Newsletter No. 34: FALL 2006

Fashionably Lewd

No matter how much we love what we do, all of us at Come As You Are, at one time or another, get down about the sex toy industry. After all, among the general public the industry tends to be known more for toxic smelling rubber phalluses and embarrassing blow up dolls than for our high ideals and sex-positive outreach.    
This is partly because of the relatively low bar that most (but not all) sex toy manufacturers hold themselves and their products to. Sadly, words like aesthetics, design, and quality rarely pass through the lips of sex toy manufacturers. Most sex toys are built to break down, and have about as much in common with well designed electronics as we do with corporate executives at Wal-Mart.   
That said, we at Come As You Are are a hard bunch to please, and we are constantly on the look out for people who are raising the sex toy bar. Over the years Come As You Are has been the first company to bring Canadians new technological and design breakthroughs, and we're excited to tell you about two new product lines, representing the most technologically advanced and highest design sex toys available on the planet:  
The first, designed by a woman and an award-winning UK product designer, Je Joue ($350 CDN) is the world's cleverest vibrator, combining microchip technology with intelligent design. Je Joue is the first vibrator that pays attention to how you use it, records the moves you like, and plays them back for you. Pleasurewave technology integrates a teledildonic experience, allowing users to download infinite vibration moves and patterns from the web, and upload their own to share with friends, lovers, and strangers.  
The second, created by a designer who has worked with Nike, Motorola, and Herman Miller, is the 24-karat Little Gold vibrator ($325 CDN), a sensual object that is as pleasing to the eye as it is to the rest of the body. Able to run for 16 hours on a single battery and boasting a water resistance to the depth of 10 times the average bathtub, this pleasure object looks more like a Cuban cigar than a sex toy.  
Both toy lines have been garnering a tremendous response in our store (we sold out of Je Joue in the first two weeks!), and on our website at www.comeasyouare.com. Whether or not you've got the budget for these high end charms, we highly recommend you come into our store or browse our website for a peek to see where we hope the future of sex toys is heading.

NEWS

Come As You Are 24/7
Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night wondering how to find your g-spot?  Or do you lose sleep worrying that you used the wrong lube with your new silicone toy?  Now you don’t have to wait until morning to find out! Our website crew is always striving to bring the best of Come As You Are’s in-store experience to all of the folks who know us best from comeasyouare.com. We’ve updated our entire sexual health information center online so you can find your g-spot, learn how to enjoy anal play and how to care for your sex toys in a single evening with only a few clicks! While you’re there, be sure to check out our sex & disability information and our new seniors’ sexual health resources.

We Don’t Need No Education
We also know that there are some of you who’d rather skip the sex ed and go straight to the sex. While we at Come As You Are think there’s nothing sexier than sexual education, for those of you who want to get straight-to-the-sex, we’ve added a ton of new info on how to choose porn, erotica, vibrators and more!  We’ll get you right to the sexy stuff you want, right away!  We’ve even added a new interactive vibe finder – just answer a few questions and it will tell you which vibrators are right for you!  We can promise that it will be fun (or lead to fun) but we can’t guarantee you won’t learn something.

Does CAYA’s website crew ever sleep?
Barely. We know many of you have tried out our new Wishlist and Gift Registry over the past few months, and thanks to all of your feedback, we’re ready to rollout the next round of improvements.  Starting in September, folks who buy something for you from your Wishlist will be able to ship the gift directly to you and will even have the option of adding gift wrap, a card and a personal message. We are also very aware of how important your privacy is, and we’ve set up our system to maintain your privacy at all times – this means that you can let anyone browse your Wishlist and even purchase items for you, but they’ll never have access to your real name or any of your personal information.  

Be sure to look for our new product pages with customer and staff reviews, more detailed information than ever and larger pictures so you can get a closer look at the items that interest you. If you’re one of our many porn connoisseurs, you’ve probably already noticed our new DVD categories and cross-referenced details about all of the titles we carry.  You can now search our website directory by title, topic, director, cast members, and even production year!  

TOYS

You may have noticed that we spent the introduction of our newsletter triumphing new sex toy innovations from the US, England and around the world.  And as much as we love and respect these over-the-border and across-the-ocean sex toy creators, we thought we’d use this section to pay tribute to great new toys and gear from some of our favourite local sex toy innovators, artists, manufacturers and revolutionaries.

These super-sexy restraints are from our literally around-the-corner friends at Aslan Leather.  Made from the same soft and sumptuous leather as the Jaguar Harness, the Jaguar Wrist and Ankle Restraints are available in three hot colours: red/black, white/black and black/black.  Featuring Aslan’s standard locking buckles and nickel-plated hardware, these restraints are solid enough for the bondage enthusiast and sexy enough for the fashion-conscious alike. Wrist $68, Ankle $76

Meet Joe Rock, the newest silicone butt-plug from the happiest valley in all of Canada!  Located just west of Peterborough, Ontario, the fine folks from Happy Valley can always be counted on for high-quality, well-designed silicone toys, stories about their mischievous goats and the farm fresh eggs that accompany the orders they drop of at Come As You Are themselves. $33

From the folks at Handmade Rope, comes… you guessed it - handmade rope!  Strong and versatile, this hemp rope comes in red, black and purple and is dyed and conditioned so the colour won’t bleed and you won’t need to condition the rope any further before use.  These kits come with one 25” length of rope and two 15” lengths of rope. $90

We first fell in love with these boys when they held their Hyper-Sexual Behaviour art show in our store in May. We’re lucky to have them grace our walls (and website!) again. If you can’t make it out to their next exciting show this September, we have a great selection of Clayboy Cards featuring super-stylish leather guys and lots of great bondage. I’m not sure if we’re more in love with the guys in the pictures or the guy who made ‘em. $5.00 

Want more great Canadian-made stuff?  Check out www.comeasyouare.com/canada for more.

