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Article by Hair and Make-up Stylist Deborah Monday, artwork by Jeannie Wilksch

I love lips. The mouth and lips are the conveyors of our emotions, the purveyors of passion and the portals of our perceptions.

I prefer to gauge a person's mood by their mouth. Often emotions are expressed here, even more than in the eyes. Tension, hesitation, insincerity, humour, happiness, anger and sadness are particularly obvious by the way in which the mouth is held. The condition of your lips can also be a dead give-away to your health. The first signs of ageing, dehydration, sunburn, vitamin deficiencies and lack of oxygen are all displayed here.

The most fascinating item for a little girl in her mummy's make-up repertoire is the lipstick. We start off smearing it across our lips and faces, and hopefully by the time adulthood arrives, we have it down-packed to just the lips. Polished lips mean so many things. It means that you've gone to the trouble, it means that you're sophisticated and worldly, grown up, sexy, turned on and tuned in. It means that you're complete! Now I know I'm getting a bit carried away, but there really is no other make-up that instantly gratifies and dramatically changes your look like lippy does - god bless her. It's no wonder we spend so much time and money painting, priming and puckering our pout into perfection when we are surrounded by a plethora of psychological and social clichés. And you thought that lips were just good for pashing and trying out new shades of lipstick?

LIPSTORY

The desire for luscious lips is not a new phenomenon. The ideal of having full, youthful lips is not just confined to Western culture and has led to some interesting fashion statements throughout history. In proportion to the face, female lips are slightly fuller than males. This is the major motivation behind focusing attention on the lips, thereby signalling femininity. The more obvious ways of doing this have been with the use of colour and exaggeration of their shape. Some tribes even insert plugs, discs or plates into the lower lip as a mark of status and sexuality. Way back through the annals of time, Elizabethan women used a lethal red dye to stain their lips. Pity the paramour who ventured in for a passionate embrace. Talk about the 'the kiss of death'!

In later Victorian times, the use of lip rouge was frowned upon, as the only women who indulged in lipstick at the time were prostitutes and actresses. Young, single women would bite their lips hard and pinch their cheeks [ouch!] in order to encourage a ruby hue and to attract some male attention.

In the 1920s women around the globe emulated screen siren Clara Bows' lips. She had pert, childlike lips with a defined cupid's bow. Cosmetic companies soon cashed in on her popularity and created a lip stencil called the 'Q' BO Lip Mask. If you placed the stencil over the lips and filled the shape in with your lip rouge, you would achieve the 'perfect' shaped mouth.

During the 1940s lipstick was in short supply due to World War II. However difficult it was to obtain, women still managed to find a supply. Red was the colour of the day. Bold, to brighten the faces and the moods of anyone who was lucky enough to be in possession of this luxury item.

In the '70s and post punk to present day, piercing of the lip has been added to the 'wacky things we do in the name of beauty and self expression' list. Tattooing of the lip line or 'permanent make-up' is available, but not for the faint hearted. Collagen injections, Restylane, gortex threads and fat transplants are the result of our incessant desire to improve the shape and fullness of our lips.

Nowadays we are lucky enough to have a vast array of choice in lipsticks, pencils, glosses, and lip enhancing products. It just proves one thing, making the most of your kisser will always be in style. Keeping that in mind, here is everything a girl needs to know about lush-ifying her lips.

LIP SERVICE

One of the most irritating problems with lips is dryness. I commonly get asked for advice on this one. Here are the major causes and cures...

• Seasonal changes and harsh weather conditions can play havoc with your lips. Use a protective lip balm with a SPF 15 or more to protect and moisturise.

• Dehydration. Now you know how hard it is to keep drinking water line the upper lip just outside the natural lip line. Use a neutral but slightly darker pencil to line the new shape. Fill in the entire lips, leaving the bottom lip line not too defined. To highlight the upper lip even more, add a shimmery ivory to the centre of the upper lip and gloss. Don't use a pale shade all over the upper lip, as this will just look obvious.

• My lips are too thin. Apply the above liner technique to the top and bottom lips. A good guideline to follow is the faint white line that is around the outside of everyone's lips, or just follow the natural shape but just outside the line. Don't go overboard and do a Pamela Anderson. Apply ivory shimmer to the centre of both lips, and gloss. For extra staying power apply some pressed powder, after applying liner to the lips, and then continue with lip colour and gloss. If you have thin lips avoid dark shades as this can make your lips appear too thin. The rule of thumb is paler shades make things look larger and dark shades make things look smaller. [And that's why black is always a good fashion choice...]

• One side of my lips is fuller. This is true for most people. Try to even them up remembering to use a light touch. We are all designed to be slightly assymetrical, so our eyes are trained not to notice this in other people.

