Geek Girl Brunch in Berkeley

August 30, 2015 Nina Penalosa3 Comments

Last Sunday the Bay Area chapter of Geek Girl Brunch had its inaugural meet-up in Berkeley, and I got to go! Despite the fact that I’m not a Bay Area native, I signed up to be part of that chapter anyway since Gwen and Gladys are officers. And I’m usually in the Bay more often since I have to look for stores and fashionable events to write about for Wear Your Voice Mag which is based in Oakland, so I thought it made more sense to be part of the Bay Area chapter rather than the Sacramento one.

Speaking of which, I did a little write-up about Geek Girl Brunch for WYVM since it was a local event and the brunchettes were all dressed in their best Marvel ensembles. You can read all about it right here and see more pics of the fun times we had!

PS: Check out my last blog post to find out how you can win a geeky tank from Fifth Sun like the Thor one I wore to Geek Girl Brunch!

Win a Geeky Tank from Fifth Sun!

August 28, 2015 Nina Penalosa11 Comments

— GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED —

If you follow Le Fancy Geek regularly, you know how obsessed I am with paring any garment that’s adorned with floral prints with something geeky. It’s my most favorite combination! Well, Fifth Sun has a wide array of cute geeky tanks and tees and a few of them combine flowers with some of my fave characters from Marvel Comics and Star Wars! I feel like they were made just for me!! The folks at Fifth Sun were gracious enough to send me one tank of my choice to review too. I seriously spent an hour and half browsing their web store before I decided to get this tank with Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, or as I like to call it “mew-mew.” I’m itching to get a Star Wars tank or tee in the near future though. I think I was just overwhelmed with their Star Wars selection because they have so many cute ones that it was impossible to settle on just one.

The only thing that I was slightly worried about was how the tank would fit me. I border between XL and XXL in tops (#bigboobproblems), and the largest size they carry in women’s is an XL. That being said, the tank isn’t too snug on me (their tops fit like junior’s sizes), but I tend to tuck my tees and tanks into my skirts and wear cardigans all the time anyway so I have no issues with the way it fits me. And how perfect does it look with my pink pleated skirt and mint cropped cardigan? Hella perfect! That’s how perfect! I wore this outfit to the first Bay Area Geek Girl Brunch meet-up last weekend (sans the crinoline) since it had a Marvel Comics theme. I think the addition of the crinoline underneath my skirt gave my ensemble a geeky retro pin up vibe too, which is a look I’ve been gravitating towards a lot lately.

Overall, I’m pretty much like: This tank. I like it. ANOTHER!

But which one do I choose?!

And now for the part I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for: Fifth Sun is giving two of you lucky ponies the chance to win one tank of your choice! I’ll be picking one winner via Instagram and one from the comments section of this blog post. ☺

To enter for a chance to win a tank from Fifth Sun, you must do the following:

Follow @lefancygeek & @fifthsunofficial on Instagram.
Repost the above image on your public Instagram account (I can’t see it if it’s private!).
Tag @lefancygeek + @fifthsunoffical on your repost.
Tag 2 of your buddies.
use hashtag #LFGx5thSun.
Leave one comment here letting me know which tank you’d choose and why.

Rules:

You must have a public Instagram account to enter via Instagram.
You can repost the picture once a day until the last day of the contest (Friday, September 2 @ 11:59 pm).
Only leave ONE comment on the blog for entry.
The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.
Giveaway starts Friday, August 28 and ends September 4 @ 11:59pm PST.

Good luck, my little ponies! And if you don’t win, don’t worry. Fifth Sun will be giving me a special coupon code for all my readers to use after the giveaway ends next week, so stay tuned for that. ☺

FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post as Fifth Sun sent me a tank top to review. I was compensated with it along with two more tank tops to giveaway to one of my readers and one of my Instagram followers. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.

geek style · out & about

Single Riders Line

August 22, 2015 Nina Penalosa8 Comments

I was able to go to my home away from home last weekend before my Annual Pass expires next Friday. I had no plans to renew it, but now with all the Star Wars stuff that’s going to be happening at the park, like Season of the Force, I’m definitely reconsidering. I wish I knew how to quit you, Disneyland!

Anyhow, my sister and I got to go on Saturday and for a few hours on Sunday together, but she left after our cousin’s wedding shower so I ended up going to Disneyland solo on Sunday night. I figured I might as well take advantage of the fact that I still had access to both parks (and discounts!).

I realize that walking around Disneyland by yourself sounds a bit depressing. I did it once before when I went with my former boyfriend and his then girlfriend and her little brother — I know that seems weird, but they invited me and who says no to Disneyland? I was the only one that had a Magic Morning pass that allowed me to go to the park an hour early, so I ditched them… actually, I ditched them a few times and walked around by myself. While alone, I went on Space Mountain, the Haunted Mansion, and the Winnie the Pooh ride where the cast member actually let me and the grandpa/grandson duo I shared a beehive shaped vehicle with go on the ride twice in a row! I was fine alone for those few hours because I at least knew I would be hanging out with my friends again later on in the day.

