Fitness Model Tip

With the recession still upon us, I find that many companies and magazines are leaning towards stock photography rather than commission a photoshoot (which is much more expensive).  If you are a fitness model, this means that you can take advantage of this situation by commissioning your own photoshoot in order to share publishing rights and then use those images to market yourself to various companies and magazines.  Create the kind of images that are being published today such as studio shots, exercise and lifestyle routines and have them ready for the next big opportunity.











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Internationally published photographer based out of Los Angeles.

Natalie Minh started working in the industry as a model in Europe and North America and learned the craft over the years in front of the lens. Over time this evolved into a career as a photographer where Minh trained under renowned fashion, glamour, and commercial photographers in Paris, Milan, and Belgium. Her images are being used by well-known modeling agencies throughout Europe, advertising campaigns in Australia, and published in a number of international magazines such as Muscular Development, Marathon Muscle and Ultra-Fit.

Now based in Los Angeles, her services are available to not only commercial clients but models looking to develop their portfolio as well.

http://photography.natalieminh.com

Treating Acne and Skin Blotchiness

I have been an acne sufferer since my teens.  Many times in my youth I went to the doctor's to get some super strong prescription of benzoil peroxide, Retin-A, Salicylic Acid, etc which heaviy irritated my sensitive skin.  So it was a trade-off over time, pizza face or super irritated and dry skin (but pimple free!).  Over the years of experimentation and clinical advice from my plastic surgeon friend who performs my peels and treatments, I've developed a favored list for skin routine and care.


If you have Moolah to Spend
Obagi Nu-Derm Kit.  It's expensive but a fantastic investment.  After my chemical peels, I was instructed to use these products religiously.  It doesn't irritate my skin, it stays clear.  I like the Normal/Dry version, even though I have oily skin, because the chemicals tend to make my skin dry anyways.  My favorite is the #3, hydroquinone 4% cream, which evens out the skin tone. 

Acne.org 2.5% Benzoil Peroxide tubes.  This is my favorite find of all time.  It comes industrial sized (you will never find a tube this size in stores) and at the low 2.5% non-irritating percentage.  10% is great for spot treatment but 2.5% is the preventive level which you can smear all over the acne prone areas.

Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) Peel from a Plastic Surgeon.  Don't ever buy a home kit of this chemical, it's no joke and you can use ridiculous damage to yourself without expert application.  It's the standard medium peel, feels like a fireball landed on your face, scab and peel over seven days, and come out with minute pores and smooth baby skin.  Absolutely remarkable.

 The Budget Version
Acne.org Kit.  Cleanser - Moisturizer - 2.5% Benzoil Peroxide.  Nice and basic, I've used this too and I have no complaints.

Maxi-Peel #3 Advanced Exfoliant.  This has tretonoin 0.025% and hydroquinone 4% all built into one product.  Tretonoin is the generic version of Retin-A and rids the acne.  Then the double whammy is the hydroquinone. 

30% Glycolic Acid Peel home treatment.  I use this in between my big TCA peels.  It's like the light version of the professional one and keeps the skin glowing as it forces the top layer to renew and peel itself faster than normal, revealing healthier youthful skin below.

Building Flawless Skin from the Ground Up

Building Flawless Skin from the Ground Up
By. Natalie Minh



Flawless, pearlescent skin. The kind that you see in high street designer ads, with the ingénue model’s face zeroed in for the close-up and the viewer can see every pore. The reality is that flawless skin does not come without effort and must start from the basics of proper nutrition and skincare. Models also benefit from the professional hand of a skilled makeup artist (MUA), which we’ll shed a some light on their best kept secrets so that you too can enjoy the look of beautiful glowing skin.

Nutrition.
Drinking an adequate amount of water on a daily basis is essential for the body to flush out toxins via the kidneys, carry nutrients into the cells, blood circulation, and curb appetite. The body is 90% water… do not deprive yourself of the most important nutrient of life! It is recommended that you drink minimum of 4 liters of water a day to enjoy the positive benefits.

Consume natural, non-processed foods whenever possible. The human body was designed to extract nutrients from foods growing in Mother Nature, not the grocery store point of sale area selling gooey candy bars. Many of us unknowingly experience slight allergies to various preservatives and other added chemicals found in processed foods, which as a result affect our skin. The healthiest way to avoid this is to stick to foods free of these ingredients. The other added benefit is that unprocessed foods are typically less calorie dense and therefore help maintain a trim physique.

Skin Care
Clean skin with a tight pored, acne-free, even complexion is our goal. So with that, our first focus is the cleanser. Dermatologists’ favorite tip when it comes to aggravated skin is to stick to products made specifically for sensitive skin. The perennial OTC favorite such as Cetaphil have been prescribed to acne suffering teenagers and adults alike.

On a regular basis, a facial steam will help open up your pores to enable you to clean out the debris without using excessive pressure. Steaming should always be done to a clean face. If you choose to attack a pimple or clogged pore, invest in a comedone extractor, which can be found in most beauty supply stores. The steaming will open the pore and soften the area, while the extractor will precisely remove the debris without the trauma caused by fingernails.

