{"id":176369,"date":"2026-02-13T10:07:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T10:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/176369\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T10:07:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T10:07:10","slug":"a-beauty-gurus-guide-to-san-francisco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/176369\/","title":{"rendered":"A beauty guru\u2019s guide to San Francisco"},"content":{"rendered":"

Unlock the Editor\u2019s Digest for free<\/p>\n

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.<\/p>\n

My first memory of San Francisco was visiting with my parents to get my US citizenship when I\u00a0was\u00a0eight or nine. I was born in\u00a0Afghanistan and came to the\u00a0US a\u00a0year and a half later. We\u00a0landed\u00a0in Montana and moved to Fremont,\u00a0a sprawling city in California\u2019s Bay Area, shortly after. That\u2019s pretty much\u00a0where I grew up.<\/p>\n

Fremont is only about 45 minutes outside of San Francisco. But that first visit\u00a0\u2013\u00a0going to the big city and seeing the Golden\u00a0Gate Bridge \u2013 was really eye-opening. I knew immediately that I was a\u00a0city girl. I was like, \u201cOh my God \u2013 this is the\u00a0life I\u2019m destined for.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"HomidiHomidi at the bar at Bix restaurant in the north-east of the city \u00a9 Aaron Wojack<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not about what you\u2019re wearing here. It\u2019s about who you are<\/p>\n

San Francisco is known to be at the sort of liberal forefront of everything. There\u2019s so much diversity and it\u2019s always been about being free and living your best life. I moved to New York in 2008 to pursue my career as a make-up artist, working my way up to collaborate with brands including Celine, Chanel, Calvin Klein and The Row. But when I come back \u2013 a few times a year \u2013 it feels like a homecoming. The Bay Area definitely has an influence when I think about the looks I\u2019m drawn to. Chicana culture [a movement that emerged from Mexican-American communities] was really popular when I\u00a0was growing up \u2013\u00a0there was a lot of winged eyeliner, dark lips and blue eyeshadow. I\u00a0worked in beauty retail here at Neiman Marcus, which is still where I go if I\u00a0have an\u00a0event and need to find something.<\/p>\n

\"RaisedRaised in the Bay Area and now living in New York, Homidi visits San Francisco several times a year \u00a9 Aaron Wojack\"OutsideOutside Bix \u00a9 Aaron Wojack<\/p>\n

Now when I\u2019m in San Francisco, it\u2019s mostly for work; the US HQ of Sephora, a\u00a0large-scale stockist of my eponymous beauty brand, is based here.\u00a0I often stay at\u00a0the Hyatt Regency in\u00a0the airport. You\u2019re thinking, \u201cIs that not\u00a0kind of shabby?\u201d But\u00a0it\u2019s one of my favourite\u00a0hotels. A more historic option is\u00a0Sir Francis Drake [now the Beacon Grand]. It\u2019s very San Francisco \u2013 quite gaudy with a lot of old-fashioned-looking furniture. But it\u2019s an experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I also stay at The Ritz-Carlton for events with Sephora from time to time. They have something called the Sephora Brand Summit, where anyone who\u2019s anyone from every brand is invited to experience the company\u2019s big year-in-review. There are lots of panel talks, and there\u2019s usually one night where everyone has a nice dinner and\u00a0we all\u00a0hit the bar. It\u2019s your moment to represent your brand, show\u00a0up and show out. Everyone\u2019s dressed to the nines.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe recently reopened Beauty Bar, one of Homidi\u2019s favourite nightspots \u00a9 Aaron Wojack\"NeimanNeiman Marcus deparatment store: \u201cIt\u2019s where I go if I\u00a0have an\u00a0event and need to find something\u201d \u00a9 Aaron Wojack<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t the type of town that pops up a bunch of new restaurants. New York\u00a0is very that; London is very that. San Francisco, not so much. I tend to stick to the classics. I love Cotogna in Jackson Square, a beautiful Italian restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. The menu is seasonal: just ask the waiter what the best thing is right now.<\/p>\n

