Licking!

I have a female calico (11 years old) that has somewhat recently started to lick me incessantly... she never used to do this, and maybe about a year ago started. I thought when she first started that it might have something to with a tartar/plaque build up and she was trying to "tell" me in her own kitty way, so I took her to the vet a few times for cleanings - but nothing changed. And now, it seems her licking is almost obsessive, to the point where it's actually painful. I have tried to get her to stop, but there must be an actual reason for this, right? The other thing that worried me actually happened this evening, where I was holding her in my lap - and she started to lick me on the face a little bit and then BAM! She bit me right on the cheek! ...no blood or anything, but it was extremely painful. I just don't really know what's going on, so any input would be helpful. Thanks

Another detail is that I've had her since she was a kitten, and this behavior is extremely uncharacteristic of her personality.

My senior joji used to do that a lot too. The sudden bite happened after incessant licking. I think they get too excited or over stimulated.
Anyway, I either move away or firmly say NO. She rarely does it now.
By the way, joji was never people friendly and she came to me as an adult, so I am not sure if that has got something to do with this particular behavior.

Yeah, she's always been extremely people-friendly and never a biter. Even when I rough-house with her, she never clamps down.

Are you wearing a new lotion or perfume that might have a minty smell to it. anything that they might think of as cat nip or similar. I use Biofreeze on my sore neck or when I have a migraine and the cats LOVE it. i have a Tom cat that will literally grab my head with his claws so i won't move and lick so hard it feels like he is taking my skin off, he hehe. its a good thing i love him so much.

my female calico has licked excessively too since i adopted her at 4 months old. she is now 4 years old, and it hasn't stopped! she is a very happy/secure cat, but just loves to lick and it gets annoying sometimes! she licks my hands, face...whatever skin is available! she also licks one of my male cats all the time. he seems to enjoy it, but occasionally even he gets annoyed and a "play fight" results. i have read that it could be that the cat is actually licking to get the salt off your skin, possibly because of a health problem. So far in my experience, that hasn't been the case. My cat sees the Vet regularly and is quite healthy.