Victoria's Secret HAS ARRIVED IN LONDON!!!

Once in a while, we like to indulge in the (very) expensive hobby of shopping! Actually it's more than once in a while :) But rarely do we get to experience the joy of shopping at Victoria's Secret! Up until now it's been an experience that was saved for trips to the States!

On the 29th of August 2012 London welcomed Victoria's Secret to Bond Street. Now it's true that the first London Victoria's Secret opened in Westfield in Stratford, but anyone who has been to London knows that's out in the sticks! This new one is CENTRAL and it's less than 20 minutes from where we work! (how convenient!)

On arrival to the store we were welcomed through the doors by lovely ladies carrying cupcakes and macaroons and given a wristband with their new scent on - smelt so good! The store is IMPRESSIVE, the decor BEAUTIFUL and with wall to wall amazing lingerie it was like walking into a closet you wished you could own. (If only a set didn't cost more than a days work!!!). And here's a little known fact: Laura used to work in the Boise Victoria's Secret store! (Until she had reoccurring nightmares about folding hundreds of thongs on the panties table)

The store itself has 4 floors - one dedicated purely to the Pink brand, and the other floors are interspersed with women's wear and lingerie. The floor you walk in on has all the beauty products and perfumes and it makes for an impressive sight.

As well as the products, the decor is pure indulgence and class, it feels glamorous! There are paintings on the walls, chandeliers, thrones and beautiful black and white portraits of the famous 'Angels'. As you walk around you will also see outfits from the 2011 catwalk show. If you are a VIP client you even get the whole 4th floor to relax and shop......nice!

Those of you who have experienced Victoria's Secret American style, won't be disappointed. The size of the store means that it really does have a vast range of clothes. For us the Pink section on the ground floor was brilliant. It had cabinets filled with 'Pink puppies' from through the years (we have four at home!) and had sooooo much we wanted to buy.

Price wise, well, lets just say you know this store is 'high-end'; for those of you headed to spend your hard earned cash there be warned they have swapped $$$$'s for ££££'s so if something was $50 it's £50 in the store! Mind you, it saves on post & packaging and for anyone who hates the wait, getting your Victoria's Secret package in store is an instant satisfaction.

Here's some interesting info for you though (as I'm writing this while the lovely Laura replies to some lovely emails we've been sent from the blog) and you know I love some facts! Victoria's Secret was founded by Roy Raymond- the store concept of using drawers to store the lingerie came about because he felt embarrassed trying to purchase lingerie for his wife in a department store environment. The stores were meant to create a comfortable environment for men, with wood-paneled walls, Victorian details and helpful sales staff. Instead of racks of bras and panties in every size, there were single styles, paired together and mounted on the wall in frames. Men could browse for styles for women and sales staff would help estimate the appropriate size, pulling from inventory in the back rooms. So there you go!

As if the new Victoria's Secret store wasn't enough, as we wandered out of the store feeling a bit giddy and into a crowd of people...very well dressed people. Still in our work clothes we were somewhat under-dressed and it wasn't until we strolled down Bond Street that we found out why - it was FASHION NIGHT OUT!

Sponsored by Vogue every store was hosting parties with champagne flowing, and from Burberry to Armani's Secret Garden Party the streets were buzzing. There were mini-vans turned into hairdressing studios and stands giving manicures. The paparazzi were EVERYWHERE! Now we aren't very 'into' fashion  so who knows who they were taking photos of, but it was good fun trying to work out who was famous and who was just tall and beautiful!

If you want to see what was going on we found this random video but it shows you what was happening AND gives you a look inside the beautiful Victoria's Secrets store....enjoy!

Happy shopping!!!

Sarah (& Laura)

xoxox

What's Happening, Hot Stuff?? 9th September 2012

Welcome to this week's What's Happening, Hot Stuff??

Those who follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram will have seen that we have had a BUSY week filled with AMAZING experiences! And those following the 2012 USA Election build up, it has also been a great week for the Democrats coming out to show their support of Marriage Equality - yay!!!

