Ka-Bloom!

Ideas for the Leaf Bloom:
1. G-spot vibrator
2. Traditional (straight) vibrator
3. *Clitoral vibrator (not ergonomic for this use)
4. *Anal toy (straight end only)

The coveted Leaf Bloom is one of the celebrated toys from the Leaf line, the makers of which have had a hand in other luxury toy lines like Jopen and Lux. Bloom is a small, attractive G-spot vibrator and traditional vibrator due to its dual motors in either end of the toy. It's completely covered in a firm coat of silicone and features a waterproof jack (very similar to that of Lux toys, if you own one), which makes Bloom a flexible companion in the bath, when traveling, for couples' and solo play.


The Bloom is primarily designed for vaginal use. The large bud end features a pointed tip and a substantial width for G-spotting while the other end is mostly straight, but slightly tapered towards the center of the toy. I have tried using Bloom as a clitoral vibrator only, but it's simply not ergonomic to hold it this way. If you simply adore your Bloom, though, it's certainly powerful enough to act as a clitoral vibrator.



**Potentially, the Bloom could be used as an anal toy if the bulb end is used as the 'stop' or flared base that anal toys require. I have not yet attempted to use the Bloom in this manner since its charging port is located on this end. I'm sure that it's possible, but as a caveat, this side definitely requires care and attention during cleaning. I like my Bloom, so I'm not really willing to risk it.

The Bloom has a 100% silicone outer, featuring Leaf's very different and simply gorgeous signature green color. This silicone is entirely matte, rather draggy and attracts only some lint. The silicone layer appears to be rather thin, making the toy very firm -- there's nothing to pinch with your fingers and it certainly feels firm while in use.

Bloom is entirely smooth, though there is a prominent seam running down the middle of the toy. It's actually more of a shadow than any sort of ridge you can feel. I can barely find it with finger while my eyes are closed.


As with many silicone toys, Bloom had no taste. It has a very slight smell, a kind of rubbery-cold smell to it, but it's very faint and certainly not unpleasant. I associate this smell with many silicone toys and it doesn't bother me.

The Bud:
The Bloom is rather flexible, though only at the center portion; this allows the head to bend fairly well. The bud portion of the toy can bend about 45 degrees in any direction. The shaft or stem is firm enough to withstand thrusting with the toy and the flexibility doesn't impede penetration, so no worries. I have never felt that the Bloom is fragile in any way, like that it might break with rough use -- Bloom feels sturdy, in case anyone was worried about how narrow the stem is.

The bud head is oval, more wide than it is narrow. I find that this facilitates the pointed tip to exercise some pressure against my G-spot, though having a not-very circular object inside of me kind of means the Bloom is wont to twist around if it's not held in place. This is a tad uncomfortable. But in the end, I honestly have no complaints about the bud end and I would give the Bloom five stars based on that alone.

The Stem:
Except there's the fact that Leaf decided to throw in some features that, upon closer inspection, make no sense. In fact, they drag the entire toy down. While the idea of dual motors sounds awesome (it's a two-fer!), it's really not.

There are three things wrong with the stem end. If used for penetration, the stem end has the DC jack located right on the end of it. You must clean this area thoroughly after play, then dry it thoroughly. Also, if you insert the stem end...you can't use any of the buttons. As if this wasn't enough, the stem end's motor is incredibly buzzy, so buzzy that I actually have a very hard time feeling any sensation at all. It's like putting your cell phone in your coat pocket in the closet and hearing it vibrate from far away -- only it's an extremely ineffective sex toy, and it's inside of you.

The Design:
Despite the stem end's abysmal shortcomings and the fact that I bought the Bloom expecting it to be two toys in one, I still love the leaf design. It's probably the most attractive toy I own. The small size and light weight are definite pleasers.

It's not a normal vibrator:
Initially, I was blown away by the design of the Bloom. Holding it in my hand, it really felt like this cool, animatronic, pretty plant. But actually, the bud side feels a little strange. The bud end is quite bulbous, but in an odd way -- it's wider in one direction than in the other, so it feels a little strange when it penetrates you. I could get over this if it also wasn't also for the fact that the stem is so narrow, that it doesn't provide any stimulation. It honestly doesn't feel like it's emulating a shape that many sex toys obviously do, which is a phallic shape -- rather, Bloom almost just feels like a very large Kegel toy inside of you because the bud is almost 'floating' around.

So don't get Bloom expecting a normal vibrator experience. For some, this will be more enticing for the novelty. Bloom is definitely meant to be a G-spot vibrator and the bud side definitely does that -- the vibrations traveled quite well to my G-spot and the girth of the bud definitely helped situate the toy. Flexing your muscles around it is stimulating, which is also why I liken it to a Kegel toy. I don't see this as a flaw, it's just something to be aware of if you buy the Bloom. Expectations are important.

Those dual motors:


So the dual-motors idea sounds awesome. You can control each side separately, pressing either the top button for the top motor or the bottom button to control the bottom motor. Click and hold to turn on; click and hold to get to higher levels; click quickly to turn off.

Dual motors could be really awesome, but they aren't. Unlike the above point, this one is a flaw.The stem end is much more traditionally shaped, but the motor inside of it is both buried and buzzy. I can't feel it. It's also quite small in girth, so it won't satisfy women who seek stimulation from size alone. For my tastes, if I can't feel the vibrations and it's even too small for me (I prefer moderate-small toys), I don't know what the point is.

The stem end is also incredibly loud. It's annoying. Having both motors on is an eyebrow-raising experience.



The Water Test:
One last note: I found a good way to visualize vibrations of a toy. Using a shallow basin of water, you can dip the end of a toy, while vibrating, into the water and see the ripples it makes. Very buzzy (high frequency) toys make very small ripples while rumbly (low frequency) toys make larger ripples. Powerful toys in general move the water around a lot, it looks very impressive.




By contrast, here's the Salsa on its second-highest setting (because the highest setting sprayed water everywhere). You can really tell by comparing the two exactly how weak the Bloom is -- and it has nothing to do with size.

Despite the fact that the stem end has the DC jack on it, you needn't worry, actually. I'm still pretty impressed that a normal-looking jack and port is 100% waterproof, but it totally is. Awesome!



That being said, I submerse the Bloom in warm soap and water, which always does the trick for me. You could also use toy wipes, a 10% bleach solution or other antimicrobial solutions. Do not boil the Bloom, as this will harm the motors. The dishwasher is also not a safe place for Bloom. There are absolutely no ridges or texture on the Bloom to harbor hidden pockets of bacteria, which is a good thing.



Leaf, of course, has impeccable packaging. I use it to store my Bloom and I can't imagine any other way -- really! The packaging is too pretty to not be used. Leaf, along with Lux (also from BMS Enterprises, by the way) are the real deal in terms of presentation. In my opinion, Lelo doesn't have anything on them. The boxes are sturdy, all its edges are flush and secure, and the flaps that you lift to open the box are securely with hidden magnets. Wow, right?