I haven't spit-shone since I had to when I was in the Forces.

My advice, don't use saliva. It has digestive elements that break down the polish. Use cold water instead.

Start with a base of anywhere from a half dozen to a dozen brush shines (depending on the type of leather used in making the shoe/boot).

Take the polish cloth and soak it in cold water, wring out the excess - basically you want the cloth damp. Then wrap it tightly around your first two fingers of your dominant hand. Dip that in the polish to get a bit of it on the cloth and work it into your footwear with small circular motions. The amount of pressure used is determined by trial and effort - I really can't describe it in words.

The goal was to be able to see individual teeth in your smile when you looked at your shoe.

One trick I used to do was to do the last coat in Neutral rather than Black. It gave the reflection good "depth".

And stay away from these liquid spit shine things - they're all con jobs! They end up ruining the job you've done on your shoes forcing you to start all over again.