A while back we tried a silicone lubricant for the first time and loved it. We weren't sure if maybe we were still missing out on something though. I mean, we had thought water based was just fine until we tried silicone, so we figured that maybe there was an even better silicone lubricant out there too. It turns out that we were right! Better Sex Essentials really is an appropriate name for this lubricant; it has become pretty essential and we're having some great sex with it!

Unlike the other silicone lubricant that we had tried (Wet Naturals Silky Supreme) BSE, as I'll refer to it throughout the rest of the review, is pretty thick. It also doesn't feel oily like the Silky Supreme one does. Silky Supreme has a consistency that is similar to baby oil, which wasn't really a bad thing and was what I thought was normal for silicone lubricants. BSE is not oily at all though, and I have to say that I think I like that better. What you do feel is simply the silicone; it feels a little plump on my hands and when I apply it to my husband. It's a really nice balance between being thick enough to give good lubrication while still feeling natural enough during sex.

One thing to remember with this stuff is that a little goes a long way, and when I say a little I mean a little. Trust me, we learned that the hard way! If you use too much it has nowhere to go. This means that if there is too much on your hand you're going to need to wipe it off somewhere. With water based lubricants I just wipe the excess on the sheets, but with silicone lubricant that leaves a mess. Even if you don't use too much you're probably going to need to wipe the excess somewhere, so you might want to keep a towel nearby! Also, when you use too much of this things stay really slick, even after sex. My coochy felt like a slip-n-slide after using this the one time! If you use it sparingly it's pretty awesome though. You really only need less than a dime sized amount for vaginal sex, at least we did. If you're normally a drier person you might find you need a little more. It's best to just start small and add to it if you need to. With only needing a small amount and the bottle being so large (8 oz), the $19.99 price tag is an absolute bargain. Sure, it's a little more expensive than some other lubricants, but you want to look at the size of the bottle. This bottle is twice the size of my other lubricants, so this lubricant is less expensive than them.

BSE doesn't have glycerin, or parabens, and it's also hypoallergenic. Most people should have no issue using this lubricant. The total ingredient list is pretty short. It contains: Cyclomethicone, Dimethiconol, and Cyclopentasiloxane. It's also latex compatible, so condoms are A-OK with this.

Of course, all good things must have some sort of a downfall right? Well, with BSE the only downfall that I can think of is that you can't use it with silicone toys, or for that matter, any toys that contain silicone. I always recommend checking the material information on any particular toy before use if ever in doubt. I will say though, during sex I've used a clit vibe made from pure silicone at the same time as we've used BSE, and we have yet to see any kind of damage to the toy. We just make sure to clean it off afterwards, and of course since we're using it only on the clitoris it's only getting residual lubricant, and it's not in constant contact with a large amount of it. Just use caution if you do choose to use this around silicone toys.

Ok, I lied, there's one more downfall to BSE, actually with all silicone lubricants. That long lasting slickness that proves so awesome during sexual activities is actually not so awesome if it gets spilled. It's hard to clean this stuff up in large quantities, so make sure that you're closing the bottle after every use. It's not that hard to clean off on the body though. I'm not much of a fan of post-sex showers; I just like to cuddle and go to sleep. I usually just wipe it all off, sometimes using a baby wipe for extra cleansing, and then go to sleep and shower any remaining lubricant off in the morning. It does require quite a bit of wiping to not have me feeling all slick, but it can be done. It actually is pretty moisturizing and leaves my sensitive skin feeling soothed.

During sex it feels as if nothing is there and we're just well lubricated, which is nice. This lubricant doesn't have any special effects, it doesn't cool, it doesn't warm, it just is. I don't notice any smell, but I can't say I've tasted it, nor am I planning to, so I can't tell you how it might taste. I'm thinking not great though; I'd recommend sticking to flavored lubricants for oral sex. It does prevent friction nicely and it's super long lasting. I've never had to reapply BSE, even if we're going at it for quite a while. It's especially nice for hand jobs too, since it doesn't dry out even if you stop for a minute! With water based lubricants I have found that if I stop for a minute or two and then go back to the hand job it's dried out and I need to reapply. Silicone lubricants stay wet though, so no issue there!