Disneyland is one of those places where you go with family or friends to have fun and create special memories with them. But you know what? I was fine on my own last Sunday knowing that I wouldn’t be accompanied later on. There were a few moments where I’d see a couple walk past me holding hands and I felt a bit sad since I didn’t have anyone to keep me company. And HOLY CRAP, I was literally surrounded by couples hugging each other in the stretching room at the Haunted Mansion. I’m not even exaggerating. And while I was walking around the park, which was oddly humid for a Sunday night, I started thinking, “Why are you all holding hands? Why are you standing so close to each other? IT IS SUPER MUGGY RIGHT NOW. Do you not feel it? Are you not affected?! UGH.” So I might be a bit of a hypocrite, because I once was one of those people you’d see with their boyfriend looking disgustingly sweet. And yeah, sometimes we held hands when it was unbearably hot outside. But I digress…

Just walking around by myself, I started thinking about how great it is to be single. I can be selfish and focus on my wants and needs without having to consider someone else’s (does that sound harsh?). No sharing food (actually, that comes in handy when I’m not that hungry). No compromises. No feeling judged for wanting to buy certain items (like a My Little Pony dress (former boyfriend wasn’t crazy about it) or a Duffy Bear purse… which I totally bought and rocked at the park on Sunday morning), and no feeling bad for talking about how I want certain material possessions.

Yeah, I like material things! I love fashion. I love clothes and accessories and cute geeky toys and books. I’m a fashion blogger and a geek. I am living in a material world and baby, I am a material girl. DEAL WITH IT.

Whooaaa… okay, got a little carried away and self-righteous there for a minute, but you know what I mean, right? Being single just makes me feel more free. Not that I ever felt constricted in my last relationship, but I’m finding that I can do things that I truly want to do, and I have more time to devote to myself which is very important. Before my last ex, I only ever had one boyfriend and we didn’t last very long. So after that, I spent a good amount of time pining for love. I just wanted to be wanted and also be able to reciprocate those feelings. I never appreciated singledom until now. So although I did truly love my ex more than anything, I’m finally starting to honestly feel good about life as a single lady and learning how to enjoy my own company.

Okay, enough of the sentimental stuff.

In case you’re wondering, “What does one do while they’re on their lonesome at the Happiest Place on Earth?” Well, I got to hit the Little Mermaid and Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree at California Adventure, and when I got to Disneyland the parade was just ending and they were getting ready for fireworks so I just headed to the Disney Gallery to look at some art and watched Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln, walked to Fantasyland only to find that every ride was closed, and then went on the Haunted Mansion and ended the night with the Jungle Cruise. I wanted my farewell ride to be on King Arthur’s Carrousel, but at that point it was already 11pm and I just wanted to go back to the hotel and eat. So that was my fun solo date at Disneyland.

Do you like taking yourself on solo dates? Where do you take yourself when you go out on the town on your own? Let me know in the comments!

dress: Field Day Wearables (one of) | cardigan: Old Navy (buy similar here)
belt + undershirt: Xhileration (thrifted/old purchase) | hair flower: Icing (n/a)
shoes: deflex Comfort (buy here) | Duffy purse: Disneyland (buy here)

PS: Goofy was going in for a hug when I took a picture with him, but then he jumped back with excitement when I saw that he was on my dress! Oh, Goofy. You silly dog.

geek style

How to Decoupage Your Own Geeky Bag

August 20, 2015 Nina Penalosa2 Comments

Hey my little ponies!

My latest article on Wear Your Voice is a D.I.Y. tutorial on how to revamp an old bag by decoupaging fabric on it. I originally planned on strictly using floral material, but I saw this amazing Stormtrooper and glow in the dark Star Wars fabric with tie fighters on it at JoAnn’s and was like, “NEVERMIND!!” You all know how much I love mixing floral prints with sci-fi stuff anyway. ☺

To see how I did it, check out my tutorial here. 🙂

dress: Hot Topic (buy similar here) | sunglasses: Kate Spade (n/a)
belt: A|X Exchange (n/a) | hair flower: Icing (n/a)
Han & Chewie pins: Disney Pin Trading from Disneyland
(buy here)

5 fandom friday

5 Fandom Friday: Favorite Fandom Phrases

August 14, 2015 Nina Penalosa9 Comments

Quotes and phrases from TV shows, movies, and whatnot tend to find their way into the everyday vernacular of each fangirl. You know it’s true! Today’s 5 Fandom Friday prompt is centered around our favorite fandom phrases, but I decided to go with the ones I tend to quote the most.

So without further ado, here are my favorite phrases to use in my everyday life:

✿ “This drink. I like it. ANOTHER!”- Thor

I constantly say this when I eat or drink something that I find super tasty, like frozen horchatas from Puesto. Mmmm! ANOTHER!

✿ “Treat yo self.” – Tom Haverford & Donna Meagle from Parks & Recreation

I think this is the one I say the most. When I know I’m about to go on a major shopping bender, I’ll justify it by saying, “TREAT YO SELF. –wherever I happen to be at– EDITION!” or whatever. Sometimes I’ll blurt out the item I’m getting and say “treat yo self!” enthusiastically like Donna and Tom (in the clip above). And if a friend is feeling indecisive about buying something, I’ll enable them by saying “treat yo self.” ☺

✿ “It’s a trap!” – Admiral Ackbar from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

I say this when something looks iffy, or too good to be true. Like certain sales — have you seen Hot Topic’s latest one where you can save 30% off all the clothes you can fit inside of a backpack and get 30% off the backpack too? IT’S A TRAP! It’s an elaborate ruse to get all your monies!

