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Broken Brain

July 4, 2018 by The Lady Nerd 1 Comment

Some days are as hard
As the day when you broke
When you were taken apart
And couldn’t understand why you

Some days everything hurts
And no one truly understands
Because they weren’t remade
In the image that was once you

Those are the days you fight the hardest
Not to be who you were, no
But because that is who you are
A fighter who reforged her soul

The broken who again become whole
Are the most beautiful of all
Every scar a testament of life
Every jolt of pain a reminder
This is what survival looks like
Pain and laughter and joy
Tears you can’t always hide
And a soul that will never give up the fight
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My beautiful friend, Stevie surprised me with this poem she wrote to help me get through days that my injured brain hates me (which seems to be all the time lately). So I wanted to share this in hopes that it might help someone else.

Amazing photo by Andrew Artimage (from a never before seen photoshoot of mine from a year or so ago that I’ve been too nervous to share. But I’ve come to realize how powerful these photos are. They are art through which I expressed my inner anguish that, at the time, I was trying to keep hidden from the world to keep up my usual Kaylee Frye-esuqe usual nature. I’m proud I did them).

Captain America Fitness 2

June 25, 2018 by The Lady Nerd 2 Comments

As a follow-up to previous post, here is the second outfit I put together from Her Universe and Kohl’s Marvel activewear collection a couple years ago. This outfit features the same capri pants, but a longer (and very comfy) tank top. I really appreciate that the collections Her Universe has been doing feature both sports bras and long tank tops to suit different style preferences.

For instance, I like the sports bra for when I’m working out really hard as it’s more comfortable to not have sweat-laden fabric sticking to me all over my torso (lovely TMI…aren’t human bodies great?!). But I like the longer tank top for light exercise and being around other people (i.e. I totally wear this as a normal everyday top).

Now if this heat wave would just break, I could actually exercise and not want to ooze onto the floor like Nickelodeon slime (you’re welcome for that visual)!

Photography: Kyle Matthew Williams
Top: Her Universe
Capris: Her Universe
Bracelet: Hot Topic
Shoes: Naturalizer
Aviators: Target

Father’s Day

June 17, 2018 by The Lady Nerd 1 Comment

Oh yes, it’s mushy time. I make no apologies for being a total Daddy’s girl (or as Mom coined the phrase, “Daddy’s little girl clone“). While I know this particular day is not a favourite of many or even a painful one, I realize that I am very privileged to celebrate mine with joy as I’ve been blessed with a good father. And not just any father….a GEEK FATHER!

Meet Robert Lamb – el Daddio. Also known as fan-favourite writer, storyboard artist of beloved cartoons like He-man, She-ra, and many others. Oh yes, I come from proper geek lineage (my mom also did screenwriting for Filmation’s Bravestarr!). So as they say, the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree. Or in my case, the apple didn’t even bounce!

Now, I’ll admit I’m unashamedly biased, I really do have the coolest dad around. He fought all the hard battles while I was growing up to teach me how to be a lady. He’s always been there to be my guide in spiritual matters and my career. He spends untold hours listening to me, counseling me, laughing with me, geeking out with me. He was wise enough to not interfere with my budding art skills, but was quick to step in once I chose it as my profession to help me into the professional world (go figure I chose the SAME profession. I was a storyboard artist for 10 years). He taught me how to be a geek before it was cool. He’s showed me what a real man should look like, both in being an husband of excellent worth and father.

So here’s to you, Rob Lamb from your odd offspring – Happy Daddy’s Day!

My 30th Birthday Party

May 11, 2018 by The Lady Nerd Leave a Comment

This post contains affiliate linksWhile I’ve never been a big birthday party person, my friends have had other ideas the last few years. It started back in 2014 when I realized many in my various circles of friends hadn’t met each other. For the Atlanta geek community being the size it is, I was honestly surprised at this. So I orchestrated a party under the disguise of personal merriment to introduce some awesome people other equally awesome people. I’ve had friends find their significant others, new best friends, or cosplay partner-in-crimes at the parties! (Which my comprades aptly named “Brianacon” due to the theming put with the first iteration of my Atlanta birthday festivities).

For reference, here is a list of the themes of years past (would you folks be interested in seeing photos from those other years? If so, leave a comment and I might see about writing up some other blog posts about them. 🙂 ).

