Ever wonder how celebs look so perfectly made up in those red carpet photos? It’s not just mascara that gives them their stand-out, dramatic eyes, it’s almost always fake eyelashes or eyelash extensions.

Jennifer Lopez even wore false eyelashes made out of mink in one of her most memorable beauty moments years ago. For us mere mortals who don’t have personal make-up artists or the money for lash extensions, one of the best ways to glam up your look for holiday parties is to apply your own fake eyelashes at home.

The first time I ever wore fake lashes to a party, they were expertly applied by the makeup professionals at the department store counter. When I received lashes to review from two companies, Lash Addiction and Xtended Beauty, I wondered if I would be able to get them on by myself without gluing lashes to my eyeball. Although, if I did, then I would be able to give people the hairy eyeball. Get it?

Ahem. Anyway, I surveyed the dizzying array of lashes generously provided by the two companies, each set named for the type of woman into whom you will inevitably be transformed. They had names like Dazzler, Play Thing, and Hottie. I skipped over the Lolita and decided to try out Sweet Pea for my luxe lash debut at a recent party. I hit the grocery store as a Goddess, and was a Debutante in the car line. It was fun. I had people comment about how great I looked and I feel I looked years younger when I was wearing my lashes.

After a little practice, applying lashes took no more time for me than applying mascara. In my typical fashion, I scoured the web to make sure I knew every tip and trick of the trade, and was amazed at the sheer number of how-to videos about applying lashes on YouTube. I tried out many different lash techniques and ultimately found what worked best for me. If you want to watch women the world over apply lashes, head over there and start watching!

How To Apply Fabulous, Flawless Eyelashes:

Luckily, the lash edge of each strip is just sticky enough that you can practice the technique as much as you want until you are comfortable, before using the glue.

1. Apply all of your makeup including a thin coat of mascara.

2. Carefully peel the lash from the plastic tray. Then, flex the lash into a natural shape several times to loosen it up. There is a left and a right lash in each set – generally the outer ends will have longer lashes than the inner ends.

3. Hold the lash to your eye to measure and carefully snip off a few lashes from the outer end if it is too long. I never needed to do this.

4. Put a small dab of glue on the lash package. Using an orange stick or bobby pin, apply a thin layer of glue to the edge of the lash, making sure to really coat the ends, which tend to lift.

5. Wait 30 seconds, more or less, until the glue dries a bit and gets tacky. Seriously, this is the most important part. If the glue is too runny it will never stick to your lid.

6. Holding the lash with your fingers or tweezers, gently stick the lash to your lid, as close to your own lashes as possible, then press toward the inner and outer corners. You can use your fingers or any other gentle tool you feel comfortable with to press the lash to your lids. Again, experiment with the lash before you glue it and figure out what is easiest for you.

7. Let dry completely before completing the final step, integrating the lashes with your own for a seamless look. For the best profile, use an eyelash curler to curl all the lashes together. Use a black eyeliner to complete the line from the end of the false lashes to the inner corner of your eye. Finish with a coat of mascara.

8. If you carefully remove the lashes with eye makeup remover at the end of the day and peel off the dried glue, you may get 3 – 4 uses out of a pair. Keep them in the original tray.

At $6 for the Lash Addiction lashes and $9 for Xtended Beauty, that’s affordable glamour for the holidays, no makeup artist needed.

Laurin can be found at her personal blog, Laurin and Kelly Talk, batting her fabulous lashes.