Hey Girlfriends & San Francisco's Finest Drag Queens!

Did you hear who is here to make us up?

shu uemura (pronounced shu ooh e mura)!

It all began in Tokyo. Then came a presence in New York. Today one of Asia's finest makeup artists has come West.

Everyone knows that Fillmore Street is becoming the destination in San Francisco for beauty, skincare, hair salons, day spas, yoga classes and art stores for the face.

On May 3rd 2005, add shu uemura, a clean, white, airy boutique filled with fabulous eye candy and Japanese-inspired skincare and body products to your not-to-miss list of Rugged Elegance Places of Taste in Pacific Heights.

The legendary Japanese make-up artist, Mr. Shu Uemura has invested in a 1,700 square foot space on the corner of Fillmore and Pine.

The Rugged Elegance Companion "Places of Taste" Guides

As a result, Rugged Elegance anticipates including this "art of beauty" boutique in the next edition of its Pacific Heights "Places of Taste" guide.

shu uemura san francisco was inspired by Mr. Shu Uemura. Uemura was a pioneer in Tokyo when he opened his first boutique dedicated to the art of beauty in 1983.

50 years ago, Mr. Uemura made his debut as a cinematic makeup artist in Hollywood when he infused a new level of artistry on Shirley MacLaine. MacLaine starred in Paramount Picture's My Geisha. From that film on, Mr. Uemura became the makeup artist of choice amongst leading actresses and actors in Los Angeles.

Until now, you could only find shu uemura at select Neiman Marcus stores, Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstrom and Barneys in the states.

The company chose Pacific Heights, in addition to Tokyo and New York's SoHo neighborhood, as its third choice for growth -- after online product sales indicated that a significant number of customers were in San Francisco.

shu uemura General Manager, Chris Salgardo said:

San Francisco was a natural choice when deciding on the home of our second shu uemura U.S. boutique. This historic and culturally pioneering city expresses a colorful and creative spirit due to its unique mix of diverse cultural and lifestyle influences. As a cosmetics company with long-established artistic roots, we are excited to become a part of Fillmore Street and San Francisco's vibrant scene.

shu uemura will celebrate the official opening of their new boutique in San Francisco with a party benefiting RxArt.

The company is making a generous contribution to RxArt to aid the installation of an RxArt project in a San Francisco children's hospital. A generous contribution of $15,000 will be presented to RxArt to aid the installation of an RxArt project in a San Francisco children's hospital.

Muralist Ai Yamaguchi, a twenty-eight-year-old former associate of Louis Vuitton artist Takashi Murakami, has added a "rugged elegant" dimension to the stark white walls of the San Francisco boutique.

She spent three weeks Yamaguchi painting a girl who arrives in San Francisco on an origami boat. The boat and her arrival symbolize good fortune.

Following the boutique's May 3rd opening ceremonies, a launch party on May 12th will feature a live performance by singer/songwriter Rachael Yamagata. In addition, if you stroll by 1971 Fillmore you may catch a glimpse of modern Geisha models. For those who dare to step in, prepare to be invited to have a calligraphist turnyour body into an artform.

shu uemura's product line is so delicious you can almost taste the colors.

A Rugged Elegance Inspiration Network Exclusive by Jennifer King

Now that I've hopefully captured your attention...

Last week, I stopped into XOX Truffles to get a big box of Jean-Marc and Casimira Gorce's creations as a partial wedding gift. As I sipped my XOX latte and waited for the collection of twenty-seven flavors to be put together, I couldn't help but overhear a conversation between Jean-Marc, as he stood there making his creations, and three women indulging in a taste of his finest.

Three times a year, these two sisters and their friend typically rendezvous for a wine tour up in Napa. Nancy Eggert travels from Denver to San Francisco to experience the West Coast's finer places and products of life. However, on this trip -- for a change -- she, her sister, Paula Zigant and their friend Catherine chose chocolate-tasting over wine-tasting.

The three women were gracious to share their itinerary with me and their comments as inspiration for others who live in this great city, as well as for those traveling to Northern California looking for an alternative adventure in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Over the past year, in preparation for coming to America's most European chocolate mecca, Nancy had compiled her list of Chocolate Adventures after collecting all the best articles from her favorite magazines including: Gourmet, Departures, Food & Wine, Travel & Leisure, Bon Apetit and Town & Country.

She had every article with her along with a tasting bag to take back to her sister's place. At the end of their adventure, the three intended to share a glass of wine and do a taste test of each of their favorite chocolates of the day.

First Adventure

The ScharffenBerger Factory Tour in Berkeley (free to the public)

914 Heinz Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94710
phone: 510.981.4066 or
email: tours@scharffenberger.com

Tours of the 27,000 square foot factory are free to the public.
Reservations are recommended.
Private tour groups cost $35 (limit 30 people)

For more details go to: ScharffenBerger.com

The Scharffenbergers and Steinbergs use vintage European equipment and artisanal methods to create their "lovingly handcrafted" chocolate from the finest cacao beans.