ANNIE: Thank goodness, I can still do frivolous. Buying fake eyelashes at Malaga airport scores high on the frivolity stakes.
Even cack-handed I managed to put these on in a rush before going out. I was worried that my eyelids would be a smear of copydex (that's what the glue looks like) but any residual glue easily rubs off and you can cover up with eyeshadow or eyeliner. The effect was stunning and you can add mascara for added wow. They peel off completely painlessly to use again. Effortless (and cheap) glamour. £8.50 for set of top lashes; glue £8.50 from Mac stores and maccosmetics.co.uk.

EMILY: Unlike Annie, who has lovely long thick lashes naturally, I have short, thin ones that no amount of mascara can remedy. So the idea of individually applied falsies was very tempting. A trip to Bliss Spa took an hour and a half but when I came out I was a new woman. For the first time in my life I could bat my lashes. For about 24 hours I was a convert. But then I made an error. I went to Jamaica – sun, sand and sea – lots of suncream, lots of swimming. My new lashes did not like it, despite assurances they were water-resistant. They fell out and, worst of all, they did not fall out alone. Attached to about one in every three was a poor, thin, tawdry real lash. Moral: if it matters to you to lose a lash or two (or twenty), DON’T do it prior to a beachy holiday. Ooh-la-lash  £150. An upkeep session every 2­–3 weeks is recommended. Removal is free.  blisslondon.co.uk. 60 Sloane Avenue SW3 2