The Ultimate Beauty Guide

Lip gloss remains as popular as ever, and it's no longer just for girls ages 13-17. There's no better way to plump up lips than adding a dab of gloss (well, except for fillers, but that's another story).

There's a right way to apply lip gloss so it doesn't look like a thick sweep of goop. Here, I share my best lip gloss secrets, including how to make gloss stick around longer than a couple licks of the tongue.

How to Properly Apply Gloss

Instead of putting gloss on like you do lipstick (from left to right, top to bottom), apply gloss to the middle of your bottom lip only. Rub lips together. This will add the perfect amount of gloss while keeping the gloss from getting goopy on you.

If you are looking for high shine, apply a full sweep of gloss to the bottom lip and smack lips together.

Want More Color? Just Add Lipstick

I love the look of just a bit of gloss over a neutral lipstick. After applying a sweep of lipstick, dab just a bit of gloss in the center of lips and smooth out from there. But keep in mind, too bright lipstick with gloss is too much -- unless you're going on stage to perform burlesque.

How to Keep Your Gloss Lasting Longer

Gloss famously has poor staying power. A couple licks of your tongue and some glosses are Gone, Baby, Gone. So how to keep it around a bit longer? By adding a stain underneath.

In Vogue's big book of "Beauty," (an OK book, but not my favorite beauty book), makeup artist and Nars founder Francois Nars shares his tip for creating the "perfect lip."

First, he starts by filling in the lips with lip liner. He follows this with powder to set it. On top of the powder, he adds a dab of gloss. He loves to mix and match liners and gloss colors. There's absolutely no need to match up the colors, according to Nars.

Over 50? Yes, You Can -- And Should -- Wear Gloss

One of the biggest complaints I hear from older women is that their lips have lost a bit of their fullness as they've aged. This is normal and a result of decrease in collagen production. You can resort to pricey fillers or you can embrace your lips and create the illusion of fullness with lip gloss.

Keep in mind that darker shades aren't as flattering on older women (unless you have dark skin). Line your lips just on the outside of your natural lip line for added fullness. You can even line lips AFTER you've applied gloss. Just make sure the line is blended in and not obvious.

It's absolutely true that lip gloss is no longer just a beauty staple for teenagers. Great gloss works on women of all ages, whether you're 18 or 80.