product group shot popup 21 224x300 Yes! My Favorite Personal LubricantThese days I am very careful with what I put in my body.  I buy organic, locally grown produce from the supermarket or farmer’s market.  My beef comes from my next door neighbor’s farm and my chickens up the road.  I don’t use cosmetics or other products that are loaded with chemicals.  I wash my vegetables and fruit with organic soap, as well as using organic detergents for dishes and laundry.  I buy biodegradable personal hygiene products, recycle religiously and stay clear of jelly sex toys that contain phthalates.

So, it wasn’t a big leap to try organic personal lubricants, which are newly available on the market.   After all, 60% of all chemicals we put on our skin ends up in the blood stream and lubricants may be absorbed through the mucus membranes of the vagina and anus even more so because there is no barrier for protection.  Chemicals that end up in our bodies create body burden which is linked to numerous ailments and diseases.

Yes® water-based intimate lubricant is from a company in the UK and can only be purchased from their website.  It is certified organic and was developed by women.  “Certified organic” means it contains 96% organically grown plant-based ingredients, with no pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or hormones.  It does not contain any hazardous chemicals that is found in other products like parabens (contain estrogen mimicking hormones that are potentially linked to breast cancer), petrochemicals (coat the skin halting its normal functions and linked to cancer), silicone (coat the skin not allowing it to breath),  fragrance (irritant), menthol (irritant that damages mucus membranes), grapefruit seed extract (contain parabens), propylene glycol (helps pull chemicals into the skin), as well as sugars and glycerin (feeds yeast infections and is an irritant that can damage mucus membranes).

In other words, it is pure, fresh and natural.  Yes® contains all organic ingredients including aqua (water), aloe vera, flax extract, cocoa and shea butter, sweet almond and sunflower oil, bees wax and Vitamin E, all of which act to moisturize and nourish the skin.  It can be used daily and is especially good for post-menopausal women who experience vaginal dryness.

But does it work?  Yes, it does.  Yes® feels great.  It is thicker than many water-based lubes I have tried in the past, so doesn’t run and stays where you put it.  It has a luxurious sexy slickness that is wonderful for enhancing masturbation and sex.  It feels virtually identical to my own natural juices.  It lasts for a long time and doesn’t get sticky as it dries, simply evaporating into the skin, so you can apply more as needed.

The first time I used Yes® I masturbated just using my own hands and fingers-no toys-and I was amazed at what a sensual experience it was with this extraordinary lube.  If I had enough of it I would take a bath in it.  Seriously, it feels that good.  It would actually make a perfectly great all over body moisturizer as well.  But, because I only have a small tube I’ll keep it for masturbation and sex.

I store my bottle of Yes® in the fridge, because it is organic and it lasts longer that way.  I also love the cool sensation it has when used straight from the fridge.  The only problem with that is my S/O has started using it for his stroking sessions, so now I hide it the butter compartment so he doesn’t use it all on me.  I’ve gone through four bottles since he started using it.  Not that I don’t like to share, but…  I don’t want to share it all!  I guess it’s got his seal of approval though.

Yes® is simply the best lubricant I have ever used hands-down.

Added Bonuses

* Developed by women
* Hypoallergenic
* Condom Friendly
* Hormone Free
* No Spermicides
* Natural PH
* Not tested on Animals

Do I love Yes®?  Yes! Yes! Yes!

Yes® is available online at:

http://www.yesyesyes.org/


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By Laura MacInnis

GENEVA (Reuters) – Chocolate-flavored body spreads sold in British sex shops have been found to be tainted with melamine, the chemical that made thousands of babies ill in China, food safety authorities said Monday.

The British Food Standards Agency (FSA) said melamine had been found in Chinese-made “I Love You” sets, sold at Ann Summers sex shops, containing chocolate and strawberry body pens and chocolate-flavored penis and nipple spreads.

“This is a first. We’ve never had to put out an alert before on ‘willy spread’ — chocolate-flavored or otherwise,” the FSA said on its Web site, www.foodstandards.gov.uk.

It said the health risk from the affected products was low.

At least four children died in China and thousands of others were treated in hospital after consuming milk powder containing melamine, an industrial compound added to cheat quality tests.

Dozens of countries have since banned imports of Chinese dairy ingredients and recalled products ranging from cookies to herbal drugs and octopus dumplings.

Peter Ben Embarek, a food safety expert at the World Health Organization (WHO), said national authorities needed to widen their checks and tests.

“Milk powder is a very common ingredient in a very large range of products, from candies to biscuits, chocolates, drinks, and so on and so on,” he said.

