Good bone structure . This is the arrangement of bones in your face that tend to age well, maturing like fine wine as you grow older. Pristine bone structure is hard, even downright impossible to develop later in life. However, what you can do is play up your assets with a highlighter and play down your liabilities with a shader. Define your cheekbones with just a hint of blush. Line your eyes from the centre just above the eyeball if your peepers are a trifle close-set, from the inner edge if they are set too wide apart. Lightly bleach your forehead and bare it if it's of decent width, conceal it with bangs if not. Shade your jawbone subtly to give it a chiselled look. Ditto the sides of your nose, to slim it.

Good skin . You know the kind we mean, it's the skin you admire on some models or Bollywood actresses. It's skin that is one smooth wash of colour with no gradations of dark and pale. It's blemish-free, healthy, glowing skin.

Now this one you can work on though it calls for continuity, diligence and good skin care products. Never ever forget to remove make-up at night. Never ever use moisturisers or lotions that aren't of known and reputed quality. Never go out into our perpetually searing sunshine sans sunscreen. In fact, avoid going out at peak times (9 am to 3 pm) in summer. Eat right, which of course means junking junk food.

Good personality. Now we are talking about the girl who walks into a room and immediately owns it. She walks with a firm stride. Her laugh rings clear and musical and yes, uninhibited. She tosses her tresses with abandonment. She knows her worth. She knows just how she is drawing all eyes, and she revels in it. She talks in a low-pitch but voices her opinions firmly. Oyez indeed, she's empress of her world and it's a fast-spreading empire.

You say you are not empress material. We don't agree. This is one tenet that you can all too easily develop. Temper the pitch of your voice at all times. Wear clothes that not only show you off to perfection, but also call out aloud that you are one happenin' chick. Clear eyes and white teeth help, so see to it that you are equipped with both. Develop opinions on what is happening around you and learn to talk without that questioning, uncertain lilt in your tone. Be curious but not inquisitive. Just be.

Good shape. Ideally, it's an hourglass shape. Failing which, the Botticelli Madame or the Eastern houri figure. Then again, let's get real: a neat, trim figure will do just fine. So lick that weight problem with a judicious mix of exercise and controlled eating. Wear clothes that play up your figure - that cinch your waist and reveal your smooth upper arms. Wear clothes that play down your less-than-desirable figure flaws - that hide that pooch, that conceal an apple shape. To misquote the Prince of Denmark, aka Hamlet, we say to you: Get thee to a gym, girl.

Good hair. You've seen it in countless ads, movies, TV serials - the woman who loosens and then shakes her long tresses, instantly transfixing everyone, male and female alike, in the room. While long lustrous hair does it every time, short hair cut expertly and kept in shining good health doesn't lag too far behind. Use a good shampoo, condition regularly with a conditioner appropriate to your kind of hair. Use glossy serums. Eat well so it shows on the hair you grow. If you colour your hair (er, who doesn't these days), make those salon visits regular so you don't walk about with you roots or greys showing. And those of you already blessed with great hair: please pretty please, don't play with your tresses. Just leave them be and let others rave.

Good colouring . That's an even complexion, be it pink, white, what we like to call 'wheat' or gleaming cappuccino. Forget the perennial craving for fair skin, just ensure your complexion is smooth and zit/blemish free. There are enough medicating creams in the market to ensure that. Bleach dark areas so they even up with the rest of your face. The exact match of foundation, used sparingly though, will definitely ensure excellent colouring - for your face and neck, at least.

Good posture . This is quoting your mother all over again: Sit straight, girl. Don't slouch. Walk tall, with your head held straight. Hold in that tummy. Don't shift weight clumsily from one leg to the other when standing. How you enter a room makes the impression, and once a halo is imagined above your pretty head, it takes something drastic for people to change their minds. So always walk like a queen - and we don't mean Queen Victoria!

Good ankles and wrists. It's an old chestnut but like all hoary sayings it still runs true - the nobility of a woman can be judged by the shape of her ankles and wrist. Now, not all of us have slender ankles and small hands but before we are labelled country bumpkins, here's a simple save-the-situation tip: Groom your extremities. Away with hairy legs, serrated toenails, cracks on the heels of your feet and bitten-to-the-quick fingernails. A good pedicure and manicure works the magic required. So, acquire good ankles and wrists immediately and keep them that way!

Good smile . Madhuri Dixit's main asset, right? Another easily acquired asset. Get your teeth fixed, it's never too late to wear braces if need be. Get your teeth polished, and smile a lot. After a while, the smiles will permeate your innards and make you a wonderfully cheery person. A wonderfully cheery beauty.

Good fragrance . All beauties through the ages made a habit of leaving a heady trail of fragrance drifting in their wake. Some Hollywood icons were, in fact, inextricably entwined with a particular scent. So, find your special signature fragrance (this will take diligent research, though) and layer it so in time your fragrance is you.