Review - Shunga Erotic Art - Arousal Gel - "Secret Garden" Female Orgasm Enhancing Cream

Note:  I started writing this review in 2011 and am posting it now for the sake of completion.  Babeland no longer sells this product, to my knowledge, and it is not clear to me whether Shunga is still an operating business.

However, there are still a number of sites selling this product.  It concerns me that they may be selling a product that is actually many years old.

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The word Shunga refers to erotic Ukiyo-e Japanese art of the 16th to 18th centuries, one of the major historical roots of pornography and sex manuals today.  

Shunga Arousal Gel comes in a classy, thick black box with the image of a Geisha on the front.  On the back of the box, "gently apply with your fingertips to your secret garden," *eyeroll* My secret garden?  Really, Shunga?  Who are you trying to protect from the word clitoris here?  Is someone who is too delicate to read the word clit supposed to be buying a product like this? "and you will discover new sensations that will take you to the limits of the female orgasm..."


I open the box to be hit with a strong but pleasant minty scent, a small 1 ounce black bottle, instructions, and a warning card telling me that every woman is different and I may find the orgasm cream too strong or too weak on the first try.  I may need to rinse off the product right away if it's too much or I might need to apply it as many as 3 times to get any effect from it.  Interesting.  


The instructions, which are in English and French, include advertisements for other Shunga products, and go into slightly more detail about how to use Shunga Arousal Gel, specifying that it is for the clitoris, should be massaged throughly into what says under the clitoris, but I think they mean under the clitoral hood, and that I may need to apply 3 consecutive days if I don't feel sensations immediately.  I have to say that I really think the outer instructions should be more specific that it is for the clit and not meant to be a sex lube, because someone out there is probably going to think that "secret garden" is their vagina.  


The instructions specify that Shunga Arousal Gel is not for pregnant women, or women with genital herpes.  Ingredients include glycerine, l-arginine, l-ornithine, damiana, peppermint oil, vitamin E, and also, unfortunately, parabens.  Yeah, I'm not happy using a product with parabens on one of my most delicate and porous body areas.  Product made in Canada.


There are also several wording inconsistencies and misspellings on the packaging, instructions and bottle, which is a pet peeve of mine and does not inspire confidence.  The ingredient list on my package and the ingredient list on babeland.com do not match. Babeland's ingredient list has capsicum, no parabens, and overall a healthier list of ingredients.  Babeland states that the product is not for internal use, and I agree that it's not a great idea, but Shunga does not have this written anywhere.  Shunga says their product may be used with a partner, but does not specify whether it is safe to use with condoms, or whether oral sex is safe after applying the product.  If you are prone to vaginal or urethral infections, I would recommend using this product with care, as some of the ingredients are irritants for some people.  


Technically, I believe this product is safe to use with a condom, however, I unfortunately couldn't not find any handy to test it on, since I haven't used one in a couple of years.  My guy and I have been monogamous for many years now and since I can't get pregnant anymore, I see no point in him wearing one, I hate them as much as I'm sure he does.


There is no silicone in this product, therefore it should be perfectly safe to use with all sex toys and dildos, however, again, I don't particularly recommend using this internally.  I'm sure some women might like it, but I personally have yet to really enjoy using any kind of warming or cooling lube, and if this gets into your vagina, it's basically going to feel like a cooling lube because of the peppermint oil. YMMV and it's your risk to take, but be aware you may experience unpleasant irritation, dryness, or infection later.


Going to the Shunga website, after some digging, I see that they state Shunga Orgasm Cream is edible, however their ingredient list seems to support the one I have listed with the box I received.


Test one, just seeing what the cream did on its own - I applied a nickel-size dollop of the clear gel onto my clit, lifting up the hood, and let it soak in for awhile.  I felt some tingling almost instantaneously, and frankly, my clit started feeling a little oversensitive and "bruised" in just a minute or two.  I also got wet quickly.  The tingling and sort of a "heavy" feeling in my clit lasted about 30 minutes.  Later on I masturbated and my clit still felt kinda bruised from the start, but I did come more quickly than usual.


Test two, [never completed.  Do not want to use a cream that is years old, for safety, at this point, sorry.]


I feel that Shunga needs to use less of their instruction page on adverts and more on important product information.  It should always be clear what a product is used for and what is safe and not safe.

Final Verdict - Indeterminable.  Did not test enough to feel comfortable giving a rating.





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Disclaimer - This product was provided to me as a Babeland Affiliate. However, all my reviews are completely thoughtful and honest.

