(This article was previously published on Body Confidential.)

Intimate lifestyle products reviewed

Thea Euryphaessa reviews free-from-nasties products of a personal and pleasurable nature

Since my initiation into the ways of Tantra in a workshop I did back in February (see review here) I’ve spent much more time researching and reviewing intimate lifestyle products. Oh, the fun I’ve had. Take massage candles. In fact, take massage candles you can drip onto your lover… and lick off. That’s right — hot, delicious edible wax. I’m telling you, massage candles are the future. And the sex toys I’ve had the great pleasure of trying out (if you’ll pardon the unintended pun). Good Lord I’m surprised I haven’t exploded out of my skin with a mind-altering orgasm and floated off into some sexual nirvana. I’ll share a selection of my favourite products in upcoming reviews. Meantime, here’s a selection of products I’ve recently discovered.

I Love My Muff

Muff.

I don’t think I’ve heard that word since I was ten-years-old. It is important, however, that one pays as much attention to one’s muff hygiene as one would one’s oral hygiene. In a highly enjoyable book I recently read by Betty Dodson entitled ‘Sex for One: The Joy of Self-loving’, Ms Dodson who is affectionately known as the ‘Grandmother of Masturbation’ encourages women to whip out a hand mirror and take a good long look at their vulvas. This visual self-exploration is also encouraged in Tantric circles. The idea is to liberate and get intimately acquainted with, what is still for many women, their dirty little secret. Just read Eve Ensler’s ‘The Vagina Monologues’ on the shame and angst women harbour about their ‘down belows’. It’s an enlightening must-read for both sexes.

I Love My Muff continues in the vein of ‘The Vagina Monologues’ championing loud and proud muff/yoni/vulva love. ‘It’s no longer a whisper’, they say, ‘it’s a statement. I love my muff’. What I particularly like about this range, though, is their handmade products are cruelty-free, vegan, and free from parabens/SLS/synthetic colours and fragrances. I have their blue Maintenance Kit which includes a wash, spray, lotion, and wipes and is guaranteed to leave your muff feeling spa fresh. These are premium feminine-care products for the discerning woman. And watch this space for details of the men’s maintenance line, I Love My Muffler.

Available to order from one of my favourite online beauty treasure troves, www.beautyworkswest, the RRP for the blue Maintenance Kit is £29.99.

Yes

British-based company, Yes, describe their products as a revolution in organic intimate lubricants. So perhaps it should come as no surprise that their utterly fabulous lubricants bagged the top spot in the Best Body Care Award category at the recent 2011 Natural and Organic Products European Awards. A well deserved win.

If you’re still using K-Y Jelly, Durex Play, or Vaseline, stop it. Stop it right now. Their products contain eye-watering nasty ingredients you do not want to be applying to sensitive and intimate areas.  Yes’s products, on the other hand, do not contain parabens, glycerine, glycols, grapefruit seed extract (GSE), sodium benzonate, or mineral oil. They are also certified organic by The Soil Association (the world’s first intimate lubricant to be organically certified).

If you’re using condoms then use the water-based lubricant (psst, if you’re a long distance runner, I also recommend the water-based lubricant for areas prone to chafing). My favourite, however, is their oil-based lubricant. Damn it’s luscious: luscious, sensuous, non-staining, and best of all, kind to your body. It lasts and it lasts and it lasts: perfect for marathon sex sessions. Available to order in a variety of sizes and starting at just £4.99 for 25ml through to £16.49 for 125ml, I cannot recommend it enough. One of my beauty heroes, order online from www.yesyesyes.org.

Trinkets

Tampons just got sophisticated. Not just sophisticated, but much more convenient and discreet. These, ladies, are tampons you can have delivered to your front door. Despite this being the 21st Century there are still many women who find it difficult to buy sanitary wear in public. Women bleed, yes, and they bleed on a monthly basis, but it still remains one of the most taboo subjects in our culture. Bleeding, you see, is something you’re taught to keep firmly to yourself. Yet another ‘dirty little secret’ countless women harbour; which is where Trinkets step in.

Made from cotton and free from synthetic rayon additives, Trinkets have firmly established themselves as a favourite among thousands of women who regularly subscribe to their phenomenally popular doorstep-delivery service. No longer do you have to worry about being caught short, your tampons are delivered every three, four, or five weeks through your letterbox in an über-discreet package. Once opened, each beautifully designed box also includes a handy and discreet zip-lock purse pack in which to store them while out and about (perfect for teeny-tiny clutch bags).

Available in all absorbencies, prices start at just £2.29 per box (including delivery) for non-applicators and £2.99 per box (including delivery) with applicators, Trinkets, along with Yes and I Love My Muff, is yet another brilliant, inspiring example of a female-led company taking back responsibility for the unique needs and requirements of women’s bodies. Order and subscribe to their postal delivery service online at www.trinketwomen.com.

Lavera’s Honey Moments Body Oil

Finally, I’m including this body oil in this feature because I want to tell the world just how much I love it. It’s one of the most delicious, most gorgeous organic body oils on the market and I cannot get enough of it. At just £7.95 for 50ml it’s also an absolute steal. Slather this on yourself or share with your beloved. This is one of my beauty heroes. A must buy. Order direct from www.pravera.co.uk.

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