The Shy Violet is a pretty, purple little vibrator that will make a very good first-time vibrator for any girl. It is best used as a clitoral stimulator, but can also be used as a sensual massager all over your body. It has a relatively velvet-y outer surface, that makes for a comfortable glide over any moistened area. It has a flat side, as well as a ribbed side, for varied stimulation and sensations, which is definitely a beneficial characteristic for anyone choosing the Violet as their first vibrator. It fits nicely in the palm of your hand, has 3 different vibration settings (gentle, pulsing, and strong) that are all on the more "gentle" side, and can be used alone, as well as with a partner.

Keep in mind that, though this vibe is cute and little, it is LOUD. If you have a thick blanket, like a comforter, as well as thick walls, you might be OK. You certainly wouldn't want to use this not-so-Shy Violet in any sort of dorm situation, or closed quarters.

In general, Shy Violet is a handy little vibe to have around, but certainly shouldn't be your only option if you're a seasoned sex-toy owner. Shy Violet's name is accurate when it comes to stimulation, and certainly NOT shy when it comes to noise! Choose this vibe if you're strapped for cash and need a vibe to tide you over, or if you're a first timer looking to experiment with a vibe that's a little less intimidating.

The Shy Violet is made of a hard plastic that is Hypo-Allergenic and Latex free. It feels soft to the touch and reacts well to personal wetness or lubricant. The flat side of Violet is certainly more gentle than the ribbed, but the ribbed side makes for much more interesting sensation experience.

As always, I recommend cleaning your sex-toy after EVERY use, as bacteria can build up on the moistened surface. Pay special attention on Shy Violet, when cleaning, to the place where the two plastic halves meet, as vaginal wetness and lubricant can build up in the rig where the two sides meet. I would also recommend being careful not to pinch your skin in this space during use. Pinching can be arousing, but the pinch that comes from Shy Violet's hard plastic exterior is so NOT sexy.

The design of Shy Violet is a practically perfect meeting of form and function. I swear, Violet is so pretty you will almost want to display her proudly on your coffee table or desk. Shy Violet is a dark-violet (fancy that!) shade of purple. She fits perfectly in the palm of your hand, whether you're using the ribbed or smooth sides of her. The on/off button is situated in a less-than perfect position. I found that when I used the ribbed side of Shy Violet, I tended to accidentally press the on/off button which would change the setting on me unexpectedly. Variation can be fun, but when it's an unexpected accident, it messes up my "groove".

Shy Violet has a very basic option of 3 different vibration settings. The gentle setting is nice if you want to use Violet for a body massage. The gentle setting worked wonders on my nipples. The pulsing setting is good if you want to tease yourself, or if you like more variety in your vibrations. Personally, I'm not very partial to the pulsing setting, because it feels like too much of a tease. The strong vibration setting is 1 and half times the vibration you get with the gentle setting. Not the strongest you'll find, but it definitely gets the job done for such a cute little thing. My only problem that I found with the control settings was that they were set in a strange order. If you like to work yourself up from gentle to strong, Shy Violet is a little bit backwards. You have one button to use, and when you turn her on the first setting is "strong" and then "gentle" and then "pulsing", which honestly seems all out of order to me.

I wash my toys after EVERY use. I found it especially important with the Shy Violet, because her hard plastic casing was a magnet for grime. As I mentioned before, the area where the two halves of the toy meet as a little rig between them. If you're not conscientious about cleaning it, Violet will get a build up of gunk from vaginal wetness and/or lubricant in this space, as well as between the ribbing on the ribbed half.

I personally found the packaging of Shy Violet to be a little bit funny. The packaging is reminiscent of something you'd find encasing headphones at an electronics store. Hard plastic, that's hard to open, with minimal description, if any, of the product.

Personally, I found Shy Violet to be a bit disappointing. She was a battery guzzler, a little too gentle for my taste, high maintenance on cleaning, and broke [!] after about 4 months. However, as previously stated, I would recommend this as a first time toy. You have to pay your dues in crappy toys to get up to the nicer ones, I think.