Julie vibe - traditional vibrator discontinued by PHS International - review by - Kira -

Julie is a jewel encrusted traditional vibrator made by PHS International. It is made of silicone and has a lightly textured body. Julie can be used for internal vaginal stimulation as well as external stimulation. It should not be used anally as it lacks a flared base.

Of course, what you'll likely notice first about Julie is the crystals that lace the bottom of the toy. The pink crystals, pink metallic swirl, and larger white crystal add a little something extra to Julie in the looks department. Julie gives that extra bit of girly touch.

Julie will work well alone or with a partner. It can be used externally during sex, but it is longer than a bullet sized toy so those that prefer something smaller may not want to use it in that way. It is not waterproof and should not be taken in a shower or bathtub.

Julie is made of silicone. Silicone rates a ten on the safety scale as it is non-porous in nature. I must say, I'm pretty impressed with Julie's silicone. It has no drag on it and is soft to the touch. It is velvety but not with an overly powdery finish. My hand easily glides up and down the material.

It has a plushy feel to it. It can be pushed in a good amount especially near the middle of the toy. Near the head and the base there is not as much give to push inward. There is 2" at the top that are solid and hard to push where the rest of the insertable part is very plushy and hollow.

This hollow center means Julie bends in the middle. When bent over, Julie actually is slow to pop back up to the original position and stays somewhat curved for a few moments.



Note that I would not recommend doing this to your toy. I only did it for testing purposes. It didn't feel like the toy really was meant to be bent all over the place, just that the hollow middle happened to make it possible.

There is a seam that runs down the body of Julie, but is indented inward instead of out. I cannot feel it if I run my hand over it. This may make it useable to seam sensitive users.

There is a medium amount of silicone odor to Julie, detectible only when held to the nose. There is no taste.

There is some light texture to the body. One side has an oval and a boomerang shape. The outline of the shape is indented inward into the body of the toy. The other side has a larger oval done in the same fashion.





The indentation is very light. They can be felt when you run your hands along the body. In use, they are only slightly noticeable. I am texture sensitive but was able to use this with no issues. I couldn't really notice the texture to this unless I thrusted at a moderate to fast pace. Even at faster speeds, the texture didn't cause issues for me. It was enough to cause some additional stimulation, but not enough to cause discomfort.

The texture and material are suitable to users at all levels. The texture should be fine for all but the most extremely texture sensitive. It would be a good introduction to texture for a beginner as it is light and not overwhelming. Those who like a lot of texture will probably find it to be lacking. The silicone itself was much nicer than anticipated. While not luxury silicone, it should please both beginners and advanced users.

Julie looks longer in length than what it actually is. Most of the length is dedicated to the design of the vibrator. The total length is 8" as per both the product page and my measurements. The insertable length, however, is a little over half of that at 4.5". The diameter is 1.5" at the widest point and 1.25" near the tip.



Here you can see it in my hand for size reference:



Julie's size works well for me. It is right at about the max diameter for my personal preference at 1.5". I probably could have used a little more length on it, but I don't have any issues with a shorter toy either.

The size is good for beginners and advanced users that don't want something on the larger size. Julie is about average in terms of size - neither extremely large nor small. Those who prefer something on the smaller or larger ends may want to seek something else out. For those who like small to average sized toys, Julie will be a good fit.

Julie is traditionally shaped. It curves upward ever so slightly but not enough to label it a G spot vibrator. As mentioned, it is hollow in the middle which makes it very flexible. Those who need a very firm vibrator should probably pass on this one. The tip of the toy is firm and you can get some pressure with this despite the hollow core, but it's not the same feeling as you would get from a completely solid toy.

Julie is not discreet. It looks very much like a traditional vibrator. It's not realistic in shape, so those who have no experience in sex toys may not be able to say for sure what it is. Anyone who has been in a sex shop or seen an HBO show will quickly figure out the intent of Julie. The size isn't so large as to make it difficult to travel with, but you'll want to remove the batteries first. It's also small enough to be able to hide away in a drawer.

Those lovely crystals on Julie? The biggest pink one happens to be the button that controls the vibrations! Simply press to turn on and press again to scroll through the power settings. To turn off you will have to scroll through the four settings. The button is easy to press. Almost too easy in fact and somewhat ill placed. It happens to be exactly where I grip and I seem to press it often during use. I also turn it on a lot when I'm cleaning it or just putting it away.



