Vicktor & Rolf for Shu Uemura collaboration 

If you apply false lashes every day – a beauty step most leave for special occasions only – should you rightfully be called “lash queen”?

Because that’s a nickname I think I deserve. I’m sure all my empty lash glue tubes and thousands of manky orphaned lashes would agree.

I am obsessed with lashes. Winged lashes, mink lashes, big fan lashes that could keep those around me cool in summer.

A past manager (albeit a manager at a cosmetics company) once told me that if they make me feel good, why not wear them every day? Life is the special occasion, right?

So I followed her advice (as if my rubber arm needed twisting!) and have sported a daily-full-set ever since. Gallavanting around the Greek Islands? Full set. Off to that doctor’s appointment? Full set. That one time I made it to the gym? Full set. Hell, last year I went to South America and hiked the Inca Trail – four days of camping and no showers. Every dawn, somewhere in the Andes, I applied lashes. Yep. A full set.

Though my traveling comrades laughed at my expense (a lot), I had good reason. Walking a gazillion steps up a mountain while lashless just didn’t seem like a good idea to me. It would be the greatest feat of my life, and I wanted to feel like me while doing it.

Me, at my birthday last year. Wearing a full set (of course).

There have been mortifying lash moments, like when I was thrown around in the surf and came up for air, one eyelash on, the other gone, looking just like Alex from Stanley Kubrick’s Clockwork Orange. Then there was last year's Easter Show, ­when the roller coaster’s action photo perfectly captured my lashes flapping in opposite directions. How embarrassment.

There have been mornings where I’ve tiptoed to the bathroom to reglue an unhinged lash, and slipped back into bed to join my unsuspecting boyfriend – only to pretend to wake up ten minutes later #Iwokeuplikethis. He didn't buy it.

Most will think – why? Why on earth would you bother?

And my answer? Because they’re awesome. Most find it difficult to walk out the door without a lick of mascara – I feel the same way without lashes.

In the same way some some addicts upgrade to methamphetamine from caffeine, for me, only the strongest hit of eyelash enhancement will do.

And when I'm really in need of a perk up? Enter the double-stacked lash.

The best false eyelashes, for every mood

So, from a “lash queen” – there I’ve claimed it – here are the steps to the perfect false lash application:

1. Measure your false lash strip against your eye to check the length.

2. Trim the lash band to fit your lashline. Always trim from the outer corner of the lash.

3. If your lash band is made from white thread, ensure that you paint black liner on this thread before applying the lashes. I’ve seen a few people walking around with visible cotton thread on their eyelids, and just like a cotton string hanging out of your bikini bottoms, it ain’t pretty.

4. Bend your lash to a “C” shape for a few moments so it doesn’t freak out when being first coaxed onto your lash bed.

5. If your lash glue comes in a tube, squeeze out a small amount on the back of your hand and let it dry for a few moments, or until it starts to get ‘tacky’, then, swipe the back of your lashes through the glue to transfer product evenly.

6. Use a pair of tweezers to pick up the lash. Tilt your head back and look into the mirror. This way you can see the entire eyelid without scrunching it up.

7. Place the lashes gently on the top of your lashes and secure the lashes center first, followed by the inner corner, then the outer. Use your tweezers to assist you with this.

8. Apply eyeliner across your top lashes to visually blend them in.

9. Finally, using your thumb and index finger, squeeze your natural lash and faux lash together for a seamless finish. If you find your falsies and your real lashes aren't meshing properly, pop some fresh mascara on your natural lashes from underneath, then squeeze them together again.

10. Boom! Look at you go.

What makeup product can't you leave the house without?

We think you would also enjoy:

How to get at $69 lipstick for $9.99

Best and worst beauty looks of the 2014 Brownlow

The 4 game-changing Instagrammers you need to know now

9 of the best lengthening mascaras for short, stubby lashes