As a society, we are obsessed with celebrities.
We all seem to be DEEPLY invested in knowing every little thing about our favourite celebrities. We want to know their favourite foods, how they live their lives and how (and with whom) they have sex.
Now, some fans out there will buy whatever products their favourite celebrities put out into the world, regardless of quality. But for those who side-eye celebrity-endorsed products right out of the gate, this article is for you.
Just because someone slapped a famous name on their product, doesn’t mean it’s good. Dakota Johnson, Demi Lovato, Cara DeLevigne, and Lily Allen have all put their name on sex toys. So, I went and tried these toys for myself to see if said sex toys were worth the hype.
Also, I know some of you will be wondering why the all-too-obvious brand Goop is missing from this article. We had hoped to include them in this review, but alas, they don’t ship their products to Canada.
The Vibe by Maude endorsed by Dakota Johnson
Aesthetics
The packaging for this is incredible. They absolutely NAILED the eco-art modern aesthetic. It makes me want to turn on an aromatherapy diffuser and bliss out in grey-beige sheets to quiet indie-folk music after carefully following my evening skincare regimen from The Ordinary. You can even pair it with an organic aloe-based, pH-balanced personal lubricant.
This product SCREAMS eco-luxe. All of the available colours are soft and muted. It stands up on its own and looks like art. It even has its own canvas carrying case.
The Maude itself feels great in your hand. The silicone is soft and just a bit squishy, and it looks like a micro-sized diffuser. Gotta hand it to them, the form is 10/10. But what about function?
Function
There are 3 modes, no patterns. That means limited choice and variability, but no unnecessary bells and whistles to cycle through and get frustrated by either. Simple. Elegant.
It’s water-resistant, but not waterproof and it’s not recommended for internal use, so it’s pretty limited and not made for bath time, which seems like a major design flaw for an eco-luxe product. The tip is very narrow, which means that the intense vibrations are incredible localized. So, if you like a lot of sensation in a very specific spot, this toy was made for you. The tip is also more flexible than the rest of it, so it kind of flutters a bit, enhancing the light, delicate sensations.
Even at top speed, the base doesn’t really vibrate much at all, which is great for your hand if you’re using the tip on your body for a long time. However, if you like a bit of a wider surface area to work with, the base doesn’t really work as well as you might hope.
Conclusion
After watching the Architectural Digest video of Dakota Johnson’s Hollywood Home, it makes A LOT of sense that this is her toy. She is obsessed with how things look and how cool they are, even if there are massive functional flaws, like not being waterproof.
The Maude packs a punch to very localized areas. The aesthetic is gorgeous and it’s very easy to use. This is a fantastic beginner toy, and probably especially good for pillow princesses. The side of the toy can be used if you want to get some deeper stimulation over a broader surface area, but it’s still not really made for that kind of touch.
But it’s hard to beat the price! Luxury feel but without a luxury price tag.
WHERE TO BUY
Demi Wand by Bellesa endorsed by Demi Lovato
Aesthetics
I have to say that this wand is unlike any other wand I’ve had. Upon first glance, it almost seemed ridiculous because it’s BRIGHT FUCKING YELLOW. But then I realized, it only seems ridiculous because most sex toys are very excessively gendered or very BDSM in styling. This was neither, except for the dreamy pink and purple box. It still felt feminine, but less so.
The charging case looks like a case for glasses, so it’s not particularly suspicious. Hiding in plain sight. I like it! It lights up when you charge it though, so if you’re looking for a toy that doesn’t attract attention, this one’s not for you. But in keeping with the hiding-in-plain sight vibe, it does kind of just look like a fancy skin care product when you open the case, so it’s not immediately obvious that it’s a sex toy. IYKYK.
Function
I didn’t at all expect that the neck would be so flexible! So many toys are either 100% rigid, or 100% flexible, that I didn’t see this combo coming. Yet it’s so logical. This is what made me think, ‘heck yeah, this wasn’t designed by a man’. The flexible neck makes massaging easier to do and more enjoyable to experience all over your body, but especially for clits. You can swirl it, you can press it, you can drag it like a paintbrush. All good.
The vibrations are nice and rumbly at the lower speeds, but get a bit buzzy around levels 7 and 8 and though it’s a lot more powerful than you’d expect for its size, it’s still not really a powerhouse toy. There are 8 intensities and no patterns. Patterns can be fun to explore, but I hear a lot more complaints than praises for them so I’m sure many folks out there are ECSTATIC to hear that all the vibrations are continuous. I love this and I think it was the right way to go for this toy.
The entire wand is made of body-safe silicone and 100% waterproof, so you can take it in the bath and you can use the longer, thin handle for shallow penetration play. The handle even has a bit of ribbed texture for extra fun, but if you’re particularly sensitive, the charging metal bits might be a touch uncomfortable. I wouldn’t recommend inserting this wand vibration-head first. It’s wide, with a flat end that makes it GREAT for surface play, but pretty terrible for penetration.
My only complaint is that it would be nice to be able to step back incrementally rather than have to go all the way to 0 again before finding the right lower intensity. But honestly, I don’t know where they’d put the other button.
