Full, soft, inviting lips. Want them? We all do, and now we all can have them. Here's the kiss and tell on luscious lips.

#1 Hands off. Let's start simple, with a line you may have heard in your youth. Mom always told you and so will we - stop biting and licking your lips. It smears your color and irritates your lips. Keep utensils and pens away from your lips. It'll keep your pucker pretty and keep lipstick off your teeth.

#2 Hydrate yourself inside and out. Water, water, everywhere. Be sure to drink your share. You know you need to drink at least eight glasses of water a day. Here's another reason to do it. Water is vital to tissue health.

#3 Protect your lips from wind and sun damage. Always wear lip balm with a SPF of 15 or higher. Always. And, don't forget your lip balm. It moisturizes your lips and serves as a base for your lip color. Wear it in place of lip color on no make-up days. Worn under your lipstick, it'll even help extend the life of your color.

#4 Lip liner can be a lifesaver. Lip liner serves two main purposes. It solves size and shape problems. It reins in your color. Thin lips? Following the lip line, outline your natural lip shape slightly beyond the edge of your lip. Thick lips? Lucky you. If you think they're too thick (is there really such a thing?), try the opposite. Following your lip line, outline your natural lip shape just inside the edge of your lip.

Lining your lips helps keep your lip color from seeping out to the skin around your mouth. So, if your lipstick seems to migrate, then lip liner can keep it in place. One caveat to using lip liner: Your lip liner should not actually be visible once your lipstick is applied. So, choose your lip liner carefully. If the world sees an outline around your mouth, you're using the wrong liner.

#5 Lip color sends a message. The color you choose says something about how you view yourself and how you want others to view you. What does your favorite lip color say?

Pale pink: pretty and sweet.
Red: chic or daring.
Coral: fiery and adventurous.
Brown tones: classic and timeless.

In fact, browns are a universally great choice. Every mouth can wear brown.

#6 Get glossy. Lip gloss is not just for teens. A little gloss worn on low-key days brightens up your face. Lip gloss applied over your daytime makeup transforms you into a party girl. Lip gloss dotted just in the center of your lips creates a pouty look.

Your lips are ready... are you? You've pampered, primed, lined and colored yourself all the way to a perfect pair of lips. So pucker up ...

©2006

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