Insignia Alia - discreet vibrator by LELO - review by Carrie Ann

The Alia is a clitoral stimulator that also works well for mild, all over body teasing. With its palm sized, egg shape and hollow inside, it is easy to hold on to and easy to tuck between two bodies during partner sex.

Alia is a moderately strong vibrator; it is not going to deliver jackhammer vibrations but it should be strong enough for most users. The pleasure point in the tip of the oval delivers the most intense vibrations while the rest of the toy delivers a more diffuse vibration.

With 6 stimulation modes and multiple levels of vibrational intensity it is highly customizable to suit nearly any taste. Vibrations are both mid strength and mid frequency so they are neither buzzy nor rumbly but somewhere in the middle, again easily pleasing a wide variety of users.

The Alia is made of ABS plastic covered with a buttery soft silicone skin. If LELO does one thing very, very well it is make some of the most touchable, velvety silicone out there. Dragging the Alia across your skin is pure indulgence, the surface as soft and smooth as a woman's cheek or a baby's bottom.

The silicone has no texture other than the slightly raised buttons and small, indented LELO stamp on the underside, no odor, no taste. It is completely non porous and body safe.

The hollow interior is also ABS plastic with a gold metal finish that is completely slick. Seams created by joining the silicone and plastic are easy to feel with a finger but not noticeable in use as anything but a change in texture from matte, velvety silicone to sleek plastic. It should not cause pain or discomfort if you accidentally rub this part against any part of your body during use.

Because the silicone is matte it does have a small amount of drag to it, rather like rubbing with a finger but this can be minimized by using a small amount of water based lube or massage oil.

The Alia is oval shaped, reminiscent of a hollowed out egg. It fits easily in the palm of the hand and the open interior provides a nice, secure place to loop a thumb or finger in during use. This is a bit of design genius since, with many smaller vibrators meant to stimulate the clitoris, it is quite easy to lose your grip as things become slippery. The Alia eliminates this issue and feels amazingly comfortable in the hand, with many ways to hold securely no matter where you are using it. If you have a partner driving the Alia they should have no problems keeping a grip and directing the vibrations.

The size is fairly typical of ergonomic clitoral stimulators; a bit larger than the Nea or Lily, a bit smaller than the bCurious, Better than Chocolate or Laya Spot. It fits quite easily between two bodies when used during partner sex though it may dig in a bit in missionary position. It definitely leaves enough room, during solo use, to also use an insertable toy at the same time.

The Alia is what I would consider very discreet. Not only is it small, quiet and easy to tuck away but, even if you left it out, it doesn't look like a sex toy. I'm not sure what I would assume it was if I saw it laying out at someone else's home but I wouldn't immediately think vibrator. It kind of looks like some futuristic remote control or something!

The Alia is simple to use, with silicone covered buttons under the skin on its upper portion. The buttons are easy to press with a discernible, though quiet, click with each press to let you know you've pressed it firmly enough.

There is a plus button, a minus button and a pattern button. The plus button, when you're holding the pleasure point in the tip downward, is at the top. A single press to it turns the Alia on at a very soft, soft rumble. Repeated pressing or holding it down ups the vibrational level. I believe there are six or seven levels of vibration though it's hard to distinguish once you get to the upper speeds.

Pressing - or holding down - the minus button reverses things, lowering the power and eventually shutting the Alia off.

Pressing the pattern button at any time takes you into the 5 different patterns that are available. Patterns are as follows:

1. A very mild but distinct pulsing - think daaa daaa daaa
2. A stronger and faster pulse - think dadadadadada
3. An escalating pattern - think daaaaadaaaaadaaaaaadaaaaadaaaaa
4. A revving sort of pattern - think daaAAAAaaaaaDaaAAAaaaDaaAAAaaa

And, of course, then you're back to steady vibrations. All levels of vibration are nearly silent, though they do have that underlying digital hum that rechargeable toys with digital motors are prone to. This absolutely will not be heard thru a closed door and will likely be difficult for most to hear under covers. A bit of background noise added to the picture and no one will know the Alia is running.

Pressing and holding both the plus and minus button at the same time, for about 3-5 seconds, will lock your Alia, making it safe for travel and storage, ensuring it will not accidentally be turned on and wear down your battery.

The Alia is, like all LELO toys, rechargeable. There is a small hole in the base of the egg shape to insert the charging plug and a two hour charge should last about four hours of play. As always, this depends upon the level you use it at; using stronger levels may give you a bit less time, lower intensity levels may give you a bit more.

The charging port is open, there is no plug to cover it, but it is dimpled down into the base and very small. I would recommend blowing it out on occasion to be sure there is no water or dust inside before charging.

The Alia, despite this open port, is waterproof. The waterproofing, according to LELO, takes place inside the toy not only with the Alia but in the whole signature line. The open port, though you may not want to inject water with a squirt gun, will not allow water to get inside your Alia. Feel free to use this in the shower or tub and to clean it under running water.

As with all silicone products, the Alia is safe to use with water or oil based lubes. Silicone lube should be avoided unless you do a patch test first, as lower quality silicone lubes can react with the silicone of the toy, causing a permanently tacky feel.

Clean up is quite easy; wash with soap and water in the sink, wipe it with a toy wipe, use a spray toy cleaner, an alcohol wipe or even a mild, 10% bleach solution. If you want to share, the bleach solution is your best bet as it will sanitize your toy. Simply spray on, let sit a few minutes, then rinse off.

Storage is also easy. The Alia is small and can be tucked into a drawer or toy bag, stored in the included satin pouch or even in the original packaging. This should not react to other non porous toys though I would suggest not storing it in contact with toys that are porous.

It does tend to pick up a little lint but a quick wipe down before use should be all you need to remove that.

Like all LELO products, the Alia comes packaged like the luxury toy it is. An outer box wraps an sturdy inner box that holds the Alia, the included brooch - which is shaped like the design of the buttons, in the "INSIGNIA" design - and, underneath, a warranty booklet, 10 year quality guarantee, instruction manual and your satin drawstring pouch.

The box is ideal for gifting or storage of your Alia if you have the space for it.