BOOKS

Edited by Sage Vivant & M. Christian, Amazon: Sexy Tales of Strong Women, features a dazzling array of ferocious female characters demanding their right to a plethora of sexual choices. These interesting and quirky stories showcase a variety of female perspectives (from drag queens to body builders to soldiers) that are both erotic and empowering. For lovers of women’s erotica, this new collection is not to be missed! Medium Explicitness. $20.50

The MILF Anthology is twenty-one stories of sexy, mature women and their eager young lovers. This exciting new collection features well-written, explicit stories of lust and sex when sexual experience is combined with young male enthusiasm. From a divorced Mrs. Claus to a threesome with two young male virgins to an amusement park pick-up, these stories feature characters who know that sexuality only gets better with age and prove it on every page! $17.95

One of our favorite sex educators and bondage teachers, Midori, brings us her newest fiction offering and it was worth the wait! Master Han’s Daughter vividly describes the world of NeoToyko where cyberpunks, pharmaceutical companies, sex workers and Japanese traditions collide to create explicit erotic stories where sex is everything but simple. At times dark and tormented, these characters offer up an erotic pallet both beautiful and violent. A distopic future brimming with sexuality and new erotic possibilities! $14.95

Back Passage is a murder mystery whodunit full of deliciously explicit gay and poly sex, and complete with an English country house setting, a family of eccentrics and a young handsome detective accompanied by an equally lascivious  “Watson”-esque male companion. A hilariously well-written mystery that is just as good a read as the copious amounts of sexual entanglements. Sharp, witty, and brilliantly crafted!

For the reader looking for something new, Sex Writing 2006, offers a bold examination of sex and culture from a variety of sex writers and thinkers. From favorites such as Mark Pritchard, Tristan Taormino, and Susie Bright, this is the year’s controversies and debates examined up close and personal. A stellar collection of great writing and sex journalism for the reader looking for a little intellectual-sexual!  $19.50

DVD’s

Smoking hot is the best way to describe Crash Pad, a new indie lesbian porn with a cast of almost all real life couples. Certain people are given a key to the crash pad, which offers the chance to play out your wildest fantasies. A wide variety of sex (including great strap-on sex, dildo sucking and ejaculation) and loaded with chemistry and passion, your only left wishing you had a key to the apartment yourself. $45

Andrew Blake’s newest masterpiece, Valentina, is told through a series of flashbacks as the recovering Valentina recalls a mysterious sexual journey that has left her bandaged but with a perfectly healthy libido. Blake provides stunning visuals, works with the most beautiful actors, and leaves no element unconsidered in his pornography filmmaking.  

Not since the epic Tatiana have we been so impressed with the production powerhouse of Private. Not until now with the blockbuster hit, Millionaire 1 & 2! The story unfolds in two parts when the existence of hidden treasure stolen by the Nazis is discovered and to locate the treasure four other pieces of a map must be retrieved from the four corners of the globe. The stunning production values are matched only by the raunchy hardcore sex. Shot in five countries, both part one and two kept us on the edge of our seats…but that may have been because of something else. Two discs per title. Each title Vol. 1 or Vol. 2, $29.

Featuring some of the best female ejaculators in porn, Seymore Butts’ Female Ejaculation contains a compilation of great ejaculating scenes, including to-the-point how-to information on female ejaculation including exercises, positioning, finger techniques, and more. More porn that education, this four hour collection will definitely quench your thirst for seeing women ejaculate. $29

Give your sex life a jump start with this completely revised guide to better sex, Better Sex Series Sexplorations. Real couples and sexuality educators and therapists take you on an erotic, three-volume journey to enhanced intimacy. Learn aptitude in open communication between partners, overcome inhibitions and misconceptions, and watch explicit demonstrations of techniques to heighten sexual pleasure and increase intimacy. This set comes with an additional “sensual music” CD, and a savings of $19. $68 

WORKSHOPS

Tuesday, September 12
Tantra for Everyone
With Paul Barber
All genders welcome

Monday, September 25
Women and Trans People Only
Wednesday, September 27
Women, Trans People, and Men Accompanied by Women
Female Ejaculation
With Shannon Bell

Saturday, October 7 or
Saturday, October 14
Take It Off With Confidence
With Jade
Women and Trans People Only

Sunday, October 15 & 22
Erotic Photography 
With Christine Ablett & Leanne Gillard
All genders welcome.

Monday, November 6 & 13
The Kama Sutra
With Sudharshan Duraiyappah
All genders welcome.

Saturday, November 18
Pop His Rocket
With Ducky DooLittle
All genders welcome.

Sunday, November 19
Art of Female Orgasm
With Ducky DooLittle
All genders welcome.

Monday, November 20
Pop His Rocket
With Ducky DooLittle
All genders welcome.