On this Weekend’s Meanderings..A day out in San Francisco’s cute Hayes Valley, cleaning your cosmetics drawers up, Bobbi Brown’s Jones Road makeup, the fun California brand Claire V., and an easy pasta to try with your last tomatoes of summer..

It’s time for our weekend chat and good things with Elizabeth and Juliet. This week flew by, so I barely got this post pulled together.. I have been watching the hurricane coverage all week and my heart goes out to everyone. I have cousins who live on the West Coast of Florida and they were lucky not to have damage. If you want to help this article on USA Today has many great agencies on the ground helping. Juliet also mentioned World Central Kitchen which is wonderful and on the list too.

We were in Tahoe last weekend attending to the cabin, working on new doors, and trees that needed removing.. A lot to share and all of that is on my Instagram and if you missed it, stored under my Tahoe story bubble. I’m hoping to show you the new doors soon!

I so recommend this early fall time in Tahoe. It’s just beautiful in the 70’s and empty of crowds. We did some walks and did a nice kayak through the West Shore..had drinks at Sunnyside. All in all, very relaxing- except for the to do list!

We came back Monday, and I started the week a bit behind the eight ball..

Beauty Clean Out

I should have written this post earlier, but Thursday the universe told me to clean out my makeup drawer and when that happens I listen….as the last time was in 2020. Yikes.

I am not as good keeping up with the beauty drawers as I am with the closet. I bought a few new items and that was my motivator to do a deep clean. I wiped out all the drawers with the Method Lavender cleaning spray which made everything smell so fresh. I also repurposed a few trays from other places and ordered a couple of these Madesmart Beauty trays.

This is a great thing to do as we enter fall.. and actually in theory, each season. Get a big bag and toss anything that is crumbling, old, and taking up space…out of date!!

I used to sell cosmetics at Nordstrom, so I know a little about the shelf life. Generally, things have an expiry date. For skincare, they just lose their effectiveness. Color cosmetics can go off and it’s just a good idea to let go of things that you’ve had longer than a year or so..

It feels great to open the drawers and see everything looking fresh. Piles of powdery cosmetics that are smudged and smeared is not a good way to live. Take it all out and wipe the drawers and wash the trays with soap and water.. If your drawers are beat, line them with pretty paper.

Your brushes need to be attended to as well, an it is important for your skin. Toss hard brushes that feel sharp, and ones that are not holding up. There are so many good ones that can be found affordably. Ecotools has excellent brushes and they are sold at Whole Foods and here..

Wash your brushes with shampoo. Lather them and rinse until the water runs clear. Gently squeeze your brushes out and lay the brushes flat to dry, not upright -as the water can loosen the hairs from the handle and rot it.

I lay mine on a towel and give them about 24 hours to dry. Occasionally you can condition the brushes lightly just as you would your hair. I learned all this being a makeup artist for a few years during college and after. We had to wash our brushes every night so I got really good at it.

Bobbi Brown’s New Jones Road Makeup & Credo

If you’re on social media at all, you may have been inundated with ads for Bobbi Brown’s new makeup line, Jones Road. She sold her old line years ago to Estee Lauder and is back with a line that is totally clean, cruelty free and has been streamlined into the minimal amount of products a person needs. Many are multi functional and I love that.

On day out in Hayes Valley in San Francisco, my friend and style guru, Jeanne and I popped into Credo, a chain that calls itself, ‘The cleanest beauty store in the world’. They have very high standards and lines they carry must be made with clean products and be cruelty free as well as ethical.

Jones Road is carried exclusively at Credo, so if you want to try in person, they have two stores in SF and one in Los Angeles, and in a few other states.

I bought The Face Pencil, in shade 3, which is a great concealer that can get in the corner of eyes and is the perfect consistency. It easily blends in and stays and is in 25 shades.

I also bought the Lip and Cheek Stick, which is a great idea in Mauve. They recommend tapping it in or using a brush. I love this color and for a soft neutral lip too.

Also popular and on my next time list.. is the foundation called What the Foundation which is a balm and a foundation in one…and Miracle Balm, which is comes in blush colors, highlighters and also in bronze tones.

Credo also carries my favorite mascara, Limitless Lash by Ilia. It’s hard to believe it’s a clean mascara as it wears beautifully, easy to remove and lasts all day. I love it.. and it also comes in a small travel size too.