We thought we'd start with a brief round up of what's been happening with us this week.

Thursday night saw us head to the newly opened Bond Street Victoria's Secret! The store was beautiful from the Pink department in the basement to the top floor boutique! As well as tempting us to spend a fortune we were supplied with cupcakes as we wandered round and took more than a few photos. We will do a full photo update this week but if you are in London it is DEFINITELY worth a look!

As if checking out the Victoria's Secret store wasn't entertaining enough, as we strolled out we saw crowds and decided to see what was happening. Having been busy at work neither of us had seen Twitter and the fact that it was 'Fashion Night Out' in Bond Street. ALL of the boutique stores were offering free champagne and hosting parties, the paparazzi was everywhere and we were OUT of PLACE! Dressed in our work gear we were wandering among glammed-up, 6ft, gorgeous models and designer outfits we could NEVER afford!

Once the working week was over we met at Green Park station at 5pm promptly, more than a little EXCITED as we were heading to the Olympic Park to see the Paralympics Athletics evening session. We will post a full update about what went on and what we thought of the whole experience later this week, but all you need to know right now is that the evening ended with us holding a 2012 medal!!!!

On Saturday we had the Lady Gaga 'Born This Way Ball' at Twickenham Stadium; along with 54,998 other Lady Gaga fans we witnessed the consummate performer sing hit after hit to a crowd that were loving every minute - us included!

We will do a full post on Wednesday, as we really LOVE Lady Gaga and think the Ball deserves its own post! From the moment we walked into the stadium area we realised this was the gayest event we  had attended since Pride! Seriously EVERY which way were gay couples and SO many femme lesbian couples. Who knew that Lady Gaga attracted them all?! In fact, we know some other lovely lesbians off to the second night of the concert tonight too!

This last week we have also been trying to follow the news coming out of the States as the Democrats hosted their Democratic National Convention and we hoped there would be mention of their stance on Marriage Equality. If you caught our post on the First Lady, Michelle Obama, you will have read our political standing- we, well technically Laura as shes the one who can vote!!!, are Democrat through and through - AND they didn't disappoint.

We watched the speeches by Michelle, Clinton and others and were so glad to see equality for all mentioned. We have our fingers crossed that Democrats head to the polls to make sure the evil that is Romney doesn't get to ruin American once again. Go Obama!!!

The Democrats are the first political party in history to support same-sex marriage but more importantly the Republicans said NOTHING about it! In fact, the only thing we've seen come from the Romney and the Republicans is that 'they don't favour civil unions as identical to marriage'. We were reminded of what that means in the 'real world' when watching the finale of 'The Real L World'- we posted how Whitney and Sara's engagement struck a chord with us last week (see here), but this week we saw Romi (attention-seeking/do anything for the limelight) elope to Vegas to marry her boyfriend of weeks! Ah good old traditional marriage, built on stability, trust and long-standing love - errr, not! In the same episode we were shown the challenges facing a gay couple who have been in a committed relationship denied the same rights in the state they live and work!

Check back for the updates during the week!

Love

Sarah & Laura

What We Love Wednesday!! The First Lady, Michelle Obama!

We thought we'd pick up on something that made the front pages here in the UK and obviously it made the news states-side....Michelle Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC)! It gave us even more reason to base this week's What We Love Wednesday on the woman herself.

For those of you who have read our Powerful Women post you will see that the First Lady has been featured in our blog before, and for very good reasons!

But this post is to say THANK YOU, Michelle, for such an inspirational speech. We have long admired Mrs. Obama, who is just as able to speaking positively, touchingly and inspiring those who take the time to listen as her husband. We took 28 minutes out of our evening to watch the full speech, because it's worth it.

