Batting for lashes

You don't need me to tell you we're in the grip of a super-lash phenomenon. Now reports suggest that lash products are the fastest growing sector in the beauty industry — it seems we can't get enough of eye-opening products. So think Twiggy meets Katy Perry and get lashed for summer.

MODEL MASCARAS
If clumping is your problem, Revlon's Double Twist mascara (£8.99; 0800 085 2716) comes with a brush that combs lashes through as you apply it. Mineral make-up addicts can get their fix with the new Kiehl's version (£15; www.selfridges.com), containing lash-moisturising jojoba oil. If you want to be flicks ahead of the lash crowd, the current obsession with wide-eyed Bambi looks (see Cheryl Cole) becomes a more elongated "almond-shaped eye" that requires extra emphasis on outer corner lashes next season. Max Factor's Lash Extension Effect (£10.99; nationwide) — with a tapering brush — will bring even the most elusive of corner lashes to the fore.

FAIL-SAFE FALSIES
When only faking it will do, falsies have come a long way from the days of falling off and into your soup. If it's the natural look you're after, Ardell's Babies Invisiband re-usable set (£4.95; www.lookfantastic.com) is made of 100 per cent human hair, adding subtle volume to sparse lashes. For fashion-forward falsies, the PPQ lashes for Shu Uemura (£25; www.selfridges.com) — as seen at this season's catwalk — have white zigzags on the underside that make eyes look wide awake. More of a statement are Paperself versions inspired by the art of Chinese paper-cutting, made from cardboard and coming in designs with a hidden meaning, from seahorses, meaning "big success", to peonies, "wishing you happiness" (£12; www.lunaandcurious.com).

THE BEST EYE-OPENING EXTENSIONS
Done wrong, and your natural lashes will pay the price — so it's worth investing time and money in good extensions that last one to three months. Queen of extensions Jinny Coffey applies up to 75 lashes per eye for a natural but noticeable effect in less than two hours (£80 for a half set, £150 for full; www.jinnylash.com). The Powder Lounge is the perfect lash pit-stop, offering a range of different extensions from Weekend Lash Extensions, £17, to Outer Corner Holiday accents, £19, for the elongated cat's eye. The latest W Lashes (£65; www.thepowderlounge.co.uk) are applied in a crisscross pattern to fill in gaps in your own lashes. The downside for mascara addicts is that you'll have to wave goodbye to your wands for a while — but your make-up routine will be speedier and great for holidays.