Proper moisturizer with sunscreen is essential to protecting the skin from long term sun damage, hyper pigmentation, and maintaining overall youthfulness of the skin. Natural sunlight contains ultraviolet (UV) photons which, when strike the skin, generate free radicals which damage skin DNA. Over time, this causes sunburn, premature aging of the skin, and is the leading cause of skin cancer each year.

Apricot or fruit acid scrubs are a great way to remove dry layers of the epidermis. In order to obtain the youthful dewy glow of fresh skin, you need to uncover it via a regular regimen of scrubs, which also in turn set the canvas for smooth makeup application.

Makeup
MUAs have developed key techniques over time to balance out the skin tone, bring the focus to the eyes and mouth, shade and highlight bone structure in order to hide the flaws and accentuate the strong points. With a few tricks of the trade, the flawless look is very achievable.

Starting with some concealer which is one shade lighter than your skin, dab under and around the eyes, over blemishes, and around the corners of the nose and mouth. These are typically the areas of the face that photograph darker than the rest of the face.

Next, lightly apply a rose hued blush on the apples of the cheeks and thoroughly blend along the cheekbones. Use a high quality eyelash curler such as Shu Uemura or Shiseido and apply two coats of black mascara on the upper and lower lashes to open up and draw emphasis to the eyes. Applying a sheer or tinted lipgloss livens the face without appearing heavy or overdone. Sweeping a matching face powder over the entire face further evens out skin tone without the heavy appearance of a liquid foundation. Finally, using a shading powder 2 shades darker than your skin tone, accentuate the line below the cheekbone and blend under the chin, along the sides of the nose and hairline. MUAs also apply a highlighting powder to the bridge of the nose (which gives it a more aquiline appearance), middle of the forehead, the area between the cheekbones and undereyes, and lightly brushed on the chin. After this is well blended with a fluffy brush, the flawless look is yours.

Happy Valentine's Day! Some Romantic Ideas

Valentine's Day is about spending quality "Us" time together to show your partner that they are special to you.  Forget all the over the top splurging.... it's the sentiment that counts so I recommend to put a little personal touch and some effort into it to make it memorable.

As a fitness model and epicurian at heart, here's my suggested plan for a perfect Valentine's Day -

1. You worked hard for that sexy body so now's the time to make your partner's heart beat fast. Put on some killer F-me stilettos, black seam stockings, lingerie, smoky eye makeup, and sexy hair.
2. Layer on your favorite scent starting with the fragranced lotion then the perfume to make it last through the evening.
3. Prepare the meal in your hot outfit while he gets to sit back with some champagne and enjoy the view.  Remember that champagne is a wonderful aphrodisiac!
4. Serve it up by candlelight, take your time to enjoy every bite and drink.
5. I'll leave the dessert up to you! ;) 

Here's my recommended menu (all recipes found from epicurious.com, modified slightly to make them healthier):

Green Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette
Caramelized Cumin-Roasted Carrots
Halibut Brochettes Provençale
Roasted Plums with Greek Yogurt


Green Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette
ingredients

1/2 cup cider vinegar
4 teaspoons grainy mustard
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
8 cups mixed greens such as mesclun or a mix of romaine and Boston and Bibb lettuces


preparation

Whisk together vinegar, mustard, sugar, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.
Add lettuce and toss to coat.
What to drink:
Josmeyer Les Folastries
Gewürztraminer '05


Caramelized Cumin-Roasted Carrots
ingredients

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
12 medium to large carrots, peeled, cut on diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt


preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray.
Combine carrots and all remaining ingredients in large bowl; toss to coat. Spread in single layer on prepared baking sheet. Roast carrots until tender and lightly caramelized, turning carrots over once, 35 to 40 minutes.



Halibut Brochettes Provençale

The herbes de Provence blend is even better when it's made from fresh herbs. Here, it creates an elegant pairing for a colorful mix of summer vegetables and halibut. 

ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh marjoram
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh sage
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fennel seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon finely chopped dried lavender blossoms*
• 1 1 1/2-inch-diameter zucchini, cut into eight 1/2-inch-thick rounds
• 1 unpeeled slender eggplant, trimmed, halved lengthwise, cut into eight 1- to 1 1/4-inch pieces
• 8 mini plum tomatoes or large cherry tomatoes
• 16 mini bell peppers in assorted colors (from one 5-ounce package) or 1 bell pepper cut into 1-inch squares
• 1 small red onion, cut into 4 wedges, each wedge halved crosswise, layers kept intact
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 pounds halibut, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Special Equipment: 12 metal skewers


preparation

Mix first 7 ingredients in small bowl. Place zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, and onion in large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon herb mixture and 1 tablespoon oil to vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Thread 1 mini pepper, 1 zucchini round, 1 eggplant piece, 1 tomato, 1 onion piece, and 1 more mini pepper onto each of 8 skewers. DO AHEAD: Herb mixture and vegetables can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate.

