An Introduction to BDSM – a beginner’s guide by Tiffany Reisz

Here is an excellent guide to BDSM (Bondage, Discipline, Sadism, Masochism) from erotic writer Tiffany Reisz. Perfect for turning up the heat in winter, and beyond.

  1. Think about why you want to try. A healthy sexual relationship should be about having fun and enjoying each other. There are many different ways to inject a touch spice into your sex life and BDSM although scary sounding can be a fun way of adding a touch of ooh lah lah as well as bonding you and your partner. In more ways than one, perhaps!

 

  1. Think first – Before you approach the topic of introducing BDSM into your sex lives, make sure you are doing it for the right reasons: to get closer and deeper into the relationship, enjoy and celebrate each other as well as to spice up your sex life.

 

  1. Talk about it – How else will you know what you want to explore? Talk about what type fantasies you may have – it’s part of the fun discussing and planning what you think you want to try out. BDSM needs a lot of communication.

 

  1. First steps – Try out some fantasies in ‘non-threatening areas’ such as during phone sex. It’s a fun way of easing into roleplay and can be done throughout the day at unexpected times.  It may help to suggest days and times when it’s best to call – the last thing you want is to have someone else answer the it!

 

  1. Light bondage is always fun, sensual and sexy. For example, my favorite scene in The Prince involves nothing more than light bondage. Søren has his lover Kingsley tied to a bed so Kingsley can’t move his hands. The only thing Søren does is touch and kiss Kingsley every where except where Kingsley wants to be touched and kissed. Orgasm denial mixed with light bondage is a delightful way to sensually torture your partner. Tease him or her until they’re begging for release and only when they’ve begged enough do you give them what they want.

 

  1. BDSM doesn’t require expensive equipment or a dungeon all your own. Household objects can be used for light pain-play. Do you own a leather belt. It’s great for light-whipping on the bottom or back of the thighs. Søren and Kingsley don’t have access to BDSM equipment when they first become lovers at school That doesn’t stop them from doing pain-play. Everything from a belt to a thin but sturdy tree branch can be used. If it was good enough for our grandparents to punish our parents with, it’s good enough for us to use during S&M play.

 

  1. Mistress Nora loves sensual BDSM. She loves mixing pain with pleasure. In The Siren, she ties a young man spread-eagle to a bed on his back, mounts him in women superior position, and drips candle wax on his chest during the sex. Pleasure + Pain = Magic.

 

 

  1. Keep communicating – BDSM is always about communication. After sex or while you are feeling especially close to your partner, it’s good to share things and let each other know how it felt, what parts you may want to do again.  It is critical to know when one of you wants to stop. Agree on a ‘stop’ word or signal – remember some areas of BDSM may mean difficulty in speaking (mouth lightly gagged, for example).

 

 

  1. Take Turns – As with everything, it is give and take. Agree to try out something new and take turns. As time goes on, you will both learn who is the ‘dominant’ and who is the ‘submissive’. Kingsley had no idea he had a submissive/masochistic side until the first time Søren held him down by his wrists on a bed. It’s something as simple as enjoying or loathing being held down that can tell you what your sexual persuasion is.

 

  1. Keep it coming As you continue to play these games, your relationship will reach levels of trust, communication, and intimacy that you’ve never experienced before so introduce it as regularly as you see fit.

 

By Tiffany Reisz who’s book ,The Prince is out now

 

 

Win a Kobo Touch eReader & Top Christmas Reads

Frost Magazine is giving away a Kobo Touch eReader just in time for Christmas. As well as winning a a Kobo we have some excellent Christmas reads for you.

To win follow Frost Magazine on Twitter and tweet, ‘I want to win a Kobo eReader with @Frostmag’ or subscribe to our newsletter.

 

“A little before twilight one Christmas Eve, Gabriel shouldered his spade, lighted his lantern, and betook himself towards the old churchyard, for he had got a grave to finish before the next morning, and feeling very low, he thought it may raise his spirits perhaps, if he went on with his work at once.”

The Story of the Goblins who Stole a Sexton by Charles Dickens

 

The smell of a crackling fire, the taste of mulled wine and the words of a scarily spooky ghost story was a much loved Victorian tradition. Why not bring this tradition up to date by enjoying a cozily creepy evening curled up with Christmas ghost stories on the new Kobo Touch.

Kobo has a range of Christmas eBooks suitable for the period lover or the most contemporary tastes, but better still create the perfect ambience by lighting the Christmas candles and switching on the Kobo Touch (£79.99),

 

Tis the season to be eReading, revive the tradition with one of these five eBooks:

 

A Christmas Carol

By: Charles Dickens

Price: £0.99p

http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/A-Christmas-Carol-Complete-Text/book-SnkmJlwCAkez51O-iEH51w/page1.html?s=JBLgmSjsRUesEeG9OmRvkQ&r=3

 

 

 

 

The Old Nurses Story

By: Elizabeth Gaskell.