Butt Stuff
There are also plenty of warnings on Bellesa’s website against anal insertion.
The handle is nowhere near wide enough to keep it from getting stuck up there! The vibrating end might be a wide enough base for you, but the handle is pretty rigid and there are little metal bits that might create micro-tears. So you’ll probably have more fun vibrating externally if you want to get into some ass play.
Conclusion
Overall, I think this toy more or less lives up to its gender-neutral claims. It’s a great beginner toy and especially good for foreplay and external play. Good job, Demi!
WHERE TO BUY
Womanizer’s Special Edition Liberty endorsed by Lily Allen
Aesthetics
Womanizer took the already awesome Liberty and gave it a fresh new makeover in Lily’s honour.
The new colours are fun and exciting, and the case looks nice, too. The design is cute with a vibrant orange and pink plastic case that stays together better than I expected. The smaller size of the Liberty, compared to their classic toys, feels great in your hand and the buttons are bright white so there’s no trouble finding them.
The hard plastic makes the Liberty feel a bit lower quality than it actually is but it also makes it very lightweight.
Function
The Liberty is a lightweight, travel suction vibe that is shockingly effective.
It has 6 vibration settings, no patterns, and the highest setting is INTENSE. The suction is powerful and I was frequently using the minus button to step back. The lowest setting is VERY low as well, so there’s a huge range of intensities to choose from which makes this toy great from beginning to end.
The toy is waterproof and you can swap out heads to accommodate whatever size you need. It’s a fantastic toy and a more affordable version of the full sized Womanizer toys, without losing too much power.
Conclusion
I love Lily Allen and I love Womanizer’s original vibrator. I’ve got the Premium Eco version of this toy and it totally upped my masturbation game. And this one’s so cute and travel-sized! I can imagine Lily Allen taking it with her on tour, discretely getting off in first class.
Honestly, she could. It’s very quiet, especially at the lower volumes, but only while it’s touching you. It doesn’t automatically turn off like the full-size models without touch and when you take it away from your body, it gets A LOT louder.
I highly recommend grabbing one!
WHERE TO BUY
Lora Dicarlo’s Baci endorsed by Cara DeLevigne
Aesthetics
Wow, the packaging for this toy is impressive, sleek and sophisticated. It would be nice to have less packaging overall though. I was so excited to read that it was robotic — how futuristic!
I really loved how well it fit in my hand. It felt good and all the buttons were appropriately located. There’s a nice cover for when you’re not using it to keep your precious little robot safe from dust and debris.
It came with a cute, yellow bag to store it when you’re not using it and overall, the aesthetic quality really added to my excitement to try it out.
Function
Though I’m used to air-pulse toys by now, It took me a few tries to really learn how to maximize my experience with this toy, so if you give it a try and it doesn’t work for you the first time, give it another try. It’s worth experimenting!
There are ten intensity settings but the lowest is still too intense for me at times. If you want soft, delicate stimulation, this is not your toy. However, if you want a powerhouse motor and don’t mind fewer rumbles to get it, this is your toy. I found the lower intensities felt rumbly in a physical way, like as if your partner started humming into your vulva. The higher intensities get very buzzy and INTENSE.
While Womanizer’s toys tend to be on the rumblier spectrum of things, in exchange the Baci is all about intensity and is overall more silent in use. It’s also more expensive than Womanizer’s options, so it’s really down to price and preferences here.
One of my favourite aspects of the BACI is that it has buttons for increasing and decreasing intensity. You don’t have to cycle through all the higher settings just to take a step back. You can also hold the down button and it will step down through each intensity. This feature is so essential that it is shocking how few toys have it. I found that with this toy especially — I needed it!
Conclusion
The BACI is well designed and operating it is straightforward and intuitive. It’s endorsed by Cara Delevigne, who is my new favourite celebrity pansexual, simply because of the extensive list of celebrities she’s been seen kissing. She clearly loves sucking face, so she seems to be the right celebrity for a toy that specializes in sucking clits.
WHERE TO BUY
Overall, I’m amazed. I really didn’t expect to get high-quality and enjoyable toys.
I expected the quality to be lower, relying solely on the good name for sales. NOT SO! Celebrity-endorsed sex toys are definitely in Vogue these days and these celebs want to make sure their names remain marketable. Don’t be surprised to see more celebrities hopping on the vibe train with actually good products!
What’s more, is that I feel like these toys really reflected the personalities of the celebrities who endorsed them. The Demi wand doesn’t make me feel like I have to be feminine to use it and it feels a lot more versatile than other wands. The Maude has that sleek, luxurious and trendy feel that Dakota Johnson exudes. The Liberty is a high-energy rockstar of a vibe that will surprise you, just like Lily Allen. And the BACI is shockingly intense and buzzy. Lots of fun to play with, as I imagine it would be playing with Cara Delevigne.
They’re all a similar size and I think they would work well together as a nice little travel kit. Each one of these toys has a unique feel and purpose. I can definitely see myself mixing and matching as I progress through my journey to orgasmic bliss.
I’m impressed and I’m so curious to see how other celebrities will make their mark on this industry!