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Not only is kissing pleasurable, scientific studies have shown it can help reduce skin rashes and blemishes and alleviate headaches. Kissing also burns as many as 600 calories per hour.

Follow our ten-step guide to the perfect pout and you'll be inundated with smooches.

1. Keep them buffed
Prepare for perfection by eliminating dry patches with a gentle lip exfoliator. In the same way exfoliation softens your skin, gently smoothing flaky lips will reveal a sumptuously sexy pout. The Benefit Dr Feelgood Lipscription pack (£23) contains brilliant buffing lip beads and you can also gently scrub your lips with a clean tooth or nail brush.

2. Soothe and moisturise
Lips need an intensive moisturising balm to protect and soften them, particularly if they're chapped or dry. Dab a moisturiser liberally across your lips and then gently blend into the lip line, paying extra attention to the corners of your mouth where skin can crust. We recommend Lab Series Treat, Instant Moisture Lip Balm

3. Smooth them out
Even after exfoliating and moisturising, you may still have dry, chapped or rough patches. Dab Rose & Co's Rose Petal Salve (£5/20g) on imperfections to create an even base and keep kisses perfect.

4. Butter them up
When lips are particularly dry, an additional coat of balm or lip butter, like Marks & Spencer's Mandarin Lip Butter, preferably with an active natural ingredient to intensify hydration, will plump them up and repair any damage.

5. Lip foundation
Always apply a solid base to make lipstick last longer - good news if you intend to smooch! We recommend Ruby and Millie Lip Base.

6. Shape and line
Lips need liner, so choose a versatile, professional pencil for definition. A waterproof formula is perfect for lining, reshaping or shading your lips, and won't bleed into your lipstick when you drink or perspire. Try Jemma Kidd Shape & Shade Liner and Lip Filler

7. Plump them up
Luckily, trout pouts are a thing of the past! With the range of amazing DIY plumping products now available, you don't need invasive treatments to volumise your lips. Take the Too Faced Lip Injection Plumping Mask (£19/40g), which works in just five minutes to plump lips and provide anti-ageing and rejuvenating action.

8. Colour with confidence
Go for sexy, volumising colour (red shades are always a winner) and choose a quality product, like Elizabeth Arden's Ceramide Plump Lip (£15), for endurance.

9. Stay put
Once your lips are moisturised, plumped and coloured, apply fixing cream to keep everything in place and control lipstick bleeding and feathering - even after passionate kisses. Elizabeth Arden Lip Fix Cream (£16/15ml) will smooth vertical dryness lines too.

10. Fruity finish
Perfect your pout with fruit-flavoured gloss to add shine and make lips as tasty as they look! Try Fruity Beauty Lip Shimmers (£5/3x15ml tubes) and choose from raspberry kiss, mellow yellow or orange sorbet to suit your mood. Delicious!