It is no secret that when Laura votes using an absentee ballot later this year, she will be voting for Obama! We have struggled with the Republican's campaigns - their anti-gay, pro-gun, pro-life at conception, 'your body stops genuine rape babies', wealthy 1%, out-of-touch tripe that has been filling our internet streams and being mocked on the social networks we follow. We don't understand how women can publicly or privately support Republicans, whether they support Obama or not, there is no logical reason we can see to support their campaign.

On the other-hand, listening to Michelle speak so passionately about every American having the same opportunities no matter who they are, where they're from, what they look like or who they love, how can you not applaud?! Here in the UK we are discussing gay-marriage, in Scotland they are moving towards it; in fact, all over Europe the laws are changing for the better - is it not the right time for America to do the same?

When Michelle talks about Barack still being the man she fell in love with 23 years ago, you can't fail to be touched. The Obama we see in the media is a projection of his party, but we are damn sure if we met him we'd really like him!

Michelle is so genuine, and has a way of speaking that engages you so that you find yourself agreeing with her - Laura and I both said 'so true' out loud numerous times in her speech! If you haven't got time to watch the whole speech check out these highlights!!!

We first voiced our liking for Michelle after watching her dancing with kids in a school field for her get fit campaign 'Lets move' - if you prefer to see the campaign in action see it here, with Beyonce:

We loved her taking on Ellen in a press-up competition and talking to Jon Stewart on the Daily Show (LOVE that show by the way!!!), when she was on Letterman, and hung out with the ladies on The View!

Instead of spending $$$ on lots of designer clothes and brands, Michelle wears a lot of H&M and high street brands - she is a REAL woman, with a budget, and seems to understand that there are more important things to spend he money on than labels - especially when you're in government.

But why else do we LOVE Michelle Obama? Well while other First Ladies (excusing Hilary Clinton) generally sit around not saying much, this Lady does the opposite - she has an opinion and she brings it 100%  - just check this out.....

Ultimately, the First Lady is so damn good at EVERYTHING - including skipping rope, apparently!

And we LOVE her for it!!!

Thanks Michelle, for being such a positive role model - for kids, for women, mums, and everyone else. Thanks for being such a strong character, and for coming out in support of marriage equality. 

Please remember to vote, as every vote does count - if you are living out of your home county, like Laura is, apply online for an absentee ballot form!!

Bring on another term of Barack and Michelle Obama!!

Lots of love,

Sarah & Laura xo

How Real is the Real L Word?!

Anyone a Real L word fan? When we were in America some time ago we caught the L Word and followed the series on internet TV once we were back in the UK. We were devastated when it finished until we found the Real L word. Again being UK based we have relied on internet TV for our fix.

The first season was brilliant - introducing Nikki and Jill, a couple who had met as youngsters and got back in touch again as adults and fell in love. We found the strength in their relationship admirable and enjoyed watching them plan their wedding. We also found similarities in the fact that Jill had dated men previously and  they brought up 'Sexual Fluidity', a book about how someone's sexuality can change over time. At that point we hadn't been together long and the book really helped us understand our feelings. We had both dated men previously and were referring to ourselves as 'straight but we just had to happen to fall in love with each other'. We weren't comfortable with the term bisexual or lesbian but as time has gone on our feelings have changed about that too. We now refer to ourselves as lesbians and struggle to imagine ever going back to a guy - not that we'd ever need to.

We were gutted to see Nikki and Jill not returning for the second season but we have followed them through their Facebook page and are happy to see they had their amazing wedding and are now pregnant.

Now in the third season, we feel like the cast that have appeared in more than one season are like people we know. Maybe it's because over time we have been intrigued by how they live and similarities that have appeared in our lives. Now we aren't saying that there are that many similarities.....

Up until we started writing the blog we hadn't met other lesbians - we rarely interacted with gay people full stop. In some ways the Real L Word has opened our eyes to the community. We had been to Pride in London and Brighton but our participation was as voyeurs more than anything else. Laura has always had gay male friends but the lesbians we 'knew' or had seen around were always butch or looked more like men, we weren't aware that there were so many different types of lesbians.

