, but I'm sure if you wanted something similar to the pro palette above, you could fill it with lots of different depotted blushes or shadows. Each blush is €16.50 and there seems to be 10 shades available.

Not having ever had products like these before, I really like how each shadow and blush has their own number, name and ingredients list on the bottom. I've seen similar things with MAC (again, a brand I've never once tried and think is a tad overrated!) but this is all new to me and a great novelty. Although I doubt I'd fork out for a full palette, if and when any of these little pots get used up, I wouldn't hesitate to fork out the €8.50 to get a replacement or to try out a new shade - the idea of 60 different ones has me a bit giddy. 

Then again, there are times when I go on a mad one and get spendy with make up. I know last year Fuschia had a stand at the Pro Beauty show and I hope they have one again this year as I might be passing by for a 'quick' look. (read: hour long poking, swatching and demanding they take all my money.) I had a quick go of the lip lipstick and glosses that I got in the goodie bag too and it was a total different texture and smell to the other older ones I had tried. This makes me wonder if a new formula was introduced because I enjoyed using them a lot more. 

Some things Fuschia offers are totally mad prices for what they are, but as far as the eye shadows go, I couldn't fault them and would fork out in future no bother.

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

Sanctuary Spa 5 Minute Thermal Detox Mask

I went on the hunt for a new face mask, I love the luxurious idea of them. I normally throw one on while I'm in the bath, or sometimes if I feel like my skin is particularly down in the dumps, I'll slap one on. Browsing the No.7 stand in Boots a while ago the really nice assistant told me about their thermal face mask and I liked the sound of them. But it would cost me the guts of €20 so I went looking for a cheaper alternative to see if these kind of masks worked, without breaking the bank.

Sanctuary Spa has the 5 minute thermal detox mask for 'oily congested skin prone to blemishes and dullness' is normally €13.69 for 100ml, but after a while of gooing over it online, I noticed that it was(and still is!) on offer for €9.13 - bargain! I never think of Sanctuary Spa when it comes to skincare, so this was an extra treat. This mask is self heating and the heat helps to open pores so the kaolin clay and charcoal draws out all the impurities and face uglies deep in the skin without damaging it. 

I thought that the heating part sounded like a gimmick, but I was wrong. The texture of the product is an almost gel like substance, but its thicker and not as easy to spread. Once you start to apply and rub in the mask, it heats up and then cools down again in a few minutes. It doesn't dry out like most masks, so theres no time limit or indication when to take it off. If your like me and forget easily, leave a timer on your phone or you might walk out of the house with a grey/blue face. (I've not done this, but theres been a few close calls.) Its recommended that you use it twice weekly to help reduce blemishes but I don't see any harm in using it more if you were so inclined.

Its easy to rinse off with warm water and a face cloth - its harder to get it off without one. I've been using this for about 2 weeks now and although it more or less sticks to the site where you place the mask to your skin, I don't actually use that much. In the 5 times that I've slapped it on, I've not noticed groundbreaking results, but my skin is having a good spell. I have however noticed that my skin feels fresher and looks brighter after using it and also my spots aren't coming up as big, ugly or red. I think it might have something to do with the mask as I've not been using any other spot treatments while trying this out, just to see if it really made a difference. 

If you can get past the fact that it does heat up on your face, I'd suggest having a poke around and picking it up while its on offer in Boots. I think its a very underrated product that needs more love for all the help it gives. I'd say over time with even more use I'll see further results and it will continue to improve the face uglies. 

Bia Beauty Facial Exfoliant and Cleanser

If theres one skin care thing that I love, its a good exfoliator. If I was stuck on a desert island, this is the type of product I would be bringing with me. Bia Beauty is an Irish brand all the way from Cork and I've tried out quite a few of their range. This is by far the one that stands out for me. Its gentle enough that I can use it daily if I wanted, while also giving my skin a little scrub and cleanse. I love that its orange and grapefruit, its fresh and without sounding like a dope - it smells natural. None of this chemical smelling pretend fruit scents, but the real thing. I'm not normally a fan of these particular fruit scents, so this says a lot for the product.

With caster oil, thistle and essential oils, this lovely rich yellowy cream always leaves my skin feeling moisturised and not stripped, unlike a lot of exfoliators. You only need a small amount to do your entire face and because it is both a exfoliant and cleanser, your saving time. For 60ml I think this is a really good 2in1 product. I also really love the presentation in an old style dark brown glass jar, with a plastic screw on lid. 

I've been using this for nearly two years now and this is my third jar. I always keep it in the shower as an everyday product. At €16.95 it is a little pricey, but for something gentle and brighten for your skin, along with it being a 2in1 cream, I think its worth it.

Have you tried Bia Beauty before?

Sexual Sunday: Condom Power Dame St.

As is the new tradition, every Sunday on the blog is Sexual Sunday. Here I talk about all things sex or sex related. At the start of the year I decided my main focus of these would be my grand tour of Dublin sex shops, giving my honest opinion after playing guinea pig so you don't have to. I ask questions, compare prices and give star ratings so you can see what shops to visit and what ones to maybe avoid. 

