by Alexandra Edwards

For the young to middle-aged woman of today, looking good and staying attractive longer has never been easier. Thanks to advanced cosmetic technology over the past several years,  it is possible for the average working woman to indulge and pamper herself in a way that was once only read about in stories about Hollywood stars.

As well as numerous tanning salons in town offering all the new tanning techniques such as air brush tanning and sunless tanning, there are countless nail salons, where for about thirty-five dollars you can get a manicure and a pedicure. For about the same price you can get a French manicure on a semi permanent, custom made, set of acrylic nails. Today's average working woman can now afford to visit a Day Spa or Aesthetic Clinic and get a facial, a facial peel, waxing, laser hair removal, spider vein removal, mud wrap, skin treatments, cellulite treatments, even Botox. 

These cosmetic procedures were unheard of in hometown America a few years ago. Not only can a woman afford to go to the local gym or fitness center but she can also get her own

personal trainer!

Just a few years ago only someone like Oprah could afford to have her own fitness instructor. 

There are also the numerous therapeutic massage clinics that are appearing on local main streets. With the soft calming sounds of natural water falls in the background, a good massage will relax those aching tense muscles to make you feel rejuvenated.

Of course, while the ordinary woman can now indulge in these luxuries once enjoyed only by the super stars, cosmetic technology for the Hollywood celebs and the like have gone several steps further.

Thick lips and breast implants are on the way out and luscious, long, sexy, eyelashes are the newest trend in cosmetics.  Eyelash extensions are the latest craze and stars such as Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Kidman, Paris Hilton,  Lindsay Lohan are fluttering their lush eyelashes at the cameras. Madonna is said to have taken her lash extensions a step further by having them made of mink and studded with diamonds for a total cost of $10,000.

This eyelash extension trend which started in Hollywood is growing across the nation and is becoming  available at professional beauty salons throughout the USA. The procedure which typically costs between $250 and $350 takes about 2- 3 hours. Unlike the old fake eyelash strips which were applied to the eyelid, the new semi-permanent, synthetic eyelash extensions are applied directly to the individual hairs. Mascara or store bought false eyelashes look good for several hours but  the new water resistant eyelash extensions will

stay in place for four to six weeks.  Unfortunately though, like most other semi-permanent or permanent cosmetic treatments, routine touch ups are still required.

Long eyelashes have been popular for decades and considered an added attraction by many males and females. For years women have tried to lengthen their lashes with mascara. Many women from the baby boomers era will remember the block spit and brush-on mascaras that were used before the present wand design. Long eyelashes were very fashionable in the 1960's. Women wore store bought fake eyelashes and used heavy eyeliner and mascara to cover the glued on strip. Bottom lashes were penciled in to give the popular "Twiggy" look.

A report in the Los Angeles Times says, "There are more mascara varieties than ever,

thickening, lengthening, curling, volumizing, nourishing, stretching, push-up, padded, whatever." A New Products Database counted 176 new eyelash enhancement products, mostly mascara, that were released last year, compared to just 48 in 2002.

Few women are born with natural thick and luscious  lashes, yet that is not quite so with the opposite sex. Women often envy the boyish thick,  long, curling eyelashes of their male companions, imagining  how great they could look with just one quick flick of mascara. 
As a small child, my son had such thick long eyelashes that when learning how to swim, my family would joke that he could not possibly drown because his eyelashes would keep him afloat.

Eyelash extensions are so new that they can only be found in the big city beauty spas, but judging by other lavish beauty trends, it won't be long before they are available locally and

hopefully at a much lower cost.

There seems to be a growing trend though in other permanent cosmetics. Here in beautiful Cleveland, Tennessee, Cindy Scott of Everlasting Make-Up, located on Old Tasso Road, said there has been a vast increase in clients since she started her business six years ago, especially with women over the age of 40 years.  Permanent cosmetic make-up is a state of the art form of cosmetic tattooing, a technique known as micro pigment implantation or derma graphics, which deposits tiny individual implants of pigment into the dermal layer of skin. Permanent cosmetic procedures include eyebrows, eyeliner, top and bottom, lip liner, full lip color and beauty marks. The initial procedure will generally take 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. However, just like any other permanent cosmetic procedure, these do require maintenance touch-ups from time to time. When asked if she would add eyelash extensions to her list of procedures, Cindy said she had heard about them from a relative in Boston but was not too impressed herself,  but felt sure the procedure would soon be available at local beauty salons and day spas.

As every woman has learned, there's no fooling the aging process for long, it will catch up with us all eventually. Despite that, today's young women have a better chance of staying young and attractive longer than their mothers and grandmothers did. Who knows, tomorrow's young woman may even be able to stop the age clock - permanently!
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