Lick your finger? Orv, I hope you don't have very big caulking jobs. After a while I suppose the caulk doesn't taste so good...
I'm being silly. For bigger jobs needing more than one dip, I use a Dixie cup to redip my finger and a damp rag or paper towel to clean my finger for each multiple repetitions - do not double dip. Just remember that caulk is NOT Bondo and should not be used for repairing large gaps. There are other products for that problem.
Orv brings up two of the biggest first time caulkers' problems. 1.) Use a slight angle cut on the dispenser tip. This helps the application neatness especially at the start and end of applying it. 2.) Be careful to lop off the smallest bit of the tip to meet your need. You are not applying toothpaste, and the wider the bead of caulk, the more exponential the mess (and cleanup). Whenever smoothing out the caulk with your moistened finger and you've gone two inches and you have a golfball size of caulk on your finger, well, you've lopped too much off the tip. And I'll add 3.) Clean your finger often and after each wipe otherwise you'll have more of a mess to clean up.
Lastly, if you don't like getting your fingers messy a tight fitting latex glove will work but you must still wet the finger tip you use for smoothing things out and wipe it clean often.
You'll be quite impressed with the finished look if you use this technique.
Happy caulking,