Is the Chic Tulip Vibrator in Bloom?
The CalExotics Chic Tulip Vibrator sells itself as a dual-motor combination that delivers both vibrations as well as a massage. Unfortunately, it doesn’t do a very good job at delivering either. It provides an interesting “flicking” sensation that feels good if you imagine it in an isolated context, but the greater buzziness of the vibrator as a whole makes it difficult to enjoy the flicking motion that makes the Chic Tulip unique.
Design:
Part of why I was interested in testing the Chic Tulip is because the shape of it is so similar to the Dame Kip, a bullet vibrator that has been on my wishlist for quite some time. While I can’t speak as to how the Kip actually feels, I can say that the Chic Tulip does NOT function as a standard bullet vibrator. While I initially thought that CalExotics might be trying to copy the Dame Kip with the Chic Tulip, I now see that they’re using the shape of the Kip, but the mechanics of another sex toy—the Lora DiCarlo Filare.
The Chic Tulip has a nub in the center of its triangular-ish face that stands out from the otherwise flat surface. When touching the surface of the Chic Tulip, you will actually notice that the silicone “skin” around this nub has nothing underneath it. It’s like the center nub is a tent pole and the rest of the silicone is just draped around it. When the Chic Tulip is turned on, the nub starts to move back and forth in an up-to-down motion, clearly with the intent of imitating a tongue or perhaps a finger. I’m going to say tongue because it moves in more of a licking up-and-down motion, ice cream cone licking style.
On the surface, this sounds like it could be pretty interesting. Unfortunately, there are several problems with the design of the Chic Tulip. I can tell that the shape of the face means the Chic Tulip was designed to “cup” against the vulva, and encase the area surrounding the clitoris while the nub “licked” at the tip of the clitoris. However, what actually winds up happening is that it becomes difficult to bring the nub in contact with the clitoris at all. To remedy this, you have to bring the toy closer to the clitoris (or nipple, or other body part you’re seeking to stimulate), which leads us to our next problem.
Performance of the Chic Tulip:
The vibration quality of the Chic Tulip is just…not good. It’s very aggressively buzzy, which means that it’s really difficult to differentiate between the numbing buzzy vibrations and the rolling ball sensation of the nub that’s supposed to be the main novelty of the toy. This toy also plays poorly with the realities of the human body. When I try and press the Chic Tulip harder against squishy skin, like into my nipple/breast or into the meaty part of my forearm, the nub gets drowned out almost completely. When I tried pressing the Chic Tulip into a bonier part of my hand, where my palm connects to my wrist, I could finally feel the firm, intense massaging motion that the nub is SUPPOSED to deliver.
I wouldn’t describe my clitoral region as particularly soft nor particularly bony. When I pressed the Chic Tulip firmly against my clit, I was able to feel the massaging motion of the nub pretty well. However, while the nub felt good, I couldn’t stand how irritatingly buzzy the vibration of this toy was. If I wanted to experience the feeling of the nub flicking against my clit, I was cursed to suffer my labia being rattled by what felt like a pissed off bumblebee. Even though the CalExotics Chic Tulip has two motors, it has no way to control the motors independently, meaning it’s impossible to take the flicking feeling and leave the buzzy vibrations.
Controls:
The Chic Tulip is controlled with just a single button, and has ten intensity settings total. While I could discern noticeable differences between the first five settings, after the fifth level of intensity it all started to feel the same. I had to count to ten while clicking to even successfully discern between the different settings. The only thing that really changed was the noise—my god, the noise. Listening to this thing go is offensive. It’s SO fucking loud, and sounds like a power tool. If you need a subtle sex toy, this is NOT it.
Final Thoughts on the Chic Tulip:
When I was able to focus on the massaging back-and-forth motion of the nub, I honestly thought it was pretty good. I can definitely see the direction where this sex toy wanted to go, and it’s a shame that it didn’t quite get there. It’s possible that this is just a very anatomy-sensitive toy, but at least for me, I can’t tolerate the buzzy vibrations and the loud noise even with the “pretty good” feeling of the nub waiting for me on the other side.
Overall, I do think the concept of the Chic Tulip is interesting and I see this general design choice for a sex toy having a lot of potential for the future. Still…if I want to feel a nub move back and forth, I think I’ll stick to my fingers for the time being.
If you’re interested in trying the CalExotics Chic Tulip for yourself, you can pick one up here at Naughty North. Thanks to Naughty North for letting me try out this item!
Disclaimer: I received this item for free in exchange for an honest review. Affiliate links have been used in this post.
