Do you know what excites me?

THIS!!

I am a rabid J. Crew fan. Even if my wallet cannot always support the habit, I am dually devoted. I have been stalking their dress selection for bridesmaid since I was pre-engaged and their extensive opportunities for stylizing should never be over looked. I cannot wait to schedule an appointment to see the bridesmaid dresses in person. I hope they are as gorgeous as they look online. We will also have so much fun with accessories! And suits! And shoes! Oh, my!

While I know a lot of ladies are waiting for the Anthropologie bridal boutique to open its doors, this has been such a long time coming for me! Sometimes I look at J Crew catalogs and say, "Yes. That makes sense." It would be my dream job to work as a merchandiser for le Crew (I mean...if I didn't already have my dream job as merchandiser for a Museum) and I would consider it a blessing if I could just have a smidgen of the talent their stylists have. Lime green jell-o, girls.

That's not even the full spectrum of the greatness of this launch. I feel like it could totally revolutionize the wedding industry. I'm sure Anthropologie wouldn't have jumped on the bandwagon had J. Crew not had success. In reality, it's simplifying a lot, bringing down costs and making things more accessible to a wide range of brides and bridesmaids. The economics of wedding attire could see a mighty, mighty shift.

I was going to play a game of: let's find my favorite things on JCrew.com but, MY PROOFING DISC JUST GOT DROPPED OFF!!

After Glow...

Ooooohmahgah, you guys! Our engagement session was seriously a blast. Brian and Kate got to our apartment around noon and we went to Cooper park (right down the street from us) to take pictures with the little derplings, Monster and Elvis. We got some great shots with the boys. Then we headed down to DUMBO. It was so relaxed and we had gorgeous weather, we took pictures between the two bridges and in front of some really textural graffiti. We also went to the Richardson, which is the bar that we had our mini-celebration with our friends at. It was all such a blur, I can't even anticipate what pictures we are going to love...which will probably be all of them. We held hands with Jesus - kind of literally! Brian and Kate were amazing to work with overall.

They were friendly but had their eyes on the prize and kept us on the ball. They have worked with so many couples it was really nice to get genuine feed back from professionals and also to get some inside tips on where, what and who to work with. I'm just over the moon about the whole thing! I can get awkward in front of a camera and from point A to B, they were able to relax us and put us at ease. Their incredible dynamic really helps make for a great time.

For prep: I picked out three outfits, which sort of turned in to four (I got to change my shirt on the side of the street, cause I'm a pro). Mani/Pedis with Colleen were the business. If I were told I had a pedicure addiction, I would not be surprised. I didn't want to go over the top with new clothing because I wanted to be me and be in my comfort zone, but there is nothing wrong with some new shoes...yes, I am wearing them to work today!

I ended up not using the false eyelashes. You would be amazed at how difficult those things are. Seriously, I was struggling with them. When I did manage to put them on they didn't look right. While I would love to blame my incompetence on Sephora's product I have to confess that my inability to use the lashes had nothing to do with their construction. The glue was reliable and the lashes were not wimpy or easily destroyed. I am definitely still considering using false lashes for the wedding day, but they will be adeptly applied by a professional and not my clumsy ass.

I have been spying some really awesome things on etsy recently and when I have more time I will post a bajillion thoughts about them. Until that, happy friday y'all. LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!! (We do not want Steve to gloat all weekend).

Also, who else is hella stressed about the Lost series finale? Hear, hear, mates. Hear, hear.

Haterade

I don't know what is going on with my internal system but my sleeping habits have been struggling for the past two weeks. I go to sleep, it is completely unrestful and I wake up a cranky, haggard looking mess complete with under-eye circles and frowns. Then I chug a giant red bull to ease my exhaustion. This morning was no exception and I am full of cranky. My red bull is hurting my teeth, we were out of Claritin this morning and my Excedrin migraine has yet to kick in. Whine, whine, double whine. Feel bad for me! Please? At least today is like Friday. It's Shavuot so, I don't have to work tomorrow or Thursday. Thursday are our engagement pictures (so I better figure out a way to get a good night's sleep)!

Michelle is coming over tonight to start Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season 2 and watch Lost. FYI: I have a critical obsession with 1990's television. Right now I'm simultaneously re-watching all season of the X-Files and initiating myself into BTVS. I'm not an uber-dweeb, I swear (OK, yes I am). Before she arrives, I will probably be plowing through my wardrobe trying to figure out what to wear. Brian suggested one casual outfit and one dressier outfit. That does not help me, someone hire me a stylist!

