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Chance to Win an iPad with Motives by Loren Ridinger

Motives Create Your Look Contest

Do you have hottest new makeup style or trend? Are you creative and enjoy working with makeup? Motives by Loren Ridinger welcomes you to enter the “Create Your Look” video contest where you become the make-up expert. 

Here’s how to win:

STEP 1: Use your video camera, phone or digital recorder to create a video showing a personalized step-by-step video tutorial of your tips for creating the latest styles using the new Motives by Loren Ridinger® and Motives® for La La Fall/Winter 2012 Runway Collection. Videos can highlight basic make-up application techniques or show viewers how to create the newest and most creative trend. 

STEP 2: Click "ENTER" above to upload your video and submit the required information.

STEP 3: Share your video with your friends on your social media channels and get them to vote!

Contest submission deadline is September 26, 2012.

Questions: 210. 279.6731

Motives for Lala

If you love makeup, you'll love Motives by Loren Ridinger for Lala. Watch this video and find out why? Contact me if you have any questions. Thank you!

PORTRAIT TO TREASURE A LIFETIME

People often ask what kind of photography I do? and my answer is anything that can be photographed. But to be true and fair, I love photographing people and life's events. Whether it senior portrait session, a bridal, engagement, wedding, or fashion etc...I love them all. I love to interact with people, learn a thing or two about them, and capture the essence of each individual from within. 

Music - Food - Good time!

It doesn't matter what life's events you're about to celebrate. I am there from the very beginning to the very end to ensure your "one of a kind" live event be covered with all the fun, food, music, passion, love, enthusiasm. Just sit back relax and let me do all the hard work so don't have to.

Sonny Nguyen

210.279.6731

Eating Healthy On a Budget

Jul 29, 2011

by TLS

Whether you are actually on a diet or not, you are most likely aware of how important healthy eating is, and what a challenge it has actually become. From the documentaries Supersize Me and Food Inc., and books like Fast Food Nation, we’ve all been made aware of the dietary dangers posed by mass-produced, highly processed foods.

We’ve been informed, often in the simplest of terms, how to shop : take your cart around the outside of the grocery store and avoid the center aisles, buy locally from Farmer’s Markets whenever possible, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, free-range chicken and grass-fed beef. Anyone who’s ever looked into buying these items, however, has surely noticed a difference in their bottom line.

The sad fact is that healthy eating wasn’t in great demand for much of the 20^th century, so the supply dwindled. Now, in the early 21^st, things have swung fully the other way—huge demand and short supply.
Until production picks up, don’t worry: healthy eating on a budget can be done. The following are 7 easy-to-follow tips that will set you on the right track:
 

1. Buy Whole Foods in Large Quantities-Processed, boxed foods may seem more convenient, but the truth is they represent an unhealthy false economy. Unprocessed foods are cheaper and more nutritious, and always have been.
2. Protein: Go after ground beef, chicken breast, eggs and canned tuna—these are generally the cheapest-per-gram proteins available. Always keep an eye out for discounted meats—they can go right in the freezer!
3. Carbohydrates: For non-grain sources, go after beans first, then fruit, then vegetables. For grains, oatmeal, then whole-grain rice or pasta—these are extremely easy to stockpile, and if you buy in quantity during a sale, odds are good you’ll have enough to last you until the next sale.
4. Fats: It’s not likely you’ll need many fat sources on their own after factoring in the meat and eggs, but olive oil is great as a condiment and to cook with, and it need not be “extra virgin” to reap the health benefits. All forms of nuts are great too, especially as snacks, even though they are among the priciest of what’s been named so far.
5. Buy Generic Foods & House Brands– the less ingredients there are in a given product, the healthier it tends to be, and the less difference between so-called “house” brands and name brands. Ask yourself: how different, really, can two brands of oatmeal be? Read the labels, but know: Pure and simple foods lead to pure and simple shopping.
6. Buy Frozen Fruits and Vegetables – in short, this will:
7. Save Money: You can often pay roughly half the price for the same quantity. Contrary to popular belief, modern freezing techniques make frozen foods just about equivalent to fresh from a nutritional standpoint.
8. Save Time: Frozen foods are pre-washed and pre-cut—time is money too.
9. Save Shopping: as with the grains example above, a stockpile of frozen produce can carry you quite a way.
10. Drink Tap Water – but consider purchasing a filter—as investments go, this ranks pretty highly. The most basic counter-top units will filter 90 gallons of water—roughly 3 months worth for one person. By contrast, bottled water averages about $2.00, for what amounts to a single serving.
11. Try for a One-Stop Shop Every Time – While sales are great, running around town for different discounts on items are often penny-wise and dollar foolish. Remember: gas prices are high, and your time is valuable too.
12. Prepare Your Own Food – we live in an economy of convenience, but for the most part, the conversion rate is pretty high. Whenever you can, avoid buying “outside” (non-grocery) food—this saves money AND helps ensure you always know what you’re eating. Pack your lunch for work, eat before going out and bring your own protein shake in your gym bag.
13. Supplement – at first, this may not seem to make sense, but basic supplements—like a vitamin/mineral multipack—are actually relatively inexpensive, are effective at balancing out any deficiencies in diet and will prove invaluable when going through a financially “lean” period, when beans and rice may be on the menu for a while.

