Garden of edo organic collection - massage kit discontinued by Shunga Erotic Art - review by Towner

Since this collection comes with 5 different products, and I will review them all in association to this collection. Most of them are sold on their own, but why bother buying them separately when you know you want them all?

The first thing I used was the Oriental Crystals foaming and scented dead sea salt. The Scent is in Lotus Flower and it's divine. Exchanging the scents in non-negotiable. This is best used for the bath tub and not as a body scrub or polish. It might seem tempting to do that, but I think you would just end up hurting yourself. This will be explained further in the texture section on the review. Since the salt comes with a cute little shell scoop, 1-2 scoops are all that required to make that bath perfect. I found that 2 scoops for a stronger scent and 1 for a softer scent.

The next item is the Organica erotic massage oil in the scent exotic green tea. This if a fabulous oil and can be used in different ways. I have often used a few drops in my bath water to make it more relaxing and soft. I've also used it just before getting out of the shower or right after toweling off. It's also perfect as a massage oil since that is what it is meant for. I wouldn't suggest ingesting this oil because it's for external use only and isn't edible.

The aphrodisiac oil, however, is a slightly different story. This scent and flavor is also exotic green tea. You can use this like any other massage oil, but it's kissable and lickable. Just keep in mind that just because it's tasty, you shouldn't drink it from the bottle or spread it around too much on your partner. It might be a little messy.

There is also a sensitizing gel with this collection call Lotus Noir. From what I understand, this is specific to this collection. If I'm wrong, someone better correct me. This gel is meant to be applied to the clitoris and the head of the penis before sex for the added intensity during sex. There are separate products available from Shunga that are for men and for women, but I would like to think that this mixes the two.

Last is the Organic Toko lubricant. This is a water base lube that is meant to satisfy your every desire during sex. Wonderful for vaginal or anal play or sex.

Please take into consideration that all of these products are under Shunga's Organica label. This means that all the products in this collection are certified organic ingredients. If I'm misstating anything, please let me know, but that is how I understand this collection to be.

The Lotus Flower dead sea salt is very coarse. For that reason I would advise everyone to only use it as suggested and not as a body polish or scrub. It could potentially harm the epidermis and give you a rash or sores if you use it in any way other than what is directed. It is a free moving, dry product so be careful when opening it. Always make sure the salt is level and the lid is upright before opening. You don't want to waste any product. When you pour the salt under the stream of water, the crystals will dissolve and release the color that coats the salt. Lotus Flower will produce a green that is "reminiscent of green lagoons". The water turns a beautiful shade of green that wont turn you or your tub colors. Once the salt is fully dissolved in the water of your bathtub, it's go time. Take caution when stepping in the water because the bottom of the tub can be a tad slippery and you really don't want to make an emergency call should you slip. All you have to do is relax.

The erotic green tea massage oil is very smooth and silky. It pours much like a cooking oil because it's between a thin and thick viscosity. It's has a slight sunflower or olive oil color to it, but it doesn't transfer color to the body or clothes. The oil gives a wonderful slip to the skin. If only a little is used, it absorbs very quickly and will leave the skin feeling silky and not greasy. You will feel silky if you use too much, but it will take longer because of the amount you used. When using this oil, believe in less is more.

The aphrodisiac oil is considerably thicker than the massage oil. It does flow freely, but has the consistency of a light maple syrup. Use this with purpose because you can make a HUGE mess if you use it like the massage oil. It has a light, transparent apple green color to it that isn't noticeable anywhere but in the bottle. It feels slightly sticky, but I think that's because of the sugar used to make it taste sweet. Once it dries or is licked off, you won't notice any stick at all.

The Lotus Noir is a light, almost medium thick gel. To remember how runny (or not runny) it is, I placed a small drop of it on the back of my hand as I was typing this and it did move around. It's not like a heavy gel that will stay in place when placed on an incline or vertical surface. It will slowly slide, not rush, down any surface if it's a tiny or small glob, but anything more than a finger tips' amount will be too much. It can feel a bit sticky as it dries, but when it's wiped away or allowed to dry completely it feels silky.

The Organica lube is kind of runny and not very thick, but it's not runny like water. It will run when poured in large amounts, but when drops are used, it's rather manageable. It's completely clear and gets slightly sticky as it dries. It also is like the Lotus Noir in the sense that it will dry silky, and when wiped away, leave the skin feeling silky.

This is the important part! What does this collection really smell like?

The first thing you will notice when you open the jar of the Lotus Flower dead sea salt is the scent. It smells heavenly. It's actually really hard to describe and I'm sure you would get a kick out of the scene I'm making. I've got my face inches from the jar trying to figure out the scent, and if you hardly find that amusing, I know I do. It's very distinct, but difficult to describe. I guess I would describe it as an earthy flora smell, but it smells sweet. Not a candy sweet, but like the sweet smell of the rain on the wind before it gets to you. It also smells cool, and not just because I think it's awesome. For instance, there are scents that smell warm like patchouli or sandalwood, but this specific bath salt smells cool. It's also feminine and masculine all at once. I would love for it to be a perfume because it smells so sexy.

I find green tea to be very distinct and yummy and the massage oil doesn't smell like green tea at all. This oil smells kind of like honeydew melon or pears. It smells slightly sweet but crisp. If you were to use this on a man, he wouldn't say that it smells girly or too fruity. It just has a light fresh fruit scent.

