PARENT GETAWAY: THREE DAYS IN LOS ANGELES

I don’t need much of a reason to head to LA for a few days. Especially in the middle of a Chicago winter. So, after a brief chat with my husband (don’t we need a parent getaway?) we packed our bags and headed west armed with a checklist of all that is new and buzzy on the left coast.

First stop after reviving myself with a vanilla iced blended from The Coffee Bean? Anastasia Beverly Hills. Nobody coerces wayward eyebrows into sleek submission better than brow tamer to the stars, Anastasia Soare. One enters feeling like a neanderthal and exits with In Style worthy facial features. Then, I head to Decades, the premier designer resale boutiques in the world. For the initiated, designer resale offers “gently used” designer clothing and accessories for a fraction of retail cost. Such spots exist all over the world. But, most are not hyper chic shops hawking garb with glittering provenance. I have purchased Marc Jacobs consigned by Sofia Coppola. Balenciaga, Hermes and Chanel from an “unnamed A Lister” and too many pairs of shoes and bags to count. Clothing is always in pristine condition, often with sales tags still dangling.

Then, I popped over to Melrose Place to check out Violet Grey, a jewel box of a beauty shop stocked with hair, skincare and makeup edited by Hollywood’s top makeup artists. I left with some killer bronzer by Charlotte Tilbury and Rose Mary Swift’s RMS organic lip and cheek color. Also on Melrose Place are Zero Maria Cornejo, a favorite brand and The Apartment by The Line, a cool retail concept designed to showcase art, home, fashion and beauty products from what resembles a sun drenched hipster LA home.

Everyone is talking about Downtown LA and for good reason. It’s become a hotbed of culture, the city’s loft buildings reimagined as restaurants, museums, art galleries and bars. Our visit to The Broad Museum and dinner at Bestia only whet my appetite for a return visit.

Other must-do items on my list: hiking in Runyon Canyon, dinner at Petit Trois, the younger sister of Ludo Lefebvre’s Trois Mec and cocktails at Four Seasons LA. And, if you are in need of some avant-garde laser action (I mean, who doesn’t need facial tightening?), a visit to Nurse Jamie, facial plumper to the stars is essential.