Loved-up people, get ready to pucker up because one again it's International Kissing Day.
Even if you've been smooching for years, there's always more to learn.
To help you make the most of today we've asked some of our HuffPost UK bloggers and sex experts for their tips on how to be a good kisser.
Tracey Cox, whose website features plenty of sex advice, recommends kissing your hand before you even think about snogging another human being.
"I know, it’s a bit like practising by sucking on oranges like you used to when you were about 11-years-old. But seriously, unless you’re planning on doing it while sitting on the bus, who’s going to know?
"Your palm is sensitive enough to pick up on the different tongue techniques and you’ll get a good idea of what works and feels good and what doesn’t," she said.
Once you graduate onto kissing an actual person, Tracey says it's all about the softly softly approach.
"Start soft. Keep your lips closed (but only just, not clamped tightly together), then cover all of their mouth with light, fluttery ‘angel’ kisses until you’ve left your mark on every millimetre.
"Kiss in the corners, above the top lip, below the bottom lip, all around their mouth," she said.
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Alix Fox, Durex RealFeel Sexpert says: “I think a lot of us neglect to spend long enough indulging in really deep, delicious, the-world-disappears-and-you’re-lost-in-the-luxury-of-lips kissing these days. So many of our kisses are brief and hurried, performed in too much of a rush to even raise a blush – we do more high-speed pecking than a flock of hens in an eating contest!"
Alix's advice on slowing things down includes dedicating time to slow smooching. "Make a fresh pot of coffee, take it back to bed with you, and wake up in your own luxuriant time by kissing with hot mocha mouths as the caffeine kicks in.
"You’ve already got bedhead, so no need to worry about your do getting mussed up as you run your hands through each other’s hair. Tumble and fumble in the duvet, but don’t feel pressured to have sex – sure, one thing may well lead to another, and another….but the blisses of just sharing kisses shouldn’t be reserved for young teens alone."
Gay Times magazine's advice columnist The Guyliner, who runs his own blog and blogs for HuffPost UK, said we shouldn't assume we're all experts at locking lips.
"I had always assumed that kissing well was the easiest thing in the world until I experienced my first really bad one.
"The perfect kiss? You’ll know it when you’re having it, but if you want to make sure you are at least keeping up your side of the bargain make sure your snog features most, if not all, of the following:
1. Enthusiasm, i.e. a tongue that actually moves rather than sits in your partner’s mouth like a slab of ham, otherwise it looks like you’re not enjoying yourself or are composing a shopping list in your head.
2. Controlled moisture. You do NOT want your fellow snoggee to pull away from you after three minutes of going at it to exaggeratedly wipe their mouth and ask you for a towel.
3. An open mouth. Whack your tongue in – you’re not playing kiss-chase in the playground.
4. Polite technique. Don’t bite the lips or tongue, grind your teeth against theirs, flick your tongue around their NOSE (it happens; I’m a survivor) or breathe heavily into their mouth. Unless they ask you to. Forget all your bad habits and kiss like you want to be kissed.
"And you’d better make it good. Any self-respecting person would make bad kissing a dealbreaker. Your tongue is your magic spell – cast it right and it can last for ever."
To summarise all these tips (and a few more), check out our handy National Kissing Day infographic.
Happy kissing!