Price £0.72p

http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/The-Old-Nurses-Story/book-NS9-7hMb40S_f3Ql1p328A/page1.html?s=8A43YkPhvUK42Kp1L7O2Jw&r=1

 

 

 

 

The Ghost Story Megapack: 25 Classic Tales by Masters

By: Jerome K. Jerome, Mary Elizabeth Braddon

Price: 0.95p

 

http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/The-Ghost-Story-Megapack-25/book-gQ6cIOFi7EGsqFvoCoQCnA/page1.html?s=0XOZhsYtm0-NIEX0b9FBsA&r=1

 

 

 

Collected Ghost Stories

By: David Stuart DaviesM.R. James

Price: £2.27

 

http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Collected-Ghost-Stories/book-izUIN2DR0OmBbO8NbCeWg/page1.html?s=ZIKGIPHeYEmn9QMmxEirQA&r=1

 

 

 

 

 

The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton

By: Edith Wharton

Price: £7.91

http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/The-Ghost-Stories-Edith-Wharton/book-b-R0ZZRm-0KVjF-IStgRqA/page1.html?s=LENxW5IEXEGXE0LlRuMzKA&r=10

 

 

 

Top Apple Products For Christmas

No 1: iPhone 5

The iPhone 5 is slick and beautiful. Slimmer and faster than it’s predecessor. When it came out people queued around the block, and no wonder, it has a bigger 4 inch retina screen, faster wireless and a powerful A6 chip. In fact Time Magazine named it the best gadget of the year.  It is twice as fast as the old iPhone, and twice as beautiful. It is the best smartphone on the market by a significant margin. Get it at the Carphone Warehouse.

No 2: iPad

I love my iPad. In fact, I am writing this blog post on my iPad. It is intuitive and knows what I want before I even know. Everyone I know who has gotten an iPad has no idea how they lived without it.

 

 

No 3: iPad Mini

Like an iPad but smaller and more portable. If you want to join in the iPad fun but want something a bit cheaper and smaller, this is for you.

No 4: iMac

If you need a new computer, Apple’s new iMac is just perfect technology. This is Apple’s most advanced desktop ever, and it is incredibly thin, 5mm at the edge. It is 75% less reflection than the last model. I even saw a picture of someone in Starbucks with an iMac. Funny, but it also lets you know how light it is.

No 5: iPod Nano or Touch.

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I usually have an iPod shuffle, but I lost mine (sob) and got an iPod Nano for my Christmas. While my brother has an iPod Touch. The iPod Nano also has an FM radio, a new design, and is smaller than a credit card. It also has a pedometer built in and the Bluetooth lets you connect to the headphones and the heart monitor. Sigh.

Sponsored Post

 

The Top 3 Must-Have Tech Gifts This Christmas

So, with 10 days to go until the big day, that dreaded Christmas-shopping-panic feeling has just set in; you’ve still got all the food to buy and you’re nowhere near to getting finished with the present purchasing – quite frankly, you’re in dire need of a Christmas shopping fairy to help you get it done all in time.

Part of the problem that’s stopping you from getting all of your gifts bought is the fact that you haven’t got a clue what to get everyone – your daughter has just said she wants the latest tablet, your son just wants a ‘cool’ game, and your other half has said he’s more than happy to have anything ‘techy’. And, this is where you say hello to your second problem – not knowing what to get them is one thing, but not knowing what on earth the latest technologies even are, opens up a whole new can of Christmas worms all together.

Well, if you’re struggling for inspiration this year or are in need of a little guidance on what to buy, here is our guide to the top 3 tech gifts you should buy this Christmas:

1. Kindle Fire HD 7 Inch Tablet

The Kindle Fire HD is the perfect gift if you’ve got a book-lover in your family. Combining free wireless with liquid ink technology, this eReader is the closest you’ll get to reading a real book – but, with the added advantage of being able to store all your favorite books in one handy device to read on the go! Sporting a full QWERTY keyboard, soft-touch finish, exclusive Dolby audio stereo speakers, as well as boasting the world’s first tablet with dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi for 40% faster downloads and streaming (phew! That was a mouthful – don’t worry, your tech-mad recipient will know exactly what all that means), it really is a must-have present this Christmas. For a 16GB data memory, you’re looking at a price tag of £159, or for the larger 32GB, it’ll set you back around £199.