All of Bobbi’s Jones Road line is here at Credo as well as all the other clean beauty brands and their mission and standards.

A day out in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley

Hayes Valley is one of my favorite neighborhoods in San Francisco. It has a park that is a great gathering spot with businesses that are run out of containers and other improvised structures. The surrounding streets have some of the coolest shops, many small and independent and also some good smaller brands. My friend Jeanne and I did a little jaunt up to check out the shops and have a bite.

First up we made a beeline for the Claire V. boutique. It’s off the park down a cute half closed street.

Claire V.

Claire V. is a smaller handbag and accessories line that has its roots in California, but with a French flair. It’s really become the bag of the coolest girls and is a nice alternative to so many pricey labels. I love the colors, the stripes, the unique patterns and textures and options. Creative types can totally customize a bag to your own look..And if you’re a Francophile there is so many sweatshirts and hats and things with cheeky French phrases..

Jeanne got this tortoise resin strap for the Mirabel black crossbody. I forgot to take a picture, but the black with tortoise together is lovely for fall.

You can also get monograms. Most bags come with straps and these are extra add-on straps. Here are some other color options in her same bag combo…

I bought this strap for my Claire V. tote, but they say try it on other bags, so I’ve been using it on a smaller black bag for some flair.

All the Claire V. straps here.

I own the Simple Tote in a green leopard, which was a special edition, but they have it in so many cool combinations, it would be hard to choose. I do love this army color with the stripes.. and this grey with gold studs...

We also both bought this Resistance scarf, that is cool tied around a bag, a pony tail or under a blouse..and is very timely. 30% of all proceeds go to Planned Parenthood.

I also bought her fragrance Angie I fell in love with! It is the name Claire V. is known by to her family and has notes from the places she has lived- green notes from France, bright citrus from Italy and a hint of California chaparral. It’s very unique!

Next we hit the darling kid’s shop Fiddlesticks. I have never been in a cuter boutique. They have the tiniest things and adorable clothes as well as toys and books…

Jeanne has a new grandbaby so we had to get Kyler some cool stuff. He is set with a knit beanie and some shirts.. I bought the sweetest Halloween book about a kitten for some little friends.. Yes we spent too long in there.

They even wrap it with bags that have the SF skyline!!

Next up we were getting hungry so we had an alfresco Italian lunch at A Mano which was perfect. We shared a margarita pizza and burrata that was TDF, and the cauliflower bagna cauda. This is a nice place right in the center of the action and kitty corner from the park. You can easily find one of many seats outdoors or inside..

Lastly, we went to Rails, another California company and one of our favorites. They have very few boutiques, but they are opening a new one soon in Palo Alto!

This is a beautiful store with the nicest people and we bought a few pieces for fall..Since this post is already so long, I will save Rails and what we chose for next week..

If you go to Hayes Valley, there is a good parking at The Performing Arts Garage on the corner of Gough and Fulton, just a few blocks off the green space. I just touched on a few things, but other good places are MAC clothing, Absinthe Brasserie, Miette Patisserie, many other bakeries, chocolate shops and sushi spots.. and clothing places. Definitely a fun day out and much more to explore than you can ever get to in one day..

Roasted Tomato Pasta

My garden was slow to start this year and in the last month I stopped watering it and dry farmed. Still I got many more cherry tomatoes and we could never eat them all, so I decided to finally try roasting them and serving them over fresh pasta. We did this last week and it was delicious.

I cut them in half, tossed in olive oil and added sea salt and pepper and roasted at about 400 for around 20 minutes. After cooking fresh fettuccine, I added the tomatoes and all the juice and oil to the pasta. I gently tossed, added more olive oil and some fresh basil. You can add more salt if you wish. We just added fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano.. If you have some of these late tomatoes and are running out of ideas, it’s so good – and simple.

Well that is my weekend meanderings for this week.. Please check out Elizabeth and Juliet’s blogs to see what good things they are sharing…

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Thank you for being here and I hope your weekend is great!

Kim

On last week’s meanderings I shared skirts for your fall closet, skirted tables for home, a fascinating book on skirts in history, easy pumpkin noodles, and a drought tolerant yard update..all here.

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