Sometimes you have to fake it to make it...

Usually, we're the first to say: natural is better. But when it comes to wimpy lashes, even we could use a boost. So we decided to try extensions. Scary? Not since we discovered Lashtique, owned by Ria, a nurse turned lash artist. Here's our tester's take:

• Spend more, fret less. Ria, trained in Xtreme Lashes, charges $350 for 65 lashes per eye. (Similar stylists charge upwards of $400.) The glue she uses doesn't touch skin, only a single lash as each extension is attached. Cheaper "cluster" extensions adhere to more than one hair, which means when one lash sheds, it yanks others out. Ouch! 

• Patience, patience. Individually applying extensions hair by hair takes a long time--two hours on average. Lower lashes are taped down so they stay out of the way--slightly awkward--but otherwise Ria makes the process completely comfortable. 

• No more clumping and smudging! Lush lashes last up to two months. (Less expensive versions are heavier and fall out sooner.) The price may be steep, but can easily be offset by skipping mani/pedis for a while. Plus, waking up "naturally" beautiful is priceless!

Call by 3/16 and get a $75 discount when you say the magic words: Vital Juice.

Lashtique, 20 W. 20th St., Suite 311, (718) 974-2821

Guess who?  Click here to find out whose peepers are in the pic!