What’s the Lubricant 411?

As many of you know, Pure Romance has been taking part in Empowerment Summits throughout the country training and empowering our Consultants to take their businesses to the next level.

During this all day training I get the opportunity to do what I love to do: educate our Consultants about Pure Romance’s products. This past Empowerment Summit I attended, some of the Consultants raised very important questions they receive from their customers regarding our lubricants.

Below are some of those questions and answers which I will hope shed some light on this must-have product.

Q: What is the difference from a Pure Romance lubricant and a lubricant that I can buy at the grocery store?

A: The first major difference between a Pure Romance lubricant and one that you can buy at the grocery store is the privacy you receive when purchasing our products. You don’t run the risk of running into your boss or one of your children’s teachers when you are purchasing a Pure Romance lubricant. The second difference is the quality of our lubricants. I make sure that Pure Romance lubricants are of the highest quality.

The lubricants sold in grocery and drug stores have a high concentration of ingredients that can often irritate the skin over time. Pure Romance has the lowest amount of these ingredients. We formulate our lubricants for all women, even those who are highly sensitive.

Q: If a customer has sensitive skin but wants to try a flavored lubricant what should I tell her? 

 A: We carry two different types of lubricants: our every day lubricants and our playful lubricants. Our every day lubricants are gentle and formulated for women who are sensitive.

I would advise a woman who has sensitive skin to stick with an every day lubricant. If she wants to try a playful lubricant, I would advise her to place a pea size amount on the inside of her elbow before bed. If she wakes up rash free then she should be okay to experiment with the playful lubricant during intimate activities.

Q: Do lubricants affect a woman’s fertility?

A: Lubricants do not “kill” sperm, or else they would be listed as a form of contraception. However, lubricants can decrease the concentration and mobility of sperm in the vagina, but this does not pose a problem for women who aren’t experiencing fertility issues.

Lubrication can make intercourse more enjoyable, which may increase the frequency of times you try to conceive, which can indirectly increase the likelihood of conception.

To learn more about the lubricants we offer, go to the Lubricant section of the PureRomance.com website.

What is a Vaginal Moisturizer?

When was the last time someone told you to hydrate your vagina? Don’t worry about reaching for your reading glasses. You read it right. I would venture to guess it wasn’t any time very recent (if at all!). The truth is no one ever talks to us about it.

Think about it: every woman out there at some time or another has had someone remind them of the importance of taking care of their skin. After all, how many of us have been walking in the mall when someone at a kiosk shouts out, “What moisturizers do you use on your face?” or “Do you want to know how to look 10 years younger?” Not surprising questions considering that many women do use special facial creams and regiments to ensure that their skin is hydrated and in good health. Yet, what people don’t realize is that every part of your party ages and goes through different types of changes and stress. Why should your vagina be any different?

Have you ever lied in bed one night while being intimate with a partner and felt like your mind was there but your body was not? What people don’t realize is that there are so many causes for vaginal dryness including childbirth, menopause, medications, etc. – common occurrences in everyday life. It’s so important not to confuse lubricants with vaginal moisturizers as a way to treat this.

Pure Romance’s Fresh Start is a wonderful product that can help counteract vaginal dryness. It is an estrogen-free vaginal moisturizer, making it great for all women, including those women who cannot or do not want to use hormone replacements. It is gentle and non-irritating and helps alleviate vaginal dryness, as well as the discomfort that accompanies this condition.

It is common for women of all ages to experience vaginal dryness at some point in their life, or even within their menstrual cycle. Vaginal dryness is most common among women going through menopause, due to the decrease in estrogen that occurs at this time. Estimates vary, but as many 40% of menopausal women may experience vaginal dryness.

To use Fresh Start, fill one of the included applicators with the vaginal moisturizer and insert into the vagina, applying the liquid as far into the vaginal canal as possible. The best time to use Fresh Start is before bedtime, allowing the product ample time to absorb into the vaginal tissues. Many women find it helpful to use the product everyday for a week to 10 days, until the start to see their symptoms decrease. After that time, women can use the product two to three times a week as part of a maintenance program, to keep their vaginal tissues moisturized and prevent vaginal dryness.

So next time a girlfriend asks you what you’ve done lately to take care of your face or skin, maybe you should ask them what they’ve done to hydrate their vagina! You may get a surprised look, but you’ll be doing your part to educate someone on this very important issue!

Cheating Hearts

The latest media hype surrounding Sandra Bullock and Jesse James came soon after the world-wide notorious Tiger Woods multi-mistresses scandal. Needless to say, infidelity has now become an even hotter topic in our society today. When it comes to how the couple should pick up the pieces, everyone has opinions on who’s right or wrong.

However, I truly believe no one has the real answer except the two people in the relationship. What might be right for one couple might not be for another – and as easy as it is to be judgmental – unless you’re living under their roof, it’s just not our place to pass judgment.

