Durex Play Allure

The vibe itself is pretty discreet—fairly standard and rather slim, made of a single piece of white plastic, with a purple control ring towards the base. It's completely odorless, even when straight out of the box, and incredibly easy to clean, though it's not totally waterproof. Where it excels, though, is in the power of the vibrations. Despite only being powered by one battery, you can feel strong vibrations which go all the way to the tip, even at the lowest setting.

Another nice touch is that there is an AA battery included in with the set, already installed and just waiting for you to remove the plastic separating the battery from the contacts and turn it the right way up. A really handy idea and great for when you've forgotten to order batteries or can't find your supply at home.

This vibrator is best for all over the body, nipple play, clitoral play, and for internal self-pleasuring. It works wonderfully for all of these. It's a nice not-too-powerful, sensual, steady vibration.

The controls are a simple twist mechanism, allowing you to adjust from high to low and back again, or to leave the power on your chosen setting. I found the lowest setting was more than enough. When turned up high, things just moved along even faster, so it really depends exactly how you're wanting to use it and your personal taste as to how strong you like your vibrations. There should be something here for everyone.

This would be a great vibe for beginners, who are just testing the waters and maybe don't want something too big or too threatening. It's also great for introducing your partner to the joy of toys. Some men get scared of massive cock-shaped vibes: there really is nothing in the Allure to terrify anyone—you can even use it on tight muscles elsewhere in the body to great effect. Its slim size means it's also great as an introduction to anal vibes and its powerful punch has a wonderful effect. Just remember not to get carried away and insert it too far—it doesn't have a flared base, and the thought of it buzzing away, out of reach, is just grim.

The vibe itself has a very smooth, almost enamel-like feel to it. The shape allows it to almost double as an oversized bullet for play all over. (Although don't expect this thing to go like a Magic Wand!) The shape allows for easy penetration and grip towards the base.

The speed is controlled by a twist at the bottom of the vibe. There is knack to using this at all, and it can be extremely awkward when lube becomes involved. Slightly unnerving is the fact that the batteries are accessed by twisting even further, although in 18 months use this has never come off accidentally.

I really liked the design of this vibe. Its slight curves make sure to hit every spot. I believe this toy did extremely well at pleasing me. It kind of reminds me of a white pearl, with the white shiny color. This size is perfect. It is 6 1/2" inches long. Its insertion length is 4 3/4" inches. The widest point is at the shaft's bulge.

I loved that this vibe is a standard traditional vibe, but what truly drew me to it was the simple yet elegant smoothness that it looked like it had. And I was right; as soon as I tried it with a little lube it felt so silky and sleek inside me.

This toy is absolutely perfect for beginners or advanced users looking for a sensual gentle experience. It truly is as perfect as I try to make it sound.

I found it particularly effective when used on my clit—it wasn't quite substantial enough to work totally effectively when inserted—and when used on my partner: I read a nice tip somewhere on this site about holding a vibe to your cheek whilst giving a blowjob, and can confirm that not only does this give excellent results, this is also a great vibe to do it with—it won't rattle all your teeth loose in your head like some monsters, it's small enough to hold easily in one hand but it still delivers powerful vibrations to your partner.

I was very impressed by this vibe but I do have a few reservations about the Allure. The first of these is the sound. At a low setting, the hum is barely perceptible. However, once you crank things up, the buzz is extremely pervasive and, to my mind, a bit intrusive. And certainly not discreet if you're trying for some solo satisfaction sotto voce. Obviously, inserting the allure does quieten things down a fair bit—but even so, the highest setting is still quite noticeably noisy.

The second reservation concerns the controls. If you are quite clumsy like I am, and have big hands like mine, you may also find it somewhat fiddly to operate one-handed. The speed is controlled by a twist mechanism, but instead of the fairly standard roughened ring you get on many vibes, the ring on the Allure is smooth and hard to get a grip on, especially if you're lubed up.

Worse than that, it is also all too easy to accidentally unscrew the battery lid when trying to turn things down a notch. This has happened to me several times now—it's frustrating, and though it's undoubtedly my fault for being cack-handed, it's not a problem I've had with other vibes of a similar design. This is only a small niggle, though, and the more I use it, the more I'll get used to knowing when to stop twisting!

One thing I look for in toys is how easily they can be cleaned. This toy can easily be cleaned with antibacterial toy cleaner or any antibacterial soap and water. It's extremely easy to care for.

Storing the Durex Allure is simple since it comes with a purple velvet pouch to store your precious toy in. I suppose you could also store it in its box if one felt the need to do so.

The Durex Allure, like all other plastic toys, is completely compatible with all lubricant types. These would include water-based, silicone, or oil.

If sharing the toy, please by all means use a condom over it to protect yourself.

The vibe itself comes with a handy little instruction booklet, in case you need some help, and also a purple drawstring bag—just the thing for discretion when traveling or to enable you to leave it out on the nightstand without everyone knowing what you're getting up to. A nice touch and another indicator of the quality. (Though is anyone ever deceived by this? Is there anything innocent that you might leave out and about covered up in its own little pouch? I'm not sure, but even if not, it's a great storage solution And top marks to Durex for not putting it in a translucent, gauzy fabric, as some other makers do.)

The box it comes in is a pretty purple burgundy color and a rippled design. It comes beautifully packaged. It does have a magnetic flap on it so you can go on and peek at it and see it revealed in all its glory along with its satin pouch. You could even use the box for storing the toy if you really wanted to since it would be completely concealed.