REDBOOK
September 2006

Cheryl checks it out: extensions
You see a celebrity like Jessica Simpson and you know it’s all fake: the voluminous hair, the perfect manicure, the superlong lashes.  But the fact is, she looks good.  So I wondered: Could extension make a movie star out of me?  I set out to test both at-home and in-salon version of hair, lash, and nail extensions.  The one thing I didn’t realize would be tested? My patience.  I spent hours upon hours in the salon.  Apparently getting va-va-voom is ve-ve-very boring.  My advice: Bring a good book, because some of this stuff is worth the wait.

Eyelash extensions: 
Salon – Xtreme Lashes, single synthetic lashes glued onto your own, at Paul Labrecque Salon & Spa in NYC 

Specifics – Application time: 2 hours.   Removal time:  They fall off as your own lashes fall out.  They’ll last:  Up to 6 weeks.  Cost: $450.

Overall experience – The process was painstaking, but these incredibly long lashes look like they’re yours – no mascara necessary!  So when I finally have my red-carpet moment and do the accompanying talk-show circuit, I’ll definitely get them again.

Hair extensions:
Salon – Nylon Micro-Integration, bonded-on human hair, at Paul Labrecque Salon & Spa in NYC

Specifics – Application  time: 4 hours.  Removal time:  1 hour.  They’ll last : 3-4 months.  Cost:  From $2800.

Overall experience - A big shout-out to the generous Ukrainian woman who gave up her hair for my vanity.  Her strands were pre-dyed to match mine, then heat-bonded all the way around my head.  Crazy costly?  Oh yeah.  But this mane is attracting more male attention than I’ve had in years.

Click here for Paul Labrecque Salon & Spa eyelash extenions information.

Click here for Paul Labrecque Salon & Spa hair extension services.