Eyelash extensions are one option for longer, more luxurious lashes. Synthetic lashes are attached one at a time for a more natural look.

Joyce Marshall / mcclatchy-tribune

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Anna Phillips had tinted my eyelashes, and now she began the tedious work of attaching individual synthetic lashes, one at a time, to my sparse and stubby lashes.

"You can't even see where these lashes attach when they start growing out," she assured me.

The tinting, which took about 15 minutes and burned just a little, had made an immediate difference.

The Lash Lounge, tucked into an upscale shopping center in Colleyville, Texas, next to the Nail Bar, is all about eyes. It offers eyelash and brow tinting, lash perming, temporary eyelash extensions, semipermanent eyelash extensions and permanent upper and lower eyeliner — jumping on a national trend toward permanent and semipermanent eye décor.

Twenty-five years ago, if you wanted permanent eyeliner, you went to a cosmetic surgeon's office. But the procedure has since been dominated by full-service beauty salons and tattoo artists. And now salons are starting to offer semipermanent eyelash extensions, which are nothing like the old glue-on false eyelashes from the drugstore.

"The whole idea is to have gorgeous eyes that look totally natural," Phillips said.

Or maybe not so natural: Jennifer Lopez has mink eyelash extensions, and Madonna reportedly paid $10,000 for a diamond-encrusted set.

Phillips, master stylist and salon owner, has trained stylists across the country for Xtreme Lashes, a Houston-area company that distributes synthetic lashes.

Tinting is the quickest, easiest way to make an impression. It lasts about two months (until most of the tinted lashes complete their growth cycle and fall out), and costs $25. Permanent upper and lower eyeliner is $300.

Different packages are available for extensions, which need refills as lashes grow.

With extensions, there's no need for mascara. The lashes come in black, brown and graphite for a natural look; for more drama, sapphire, auburn or purple can be sprinkled in.

At the Lash Lounge, the first full set of 45 lashes (for a "mascara look") is $250, and the "dramatic look" (up to 60 lashes per eye) is $275. Each comes with one basic refill (up to 15 lashes per eye). "We use a medical glue to attach each individual lash separately," said Phillips. "You have to be careful not to use too much. You don't want lashes sticking together or clumping."

I had about a dozen extenders sprinkled on each eye (just to see what it was like) and can attest that you hardly feel a thing — certainly no pain — while lashes are being applied. They're so lightweight you don't know they are there.

Oh, and that glue does stick. I still had most of my extenders a month later, despite using drops for allergies, rubbing my eyes, washing my face normally and using makeup remover.

Lash Lounge also offers a Lash Lover's Club, which provides a full set of thick, long, natural-looking lashes plus twice-a-month refills for 12 months for $1,200 from any of the stylists/ technicians who work there.