With a little loving care, your lips can be perfect in no time. Just follow these seven steps - and then pucker up!
Take a water bottle with you wherever you go. Drinking enough water (the equivalent of at least 9 cups of fluids daily) will keep the body, skin and lips hydrated.
Lick the smacking habit. Licking your lips damages the protective barrier, which can dry out the lips, says Robert Brodell, M.D., a dermatologist in Warren, Ohio. (Saliva contains digestive enzymes that can break down this barrier.) Instead, regularly apply lip balm like La Mer The Lip Balm (S40; at Saks Fifth Avenue Stores).
Know thy balms. Look for hydrating ingredients like beeswax, shea butter, vitamin E and almond, jojoba or coconut oils. Good old petroleum jelly (think: Vaseline) works well too. If you have sensitive skin, use camphor-based medicated lip balms sparingly. (They can be irritating.) Instead, opt for the camphor-free Aesop Rosehip Seed Lip Treatment with shea butter ($15; 888-223-2750). But if you have hearty skin, try ChapStick Medicated lip balm ($1.69; at drugstores) with camphor and menthol.
Plug in a humidifer. It can replace moisture in dry indoor air, keeping your lips (and your skin) hydrated. Editor's favorite: Bionaire Digital Cool Moisture Humidifier ($80; bionaire.com).
Exfoliate when necessary. Lip exfoliators (products that contain fruit-acid-based alpha or beta hydroxy acids) slough off dead skin - much like the ones you'd use on your face, says New York dermatologist Dennis Gross, M.D. "But if you have sensitive skin or your lips are severely chapped or cracked, use these products cautiously [no more than once weekly) as they do contain acids that can irritate skin," says Gross. (Signs of irritation: intense stinging and/or persistent redness.) Try Blistex Lip Revitalizer with AHA and vitamin E ($1.89; at drugstores) and Lancome Primordiale Lip Revitalizing Treatment with Gatuline, an AHA alternative ($29; lancome.com).
Protect, protect, protect. Lips are susceptible to sunburn since they lack melanin, the pigment that helps shield skin from the sun. Apply a layer of a sun-protective product daily like Neutrogena Lip Moisturizer SPF 15 ($3; at drugstores) or look for a lipstick with SPF like Estee Lauder Futurist SPF 15 ($17.50; esteelauder.com), which comes in 22 shades.
Don't make matte forever. Matte lipsticks can be extremely drying (which helps these lipsticks stay put for so long). That's why you should use them sparingly when your lips are extremely chapped. Instead, alternate use of them with hydrating lipsticks (as indicated by ingredients like vitamin E and/or glycerin) or add a layer of moisturizing lip balm underneath. Opt for the nonmatte, hydrating Ultima II Ultimate Edition Lipstick with primrose oil and vitamin E ($15; at drugstores) or layer Prescriptives Lip Specialist ($15; gloss.com) underneath a matte.
TREAT YOUR LIPS RIGHT
Follow this guide to treating common lip problems.
CUT IN THE CORNER OF THE MOUTH Keep your lips hydrated with a balm and apply a small dab of an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream.
PEELING LIPS This could be an allergic reaction to a lipstick, toothpaste, food, beverage or medication you're taking (Accutane is one drug that can severely dry out lips). Related symptoms include itching and a persistent rash. Your dermatologist can prescribe a mild topical hydrocortisone cream to help decrease the irritation.
WRINKLES AROUND THE LIPS Caused by sun exposure, age and smoking, these wrinkles should be treated like wrinkles on the rest of the face -- with chemical peels and creams that contain anti-aging ingredients like retinol. One to apply: Avon Anew Retinol Lip Treatment with vitamin C and retinol ($10; 800-FOR-AVON).
THIN LIPS If you want fuller lips, the best temporary option right now is collagen (Zyderm) injections, which cost about $300 per treatment and last about six months. (Possible side effects include temporary redness and excessive swelling of the lips.)
SHAPE TESTED
best lipsticks and balms
We tested hundreds of colors and moisturizing balms to pick these favorites. Best vitamin-enriched lipstick Almay One Coat Lip Cream with vitamins A, C and E ($8.75; at drugstores).
Longest-lasting lipsticks It's a three-way tie between Cover Girl Outlast All-Day Lipcolor ($9.50), L'Oreal Endless Lipcolour ($9.75) and Max Factor Lipfinity ($12.75), all at drugstores. They all last up to eight hours.
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