Review - Shunga Divine Oral Pleasure Lip Gloss

Note:  I started this review in 2011.  It's probably a little pointless to post it now, but I figure better late than never.  I made the mistake of taking on a review item that I wasn't as interested in as I first thought - and I intend to think more carefully about assignments in the future.  

Babeland no longer sells Shunga products.  I'm not really clear if Shunga is still in business.  The market is more flooded with these kind of tingling minty lip products than before, so I still believe this product is a bad value.

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Shunga is a Canadian sex aid company that specializes in classy couple-centric items.  The word Shunga refers to erotic Ukiyo-e Japanese art of the 16th to 18th centuries, an important precursor of pornography and sex manuals today. 


Divine Oral Pleasure Lip Gloss, a "little Geisha's secret," is meant to "sensitize and excite both the male and female intimate areas" and help kickstart orgasms with its "warming-cooling effect".  Ideally, after one puts the gloss on, you can indulge in a tingly kiss with your partner and then you can both go down on each other and sensitize each other's naughty bits.  Obviously, this would work great for "69".  


I don't see any reason why this wouldn't work marvelously for a pairing of any two genders (or even more people).  I wonder if Shunga couldn't reach more customers by making it a more unisex, purely mint lip cream/balm in less girly packaging?

Babeland describes the lip gloss as "strawberries and champagne", but I think it smells more like strawberry bubblegum, and tastes like that, with a pepper and mint edge.  It's not unpleasant, which is good since you're going to be eating this stuff, essentially.


As makeup, it disappears quickly and is like a lot of other tingling, lip-plumping lip glosses.  It is just as smooth as tacky, texture-wise, at first, but becomes more tacky over time.  The moisturizing qualities are better than average for this type.  It is neither the worst, not the least tingling I've ever tried, but it is the most expensive by far (although I did not pay for this item, I mean comparatively by what I've paid before).  There is a one dollar lip gloss out there that is more tingly if that's what you're looking for, but if you are looking for a gift for someone else, then this product offers much classier packaging.


Divine Oral Pleasure Gloss comes in a lovely black paper box with the image of a Geisha and her client kissing in Ukiyo-e art style, and a magnet closure.  It's very attractive and tasteful.  The gloss is nestled in a lovely inset, and the bottle itself, clear, black, and gold, is also classy.  It's twice as much gloss as many other companies offer.  It is fairly intense, and manages to linger a surprisingly long amount of time.  


Since it's not as intense as a couple of other similar glosses I've tried, that can actually be a good thing if that means there is less drying peppermint oil in it, or more buffering moisturizers, since it might be going onto various delicate bits of skin.  Some glosses leave your lips dryer and more chapped than before you put it on, but this one is not bad.

I agree with this other blogger, that it's off-putting to use a product with a lot of unrecognizable ingredients.  They could all be harmless, but you wouldn't know unless you did a ton of research.

As a couples-oriented sex aid, I think that if you ask a lot of guys if they want to put on some lip gloss, even to get some nooky, they will be reluctant.  A lot of men don't like makeup products, even to see or feel on their girlfriend or wife.  My husband is like that, and he is also very sensitive to strong scents.  He's also vehemently opposed to combining food and sex.  So, this was a non-starter.  And many women feel the same way.  

But if you and your partner like getting messy, you can make each other tingle at all the erogenous zones and make oral sex more adventurous.

As a solo sex aid, tingling lips is somewhat arousing.  It could be rubbed on the nipples, or the clit, as well, but unless it is licked or rubbed off completely before penetration, I would personally be concerned about any potential chemical reaction with this gloss and your toys, because this really isn't an appropriate lube, or getting this inside the vagina or urethra, where it could potentially be irritating or trigger an infection.


Rating:  3/5.  Shunga, I would consider marking the price down a little on this item, you just don't have anything different enough to offer with your tingling lipgloss that justifies the cost to a cost-conscious buyer, and you might sell more of them if it wasn't such a huge price jump from comparative products.




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Disclaimer - This product was provided to me as a Babeland Affiliate. However, all my reviews are completely thoughtful and honest.

Review - Soft On Demand (SOD) Mobile Denma cell phone strap vibrator

Soft On Demand (SOD), a major adult product manufacturer in Japan, has made a cell phone charm sized vibrator that is equal parts joke and ingenuity, I think.  Ever wish you could carry a convenient vibrator in your pocket wherever you go?  Mobile Denma can help you out for your emergency sexual health needs.

