Smile Makers Review: Our Experiences With Their Sex Toys

*Names have been changed to maintain confidentiality

Smile Makers, the sexual wellness brand leading a global effort to normalize the perception of female sexuality, is set to relaunch its original collection of innovative vibrators, with a range of upgraded designs driven by user feedback. We got the opportunity to share with you our experience with their reinvented range.

If you’re new to the experience:

Tay, 24

I’ve had little to no experience with sex toys as they’ve always intimidated me. Their large sizes and odd shapes never felt welcoming enough for me to give it a try. I have to be honest, I’m quite a masturbation novice. Even though I’m in my 20s, I’ve never properly attempted exploring my body. Unfortunately, I have never experienced an orgasm in my life. I wanted that to change. Out of the whole collection of Smile Makers pleasure toys that I had, I grabbed the one that looked the most straightforward and idiot-proof, The Billionaire. I thought I would make the experience a little more interesting. I decided to try out a sex toy for the first time in my life with a trusted partner instead of doing it alone.

Firstly, I have to say that the pastel purple hue and simple design made me less nervous. I guess aesthetics do add to the experience! Being completely candid, one of my biggest fears was that the toy would not be able to fit into my vagina (I now realise this is completely ridiculous). Even though I was naturally lubricated at this point, I wanted the experience to be as comfortable as it could be. I added extra lube to the toy and I do thoroughly recommend this! I instructed my partner to go as slow as possible so I could ease into it. I started off without the pulsation mode and inserted the toy in. In the beginning, the toy seemed a little stiff and artificial (probably because of my nerves) but as it continued moving in and out, I was shocked at how the toy felt like an actual penis! However, as my partner pushed the toy deeper inside, it did start to get uncomfortable and a little painful and I much preferred the shallow insertion just at the head of The Billionaire, nothing further. 

Once I got comfortable with the toy, I allowed my partner to turn on the pulsation mode. I’ll be honest, I did not get much sensation from the pulsation mode when it came to vaginal stimulation so I decided to move on to clitoral stimulation. It did feel a lot better on the clitoris and I enjoyed the sensation. Unfortunately, I do come bearing bad news. I still have yet to experience an orgasm. However, I do think the nerves played a large part in it as it was my first time using a toy and I wasn’t in the best state of mind to completely enjoy the experience. 

Learning from this, I definitely want to try out The Billionaire again (by myself this time!) with a more relaxed mindset. I think The Billionaire is the perfect toy for beginners as it can target both vaginal and clitoral stimulation without any intricate designs. I believe with more practise comes greater pleasure!

 

If you’ve tried toys before but want to explore more:

Sara, 25

Self-pleasure has always been the arena of my good ol’ fingers. My closest encounter with sex toys was that one time my friends gave me a bright purple vibrator on my 21st birthday as a joke. Wide-eyed and mystified, I got home, shut the doors, emptied the AA batteries of my TV remote into the toy, and got to know her. Ms purple vibrator’s loud mechanical vibrations worked hard as I slid her in me, it felt odd because I was still unfamiliar with my body and I felt dirty because I associated these toys with pornography –– or what people generally regarded as sinful. With that, I shoved her into the depths of my cupboard and she never saw the light of day. While my fingers have been of great assistance in “feeling myself,” attaching an actual object to sexual pleasure has always been too much of a shameful indulgence for me because god forbid a woman have too much fun, it’s sinful! Long story short, I have done sex toys a great disservice all these years.

Enter Smile Makers, a platform that caters to anything and everything pertaining to female sexual pleasure. Its informative website has been useful in reframing my perception of sex toys to one that focuses on the importance of female pleasure. The platform’s emphasis on vulva gratification as a part of sex education truly shifts this fetishised, male-gazed centred idea of sex toys into one that is healthy and pleasurable for women. These toys have the ability to bring us a greater understanding of our bodies, better sex, and can in fact be empowering. Nobody asked –– but this is my unapologetic, shameless review of some of Smile Maker’s sex toys:

Note: Although the thought of receiving the toys via mail was a little unsettling, it helped that they came in a plain-looking box that could’ve easily been mistaken for a Shopee package phew.

The Billionaire looks like the classic vibrator but it is smaller and thankfully, vibrates silently (in fact all the products reviewed here are silent –– yay for discretion!). Its smooth surface is enough to turn me on, add to that the fact that it is waterproof yum. I like the fact that the package includes a little guide that points me to the ‘treasure spots’ that the toy works best. After placing it around different parts of my clitoris, it was most pleasurable to slowly rub it against my clitoral glans. I did not have a full orgasm but it was enough to leave me with all sorts of sensations –– which made sense considering “The Billionaire.”

