A good time to kiss someone is near the end of the first or the second date, but it will have to depend on the connection between you and the person you’re wanting to kiss (after all, the first kiss doesn’t have to only happen on a date). There are good socially-considered romantic occasions, like prom, a movie, the beach that you can use to make a memorable first kiss. As long as you make sure that it’s something both you and your date (or potential kissing partner) want to do.
Try to avoid wearing super sticky lip gloss. It’s hard to enjoy kissing someone if you’re afraid your lips are going to be glued to theirs. If you’re worried about sweating too much, or smelling bad at the right moment, wear some deodorant and pop on a little perfume/cologne. Remember the scents, a little goes a long way. You don’t want to over power your potential kissing partner with smells.
Women, especially, tend to have a stronger sense of smell than men, so this step is especially important if you’re a guy wanting to kiss a woman. You don’t have to make it super obvious that you’re gearing up for a bit of lip-locking by popping a mint into your mouth. Keep it a light moment by offering some to your potential kissing partner. Try to avoid really spicy foods, fish, garlic and onions, anything that has a really strong flavor and smell that lingers and lingers.
Touch is a good way to indicate interest in the other person: touching fingers or arm when you’re talking with them. Brushing your hand or arm against theirs if you’re taking a walk. Lean in closer to talk to them so that you both get comfortable in one another’s space. Obviously, if they lean back or cross their arms defensively, back off. Anticipation means that fantasizing about the moment beforehand can make it more romantic when it actually happens, due to the neurotransmitter dopamine. [3] X Research source
Try initiating the kiss in the car on the way home after the date, or while you’re hanging out playing video games, or while you’re out for a walk after dinner or coffee. Be sober: kissing can trigger the chemical release of dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin (all fun, enjoyable, and healthy chemicals!). Alcohol can prohibit you from getting the full experience of those chemical releases. Avoid distractions like having to pee, or your cell phone going off (if you’re on a date, your cell phone should already be off).
You can also ask “Can I kiss you?” since a lot of people like to give their consent before someone just invades their personal space. Make eye contact as you’re doing this. Eye contact elevates the intimacy level of kissing.
Going in for a hard kiss is generally not the way to go. It usually feels too sudden and aggressive for your partner. Let the aggressiveness wait until you’ve gotten to know each others kissing styles and preferences. Aggressiveness can also come across as desperation, which most people don’t find particularly attractive.
The best thing to do is to being yourself fully into the moment. Really feel the touch of the other person’s lips, the way they smell (smell is incredibly important in kissing), how they are responding to you.
Trying kissing other places than lips. You could start with your partner’s neck and move up to their lips from there. Or you could use your index finger on their chin to guide their mouth forward for kissing purposes. Just remember: don’t do things like lick someone’s face unless they’ve expressly consented to that. A good rule of thumb is that a first kiss shouldn’t get someone’s face wet.
Good places for hands are: in your partner’s hair, on their cheek, holding their sides or around their back. Getting too frisky with your hands can actually detract from the kiss, so don’t be putting them all over on the first kiss.
Most people don’t enjoy having someone’s tongue stuck down their throat on the first kiss.
Slowly move your face back, even just a few inches so as to keep the intimacy of the moment. Check how they look. Are they excited? Are they trying to break away? Are they uncomfortable. Check in verbally: “Is this okay? Do you like this?”
Now if you both want to go further, have at it. You’re good to go.
Make sure that your partner is smiling too and not looking uncomfortable, or upset.
The key is to not stress about what you’re going to say. Just allow whatever comes out naturally to come out (except something like “I really have to pee;” that definitely breaks the mood). You could indulge in some nice physical contact like a hug. However, you could also say something like “I’ve been wanting to do that all night,” or “I never want to stop kissing you” or even something as simply as “You’re amazing. " You want to make your partner feel good.
Check in with your partner. See how they’re doing and what they would like to do. The key is communication. You can always, if you’re both up for it, keep on kissing.