And finally, a Bonus Tip: everyone thinks of their food budget in terms of money, but how many think about it in terms of food? In other words, how much should you be eating, really?

Asking this one question prevents the need to ask many others. A suggested figure is about 12 calories per pound of bodyweight—meaning a 200 lb person requires only 2400 calories, and that number goes down if you weigh less than that, if you’re carrying more fat than you’d like, or are getting less exercise than you should. Food for thought, definitely, and maybe for action too.
But that is for another article.

PHOTO SHOOT @ LINH SPA & SALON

Thank you Linh & team for this awesome opportunity to work with you and your team. I look forward to working & growing with you and your team for years to come.

Best regards,
Sonny Nguyen

LYSSA + JUSTIN

It was my privilege to get to work with Lyssa + Justin. I know Lyssa and her precious family the last 10+ years. Here are just couple of the many beautiful images I created for them this past Sunday. Enjoy!

Sonny Nguyen

How To Gain More Time?

If you’re like me, you probably one way or the other felt like there is not enough time in a day especially when you’re so busy.

And if you’re like me, you probably feel overwhelmed by the tasks at hands, and all other deadline assignments that you wish to just magically disappear.

Well, as you may already know that, there is only 24 precious hours per day. No more, no less forever fixed. That means we can’t sit around and wonder when you going to get more time. Instead, I’ve come to realized this fact and below is my reason with a much approachable, doable and realistic plan to gain some time for yourself, so you can get more things done, or the things you desired of doing.

24 hrs per day

8 hrs of sleeping. (1/3 of your life)

8 hrs of working. (if you have a 9-5 working job)

8 hrs of errands, hobbies, family, children, life events, vacation, personal hygiene, religion, charity, etc.

 Now, you have a much more clear picture of where your time goes. No wonder you have no time? Well, so the question now is how can you get more time, when there is no time to begin with?

Well, here is my approach when it comes to time management. I also come to realize that 8 hrs of working at your job is not negotiated. What about 8 hrs of sleeping? And the other 8 hrs of everything else? Well, lets see instead of 8 hrs of sleeping, can it be 7 hrs? Can you live without fewer hobbies? How about lets put off this year vacation? How about trimming that down to another hr from 8 hrs to 7 hrs instead? Are you strong enough to live with that? I bet you can.

And if the answer is yes, then there you go. You have just gained at least 2 hrs for yourself a day, time that to 7 days and bam, you have now earned yourself 14 extra hours per/week so you can do the things that in the past seemed impossible.

Try it, it’s not easy but I promise it will be worth it. Until next time, take good care of yourself, and others.

Keep on growing!

Sonny Nguyen

Which Bride Are You?

RICK + JOBINA'S ENGAGEMENT PORTRAITS

It was fun creating these images for Rick & Jobina. This couple is full of love and passion for each other.
I am lucky to be the one behind the lens to capture some of these special moments. I wish them both of luck!

MOTHER'S DAY HIGHTLIGHTS

We celebrated our Mother's day this year with lots of food with our family and loved ones. Here are some moments captured forever!