It's the one think most of us can't live without because we all long for lashes you could swat a fly with.

Like full lips, long, thick eyelashes add to our sex appeal by making our eyes appear bigger. That's why we love volumising mascara or the false lashes that are now flooding the market.

And now there's a new product to help frame eyes in a perfect fan. Eyelash extensions from America are the new hot thing because they create the illusion of fuller, thicker more defined lashes, last up to two months and you can shower, swim and do every sport imaginable in them.

The semi-permanent 3D-lashes are designed to thicken and lengthen your own natural eyelashes. They are made in Asia from a soft and naturally curved synthetic material. The lash base is flat and the tip is fine and polished, just like real lashes.

Each one is stuck on individually with a permanent polypeptide bond. It dries soft, remains flexible and bouncy, and claims to cause no damage to your own eyelashes.

As well as their durability, the lashes which have just arrived at VIP's hair, nails and beauty salon in Westgate, Halifax, look surprisingly natural and come in different lengths and thicknesses.

"Everyone's eyes are different so the lashes are adaptable. They can lengthen your own lashes by between 0.15 to 0.25mm.

"Women who wear glasses for instance might want shorter ones all over, and some women like longer lashes at the outer corners of their eyes and shorter ones in the middle and the inner corners," says holistic beauty therapist Amy Naylor.

It's a fiddly procedure and a slow one. Clients lie down while Amy applies each one on top, under or to the side of your eyelashes.They are never attached to the root or the eyelid. She then curls and separates them.

Around 30 lashes are applied to each eye, which takes about one hour. A consultation first adds another 15 minutes. You must keep away from waterproof mascara, lash curlers and make-up remover. Nycola Naylor, who owns the salon, says the extensions fall off with your own lashes, which last for around 90 days. You can return to the salon for infills.

"A top magazine tested eyelash extensions and the 3D lashes got five out of five and are considerably cheaper than most others tested," says Nycola.

A full set of extensions is on offer at £30 until the end of this month when the price will be £46.50. Infills start at £11. Contact VIP on 01422 384329.