The levels of melamine detected in the “I Love You” sets, manufactured in China by Le Bang and imported into Britain by Scobie (Llarn) Ltd, ranged from 126 milligrams per kg to 259 milligrams per kg, the FSA said.

Link

No on Prop 8: 8 lesbian bloggers have banded together to fight California’s Proposition 8. Their goal is to raise $8,000 by October 27th.

The Butterfly Temptress‘ series on cancer is being reprinted at the Best Sex Bloggers. You can also donate to the medical fund set up to help with her expenses by clicking on the link on my side bar. Note: Eden Fantasys was originally set to match the funds, but has pulled out.

Tango Magazine has an article about compersion, the feeling of joy associated with seeing a loved one love another.

Circumcision inquiry: Tristan Taormino’s writing a piece on circumcision. She’s looking to interview a parent-to-be who’s having a boy and has not yet decided whether to circumcise. Please email asktristan at gmail.

Get a badge for your blog:  I love sex and I vote.

Alternet has  a guide to how Obama and McCain compare on gay marriage, LGBT adoption and sex education.  (via Violet Blue)

Pepomint has an essay addressed to monogamous people, on how to be poly-friendly.

A student and part-time journalist who was sentenced to death for circulating an article about the rights of women under Islam after downloading it from the Internet, has had the sentence commuted. Instead, he has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

AV Flox has a post up at Open Salon about the “(seeming) paradox of how this so-called age of ambient awareness in fact makes us more disconnected in real life.” (via Bonni Rambatan).

Naughty voters, VibeReview has a promotion running until Election Day. Use this link and get 10% on your purchase.

Award-winning production company, Linton Media, is seeking to cast a new docu-reality series based on the lives of polyamorous or poly-curious individuals and their partners.  There is strong network interest in the show. Looking for serious auditions only.

Are you 20-35 years old, dynamic, charismatic and not at all afraid to show your authentic side?  Are you a married couple and just integrating polyamory into your relationship?  Gay, straight, bi-sexual, trans and have never really heard of polyamory or how it works but, willing to explore?  Are you someone who has always been prone to affairs, realize monogamy is just not for you, want to bring everything above board and declare yourself polyamorous?

Looking to cast 5 primary characters who, along with their partners, lovers, spouses, are willing to be completely out and open as you challenge traditional monogamy and embrace or explore this new “love-style” movement.

Date/ Time: Friday October 24th, 11am-4pm

Location: Linton Media Office’s
68 Jay Street, Suite 409
(corner of Jay and Front in Dumbo, Brooklyn-Take F train to York Street)
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Congratulations to Elizabeth Wood on the publication of her article about sex blogging and the need for a “sex commons”!!

Consciousness-raising 2.0: Sex Blogging and the Creation of a Feminist Sex Commons

Abstract: In this article, I develop the notion of a `sex commons’ on the internet as one way to help women build more satisfying sex lives. While women have not historically controlled their own sexuality, they have tended to control the dissemination of information about sexuality, first through oral traditions and traditional social networks, and later through media such as advice columns. Medicalization and the culture of expertise removed much of that control, but the consciousness-raising movement of the second wave of feminism used social networks to reclaim it. This article describes the ways that women’s internet sex blogs help develop vocabularies of desire, reduce shame, and build community, enabling women to continue this process of regaining control over information about sexuality. I argue that a commons model is useful for protecting access to that information, especially in the face of continuing medicalization of sexuality and corporate control of the internet, and conclude with suggestions for maintaining the sex commons and building feminist pathways to navigate it.

Citation: Feminism & Psychology, Vol. 18, No. 4, 480-487 (2008)

This was a paper first presented at the first Sex 2.0 in Atlanta (organized by Amber Rhea).

You can read more on what’s in the issue, on the article and how you can help her expand the article at Sex in the Public Square:

http://tinyurl.com/637xxt

By Caroline Wilbert

WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Oct. 20, 2008 — It has never been so important to check your inbox.

Four years after the launch of inSPOT.org, which allows people with sexually transmitted diseases to notify sexual partners via email, nearly 50,000 e-cards have been sent, according to an article published in PLoS Medicine.

The site is designed to increase the notification of partners — part of an overall strategy to prevent and control sexually transmitted diseases. In the U.S. there are 19 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases diagnosed each year, including 900,000 cases of chlamydia, 330,000 cases of gonorrhea, and 55,400 HIV infections, according to the PLoS Medicine article.

more . . .