Tomorrow Monster is getting his hair did and I am getting mani/pedis with Colleen. We will gossip about boys and be total haters and enjoy lattes. That is about as Sex in the City my life will ever get, I'm really not so chic. After lattes and manicures, Colleen is going to help me learn how to put on fake eyelashes. I did my usual product research and discovered that the bang for the buck is at Sephora. I got their brand of re-usable (suggested to be used 3-4 times if you're not using mascara, 2 times if you are) eye lashes. I have never worn fake eyelashes, but I wanted to try them out for the photo shoot. Why? Because it's fun! I'm pretty lazy when it comes to make up on the daily, so I think maybe a mini spruce up could provide me with some entertainment. I also want to get a feel for how I like them. I haven't even started looking for my hair and make-up artist for the big day but I want to know what I like and what I can handle.

So: wardrobe, fingers and toes, eyelashes....and beyond. I have a feeling that the eyelash experiment is going to be a hilarious (and possibly dangerous) one.

My teeth! I think they definitely look whiter, no? I did them tonight, while I was watching Lost again.

It was a great Cinco de Mayo. My friend Michelle and I had "Tina Fey" s at a bar local to my house. We were on our way back to mi casa for some rock band, Lost re-runs, and Mike's Hard Lemonade. Then we stumbled upon Legion's $4 Margaritas. Well, we had to stop by for at least one $4 Marg. How do you deny that kind of deal? I think it may be physically impossible.

We watched Lost (a re-watch for me, first time for Michelle) and then after our Jears, Bears, and Mears, we managed to squeeze in the latest Law and Order: SVU. I am just watching the news and stripping my bottom teeth, but I felt proud enough to show off what was going on with the top - looks much better, eh?

PS. The news? Terrifying. I botched bomb attempt in Times Square this weekend and then tonight there is an abandoned U-Haul leaking fuel on the RFK bridge. It's been unclaimed for over an hour. The bridge is closed and who knows when it will be re-opened. Some people are saying that law enforcement is over reacting. I think after this weekend and the failed bombing, we should think twice before we question our police, but that's just me.

Day Three.

It's Tuesday! Tuesday should technically be day four but I totally brain farted last night and neglected stripping. I put one on my top teeth this morning while I was getting ready for work. I will double up top/bottom tonight while watching LOST. So far, I am really happy with this product. I am already starting to notice a difference with my teeth and I only have some slight sensitivity immediately after removing the strips. I avoid antagonizing this tenderness by using warm water to rinse as opposed to cold.

Steve and I did not find what we were looking for on Sunday. He is applying for a new job and had to spend 85% of the day working on his portfolio; I managed to get him out of the house for an hour or so. I was hopeful but the venture proved to be fruitless. For the record, this is what we're looking for: These are going to be the 'vases' for our center pieces. After spending two hours with our florist (Jane) and coming to a lot of great conclusions, Steve and I both kept poo-pooing the standard glass square/bowl that typically holds lower arrangements. We're both very shabby-chic, vintage inspired, created by Brooklyn, type people and the cookie-cutter flower holders weren't lighting our fire. Jane had a cut glass bowl on her shelving and I said, 'Couldn't we do something like that?' She had never worked with such a vase - but that doesn't mean she wasn't excited about the idea of using them!

We're never going to be able to find twenty of the same bowl and that's half the fun of it. As long as they are vaguely the same size and shape, I think it will work out splendidly. I don't even care if they are all clear. These bowls - I'm sure you've seen them in your mom's garage? Come in blues, greens, clears, etc. Since our colors are navy and orange with yellow and green accents - whatever color the bowl is can be heavier in its complementary color. No two center pieces will be exactly alike! Jane has done this before and showed me the end result:
She is just so talented. I never thought I could ever be so excited about flowers. To me, the best part of this all is Steve and I have a year and a half to hunt and find the twenty perfect cut glass bowls for our Wedding. We figure we will just scout out flea markets, second hand shops, tag sales, etc. Jane is kind of enough to allow us to periodically drop the bowls off at her studio so that tragedy does not befall them in our apartment.

drool monster.

This photo was taken at 8:45 am. It's 11:22. That is what I look like after a night of drinking at 8:45am. It's not pretty. What's sad is that I still look roughly about the same. I finally opened the package and was greeted by a pamphlet that says, "Congratulations! You just took the first step to a bright, whiter smile!" Nothing like some good ole' fashioned encouragement!

