Review: Lovemoiselle Cecile

The Lovemoiselle Cecile from TabuToys falls short as a vibrator, and yet I wanted to marry it after the first time I used it, and it has been my go-to toy for about a month. Cecile is a luxury toy in every sense of the word - it isn't meant for a quick-and-dirty wank break, it's meant to be enjoyed. Preferably with aromatic candles and mood music.

Cecile is made of ceramic - a material I've never tried before and was very excited about - and is aesthetically beautiful. I admire the minimalist, elegant design - white, with two small flower motifs. The vibe tapers out to the battery compartment, getting gradually wider, so it looks quite like a flower itself.

It comes in an equally elegant box, with an information booklet and a velvet storage pouch. I don't use the pouch, because it isn't padded, so I'm paranoid that it won't be enough to protect Cecile from cracking or breaking. The box, however, is a perfect storage unit. It's pretty small and comes with a foam "mould" that Cecile rests in, preventing it from being jostled around. The booklet provided me with useful info about the toy, ceramic as a sex toy material, and how to take care of it. The same info can be found on Lovemoiselle's website.

Ceramic, as a sex toy material, is excellent. Unlike silicone, it's hard and unyielding, but much lighter than steel. It can be heated up and cooled down. It's also non-porous, and can be sterilized with 10% bleach solution or alcohol. You can't boil it or put it in the dishwasher, though, because of the electrical components. Well, you could probably just dip the shaft into a pot of boiling water, I suppose.

I had my own preconceptions about ceramic. I expected Cecile to be fragile, which didn't turn out to be the case. Cecile definitely feels very solid, and I have no qualms about putting it inside me and thrusting away. However, be careful not to drop Cecile, and don't abruptly expose it to drastically different temperatures.

What's nice about Cecile is that it doubles up as a dildo as well as a vibrator. I first tried it out as a dildo. Cecile felt pleasantly cool (thanks, cold Northern winter) sliding into me, but warmed up quickly to my body temperature. As I thrust Cecile in and out of me, it felt like this... smoothness inside me, not an object. And, god, is Cecile smooth. Compared to silicone, it's hard and sleek, and only needs a dab of lube in order to be used comfortably. Cecile also has light ridges, which make the sensation of the Cecile that much better.

I've never really understood the point of straight-shafted toys. I mean, the G-spot exists, shouldn't every toy be made to pinpoint it? I'd prefer Cecile to be more curved than it is, but by angling the toy, or my hips, I was able to hit my G-spot pretty easily. Also, in other reviews I've read, some bloggers have complained that the toy being wider at the base was uncomfortable. But since I can't even get that much of the toy inside me in the first place (typically when I use toys I only fit about 5 inches of them inside me) I didn't have that problem.

Cecile as a dildo was amazing. I really can't articulate why, but it feels so good that I want to use it on myself over and over again.

Now, as a vibrator, Cecile doesn't perform quite as well.

The toy takes two AAA batteries (not included), and the battery compartment twists off very easily. (After experiences with annoying, fiddly compartments, I've come to appreciate ones that actually work.) The vibrations are controlled by a single button on the base - press it to turn it on, then keep pressing to cycle through the modes, and press it for a few seconds to turn it off. I appreciated that I didn't have to cycle through all of the settings to turn it off, which you have to do with some vibrators. I don't grasp the base in order to thrust, I use the tapered end of the ceramic to do that, but if you prefer to hold onto the base, you might have some trouble with pressing the button by accident.

Cecile has five different vibration settings:

- constant - low intensity
- constant - high intensity
- pulsations - high intensity
- pulsations - low - medium - high - [pause] - high - high - high
- pulsations - high intensity - long - short - short - short - short - long

For some reason I expected Cecile to rattle really loudly because it was made of ceramic. Don't ask me why I expected that; most vibes are made of plastic, which is a hard material, and those don't rattle. Cecile is a little on the loud side, though, to the extent that I'm a little worried about my neighbor hearing me use it. Thin walls.

Here's a video of Cecile's vibrations:

I tried Cecile both on my clit and inside me. The vibrations weren't strong enough for my clit. And coming from me, this says a lot. Compared to other sex bloggers I know, I don't need very strong vibrations to get off. I'm able to get off from a Lelo vibe on a medium setting, when many sex bloggers complain about even the highest setting being too weak. Internally, Cecile didn't do it for me. Vibrations on my internal walls don't really do much, and I couldn't maneuver Cecile to vibrate well against my G-spot. The last two of Cecile's settings just confused my vagina. They're too complicated.

I adore Cecile. Thrusting it in and out of me, with Mia on my clit, makes for one luxurious orgasm indeed. However, as a vibrator it doesn't quite cut it.

Specs:

- Type: Traditional vibrator
- Length: 8"
- Diameter: 1.5"
- Material: Ceramic
- Vibrations: 2 speeds + 3 pulsation patterns
- Other features: slightly ridged
- Powered by: 2 AAA batteries
- Color: White with lavender accents
- Price @ TabuToys.com: $97

4 out of 5 hearts.