Smile Basics

So you want a great smile. What are the basics to aim for?


Michelle Pfeiffer

First, the lip texture itself. You want them to be smooth, not cracked. If your lips tend to crack, hydrate properly every day and wear ChapStick to get them to smooth out. This is a sign of health and youth that people look for.

You want the lips to be plump - another sign of youth. Lips naturally thin out as you age. Usually it's the upper lip that is most noticeable. Do face exercises to help that area stretch out, so that when you smile it's in a "natural" shape and not "stretched thin / tight" like a grimace. You see in this image that there is SOME flattening to the top lip, but you want to minimize that.

A nice smile goes "up" on the edges. The standard smiley face / frowny face combination has smiley going up on the edges :) and a frown goes down on the edges :(. This is pretty universal in the world. Those mouth muscles learn to do that through exercise. If your mouth is out of practice, get a mirror and pratice until they re-learn that skill.

The skin around your lips should look smooth and soft. This is what helps distinguish between a happy relaxed smile and an angry grimace. Skin around a grimace is tight, rigid. You want to have your skin soft through lotion and hydration, and "loose" (i.e. not tight) through exercise so that you are going in the smile direction and not in the grimace direction.

Healthy Beautiful Smile Tips


Skin Care Lotions, Masks, Soap Reviews