How to "smooth" out your lips?

[acne]

I wouldn't say they're too chappy, but they do commonly have dead skin where the lips connect. It's not too noticeable from my understanding (but I could always be wrong.) because it's pretty far back. I believe the issue is because I chew and bite onto my lips a lot and it's not rare that they bleed because of it. I've been trying to reduce this but I still do it out of a nervous habit. Any suggestions on reducing this will be gladly appreciated!

But ignoring that issue, lipstick and lip gloss always looks... gross on me. I've tried a million techniques, put it on a million different ways and tried a million different lipsticks and lip glosses. The lipsticks (Which I'm going to be calling both normal lipsticks and lip glosses just for the sake of simplistically.) always look chappy. Besides the small dead skin I deal with within the back of my lips, I'm pretty unsure of why it looks so bad on me besides the creases of my lips. How would I "smooth" (for a lack of a better word) out my lips?

 

[shellygrrl]

Exfoliate them! Also: use a lip balm afterwards and let it sink in some before applying any lipstick or gloss.

Also x2: Some finishes of lipstick will emphasize texture more than others, and often they have a matte finish. (Mattes can also dry out your lips.) Avoid those.

 

[VivaGlow]

Agree with shellygrrl on this one. I love matte lipsticks but because they have some sort of drying ingredient, it tend to show ore texture and actually dries out the lips more (though I heard there are some that have moisturizing benefits, too. Forgot which one. Might come to you on that later.)

Another thing is exfoliation. I diy my lip scrub with about 2 tablespoons of sugar and about 3 to 5 drops of castor oil or just until all the sugar clumps together. You can add some flavors if you want (I add strawberry or lemon but it's totally optional). I exfoliate after I shower when my lips have soaked water. Rinse a bit then pat it dry. Does some wonders in removing dead skin. But only do it twice a week max.

Wear your lipbalm, especially during cold seasons, to prevent drying. And of course, hydrate a lot.

This isn't a comprehensive list, but that's how I do it. I don't really wear lipstick that much now, though.

Hope it helps even a bit.