Sophie Moone

by Viviane on 10/20/2025

in galleries

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shibaricon header 09 banner Shibaricon 2009   early registration discount

 Shibaricon 2009   early registration discountShibariCon 2009
May 22-25, 2009
Chicago, IL USA

4 DAYS OF CLASSES
Whether you are a novice or advanced rigger ShibariCon has something for you! We will offer over 80 classes by the best instructors around including Mark Yu, Mike West, Jimi Tatu, Lee Harrington, DogTrainer1974, Lochai, Mark of DV8 House, Sir C, Dov and too many more to list. Check http://www.shibaricon.com for updates in the coming months.

3 NIGHTS OF PLAY
Practice your newly learned rope skills in our fully-equipped play space until 3:00am for 3 consecutive nights!

SHOP!
ShibariCon will have a great selection of vendors selling all sorts of kinky goodies including rope, toys, corsets, shoes and much, much more!

15% DISCOUNT IF YOU REGISTER NOW!
ShibariCon is offering a 15% discount off of our early registration price of $155 through the end of October! That means you can register now for only $132.00! Registration will be limited so this is a great time to reserve your place.

Register here: http://www.shibaricon.com/registration/register.php

Please join us for what will be a wonderful weekend of education, fun & friendship.

. . .In the days of social networks, always-on PDAs, real time tweets and FriendFeed links that update at the speed of light—and are visible to every Looky Lou perusing your account, deleting friends when things cool off can be a highly visible activity (as Xeni Jardin and Violet Blue each discovered when Xeni deleted 60+ posts and comments off her personal blog BoingBoing after the two apparently had a falling out). Therefore, the more politic of us now seem to do what corporate cowards have managed so adroitly for a long time—avoid any dramatic breaks in public contact, but in private, cut the sucker off, perfecting, if you will, the art of being ditched.

Obviously, if you’re dating someone regularly and they stop responding to emails, voicemails, tweets and so on, it’s brush off time for sure, but how about when it’s a more casual relationship, a friendship, or a friends with benefits situation? Can you tell if the person is just busy for the moment, or if you’re truly being ditched?

Link

sexmap11 300x290 Land of Human Sexuality map: now interactive

Franklin Veaux

Franklin Veaux got a lot of feedback about his map and updated it (above).

He’s also now created an interactive version, which is hosted Symtoys, so you can create your own. You can click on the map in a Web browser to place pins showing where you’ve been and where you want to go, and then save your map to a database so you can show other people! There’s no way to remove a pin once you’ve placed it except to erase the map and start over, but it’s a start.

The Environmental Security Hypothesis says that in tough times men will prefer women who are good at production, generally older, taller, heavier, less curvaceous women with less body fat. In good times, they will prefer women who are good at reproduction, generally younger, shorter, lighter, more curvaceous women. Pettijohn and and Jungeberg look at the characteristics of playboy playmates from 1960 to 2000 and find:

Consistent with Environmental Security Hypothesis predictions, when social and economic conditions were difficult, older, heavier, taller Playboy Playmates of the Year with larger waists, smaller eyes, larger waist-to-hip ratios, smaller bust-to-waist ratios, and smaller body mass index values were selected. These results suggest that environmental security may influence perceptions and preferences for women with certain body and facial features.

Link

[via Kottke.org]

HNT2 Refresher Course: HNT (Views From the Back Row)

Osbasso, originator of the popular internet meme, Half Nekkid Thursday, has a post reminding viewer of the original guidelines:

The Guidelines

I offer these guidelines for “Half-Nekkid Thursday”:

* In that North American, Puritanical way that most of my readers think, “Nekkid”, or its variations, somehow insinuates sex, or its variations. WRONG!! The purpose of “Half-Nekkid Thursday” is not to see sex acts! It is the celebration of exposure. Of your big toe. Of your breastbone. Of your knuckles. Of your uvula. Whatever. Of course, sex acts can qualify, so if you want to post those…..

* “Nekkid” is not the same as nude! Again, nude qualifies, but it is not a requirement!

* Pictures should be taken of you or by you. Don’t be going to some internet site and downloading “Half-Nekkid” pics. And don’t use Uncle Bob’s pictures from Spring Break ’72, either. Let’s try to keep this fairly “real”.

* You don’t necessarily have to be the subject of the picture. By the same token, if you’re not, then the subject(s) should be known to you. No fair going to the beach and snapping pictures left and right. Yes, they might be “Half-Nekkid”, but they don’t follow the spirit of “Half-Nekkid Thursday”.

