1. GET a hip new haircut. Go for something radical and gamine if you have the face shape for it. But always, choose a cut that highlights your best features.

2. Instead of buying the next ?it? handbag, buy a couple of Rags to Riches bags (Amina Aranaz designed a couple of new ones this season and they are fab!) and gift them to all the amazing women in your life.

3. Need an exciting guilt-free purchase for yourself? Log onto eBay or local Multiply sites selling great buys from top designers and fashionistas unloading their closets for the next season?s purchase.

4. Never underestimate the healing and calming powers of a great ?mani-pedi.? From home service to your favorite cozy nail salon where you can read all the latest magazines for free or snooze in a comfortable La-Z-Boy chair?it?s a hard-to-beat treat at P240-P760.

5. Your week has been horrendous, work is frustrating, kids are acting up, you?ve gained three pounds and the car air-conditioning just broke down. Quick, dash off to your nearest spa and get a two-hour massage. You don?t just deserve it?you need it.

6. Detox your system. Try a home-style flush or a monitored ?spa? version. Taking liquids only for two days and giving your body a rest from solid foods is practiced not only by yoga practitioners, monks and Hollywood actors who want to reach a deeper meditation plane or shed those last few pounds.

7. Make this the summer you switch off the DVD player and hit the gym. Fitness First, Gold?s Gym or Elorde?s are located centrally, so wherever you are, you have no excuse not to go. And if that doesn?t do it for you, consider the fun shopping you?ll get to do for a whole new category of apparel?check out Adidas, Nike, Speedo, Aura Atletica and Puma.

8. Run. Run. Run. Join a race at the Fort, Mall of Asia, Clark or in your own neighborhood. Log on to takbo.com or bullrunner.com for the latest race updates.

9. Go ahead and do it yourself?buy yourself a home hair-coloring kit (P450-P800). Then browse through local fashion magazines or log on to www.stylebible.ph or www.loreal.com to get ideas on current trends. Here are a few tried and tested brands to try: L?Oreal, Revlon, Clairol and Garnier.

10. Get a totally new look from Bench Fix Lab Glorieta 4, Makati City (tel. 815-6913), Franck Provost at the Fort (look for Laurent) or Philippe?s on Pasong Tamo (behind Dasmarinas Village, tel. 830-3030), Jude Hipolito and Rose Velasco?s doorstep in the Matrix Flagship Salon?Univers Kaizen Salon, 2/F SM Mall of Asia, South Wing Building. Other options: Ruel Samonte (David?s Bicutan), Gio Ledesma (David?s SM MegaMall 1) and Anthony Erlano (David?s SM Mall of Asia). Go to any of these salons for a topnotch coloring job that will give Helen of Troy and Brad Pitt a run for their money, approximately P900-P2,600 depending on hair length and number of colors used.

11. Get rid of those eye bags?a hazard of late summer nights out. Treat yourself to a great eye cream, taking a page from Oscar winner actress Kate Winslet, who swears by Lancôme?s, Rénergie Morpholift R.A.R.E. Eye Cream.

12. Another one for the eyes?an often overlooked art and, in most cases, an overdone one. Plucking one?s eyebrows to frame one?s best feature?the eyes?is an instant makeover tool, quite similar to getting a new coat of paint. Works wonders, and at a budget-friendly price.

13. Start a whitening regimen. Head for the Lancôme boutique to get your skin diagnosed, or if you like a no-fuss, friendly service, try Kiehl?s, a modern apothecary (both located in Greenbelt 5 Ayala Center, Makati City). Other brands to try are Shu Uemura (2L Rockwell, NW Powerplant Mall, 897-8575) and Mary Kay (www.marykay.com.ph).

14. Slather on sunblock. Kiehl?s vital care (40 spf) smells so yummy you can sweat and still smell fresh.

15. Adopt a signature fragrance?your own personal mixture (custom made just for you) or an old world classic like Chanel No. 5, which now comes with a lighter juice.

16. Grab a pair of skinny jeans at 7 for All Mankind (Greenbelt 5, Robinsons Place), Levi?s, Guess, Jeans Bar (Greenbelt 3), Diesel, Gas (Greenbelt 3), HM, Topshop, Mango and Zara (most malls in Metro Manila).

17. Buy that bikini you?ve always wished you would someday be able to get into?then sweat till you do. Nothing like an actual incentive to get motivated to shed a few pounds.

18. Buy a pair of comfortable heels. CROCS has a limited-edition summer wedge that not only looks ?50s-retro cute but these heels will probably be the only pair you can actually run around town in wet weather with all day long! They come in bright red, lemon yellow and deep purple. Around P3,300. (Bonifacio High Street and Greenbelt 5)

19. If you?re ready to take on the ultimate physical challenge, train for an Iron Man race and get effortlessly back into your high school jeans. IM CAMSUR 70.3 (1.9km swim, 90k bike and 21k run) will be held on Aug. 23. Registration is on; check out ironmanphil703.com for complete details.

20. Get yourself and some friends into cooking classes. Dusit Hotel in Makati holds various monthly classes, from cookie-baking with kids to delicious regional Italian dishes you can learn to impress your next date.

21. Try acupuncture. Traditional Chinese medicine and acupressure (deep tissue massage) can help relieve the many ailments. (TCM Healthcare, Glorietta 3, Ayala Center, 816-0898. Starts at P1,900 for an initial one-hour session with consultation, P1,400 for follow up sessions.)

22. Design your own jewelry by recycling old pieces of gold or silver that you?ve outgrown and make yourself something new and pretty. Head for the Greenhills Jewelry center?it?s a one-stop shop. You can buy the extra stones you need and find a jeweller who can reset the piece or design something completely new at a fraction of the cost of buying a ready-made piece.

23. Try your hand at floral arrangement. It requires patience and practice?but then, you have all summer, remember? Get expert help? Martha Stewart?s magazine just launched its local version.

24. Have an impromptu Chocolate Fondue Night with high school friends. It?s the perfect excuse to catch up and share some chocolate.

25. Have a glass of bubbly just because.

26. Date an older man?for his experience and knowledge of culture.
27. Date a younger man?for everything else.

28. Get a bit part in a movie?nothing like 15 seconds of fame to boost one?s ego and status. Not to mention that it makes a good conversation starter. Contact GMA Talent Center or Star Magic (ABS-CBN?s arm) for bit parts.