Silky sensual handcuffs - bondage toy by Bijoux Indiscrets - review by Sundae

The first thing that I noticed about these restraints was how tiny the little cardboard slip they came in was. I mean it's seriously small - about 4" long and 2.5" wide and thin enough pop into an envelope. Whilst this might make it a fun gift to send a distant lover, it looks it a bit sad in a big shipping box! It also means the restraints inside are folded up very tightly, so when you pull them out of the box they're kinked and don't look as silky smooth and sensuous as you might hope.

The restraint set is two smooth and silky black ribbons each about 2" wide and 28" long when laid flat. They're made of 100% polyester, which is somewhat 'plasticy' to the touch, but they feel rather lovely against the skin and won't chafe or bite during play, making them great for those just dipping their toes into bondage. In both ribbons there is a reinforced slit about 2" from one end through which you thread the other end of the ribbon, creating an adjustable loop to fit any wrist or ankle size. The loose ends can then be tied together, to pieces of furniture or to other body parts, really whatever takes your fancy. However, once the loop is made you'll only have about 16" of ribbon left to work with, which really isn't a whole lot. Even just 10" or so more inches would have made these so much more versatile and useful as restraints.

You can leave these as 'sliding' cuffs by simply looping them around a wrist, then tying the other end to whatever you choose to hold it firm, but this means only a little squirming and ingenuity will leave your submissive with plenty of chances to slip them off. Whilst some may want this quick release mechanism because it's simple and non-intimidating for light play, others will be frustrated by it. My suggestion is to tighten the loop to the desired size over the wrist and then tie a double knot in the long end of the ribbon to prevent the extra length of the ribbon being able to slip through the slit and free your captive. Yet, no matter what you do, these restraints definitely aren't for much more than light play as they're really only thin pieces of ribbon,with no locking mechanism past creative knot tying.

There is a word pattern on each of the restraints, seemingly a crushed black velvet sort of fabric heat transferred/glued to the ribbon beneath. The words are fairly standard erotic fare and say things such as 'bliss', 'flirt', 'love', lust', 'sexy' and 'passion'. Whilst this does look lovely for soft, more sensual bondage, it's also impractical. You have to tug this end of the ribbon through the slit to create the loop and it is also the end you tie your knots in. To combat this, I fold the ribbon in half, with the words on the inside, and thread it through the slit that way, so the words don't catch and begin to peel off. Though when it comes to the tying part you really don't have a choice but to let them get a little crushed and battered. This could have been solved by making the restraints longer and having extra plain ribbon on the ends to tie with, so you could still see the pattern in use.

To be honest, I worry more about how this decoration will hold up than how well the slit will hold up in the long run. On one of my restraints some of the letters were peeled off a bit straight out of the package, exposing the clear glue and making them look rather tacky. On this same restraint it appears the pattern wasn't aligned just right with the ribbon, so part of one of the word at the bottom dangled over the edge of the material, leaving a series of rough ridges. I just got some sharp scissors and snipped this off, but again it was disappointing.

The packaging of the restraints shows that they should be hand washed and not put in the drier or ironed. It also has a crossed out triangle, which I finally figured out meant no bleaching. Apparently I missed that lesson in washing symbol decoding! To be honest, I think you should be safe ironing the back side of these underneath a tea towel with the iron on low, to get rid of the kinks caused from them being folded up so tightly in their box. Otherwise, I think it will take a while for the creases to come out naturally and they really cheapen the look of the restraints.

These restraints struck me as a pretty prop you might see in some black and white erotic photos or paired with a beautiful lady in high heels and stockings. As aesthetics are really important to me in play, I was instantly drawn to them. They are indeed delicate and sensual, perfect for the lightest sort of bondage play or beginners looking to ease into the scene very carefully, but for anything more they're simply too flimsy and a little impractical - I like my pretty things to be useful as well as beautiful!