The aphrodisiac oil smells like bubble gum or bananas when you smell it from the bottle. I know it sounds weird, but that's what it smells like to me. It's not really unpleasant, but not anything like any green tea. Perhaps Shunga took an artistic approach in interpenetrating the flavor of green tea. When it's on the skin it has more of a watermelon Jolly Rancher smell and flavor. I would buy this again for the taste alone.

The Lotus Noir gel has a slight watermelon Jolly Rancher scent to it. It definitely smells more fruity/floral and feminine than masculine, but it's very sexy. Think floral and spicy potpourri without the headache.

The Organica lube as the same scent as the Lotus Noir gel, but it's so minute that it's almost not even there. It wont break the mood because of the scent.

The Lotus Flower dead sea salts are awesome and completely top notch. The smell of the salts fills the bathroom with a sensual aroma that relaxes you. When you're in the water, you can feel the softness of the water on your skin. When you get out of the water and either air dry or towel off, your skin will feel silky and oh so touchable. If you use 2 shell scoops of this every time you take a bath, you might get 10 baths out of it. I like the strong scent, so I put the max amount in the water. The salts are supposed to bubble and foam, but that only lasts for about 5-10 minutes.

The massage oil is perfect for anyone. If you use it as a moisturizer when you get out of the bath or shower, it will last all day. I will usually need to apply lotion twice a day because it wears off, but this oil will last all day through sweat and sun or a marathon movie day. It comes of really easy with soap and water.

The aphrodisiac oil is tasty, but isn't always apart of my bedroom playtime. It does clean up well with soap and water or a cleaning wipe. I feel that's the best way to go if it's not licked off completely.

Lotus Noir is so wickedly good that I'll buy more when I run out. It doesn't give off a burning sensation or tingle. It's subtle in it's own way. You might find that it heats up because of friction instead of what it's made out of. It helps intensify pleasure and it certainly does. Is easily removed with soap and water or cleaning wipe.

The Toko Organica lube is a very overachieving water-based lube. It stays slick for a long period of time and feels very natural. That seems overachieving to me because I've bought some water-based lubes that were just pathetic. It cleans up nice and wont stain any sheets or clothing.

When you get this collection, it will come in a large and rather "in your face" tube. It's made out of heavy duty cardboard lined with silver, and it has a metal base and lid. It's easy to open because all you have to do is give it a little twist and then pull up on the lid. The outside is very conspicuous! Typical Shunga art with the two lovers entwined on the front and the back lists the mission of the collection and it's contents in 4 languages (English, French, Spanish and German). This really isn't a container that you would want to leave around if you're shy about people seeing it. Also, a good thing to note, all the the products have the lovers label in varying sizes. So keep that in mind when it comes to leaving them out.

For the individual packaging, the Lotus Flower salt is very friendly. It's made out clean plastic for the base and a black plastic for the lid. You can easily open it because it's a basic twist lid. The container is wonderfully shatter proof. I've dropped mine twice and the lids stayed on tight and the container didn't crack.

The massage oil is pretty standard. It has a clear bottle with black disc top cap. It does its job rather well. If you open the cap and tilt it upside down, it will drip one drop at a time in a steady, but slow stream. There's no gushing oil all over the place. To make more oil come out of the bottle, all you need to do is apply light pressure and you've got a perfect amount of oil. I've never had it leak everywhere like the Kama Sutra massage oils I have. It's perfectly suited to be manhandled, but don't over do it.

The aphrodisiac oil is the problem child out of the collection. It's a very heavy glass bottle with an imitation cork stopper. Can you see the danger? The stopper has a tendency to become stuck in the neck of the bottle and if you try and muscle it out you might pull too hard and send the oil everywhere or drop the bottle and shatter it. I've come up with an easy way to open it without all the disaster. The best way to remove it is with one or both thumbs on the stopper (while you cradle the bottle in the palms of your hands) and push it away from you. When you've push the stopper, twist the bottle a little and push again. You don't need that much force because if you do, you might break the stopper and get it stuck inside the neck of the bottle. This is the only way I can get it open.

The Lotus Noir is super easy to open. Comes affixed with a standard flip top that locks in place really well. You wont have any leaks with this bottle. The bottle itself is a simple and shiny black plastic, and it's easy to grip and squeeze.

Lastly, the Organica lube. It's in a very tough plastic that doesn't really have much give to it until you open the lid to dispense the lube. The bottle is clear and the the lid is black. The lid is also a flip top, and you will need to be cautious with the way you handle it. The flip portion of the lid is thin compared to the rest of the lid and bottle. Over time, I've had a crack form along the lip back to the joint of the lid. I doesn't cause the lube to spill or leak everywhere, but it is alarming to think that one day it could. So, be gentle with the lid and if some cracking does occur, take precautions to keep it from leaking all over your other items by keeping it separate or in a zip-lock bag.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of anything informative that no one told me is with the dead sea salts. They do come in different colors according to the scents. The Lotus Flower is green, as I've stated before, and it can and will rub off if you handle the salt barehanded or with a cloth. Once the salt is dissolved and the color is in the water, there isn't anything to worry about. But prior to that, the color that coats the salt can rub off and possibly stain clothes or wash cloths. Use the shell scoop inside the jar or one of your choosing, but use a scoop. Wait until all the salt is gone and color is distributed in the water before using a wash cloth if you want one.

Individually, all the products would get 5 out of 5 stars because of how wonderful I think they are.