Right around the time when I published my post about living with mental illness, and how that impacts my life and blogging ability, I got an email from my favourite online sex-utensil shop asking if I’d be interested in trying out some bath and body goodies. The timing couldn’t have been better and I accepted because I knew that it would force me to do something I’m not so good at remembering: self care. If you’re a little bit (or a lotta bit) like me, human maintenance often takes the back seat to everyone-else-care, and maybe even makes you feel a little bit uncomfortable and selfish. The reminder to stop and take care of me as much as I want to take care of everyone else is a good thing.

SeaGrape TreatsThe goodies from SeaGrape were just what I needed. What I got was a bottle of massage oil, a tea-light sized massage candle, and some edible body dust. There was a definite relaxing/de-stressing theme to the scents, which was just extra awesome ((possibly because SheVibe is super extra awesome and picked those for me?)). I was kinda meh on the body dust, though I appreciated that it wasn’t super sticky-sweet tasting and that it was made from real-food ingredients. It probably could have been a little sweeter, since natural cocoa has a definite alkaline bitterness to it (which I normally like, but know a lot of folk don’t). As a former makeup-artist, I’ve played with a lot of body dusts in my day and I still think the old Urban Decay ones from the 90’s were the best. I understand that they make other flavours, though I don’t know if the little kits that SheVibe carries are set in which flavour or if it’s grab-bag.

The massage oil I got was called Exotic Fields, which seems to be one of the two included in the Sexy Weekend Kit. I conveniently had a massage appointment coming up, so I brought this along to try out. I am so glad I did. Firstoff- I absolutely love both mint and clove in skincare and having the two together was excellent. I love the cooling sensation from the peppermint mixed with the warming of the clove. Add in the heat generated from the body-contact of massage and you’ve got yourself a Lorax-pleaser. Lots of good soreness soothers in this. The base oils are good oils, my massage therapist can be picky (for good reason) about the materials she’ll work with. We did find that the oil got a tiny bit tacky as it absorbed into the skin, but that may also vary from human to human. Skin and bodies are weird like that. I was a little concerned about the (granted, rather pretty) bits of herbs that are in the bottle with the oil, but even with her shaking it up before using it they settled to the bottom quickly and didn’t clog the bottle or slip out the spout. After a professional full-body massage session the 1.8oz bottle is still very full, just barely below the top edge of the label. This will definitely last a while.

SeaGrape CandleThe Deep Light massage candle is also a definite winner with me. I would never have thought to combine lavender with orange but it works remarkably well. The lavender is definitely dominant, but the orange sweetens and brightens it in a really nice and non-cloying way. Deep Light is, incidentally, the scent of the massage oil in the Sexy Travel Kit and is the second oil scent in the Weekend Kit. The texture of the massage candle is probably the best I’ve ever felt- I’ve tried a lot in my day, from fancy high-end ones to the hemp-oil ones you can find in almost any corner adult shop. This works into the skin beautifully without feeling greasy or sticky. I’ve been enjoying rubbing it into my hands at night when I go to bed.

I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t mention that there is a Spanking Kit which has me a little bit bemused and curious. I’ve only seen one other company do an “after spanking cream” and a “spanking powder” which were… less than impressive. The cream smelled like grandmas and the powder tasted overwhelmingly of artificial sweetener. While I certainly don’t need either of these products, and I’m sure that Daddy would give me the side-est of side-eyes if I were to bust them out on a date, I can definitely see these as a fun way to flirt with kink. I love knowing that there is an alternative out there that I can suggest to folk, that is made from quality ingredients. It even comes with it’s own little slapper which even I look at a little fearfully. I’m so not a fan of sting-y things…

These kits are definitely worth it when it comes to the price-per-pleasure ((the usual price-per-orgasm doesn’t really apply here)). And while all three of the kits that SheVibe has from SeaGrape are called “sexy” something-or-other, I really like these as little self-indulgences and reminders to take care of yourself. Especially if you’re a kinky fuckre like me, self-care is incredibly important. Make it part of your aftercare ritual, or your pre-play/date ritual, or just do a silly little thing for yourself once in a while. I’ve definitely added these to my Happy List.