By Mary N. DiZazzo

Eyelash Flirt

Ciao bella,

Your hair is your crowning glory, but your eyelashes serve as your final frame.

For a quick look, just a few waves of the mascara wand and some bright lip color is all you need to make a decent appearance.

Long eyelashes are considered a sign of femininity in almost all cultures. To appear more feminine and sexually desirable some women enhance their eyelash length artificially. Complete eye make-up includes mascara, eyeliner, and eye shadow to enhance the eyelashes. The twentieth century started the trend of convincing-look false eyelashes, trendy in the 1960s.

You can score some well-made lashes at the department store and apply them yourself. For a fun night out look you can find lashes in a variety of colors and many dimensions. From silver to orange, live it up!

For a big chunk of change you can go to a salon specializing in the application of permanent and semi-permanent flutters. Expert "lashers" meticulously apply single strands of hair to the eyelid, creating different effects lasting up to several weeks. Touch-up sessions are also available.

About eyelashes:

• Did you know eyelashes protect the eye from debris and perform some of the same functions as whiskers do on a cat or a mouse?

• The eyelashes of the embryo develop between the seventh and eighth week.

• Eyelashes take eight weeks to grow back.

• Their color may differ from that of the hair. Lashes take longer to grow white.

• The follicles of eyelashes are linked with a number of glands known as the glands of Zeiss and the glands of Moll.

• Kohl (dark powder) has been worn as far back as the Bronze Age to protect and enhance lashes.

Buona giornata and God bless the United States of America!

Have you missed any of Mary's columns in the Post-Gazette? Read prior weeks' "All That Zazz" columns on her website www.mary4nails.com. She is a third-generation cosmetologist and owner of Mary for Nails, etc. natural nailcare salon in Andover, and a Massachusetts distributor of Kosmea brand rose hip oil products. She may be contacted at (978) 470-8183. She also sees select clients by appointment in Boston at (617) 742-6881.