PUCKER UP!

I'm a fan of an exaggerated lip, I've been known to put bold red lipstick on just to go get a cup of mid-day coffee. Bold and colorful lips are very Hollywood to me, remind me of my Grandma Emma and is the easiest way to jazz up a look your not %100 about. Let talk about our lips, they get a lot of attention but maybe not enough to ensure they are healthy and serving us the best they could. Our actual lips are some of the thinnest skin on our face, they are prone to becoming dry, irritated, bruised, burned, chapped and rough. Chronic dry lips is are sure indicator you are not drinking enough water so lets start with that being a basic easy step to keeping our delicate lips healthy. If you are a person who loves using lip balm or chap stick take a look at what is exactly in that little tube you can't live without....here are two major ingredients you should always AVOID: Alcohol, this acts as a great solvent for other ingredients but does noting but strip the natural oils in the tissues of our lips. Petroleum, this is one of the most common ingredients used for its ability to help a product spread and feel smooth on the skin, in this case the lips. Yes, Petroleum feels nice, silky and smooth on the surface but what happens over time is it actually "suffocates" the skin causing it to become dryer(if you are one of those people who is ALWAYS applying lip balm this may be why) and to boot Petroleum is a non-renewal resource so once we have no more that's it! Look for a product that has more ingredients like Coco or Shea Butter, Almond, Coconut or Tanamu Oil, these ingredients are not only super moisturizing to the lips but will also protect and heal the delicate skin. A few winters ago I got into the habit of weekly exfoliating my lips, it takes a 5 minutes and makes a world of difference. Start by making sure you have no residue on the lips and they are dry, take your ring finger dip it oil(Almond or Olive)then dip it sugar, I like the raw sugar cause its free of dyes and has a courser cut, GENTLY rub into your lips for 60- 90 seconds, rinse off and follow with a nourishing salve or balm. This little step will get rid of dry, dead skin and allow the properties of the salve or balm to penetrate deeper to heal from the inside out. Back to lipstick...I learned a great trick for applying lipstick from dear friend and added a little twist to it. To keep your lipstick from running and lasting longer first make sure the skin AROUND THE LIPS is moisturized and supple, this will make sure any tiny cracks around the lips are sealed, next prime the lips with a balm or salve, next apply a liner if you do, then a dab the lips with baby powder to help the lipstick set better, then apply your lipstick and finishing steps like gloss, shine or if your a product geek like me I set my lipstick(and all my make up with a spritz of toner)....then go put those juicy lips to work!!!