When you’re looking for something that isn’t as intense on your genitals as Shunga’s Fire and Ice products, Secret Garden is a nice middle.

Secret Garden is designed to enhance clitoral sensitivity. The effects will vary depending on the person. For some, Secret Garden will be warming and for others like myself, it will produce cooling sensations. I guess that makes a fun surprise, not knowing which you will receive. Whichever sensation Secret Garden gives you, it’s more than likely not going to be intense.

For someone who has recently experienced the fire and ice products, Secret Garden’s subtle cooling sensations are a nice change.

Other than the cooling or warming sensations, Secret Garden also enhances sensitivity to the clitoris and it does so well. I waited to try this until I was having one of those days where anything sex was the last thing on my mind. I wanted to do this so I could see just how well this works. Of course I did have one of those days (or a few!) and I snatched up the Secret Garden bottle and applied a dime size amount. A dime size because I knew it would take a lot to turn me on on that particular day.

I was reading over some paperwork while applying Secret Garden so I wasn’t thinking much about it until I twitched a little. Within only seconds my clitoris was really sensitive. Just light brushes of my finger was becoming too much, making me flinch every so often. Keep in mind; I am pretty sensitive there too so this may not cut it for those clitorises that don’t want to cooperate.

INGREDIENTS:
Water, Glycerin, Propylene glycol, L-Arginine, L-Ornithine, H.E.C., Turnera aphrodisiaca extract, Methyl paraben, Propyl paraben, Mentha piperita, Tocopherol.

Mentha Piperita is peppermint and that’s what gives this the cooling effect, but it isn’t intense. It’s sometimes used to help mouth sores, digestion, nausea.

This does contain glycerine and parabens so if you happen to be sensitive to these or prone to yeast infections or UTI’s you may want to use with caution or not at all. However, if you’re not extremely sensitive to glycerin, using a small amount to the clitoris only and washing afterwards will keep this from straying from the clitoris.

This is water based and safe to use with toys!

This is a water based lubricant that feels much like a gel, a sticky one. It is runny and the way the bottle is made, creates a real problem. I'll explain in the package section.

The gel like consistency will keep a pea sized amount from instantly dripping from your fingers, but it is runny. The consistency is closer to a hair gel than anything else I can think of. It is easy to apply, but when I squeeze some from the bottle, it’s stringy. Some will string from my fingers to the bottle.

It’s clear in color and has a minty taste and smell. It stays in place well though. Using my regular dime sized amounts, It stays just where I apply it, to my clitoris and won’t end up near the entrance or all over the labia unless applied there and that too can be somewhat arousing.

Secret Garden has a minty taste and smell however it is not edible so I wouldn't recommend using this for oral sex unless it has been wiped or cleaned off first. When I've only used a small amount and it's had time to absorb, the taste isn't very noticeable to my partner. It tastes like mint, but is not sweet like a candy peppermint.

As someone who’s very funny about any product leaving a residue that I can feel, this does require a wet washcloth when large amounts are used. Using only a dime sized amount, no immediate washing is necessary. The funny feeling it leaves behind on my fingers is something that bothers the heck out of me. I have to rinse them immediately. It doesn’t leave my hands or genitals greasy or sticky, but it makes my hands have this awful dry, yucky residue. However, unless you’re like me and irritated by this kind of thing, it probably won’t be noticeable to you.

Secret Garden performs pretty well for me and does little for my partner (male). He can feel slight cooling, but nothing more. When I apply the Secret Garden gel, with only seconds of little circular motions, my clitoris is very sensitive. This will not make things more sensitive for most men though.

Secret Gardent would be a nice product to add a little extra sensitivity for some women. However, I think it's important to note that this will probably not break your clit o' steel. For a fairly sensitive clitoris that just needs a little extra swelling to bring you there, this will give you that, but nothing more.

Since the cooling sensations of Secret Garden are so subtle, this works best when continuous stimulation to the clitoris is happening. Simply applying and waiting will not do very much.

