Wannabe wizards move aside, because here's a wand that creates some real sensual magic in the bed chamber. With three versatile vibrations speeds, the Crystal Chic Wand by California Exotics hexes away the clitoral orgasm blues, and casts spells of arousal over any other erogenous zones of the body. It's bendable nature makes it suitable for pretty much anyone, even fledgling wand wavers, during solo or partner play.

The Crystal Chic Wand is made of hard ABS plastic with a polyurethane coating that the manufacturer calls "Velvet Cote," which is a pretty accurate name because it does have a velvety soft surface feel. It's phthalates-free, latex-free, and non-porous. The taste tester reports that the wand has no flavor, but if you hold it up to your nose you can detect a clean powdery scent that's actually quite pleasant.

The shape and size of this wand are both rather non-threatening and easily managed by users of any experience level. The overall length of the toy is 11-1/2," but only 7" of that includes the beaded section. The oblong tip is 5/8" wide, followed by a series of beads that end with the largest one being 3/4" wide before yielding to the 1" x 4-1/2" handle. And what's a wand without a bit of sparkle? Six tiny clear crystals are deeply embedded around the handle of the wand, giving it an extra stylish flair without being too flashy.

All magicians need to keep their activities a secret at one time or another, and this wand can easily be hidden away in a drawer, under the mattress, or in a travel bag. The fact that it bends even makes it possible to store it in a large pocket of one of the royal cloaks in your closet.

Ah yes, that wonderful 'bendable' feature... we're not talking about a floppy wobbly mess of a toy here, but rather something that you can shape how you want it, and you will find that the Crystal Chic Wand does not flex on its own even with very exuberant wand waving. While you can bend it with one hand, it's much easier with two, and if you press down on the wand during use and it still holds the position very well. We moved the end into a full 90-degree angle multiple times and never got the impression that we were damaging our wand in any way, nor did it feel any looser.

The bottom inch or so of the handle unscrews counter-clockwise so you can insert one AA battery (not included), and this is where the real magic comes in. Somehow the Crystal Chic wand not only produces a surprising amount of power from that single inexpensive battery, but it keeps going for hours on end as well. The manufacturer states that the toy will run for 6 hours on high speed, 9 hours on medium, and 12 on low. We only tested their claim on high speed, because we figured that would be what would drain the battery fastest, and the wand actually lasted closer to 7 hours than 6 using a Duracell battery. Brilliant!

A push-button on the bottom of the handle lets you cycle through three spellbinding speeds of vibrations quickly and easily. You do have to go through all of them to get the toy to shut off, but we didn't find that to be an issue.

* Low speed is very gentle, appropriate for teasing any erogenous areas and for even the most sensitive users to enjoy, and at this level all you can hear is a very low whispery hum. Honestly, most peoples' ceiling fans probably make more noise than this does.

* Medium speed is strong enough to satisfy the average sex toy user, and the noise it makes is loud enough to be heard through the bed covers, but not through a closed door. We did notice that it makes an angry buzzing noise from time to time around the end at this speed, but that stops if you press the toy against something and it's still doubtful that anyone would hear it from outside the room.

* High speed produces a numbingly strong vibration and a constant angry buzzing sound that again quiets down to a mid-range hum if you put some pressure around the end of the toy. At its worst (just holding it in your hand), the noise at this speed would likely be heard through a closed door.

The vibrations can be felt equally along the entire length of the wand, and they don't slow at all if you bend the toy in another direction while it's running.

This toy already has enough features to make it useful for nearly anyone, but when you throw in the fact that it's also completely waterproof the possibilities for fun are endless. You can submerge it as long as you'd like without ever having to worry about any water sprites invading the battery compartment.

We all know what a pain in the ass it can be to try to clean every little crevice between a row of beads, but here too the magic of this toy's design shines through to make the job easy. Straighten the wand and then grasp the handle and the tip and pull them away from each other until you see the wire between the beads, and then twist the grip and handle in opposite directions until you feel it lock open (about 1/4" worth of a turn). This leaves the beads loose on their rod so you can clean between them without any big effort, particularly if you have a bottle brush and a sink sprayer.

You can use soap and water, toy cleaner, or isopropyl alcohol to do the deed. There's no way to absolutely sterilize the toy though, so if you're going to share it or switch from anal to vaginal use, it's best to stick a condom on your wand.

When the toy is clean and dry, just repeat the tug-and-twist method to lock the beads back in place. The only problem we see is that the beads are largely hollow, so you're going to want to really make sure it's dry before snapping it back together.

The Crystal Chic Wand is compatible with water-based lubes, but if you plan to take it for a late night foray in the castle moat, do remember that the lube will wash away very easily.

It comes packaged in a hazy thin plastic box with a clear window to display the toy from the front and jewel clipart decorating all sides. Writings on the front and back tout the toy's many features, and there is the standard manufacturer's info on the back. Oddly enough, there's also a disclaimer that says "For external use only." Maybe somebody slipped us a Confusion Potion, because we both were thinking that a long vibrating sex toy with graduated beads that can be bent in any way you want was meant to be inserted? It's even more boggling when you consider that the little tag of washing instructions that are adhered to the inside of the package refers to the toy as "Booty Beads." Hmm.

At any rate, the box is too thin and flexible to stand up to gift wrapping and wouldn't serve as long-term storage, but it should last awhile if you can't think of anywhere else to keep the toy.

Alan says:
I'm trying to work up to prostrate massages, so since this is the first toy we've gotten that didn't scare my ass shut I decided to be the rebel and use it internally in spite of the manufacturer's disclaimer to the contrary (and yep, I stuck a condom over it first). Lube is the word of the day here, but the first segment is only about the size of a small finger so it goes in nice and easy and stays that way. I don't know how much of it we actually wound up inserting, but I do believe that we found the prostrate. Nice.

I have absolutely no complaints, and the only thing I think the manufacturer could do to improve the toy is to make it out of silicone so it could be sterilized. Oh, and to explain that "external use only" remark!

Michele says:
We started off using this as a body teaser, and though it does work great that way it doesn't really take advantage of the toy's full potential. For me, this is a clit-pleaser, pure and simple. Because of how long and thin it is, it's easy for me to slip it between Alan & myself when we're having sex, and being able to bend a hook in the end means I can just lay back and enjoy it instead of having to lean forward to reach the right spot. That made last night's bath pretty relaxing too! I did try it as a G-spot toy as well, but I've got one of those picky-bitchy G-spots that wants both vibes and size, so the slim wand didn't do the trick for me even though I was able to bend the toy in a manner that hit it head on. Even so, it's a lot of fun to play with, and I think it's one of those things that everyone should have in their toy box.