Bat your lashes

This is the collection of the false eyelashes I brought home from Uni for Easter. So technically it's not my whole collection. And I'm going to buy more tomorrow!

The article in the Guardian yesterday might explain further as false lashes really have boomed in the past months. The article sights Tesco and Selfridges' sales percentage booms but it would be your standard high street chemist that will see the real sales.

The new lash trend has a few obvious roots, utilised by the prime culprits Girls Aloud, who have just released their own range of lashes. It is safe to say that the natural look is certainly not 'in'.Getting ready to go out now is a huge mission involving for a lot of people many steps in hair extensions, fake tan and a huge amount of slap. On the level of less hardcore beauty addicts, such as the likes of me, fake lashes provide a way to temporarily improve your appearance for one night only, with little pain, effort or expense and a back-out option if they are too tricky to apply. Makeup is far more advanced nowadays and as far as self esteem goes, the general rule is that more is better. 'Less is more' just does not apply. Gone are the simple blush and lippy; make-up nowadays profits in offering the secret benefits that can fix all the flaws created through medias, such as plumping gloss, bronzers and even vibrating mascaras.

Most girls like me can realise we are not so skilled in the makeup department- things need to be simple and self explanatory as I do not know how to blend a shadow or create killer cheekbones with a good brush and bit of blush. False lashes are the ultimate symbol of flirtation and wide-eyed beauty that anyone can achieve, and they do exactly what they say on the tin.

We all marvel at Cheryl Cole's beauty because it's like it came over night. It makes us realise that the right hair and makeup (and an invisible brace) can do a LOT and maybe, just maybe, we have the potential for that kind of transformation. As pointed out in the Guardian, Cheryl Cole has some fabulous lashes, and eye makeup in general. It helps too that falsies now come in more subtle versions and also some crafty varieties such as feathers and gems, rather than huge drag queen-worthy spears that could poke an innocent passer-by.

Here are my top tips for buying and applying fake eyelashes:

• Expensive glue, cheap lashes- If you buy a pair from anywhere cheaper than Selfridges, the glue will be simply rubbish. The main reason people attempt and fail at putting them on is because of the glue and not the technique, so if you're serious it's definitely worth splashing out on glue. MAC do a large tube called Duo for around £7. It lasts ages and you make your money back by being able to buy seriously cheap lashes. The 'Glam Lashes' above are from Erdington's Poundland! Seriously! The only cheap lash glue that once sufficed was in a set from H&M. They do subtle sets for only £3.

• Don't forget the rest of your makeup- If you put lashes on first, you won't be pleased with the result as they won't blend with your natural lashes. Apply a thin line of liquid liner and a decent amount of mascara first.

• Seek help where needed- If its just too tricky (or scary), generally if you buy a pair from a department store counter, they will apply them for you and show you how. Some even let you return and will reapply them for you each time. Shu Uemura will do this. Lashes can last for about three wears when you are careful with the glue (see below).

• Make sure they fit- Lashes will come too long for most people, so hold the base so that the lashes are upside down (with your fingers near your eyebrows) and compare the fake lash tips to the tips of your own natural lashes. Which end to cut depends on the lashes. If they are much shorter at one end and much longer at the other, you may want to keep the length and cut from the shorter end, or cut from the longer end for a more natural look. If the base is thick, try not to leave a sharp, square edge- round it off.

• Application: don't go glue crazy- With glue it seems true that more glue will mean a stronger fit, but this isn't the best way. Take a cotton bud or hair grip, squeeze some glue onto a tissue or the back of your hand, and dab a thin line along the base of the lashes only, making sure the ends are definitely covered. If you glue straight from the tube or run the lashes through a blob, the lashes will stick to your own and they will stick in the wrong place or make a mess of your eye makeup. You do only need a thin line.

• Application: patience!- The instructions always advise you to wait for about 30 seconds until the glue dries a little and gets tacky, but I'm always too impatient and never wait, then they just don't stick! Move your arm up and down as though you were urging nail polish to dry or blow on the glue gently (while holding the lashes from the tips of course). Wait!!! Now place the lashes into the centre of your lash line, looking at the end with the longer lashes to make sure it lines up with the end of your eye's outside corner (so not to have long lashes that stop a few millimetres from the end of your natural lash line!). Hold the tip of the false lashes, pushing them into the centre of your natural lash line, for about ten seconds. Let go and push the outer end onto your lash line, and then the inner end. Use two hands to hold the tips of the end lashes, pushing them into the corners for a few seconds. Now open your eye. If you're not happy, only THEN fiddle with them, as they are nearly set and won't come totally off as soon as you touch them. You can squeeze the false lashes and your own lashes with your fingers like a lash sandwich if you don't think they are close enough to your natural lash line. Or you can take a mascara brush and push your own lashes backwards so the false ones stand up and have a more obvious effect. If you need more glue, take the hair pin or cotton bud and place a blob in the loose place, holding the lash tips and pushing them into the place. The glue will dry clear remember!

Check youtube for more tutorials, but the practice helps! Peeling off the lashes is easy and painless but they can irritate eyes a bit. For a night out though they feel great, and you can take the free, cheap glue in your bag for a touch up. Only do this when totally neccessary though, as an eye glued shut is so not a good look on a drunk girl. But then again, neither is a set of lashes hanging off!