When jobs are scarce and income has been cut back for many, choices have to be made about what we can afford and what we have to let go.

In the areas of fashion, beauty and grooming, these decisions can be a balancing act.

It's not simply about vanity. Often it's a question of maintaining appearance that will help us stay employed.

We asked several savvy Honolulu women what they are willing to give up and what they keep in order to maintain their professional appearance and their personal sanity.

SAVING FACE

Long-established fashion designer and recent real estate agent Sherry Holt of Makaha has given up manicures, but not pedicures — and said she'd rather cut back on food than on facials.

"Being in the fashion biz, people are always looking at you," she noted.

She discontinued her gym membership, but Holt has plenty of gym equipment at home to maintain her level of fitness.

"I have given up buying clothes. Now I'm making my own clothes again," Holt said, adding: "I will splurge on one good pair of shoes that will last forever, and I will still buy a nice swimsuit."

Holt used to make several trips a day to Starbucks, but she has given up coffee altogether. She still shops for makeup at Sephora, but will alternate between brands if one product is more economical than another.

STRETCHING OUT SERVICES

Realtor Chris Friese of Kahala has one priority: massages.

"Physically I'm a cripple if I don't get a massage," she states emphatically — but no matter how much she may feel the need for them, she has still cut back, from one a week to one a month.

Friese said the appearance of her hands is important in her work, but she loves to work in her yard and staging houses takes its toll, too, so a biweekly manicure is a must.

Another "must" is a great haircut. She has gone to Catherine Acena at Paul Brown Salon & Spa for years and, although the cut is expensive, it lasts 10 weeks, twice the length of most haircuts. When her hair starts to grow out, Friese said, "I just use more gel."

She economizes on the cost of coloring her hair by going to beauty schools for dyeing and highlights.

Friese has not given up pedicures, but she stretches them out to six or seven weeks by getting a $7 polish change in between.

She once went for facials, but gave that practice up. However, she continues to rely on a prescription-only form of "super strong high-content Vitamin C serum" from her doctor at Straub.

FOCUS ON GRATITUDE

While clinical neuropsychologist Tanya D'Avanzo of Kailua, who works at Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific, has cut back on making big purchases, she has adopted a French fashion secret: scarves. "My sister lives in Europe," she said. "Last time I went to Paris, I took notes on how Parisian women do it — so chic, just with a scarf and a good lipstick. It's amazing how fabulous a scarf can be when tied around your purse, around your head, draped around your neck. It's a great way to save money."

D'Avanzo swears by red lipstick, whether it's trendy or not — although this fall it is one of the major beauty trends.

"I have about 20 lipsticks in various shades of the same color, red with a blue undertone, like Sebastian 'Carnal,' " she notes.

Another thing she will not give up: her facials at Hi'ilani Spa. They are uplifting to her spirit as well as her skin.

D'Avanzo takes a philosophical approach to beauty in the recession: "I try to keep an attitude of gratitude, in good times and in more challenging times. I think this applies to fashion and style as well: Be grateful for what you have, thoroughly enjoy it (wear it well) and try to see the glass as half full.

"I once had an elderly patient who told me the key to a long, fulfilling life," D'Avanzo said: " 'One: Lead an orderly life. Two: Be useful to someone or something. Three: Enjoy it!' If we apply this to style, we can take stock of what we have, make it useful in helping us show our identity and creativity in the world and enjoy every bit of it."