2. Google Nexus 7

If you’re looking for this year’s newest and most exciting touch screen tablet, then Google’s rival product to the Apple iPad is the perfect option this Christmas. With impressive specifications, solid performance and raving reviews, whoever you decide to buy the gift for will not be left disappointed.

And what’s more, at costing far less than Apple’s new iPad mini, it’s the perfect option for you if you’re being particularly cautious on what you spend. Just like the Kindle Fire HD, a 16GB data memory will cost you around £159, with the larger model setting you back around £199.

And, if you’re feeling extra generous, you can also shop around for the best Internet bolt on deals, so your loved one can get using the Google Nexus 7 as soon as they open it. Whether they want to use it to hunt out the latest fashions from Topshop, New Look or Topman, or want to buy themselves some more techy gadgets in the sales, such as the latest transducers from www.transducertechniques.com, they’ll be able to surf the Internet to their heart’s content on Christmas Day!

3. Arcadie for iPhone

The Arcadie for iPhone is the perfect stocking filler present if you’ve got a gaming-fanatic youngster in the family. Simply pop an iPhone or iPod Touch into the case and it’ll convert it into a miniature arcade. With 6 free apps available, your recipient is bound to have endless hours of fun with this great device! And, even better for you, depending on where you buy it, you can grab for anything between £8 to £17 – it’s the perfect stocking-filler!

Festive Flare and Winter Warmers

With Christmas just around the corner and festive cheer spreading across the city, Gillray’s expertly mixed Winter Warmer Christmas cocktails can help banish the cold winter night blues and get you in to the swing of the party season!

 

This Christmas Gillray’s team of talented mixologists have innovatively and successfully combined those classic flavours, to deliver Christmas in a glass.

 

 

Get in to the swing of the festive season with the deliciously chic Rudolph cocktail;the perfect combination of orange brandy, benedictine and dry Curacao leaves, delicately finished off with dry Curacao flavoured candy floss. This glamorous cocktail is guaranteed to help you celebrate Christmas 2012 in style.

 

 

 

The Sherry Posset is a modern twist on one of oldest classics in British mixology: the Old World Flip. Elegant and smooth, this cocktail combines Bristol Cream, nutmeg, milk and a hint of caramel.

 

 

 

Why not while away a cold winter evening with Gillray’s inspiring take on Mrs Beeton’s 1869 Mulled Wine recipe; the lively claret gently mulled with ginger wine, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, clementines, honey and bay leaves instantly brings the word Christmas to the lips. Gillray’s Mulled Wine is Christmas in a glass.

 

 

 

Alternatively warm up this winter with a Hot Spiced Mead! With the mead delicately combined with orange liqueur, cloves, cinnamon and star anise, it is impossible to resist this hearty winter warmer!

 

 

The winter warmer cocktails are available at Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar from 1st December, priced from £10.

 

Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar within the Marriott Hotel County Hall enjoys a prime position on the South Bank, with picturesque views of some of London’s most iconic landmarks, including the London Eye, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and the river Thames.

 

New Year, New You – Part 3: Transform Your Home

In the first installment of my ‘New Year, New You’ series, I wrote about how the start of a new year was the perfect time to change all those things that perhaps bugged you a little in the previous year – such as your job, your wage and your home.

But, on later reflection upon the latter subject, I realized that for many, moving home probably wasn’t the most financially viable option when it comes to starting 2013 afresh. After all, given the current economic climate and the situation of the housing market, this prospect is totally unrealistic for many.

So, if my suggestion of changing your home did you get thinking, but you just can’t afford to uproot completely, then here are a few ways you can transform your home, so you can start 2013 in a beautiful fresh new home:

The Living Room

The living room should be a place all the family can go to, to relax, unwind and put their feet up after a hard day at work or school. But, for some reason, you just can’t stand spending time in yours. You can’t quite figure out if it’s because of that laminate flooring you put down, or if it’s because of the old sofa that’s long passed it’s time, or whether it’s just everything combined.

Well, if this is you and you’re looking for ways to change your living room without spending a fortune, then believe it or not, there are a few simple ways you can transform it beyond recognition, whilst still keep those all important pennies in the piggy-bank.

If your living room is a little on the small side and you long for a bigger living room, then purchase a mirror – yes, that’s right; It really is as simple as that. Buy a frame-less mirror and pop it above your fireplace and it’ll instantly open up the room and create the illusion of a much bigger space.

If you’re sick of your old sofa, then the New Year is the perfect time to purchase a new one – big furniture giants often have their biggest sales at the end of the year, just after Christmas. So, if you’ve had your eye on a gorgeous corner piece all year, then now’s the perfect time to buy it!