This massager/vibrator is very small.  The smallest one I've ever seen.  It can be attached to a cell phone or bag, etc, with the lanyard that comes with it, either just the massager, or the massager inside the "pill" case it also comes with.  The pill look to the whole package, including the adorable "plus sign" on/off button, reinforces the toy's intended "for your health" image.  With the pill case, it just looks like a random dangly phone strap charm, so no one will know you are actually carrying a vibrator with you everywhere.

Mobile Denma with iPhone and quarter

Mobile Denma size as compared to rabbit vibrator

I bought this because I thought it was cute, funny, and also out of curiosity of how powerful could this little toy actually be?

Well, it's got a bigger kick than you would think, surprisingly effective, possibly due to the motor being 12,500 rpm (cannot confirm, but that is what several web sources said).  I think if you are a more sensitive person, you could most likely orgasm with this thing.  It's actually a little more effective than some cheap bullet vibrators I've used.  Maybe a 2 out of 5 on the buzz scale.

However, I think the main function of SOD Mobile Denma is as a teaser toy, something to run over sensitive body parts like the lips, neck, nipples, vulva, clit, etc, in order to tease and warm-up yourself or your partner, before other sexual activity or using another, stronger, toy.  This toy is far too small to be used on any orifices.  It is absolutely not safe for anal use.

Although it may be carried in public, it can't really be used in public, even to massage your temples or something, since it's obnoxiously loud, unfortunately.  Not the loud vibrator ever, but it's definitely not quiet.  The batteries rattle a little in the casing.  I have found that a lot of "hard plastic" type vibrators have this problem.  Around a 3 or 4 out of 5 on the loudness scale.

The massager runs off of 2 LR44 coin batteries, which lasts for approximately 30 minutes of continuous use.

I am not sure of the exact material, but this is made out of some kind of smooth, hard plastic - nonporous but cannot be totally sterilized.  If you think you might like to widely share this toy, consider just using it over clothing.  Any lube could be used with this toy, but you probably won't need to use any.

Mobile Denma is not waterproof.  I would suggest cleaning with a damp washcloth or antibacterial wipe, and never attempting to immerse in water or take into the shower.

Final Verdict: 2/5, not a must-have, but a fun conversation piece, a cheap gag gift, or something to try out as a teaser. 

Among other places, SOD Mobile Denma may be purchased at J-List.com, in black, pink, purple, or lime green.

Disclaimer - This item was purchased solely by me.  I am not affiliated with SOD or J-List in any way and am not receiving compensation for this review.

Review - Sliquid Oceanics Lubricant

Sliquid Oceanics, botanically infused, water-based natural lubricant with carrageenan (shown in some lab tests to help prevent the spread of HPV), nori, and wakame (moisturizing).  Hypoallergenic, PH neutral, non-staining, vegan, mostly organic, no parabens, no glycerine, no animal testing, and made in the USA.  Additional ingredients include aloe, vitamin E, hibiscus (moisturizing and soothing), flax (healing), alfalfa, green tea (anti-inflammatory), and sunflower seed.  (see also Sliquid's information sheet on this product, if you have any remaining concerns)  It is plastic type 1, so should be recyclable in most cities.  This is one classy lube, people! ;)

The bottle is elegant and tasteful, and does not look like a sex product at all on first glance.  You could leave it on your bedstand and most people would probably think it was fancy lotion.  It's a squeeze bottle, so, not as easy as a pump, but you're more likely to get every last drop out of the bottle.

I am a fan of Sliquid products and I was excited to try this one out, since it sounded very body-friendly.  Let's see how it stacks up!  It has virtually no scent, if you sniff deeply, there is just a clean, slightly soapy smell.  It tastes like plastic, not too pleasant, and I would not recommend this for oral sex.  It is a fairly thin lube, but maintains a decently thick, even coating, and I think it mimics natural female lubrication very well!  It's a little bit sticky, like natural girl lube, as well.

As a water-based lube, it can be used with anything - flesh, silicone, glass, metal, latex, etc, and it washes up with ease.  Even just wiping it off worked surprisingly well as a temporary measure, if you plan on washing up later, it came off pretty easily, did not leave me feeling sticky at all, and it blended in with my natural fluids better than any other lube I have ever tried.  It it not prone to dripping everywhere and stays where you put it.