There are four settings on Julie, all of which are constant vibrations. The first is a high one vroom. The second is a high two. The third is a mid three. The fourth is a low four. I'm pretty impressed with the vibrations on Julie. I didn't expect them to be more than a mid three before I got this, so a low four beats expectation. It's not as strong as I would like, but it's something I can work with. The vibrations won't satisfy the power hungry, but should be enough for most people and those who like moderately high power levels.

The vibrations are little past the middle of rumbly and buzzy to the rumbly side. They aren't earthquake rumble, but they do have a bit of rumble to them. You can still feel the slight buzzy undercurrent when you hold it in your hand which stops it from being a totally rumbly experience. When held in my hand, I can feel the vibrations go downward into my wrist. However, the slight buzzy quality stops these from being penetrating vibrations. They aren't totally surface level, but they won't get deep into your skin either.

The vibrations are located near the tip of the toy. They radiate strongly down the first 2" and then less so for the rest of the shaft. The vibrations are still very noticeable for the second half of the toy, but they are not evenly distributed.

Overall, the quality of the vibrations was far better than what I expected. The slight buzzy undertone seemed to disappear when used and I was left with what felt like a pretty rumbly toy. It doesn't blow my luxury toys out of the water or anything, but it was pleasurable in the vibration department.

The vibrations are just about equal to a cell phone on vibrate. It can be mostly muffled through covers and not heard through a closed door.

This is not a waterproof toy. Not only can the battery compartment be messed up with water, but my guess is that the button can be as well. There is also a gap around the metallic banding. I'm not sure if water getting in there could get to the motor, but it is best that water just not get around this toy.

Julie takes 3 AAA batteries which are included. The larger white crystal unscrews at the base to reveal the battery compartment. A battery holder comes out where the batteries are placed in and then put back into the toy. I hate battery compartments like that because I always feel like I'll break them.

Since Julie is not waterproof, you should take extra care when cleaning. The best methods will be a wipe or toy spray. With a toy spray you can spray the body and then wipe it off with a dry rag. If you don't have wipes or toy spray you can dampen a cloth with soap and water and carefully wipe off the toy. Be sure to avoid the button and battery compartment.

Only water based lubes should be used with this toy. Silicone lubes can destroy silicone materials.

The packaging can be used for storage but is not ideal. A pouch or baggie will make the best storage for Julie.

Julie comes in a hanging package that is shaped like an iron. It is clear with a paper backing that has the information. The front says simply "Julie Vibe" and has a picture of a couple laughing. The back has a little blurb about the toy and its material, battery information, etc. The back also has a picture of Julie. The packaging is not discreet as it is see through and has clear writing that implies its use.





The packaging includes 3 AAA that will be needed to operate Julie. I'm always extra appreciative of companies that include batteries. It's just one less thing to worry about.

The packaging doesn't really make for good storage due to the odd iron shape. It doesn't stand up on its own and takes up a lot of space if you lay it down. It probably wouldn't be great for gifting unless you don't mind the lack of discreet packaging.

There are no instructions included with Julie.

Julie is not the strongest vibrator you will find, but is stronger than average. It's also a bit more rumbly than the average vibrator. It may not be a knock your socks off type of vibrator, but it's better than many you will run across. The silicone is nice and the texture isn't overwhelming. If you're looking for a solid vibrator with some added sparkle, Julie is a good pick. If you need extra power or extra firmness in a toy, Julie is probably a pass.

I'm such a sucker for a pretty face. As soon as I saw the sparkly design on Julie, I had to have it. It could have had a hundred one star reviews and I still would have wanted it. It's so shiny! I didn't know what to expect and my experience with shiny things has been bad in the past. When Julie came to me and wasn't weak and buzzy, I was quite thrilled.

Sure, Julie isn't the strongest vibrator in my toy chest. It's not the most rumbly one either. Generally for internal use I can use a high three or higher so long as the shape is nice enough (externally it's a five or nothing!). Julie was strong enough to be doable. The little bit of rumble was a nice bonus. Julie has seen a good bit of use since I've had it and every time I've grabbed it I've been impressed by both the material and the vibrations.

The hollow middle is a little eh for me and I don't like how long it takes Julie to pop back up from a bent position. I also don't like that it's not waterproof. It makes cleaning difficult and I'm too lazy for extra work. The texture is okay - it's neither a good or bad thing. It doesn't make a huge difference during use to me. It's noticeable, but not a lot. I could go without it but the fact that it's there doesn't bother me.

I can see Julie getting use in the future. While not the best toy I own, it's better than many and all those sparkly crystals sure do look pretty! How can you not love that?