“Four out of five women consider a kiss bad if there’s too much tongue, if they can’t breathe during the kiss, or if the guy triggers their gag reflex,” says William Cane, author of The Art of Kissing.  That’s enough to make any girl cringe when her not-quite Casanova comes close.

Luckily, “men are highly motivated to be better kissers,” says Galen Buckwalter, PhD and VP of research at eharmony.com.  After all, the hotter the kiss, the more likely you’ll be to take it to the next level!

So don’t worry if your man’s lip-locks make kissing your arm look good – with these tricks you’ll be able to reform your Romeo’s imperfect peck without crushing his ego!

Stop a Sorry Lip-Lock

 “Never say ‘We need to work on kissing’ while you’re actually kissing,” says Shelley Hess, author of Pucker Power: Great Kissers Make Great Lovers. “Men’s egos are more fragile than a Faberge egg.”

When his canoodle leaves you cold, “close your mouth, bring your teeth together and tighten your jaw,” says Hess.  “He will immediately sense that his kiss isn’t doing it for you.”

According to Hess, men salivate four times faster than women.  For kissers who should come with a roll of paper-towels, try pushing him away slightly or kissing his neck.  “Tell your man what they’ve been telling you for years,” says Hess, “‘it’s okay to swallow!’”

For those offenders whose tongues stay dead and unmoving, encourage them to “explore your mouth almost like a dental instrument – it engages all the nerve endings,” says Hess.  “Just like a flaccid penis doesn’t work, a flaccid tongue doesn’t work.”

Let Him Read Your Lips

Subtle hints not working?  It’s time to take the reigns and steer the smooch so you get the kiss you crave.

“Men love for the woman to take the first step,” says Hess, “which makes it easy to show your partner the ideal way to kiss.”  Explore different kinds of kisses, remarking on the ones you like best.

“Men are like children,” says Buckwalter, “the key to changing behavior is to catch them when they are doing something right – not when they are doing something wrong.”

The easiest way to do that is to give him a sexy running commentary, letting him know what feels great to you, “I love you nibbling on my ear!”  He’ll be so turned on he doesn’t even notice you’re giving him the intro lesson to Kissing 101.

Set the Mood

Sometimes his kisses aren’t even bad – but you’re in the mood for a different sort of lip lock.

Let him know with your body language what pucker permutation you’re pining for.  “Some women like it rough, some women like it soft,” says Hess.  Don’t let him control the kiss, “give him a physical example of what you want.”

If you want it hot and passionate, press your body against his.  If you’re dying for a slow, sensual smooch, cup his face in your hands and guide it slowly to yours.  Feeling playful?  “Bite his lips or earlobes to show you're excited,” says Cane.

“With a little direction men usually get the point that good kissing works out for everyone’s best interest,” says Buckwalter.

Now you’re on the road to an unsurpassable smooch.