Review: Icicles Collection
Last weekend was my girlfriend's birthday and I offered her 3 glass dildos as part of her present. I had this gift idea in mind since quite a while and actually ordered them a few months ago since they were available for a very low price. Of course, I was getting quite impatient to finally offer them to her and sprinkle some glass-magic in the bedroom. We finally got to play with them this weekend; my girlfriend had never played with glass toys before (though I had myself) and she thoroughly enjoyed it.
My gift sure was appreciated!
At first however, I wasn't planning to write a review about them. Glass dildos from different companies are essentially always the same: pyrex glass molded into many different shapes. The material/quality is always very similar and they really don't differentiate themselves from one another; the only factor that will determine the success of your purchase is simply the shape itself. In other words, you could just choose a shape that personally appeals you, the rest is pretty predictable and elementary. As opposed to vibrators/dildos which can be very different from one another, it's rare to really be surprised with glass toys (aside from how their textures might feel vaginally), or to go "This isn't quite what I expected!".
That said, the Icicles Collection from Pipedreams which I'm reviewing here shines for one main reason: their collection of glass toys is extremely wide and varied. Technically, their products aren't any better or more reliable than any other glass toys, but the variety they offer is quite remarkable. As I mentioned previously, the main differentiating feature of glass dildos is the many shapes they can have, so it sure can be fun to have wide selection to choose from and to experiment with many different textures. I've personally known a girl who possessed around 6-7 of them, and it's not rare to hear about women who have a wide collection of glass toys. They're quite pretty to look at and each one of them feels very different, so it's definitely easy to become addicted to them. Women, you've been warned!
Anyway, I thought I'd give credit where it's due. I also thought that it could be interesting to present the main particularities of glass toys to those who've never really experimented with them. And finally, I thoroughly enjoy writing these reviews and just can't resist the urge to share my own bedroom experiences.
So first of all, what makes glass so special as a material? For one, it's extremely hard and smooth, which can provide a sensation that's entirely different than plastic, jelly rubber or silicone. The hardness makes glass dildos particularly interesting to experiment with textures: as opposed to softer materials, every ridge, bump or groove will perfectly maintain its shape in your vagina and you'll definitely feel every little detail. The smoothness of glass also means that these toys will glide inside your vagina without any resistance (more so than any other material), which can provide a much different sensation than regular toys. One word of warning though: because glass is particularly rigid, glass toys can feel a little invasive inside your pussy. They don't have any give and can't be compressed, so a toy that you might normally consider small can actually feel pretty big inside you.
Another thing that glass toys excel at is their ability to maintain heat/cold. You can either heat them or freeze them, and incorporate different temperatures to your erotic scenarios. The recommended procedure to heat them is to bring water to boil in a pot, then submerge them for about 5-10 minutes; to freeze them, simply put them in the freezer for a short period of time.
And finally, glass is non-porous and extremely easy to clean. It won't absorb germs or any other things, and you could clean your glass toys in many different ways; you could even put them in the dishwasher. You could also clean them with bleach to thoroughly disinfect them. That way, they can be shared between partners (or even friends).
As I previously mentioned, every glass dildo is essentially of similar quality, but the Icicles Collection is quite impressive to select many different shapes and textures. From regular phallic shapes, to impressive textures, to elegant trinkets, to extravagant tongue-shaped toys, to ball-gags... the choice really is yours:
To see the entire collection: www.pipedreamproducts.com/Icicles
Some of them are so pretty to look at, you could essentially leave them in plain sight and use them to decorate your house. Who would have thought that someday you'd use your centerpiece to fuck yourself silly? Okay, some of you probably did that way before the apparition of glass toys.
One word of advise though, is that how these toys look and how they feel might be two different things entirely. That said, glass toys are often used for sensual play more than to really get yourself off, so although a particular texture might not bring you to orgasm, it can nonetheless be fun to experience a totally new sensation inside your pussy. This is pretty much the appeal of glass dildos: experimentation! It's far from impossible that a particular glass toy might become your favorite item to get yourself off however; I've personally known a girl who used an excessively bumpy dildo to make herself squirt (much similar to the second one in the picture above). She was thrusting quite roughly with it, but it worked every goddamn time.
These are the 3 toys that I ordered for my girlfriend myself:
I paid around $65 in total for the three of them ($30 for the flogger and $15-20 for each wand).