The French Lover is a vibrator with a tip that functions like a tongue –– at first glance, it is an intriguing flappy specimen. Interestingly, my partner found more stimulation with this French Lover than I did. I was not as aroused by the tongue aspect, perhaps I need some lubricant along with this for the full sensual experience. My partner enjoyed its stimulation of fellatio and the breadth it allows for playfulness with the nipples and other erroneous zones. This toy allowed both my partner and me to discover more about our pleasure preferences. 

The Tennis Pro really lives up to its name. Its ergonomic shape allows it to comfortably slide deep inside the vagina. What stood out to me is the refreshing pulsating sensation it gives off. It felt like a thousand tennis balls bouncing off my vaginal wall –– and it was sublime. Though the irrational fear that it was going to break something in there made the toy a little daunting at first, lessening the intensity of its pulsations did the trick.

The Firefighter has got to be my favourite of the bulk. It is aptly shaped like a flame with a soft pointed tip that functions as a drill. I found softly pressing it against the clitorial nub a deeply sensual experience, my partner was riled up just watching me use it because it was clearly doing its magic. I’d say this provided an excellent crescendo to an eventual orgasm. 

It’s interesting how these toys allowed me to navigate my body in such intimate ways, I genuinely learnt new things about my sensuality. This experience has shown me that the path to self-pleasure is one of trial and error, and this should be an enjoyable process. Building a safe and comfortable space is also important –– it really helped that Smile Maker’s toys were easy to use and noise-free. Finally, I found that the most satisfying self-pleasuring experience comes with taking your time with the toy to find out what your body responds best to. 

 

If you’re on your period:

A, 25

I’ve had some experience with Smile Makers, in particular, I am the proud owner of the Tennis Coach (the Tennis Pro before their relaunch). I remember my first experience stumbling across this brand in a Watson’s store and goggling at the different toys on display. Yep, the toys were placed and displayed outside of the boxes (prior to COVID-19) so customers had the opportunity to touch and feel them (without batteries). Being the consummate shopper, I Googled reviews for the sex toy and compared several before settling for the pastel yellow Tennis Coach. In my mind, I figured that I wanted to try something new other than the traditional bullet vibrator so the idea that I could concentrate on the internal G-spot felt incredibly appealing. So I bought the Tennis Coach in the Watsons store, while avoiding eye contact with the cashier and buried it in my bag until I got into the safe confines of my room.

My first few forays with the Tennis Coach were a bit tricky as it took a while to get used to how it felt. But once you figured out how to fine-tune your vibrator with your body, the Tennis Coach feels like it could become your personal masseur. The vibrations can be a little tricky to get used to, and the intensity of the pulsations did startle me in the beginning but I enjoy the different pulsations. I highly recommend for first-timers cycle through the different pulsations and attempt to edge towards an orgasm. However, I would preface first-timers of vibrators and sex toys not to overthink or “rate” your masturbatory sessions. Singaporeans highly favour grading systems and ratings, but you should avoid lapsing into thinking that orgasms are the main goal. So I urge you not to rate your session as “10/10 I came today” or “1/10 I didn’t come”. It is more important to explore and get comfortable with how your body reacts to stimulation and what makes it tick rather than rating if you managed to orgasm. If you had fun with your vibrators and managed to relieve your stress, then that’s great! 

Going back to the sex toys, I was curious how Smile Makers upgraded their new lineup. So when I received them, I was excited to see the differences and also to try out some of the others. 

If you purchased their previous lineup, there are several differences. The older vibrators use the smaller AAA batteries while the newer ones utilise the AA batteries. Thus, the new vibrators have much more intense and stronger pulsations and vibrations. Additionally, the newer toys are slightly larger. So, if you prefer stronger vibrations with larger toy sizes, you might want to upgrade your vibrators. That being said, I also highly recommend opting for buying the other toys if you do not already own them. 

Alas, when I received the toys, I was in the middle of my period cycle but I still had my needs to satiate. Plus, according to the experts, masturbating while on period has some benefits, like a decrease in menstrual cramps so I was definitely down. However, I didn’t feel like using the internal vibrators because the period blood would have leaked too much. So I opted to use the bright red Firefighter to stimulate my clitoris. I used a towel over the bed for easier cleanup and preferred to use the stiff tip around the hood. 

Honestly, using an external vibrator was a great idea to explore if you are feeling horny while on your period. I enjoyed using the Firefighter over the Tennis Pro because I could achieve more pinpoint precision. Just remember to use soap to clean up afterwards for good hygiene practices! 

You can find Smile Makers in Watsons, Guardian, and Cotton On.

A tip for you: The French Lover and The Firefighter are only for external use!

 

About Smile Makers

Smile Makers is on a mission to normalize the perception of female sexuality by reframing it as part of women’s overall wellbeing. As a brand, they are determined to break taboos around female sexuality and foster a global, pleasure-positive and light-hearted conversation about sex.

• pleasure
• sex toys
• sexual wellness