For those of you looking for a really natural feel, for vaginal sex, I think Sliquid Oceanics would be a wonderful lube to try.  I will definitely be preferring this as a sex lube in the future because it doesn't dry out quickly combined with my natural wetness, it just makes for a great boost when I need it, and it has a really great feel compared to most other lubes that I have tried in the past (which is quite a few, of all types).  This is also a good pick for health/medical needs because of the light, natural feel.

It would work for anal sex as well, but maybe not for a beginner, or for a larger toy or very girthy penis or fisting, or whatnot, you would probably want a thicker lube in that case.  Sliquid Oceanics simply did not seem spectacularly slick or thick to me, and thus not suitable for every single occasion where I would need lube, but superior in some respects.  Oceanics may be the best choice for outdoor sex and other non-home locations since it doesn't leave you feeling like you need to scrub it off immediately.

I used this with the Octopussy dildo, which I will be reviewing soon, and it was not quite thick enough to slick-up this toy, which is fairly thick and very bumpy, as well as I would like.

Ultimately, I give this lube a 4 out of 5!  It is uber-natural, has a great viscosity, and is suitable to most sexual occasions.

Sliquid Oceanics also appears to be very similar to Babeland Natural.





Disclaimer - This product was provided to me as a Babeland Affiliate. However, all my reviews are completely thoughtful and honest.

Review - Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Female Orgasms

Expert Guide to Female Orgasms is the latest woman-friendly offering from Tristan Taormino, feminist pornographer, and part of a sex ed. series from Vivid Ed.

The cover is very tasteful.  Truthfully, without Taormino's name on it, this probably would never have grabbed my interest, the cover may be a little too bland and clinical-looking.  What drew me to this product was the fact that all the actresses chose their own co-stars, that all the orgasms are real, and that toys are incorporated into the sex.  In general, I prefer indie and amateur porn because I've become bored with cliche-filled super-fake mainstream porn and I would rather see something more realistic.  However, some of you may love that Expert Guide to Female Orgasms includes a few names you may have heard before - Evan Stone, Madison Young, Sean Michaels, Katie St. Ives, Jiz Lee, and more.  There are several straight pairings and one lesbian pairing.

The film is about three hours long and starts off with very in-depth discussion from Taormino of the female body, kinds of orgasms, methods of obtaining an orgasm, etc, with porn clips to provide explicit examples of what she's talking about, as well as a lot of commentary from the ladies (and some from the guys).  One key tip - She makes a clear distinction that not all women can have a orgasm without help from a vibrator, and that the majority of women, in fact, cannot orgasm without intense clitoral stimulation.  This segment is about 30 min. long, and then it follows specific couples.

The Hitachi Magic Wand has a starring role in this vid.  Personally, I prefer the Wahl Coil, the Hitachi seems more "thuddy" and well, massaging, and the Wahl is much more concentrated, but I think I'm in the minority.  There are also several other sex toys featured.

The educational value of this is very good.  I would recommend this wholeheartedly for anyone wanting to have their first orgasm, have orgasms more easily, to understand their body better (or for men who don't know a lot about female anatomy and physiology), for women who worry that they aren't like other women.  You can also pick up some new techniques and get more insight on oral and anal sex.  Alas, to my disappointment, I did not get a lot of new knowledge.  But I would certainly gift this to someone new, or fairly new, to sex, or to someone older or sheltered, who received a very poor sex education.

On the porn side, they did a great job of capturing a lot of the "real sex" atmosphere, but with more candidness and well-practiced vibe that you usually see with non-professionals.  Each couple had a different "sex personality," and I'm sure most people could find a couple they could relate to.  It's interesting to see porn stars show a little more personality than they usually do.  There is a lot of kissing, and the occasional odd or quirky moment.  The orgasms are real, which means they aren't always "pretty".  There are definitely some really hot moments, but, in my opinion, the porn segment still often felt more like education than porn, which can be great, depending on what you're hoping to get out of this video.  I enjoyed Katie & Sean and Adrianna & James more, probably, and most disliked the Dylan & Marcus scene.

There are a number of bonus features, including but not limited to - a guide to Kegel exercises, a vibrator guide, behind the scenes feature and a masturbation montage.  These were short, but a really nice addition.

Final Rating:

Education:  4/5, very good but a bit shallow on specific techniques, could have used more closeups
Porntasticness:  3/5, objectively this fell a bit short on sexiness for me, didn't really feel very turned on by any of the actors, but on the other hand I was not repelled or bored
Truthiness:  4/5, there seemed to be a little playing up for the camera here and there, but overall it had a very genuine feel



Disclaimer - This product was provided to me as a Babeland Affiliate by my request.  However, all my reviews are completely thoughtful and honest.