The Bedrooms

We all like our bedrooms to look nice – after all, they’re the first rooms we see when we wake up and the last ones we see before we go to bed. But, you’ve had that plain magnolia on the walls for years now and quite frankly, you’re getting a bit tired of it. You’d love to decorate it with that gorgeous wallpaper you’ve seen, but you’re terrified about what the final price would be.

Well, you can decorate it with that lovely wallpaper and you can afford to do it – with a feature wall. Feature walls have become increasingly popular in recent times, simply because of their affordability and their ability to make a room look effortlessly sophisticated.  Classic feature walls normally consist of ones backing the bed or at the foot of a room.

Bathroom

From having a bath or shower, to brushing our teeth or putting on make-up, we spend an astonishing amount of time in our bathrooms on a day-to-day basis. So, it’s important that they get a little sprucing up from time to time, too.

But, splashing out on a brand new bathroom suite can get pricey – after all, the old one has to be completely ripped out, and you can end up spending a fortune on a new one to be fitted in its place.

But, there’s a much cheaper way to changing the whole dimension of your bathroom completely; a bathroom TV. Now, I know you probably only ever really see bathroom TVs on programs that spy on the homes of the rich and famous, but believe it or not, they really are affordable.

Simply mount one on the wall facing your bath or shower, and you can enjoy your favourite programs whilst you’re winding down in the bath, or catch up on the morning news when you jump in for your shower. And, what’s more, when they’re switched off, they standby-by screen changes itself into a fully functional mirror, so you can prune yourself in it once you’ve finished bathing!

 

Household spending edges higher, while spending patterns differ by income

The ONS recently revealed their latest report and Frost Magazine found it very interesting. As the seemingly never ending recession kicks our butts, the facts are that we are spending more and more. Check out the survey below.

 

Family Spending, the annual report from ONS on household expenditure in the
UK, found that in 2011, average UK weekly expenditure rose to £483.60, an
increase of £10.00 on the level recorded for 2010. The 2011 average
expenditure is the highest recorded by Family Spending.

Spending was highest on the transport costs category at £65.70 per week, up
80p from the previous year. Over half of all transport (£36.40) was on
running costs, which rose by £3.10 (an increase of nine per cent, following
last year’s 14 per cent increase). Most of the increase in running costs
was due to spending on fuel, as petrol, diesel and other motor oils
increased by £3.30. Higher expenditure on personal transport was also
reflected in vehicle insurance (£9.40 in 2011 compared with £8.00 in 2010).
On average, household expenditure was more than twice as much on
second-hand cars (£12.90) as new cars (£5.50). Unlike most types of
transport expenditure, spending on new cars decreased in 2011, from £6.50
per week in 2010.

The second highest expenditure category was recreation and culture (£63.90
per week). There was a small decrease in expenditure on audio-visual
equipment (including computers) averaging £6.30 per week in 2011 compared
with £7.20 in 2010. Spending on many recreation items remained fairly
constant, including games and toys (£2.20) and garden equipment (£2.60).
Spending on newspapers, books and stationery was similar in 2011 at £5.70
per week. However, there was a small increase in spending on recreational
services, including cinema tickets, leisure classes and admission to
sporting events, from £17.80 to £19.80. A weekly average of £4.00 was also
spent on pets and pet food. Average expenditure levels in the third highest
category: housing, fuel and power increased to £63.30 in 2011 from £60.40
in 2010. This was partly due to an increase in maintenance and repair of
dwellings, which rose by £1.00 to £7.70. Gross rent rose by 70p in 2011, to
£40.60. Average expenditure on electricity, gas and other fuels was £22.10
per week, an increase of 70p.

Weekly household expenditure on food and non-alcoholic drinks increased
from £53.20 in 2010 to £54.80 in 2011. However, the amounts spent on fresh
fruit (£3.10) and vegetables (£4.00) were unchanged.

Some types of expenditure decreased in 2011. This was notable for household
goods and services, which saw a drop of £4.10 to £27.30. This was mainly
due to a decrease of £2.80 in spending on furniture, to £13.80. Expenditure
on clothing and footwear was also lower in 2011 than in 2010, decreasing by
£1.70 to reach an average weekly expenditure of £21.70; of this decrease,
£1.00 was in clothing, which fell to £17.60. Spending on men’s outer
garments decreased by 60p to £4.20, while spending on women’s outer
garments fell by 70p but remained much higher than men’s at £7.70 per week.
Footwear for adults decreased by 40p in 2011, men’s footwear fell by 10p to
£1.30 and women’s fell by 30p to £2.10.

