Smile

The closed lips smile

Start from your mouth at rest, with your lips in contact without pressing them. Bring both corners of the mouth toward the cheekbones, like at the beginning of a smile. Stop before the lips become tense or pulled in. This variation works well for greeting, expressing interest, or getting a sober smile in a photo.

The smile with your teeth

Start with the same movement, then let the lips part to show the upper teeth. The corners of the mouth rise and the cheeks follow. Keep your jaw loose: you don't need to squeeze the two rows of teeth together or open your mouth wide. Try several openings and choose the one that highlights your smile.

If the mouth seems too stretched or pursed

If your smile looks like a line drawn toward the ears, start again with less width and more upward movement. If your lips disappear, remove the pressure between them; for a smile with teeth, let them open instead of pulling them in. Change one gesture at a time to clearly see what improves the result.

If the smile seems frozen

First relax the face, then think of something that amuses you and let the smile come. The cheeks may rise and the eyes narrow with them: accompany this movement instead of keeping your eyes wide open. You don't need to intentionally close your eyes or create folds around them to achieve the expression.

Compare in motion, then choose your benchmarks

Film a short sequence where you go from resting to smiling closed to smiling with teeth. Compare a contained version and a looser version. Remember one or two simple cues, like “corners up” and “lips not pursed.” In the exchanges, then let the smile follow the situation; your laughter doesn’t need to replicate a photo pose.