With Valentine’s Day next month already, here are a few tips to get ultra soft, smooth, kissable lips:

• Apply Vaseline to your lips each night before bedtime. You may have another lip balm product you will want to use instead, but if not, good old Vaseline works wonders.
• Keep an extra toothbrush handy and use it to lightly brush the surface of your lips each day to remove dead or dry skin. You will want to do this just as your Vaseline or other moisturizer is wearing off so that the dry skin comes off smoothly and easily. If you wait until your lips are already dry, it won’t do much good!
• Always use a water-resistant lip balm with SPF protection (yes, even in the winter… and especially while skiing or snowboarding). The skin on your lips is ultra thin and delicate. Since you don’t need to “tan” your lips, too much sun exposure will cause your lips to burn, chap, or worse. This can make applying any type of lip color a nightmare. A protective lip balm will prevent damage and soften your lips all at the same time.
• Use a lip liner that is close to your natural lip color. You don’t want to use one that’s too dark – your lip liner is there to help keep your lip color in place and make it last longer, not to create a distracting line around your mouth.
• When applying lipstick, blot your lipstick with a tissue after applying each layer. This will give your base lip color extra staying power.
• February is a perfect time to try fun, flirty shades in pink, red or berry. Once you’ve finalized your clothing choices, choose a shade that compliments your coloring and goes well with your outfit.
• After applying your lipstick, finish off your look with a soft, shiny lipgloss. But be sure not to go overboard on the gloss – too much can take your lips from gorgeous to gooey. Also, by layering and blotting your lipstick as mentioned in the above step, you won’t have to touch up your lipstick during the evening, which usually requires precision – and a mirror. Glosses are lighter and easier to apply, so you can quickly and easily touch up the shine if needed.

Thank you to sokissandmakeup.com for these tips!