There were notable differences in expenditure patterns by income, seen by
comparing the ten per cent of households with the lowest incomes and the
ten per cent of households with the highest incomes. The lowest-income
group spent a larger proportion of their total average weekly expenditure
on housing, fuel and power (23 per cent), and food and non-alcoholic drinks
(16 per cent), than those in the highest income group (8 per cent in both
expenditure categories). Households in the highest income group spent a
greater proportion on transport (16 per cent) and recreation and culture
(14 per cent) than those in the lowest income group (7 and 10 per cent
respectively). Differences by income were also evident for internet access,
with 41 per cent of households in the lowest income group having access to
the internet at home, compared with 99 per cent of the highest income
households.

Overall, average household expenditure in the UK was £470.70 per week for
the years 2009–11 combined. There were five regions in which expenditure
over this period was higher than the UK average: expenditure was highest in
London (£574.90 per week), followed by the South East (£539.30), the East
(£497.10), Northern Ireland (£489.40) and the South West (£479.90).
Spending was lowest among households in the North East (£384.20 per week),
Wales (£398.20) and Yorkshire and the Humber (£410.10).

The high spending of London households of £574.90 was partly due to the
housing, fuel and power category, £91.30 per week, compared with the UK
national average of £60.30 per week. Households in rural areas had higher
overall expenditure (£510.50 per week) than those in urban areas (£458.30
per week). This was reflected in expenditure on transport, where spending
was highest (£77.40 in rural areas and £58.80 in urban areas), and
recreation and culture (£68.80 in rural areas and £57.20 in urban areas).
However, expenditure on the housing, fuel and power category was higher in
urban areas (£61.30 per week) than in rural areas (£58.30 per week).

Read the full report at
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/family-spending/family-spending/family-spending-2012-edition/index.html

Les Miserables Movie Musical Exclusive Review

Les Miserables’ movie musical – screened for cast and crew members at the Odeon Cinema in London, Leicester Square on the 4th of December 2012 – soon to be released in the cinemas.

 

I was lucky enough to be invited to the cast and crew screening of ‘Les Miserables’ on the 4th of December 2012 at the Odeon cinema in London, Leicester Square.

 

 

In a speech, held before the screening, award winning British film and television director, Tom Hooper, did thank all the cast and crew in the cinema making his dream come true.

 

Sir Cameron Mackintosh admitted that it had been their dream to make a movie musical and the fact Tom Hooper asked him on this amazing project was a really good thing as the director came up with an amazing vision of how he wanted it. Tom had in fact suggested disaggregating all the scenes for filming purposes to then put them back together in the movie. Mr Mackintosh admitted making a movie and especially a movie musical takes so much more work than putting together a theatre production. He funnily mentioned how the lack of sleep was a constant thing during the production!

The film musical had just been completed before the screening and Mr Hooper ironically wished he could have had a couple of hours more to do some extra touches.

Les Miserables’ movie has already had the Guildhall screening in the USA where it received a great feedback but now, the main aim is to bring the production in London.

In between the mentions in Hooper’s speech, Simon Hayes and his team for the sound department and all the post production team which did an amazing work, the costume department – which had to really work out the choice of fabrics so that the microphones would not be inhibited – Steward Hilliker took care of this. The camera team which had to film several scenes with multi-cameras; it was a real challenge. Really, a great team work. Also, Hugh Jackman’s remarkable and poignant performance of Jean Valjean cannot be left unmentioned.

 

The live sung movie musical is much more emotionally bounding than the old school movie musical version where actors used to mime the singing on a pre-recorded track. I found the movie as poignant as the live staged version. In the theatre it is great to be present and literally breath the performance but unless you are sitting in the very first rows, you hardly get to see the actors expressions when in the movie musical you can clearly see their eyes and facial expressions. This works amazingly to get into the actors’ deep feelings highlighted by remarkable close ups that, on the big screen together with the musical effects, make the audience unavoidably feel exactly how the characters felt whilst singing those lines live to the cameras (see video link below).

The movie respects the same sequence of events of the original Boublil – Schönberg musical theatre score. The musical and emotional tension is not released till the ‘Master of the House’ entertaining scene where we even see a featured Father Christmas!

Pablo Bubar – one of the many cast members who attended the screening – explained to me how, for the revolution scene, he had been called on set for 6 days, working 13 to 14 hours per day. Crew members worked even more than 17 hours per day.

 

The movie produced by Working Title Films (Sarah Radcliffe and Tim Bevan) will be released on the 25th of December 2012 in the United States and on the 11th of January 2013 in United Kingdom.

Might this movie be the landmark for more live sung movie musical productions to come celebrating really good acting and filmmaking and I bet cinemas will be full again!

 

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2587403289/

 

 

Written by Paola Berta