* While animals can be included in a “Half-Nekkid Thursday” picture, they are not the focus, therefore cannot be the subject. If an animal is all that keeps your picture “Half-Nekkid” rather than “Full-Nekkid”, that’s OK.

* You are allowed a very limited number of cute-kids-in-the-tub type of pictures. We’re interested in YOU!

* Use some originality with your shots. Facial shots should be limited. Artsy body landscapes, conversely, are highly encouraged. If a partner/family member is needed to take the picture, that’s OK.

* Props can help you with creativity, and their use is encouraged, but not necessary.

* As we get into this, you may find that you want to post more than one picture for “Half-Nekkid Thursday”. I would discourage this practice unless absolutely necessary. You should hold some pictures in reserve, in case you find yourself without a new picture down the road.

* While I can hardly control when you post pictures on your own blogs, let’s try to keep “Half-Nekkid Thursday” special, and post “Half-Nekkid” pics only on Thursdays. If you feel the urge to post them more than once a week, I might recommend just emailing them out, rather than posting.

* Tattoos are certainly an acceptable subject, regardless of location. Scars are also acceptable, but please respect the others who visit “Half-Nekkid Thursday” on a regular basis. Spread out the scar pictures over a few weeks’ time, please!

* Speaking of scars–If you use a picture of a scar, it must be accompanied by some sort of humorous anectdote as to how you got it. For a long, but good example, go here.

* Other skin conditions might not be acceptable, due to good taste. These include, but are not limited to warts, zits, lesions, ingrown hairs, boils, open sores, peeling skin, scabies, rashes, or any other assorted gross things. I’m not saying that you can’t post them. Just use your best judgement, for the sake of the rest of us.

* When referring to “Half-Nekkid Thursday”, please spell it correctly! Not Naked, not Neked, not Nakid. It’s “Half-Nekkid Thursday”.

* It’s very important to not be dissing other’s submissions! We’re all going to have half-hearted entries from time to time. None of us is better than the other. One the other hand, it’s completely acceptable to heap praise upon those that deserve it!

* IMPORTANT!–Remember to visit my current “HNT” post and leave a comment indicating that you’ve posted a picture for “Half-Nekkid Thursday”. Consider my blog as the informational kiosk for “Half-Nekkid Thursday”. You’ll be able to see who is joining the tradition. Commenting is much easier for all concerned, rather than updating my blog each time someone posts their picture. I will try to keep the Blogroll in my sidebar updated each week.

Link

[via Figleaf]

Masters Slave:

. . . I know when he watches me, know when he stops whatever it was he was doing and slides his gaze across my flesh.I feel it. I sense his attention and it sends shivers coursing through my body. My heart speeds up, my skin flushes and I feel the dampness forming between my legs

Today I stand naked, my wrists bound above my head secured to a bolt in the ceiling. The rope pulls me up so high I must stand on tip to, my body stretched to its limit. A blindfold covers my eyes; my mouth is stuffed with a ball gag. My arms ache and the muscles in my calves twitch, saliva pools in the corners of my lips. My body is my only measure of the time that has gone by and even still I couldn’t tell you if I have been here for 5 minutes or 30. The air has a slight chill to it, my nipples stand at attention, and my skin is covered in goose bumps. I hear noises around me, sometimes close, sometimes further away. I try not to pay attention to them; I get anxious trying to figure out what Master is doing. I breathe deeply and try to relax into the position, surrender to it.

Link

23 NYC Weekly Leather Dates   Oct 16 22

Mark Davis and Mz Berlin on sexandsubmission.com

Thursday, October 16
Staten Island Kink Munch

Friday, October 17
Apple Munch
DSF: “Martial Arts and BDSM” w/ Patrick Washburn
LSM: Pressure Points to Cause Pain 101 w/ tomo
Switch party

Saturday, October 18
Purple Passion workshop: “Elegant Pain Compliance & Control” w/ Mojodaddy
Purple Passion workshop: “Self-Defense for Women in BDSM / Sexual Situations” w/ Mojodaddy
Brooklyn Leather Munch
TES Spanking Group: “What Is It About Spanking That We Love?”
TES Novice Excursion
TES Cowboys & Indians Party w/ Thrash & Lady AliceSin
New York boys of Leather: Uniform Fetish Gear Party
SPAM party

Sunday, October 19
Men’s Rope Share

Monday, October 20
CV Meeting: “The Art of Florentine Flogging” w/ Richard Cordage

Tuesday, October 21

TES: “Power of Words & Inflection” w/ Flagg Thursday, October 16

Wednesday, October 22
TES Bondage Group: “ Piercing as Bondage” w/ Sarah Sloane