Eye-Opening Eyelash Maneuver: How one friend's simple tip made my day (and my lashes) more beautiful

Do you have one of those friends who, like you, leads an incredibly over-committed, frantic, no-time-for-herself life but, unlike you, always manages to look put-together and perfectly groomed?

I do. And I hate her. Well, that's not entirely true since I also love her dearly, but sometimes the mere glimpse of her perfection secretly awakens the ugly green jealousy monster in me -- especially if, say, I haven't had the chance to shower that day.

I just don't get it. We both have kids. We both work at home. We both run our households. But, one of us (let's call her Whitney) manages to embody the stylish, modern "super woman" while the other, yours truly, falls short.

Ok, maybe I'm being too hard on myself. I do have cute clothes and a decent figure (for a 40-something who's had two kids and hasn't set foot inside a gym since "Flashdance" was No. 1 at the box office). And, I am decent at doing my hair and have my makeup routine down pat, but, somehow, I'm no Whitney.

Happily, the other day, I got her to share one of her beauty secrets and it's really worked wonders with my look (and morale). We were cookin' up a light dinner with the kids and, as we shucked corn, I took note of her face (for what had to have been the thousandth time) to try and understand what exactly she did to look so bright-eyed and dewy fresh all the time.

Finally, spurred on by the Pinot Grigio in my system I blurted out, "How do you get your eyelashes to do that?!" I asked. She looked at me like I was nuts and said, "Um, do what?" When I explained that I was confounded by the way she got her lashes to look so long and thick, and yet un-clumpy, she laughed and said she'd learned the trick a hundred years ago -- in high school.

Seems the key is to curl your lashes. "I live and breathe by this thing," Whitney said showing me the Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler, $19, in her bathroom. "You squeeze your eyelashes at the base two times, then one more time at the middle and then apply two coats of mascara (she likes CoverGirl LashBlast Luxe, $7.24) -- making sure to let the first coat dry before you add the second one -- and, voila! You have long, lush lashes." It's that easy, and really just a step that most of us leave out of our routine in our mad rush to get out the door each morning.

Dubious, I sat there as she demonstrated the technique on me and, whaddaya know? Four minutes later, my eyes looked more open than they have since Pearl Jam's heyday. I couldn't believe that something so simple could make such a big difference. And, she didn't even futz with my brows or apply any eyeshadow.

Now, I'd love to say that the "eyelash lesson" (as I now refer to it) lead to a full-on style renaissance, but that'd be a lie. I do, however, have very nice eyelashes. Ask anyone. So, what beauty tricks have you learned from your friends? Any good ones you care to share?