2014 – Off Duty Superheroes
2015 – No theme (after my accident)
2016 – Firefly
2017 – Time Travel
2018 – 1988

This year is the big 3-0 for me so it took me a hot minute to try to figure out a good theme. I almost went for my first and most beloved fandom – Star Wars, but I also thought that I’m only going turn 30 once, so why not get personal with it with a theme of 1988, the year of my womb escape adventure? (I later expanded it to 1980s for costuming purposes.)

Then came my costume…

I’ll admit struggling to find one as there wasn’t much in 1988 (costume-wise) that I identified with or felt went with my whole Lady Nerd vibe. I wanted something either personal or something I would feel pretty wearing (after a long bout of depression and house renovations – i.e. dressing dumpy). Being a Disney fan, I looked for what came out in 1988 and was disappointed to find no major Disney film came out that year. It was an inbetween year for the major animated features. But I did stumble across a stunning rendition of one of the characters from Disney’s Oliver and Company done by Major Sam Cosplay. She personified Georgette, the diva poodle, into a jaw dropping human starlet outfit.

But I felt it was unprofessional and disrespectful to simple recreate her original design without her permission, even for just a birthday party. So I nervously messaged Sam about my request. To my surprise she answered back not only with permission for the party but to enjoy wearing it wherever, even with conventions! What a darling.

So, although I wasn’t able to recreate it to the same level, I was able to style it together last minute for the party (thank you Amazon and parental units!). And boy did I need it…I had felt quite terrible for various reasons leading up to the party, but when I put that Pinup Girl Clothing Gia gown (you might recognize it from my Bride of Frankenstein post) and that blue wig, I felt like a million poodle-y bucks.

A lovely family from church offered their stunning home for the party’s location (you might see this home pop up from time to time on my blog as a popular destination as the the host are AMAZING party people. They regularly throw large parties for Star Wars or Lord of the Rings movie releases). My friends started arriving, decked out in their best 80s costumes and fun party was had by all. So without further adieu, here are some pictures of the festivities!

My Costume Notes

Wig: Amazon
Bow: Party City
Necklace: Dollar Tree
Dog Tag: 3D printed by a friend
Dress: Pinup Girl Clothing
Fur Stole: Poshmark

The Last Jedi Rey Cosplay

May 4, 2018 by The Lady Nerd 9 Comments

This post contains affiliate links

December 2017 premiered one of my favourite Star Wars films to date (more on that later. I’ll be doing a video with a friend on this particularly controversial statement). I had no intention of doing another Rey cosplay, but I loved The Last Jedi so much that I knew I had to pay tribute to it in some manner.

I sat on the idea for a while as summertime Georgia doesn’t lend well to Skellig Island-esque views. But an opportunity presented itself in the form of a cross-country trip to the mountainous misty regions of the Pacific Northwest. What a perfect location to mimic Ahch-to, right?! Well, so I thought…alas, due to me being relegated to a tight cruise schedule and ever-changing weather, I was not able to do a photoshoot with the outfit I had put together specially for the occasion.

I was devastated.

I had excitedly told followers this shoot was happening as well as folks I had bought pieces from. I wasn’t able to hold up my end and so I sat on the outfit for months. But all was not lost. In a rare sequence of events, everything lined up just right to the epic pictures that follow.

While I was still feeling bummed out, I knew I still had to shoot the outfit. So, I approached one of my favourite photographers, Michael Rivera (who did my Bride of Frankenstein shoot, Spider-girl, etc.) to try to figure out how to shoot this look with the less-than-ideal locations we had locally. We decided on Stone Mountain and hoped for the best. Little did I know what was waiting for us at the shooting location…

We arrived at Stone Mountain on a quiet grey day and were greeted with the most stunning fog. I was beside myself with joy! While it didn’t necessarily look like coastal Skellig Island, fog always makes for interesting pictures.

Truth be told, grey days have never been my favourite – those sullen days devoid of colour, of happy light, and lacking warmth. Being a creature that seems mainly solar powered, rainy days usually worsen my depression and keep me chained with lethargy away from being productive. I loathed rainy days.

That is, until recently.

Thanks to a combination of shows like Outlander and Game of Thrones, with their ethereal locations to dreamily sighing over beautiful misty aesthetics on social media, and finally my own trip last year through the snow-laden Rockies and glacier covered Alaska, I have come to love misty days. There’s something truly fantastical about them; the way fog descends onto the treetops and eerily kisses the ground.

