My Luna Beads came in the mail a few days before I was leaving town to spend time with family. Somehow, in the frantic packing process, I made the decision to leave them behind. I've been kicking myself every day since.

First of all, they're beautiful. The soft silicone holder and cool, marble-like beads are fun to hold and easy enough to put in. I didn't use any lube the first time I slipped them in, and you don't have to, but I do recommend using a little if you want to make insertion more comfortable. (Lelo includes a packet of their water-based lube, since you can't use silicone lube with this toy).

I started with the lighter set of beads, but they're still heavy, and after a minute or two of standing (without tightening my PC muscles), they started to slip out. As I began to get used to having the beads in, I first took the "easy way out," sitting down on the couch so I wouldn't have to do much to keep them in.

But then something happened.

Kegels, those pesky exercises I'd only ever done occasionally out of a vague sense of duty, became really, really fun. I did the dishes with the beads in, and doing the dishes has never been so pleasurable. I pretty much wanted to wear them all the time. In fact, they're so easy to clean, I even used the beads while I was on my period.

The booklet doesn't recommend much in the way of exercises, mostly saying that the Kegels will happen "naturally," but if you really don't make any effort then they will slip out. (I'm sure once the muscles get stronger, they'll tighten without your noticing, but when you're starting out you'll have to be somewhat intentional.) As you walk, they clink and move, so if you try to go dancing you will have to work much harder to keep them in than you would standing still. There are many combinations in terms of weight, because you can use one or two balls at a time and there are four in total. You can try "elevator" exercises where you imagine moving the beads up and down in the vaginal canal.

These things do make noise, which is why I (stupidly) decided to leave them at home. It's a little like change clinking in a coin purse, so it's not too noticeable if you're not moving around that much. Presumably they are meant to be used mostly at home, or in public places where no one's paying too much attention to small noises. I still have to experiment to see how noticeable they are in public, but I'm not too worried about the noise right now. They're still very discreet, and when you're starting out, you won't use them for long periods of time anyway - maybe 20 minutes.

A note about size: I am so, so glad I got the mini beads. They're exactly the right size to stimulate without being uncomfortable. I'm not sure how to determine sizing, but presumably if you're young and haven't undergone childbirth or other stretching, the mini beads should be perfect for you.