Fashionistas nipple suckers - bdsm toy by Icon Brands - review by Livia Drew

The Fashionista Nipple-Suckers provide suction for the nipples and, with the use of the accompanying rubber rings, help the nipple to maintain an erect and lengthened “pose.” As part of a collection of Fashionista BDSM toys, the nipple suckers are also designed to help you achieve a pleasurable pain.

The material safety rating on the Fashionistas almost changed my mind about making this buy (the rubber elements rate a 3 on the Eden safety scale), and another reviewer commented that she feared the bulbs would be breakable. Am I ever glad that I did not give in to my initial doubts on this one! The body of the suckers – the part of the sucker that actually comes into contact with the nipple – is made of tempered glass. Tempered glass is a 10 on the Eden safety scale and, as a material, is known for its resistance to breakage, its non-porous surface, and its ease of maintenance. Although the glass is thin and I can understand others’ concerns about its fragility, I have not treated my Fashionistas overly kindly, and they remain unharmed. After many uses now, this is not something I worry about.

The only parts of the toy made of the less safe rubber material are the bulbs – the parts you squeeze to get suction – and the rubber rings meant to slide over the tempered glass and then over the inserted nipple in order to exert pressure. The bulb will not come into much contact with any part of the body other than your hands or your partner(s)’s, and the rings are only designed to be used on the nipples. This being the case, neither the rings nor the bulbs are likely to come into much contact with bodily fluids in normal use of the suckers. The main problem with rubber is that, unlike the tempered glass, it is porous, so by simply avoiding contact between the toy’s rubber elements and bodily fluids makes using this toy relatively safe.
This is not to say that it cannot be used on other areas such as the clit but rather that, for its safest use, when doing so it is advisable to keep the rubber bits out of the way as much as possible. This will ensure that your toy remains easy to clean and as bacteria-free as possible.

The opening at the glass end of the sucker is even smaller than a dime (so about 1.5 cm in diameter for my non-American friends), and although this may seem a little small to insert a nipple – erect or not – if your nipple is of a larger circumference, this does not pose a problem as long as you wet the inside of the suckers thoroughly to lubricate and squeeze the bulb to suck the nipple in, rather than simply trying to insert it dry and manually, which could cause irritation, as the edge could be a bit grating under these conditions. Using water will also give the suckers a water seal and therefore a firmer suction.

There are eight rubber rings total with four sizes total and one full set for each nipple. As they are meant to keep the nipple erect and/or to cause a pleasurable pain, the preferred size/fit is going to differ by nipple size and user preference. The diameters of these rings when un-stretched are approximately 0.6 in, 0.5 in, 0.3 in, and 0.25 in (approx 1.5 cm, 1.3 cm, 0.75 cm, 0.6 cm).

To give you an idea of fit on a real person, my personal experience might be useful in judging which ring size (if any) is right for you. As a relative beginner to nipple play (un-erect nipple diameter- 0.5 in or 1.3 cm; areola size- 1.5 in or 3.81 cm), I use the largest size if I just want to “hold the pose,” as the box puts it, and keep the nipples erect for long-term wear with minimal sensation. The second largest size is also good for long-term wear with slightly more pressure. The second largest ring, even over time, still does not produce a sensation that I consider to be painful, however. The third largest size (second smallest) has quite a sting for me in a good way. This is usually the size where I stop at because, with this ring size, the nipple starts to discolor almost immediately. I have worn the smallest ring, and getting it on is still fairly easy, but I find this size to be too painful for me, and the ring is very difficult to roll off even with water/lubricant. For a happy medium or a more intense sensation, consider stacking rings together. Having multiple rings on a nipple at once increases the sensation of pressure or pain. If, say, the third ring is too much, you might try stacking the first two to get a sensation just less than that. If the smallest ring isn’t enough, you might try stacking them all. Warning: that mark you get when you leave an elastic band around your wrist too long? Yeah, that will happen to your nipple. Just FYI.

According to the box and product descriptions, the Fashionista suckers are supposed to help your nipples to strike a pose, and the rings are meant “hold the pose” without giant, dangling glass and rubber bulbs getting in the way. As these products are marketed in a glamorous BDSM line, it’s pretty safe to assume that the Fashionista suckers are also meant to cause some amount of pleasurable pain and look good at the same time. The toy is indeed glamorous, so what’s in question is whether or not the suction and the pain are sufficient for you.

As a beginner to playing with a little bite, the Fashionistas do a superb job of in the pain department for me, and I believe if you experiment with the rings (see “Shape/Design/Fit” for suggestions), you could find something that would work for you - regardless of experience level. The suction also, while not very strong without a little additional help, can get a stronger hold on the nipple if you fill the suckers partially with water before you put them on. This will help the suckers to seal, and at this point, they will not fall off even if you knock them a little during other activities. As long as you don’t squeeze the sucker again or twist, the sucker will not fall off. The suckers can even stand some (light) pulling. The Fashionista suckers do not come with instructions, but with a little innovation, the Fashionistas can 100% live up to their claims.

The Fashionistas are easy enough to clean out with just warm soap and water or sex toy cleaner whenever you want. The rubber rings, if you feel they are in need of cleaning, can just be left to soak in a bowl of warm soapy water. You could also do this with the sink plugged up, but be cautious if there are any gaps between the plug and the drain as the rings are very small and could easily get lost to the plumbing this way.

I clean the suckers before and after every use because I often use them clitorally, but if you are using them only for nipple stimulation, you can use your own judgment on how frequently you’ll want to clean them for these as well. On the suckers, the trick to cleaning them on the interior is to soap up a finger (pinky finger works best for me) and to suction the finger in, as you would the nipple, and swirl it about on the inside.

If you do this, be sure to rinse the suckers out thoroughly with water afterward, tipping them upside down and squeezing the bulbs in order to propel out any lingering soap/water and to avoid soap residue stains.

The Fashionistas come in pretty ordinary plastic packaging which is mostly opaque with the exception of the area through which both the suckers and the rubber rings are visible in a small window. The box is not discreet, as in addition to openly displaying the toy, the box clearly reads “Nipple-Suckers” on the front along with the name of the product.

There is some information on the back of the box, but there are no instructions for use nor are there any instructions inside the box. This is a bit of a pain as the use of the toy is far from obvious, and you’ll have to do some online reading or conduct some private experimentation to get the best result out of the Fashionistas.

Once the box is open, you just slide out a plastic inset in which the suckers are fitted snugly, and the rubber rings are separately stacked in conical arrangements. Although I would not usually consider this box worth saving, the safety with which everything can be kept here – the glass will not break, and you will not lose the rubber rings – really does make the original packaging the best place to keep the Fashionistas. All of the components are easy enough to pop in and out, but they will not move around or fall out on their own.