Luscious Lips and Lip Gloss Guide

Ingrid Bergman summed it up nicely when she said "A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous".

Or, to use another cliché; If the eyes are the window to the soul, then the lips are certainly the door to passion.

Well, while that all may be true, how do you make that a reality?

It's more simple than you might think, these are the tricks of the trade for perfectly "kissable" lips.

First of all, and one that is commonly overlooked, exfoliate every day; Use a flannel to remove dead skin cells, then cover with Vaseline or good quality lip balm and blot with a kitchen towel before applying lipstick.

Then, every evening, remember to rub in moisturiser until it disappears, then apply a thick layer and leave it on overnight.

Next, as with all types of skin care, hydration is vitally important. Drink several litres of water throughout the day. (In fact, any men reading this, drinking lots of water is a good tip for maintaining good health for you too). If you are dehydrated, your lips will show it first.

Now for colour; to correct a wonky or thin lip shape, use a good quality lip liner pencil a few shades darker than your lip colour. Draw the new line closely to the outside of your natural lip line.

Another tip: Lip liner applied to the whole lip makes a great, long-lasting base for lipstick.

Apply, blot and repeat several times; this locks in the lip colour.

The joy (or maybe not) of gloss is the excessive need to re-apply, especially if it is strawberry flavour. It is generally accepted that gloss does not last, but there is something very sexy about reapplying regularly.(That makes it worthwhile, as it increases appeal, and can taste great). Also, gloss or lip plumper applied just to the very centre of the lip will give the illusion of plumper lips.

A little known tip is that licking your lips before drinking will avoid leaving a mark on the glass.

Insert your finger between your lips and pull out to remove excess lipstick and prevent transfer of colour to teeth.(be careful where you are, as this is also sexy, and you may get daggers from ladies whose husbands appreciated it!)

Yellowing teeth can be camouflaged by wearing lipstick with a bluish tone - plum, pink, violet shades are perfect.

Test new lipsticks and different colours on your finger tips, it is a much closer match than the back of your hand (check if you like, the fingertip has more local blood flow, press your thumb to your fingertip then remove, and you will see the lighter shade disappear as the blood flow returns).