This week I headed straight to Dame St. and stood waiting on the lights to change, looking at the hardly noticeable entrance to the shop. Its parked between shops and if your not paying attention you would easily mistake it for the Dame Cafe entrance instead of a sex shop. The signage isn't very noticeable either, with a cartoon condom showing off his muscles below the shop name. This is a discreet shop to say the least. However once you step in the doorway you almost immediately come to steep stairs that lead down to the shop. In case you needed further help, there is a lit sign telling you 'Condom Power Adult Shop Downstairs'. 

Appearance of outer shop: 1 star - You don't even notice it.

Appearance of inner shop: 1 star - Nothing special and could use a bit of a clean.

Friendliness and helpfulness of staff: 3 stars - Good chat and discreet with customers.

Price range of toys: 1 star - Total extortion rates.

Selection of products/Specialists: Apart from some gimp masks and We Vibe, all the toys were cheap plastic. Good selection of porn and magazines though.

The shop is one big square room that has toys surrounding the walls. Theres one long stand in the middle that holds DVDs, much like the ones you'd find in HMV. Its bright and spacious - if a little sparse and I felt very on show when I walked the shop. There was nowhere to hide in the open space and anyone who waked in could clearly see me. After seeing the selection of things the shop offered, it was clear that this shop was catering to only men and the selection of DVDs were all gay porn from what I could see. I stuck out like a sore thumb with boobs in that place. None the less I noted that they had We Vibe, 50 Shades of Grey, a few gimp masks, some rabbits, fleshlights and glass dildos. The rest of the toys were dusty boxes of cheap looking plastic dildos and other odds and ends of toys. Nothing to really take note of, apart from some of the boxes needing a good dusting. My eyebrows shot up a few times over prices, they know how to charge. Off the top of my head I could see some toys with €10 and €12 extra put on then with other sex shops I regularly visit. 

I asked the staff if they had any poppers, pipes, skins and other drugs or accessories. He handed me out two different types of poppers and boasted that he would only next week have a brand new kind in stock. I know I'm letting my bias towards drugs sway me here, but I wasn't impressed. This is the first sex shop I've come across that sells poppers and not just accessories for weed. I'll admit if the price range and lack of good toys hadn't put me off already as a customer, this would have had me running for the hills. 

We talked for a while and although he insisted that he was only helping the owner out for the day, he seemed to really know about his sex toys and the other sex toy shops in Ireland. He told me that it was indeed mainly a gay mans shop and that only men worked there. He doubted that the owner would talk to me (seems to be a running theme). When I asked if he was aware of the laws against selling poppers and porn DVDs in Ireland, he gave a sheepish look telling me that it was a grey area and he not only sold but also distributed both. This is a first again as the staff in sex shops will normally hold their hands up and admit that despite knowing the laws, they still sell the items.

Although I can't say I'm at all impressed with the shop or the answers to some of my questions, I will say that I've never seen such a big selection of magazines all in one place. They had a really good display and I would consider recommending popping in if porn mags were your thing. They also had a lot of the DVD s for €10, but going all the way up to €60 for what seemed like basic porn. I don't think I would ever pay €60 for a DVD, even if it was about something I loved. (I want to say it would be cat related, but in the context I think its a tad wrong.)I also noted that despite the staff only being there for the day to help out, he was really good with the customers and discreet dealing with them. He kindly gave me a copy of a magazine that he owns and he put it in a coloured paper bag, sealing it with sellotape for me.

As for the Condom Power website, it seems to be non existent. When googled, it comes up with a domain name and nothing more. There is no Facebook page and only a small following on their Twitter account, with no public interaction. I think they could really do with getting their site back online and pushing their large range of magazine and DVD collections, instead of promoting themselves as a (male targeted, not so great) sex toy shop. I'd take a miss with this one.

Empties #8

I had to have a look back over my old posts to see when I last posted one of these empties posts. It felt like only yesterday but apparently it was way back in November! Doesn't time fly when your having fun slapping things onto your skin and hair. 

First thing that I was sad to finish was the two Bioderma's. I used the mini one for oily and combination skin over Christmas when I was away and although this one is better suited for my skin type, I found the big pink bottle for sensitive skin better. When my sister heads back to France I'll definitely be asking her to pick up some Bioderma products for me, but I also think that any other cleansing waters are just as good as these and I'm not really sure where the hype for these products come from. 

I'm not going to say too much about my much loved Bia Beauty cleaner and exfoliator right now. I've bought another of these dinky pots and have a post coming up about it next week. (I promise I actually do, I just took some photos for it!)

The last thing in my skincare empties is an old packaging bottle of Soap&Glory's Peaches and Clean. I found it really hard to get the last of the product from this, so theres minus points for loosing product. But I actually prefer Soap&Glory's other hot cloth cleanser/make up cleanser as it doesn't have such a strong scent, it comes in a tube so you can get all the product and its more gentle to my skin. I doubt I'll be getting this Peaches and Clean again.

