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Apothia @ Fred Segal (Map; 323-651-0239; www.apothia.com; 8118 Melrose Ave, Mid-City; ) Beauty purveyor to the stars for a quarter century, Apothia has all the hottest, hard-to-find A-lister products that the glossies say you can’t live without. Best sellers include Bella Bronze self-tanning cream and DuWop pink shimmer lip venom. It’s inside the Fred Segal boutique.

Marie Mason Apothecary (off Map; 310-394-5710; 225 26th St, Santa Monica; 10am-6pm Mon-Sat, noon-5pm Sun; ) The baby-blue walls, white shelves and antler chandeliers here exude the feel of an intimate beach bungalow and create a breezy setting for the exclusive beauty goods available at this Brentwood Country Mart boutique. Look for hard-to-find Trilogy from Australia and local Sage body lotions.

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LA’S FASHION DISTRICT DEMYSTIFIED

Bargain hunters love this frantic 90-block warren of fashion in southwestern Downtown (also Click here). The deals can be amazing, but first-timers are often bewildered by the district’s size and immense selection. For orientation, check out www.fashiondistrict.org, where you can download a free shopping-tour podcast or order a map guide to the area. Power-shoppers hungry for the latest inside scoop can book a custom-guided tour with Urban Shopping Adventures ( 213-683-9715; www.urbanshoppingadventures.com; tour $36).

Basically, the area is subdivided into several distinct retail areas:

Women – Los Angeles St between Olympic and Pico Blvds; 11th St between Los Angeles and San Julian Sts

Children – Wall St between 12th St and Pico Blvd

Men & bridal – Los Angeles St between 7th & 9th Sts

Textiles – 8th St between Santee and Wall Sts

Jewelry & accessories – Santee St between Olympic Blvd and 11th St

Designer knockoffs – Santee Alley and New Alley (enter on 11th St between Maple and Santee Aves)

Shops are generally open from 10am to 5pm daily, with Saturday being the busiest day by far because that’s when many wholesalers open up to the public. Cash is king and haggling may get you 10% or 20% off, especially when buying multiple items. Refunds or exchanges are a no-no, so choose carefully and make sure items are in good condition. Most stores don’t have dressing rooms.

Sample Sales

Every last Friday of the month, clued-in fashionistas descend upon the corner of 9th & Olympic armed with cash and attitude to catfight it out for designer clothes – Betsey Johnson to Calvin Klein to Von Dutch – priced below wholesale. Their destination: the showrooms at the New Mart (Map; 213-627-0671; www.newmart.net/samplesales.htm; 127 E 9th St), which specializes in contemporary and young fashions, and the California Mart (Map; 213-630-3600; 110 E 9th St), a huge mart across the street with a great fashion bookstore on the ground floor. Open from 9am to 3pm, this is the only time the general public is allowed in these trade-only buildings. Come early and – harsh but true – don’t bother coming at all if you’re wearing size 8 or higher. Also leave your modesty at home, as you’ll either be trying things on in front of others or not at all. Check the websites for upcoming dates and participating showrooms.

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Also recommended:

Kiehl’s (Map; 310-255-0055; 1516 Montana Ave, Santa Monica; 10am-7pm Mon-Sat, noon-6pm Sun; ) The entire body and skincare product palette in an old-time apothecary. Free samples.

Larchmont Beauty Center (Map; 323-461-0162; 208 N Larchmont Blvd, Mid-City; 8:30am-8pm Mon-Sat, 11am-6pm Sun) Not as chic but well-edited and lower-priced with intelligent service.

Jewelry

Jewelry District (Map; 213-683-1956; www.lajd.net; Hill St btwn 6th & 8th Sts, Downtown) For bargain bling head to this bustling Downtown district where you can snap up watches, gold, silver and gemstones at up to 70% off retail. The mostly traditional designs are unlikely to be seen on Paris or Angelina, but the selection is unquestionably huge. Quality varies, though, so buyer beware.

Just Tantau (Map; 310-392-9878; 1353 Abbot Kinney Blvd,