I've just begun my foray into anal play. I had bought a plug and discovered that I loved the sensations upon removing it, so my partner bought me these beads to play with. While I love taking them out, their size, construction, and stretchy handle means I'll be replacing them soon with a more durable product. Be careful!

The package showed a scantily clad woman, which I'm learning to be the usual - I used to do all my purchases at Babeland, but now that I'm branching out I'm seeing that this tends to be the norm. They didn't have a strong odor upon taking them out of the package, which is contoured to the product; I keep mine in there, leaving it open to dry, then close and store them. The material is smooth and easy to lube up. (Lube is very important for anal play! Since this is a silicone toy, grab a water-based lube - I use Sassy Sliquid Formula.)

I won't go into my personal experiences with the beads other than what's necessary for a product review, but I definitely enjoyed myself! The first five or six tend to slide in without a problem, and then I really have to take it one at a time. Similarly, when taking the beads out, there's a noticeable pop for about the first three... and the last few just slide out. I think this is good for a beginner, though, as there's really no standard size.

As other reviewers have mentioned, though, this isn't the safest toy. I haven't had it break, but the handle is EXTREMELY stretchy and I've had to be careful and go slow when pulling them out... which, if you're trying to do during orgasm, might be difficult. I also had an experience in which after leaving the beads in for a bit the handle started to disappear - I had to pull out the largest bead (which was unlikely to just pop back in) for it to be safe. If I hadn't noticed, maybe I'd have an ER visit to talk about here! So definitely be careful and attentive, and I wouldn't recommend leaving them in for a period of time.

Silicone products DO retain a bit of smell, but if you're good about washing thoroughly you really shouldn't notice much. Unless I put it up directly to my nose, I can't tell. If that's a dealbreaker for you, though, then be aware of that.

Overall, this was a great set of first anal beads, but I hope to upgrade soon to something more durable, safer, and perhaps a bit larger.

BE CAREFUL! After putting my beads in and sitting/laying around for a while, the handle began to disappear, so make sure you are constantly aware and check it often. An alternative is to leave the biggest bead out - which makes me sad, since I love that one so much!

While I'm still glad I had these beads, I haven't used them much at all lately. I'd rather get a pair of higher quality beads that aren't as stretchy - I'm just too worried about using these and having an unpleasant surprise. They've been sitting in my toy box for a while now, and I'm probably going to throw them out soon.