Review: Bijoux Indiscrets Twenty One Silicone Lube

Lube, to me, has always seemed unnecessary. I could understand why other people used and enjoyed it, but they probably experienced painful sex, a lack of their own natural lubrication, or perhaps they were circumcised and enjoyed the frictionless feel. However, I never felt like I needed it in my life, despite all the accounts I’d read about how it changed so many people’s sexual encounters. When I got my first set of kegel balls, though, I needed to invest.

So I bought a tube of KY Jelly from the pharmacy.

Looking back I’m amazed at my poor choices, but I genuinely didn’t know any better. Only much later I found out about the fallibilities of glycerine-based lubricant, how it can cause yeast infections (because sugar), as well as the general poorness of KY for sensual use. KY Jelly was invented for brief medical examinations; it wasn’t made to withstand actual intimate encounters or last particularly long. However, when I got my Pure Wand, it was far past the point where I should have invested in something better.

Enter the Bijoux Indiscrets Twenty One silicone lube, the classy companion to their first vibrator. I was fortunate enough to win a Bijoux hamper in a competition, and it allowed me to test out silicone lube for the first time. The company advertises it as a dual-purpose lube/massage gel combination, and I confess that I haven’t really tried the latter – it seemed too good to waste when there are more easily-affordable massage oils that work just fine. This was also my first experience with silicone lube, which lasts far longer than water-based equivalents because it doesn’t dry out or get absorbed by the body. It also isn’t water soluble, so it will stay put. Of course, this means that you need to actually wash it off with soap instead of doing a quick rinse with water – something my partner discovered when he went to go shower and said “Um … it won’t come off.”

Another important caveat is that silicone lube should never be used with silicone sex toys, because it will cause the material of the sex toy to ‘melt’ and become tacky, possibly ruining your expensive pretties. And nobody wants that. It’s still compatible with ABS plastic or materials like steel or glass, so worth investing in especially if you enjoy rigid toys that need a little extra help with insertion. Keep your silicone sex toys safe and stick to water-based lubricants – your pleasure toys will thank you for it.

 

 

Packaging is the Bijoux Indiscrets forte, and their Twenty One lube comes in a frosted glass bottle with gold accents, like fancy perfume or the high-end facial serum normal people can never afford. Two caps are included, a screw-top for pouring and a pump nozzle for easy measurement. I mostly just use the latter; three pumps are usually ample because the lube is so long lasting. The texture of the lube is silky and lush, as I would expect silicone lubricants to be; but it’s not ‘thick’ or incredibly cohesive, retaining a runnier consistency that allows for easy spreading. While it’s not exactly drippy, it will start escaping if you apply it to your toy and get distracted. I mostly use this to my advantage and twirl my Pure Wand around like a fairy princess, allowing the Twenty One lube to slowly coat the areas I want it to.

In use, it delivers exactly as it’s meant to, providing a long-lasting, frictionless glide that accentuates your intimate interactions. It has no discernible odour or taste, although the texture is pretty slimy in your mouth, and I don't like the 'coated' feeling left behind, despite the fact that it tends to disappear fast. I also felt like it provided more of a ‘cushioning’ effect than water-based lubes due to its comparative viscosity, which is really great for harder toys like my Pure Wand. Afterwards, a slight silky residue remains on the skin, which didn’t particularly bother me – vaginas are self-cleaning and will sort themselves out, and any ‘spillage’ onto vulvar regions wasn’t noticeable enough for me to feel uncomfortable and disappeared after a shower anyway. Penis-owners, however, might find the residual aftermath a little tacky and want to clean up soon.

All in all, I genuinely enjoyed my first exposure to silicone lube, and I’m grateful it was by one of my favourite brands. Although not particularly necessary for use, everyone loves classy packaging; it echoes the sensuality which the product is meant for and appeals to the eye as well as to the touch. However, fancy frosted bottles with gold accents come with a price; and a hefty one at that. When I checked out the retail price of the Twenty One lubricant via Matilda’s, I was shocked to see it sitting at almost R800! This was astounding to me, as you can buy a whole toy for that price. That factor alone would be a major caveat for me to recommend this lube to any regular human, no matter how much they love their luxury intimate products. As pretty and discreet as it would look on your bedside table, you’d need to be living a genuinely fabulous life in order to make this your go-to lube.