Lip Lip Hooray — It’s Valentine’s Day!

It must be the nature of Valentine’s Day that sparks the notion of adding a dash of red or a frisky pink to spark our “look”. It’s not like we need another lip color but it certainly makes us feel more in tune with the holiday—while me might not indulge in the Valentine’s card exchange as we did in first grade, it’s certainly something tangible that we can do and see that seems more in the spirit of Valentine’s! Plus when you measure the caloric value of a new lipstick or gloss against that of some Godiva or even M&M’s, the gloss wins every time!

BeautyNewsLA.com has come up with a selection of hot colors in lipsticks and glosses with a variety of looks—from sparkles to creams; rich deep tones to sheers.

For those who love palettes and sets:

Boscia – known primarily for its’ skincare – seems an unlikely brand for a gloss but Brilliant Kisses features 2 different colored glosses in a container with a plus! The plus is more than an extra gloss but the soothing, nurturing ingredients that will hydrate, plump and add suppleness to lips with oils, extracts and amino acids. Best is a creamy browned red color and Favorite is a sparkling luminous shade that changes from a bronzy shimmer to a glimmery golden tone depending on the light. (www.boscia.net; $25)

Alcone’s Lip Palette Kit may seem a bit pricey at just under $30 but what you get lots of color mileage and all-day lip color. The palette contains 16 colors that have proven to be favorites with showgirls and actors ( fans include Natalie Portman). They blend easily to create an array of colors that will keep color junkies happy. The kit includes Lip Chic, a sealer that keeps the color on your lips all day without wearing off — till you wash it off. Professional make-up artist tips are included. (www.alconebeautyclub.com $29.95)

Freeze 24/7™ Plump Lips Ice Sticks Gloss in Cherry Ice is a soft red lip-plumping gloss will give you a sheer shiny red pout without the sting of other lip plumpers. It’s sheerness makes it easy to wear alone for casual or to up the watts for evening! This color is part of a limited edition color set, Plump Pack, that includes Artic Glaze, Frostbitten and Clear. (Bath & Bodyworks, www.Freeze247.com, $60)

For those who hear the siren’s song of passionate red:

Benefit’s Benetint Pocket Pal is a portable version of Benetint Lip and Cheek stain that makes it easy to take on the run. The cheery cherry stain is paired with a clear shiny gloss at the opposite end. Application Tip: ALWAYS open this duo with the Benetint on the bottom to avoid spills on your clothing or you! (Macys, Nordstrom, Sephora, www.Sephora.com, www.Benefitcosmetics.com $18)

Sure to rev his motor is MAC Cosmetics Chromeglass LipGlass. With car and chrome references he can understand, he will love this super reflective lip color that provides a pearlized color with a shiny chrome-like finish. All the better to kiss you with, Technobeet is rich deep pearlized red-plum with a chrome shiny finish. (limited edition! Mac Stores; Nordstrom; Bloomingdales; www.Gloss.com; $16)

Go for the RED glow with Prescriptives Moonbeam Extreme Chromatic Lip Color in Super Sonic, a rich red raspberry. This lush almost velvety feeling gloss goes on smoothly thanks to mango butter and Vitamins E & C. It’s metallic finish is even and moves with your lips even as you smile or talk. (www.Gloss.com; Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue, Macys, Nordstrom; $17.50)

For that impossibly glossy look that just bowls you over with lots of color, go for the gold (or rather red) with Clinique Color Surge Impossibly Glossy. This tube of gloss gives you a gorgeous mouth and the color is fab. There are tons of shades but the BNLA consensus is Cherry Apple for the great red hue. (www.gloss.com, Macys, Sephora, www.Sephora.com, Nordstrom; $14.50)

A little of this; a little of that; decisions, decisions!

Make-up artist Julie Hewett is known for her amazing film work but she has an exceptional cosmetic collection. Her Lip Lush glossy lip colors apply easily with the wand but are pigmented like a true lipstick. With four fab colors, there’s one that speaks your name! We love Harlow for the sparkling golden shimmered red and for those not so brave, Mimi is the ideal sheer “not a baby” pink. (Naimies, Planet Blue, Kinara Spa, Palmetto, www.JulieHewett.net, $18)

Biotherm is the cult favorite with gloss-lovers. With a wide assortment of shimmers, shines in tubes and wands in a slew of colors, it’s hard to choose just one. The Luminous Crystal Gloss in a tube is a bargain in department store glosses. With 19 different colors that are sheer sparkling non-sticky joy to wear, you can layer over lip pencils or lipsticks or other Biotherm glosses for an amazingly creative look that’s all you! (Macys, www.Biotherm-usa.com, $11)

Wet n Wild has amazing products with lots of colors for very little money. Given that you can buy 2-3 items for the price of most department store products, it’s no wonder that one should shop for trendy colors at the drugstore level. The MegaSlicks Pencil acts like a sheer lip color but has the precision of a pencil with beautiful shaping and a nice mouth feel. We could not decide on the colors because there were too many we loved, so we are featuring a beautiful pink shade. The Glassy Gloss gives you that high shine gloss look with incredibly sheer pigments like this luscious plum glaze that gives you the just bitten look. YUM! (drugstores and mass market everywhere including www.walgreens.com; $3)

Want to mix it all up a bit? Liptini gives you the best of all possible worlds: products that are meant to be worn alone and layered so that you can create your own personalized “custom” look. Here’s the Valentini lip look for Valentine’s Day.

1 part Liptini Pink Whip Mixer Pencil Pale pink frost to make color cooler and pinker
1 part Liptini Straight Up Color Bloody Mary Lipstick
Classic true red
1 part Liptini Vodka Topper Gloss
(www.liptini.com/service/locations.cfm for a location near you or to order online; $16.50 each!)

In the “pink” of things:

Elf Hypershine Gloss is the perfect addition to your gloss collection. These clickable pen-like super shiny, sweet and juicy gloss gives you a really glass-like finish with sheer, wearable color along with a great taste and sexy scent. The best part–it’s only a buck! You can buy several for you and one for each of your BFF’s and still afford that martini! The BNLA color choices: Peony, Berry, Candy Apple, Pink Lemonade (shown) (www.eyeslipsface.com; $1)

Cargo’s large tin glosses are always a fave and the BNLA pick for this Valentine’s Day is the perfectly paired pinks of Chattanooga — a sheer and a shimmer pink. (Sephora, www.Sephora.com; $19)

Anna Sui’s spring collection features two new colors in Sui Rouge G – a pink and coral for that soft glossy, sparkling kissable color. These limited edition shades are softly natural at night (perfect for that smoky eye) and are luminous in warm sunlight. These are sure to give someone spring fever. (www.Annasui-cosmetics.com; www.Sephora.com; $20)

Want that pop of pink that makes your face glow? Sue Devitt’s MiniGloss in Martha’s Vineyard, a lush bright pink will give you that irresistible pop of color that will make you smile — a lot! (Sephora.com, Sephora, Barneys New York, www.suedevittstudio.com; $18)

Skin Allison Rafaelle’s Volumizing Soft Gloss gives you rich hydrating color with plumping technology built-in! The Tripepetide technology plus Vitamin E and Sodium Hyaluronate have been clinically proven to improve lip volume and definition by 40% after 4 weeks of use! BNLA color pick: Sweet, a gorgeous blue pink! (www.Beauty.com, Sephora)