Kissing, like all arts, is a highly personal expression of feeling, and its interpretation is subjective. Are you a good kisser? That depends on whom you ask; truthfully, there are just as many ways to do it as there are people. Nevertheless, kisses tend to fall into a few common categories. Here, we’ll talk about just a few, along with a few ways to do each with the desired effect. Try one or try them all: Whatever you and your sweetie enjoy and feel comfortable with is a great kiss.
robably the most famous kiss of them all, the French kiss is an open-mouthed kiss in which one person’s tongue touches the other’s. Also called a “tongue kiss,” the French kiss is easy enough to execute, but it can take years to master. It’s a delicate dance of a kiss, with one important thing to remember: Take your cue from your partner. Don’t be too aggressive or too meek. The idea is to gently explore an area of the body that’s filled with nerve endings that engage all five senses.
The Butterfly Kiss
To give someone a butterfly kiss, get close enough so that the tips of your eyelashes are touching, or nearly so. Then blink very quickly, making eyelashes flutter together like butterfly wings. It’s a fun, cute thing to do while you’re catching your breath from more traditional kisses. You can also give someone a solo butterfly kiss by fluttering your eyelids against his cheek.
The Single-Lip Kiss
To give someone a single-lip kiss, take one of her lips between yours and gently suck or tug on it. It’s an awfully romantic kiss, and if you do it right, you’ll send tingles up and down your sweetie’s spine.
The Spider-Man Kiss
Based on the kiss in the 2002 movie Spider-Man, the Spider-Man kiss involves kissing someone whose face is upside-down from yours. Your top lip meets his bottom lip and vice versa. It’s an unexpected twist that can literally turn a makeout session on its head.
The Earlobe Kiss
A great kiss to perform while you’re taking a break from lip kisses, the earlobe kiss is exactly what the name implies. You’ll take your partner’s earlobe lightly between your lips and tug it gently downward. For a more intense earlobe kiss, add a little bit of tongue, or use a gentle sucking motion on this sensitive area. It’s a sensual experience, to be sure; your partner will not only feel the kiss but also hear and feel your warm breath in her ear.
The Lip Gloss Kiss
This is a fun, flirty kiss. Put on a healthy amount of lip gloss or ChapStick, then rub your lips on your partners’ until theirs are coated, too. For extra fun, surprise your partner with a sweet, fruity lip gloss flavor. No chapped lips here!
The Eskimo Kiss
In an Eskimo kiss, two people close their eyes and rub their noses back and forth against each other. It evolved from the kunik, a traditional Inuit greeting; it was a way for people to greet each other when only their faces were exposed due to cold weather. This isn’t a sexual kiss; it’s more of a playful acknowledgment of affection and friendship.
The Cheek Kiss
The cheek kiss is exactly what it sounds like: a closed-mouth peck against someone’s cheek. Cheek kisses can be used as friendly greetings, flirty thank-yous or cute, unexpected ways to say goodbye. It’s often the first way couples kiss one another—a way of testing the waters. How receptive the person is can dictate whether the couple moves onto more intimate ways of kissing.
The Hickey
A hickey technically isn’t a kiss; it’s a result of an aggressive one. The familiar reddish mark is a bruise left on the skin after someone sucks hard enough on it. Hickeys hurt a little to get, but some people think the sucking feels good, especially on the side of the neck. Hickeys scream to the world that you’ve been up to some hanky-panky, and walking around with one can be embarrassing. Ask permission before giving one.
The Secret-Message Kiss
In the middle of a French kiss, spell out a secret message with the tip of your tongue against your partner’s. It might feel a little funny, but trying to figure out your message can be fun for her—and a subtle, sensual way of telling her something.
The Vampire Kiss
The vampire kiss is a deep kiss on someone’s neck that can involve light sucking or biting on the skin. Some people find it painful rather than sexy, and the sucking might leave a hickey, so always ask permission before you give someone a vampire kiss.
The Wet Kiss
Wet kisses are any open-mouthed kisses, with or without tongue. A little bit of wetness during a kiss can be sexy, but try not to overdo it: too much saliva is sloppy. Alternate between wet kisses and closed-mouth kisses and single-lip kisses, and be sure to swallow occasionally so you don’t accidentally drool all over your partner.
The Lizard Kiss
If you’ve ever seen a lizard trying to catch flies, you know what this one’s all about. You’ll flick your tongue in and out of your partner’s mouth in tight, quick strokes. This is a silly kiss you can try just for fun if you already know your partner pretty well. Otherwise, it can come across as jarringly odd.
The Air Kiss
The air kiss is a sophisticated gesture you can use as a greeting to friends and relatives. To give one, rest your cheek against his and make a kissing sound with your lips.
The Biting Kiss
The biting kiss is a more aggressive form of the French kiss. Like the French kiss, it’s open-mouthed and incorporates tongue, but as you pull back, your teeth lightly grab onto your sweetie’s tongue for just a second. Try it once and see how your partner responds. Some people love it, but others think it’s painful or weird.
The Angel Kiss
This is a sweet, tender, romantic way to wake someone up, say goodbye, ease some crying, or otherwise show deep caring. Just kiss her very gently on her eyelid or on the spot right next to her eye, using just your lips. This is a sensitive, thin-skinned part of the face, and your emotion will come through loud and clear.
The Neck Kiss
After French kissing for a while, some people mix it up by trailing the mouth down and “Frenching” the other person’s neck. To execute a neck kiss perfectly, go light on the saliva, focus on the motion of your lips, never stay in one place for very long, and never suck hard enough to leave a hickey.
The Jawline Kiss
This is a firm kiss you plant on the bottom of the jaw, right where his face meets his neck. If he responds well to it, make a path of jawline kisses up to his ear and end in an earlobe kiss.
The Breath Kiss
For most people, this is a fun, silly kiss that’s almost more of a game—but for others, it’s very meaningful; after all, you’re sharing the very thing that gives you life. To do it, open your mouth, inhale deeply and lock lips with your sweetie (like you’re performing CPR). Slowly exhale into her mouth while she’s inhaling, passing your breath to her. Without moving, slowly inhale while your partner exhales. Keep passing the breath back and forth until one of you runs out of breath or you both erupt in giggles.
The Love Kiss
Finally, the love kiss is any kiss using any method that you give while thinking tender, loving thoughts about your partner. You might not realize it, but your kissing style is influenced by whatever’s on your mind. Smooching with love on your mind will make your kisses extra soft and sweet. Whether it’s on your partner’s mouth, neck, ear, or forehead, the love kiss is the most romantic kiss you can give, imbued with emotion and passion. Simply close your eyes, think of what attracts, intrigues, and moves you about this person, and do what comes naturally.