Two of my favourite shampoo brands, Garnier Ultimate Blends and also Aussie are always popping up in my empties posts. I consider leaving them out, but I don't want anyone to think that I've stopped using them! Its always good to recommend what you love, so apologies to those who regularly read my blog. If you've not tried either of these shampoo's or conditioners then you need to put them on the to get lists!

I had some mini's on the go over the past two months and I've not too much to report on any of them. I got some Body Shop Rainforest shine shampoo and conditioner from fragrance direct to try out before forking over almost €10, but I'm not taken with it. It does the job but not any better then the much cheaper brands you can find in Tesco or Boots. I wont be getting a full size. The same goes for the Great Lengths shampoo, I think I got it on one of my subscription boxes months ago. It was fine to pop in my bag, but nothing special that would make me buy a full size. 

The new Herbal Essence conditioner is the only one pictured here, as I had thrown out the shampoo bottle by accident, but I did a review about the new range and spray over here.

Then of course theres something form Lush. I will buy Daddyo shampoo every few months when I feel that my hair is lacking in the colour department and this shampoo perks up the colour, taking away any brassy tones and leaving it shiny, a lovely colour and smelling like violets! Its a small bottle but you only need a little and you don't have to use it daily either to get results.

Theres nothing much to say about this pile apart from I buy them all regularly and love them. I've talked in many monthly favourite posts about my love affair for Herbal Essences dry shampoo. Hair removal cream and Nivea roll on deodorant (the best one ever in my opinion) are both €1.49 from deals, bargain! The only thing that I wont be getting again from this pile is the Boots own brand nail varnish remover. It smells so bad and takes massives amounts of product in order for it to work. I picked up nail varnish remover in a pot from Dealz that works much better for next to nothing.

The candle is a gorgeous vanilla one that I've had for a few years. It only gets used on special occisions as I loved the smell too much and didn't want to waste it. Theres no sticker on it so I can't find where to buy it again and the shop (Evolution in the GPO arcade) doesn't sell them anymore. Very sad to see this one go.

Lastly is some sort of advertisement for Seventeen! I think its fair to say that I'm a big fan of the brand and I especially love their new Stay Time foundation (my 5th bottle) and the phwoarr paint concealer (easily my 12th). Theres nothing to say about them apart from try them all out because they are normally on offer in Boots and so cheap. 

Another little thing from Lush is the Charity Pot cream that smells amazing. For €1 that goes towards charity, I always pick up a little pot when I'm in Lush as they are so easy to keep in your hand bag. And the smell is so nice too. I have bundles of them floating about!

W7 Mascara, Dupe For Benefit They're Real?

We all love a good dupe for things that can be really pricey, but let me just tell you that you'd have to pry my beloved Benefit mascara from my cold dead hands if you wanted it. They're Real is one of the only high end make up items that I will happily fork out for and god forbid it should ever run out on me before I can get a replacement. So when I tried w7's *Absolute Lashes mascara, I wasn't expecting much from it. It may look like the real thing, but looks can be deceiving. So it was only after so serious testing out and trying all the tricks in the book can I report what I've found to you guys and gals. 

So first of all, its obvious that both tubes look more or less the same. They are both the same size and length and when the plastic wands are put side by side, again you can't see a lot of difference. Benefits brush has less bristles and therefore looks prettier and more structured. W7's brush is the tiniest bit longer with more bristles, which made me think it would apply a lot more messily. 

The formula of Benefit is thicker, when applied I tend to only use one coat as its thick and covers all my lashes. It makes my lashes hard once dry and stays put all day, with a little fall out if I'm honest. When I go to take it off at night I will spend a good 5 minutes scrubbing at my eyes to get it all removed. Anyone whose tried They'e Real seems to have this issue, it taking an unreal amount of time to get off.

W7's formula seems to not be as thick, so when I apply it I use about 3 coats. It surprised me as it doesn't flake during the day and there was never any fall out, unlike my much loved Benefit. As for taking it off, its a total breeze. I only need to take a few seconds to get it off, even if I have a lot of layers on. 

Together I noticed that Benefit doesn't separate my lashes, leaves clumps on them and makes them feel crispy, unlike the W7 mascara that makes them like there still my lashes and not crispy or stiff. As you can see from the (horrible makeupless!) photos below, I think its clear to see what I'm on about. I used one coat for each eye and didn't brush or fix my lashes in any way after I applied the product. As you can see, I think that you need less product with Benefit, but way more time to separate, fix and then get it off later. With the W7 you need to apply more coats, but the lashes aren't clumped and you need less time to take it off. I accidentally rubbed my eyes with both mascaras on and noticed that I had a noticeable black mark on my Benefit hand. The same when I was taking a shower (I forgot I had mascara on, the dope that I am). When I got out of the shower, I had a panda eye on my Benefit side.  

My overall thoughts? I don't say it lightly, but I'm genuinely surprised that such a cheap product could outdo Benefit. For something thats €26 in Boots or at Benefit stands, I'm delighted that W7 would only set me back €3.50 -€5, depending on where you pick it up. - Places like Cara Pharmacy in Ireland. I'm going to finish up my They're Real, but then I doubt I'll be buying it again, instead sticking to the cheap, cheerful and better w7 Absolute Lashes mascara!

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