There is perhaps no single smell in the world more of a turn on to an undercover kinkster such as myself than that of suede and/or leather. It is a deep, visceral scent that reminds me of dungeons and bondage. Yet at the same time reminds me of warm winter jackets and one specific jacket my father had when I was a little girl. Suede does similar things for me, conjuring up images of whips, floggers, black spanking benches and beautiful bruises that last for days.

Just want to take a trip into the shallow waters of the world of kink? Dabble in the depths that only come up to your ankles? Lelo's Sensua Suede Whip is an excellent foray into the world of fetish while still maintaining true to the tradition of quality Lelo products.

The suede whip comes to you in Lelo's exceptional packaging, with the outer box matching whatever color you have selected. The stiff cardboard box for mine is a beautiful matte black with "Lelo" in shiny black letters. Inside the small and wrapped in delicate tissue paper is one of the most beautiful products I've ever seen.

Measuring approximately 13 1/2 inches from the end of the handle to the tip of the suede strands, the whip itself is not very heavy. The handle is easily the heaviest part of the product and that's a good thing. It feels substantial in your hand and quite comfortable. The shaft is made from smokey grey lucite (or a lucite-like material). Engraved on the shaft is "LELO." The bend has a silver round ball and is weighted to counter balance the strands of the whip when in use. Said strands connect to the smokey lucite shaft with a silver connector. Of the total length of that 13 1/2 inches, 5 3/4 is handle and approximately 8 inches are the suede whip strands.

Let's be clear here - in my book I consider this more of a flogger than a whip. Having had both used on me, this looks more like a flogger than it does a whip. While whips can have multiple strands (such as the cat 'o nine tails) traditionally whips are single strand implements. Floggers traditionally are composed of multiple strands of similar length and used for some type of flagellation.

The suede the strands are made of are beautifully dyed, rich and deep. Like most suede though that is brand new, it sheds. A lot. Shaking this flogger (yes, it's a flogger to me!) over my white desk produced a shower of black suede bits and covered the white surface. I'm sure over time the loose bits will fall off and leave good looking, lasting suede. If you are worried about losing too much of the suede surface, I'm sure you could investigate a suede sealing product on the market, but I'm not sure how you'd apply it to the individual strands.

But what does this flogger feel like when used against the skin? That depends on the strength with which it is used. A light flick of the wrist will produce a pleasant sting and more oomph will produce a more thud-like affect. Start light and warm up to the more intense, stronger stuff and you will quickly find yourself sinking into that great "sub space" mindset I get into during a good flogging. This whip/flogger/whatever you want to call it probably won't leave any lasting marks unless you really fling it.

This is a good toy for those looking to dabble in kink and fetish play. Lelo's awesome quality products are known world wide and the Sensua Suede Whip is no different. The handle is weighty and well made and the strands, though great at shedding, are also quality suede that produces a great feeling when used on the skin.

Don't be scared to dip your toes in the world of kink every now and then. You may find you like it more than you thought you would.