There’s nothing worse than seeing someone desperately fail at pulling off  Marilyn Monroe’s famous ‘red lip’. In fact, dry and cracked lips look terribly under any lip color, not just red.

Here are a few guidelines to follow for the perfect lipstick – read them, treasure them and pass them on to your mates.

  • Always exfoliate your lips before applying makeup. It will get rid of any dead skin lying on the surface.
  • Before lipstick comes lip balm. It will keep your lips soft and moistened under your lipstick.
  • Remember to fill your lips with lip liner before you apply your lipstick. This will make the color last longer.
  • Line your lips to give them some definition.
  • Apply your lipstick with a lip brush to let the color really get into your lips.
  • For a non-surgical lip augmentation, apply a bit of highlighter to your cupids bow. This will give you a sexy pout.
  • Avoid getting lipstick on your teeth by poking a (clean) finger into your mouth.
  • Use cotton bud to clean up around the edges of your lips.
  • Finish up with translucent powder so that the lip color lasts longer.

And most important, remember to smile.