Since Horney Honey is my absolute favorite clitoral cream, I have to compare this to that. Unfortunately, it falls short compared to Horney Honey. Anytime I use Horney Honey, my clitoris swells almost instantly and feels similar to a long session of serious teasing to my lady bits. This in turn means, using a vibrator or even oral, the O is just right around the corner. Horney Honey always gets me hot and fired up, but Secret Garden just makes my clitoris more sensitive. That's not to say it's bad or doesn't work, it does, but it doesn't arouse me as much as Horney Honey. In fact, after using the Secret Garden, I can go back to working without feeling much of a need for sex.

Secret Garden's cooling sensations don't last long. When Secret Garden is freshly applied (applying more when it's absorbed) and massaged in for a few seconds, I'm still able to feel the cooling and slight swelling for about 20 minutes. If we continue foreplay or using a vibrator, I orgasm quicker, but usually need to reapply 2-3 more times in the beginning to keep the sensitivity. I do really enjoy the subtle cooling instead of extreme cooling or warming. I also love that it does increase sensitivity so quickly. It's like taking the first 20 minutes of foreplay out and automatically being in that place where things are starting to feel good, but not so much that an orgasm could happen without more work. I hope this makes sense.

When applied to other parts of the body such as nipples, back or arms, I cannot feel any cooling going on. However, it does make my clitoris extra sensitive to any touch. Like I said, while massaging it onto the clit by finger, I have to do so with little pressure applied because it does increase my sensitivity and it does so in seconds!

On my clitoris, it absorbs nicely and quickly. With massaging, it will dry in less than 8 minutes.

Secret Garden gel comes in a lovely, artistic box. It has a picture of a face on the front and in the corner says "Shunga Erotic Art". The back of the box says:
" Gently apply with your fingertips to your secret garden and discover new sensations that take you to the limits of female orgasm... Use it for your own pleasure or to reach new heights with your partner."

Laying inside the box is Secret Garden with a little info paper. The paper simply states that either warm or cool sensation may be felt and it all depends on the person. It also says to keep using more if you're not able to feel the sensitivity and use less if it becomes too much.

The packaging is nice. for me, I'm just happy that it's tasteful and not trashy nude people. Since the instructions on the back refer to your cooter as your "secret garden" this would make a wonderful gift! I don't mind letting this hang out in my open basket of Shunga products.

As for travel, the little box's top just slides off and on making it decent for hiding away in a bag or purse, but since the bottle could possibly leak, I'd place it in a bag.

Now about the bottle this comes in.. for some reason several Shunga products come in this type of container where it stands up on the lid. The lid screws on and off and every time I opened this it would shoot out and not stopping until I crammed the lid back on. This wastes a lot of product and since I already have to use a lot during play, it leaves me with little product. However, after the bottle is almost half empty, it will stop shooting out.

Shunga's Secret Garden gel has subtle cooling sensations and while the leaflet included says some may experience warming sensations, I doubt that will happen with most people since I'm unable to find any ingredient that would cause warming. That is unless the peppermint causes a warming sensation rather than cooling for you. I prefer cooling for clitoral gels so it works out well for me and it does increase sensitivity, but won't bring you far unless you are stimulating the clitoris in some way. I am impressed though at the subtle, but nice cooling and the increased sensitivity in my clitoris means less work, but this doesn't do as much as Horney Honey, if you've used it before.

While I really enjoy the Secret Garden gel, the price is very high considering so very much product needs to be used in order to really get the sensitivity effects and make them last. With that and the leakage problems, I can't say I'll pay the price for this product again. I do often reach for my Horney Honey cream, but I like this one as well. This is the next best thing so far. Still, Horney Honey is cheaper and lasts much longer. Secret Garden increases my sensitivity as does Horney Honey, but Secret Garden stops at the subtle cooling and sensitivity. Constant application is necessary for me to benefit and it's not worth it unless I'm using this for back up. It is still a great product and while it probably won't melt a clitoris that's unresponsive, it does add something extra to foreplay.

As for my partner, he is unable to feel anything while using the gel.