A blindfold? Why would you need, or want, a blindfold? At least, I used to think along these lines before I bought Silk Whisper as an add-on to my order. I had always told myself that if I wanted to be "blind" in the heat of the moment, I'd just close my eyes. Or I'd put a pillow or blanket over the top of my head. I had even used my boyfriend's tie once, without much success in blocking out my vision entirely. It seemed like a waste to me to purchase something that I could create myself using makeshift items found around the house.


Then my package arrived, filled with various goodies including the Silk Whisper. The blindfold came in a clean plastic bag, with a Ziploc-type seal. I didn't care how cheap the packaging was-- after all, it's a blindfold, and how many of those do you see in the store all boxed up elegantly? I noticed that the tag placed in the bag was beautiful, with a little Renaissance-type picture on it informing me that this blindfold was made by Leatherbeaten.

It looked beautiful enough. I carefully took it out of its package, which immediately went into the trash. Holding the blindfold in my hand, I examined its design. The Silk Whisper is made out of silk, with an elastic black band sewn sturdily onto either side. The backside of the blindfold-- the part that will be touching your delicate skin-- is a nice, soft fleece. As far as discrepancies go, the product page describes this as silk and "synthetic fleece" while the tag by Leatherbeaten mentions only that it is "Real Silk." It is definitely made of more than silk, and I would gauge that the thin black border around the blindfold is cotton or polyester (or perhaps a blend).

I purchased the "Red/Black" design. The front is embroidered, though very smooth and not at all abrasive. There are shiny red dragons and filigree decorating the blindfold. The inside of the blindfold is solid black. The stitching on the border of black fabric is noticeable by sight, but it is well-stitched and smooth on both sides.

There are no instructions or information about how to clean this blindfold. If you are excessively sweaty while you wear this, you may find yourself venturing to the bathroom with this blindfold to test cleaning it off. I have not had to do this though. I would suggest trying to keep lubricated fingers (or other bits) away from the blindfold itself. I am not sure if you could throw this in the washer, but I always say better safe than sorry. If you attempt to wash it, perhaps trying to spray it with a light mist of water first, be sure to spot test. This is a safe way of seeing how the fabric will react, because if you do stain it permanently or hurt the color or warp it in any way, it will only affect a small area.

Using this blindfold was an absolute delight. I found myself eating my words: I love blindfolds and I cannot believe I did not have one of my own before!

I first slipped this around the top of my head. I noted that the product page says "One size fits most." Concerned that this might not fit you? Well, I have my handy dandy tape measure with me.

One size fits most means...
Blindfold portion, across: 8.25"
Blindfold portion, widest & lowest gap across nose: just about 1.5"
Blindfold portion, top to bottom of eye portion: 3.5"
Blindfold portion, top to bottom of "nose" area: just shy of 2"

As for the elastic band, completely relaxed: around 13.5"
Elastic band, stretched pretty hard: 52"

So, I do believe this will fit most. Of course, it does depend on how snugly you prefer your blindfold to fit.
For both myself and my boyfriend, it fit pretty comfortably. It fit nicely, snugly tight across my eyes and the top of my nose. I wear contact lenses and this was not too tight across my eyelids-- the blindfold did not hurt my contact lenses or eyes.

I was very satisfied with this blindfold's performance. It fit well, blocked out light completely, and was not irritating to my sensitive skin. The fleece is deliciously soft across my eyes. Just to be cheesy, I will say that this was like a silk whisper across my face. The stitching on the black border was not abrasive at all.

When I say it blocked out light completely, I mean that in a relaxed position with this blindfold on, I could see nothing but black. However, if I manipulated my eyes like crazy, straining really hard and wiggling my nose back and forth, I could detect the tiniest sliver of light toward where my nose met the blindfold. So as far as effectiveness goes, the Silk Whisper performs extremely well.

My boyfriend commented that he would use this for sleeping, even. He thought it was soft enough, and dark enough, to wear all the time. Well, I guess not all the time, unless you want to spend all day in darkness!

In respect to discretion, I believe this blindfold is perfect for travel, sleeping on a plane, train, or automobile. Nothing about this blindfold screams "KINKY BDSM SLAVE." However, it does its job incredibly well in all arenas. You could leave this out in your bedroom and no one would be any wiser. It's small enough to be stored in your toy box, your purse, your nightstand drawer, or even left out on a table inconspicuously.

I am now 100% certain that anyone experimenting with sensory deprivation will love this blindfold. Stop trying to get by using shirts, blankets and ties! Having this blindfold left me completely submerged in the experience with my partner. I was not fussing about seeing light, or how itchy the material was, or how it was coming off whenever I turned my head. This blindfold was just perfect for me, and I am very glad I decided to step out of my stinginess to try a reasonably priced, quality blindfold.

I waited as long as I could to write a useful follow-up review on this blindfold...

I was really tempted to get on and write something after the first week of starting night shifts at work... But I decided that it would be best to wait to see if this blindfold's novelty wore off.

It hasn't! I use it every night now, though more for sleep than for sex. I still think this shows its durability. Sleep can be just as rough as sex (if not more, for all those restless sleepers!). This blindfold stayed on perfectly for the first month or so of night shift work. However, I have noticed that in my restless tossing and turning (I do a lot of that), I've noticed that I will frequently wriggle it off of myself while I slumber. I don't actually hold this against the blindfold though.

When I put Silk Whisper on, it still feels pretty snug and fitting. I know that it is more meant for a 30 minute romp than an 8-hour marathon!
Still, it is performing admirably.

It's sort of become that childhood stuffed animal or blanket for me... I absolutely cannot sleep without it.



However, this brings up another point. I am dependent on this blindfold. And, being me, I constantly lose it between the sheets, under pillows, and especially falling off under the bed and nightstand.
Hopefully, others will be more responsible with where they leave their Silk Whisper. It seems that no matter how I try, it's always hiding from me! (My boyfriend insists this is entirely my fault for not putting it in the same spot every morning.)