I went trick or treating one year. I must have been four or five. I was dressed like a princess (didn’t see that coming, did you). I walked up to the door, rang the bell and waited in anticipation for the shower of candy and praise for a costume well-done. The woman opened her door and gasped.

“Look at you!” she screamed. “You must have stolen those lashes! Those aren’t yours. They’re too long. You stole those!”

I burst into tears. Not only because clearly I was a thief and was busted. But because it didn’t appear that this was going to end with candy. With my long lashes clumped together in big wet messiness, I ran home.

I’ve since grown into those lashes. They aren’t freakishly long anymore. And now that we’re entering the flirty season, I almost wish they were. What good is Valentine’s Day if you can’t toss a come-hither glance to someone through a veil of sexy lashes?

The easy thing to do for long lashes is to grab mascara and glob on four coats. Easy, yes. Attractive, no. Bye-bye spider eyes, and hello faux lashes—the latest quickie spa job for glorious eye-catching attention.

Extensions

That’s right. Extensions. Not your mom’s fake eyelashes, today’s are professionally applied lash by lash with a gentle bonding agent. With prices that might leave you batting your eyes in shock (around $400 for a full set), these are beauty timesavers. Lasting up to two months (a natural lash cycle) with proper care, you can live in a mascara-free, liner-free, get-up-and-go world. I’ve had great luck with Lavish Lashes and LuxLash, the nation’s first specialty spa focusing on lash extensions.

DIY Lashes

For a little less commitment (and starting at $5), try self-applied lashes for one-night dazzling eyes. Don’t worry, this can be fast beauty with practice. Do an entire strip or just add a few lashes at the lash line’s end for a two-second cat eye. There are several I like: Sephora, Revlon, Laura Mercier. To really have fun, Shu Uemura has amazing feathers, crystals and colors and feathers at their Toyko Lash Bar. (An in-store purchase usually includes free application).

Quick application steps are:

1. Using cuticle scissors, cut faux lashes to fit your lashline
2. Apply liquid liner
3. Apply mascara
4. Apply thin strip of glue to faux lashes (right on the band)
5. Wait 20 seconds for glue to become tacky
6. Apply lashes to your lid as close to the lashline as possible
7. Position perfectly with tweezers
8. Fill in holes in faux lashes with a thin line of liquid liner

For more beauty, fashion and fitness tips, please visit Cheryl at www.cherylfenton.com/blog.