Place fish in medium bowl; sprinkle 2 tablespoons herb mixture over. Add 3 tablespoons oil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, and garlic; sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Cover and chill at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours, tossing occasionally.

Simmer wine, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice in small saucepan until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 3 minutes. Stir in remaining herb mixture. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Spray grill rack with nonstick spray; prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Divide fish cubes among remaining 4 skewers. Grill vegetable skewers until vegetables are slightly charred and tender, turning occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes. Grill fish skewers until fish is cooked through, turning occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes.

Place 1 fish skewer and 2 vegetable skewers on each plate. Drizzle sauce over.

* Also called culinary lavender buds; available at some supermarkets and farmers' markets, at many natural foods stores, and from deandeluca.com



 Roasted Plums with Greek Yogurt

• Parchment paper
• 6 dark plums, halved and pitted
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup 2 percent Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons hazelnuts, toastedin the oven at 375°F for 7 minutes, chopped
• 2 teaspoons honey

preparation

Heat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place plums cut side up on sheet, brush with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until soft and some juices run off, about 15 minutes. Divide among 4 bowls, top each with 2 tablespoons yogurt, sprinkle with nuts and drizzle with honey.

A Gift for the Man that has EVERYTHING

USB cufflinks. Badass, right??  What's even badder is that they were designed and invented by my beautiful and talented best friend Telihana.  Her company behind this ingenious jewelry is called Rogue Concepts and this is just the first of many innovative products to come.

My LASIK Experience as a new Spokesmodel - The LASIK Spa, Brentwood CA

I recently connected with Dr. Michael Granberry of the LASIK Spa in Brentwood CA. He is a highly skilled and well-respected LASIK surgeon having been educated at the Mayo Clinic and performed over 90,000 eye procedures, making him one of the most experienced LASIK surgeons in the world. I am honored to work with him and experience his work firsthand.

I went in with my sister to get the procedure done, where I observed her procedure live first on a TV screen, then went in right after her, which took no more than 10 minutes. Painless, comfortable, exclusive location in Brentwood, super multilingual staff (the woman who performed my eye exam spoke Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and English!), and most of all an extremely caring and kind doctor.

I went in to the surgery having worn contacts for 15 years and experienced the annoyances of bad vision during my sports such as swimming, martial arts, etc. Not being able to go without goggles while swimming or dropping a contact during a game of tennis and playing the game as Cyclops... you get the picture. Yes like any medical procedure there are risks, however after much study of Dr. Granberry's track record and positive feedback from other top athletes in my field such as IFBB Pro Shawn Ray, Jay Cutler, supermodels Petra Nemcova, Victoria Secret model Marissa Miller, etc etc convinced me that I would be at the hands of the best.

As an athlete/model/photographer, receiving the gift of vision has been absolutely life changing. The first day my eyes were sore and I slept right after the procedure. The morning after, my first thought was that I had fallen asleep with my contacts in because I could see everything in my bedroom! There was a slight fuzziness at first yet everything was very sharp. Three days after the procedure my vision is getting sharper and sharper, fuzziness is gone and my eyes are very comfortable. I am happily going to donate my old glasses to the big pile at the LASIK Spa's office, definitely no longer needed! What was also very cool was that my sister now has equally perfect vision and we got to share the experience together. HAHA Bonding time!

As a very happy patient and speaking on behalf of myself and my sister, I would highly recommend that if you were considering LASIK, trust your eyes to the industry's best.

THEY ARE YOUR EYES - YOUR VISION!

Here I am after being prepped for the LASIK procedure. Thank you Dr. Granberry for the wonderful gift of vision!

The Metabolic Effect Blog

I first connected with Jill Coleman on Twitter and learned about her wonderfully intelligent blog called the Metabolic Effect (ME).

Jill Coleman BS, ACSM-CPT, ME-MGT is also a contributor to ME. Jill is a triple threat in the fitness world in that she has a bachelors degree in exercise, advanced certifications from ACSM, is a masters candidate in holistic nutrition and is a professional fitness model. She is also the Director of Instructor Training for Metabolic Effect and has been instrumental in developing our training curriculum. She brings a wealth of knowledge, expertise, and credibility to the blog. She writes and appears frequently in many fitness publications. She is a contributing writer to Onfitness magazine and is currently finishing up the highly anticipated exercise book series, My Gym Trainer, with co-author LeAura Alderson. You can learn more about Jill at her website www.jillfit.com or follow her on Twitter www.twitter.com/JillFit

I highly recommend you to check out her blog http://metaboliceffect.wordpress.com/ if you want to become educated on the science of fat loss.

Lovely night in Paris

Met up with my brother in law, his new gf, some of his cousins and one of my fans, Philippe at the Buddha Bar for some very overpriced drinks. Good to see the place, touristy, but well done.




Philippe was a very friendly sophisticated Parisian attorney who gave us a nice recommendation to move onto Hotel Costes, about a 5 min walk up the road. That little walk was worth it as it was a very polished lounge/resto, quite upscale, beautiful people.

Ahh Parieeeee, j'adore votre ville!!

-- Post From My iPhone