All right ladies, whether you are gearing up for a night on the town or an intimate dinner with your man, one thing is sure- your lips better be fabulous! Valentine’s Day is meant for kissing after all. Now, I know most of you are thinking, “Red, Red, Red!” Well, I say, “No, No, No!”

Red is great for the stage or the runway but it always ends in disaster when you're aiming for a lip lock.  So what’s the alternative?  If you are like me with light hair and a tendency for smoky eyes- stick with a soft peach color. If you have dark hair or prefer light eye makeup- try a dark pink with purple undertones.

Whichever you pick, make sure you use a lip stain and not a lipstick. Despite all the cosmetic industries’ efforts, lipstick smudges. If you use a stain, you won’t have to worry about lipstick on your teeth, in the corner of your mouth, or on his collar.

Here is a step-by-step guide to getting Voluptuous Valentine’s Day Lips:

Priming your Pucker:

Lips need a primer just like your skin. To avoid any flaking or smudging, prime your pucker in two ways:

• First, generously massage a colorless lip balm all over your lips. Then take a piece of tissue and blot any excess off. 
  
• Next, rub a small drop of foundation over the lip balm. The foundation will help the lip color to stick.

Layering your Lips:

For the richest color, apply your lip stain straight from the tube. Using your finger or a brush just dilutes the color.

• Start in the center of the lip first, and then move to the corners. If you try to line your lips with lipstick you’ll end up looking like Bozo! Not sexy.
  
• After you have applied the first coat, blot, and apply the second.
  
• Do not rub lips together. Again, we are trying to avoid smudging.
  
• Now here is a tip: After you applied your color, you want to apply a pin-size amount of loose facial powder on to your lips. The powder will seal the color in tight.
  
• After you have applied the powder, it is time for the liner. I recommend using a clear liner or a liner that is one shade lighter than your lip color.

Final Touches:

The last step is to apply your gloss. I always use clear, but if you want to use color make sure it matches or is slightly darker than your lip stain. That way if it does fade, the difference between the gloss and stain will be less noticeable.

• Unlike the stain, use your fingers to apply the gloss. That way you won’t smudge the color.
  
• Blot - don’t smudge! We want to keep that gorgeous color.

Now your lips are luscious and ready for some Valentine’s Day action.