Product review: UberKinky Wax Play Candle Pack

Wax play is incredibly fun as a stand-alone kink, it has its own unique mix of sensation and emotion, but it is also one of those forms of play which I have found works brilliantly as an addition to others.

I have found it a beautiful accompaniment to Shibari and Kinbaku (strategically placing candles in the rope which then paint the model with wax while in bondage can invoke some of the most visual of BDSM art as well as produce some of the most intense play scenarios). Even impact play after a little wax play, where you are literally flogging, caning or spanking the wax off the body makes for an incredibly different scenario and plethora of sensations.

When Uberkinky offered me a pack of their specially designed wax play candles to review, I greedily grabbed the pack and started to drool at the thought of where I could add them for best effect (both ‘scenario’ and ‘body cavity’).

One of the things I noticed more than anything else with the UberKinky Wax Play Candle Pack is the quality of the wax itself, they are paraffin based which means they have a tendency to melt a little quicker and feel a little waxier, but more importantly; they produce a wax that is completely devoid of the soot which tends to accumulate with normal candles when you invert them (which, while being a positive attribute for any play, in my opinion, makes them especially good for rope performance on stage where time and appearance are very important factors).

I have also noticed that there is very little in the way of wax evaporation. lots of drippage and body coverage while using only a fraction of the candle and the wax burns at a slightly lower temperature, meaning you can add a larger range of sensation without feeling as though you are about to unpleasantly burn off a layer of sensitive skin.

The only downside that I can think of is the fact that they are colour dipped instead of a solid colour. The center of the candle is a white wax that takes on the colour of the candles dipped shell as it melts, which, while adding colour to the dripping wax, means that the dripped wax on the body is not as vibrant a colour as the candle itself. It is only a small downside, but a downside nonetheless. I still think the positive value of these candles far outweigh that single noteworthy negative.

As an added bonus for people who are new to this form of play, Uberkinky has written up the Beginner’s Guide To Wax Play which gives tips on safety, aftercare, how to get started and much more. Worth a peek 😉

50 Vs 6.

I must confess, I cannot help but laugh at menials who tell me that they can take a punishment of 50+ strokes from a cane. I seem to get a lot of messages and emails containing this boast or one of similar proportions.

They have obviously never walked through my dungeon doors.

Why do in 50 what you can do in 6? (12 for those who like a little warm up thrashing).
In 6 strokes, should I wish, I can simply give a red lined but short lived reminder of whatever the menial is being punished for.
However, in 6 strokes, should I wish, I can draw blood, cause intense pain and leave scars that would last.
It is simply down to the quality of the tool, how it is used and how accurate the Dominant is (hitting the same spot continuously can be incredibly fun, albeit damaging).

Before I continue, I feel obligated to point out that some menials enjoy caning. In cases such as this, 50 gentle strokes is actually just play and not a punishment (or even intended as a punishment) at all. A play caning differs incredibly from a punishment caning.

But if any menial made a boast of being able to take 50 strokes as an actual punishment, I would instantly come up with 3 theories:
1. I would question the competence of the Mistress/Master who gave them the 50 punishment strokes. Because clearly they have no clue as to what they are doing (either that or they have the arm strength of a dormouse with muscular dystrophy).
2. I would question the honesty of the menial.
3. The menial making the boast is lacking any form of flesh on his/her backside.

If a Mistress asks: “How many strokes of the cane do you think you can take?”
The correct answer is: “As many as you think I should/can receive, Mistress”

Boasting is not attractive in a menial and, in most cases, will result in nothing more than the Domme/Dom testing the boast (which can have nasty results).
Honesty is mandatory.
Leave the ego to those of a higher station.

Just to finish this post: a photo of how a punishment caning should look like.
I know the photo is grainy as it was taken on my iPhone as an afterthought and in low light.
6 light, warm up strokes and 6 medium punishment strokes. As you can see, progressively heavier as you go down the backside. This was a gentle-mediocre punishment session, the worst hit being of the average strength that I use in a standard punishment.

All images are Copyright © 2012 AemiliaHawk. All Rights Reserved.

These are a few of my favourite things.

“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,
Dum dum de dum dum and something with mittens,
La da de da da with string,
These are a few of my favourite things.”

Who could forget that amazingly memorable song from the movie ‘The sound of music’ sung by Julie Andrews.

Recently, I have been receiving requests to list a few of my favourite things here on my blog. Food, drink, activities etc. Naturally, it is in my best interest to acquiesce such requests. Especially seeing as such things are difficult to add to my Amazon wishlist.

