Review: Banana Pants Lippi

Have you heard me talk about how much I love grinding toys recently? Because I love grinding toys. While I’m loath to describe any category of sex toy as my ‘favourite’, grinding toys are definitely right up there in my top handful. While they’ve had an explosion in popularity in the past couple of years, the first one I was aware of was the Banana Pants Bumpher, and I’ve wanted to try Banana Pants’ other products ever since.

What excites me about the Lippi in particular (even compared to other Banana Pants products) is that there is so much going on, and all the things going on seem perfectly poised to make it work as a toy for me specifically. As well as the cushioning for strap-on play that the Bumpher offers, the Lippi is also designed to work more effectively as a stand-alone grinding toy and is even usable as a penetratable toy by those with bottom growth.

As a sex toy reviewer whose tastes are right at the centre of that Venn diagram… well I had to test it.

The Banana Pants Lippi

As mentioned, the Banana Pants Lippi is a grinding toy, stroker, and strap-on cushion. The very yonic design isn’t for everyone — the abstract swirls and curves of the Honeybunch, Bumpher, or Shagger aren’t present — but personally I’m into it. I’m a big fan of vulvas, what can I say? The design also strikes a really good balance of recognisably vulva-like enough that I definitely get something from the design (I’m a big fan of the clitoral hood in particular — sometimes I like just playing with it), while being abstracted enough it doesn’t feel like an actual body part.

It helps that the three colour options the Lippi comes in are very much non-representational. If you’re not into the hot pink, there’s also black and purple options. Regardless of your preferences, the Lippi is $41.99.

As a Grinding Toy

I want to talk about the Lippi as a grinding toy first, especially since that also impacts its use as a dildo base.

The first thing I noticed about the Lippi was the silicone. It’s a lot thicker than the Bumpher, but also a lot more plush and soft. This is a really excellent balance — if it was the same firmness as the Bumpher’s silicone, I think the toy could get a little uncomfortable, but much more soft and I think I’d have struggled to get off from the texture. There’s just the right amount of resistance, and I definitely prefer it in this ‘thicker but softer’ form than that of the Bumpher.

The bullet cavity can sometimes be a little problematic — it’s hollow and if I’m grinding down hard, I can sometimes deform it. It doesn’t collapse though, and generally holds its shape even if resistance is a little compromise. Even that is pretty easily fixable — inserting a bullet vibrator into the cavity (even if I’m not using it) helps to stop this, and there’s still enough cushioning in the Lippi that I don’t feel any added resistance or any discomfort from the hard plastic.

While the Lippi does have the same general structure I like in grinding toys — a raised central part — it’s a lot less dramatic than on some other toys I have. The central raised part of the Lippi is also the pliable and movable lips, and I can find that if I grind down on at the same angle I would something like the Alia, I tend to just end up using the Lippi penetratively. This is easily fixable though, by using it at a more diagonal angle, with my body moving from the ‘point’ of the heart shape to one of the more rounded corners. As a bonus, this changed angle means I feel the labia of the Lippi move, but it only adds sensation rather than reducing resistance. It’s not something I had thought of before, but that really adds to the Lippi feeling more like the sensations I enjoy in real scissoring than most other grinding toys I have!

The one criticism I have about the Lippi as a grinding toy is I did not get much out of the vibrator hole personally. But this is a personal thing that I was aware of going in — I prefer my vibrations pinpoint, and the broader vibrations were unlikely to be able to get me off. That’s not to say I had no fun from it though — the vibrations gave fun added stimulation even if they weren’t really a huge factor in if I orgasmed or not.

As a Strap-On Base

Unlike the Bumpher, the Lippi doesn’t stretch to fit around the base of a dildo. Instead, it has a flat back and its silicone is a bit tackier here, allowing it to adhere to dildo bases. I have found this works better on flat-based toys that don’t have suction cups, but while I wouldn’t always trust it to stay in place on its own, my harness does a good enough job keeping it in place that I don’t worry about slippage.

Because I don’t have the ability to go at that slight diagonal angle with grinding when I’m using the Lippi as a strap-on base, it does have that problem of not quite enough stimulation to get off. It’s definitely still a nice sensation, and when my clit does slip into the Lippi’s slit I’m not mad about it, but it’s not as easy to get stimulation from as the Bumpher.

That said, I have found some ways to adjust positioning so that the Lippi works a little better. The first is to place it at a slight angle onto a dildo base, rather than just with the bullet hole at the top. I also place it slightly lower on my pubic bone, so that my clit is in contact with the clitoral hood on the Lippi. It still is a bit harder to get off than some other dildo bases, but it’s very workable.

While it’s a little harder to orgasm with the Lippi, it does provide significantly more cushioning than any other dildo base I’ve experience. No matter how hard I’ve been thrusting, my mons has been protected by the Lippi. This has already made it my go-to choice for harder fucks, especially ones where I’m not super bothered about getting off as a top.

As a Penetrable Toy

The Lippi is pretty different from most of the toys I have that are designed for people with bottom growth to be penetrate. Instead of a longer shape that’s more akin to sleeves designed for cis men, it’s a lot shallower and flatter. While I can get most of my clitoris into it, there’s not quite enough room for me to get all the way to the base. Additionally, while there’s definitely some tightness, there’s not the same suction I get with other sleeve toys like the Peenpocket.

However, a different sensation doesn’t mean a bad sensation! The most sensitive spot on my clit is right underneath the head, so even though the Lippi is quite shallow, it’s able to stimulate the parts of my anatomy it needs to.

As well as changes to sensation, I also end up using the Lippi differently to my sleeves. With them, I tend to stroke up and down my clit. However, the shallow channel of the Lippi means that — while this is possible — it’s more limited in movement. Instead, I’ve been enjoying combining the penetration with grinding, which isn’t something I can do with my more sleeve-shaped toys.

Overall

I’m really impressed by the Lippi! When toys have a lot going on, I usually find they compromise how good one or more features is, but I didn’t find this to be the case with the Lippi. If I were searching for one weakness, it’d be that the Lippi is less pronounced than some other grinding toys, so may not work well for people who find it difficult to orgasm. I also recognise that while using the penetrable channel in combination with grinding is a solid ‘yes!’ from me, others may prefer to have a more traditional stroking motion from their toys.

However, I’m a big fan of the Lippi. It does have some quirks, but I’ve found those to be pretty easy to adapt to, and more than easily forgiven given the Lippi’s wonderful squishy silicone. If you’re only looking for a toy that has one of its features (like being a strap-on base, being a grindable, or being a sleeve) I’d recommend looking at more specialised products in case something else catches your fancy, but the Lippi is still a really solid choice. And if you’re — like me — at the intersection of those interests, I’d highly recommend the Lippi!

Buy the Banana Pants Lippi from SheVibe from $41.99