Now that the epicness has been addressed, let’s rewind to the outfit, shall we?

Rather than doing a full cosplay, I decided to go the ‘inspired-by’ fashion route. (Of course, once I put the pieces together I realized it looked like a cosplay and not an everyday outfit. Ah well…Rey closet cosplay!) I bought the vest and fingerless gloves from Elhoffer Design‘s first run of the Galactic Scavenger Sweater (she has a cropped version up now). The material is incredibly soft and fits me like a glove!

I purchased the shirt off Amazon from a lovely lady with her own clothing line. The hunt for pants was a bit frustrating as I had terrible luck finding anything remotely like brown capris at the time. Thankfully, my friend Kayla came to the rescue and gave me her old Rey pants as she worked on a new pair. Coupled with my Rey belt from 2 Player Game Cosplay and Props, scavenger bag donated by another friend, and the amazing 3D printed staff from The Helpful Nerd, the look completely came together!

Last but certainly not least are my beloved Po-Zu boots. I was blessed to be among the first to get the Piper brown boots when some of us steely-eyed cosplayers discovered the boots from this small London shoe company. They’ve gone on to get a license with Disney and have a whole line of new Star Wars footwear! I’m so happy for them! They certainly deserve it with their wonderful customer service and did I mention RIDICULOUSLY comfy shoes? Wearing my Rey boots are like walking on clouds (memory foam insoles are the best!). They’re made of all sustainable materials – tweed, cork, natural rubber, and coconut fibre. I can’t recommend them enough.

May the Fourth be with you!

Photograph: Michael Rivera
Hair: Gina Rivera (because I’m HORRIBLE at those stupid buns…)
Vest & Gloves: Elhoffer Design
Top: Amazon – Ooh La La
Cape: Elhoffer Design
Pants: Elendriel
Belt: 2 Player Game Cosplay and Props
Bag: Gifted
Shoes: Po-zu
Staff: The Helpful Nerd

The Last Teaser

May 4, 2018 by The Lady Nerd Leave a Comment

For May the Fourth (be with you) tomorrow, I will be releasing one of my favourite photoshoots to date! Here is a teaser of what it might be of. Stay tuned for some epicness in a galaxy far far away…

Photography: Michael Rivera
Cape: Elhoffer Design
Staff: The Helpful Nerd

A Paler Shade of Stark

May 3, 2018 by The Lady Nerd Leave a Comment

As a follow-up to the previous post of my Femme Tony Stark, I thought I’d do a twist on the typical black blazer and slacks combo. Stark is always cutting a slick and fashionable figure, so it stands to reason that his female counterpart would do the same. Thus I opted for a sleek blazer from H&M a few years ago with its partnership of corporate khaki and rebellious leather. How very Tony Stark.

Although they’re not pictured here, the khaki and leather blazer perfectly matches my Express slacks (seriously, it almost looks like they’re cut from the same fabric). It would appear the black blazer also has the same advantage. This pleases me greatly.

Jarvis, hold my calls.

Photography: RBC Image

Hair: Abraham Saucedo

Makeup: Courtney Walters

Khaki Blazer with Leather Sleeves: H&M
Black Blazer: H&M

Arc Reactor: Custom made by Pixelbash Props

Black tank top: H&M

Watch: Target

Belt: Target

Pants: Express

Shoes: Aldo via DSW Wharehouse

Vogue Loki Makeup

April 30, 2018 by Briana Leave a Comment

This post contains affiliate links

For those curious types, I thought I’d share what makeup was used on me by makeup artist Aisha Daly for my Vogue Loki shoot.

Eye Shadow – Urban Decay
Half-Baked (light)
Kush (bright green)
Cobra (dark green)
(later, black smokey eye makeup was added for the final photoshoot)

Eyeliner – Urban Decay
Stagedive – discontinued
Midnight Cowboy

Foundation – Clinique foundation in Alabaster

Lips – Urban Decay Half-Baked eyeshadow (later I added cheap Halloween store black lipstick for the shoot)

Fun fact: While my eyes look very dark brown, I discovered through closeups and lighting experiments that my eyes are actually very dark green with brown right around the pupil and dark edges.