So, without further ado:

Favourite foods:
• Filetto Rossini (steak, bloody)
• Any kind of slightly charred flesh (bloody, still moving is a bonus)
• Sushi (the closest I can get to being vegetarian. Although, I do consider poultry, fish and most small mammals as “almost vegetables”)

Favourite desserts:
• Panna Cotta (Italian cream)
• Belgian Waffles (chocolate, clotted cream, ice cream)
• Chocolate Fudge Cake

Favourite alcoholic drinks:
• Absinthe (Swiss or Romanian)
• Tia Maria
• Disaronno
• Faustino 1 (red rioja wine)

Favourite nonalcoholic drinks:
• Pussy (not a joke, an actual drink)
• Tea (milk, no sugar)

Favourite cigarettes:
• Djarum Special
• Djarum Black

Favourite sweets:
• Thorntons Chocolate (milky/creamy)
• Lindlt Chocolate (double cream)

Favourite flowers:
• Black rose
• White rose
• Jasmine

Favourite fetishes/BDSM activities:
• Bullwhips/Whips/floggers
• Corporal punishment/Caning
• Spanking/Paddles
• Violet Wand play/Electrics
• Ponyplay/Petplay
• Bondage/Restraints/Shibari
• Body/Boot/Goddess Worship
• Genitalia & Nipple torture
• Emotional Sadism/Mental bondage/Mind Games
• Queening
• Humiliation
(this list is incredibly extensive, I have listed only the few I could think of off the top of my head to give an idea of what I like most)

Favourite physical activities:
• Sex
• Rollerblading
• Visually pleasing walks (as in the journey, e.g. Beach, Forest and Moorland. Not the act of walking itself, because that would just be silly)

Favourite hobbies/pass times:
• BDSM
• X-Box/Gaming (RPG’s preferable)
• Reading/Writing

Favourite music:
• Marilyn Manson
• Lordi
• Rammstein
• Ozzy Osbourne
• Slash
• Voltaire
• Garbage
• Kidney Thieves
• Chiasm
• Encoder
• Skillet
• Sub Dub Micromachine
• Rob Zombie
• Genitorturers
• Apocalyptica
• The Pretty Reckless
• Abney Park
(this list is incredibly extensive, I have listed only the few I could think of off the top of my head to give an idea of what I like most)

Favourite books/reading materials/authors:
• Good Omens by Neil Gayman & Terry Pratchett
• The sleeping beauty trilogy by Anne Rice
• Grunts by Mary Gentle
• The devil’s right hand by Lilith Saintcrow
• For a few demons more by Kim Harrison
(this list is incredibly extensive, I have listed only the few I could think of off the top of my head to give an idea of what I like most)

Favourite movies:
• Constantine
• Alien quadrilogy (all of them)
• Ginger snaps
• Fallen
• Sherlock Holmes (2009 film)
• Dogma
• Underworld
• Quills
• Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
(this list is incredibly extensive, I have listed only the few I could think of off the top of my head to give an idea of what I like most)

Preventing “bounce”

After a very vanilla yet relaxing festive holiday, I find myself back in the dungeon doing the activities I know so well and enjoy so much.
One of my first activities of this new year was a decent dishing-out of corporal punishment (Caning).
Which in turn, of course, prompted thoughts on writing this first blog post of the new year.
In this post I am going to explain a few techniques that I have picked up over my years of activity.

Mistress Aemilia Hawk’s corporal punishment techniques – The 4 golden rules:

1. Preventing “bounce”: I often get aspiring Domme visiting me in my dungeon for lessons in giving corporal punishment, whip use, electronics and numerous other BDSM activities. I tend to abuse the use of the house slave here at my dungeon to practice on as he is well versed in receiving all kinds of punishment to his backside. On every occasion, the first few strikes bounce harmlessly off of the rumps fatty tissue, without any real impact and without the menial really feeling anything at all. This is because they tend to hit with the centre to three quarters the length of the cane instead of using the tip. Any decent cane is flexible and the overlap simply bends and springs the cane harmlessly away. When striking, the cane should be at arms length and the far tip of the cane should not be past the far buttock cheek. When the strike hits, the cane should bend in the space between you and the menial, the tip staying in position over the far side and width of the buttocks, and the handle staying in position within your grasp. When done correctly, there should be no bounce and a nice arch of the menials back as the pain is felt. A scream or yell from the menial is a good sign you have achieved a perfect stroke.
2. Aim for the sweet spot: in the case of corporal punishment, the sweet spot is located just above the crease/fold of skin which separates the rump from the hamstring or upper leg. A decent aim comes with plenty of practice. Always aim for this spot repeatedly. As your aim gets better you should be able to do increments of 6 strokes, all hitting roughly the same spot, which is essentially the desired effect. Each strike should be increasingly painful, hitting the same spot assures this and means you can keep your strokes steady, without straining your arm or needing to apply more pressure with each stroke.
3. Hold fast: When each strike lands, hold it there for a couple of seconds and keep the pressure steady before removing cane from arse. This causes the impact to be felt by the menial a touch more. It allows time for the brain to register both the impact and full sensation of the activity.
4. Tools of the trade: Every Mistress or Master will have a favourite material which their cane will be created from. Bamboo seems to be common and as technology advances I have seen some made from plastics and fibreglass. My personal preference lies in a smoked dragon wooden cane. Whichever material of choice, make sure it is strong but flexible. A bend to the cane is mandatory. Metals should be avoided.

In summary: Practice makes perfect, keep both aim and pressure steady, try not to break skin (usually, the aim is to bruise) and above all, have fun.

On a further note, just now mentioned by my house slave, car ariels should also be avoided.