✿ “I want to go to there.” – Liz Lemon from 30 Rock

Of all the Liz Lemonisms, this is the one I say the most. I say it when I see an article on the interwebs of a place I want to go to (the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!), or if someone tells me about some place with food that sounds stupid delicious and amazing, or if I see some hot dude.

✿ Anything from Mean Girls

What quote from Mean Girls isn’t applicable to every day life? If your friend does something great? “YOU GO GLEN COCO!” Or if you want to go somewhere, but your friend says they can’t go with you? “Boo, you whore.” I like sending gifs of that via text too. Hehehe ☺. When you pick up a friend to go somewhere? “Get in loser. We’re going shopping.” When someone that’s not applicable to a certain situation butts in? “SHE DOESN’T EVEN GO HERE.” The possibilities are endless and so fetch.

What are some of your favorite fandom phrases? Share them in the comments!

To find out the origins of 5 Fandom Friday, go here. And check out The Nerdy Girlie and Super Space Chick to catch up with the latest prompts!

geek style

Captain ‘murica

August 8, 2015 Nina Penalosa14 Comments

Well… Anime Expo/the 4th of July happened well over a month ago, but here’s an outfit post of what I wore that day anyway! Since I was at a nerdy convention on the 4th it was only appropriate that I wore my Captain America dress by Her Universe. This dress was designed by one of the winners of last year’s Her Universe Geek Fashion Show. I knew I had to get it once I saw it because 1. it’s adorable and 2. Captain America is my Avengers husband. 🙂

I also made a pair of hair clips shaped like the wings on his helmet out of foam. It was a super last minute craft project — I made them the night before I left for LA. Haha! Ryan (my sister’s boyfriend) gave me the idea to make them awhile ago when I mentioned that I wanted to Disneybound as Captain America for the Captain America 10k that I’m doing in November with Caitlin. That’s already 3 months away! HOLY CRAP. I really need to get my bum in gear for that. It’s been a good while since I’ve attempted to power walk/jog. Walking Rory doesn’t really count, does it? And it’s been a month since I’ve gone to my kickboxing classes.

UGH. The righteousness is NOT surging within me!

I did plan on starting up again this week, but I had a case of vertigo on Tuesday. Have you ever had vertigo? It’s the woooo00000rrrrssst! I had to call in sick to my last day of work before the Fall semester starts, and spent most of my day lying down on the couch. The room felt like it was off balance and spinning, and every time I moved my head ever so slightly it felt like I was going to topple over. ¡No bueno! I’m feeling a lot better now though.

Knowing that not only the marathon, but my cousin’s wedding in Hawaii is just around the corner (like, NEXT MONTH), I’m trying to motivate myself to get into stealth mode. I thought about doing another Whole 30 like I did back in February, but Jennifer pointed out how doing a strict Whole 30 is going to be stressful because I’m going to have to constantly make sure that I’m preparing meals, and there’s limited options for eating super clean if I don’t have something with me at work to eat for lunch. So I’m going to just eat as paleo as I possibly can and avoid eating sweets… which has already proven to be hard because I ate a donut on Monday and a cookie the other day. After I did the Whole 30 in February I was doing pretty well, but once the end of May hit, I think that’s when I started to slip back into some old eating habits. Whoops! What can I say? I LOVE dessert.

I don’t care if Steve Rogers is fictional, I gotta make my fake husband proud. But more importantly, I need to make myself proud of myself! <– did that make any sense grammatically?

When I started writing this post, I thought I was going to talk about how super into Captain America I’ve been lately — I got A LOT of Cap related stuff while I was at SDCC and just got the unmasked Funko Pop! figure at Barnes & Noble that I’ve been coveting (thanks, Gwen!) — but it turned into this whole thing about me wanting to get back on a healthier path. I suppose writing about it and posting it for others to read will hold me accountable. So if you see me posting pictures of cookies or whatever on Instagram feel free to call me out!

dress: Her Universe (no longer available)
cardigan: Old Navy (buy similar here)
shoes: dexflex Comfort (buy here)
hair clips & button: DIY’d by me

geek style · out & about · shoppin'

ModCloth’s Fit Shop in SF

August 5, 2015 Nina Penalosa1 Comment

I hit ModCloth‘s Fit Shop in San Francisco last weekend and had so much fun! If you happen to find yourself anywhere near San Francisco between now and the 17th, I highly suggest you get your bum on over there ASAP!!!

I wrote all about what you can expect to see there and the whole shopping experience on Wear Your Voice Mag.

Check out my article here to read all about it and see more pictures! 🙂

I might be heading back there with Gwen and Gladys next week before the pop-up shop goes away forever. Shrouds of regret keep haunting me for not buying that floral skirt and shoes I tried on in the picture above!