In some ways my lack of gay interaction means I do understand my parents confusion when they say they don't understand gay people....but that's a whole other story! Not understanding and not being willing to understand are two very different things!

In season two of The Real L Word we met Cori and Kaci, an adorable couple (you may get that we like seeing couples in love - especially ones that have been together a while!!), they were trying for a baby and seeing exactly what goes into the process has been sooooooooo insightful. As season 3 started we found out their latest attempt had led the birth of their daughter Charlie, but unfortunately she was too small to survive - the devastation was so obvious and it makes it all so real. We know having a child will be a huge challenge.

Season 3 also brought us Whitney and Sara's engagement. Whitney has been in the series since the start and has grown up through the years- first being the 'one that slept around', secondly the one who was getting messed around when trying to be in a relationship and now the one getting married. We were not a Sara fan in the first two seasons but as this season has continued and we have seen so many similarities with our situation we have changed our minds a bit.

Having watched the latest episode a day ago, there were a couple of things that really touched us. Sara had returned home to tell her parents about her engagement and the reception was not one of excitement. They weren't against it as such they just didn't want it for their daughter. A line I am more than familiar with.

When Whitney broke the news to her Mom over Skype, the reaction was one of silence and hesitation. In my world that is normally followed by tears! In the episode Whitney heads to her home and her Mom has had a chance to deal with it, but she wants to tell her Nan. If you've watched the episode you probably remember the awkward conversation about marriage with Whitney's childhood friends. Now the point of this post was not to relive the episode, but here's how it plays into our lives....

If you read our post from yesterday you will see we visited Laura's Nan- as Laura grew up in the States it's only been the last few years that she's really gotten to spend time with her. I feel privileged to have seen their relationship grow and have enjoyed having a 'Nan' who wants to share stories and spend time with us. With my grandparents there's never really been a sense that they want to be part of my life, we do family get togethers but outside of that there's limited interaction. But anyway, at lunch yesterday, Laura's Nan brought up her cousin's engagement and L & I both looked at each other - do we say anything about our hope of getting married?!?!

For the three and a half years we have been together we have wondered how many people 'know'- Laura's Nan is a great example! I am invited to ALL family events, she has seen ALL our holiday photos (she's on FB!!!!), and she has even referred to me as Laura's 'soul mate' when talking to L's parents - but DOES SHE KNOW!?!?!?!

And it's not just L's UK Nan, the situation is the same with her Aussie Grandparents. When we lived in Australia we saw them once a month, I was invited to ALL family gatherings including L's cousins 21st, Mother Day, Father Day - the whole lot! They even threw me a birthday party (with L's help!!!). Now it could just be that they are lovely people but they know we share a one bedroom flat and when we speak to them on skype we ALWAYS talk about 'us'. I get birthday cards and we know L's Aunt and Uncle know so it's not like they couldn't find out!

So watching Whitney tell her Nan and get a positive response made us both burst into tears. While I hold little hope for even telling my grandparents - my parents currently have a ban on me telling ANYONE they know I am with Laura including ALL family! - we both really hope Laura's grandparents react well. Not because it will change anything for us but because knowing they are happy for us will be a nice addition.

We plan to tell all our relatives as soon as we get engaged - I guess knowing that we will get engaged soon is an advantage of being a girl-girl couple :) And as we plan to tie the knot in 2014 they will have time to get used to the idea.

As the end of the year approaches we have been discussing our plans to get married with our nearest and dearest and thankfully there has been complete support coming from Laura's immediate family - her Mum has even offered to help plan!

We can't wait to see how Whitney & Sara's relationship continues, there is something about seeing other couples in similar situations filling us with hope. We know until the countries we come from view gay marriage as equal we will be faced with challenges but we also know that we are committed to each other and nothing will change that - whatever we have to call our union! To us we will be getting married!

If you haven't watched the season and are planning to - apologies for telling you what happens!

Enjoy the rest of you weekend

Love

Sarah (& Laura)

xoxox