Review - Echo and Captain - Tantus Silicone Dildos

The majority of toys in my collection are from Tantus, Inc.  Tantus makes a wide variety of silicone dildos, vibrating dildos, and other toys, and they even have a closeout section where they dramatically discount (most under $25 + shipping) some of their products, which have nothing wrong with them, most of them are discontinued designs or colors.  This is a great way for someone with a limited budget to try out 100% silicone toys for far less than they usually cost.

Today I will review my two favorite of the Tantus toys I have tried, the Echo, which can be used with a vibrating bullet, and the Captain, which is a dildo they market under their line for men.  Tantus dildos are made of medical-grade silicone, which is non-porous and phthylate-free, and can be cleaned with soap and water, a 10% bleach solution, tossed in the dishwasher, or boiled.

Silicone toys can be used with any water or oil based lube.  Because it is high-grade silicone, unlike what you may have heard, sometimes it is safe to use with a high-grade silicone lube.  However - I would be very careful about doing this because I used silicone lube without incident once, and then another time I used a cheaper silicone lube and blemished one of my other silicone toys.  Using a silicone lube on a silicone toy does not cause it to warp or melt (well, maybe if you stuck it in a vat full of the stuff), what happens is the lube fuses with the toy permanently and can flake off, and it looks really ugly, so it can still be used, but you may want to use it with a condom, which totally ruins the joy of using a silicone toy, so you don't want that to happen.  If you really want to try using a silicone lube, test it on the bottom of the base of the toy first where it won't matter so much.

Tantus Inc. silicone toys are firm, not squishy, but have some give and flex.  They come packaged very simply in clear plastic bags with a small cardboard tag stapled to it, no naked porno chicks posing or tacky stuff.

Let's start with Echo -

Echo is even more of an intense dildo than it looks like, definitely not for beginners!  I own one in the now discontinued peacock blue.  It is made of very pretty pearlescent silicone.  It is 1 1/2" x 6 1/2" with deep ribbing, giving you intense pleasure, like being penetrated by the head of a penis over and over again, or as I recall another review somewhere saying some time back, like being "fucked gently with a chainsaw".  It really is that intense, and I recommend lots of lube and going slow at first.  If you're not careful, it can hook and grind unpleasantly on your pubic bone.  That said, with some lube and care, it is extremely enjoyable and a very different experience from most other dildos.  It will hit every little spot on the top vaginal wall, these ribs are spectacular for g-spot stimulation.  If you're finding it too much at first, try warming up with another toy that's a little smoother and then coming back to this one.

The Echo has a hollow indentation at the bottom so that you can use it with a bullet vibe, and it comes with a simple, one-touch bullet vibe that uses watch batteries, that can also be used on its own.  YMMV, but I've had bad luck with using bullet vibes with Tantus toys.  Even when I rub some lube on the bullet, eventually they always get stuck in the toy and I've broken a couple of bullets having to pry them out with tools.  I also personally feel that the vibration through the silicone is too weak to bother with, and I'd rather just use them as dildos and use the bullet or my trusty Wahl coil on my clit instead, at least for their larger toys.  But you may feel differently and you should experiment to see what you like best.

I prefer to use this toy for pleasing my pussy most of the time, it can be used anally, but with this many ribs, I would use only use it on someone with a lot of anal experience who was relaxed and very lubed up, and I would still go slow - this is just not a toy for brutal fucking unless you want to risk causing a lot of small tears.  This would be good for strap-on use with someone you have a great, trusting relationship with.  You can really extend and intensify and orgasm with the Echo, or create a hell of a g-spot orgasm.


And now for the Captain -

I own the Captain in red.  It is a formidable 1 3/4" x 6 7/8", a solid, non-vibratrating silicone dildo designed to milk the prostate, but as I am a female, and therefore do not have a prostate gland, it can also be used to stimulate the g-spot.  I, however, actually do prefer the Captain as an anal toy, I like the curve for ease of entry and use and the highly satisfying girthyness of the toy, and the curve still manages to provide some g-spot and vaginal wall stimulation because there is only a thin layer of flesh between the vagina and rectum.  This is a great toy for gentle rocking, when you want something nice and filling.  I somewhat resent Tantus marketing this as a exclusive men's toy, women like big, girthy dildos too!

disclaimer - This review is not influenced by any third-party, however, I am a member of Eden Fantasys' Affiliate program.  I am not receiving any compensation from Tantus Inc. or Naughty Treats.