You don’t have to drive three hours north to Los Angeles to get fabulous hair and make-up done. Whether its hair extensions, Brazilian smoothing, a flawless face or a phenomenal cut-and-color, San Diego is home to creative and talented stylists.

Sheila Nellis and Robert Howes.

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Sheila Nellis is a cosmetic superstar, and Trish McEvoy’s right-hand woman. Nellis started as a make-up artist 20 years ago in San Diego’s Robinson’s stores with then-beauty giant Adrien Arpel. Today, she travels the globe for McEvoy, and her work can be seen in L.A. on Oscar night.

When Nellis is in San Diego she can be found at cosmetic counters wherever Trish McEvoy is sold, as well as behind the scenes on magazine shoots, runway shows and in a few lucky brides’ dressing rooms. Nellis says the look of San Diego is fast becoming the look everywhere: beachy and fresh, with a focus on clean, clear, great-looking skin.

Her one recommendation: more sunscreen.

One of San Diego’s best kept secrets is celebrity hair stylist Travis Parker, who has coiffed the heads of the beautiful and accomplished—Cindy Crawford, Katie Couric, Hillary Clinton, Gwynth Paltrow and Helen Hunt.

Parker’s chic, hip salon is in La Jolla. He’s a self-proclaimed “workaholic and neurotic over-achiever” who has kept his finger on the pulse on what’s fabulous in street culture and applied it to his luxury demographic.

Parker says women’s hair color should go lighter as they get older—better to warm skin tones. At $185 for a cut and $120 for color, Parker isn’t cheap. But the quality of his work is well known—he is constantly on the go, lecturing and training in Paris or Tokyo for the L’Oreal cosmetic company.

When it comes to styling hair, there are a million ways to go and many trends to choose from. One of newest trends is “Brazilian smoothing,” also known as a “Brazilian blow-out.” Robert Howes at Model Call in La Jolla specializes in these. It’s a technique for women who want hair without frizz. The Brazilian eliminates hours of stretching and pulling hair straight using a blow drier.

Travis Parker.

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Howes says the no-chemical process conditions hair, adding Keratin and sealing the hair shaft, which keeps out moisture and adds shine.

“Brazilian smoothing or straightening simplifies styling for women,” says Howes. “It gives them the look they want, tussled and natural, without frizzy fly-away hair.”

Howes says the “it” look right now is that just-out-of bed disheveled thing—simply sexy.

African-American women have long known that silky and luscious hair need not be grown—for the right price, anything can be purchased. Using weaves and extensions may be expensive, but there is no other way of growing hair overnight. In San Diego, the man to go to for extensions is Mr. Waatani.

Waatani has been called the “Wonder Weaver” by KUSI-TV News. He’s also been used on the TV show America’s Next Top Model. Located in the Sola Salon Studio in Mission Valley, Waatani charges up to $2,500.

Why? As the old commercial tag line used to explain: Because you’re worth it.