Intimina Lily Cup One Review

At the moment it feels like we're all trying to limit our carbon footprint one way or another, whether that's with reusing, recycling or reducing what we can. One way I have always wanted to be more involved in reducing is my use of sanitary products. So, here I am with a reusable menstrual cup!

Read on to find out more about my opinion on Intimina and the Lily Cup One...

Advertised as 'The Perfect Starter Cup' - comfortable, collapsable, made of 100% medical grade silicone, up to 12 hours of protection, re-usable AND eco-friendly?

How could I say no?

How did I come across this brand?

Was it advertising? Nope!

Was it a recommendation? Nope!

Did you stumble across it on a frantic day and think "why the heck not"? Yep!

I was shopping in my local Sainsbury's after suddenly being visited by the unexpected (and dreaded) Aunt Flo, perusing the sanitary aisle for everything and anything when the vibrant packaging and gorgeous hot pink caught my eye - it is my favourite colour, after all!

They had a couple of different styles of boxes in stock, so after comparing the cups they had available for the difference in sizes and what flow types and it raised so many questions for which would be more suitable for me and my body, as I had, many, many years ago tried the Moon Cup, however this didn't go too well for me. Whether that was from being young and inexperienced with my time of month and not really understanding what my body truly required (or the fact that I could feel it every time I sat down) put me off anything that was re-usable. But I thought hey - you never know! Why not! So I chucked the Intinima Lily Cup One into my shopping and haven't looked back since!

This isn't the only reusable cup available with the Intimina brand, they do have a total of four cups currently available for the different individual needs:

Ziggy Cup - A flexible menstrual cup that can even be worn during sex.

Lily Cup - The original Lily Cup, it's angled and can roll as small as a tampon, perfect for those with a higher cervix or heavy flow.

Lily Cup One - The one I use! Great for beginners who would like an introduction (or reintroduction) to using cups.

Lily Cup Compact - Advertised as the first-ever collapsible cup available. This cup also comes in two sizes, A - recommended for those who have not given birth or have had a caesarian and B - recommended for those who have given birth or diagnosed with a weaker pelvic floor.

I have used the Lily Cup One for a little under a year now (I think!) and I'm sure I will never look back! It is sold as being best cup for beginners paired up with all the fantastic benefits of the other cups on the shelf, so it seemed a no-brainer. I am genuinely at a point where I couldn't see myself without it and I no longer absolutely dread my time of the month, which is something I have struggled with for years. My period is very here and there, it can go from light spotting one month to another month of heavy flow, then to another month of a horrible mix of spotting/heavy/spotting/heavy for a good couple of weeks. Safe to say, buying every available sanitary product for every range of flow is such a drag. I used to have a nightmare every month with it, which eventually affected my mood and really brought me down. I'd have awful cramps, a leaky tampon, a sanitary pad that felt like a nappy and always felt like I needed to shower. I was extremely fragile and grumpy. Has the Lily Cup One helped this?

Yes!

I no longer have to buy sanitary products, it's super easy to put in, my periods seem to last half the amount of time, I don't feel 'dried out' by tampons too large or have to wear pads in preparation for leaks with tampons too small, there's no odor, irritation or discomfort either, once it's in, it's as if you wouldn't know it's there - winning!

My cramps seem to be pretty much non-existent too, unlike when I would wear pads and tampons.

Plus, instead of having to carry around a mixture of pads and tampons, it comes in a cute, protective, discreet case that I pop in my purse or pocket for when I might next need it.

My usual tell-tale signs of it being 'that time of the month' with me being grouchy, hunched over, uncomfortable and feeling generally just icky soon disappeared and now I don't dread the time coming along - which I never thought I would say or feel!

Another thing I love about it, it is great for all flows (which for me, is very up and down every month), plus it's safe to leave in for 12 hours, which is awesome. I can use it from the very start of my period to the very end of it.

- I would recommend to, of course, take it out to wash it as and when you feel like you need to of course, it's your body and it's very important to look after 'down there' to make yourself feel clean and healthy.

Within the box, along with the cup and case, it does come with a little booklet. If you get the Lily Cup One, definitely read the booklet that comes with it for more help and information about it. Plus they have some nice, simple illustrated 'How To' guides on how to use the cup on their website, if you are a bit of a novice (like I was!).

Ok, Spooky, so you have given this product nothing but praise, is there anything remotely negative to say about it?

Well, I guess so, as with everything there aren't always just positives unfortunately. Other than it being one of the most beautifully simple and effective little pieces of equipment in my arsenal of essential products, it does have a few things that I could file under this section.

- As you may have noticed - a blog with nothing but professional pictures? I'll admit, that does seem a bit sketchy, however it's because it stains. Please bear in mind that I have had this cup for a little under a year and here I don't mean by a little bit of staining, but by quite a lot. After a few months of heavy flow, that adorable hot pink cup is now a not-so-adorable hot pink, and probably more of a muddy brown with some remarkable blemishes. But in reality, who other than me is going to see this anyway? It's not the most glamorous part of the month to start with, but it's something for you to keep in mind that it can look pretty warn out within a year or so and not be the gorgeous, girly pink you first fell in love with.

- The 'air-release holes' can be a pain to wash out. As you can imagine, these little teeny holes can get filled in. So far, I've found stretching the silicone as much as I can and rinsing hot water through them can dislodge anything there, but it just doesn't feel like it's clean enough sometimes, you know - even though I'm sure it is.

- The little loop to pull that little cup out of there! I wouldn't say it's currently negative, not at all, and it certainly serves its purpose, however sometimes it feels like it's getting to the point where I am just waiting for the day that loop snaps and leaves me in a state of "oh no, how am I going to get this out?". But I guess, until that happens - it's all good, right?!

Overall, 10/10 for this little guy, it's certainly served me well, I haven't even looked at a tampon since getting it (yay!) and I certainly look forward to what future products this brand bring out.

For further information on this brand, visit their page.

Images used from the Intimina website.