Nothing beats the UPS dude showing up with a box full of new toys to review and my latest shipment included the Liberte – a g-spot vibrator from Candida Royalle’s Natural Contours line.

This multi-speed vibe is made from phthalates-free plastic that is very smooth.  If you’re new to toy play, this one is great because it offers plenty of options (three speeds, and one escalation pattern) that are all accessible with the use of one simple button.  Push it once and it turns on, push it again to scroll through the higher speeds and to access the orgasm inducing escalation.  There’s nothing worse than trying to figure out how to use some high tech vibe when you’re just looking to get off and get on with your day!

What really sets this vibe apart for me is the smart design.  The contoured shape makes it really easy to hit your g-spot and experience pure ecstacy.  I love that it takes all of the guess work out of g-spot play.  While it’s not the most powerful toy in my collection, the buzz is more than adequate to take you to the moon.

The Liberte is almost 8 inches long and has a circumference of 3.5 inches at it’s widest point.  Because it’s made out of plastic, it’s compatible with both water and silicone-based lubricant.  And this may seem silly, but one of my favorite things about this particular vibe is that it comes with batteries!  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve picked up the tv remote to remember that I’d stolen the batteries for one of my toys.  It’s the little things, people…

Overall, the Liberte is a cheap and reliable toy that’s great for beginners or all of you who can appreciate the simple things in life.

I will admit to being a bit of a gadget freak when it comes to sex toys.  I love cutting edge technology when it’s used to help me get off and have been known to drool over the latest vibe that charges via USB port.  Of course, I’m no dummy when it comes to toys and also know that sometimes simple is the way to go!

The Jolie by Natural Contours is as pretty darn basic, but when it comes to a pocket rocket I think that extra features just get in the way.  This plastic vibe is totally portable at just four inches long and is perfect for travel.  There’s something to be said that a magic orgasm machine that fits in your pocket!  While it only has one speed, it’s pretty powerful, especially considering that this vibe runs on a single AA battery.

My favorite thing about the Jolie is that this little puppy is waterproof!  When you combine the smooth plastic tip of this vibrator with a cascade of warm water, the results are amazing.  I can only think of one better way to start off a day – a morning quickie – but there’s no reason you can’t incorporate this clitoral massager there!

With the Jolie, Natural Contours has taken the traditional pocket rocket and made it better.  It’s powerful, discreet and won’t break the bank.

We’ve talked about the importance of looking after your own sexual health a lot on the blog. One thing we haven’t discussed thoroughly is the importance of pelvic exercises for women. Often referred to as Kegel Exercises, after inventor Dr. Arnold Kegel, these simple exercises are used to strengthen the pubococcygeus (PC) muscles. Most women have probably heard of Kegel’s from their doctor or from the pages of magazines like Cosmo, but more information is never a bad thing!

For those of you who have never done Kegel Exercises, I’ll break it down quickly for you. The first thing you need to do is locate your PC muscle, because there’s no sense in wasting your time working out if you aren’t targeting the correct muscle. The easiest way to do this is to head to the bathroom and empty your bladder! All you need to do is stop the flow of urine mid-stream. I suggest doing it a few times to be sure you are clear what muscle you are using to do this because that is your PC muscle and you just did a Kegel!

There are many reasons why these simple exercises are worth your time. Strong PC muscles can decrease your chance of facing problems with incontinence, will help prevent a prolapse of the uterus and bladder and are crucial for women who are planning on giving birth. Personally, the fact that numerous studies have shown that women with stronger PC muscles are more orgasmic is enough to convince me to give up ten minutes a day! Age, gravity and the stress of childbirth (if it applies) can all contribute to the issues I mentioned above, but a quick daily workout can help prevent them.

Luna Beads

While you can definitely whip yourself into shape without the aid of a pelvic exerciser, many women (myself included) can vouch for the benefits of the added resistance you’ll gain by using one. Most exercisers fall into two categories – ben wa style balls or wands.

Ben Wa style balls are inserted into the vagina and typically contain a small weight within that causes the weight to shift and your muscles to work. Many women also find this sensation stimulating. Lelo’s Luna Beads are, in my opinion, an improvement on traditional Ben Wa Balls. Their pelvic exerciser kit includes two sets of non-porous plastic balls with different weights that allows you to change vary the resistance to help strengthen your pelvic floor muscles.

Wand, or barbell, style exercisers are also very popular. Once inserted, you just contract your muscles around the wand and the resistance provided helps to increase strength. Some women find it helpful to be able to feel the muscles contract around a physical object. Natural Contour’s Energie is a good, affordable resistance trainer made out of phthalate-free plastic.

Whether or not you decide to use a pelvic exerciser, there’s no denying the importance of training this important muscle. Of course, I suggest you talk to your doctor about how you can benefit from Kegel exercises as this article is not meant to be a substitute for medical advice.

For more information, here’s a great article by Beverly Whipple, PhD, RN, FAAN and Talli Yehuda Rosenbaum over from The Alexander Foundation for Women’s Health website.

And ps. yes, men can and should do kegel exercises! Keep an eye out for more information in the future!

Women who are looking to experiment with g-spot stimulation, or who are just looking for a quality vibe that won’t set them back a day’s pay, should take a look at the Natural Contours Liberte.

The Liberte’s distinct curve is designed to lead you right to the magical Gräfenberg spot and is great for newbies!  It’s simple to use with only one button that navigates you through the three speed options to the exciting pulse pattern.  While vibes with tons of bells and whistles are nice, sometimes it’s nice to lie back and get off with a simple toy that is well designed.

The Liberte runs on two AA batteries, which are included, and is easy to care for.

The Natural Contours line was designed in part by Candida Royale, a pioneer in women’s erotica.  Each toy is designed to ergonomically fit the contours of a woman’s body and is made out of phthalate-free plastic.

If you’ve ever stolen the batteries from your television remote control with your pants down around your ankles, you should probably pay close attention to this little piece on the glory of rechargeable vibes.  Nothing sucks more than getting a new toy and not having the proper power source to try it out or running out of juice right as your starting to enjoy yourself.

Batteries are inconvenient and costly, but more importantly they’re wasteful.  If it weren’t for my collection of rechargeable toys, I would probably need my own landfill for all of the batteries I’d go through.  In this day and age, people are more conscious of what they throw out – we bring cloth bags to the grocery store and recycling is second nature.  It only makes sense that the green movement has made its way into the bedroom.

One company that can be counted on for quality rechargeable toys is LELO.  I have a number of their toys, including the NEA, and love each and every one.  They are a bit pricy, but the way I see it, you can either invest in a quality toy that’ll bring you years of pleasure or you can go through crappy vibe after crappy vibe as they fall apart.  LELO products are made out of body safe materials and even come with a one-year warranty!  This is one company that has a woman’s pleasure in mind.

If you’re all about saving the earth, but don’t have big bucks to blow right now, you should definitely check out Natural Contour’s Ideal.  The Ideal is a rechargeable personal massager runs for about an hour per charge.  That’s plenty of time for a back massage or multiple orgasms!  It’s made from hard plastic that is phthalate-free and transfers vibration very well.  The unique shape of this vibe makes it great for reaching those out of the way spots or for people who have some physical limitations.

In the end, money spent on a good rechargeable vibe is better for the earth and for your own sanity.  While rechargeable toys are a little more costly, purchasing one will most likely save you money in the long run because they are typically better crafted and vibrators tend to run through batteries.  The stock market may suck right now, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still a few good investments out there.  I’d just stay away from the Ponzi 3000 turbo vibe!

Check out all of our rechargeable sex toys!