Thoughts on Turning Thirty

April 24, 2018 by The Lady Nerd 1 Comment

This post may contain affiliate links

They say turning thirty will feel like just another day. For others, I can only assume that must be true from how many times I’ve heard it. But for me, that has not been the case. The morning of my 30th birthday came and it didn’t feel like another day.

It felt cold.

It felt foreign.

I looked outside at the storm raging outside the window. Rain was coming down so hard it was almost going sideways. The wind had picked up to the point of sending tree branches crashing into the side of the house. How symbolic…I have felt the increasing weight of adult problems to the point I feel beaten by it. The morning I turned thirty years old only seemed to intensify the fact. I spent it crying.

While I know it’s simply a societal construct that by thirty, one should have their “act together”; to be making good money at your chosen career, married with a family, own a house, all while making it look Pinterest-worthy. Those milestones still plague at my mind. I expected myself to be much farther along than I am. But I greet 30 worse for wear. The usual cycle of work problems, not having my own place, not married, still not making above the poverty line, not succeeding with my personal geek fashion business, and the physical signs of aging mixed with post-accident injuries make for a poor start to my 30s.

But wait…

Is it?

A troubled heart has a way of telling the mind convincing lies. A broken brain believes them, but it doesn’t necessarily make them true.

While I used to not have to put much effort into being positive, after the deterioration from the accident, it’s much harder for me to see the silver lining. But it doesn’t mean it isn’t there. I’ve had to learn that both realities of depression and happiness exist, even at the same time. You have to learn that while feelings are valid, they are not always reality.

I may not be employed right now, but The Gifted: Season 2 starts soon and I have guaranteed employment among a beloved cast and crew.
I may not be employed right now, but I can spend my free time blessing others when there’s no one there to take them to the emergency room or for a cup of tea after a horrid breakup.
I may not have my dream career right now, but I have achieved my dream careers of years past – storyboard artist and film costumer. I DID achieve those dreams. They had their season and it’s on to new dreams.
I may not have my own home, but I have my own room larger than some people’s apartments that’s been recently renovated to my desires by my loving roommates (who are some of my closest friends).
I may not be married, but I just celebrated a year anniversary with a wonderful boyfriend who is as genuine in his love as is humanly possible.
I may not be married, but I dodged a bullet of terrible ex and am in a much better, healthier relationship with a man that my friends and family love.
I may not be making above the poverty line, but that tax return was big enough that I was able to pay off some bills and buy new furniture when I couldn’t afford it otherwise.
I may not have a successful geek fashion blog, but I still get messages every week of how my posts inspire you and help you style creatively in art, fashion, and home.
I may be seeing signs of aging that I don’t like, but others still think I’ve barely graduated highschool. (Thank you Mom for the fountain-of-youth genes!)

I may not have the success one expects with a 30 year old, but there’s still hope.

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Test shoot with DEW Photography (we were originally going for a casual black and white shoot, but a storm rolled in and we had to get artsy-fartsy with it. Who knew how appropriate it would actually be…)

Shirt: H&M (from a few seasons ago)
Pants: Pinup Girl Clothing
Shoes: Lifestride Quell flats
Bracelet: Bellabeat Leaf health tracker

Agent Carter Lipstick

March 30, 2018 by The Lady Nerd Leave a Comment

This post contains affiliate links
“Never underestimate the power of red lipstick“, they say.

Unless you’re me, then you underestimate it all the time. I’m late to the makeup game as I only started wearing makeup a couple years ago for photoshoots and film work. I was so hesitant about applying colour to my own face that I actually photoshopped this photo from the previous photoshoot with red lips before I tried it on myself!

But I finally caved and got Besame’s 1946 red velvet lipstick that they used on Hayley Atwell aka Agent Peggy Carter (I’m still sore they cancelled the show…). It’s a deeper, almost brownish red with a semi-matte finish. I wasn’t sure how it would look with my slightly yellow-ish teeth, but it still works well! I only use it on special occasions when I have the time to meticulously apply it, but it’s a beautiful opaque colour and with geek street cred to boot! I mean, what vintage loving geek gal wouldn’t want Agent Carter’s signature shade?

Her Universe Agent Carter tshirt worn by The Lady Nerd

Wearing an Agent Carter tee by Her Universe a few years back

Besame 1946 Red Velvet Lipstick – Amazon