I’m just back from a brilliant event by Kiss – the company that specialises in nails and lashes at Belfast’s Merchant Hotel.

We were treated to nibbles, cocktails and the awesome Paddy McGurgan and his team from the Make-up Pro Store who spent their time fitting us with nails and lashes.

I’m actually partial to a good false lash. I used to be petrified of such a fiddly thing but they’re actually very easy things to apply and, more importantly, wear. I got fitted with the Blooming ones – see above – that are quite delicate with a little flick at the end.

So it got me thinking about lashes, so naturally I’m giving you my favourite tips for wearing falsies.

Choose the Right Ones for You

Once upon a time I whacked on a pair of lashes that I found in a random goodie-bag. They were very long and very thick and that was kind of all I thought aboutht them that night – it was a work Christmas do.

Fast forward a couple of days and someone posts the obligatory group photo on Facebook. Everyone looked nice and smiley and glammed up… until you saw me. Basically where my eyes should have been were big, black holes. The lashes I had chosen were WAY to big for my small face. Lesson learned there! (No, I’m not putting that picture up on the blog)

Snip, snip, snip

No one’s eyes are exactly the same length as a false lash. I know this, and lovely Laura from the Make-Up Pro Store knew this too. Whenever you open a new pair of lashes, have your scissors ready. There are absolutely no rules when it comes to trimming a pair of falsies to fit, but I find that if they’re poking you in the corner of your eye then they’re probably too long. You also don’t need to use the whole thing – you can just give yourself an extra flutter by using just a tiny bit to give yourself wings at the edge of the eye. The world, in this particular case, is your lobster.

The secret is in the glue

Well it’s not really. Laura told me this when she was fitting my lashes but I’ve seen it on numerous make-over programmes – you need to give the glue a minute. It comes out of the tube very liquid and needs a couple of minutes to tack up so the lash will actually stick to your eye.

A good rule of thumb is to apply glue to lash and then do something else for a couple of minutes while it dries. Don’t panic, you’ll still be able to manouve and place the lash perfectly before the glue dries.

They’re Reusable

The great Paddy McGurgan said this so I’m sold. But really, you can use your lashes until you lose them. The best idea is to clean them a bit with eye make-up remover before you do – eye health isn’t a joke people!

If you want to try the Blooming lashes – other kinds are available – they’re available in Superdrug, Boots and other high street vendors for around £4.