I didn't realize I'm supposed to wear these twice a day, for half an hour. They say that if I have a busy lifestyle, I can do it back to back. They don't tell you if you're supposed to start with freshly brushed teeth, but I think that is a reasonable assumption.

I'm drooling! The top one was super easy to apply. The bottom? Really not so much and it is making me drool, a lot. This is causing slippage on the bottom one. Next time I think I am going to try to dry my teeth off a little bit after brushing.

Also, keeping the gel off of my gums? Way easier said than done. The bottom one is so annoying! I really feel like it's falling off. Whitestrips struggles. Surprisingly though, the taste of the gel isn't totally unbearable. I didn't even think of the potential gag factor when I bought them. Obviously, I am not trying to taste it but the occasional gel will eek out.


I think for this hour of my day that will be spent with these things on my teeth, I will be surfing the web and watching the X-FIles on my Netflix instant queue. Right now I am watching Season 1, epsisode 10. Moulder and Scully are investigating a train derailment but they can't seem to find any train tracks.

I'm also trying to get inspiration for our engagement session. I have no idea what we should do. Our photographer is a genius (Brian Ambrose) So I am looking over his galleries and hoping to be struck by a pose. Nothing is really doing it for me though. Brian is great and has a marvelous sense of who we are so I am not too worried. On Brian's website in the engagement section, there is this really moving picture of a soldier coming home and being hugged by his fiancee; there are all these welcome home signs in the background. It is such a great shot. Sigh...love.

OK, time to rinse; my teeth feel weird. They didn't get agitated with the cold water I used to rinse off the gel. However, I wanted to do some in depth testing so I tapped on all of them with my finger nail (very scientific). I didn't realize that all teeth make a slightly different sound, nifty. One of my bottom teeth, specifically, gets a little grumpy when I tap it. I think that it may be too early to determine the exact amount of tooth sensitivity, but I don't think I am going to do anymore tapping.

experiment 1 (may cause drooling)

I am not happy with my teeth. Like, seriously: I want to credit this picture for opening my eyes to the problem.

Happy 26th - complete with Yoda assuring me that I was not only a birthday girl but a Jedi Knight, and my dear friends wrapped up this month's issue of The Knot, of course. But - notice! The jaundice shade of my teeth is distracting, no? I don't neglect dental hygiene, either. I brush, I floss, I mouth-wash. Still, my teeth are in need of a pick-me-up; our engagement session is May 20th and this status really is unacceptable.

Since I do not have the funds to get my teeth professionally whitened I am going to opt for an O-T-C strip system. There are so many options out there that I feel like the shelves of drug stores are lined with whitening systems. Naturally, I went on Consumer Search to at least get an idea of where to start, if not make a decision. After professional whitening regimens - starting at $300 going up to over $1,000 - Crest White Strips Premium is the highest consumer rated product (linked to review page).
Behold! Crest Premium Whitestrips:
7 day System
Pros:
O-T-C availability
Inexpensive ($20-$35)
Easy to Use
Cons:
May cause tooth/gum sensitivity
Not as effective as professional whitening
May cause drooling*

*file under my personal favorite

I read over the past few months of Amazon reviews. There was only one review that said the strips didn't make any difference, I think that in the midst of the overwhelming positive response to the product this can be chalked up to misuse or simply a bad banana in the bunch. Of the 96 reviews only 10 were 1 star and the vast majority were 5 and 4 star. The points that I gathered from the positive reviews are as followed:

1. In the case that the strips don't make your teeth "white enough" it's easy to re-use the product to double the results.
2. Teeth sensitivity starts at the gums, so the best way to ensure that your discomfort is minimal is to do your best to keep the gel off of your gums.
3. The whiteness factor is proportional to how long you keep the strips on your teeth (duh), so follow the directions very carefully!
4. Although the commercials show people happily window shopping and being all nimbly-pimbly, no one recommends whitening in public, you may drool. Also, if you talk too much it can disturb the strip and you may lose adhesive quality.

OK Crest, I'm sold.

I have 20 days. I feel that this time allows for a couple of things: my teeth getting hurty so I opt for an every other day strategy over daily or I'm still not lil' miss smile bright and I want to try again, I can give my mouth a break and still have 7 days to rinse and repeat. I'm excited! Lunch time stop: Duane Reade, purchase, Crest Premium. Dang, I wish I didn't have happy hour plans so I could just dive in head first after lunch.

More on ouchy teeth and brighter smiles to follow....