From poets to B-town's romantic brigade... every one has written, talked, waxed eloquent about the most beautiful part of a women - her lips. How to keep your smacker in top condition.  

Lips are seriously high mantenance!! And you thought that you could get away with flashy clothes and just nude lipstick or gloss. Hah! A lot of people are clueless as to how to take care of their lips. What;s the point having flawless skin or shining hair if your lips are chapped or cracked?. Looking after lips is not a difficult task. Here's what you can do to make sure you have a soft, supple pucker all the time.....

Moisture Matters

Lips don't have any oil glands and no outer proective layer. No wonder lips end up chapped when it's cold, windy or dry. More than the whether, it's pollution that's the real culprit. Licking your lips to moistureise them only makes matters worse by speeding up the natural evaporation process. To keep lips smooth, hydrated and kissable, first gently remove any flakes of dry skin with a soft, wet toothbrush and seal in moisture with a lip balm.

Protect your pucker

Lips don't have any pigments that protect our skin from UV rays. So they are particularly vulnerable to sun damage and skin cancer. This makes it crucial to protect them in the summer months. Make sure you pck a lip balm, which has an SPF- that's the sun protection factor- of at lest 15.

Plump It Up

The pout got a new status after Angelina Jolie's mouth hit the marquee! Believe it or not, plump lips are what's in, not just for women but for men too. Whaaaat!!? According to recent research by the University of Lousiville, men's lip size is the key to sexual attraction with good sized smackers seen as most attractive by women, but hey, no implants (those end up making you look like miss pout-like-a trout, MegRyan). Just choose from some of the several lip plumpers available in the market. As for the lip colour, is all about softer hues. Use a nude, creamy pencil. Put the lip stick on first, not the pencil. It stays on longer and gives a more natural look. Go on, make your smacker smarter.. There's much emphasis on 'decorating' your lips. Just like for the teeth, lip accessories such as stick-on crystals, zircons and stay-on glitter are now available in the market. However, you must ensure that the glue used is safe and sterile.

Take care of chapped Lips...now!!

 No one wants to end up with the chapped lips. Lip cracks  can be very painful and unsightly too, when they start to bleed! There are several reasons for chapped lips. Exposure to a lot of wind, sun, dry air and even kissing in cold whether can lead to chapped lips. Lips also chap because of dermatitis ( a form of skin ailment), some allergies or side effects of medication. If you have chapped lips here's what you can do to heal them quickly... 

Eat a multi-vitamin suppliment,which is rich in calcium, magnesium and flaxseed oil, daily as chapped lips indicate nutritional deficiencies. 

Use lip balms which cocoa butter and beeswax. Avoid flavoured lip balms, which often lead to more frequent lip licking, thus increasing the degree of chapping!!!!

 HOT TIP

Examine lip balm ingredients very carefully as some components of 'medicated' lip balm can actually acts as irritants. Drink more than the recommended 8 glasses of water a day, preferably warm. Slipping hot liquids slowly dilates the circulatery system and increases moisture supply to tissues. Avoid caffeine and alcohol, which are major dehydrators. When choosing lip care products, go in for those that are moisturising in  nature, Avoid making contact with the sun or dry wind for too long.  

Here's how to treat lip sores  

Nothing ruins the way you look or scare a potential partner off more than a lip sore!! Cold sores can form as a result of over exertion or over-exposure to the sun. But there's no need to panic as topical applications are available to take care of sores. As soon as you feel thee slightest tingle, applay Zovirax cream. To prevent sores, use lip balm with SPF. Experts advise against eating foods like peanuts, soyabeans, chocolate. oats and wholewheat, which cantain an amino acid called argenine that  triggers sores. All diseases thrive on a weak immune system. So, eat a well-balanced meal, get plenty of sleep and boost your Vitamin C intake to prevent sores.  Keep Smiling!!!!! 

Smooth Operator

Bid bye to chapped and scaling lips!! Mix 1 tsp each of glycerine, lemon juice and castor oil. Apply to the lips and leave overnight. Say hi to satiny lips in the morning!!  

HOT TIP 

Before applying lipstick, dab on some lip balm or petroleum jelly to give your lips a little moisture. The lipper will then glide on easily!