I haven't owned an actual BDSM/Light BDSM kit ever in my life, so I was pretty excited when I found this one for such a low price. Generally, my boyfriend and I have been forced to forage for other means of bondage (ropes from the garage = bad idea), so this kit seemed like it'd come in handy and do the job.

The packaging of the kit is very classy. It comes in this small black box with some sort of pattern on it. If it wasn't for the "Sensual Surrender" written on it, you'd hardly know what it contained. The kit comes with intimacy balm (it looks like a small tin of lip gloss), two satin ties, a blindfold, two tea lights, and a instruction pamphlet.

I am a big fan of getting tied up, and suggest it to anyone who hasn't tried it before. This little kit aids in this area tremendously. Before receiving the kit I was a bit afraid of the ties slipping, since sometimes light knots in silk can be a pain. However, the makers of this toy anticipated that, and have sewn tiny loops in the bottoms of the ties, allowing the user to loop the tie through it, put the loop around wrists, ankles, bed posts, etc., and have a knot free loop. Once tightened, these loops are pretty impossible to get out of - a great plus, and they also don't hurt too bad (unless you're pulling on them pretty intensely). We tied the loose ends to the bedpost and strapped each of my arms down, and it worked pretty well. The only thing with using a loop instead of a knot is that the loops tend to loosen up if you give the excess any slack. I just automatically readjusted, but unless the person is nervous or unwilling to be tied up, I'd suggest using a knot to ensure there is no escape.

The candles that come with the kit have a weird, musky raspberry smell before they are lit, and then just kinda smell like candle while they are burning. The kit suggests that lighting the candles will "set a sensual mood", but to me, two tiny tea lights won't do the job. But they do look pretty set out on the table. I'm not one for wax play, so we didn't try the candles that way, but I'm sure they'd do the trick in that area.

The blindfold is, well, a blindfold. I was hoping it'd be a little more exciting than just a plain black blindfold, but it fits my face well and hides everything you'd want to look at, which really heightens all the other senses. It's super comfy, and I've worn it to bed when I've taken day time naps, as well as in bed when I'm, well, not taking naps.

My favorite part about this kit is the intimacy balm. At first I was pretty skeptical about it - it claims to enhance both his and her sexual experience. I've tried all the different varieties of KY (warming, tingling, etc) and never really noticed much of a difference down there. This stuff, however, is quite powerful. It has a very pleasant cooling and tingling sensation, and doesn't even taste bad. The suggested use is to put it on like lip balm, and then "kiss your partner all over". To me, that would just end in having oily lip balm everywhere, so instead we focused on putting it where it counts - nipples, penis, clitoris, etc. It definitely makes you more aware of everything that's going on where that balm is. I first used it alone, and it really made my self play a lot more enjoyable. With my boyfriend, we licked it off each others nipples, and rubbed it all over our nether regions and had very tingly sex. I don't know if you can buy this stuff alone, but I definitely would even if you're not into the BDSM and just want some added stimulation to your sex life.

Overall, this very basic, very simple kit really does a great job in introducing light BDSM into the bedroom. If you are new to BDSM, or even are a BDSM veteran and want a neat little travel kit, this is a great, inexpensive investment for any toy box, and I greatly recommend it to anyone thinking about adding a new level of sensations to their sex life with a partner.