Nearby, Bix is a fun place to go with\u00a0a\u00a0group. It\u2019s kind of grandiose with\u00a0a\u00a0steakhouse feel \u2013 all wood and rich burgundies. They have this take on steak au\u00a0poivre which is ground meat that\u2019s really\u00a0crispy at the edges. Growing up, I\u2019d\u00a0also go to\u00a0Steps of Rome with my\u00a0friends. It\u2019s kitschy but\u00a0fun\u00a0and you can\u2019t go\u00a0wrong\u00a0with any of\u00a0the\u00a0pasta there.<\/p>\n

\"HomidiHomidi at Bix \u00a9 Aaron Wojack\"MuralsMurals by Mindy Lehrman Cameron above Bix\u2019s bar \u00a9 Aaron Wojack<\/p>\n

San Francisco can be really cold, windy and foggy. In the summer you have about two weeks of perfect weather, and if you go to any event in the Golden Gate Park during that time, it\u2019s the most magical experience ever. Everyone\u2019s got their blankets out, they\u2019re picnicking, they\u2019re talking to each other. In the \u201990s we went to\u00a0Lilith Fair, an all-female music festival \u2013\u00a0we saw Annie Lennox, Jewel and Sade.<\/p>\n

Some of my best memories have been at The Warfield, an intimate venue where you can see your favourite bands up close. And I love Beauty Bar in the Mission District, which is like New York\u2019s SoHo. It\u00a0closed in 2024 \u2013 I was heartbroken because you could go there at\u00a0any time and\u00a0know it was going to\u00a0be\u00a0the\u00a0best night \u2013 but it recently reopened. I also go to the\u00a0Alchemist\u00a0Bar & Lounge or Top of the Mark on Nob Hill. You take an elevator up to the\u00a0very tip-top of the Mark Hopkins hotel to a beautiful bar with a 360-degree view of San\u00a0Francisco. Everyone goes to\u00a0dance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"OutsideOutside Horsies Market & Saloon in the Mission District \u00a9 Aaron Wojack<\/p>\n

Recommended<\/p>\n

\"Burnough<\/a><\/p>\n

Fisherman\u2019s Wharf is\u00a0a great place to walk around and eat seafood. Around 20 minutes out of the city in Berkeley, Telegraph Avenue is somewhere you could spend a day vintage shopping. And if you love\u00a0hikes, there are lots\u00a0around here, some starting right under the Golden Gate Bridge.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Bay Area is very\u00a0nature-oriented. A\u00a0lot of people are active, and it\u2019s so beautiful that you want to do that sunset walk or bike ride. There\u2019s a different type of\u00a0air here; it\u2019s lush with trees and greenery. And it feels like that creates a certain type\u00a0of person \u2013 they\u2019re confident but not\u00a0overly flashy. The fashion feels very\u00a0sporty: quilted vests and tennis shoes.\u00a0I love that, because it\u2019s not really\u00a0about what you\u2019re wearing here. It\u2019s\u00a0more about who you are.<\/p>\n

BARS, CAF\u00c9S & RESTAURANTS<\/p>\n

Alchemist Bar & Lounge alchemistsf.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Beauty Bar @beautybarsf_<\/a><\/p>\n

Bix bixrestaurant.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Cotogna cotognasf.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Horsies Market & Saloon 3368\u00a019th St, 94110\u00a0<\/p>\n

Steps of Rome stepsofromesf.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Top of the Mark topofthemark.com<\/a><\/p>\n

SHOPPING<\/p>\n

Fara Homidi farahomidi.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Neiman Marcus neimanmarcus.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Sephora sephora.com<\/a><\/p>\n

THINGS TO DO<\/p>\n

Golden Gate Park sfrecpark.org<\/a><\/p>\n

The Warfield thewarfieldtheatre.com<\/a><\/p>\n

WHERE TO STAY<\/p>\n

Beacon Grand beacongrand.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport hyatt.com<\/a><\/p>\n

The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco ritzcarlton.com<\/a><\/p>\n