• My lips are huge! Oh lucky you, but yes I have encountered this problem in my travels. Some people feel very self-conscious about their large lips. I suggest a neutral shade of lippy, or just a bit of lip balm to keep them moist. Don't try to paint them smaller or to draw attention to the size by painting them bright red. Draw attention to the eyes to balance the focus or think, 'Angelina Jolie' and celebrate the fact that women with thin lips everywhere are envious.

• My mouth droops down at the corners. When applying liner to the top lip go outside the natural line, taking it lightly into the all day, but it really is important if your lips are dry. Eight glasses a day should do it, and no, caffe lattes and Cosmo-politans don't count as fluid intake.

• Some lip balms will actually cause the very thing that you're trying to cure. Lip balms that contain camphor, phenol, spearmint and peppermint can cause drying and eventual chaffing. Use a lip balm that contains jojoba, vitamin E, shea butter, castor, coconut, apricot oil or beeswax. Good old petroleum jelly is inexpensive, protects and moisturises. I have also used hydrolysed wool fat [available in chemists] for a great glossy moisturiser for lips.

• Sun and windburn. Even in winter lips can get burnt. Protect them by either wearing lipstick or a lip balm with SPF 15+.

• Matte lipsticks can aggravate dry lips. Always use a moisturi-sing lipstick or apply lip balm underneath your favourite shade.

• Over licking. This happens when our lips are already dry and you feel the compulsion to keep wetting them. This only aggravates the problem. Try to avoid this by applying a protective barrier like Vaseline or lip balm.

• If lips are flaky and dry, gently exfoliate with a warm wash cloth. Coat them first with Vaseline and rub the flaky skin off. Alternatively, you can use a clean, soft toothbrush to exfoliate as above.

• If you suffer from cold sores [herpes simplex virus] there are many over-the-counter remedies available. Using a lip balm containing zinc can help, as can avoiding stress, too much alcohol, lack of sleep and sun and windburn. If you do get a cold sore, drying it out is important. Use Witchazel or Betadine to help the drying process. The skin underneath will start to heal when a scab forms. If you need to cover up the unsightly thing, I suggest gently dabbing it with a good concealer [using a cotton bud] then applying a soft shade of neutral lip colour over the entire lip. Deflect attention away from the cold sore by using stronger eye make-up and softer lip shades. The herpes virus is highly contagious so remember to always wash your hands after touching the cold sore and avoid using your regular lip brush.

SHIPSHAPE LIP SHAPES

Are you dissatisfied with what nature handed you, or have you encountered some lipstick dilemma that you don't know how solve? Some frequently posed lip problems are...

• I have a thin upper lip and a full lower lip. Most people have a larger lower lip but if you wish to balance things out carefully corners of the mouth in a rounded shape, rather than downwards into the natural corners. Fill in with lip liner, adding a dab of ivory highlight to the centre of the top lip, followed by gloss.

• I have vertical lines above my lips. Smoking is often the culprit, so if this is the case, you know what you must do. Dehydration is another contributing factor. Apply a lip primer or filler like Elizabeth Arden's Lip Fix cream over the surrounding area and wait for a few minutes before applying liner and lipstick. Avoid using dark lip shades and draw attention to your other fabulous features. If this is really bugging you consult a clinic that specialises in collagen or Restylane treatment.

• I don't know how to keep my lipstick on; I've tried everything. This is a common problem. If you have that special day or evening when the staying power is important try the following -it always works for me. First of all prime the lips with Lip Fix [as above], allow five minutes to absorb, then coat the lips lightly with your foundation. Line the lips and colour in the lips with lip liner. Apply a cream based lipstick to lock in moisture, then press some translucent powder over entire lips. Apply another coat of lipstick and add some gloss to the centre of the lips, but not all over. This should do the trick. Do not apply lip balm prior to foundation as this makes the lipstick less likely to adhere to lips.

SEEING RED

Red has always made a special impact on our lips, but choosing the correct shade is imperative. I believe that everyone can wear red, but it takes some care with application. To determine which shade of red looks good, first look at what shade of colour you wear on a regular basis and you know suits you. If there is more orange or yellow in your neutral favourites, chances are that a fire engine, bright orangey red will suit. If on the other hand, pinks are more your style, a cherry or plum shade will be just right. Check out your wardrobe and if you know that a certain red suits you, wear it on the day that you go shopping for your new red lips. Red lips are definitely the go this year. If you just can't go there, but don't want to miss out, try a lip stain. Apply a tiny amount of the red lipstick to the back or your hand and mix some lip gloss or balm into it until you achieve the desired result, then apply to lips. Don't worry you can always wipe it off if you don't like the result.

My best lip advice is this, don't be afraid to experiment with different textures and shades until you find the ones that work, and don't do anything to permanently change your lips, after all, they were made just for you...