I do believe that if people would address their feelings of unhappiness, outside crushes, wandering eyes, etc., before they acted on them it could make such a considerable difference. More often than not, I don’t think these things just happen. Distractions and temptations always arise at some point or another in committed relationships, and the best thing a person can do is redirect that energy toward the relationship.

Find out what isn’t working and why you are feeling like you want to stray from the relationship and (if you truly love your partner) then do everything in your power to nip it in the bud as soon as possible and before the damage is done.

Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of marriages survive infidelity and find a way to recover; but there are also many that do not. What they can take away from it in either case is an important lesson learned. If they do decide to work it out, both parties have to put in the time and effort and it will take a great deal of pain and work (often times accompanied by outside professional help) to get back to a place of trust.

For those who assumed that Tiger would just bounce back and come home to a happy, healthy life (and bed of roses) is not very realistic. Even following years of earning back trust, after a betrayal it’s sometimes impossible to get back to the way things were before the indiscretion.

Nowadays there are far more “I Dos” than there are people taking these vows quite as seriously. It would be wonderful to see more classes and workshops to prepare couples before they even tie the knot – to show some of the challenges that may arise and how to remain truly committed.

So many people enter into a marriage never knowing what it’s like to have a spouse lose their job, to sit up all night with a sick child, or discuss how religion will play a part in their children’s lives, and even how they want to pay their bills.

Everyone handles pressure differently, and perhaps cementing that bond and strengthening communication before either partner strays will help keep the focus where it should be – on the marriage or relationship itself.

Couples Retreat

After a busy month, I wanted to find a movie to kick back and relax. Making my way down the DVD aisle, I saw the latest Vince Vaughn movie, Couples Retreat and threw it in my cart because he never fails to make me laugh! At the time, I had no idea that I would learn something from this comedy or even find the message as important as to include in my next blog. But here, we are!

If you haven’t seen it yet, I would even recommend you watch it two or three times because each time you will probably pick up on something else and really learn a lot about relationships and how we operate. With four different couples at the center of the film, any couple can probably find themselves in at least one presented in the movie. Although a light-hearted comedy, their issues are very real issues that plague many of us at some point in our lives.

Below are some significant messages that resonated with me and represented many of the concerns we see every day at Pure Romance. (I have to warn you before you read on, however, if you haven’t seen it yet: Spoiler Alert!)

Dave & Ronnie: One look at Dave and Ronnie and you would think they were the perfect couple. Like many pairings out there, things appeared all in working order, not only to the outside world, but even to each other. Yet, as the story unfolded, you began to see that there would have more than likely been trouble for them down the road.




There were so many opportunities for them to grow as a couple on a whole another level. Their relationship showed that people can always benefit from taking the time to give back, and no matter how perfect things may seem there’s always room for improvement.

Jason & Cynthia: Jason and Cynthia’s issue really hit home with me. They shared everything in common and had fallen deeply in love, but efforts to conceive had interfered with everyday romance and they found that they began to lose that spark.



This is such an under-addressed issue in relationships today which is why my 501c3 non-profit, The Patty Brisben Foundation for Women’s Sexual Health is currently funding research with the University Of Cincinnati School Of Medicine, Department Of Obstetrics and Gynecology regarding intimacy issues related to infertility. In this case, this couple chooses to work on rediscovering this spark through the Couples Retreat; they show that if you stay focused and are both committed to doing whatever it takes to make things work, you can get back to that place with one another you never thought was possible.

Shane, Trudy & Jennifer: Shane and Trudy comprise the classic rebound scenario. Like I’ve said in many blogs past, sometimes it’s best to take time to heal and resolve emotional baggage before jumping into a new relationship. Even when you think it’s just for fun.



Buying a motorcycle and running around with a girl half his age (who he admittedly cannot keep up with) are two ways he tries to distract himself from the fact that he is still in love from his newly separated wife, Jennifer. He wasn’t facing his issues head on, but when the smoke cleared, he came to terms with his feelings for his wife and where he truly wanted to be.

Joey & Lucie: Joey and Lucie were High School Sweethearts who got pregnant on Prom night. 18 years later, they had both strayed from their marriage and were counting the days until their daughter was of age so they could divorce. I can’t tell you how many times I see couples who stay together because of the kids and then split as soon as they are grown and out of the house. Although this is a noble commitment, sometimes the best present you can give to your children is having them see both of you working on your relationship and living happily together.



How many years had they wasted not committing to do the work it takes to have a healthy relationship and just co-existing for their daughter? Where did they go wrong? For one, they weren’t communicating and had given up on their marriage and the passion that once brought them together. They failed to grow together and as a result grew apart. Do couples sometimes grow too far apart to return to where they once were? It happens. However, in this case, they were still very much in love but just needed to make the decision to really talk to one another – opening up about whom they were and how they felt as the people they had grown into today.