The two wands are essentially the No. 1 and No. 2 from the Icicles Collection, two very basic dildos; nothing over-the-top as you can see. They were safe choices for sure, but I still enjoyed how their textures were complementary of one another: a swirling one and a bumpy one (reminiscent of anal-beads). I also love the bulbous heads that they both have in common, and they're the exact same length: together they look like two twins... and two magical wands. Here are the specifications of each:
No. 1 (swirling wand):
Length: 8.75"
Girth, shaft: 3.25" (1.0" of diameter)
Girth, head: 4.25" (1.5" of diameter)
No. 2 (bumpy wand):
Length: 8.75"
Girth, smallest bead: 2.25" (0.75" of diameter)
Girth, biggest bead: 4.25" (1.5" of diameter)
They weren't toys that I bought specifically to get my girlfriend off (she's already well-equipped for that), but more to indulge into sensual scenarios. I love sensual sex, especially with a proper girlfriend, but sensuality often has one big drawback: it tends to lack in originality (and therefore in intensity), and can therefore be a bit predictable and tedious. There isn't as many things going on during sensual sex as compared to rougher sex: the action is pretty much only centered on caressing and kissing. One such session can be magnificent every once in a while, but it can also rapidly become repetitive. Glass dildos such as these can definitely add a vast array of options in terms of sensual play.
The first night we got to use these toys, I put the swirling wand in the freezer and the bumpy one in boiling water. As we were ready to have sex, I was armed with both an ice-wand and a fire-wand: time to cast some magic on my lovely girlfriend!
You can imagine how these two wands were so versatile together. I had two different temperatures at my disposal, but also many different textures/sensations. I could thrust with each dildo in a regular fashion, but could also hold them as magical wands and use the bulbous extremities to massage/tease my girlfriend. I could insert the swirling ice-wand inside her pussy, while applying the hot head of the fire-wand on her asshole; or I could insert the bumpy fire-wand inside her ass while teasing her stomach with the head of the ice-wand; or I could lick her pussy passionately while alternatively surprising her clit with the head of either the ice-wand or the fire-wand. I mostly used the swirling ice-wand inside her pussy and the bumpy fire-wand inside her ass however; switching from ass-to-pussy isn't recommended for vaginal infections.
The bulbous heads are also perfectly sized to stimulate the g-spot: they're far from too big for insertion, they're in fact a bit narrower in girth than an average dick. Since they're made of rigid glass though, you can definitely feel them inside you; my girlfriend loves a firm pressure on her g-spot, so these sizable heads were perfect for her.
Two words of caution however. First, these dildos are rather long (8.75"), so you have to be careful not to hit the cervix with them; since glass is such a hard material, this could be particularly painful if you accidentally poke it too deep inside the vagina. Second, although the bumpy wand is particularly interesting for ass-play, you have to be very careful not to insert it completely inside your partner's ass; I'd recommend leaving at least two beads outside just to be safe.
Anyway, there are many different ways you could use these toys. Having two glass toys at your disposal is particularly interesting: you could freeze one and heat the other to experience both temperatures, but you could also keep one in the freezer while playing with the other; that way you'd always have an ice-wand at your disposal, you'd just have to switch them when your wand starts losing its coldness. I'd say that the [s]temperature[/s] magic wears off after around 15-20 minutes. You should plan ahead and/or switch to other things at times, if you want to ensure that your magical wands are always recharged and ready to enchant your partner.
As I previously said, I didn't use these wands to make my girlfriend orgasm specifically: I mostly relied on oral sex for that. They sure were tremendously fun to get there and to spice our sensual interactions a little however; our entire weekend was pretty much centered on these wands and we never ran off of things to perform. I don't believe that my girlfriend will be using them much for solo-play, but they're definitely awesome accessories to incorporate into sensual couple-play.
The third toy that I offered her is a butt-plug with a flogger attached to it. We didn't get to use it much (yet), but I was completely in awe when I stumbled across it online. It's essentially 3-toys-in-1: a butt-plug, a flogger... and a marvelous tail to use for my Catwoman fantasies. I can't wait to use it properly and to tease [s]my girlfriend's[/s] Catwoman's asshole by pulling on it a little. And since we also ordered some new costume-accessories this weekend, I can't wait to try them all together. Imagine a girl dressed like this with a mask and a cute little tail sticking out of her butt:
The flogger itself seems to be of decent quality, though this is admittedly the first flogger that I ever get my hands on and I'm far from a flogging-expert; I assume that hardcore BDSM players will prefer to invest a bit more for a professional flogger. This will mostly be a visual accessory for me and my girlfriend however; we might play with it a little, but how it delivers is of secondary importance to us.
Here's a video for those interested:
I hope this gave you a few ideas about how glass toys can be used. If you browse the Icicles Collection, you'll certainly find a few items that could potentially charm you or your partner (literally, of course). Aside from being pretty, these toys also come in an elegant showcase box, perfect to be offered as a gift. They're like sex-jewelry:
As always, thanks for reading and feel free to ask questions!