Color Fever Lipstick ($25.00) | COLOR FEVER delivers incredibly luminous, vibrant color. Color smoothly glides along your lips with sensuous comfort leaving lips feeling smooth and supple. LIGHT-MAXIMIZING PIGMENTS™ use light as a prism to bring you the most intense, lasting shine. No need to compromise long wear for color, this lipcolor has it all – a long wear, hydrating texture that wraps your lips in cushioned comfort. Color stays true with no feathering or fading.

Valentine’s Day is quickly arriving (and has at least arrived in stores since December 26th!), and if you weren’t aware of the day many love to hate and others love to love, it is February 14th. Whether you’re heading out with your girls or spending an evening for two with your sweetie, you’ll probably be wanting to look your best–and for most of us, that includes makeup that takes us to the next level. I’m a lipstick kind of girl, and I have been waiting to share these lovely shades with you–yes, shades! Not everyone wants to or feels their best in a red lip, and I’ve kept that in mind while choosing some of these fabulous shades by Lancome.

Lancome celebrates the romantic [or cynical] occasion with an Absolut Rouge lipstick aptly named Valentine ($26.00), as pictured above. It is an intense, glossy engine-red with cooler undertones, but not quite blue nor orange prevails. I love this for one of the ultimate in-your-face lips, because it is really a traffic-stopping kind of red. It applies like a dream with color pay off to die for; as a result, you may want to dust off your lip brush and use it to achieve absolute precision. Keep in mind that this is not kiss-proof, though! But don’t let that get you down; there’s a lip plumping polymer in there for just the subtlest extra oomph for that pout.

So Valentine is too much for you? Well, that’s just fine, because who knows, perhaps you want to go for a super sultry black smoky eye, and a red lip would be garish anyway! The Color Fever Lipstick family are great for long-wearing color that fades away naturally and doesn’t leave any unsightly rings of color behind. The color goes on easily, gliding on for no-fuss application, and there is a good range of colors to select from. I’m going to feature four, starting with a very tame and neutral lipstick and moving up to a brighter, bolder color.

Everyday Beige is a shimmery golden beige that gives my lips a healthy dosage of glossy sheen with just a hint of golden color. It doesn’t turn my lips into a ghostly pale nude lip, but it tones my natural lip color down just a notch. Fashion Crave is a lovely mauve-berry kind of color where both pink and berry compete to come out on top. You’ll find that this color wears well for many skintones, as it is not at all bright, but it still gives a great pop of color to the lip. I often wear this when running errands because it’s so versatile. Rock Icon Fuchsia is a brighter hot pink fuchsia with shimmery opalescent purple sheen. I have to say I’m immediately drawn to it, and I can’t help but love it even though I am not often wearing such a bold lip. This is fabulous paired with Seashell Color Fever Gloss from the L.U.C.I. collection! Red and Sensual Java is a bright orange-red color that draws attention to the mouth. Generally, orange-based colors do nothing to flatter my face, but I find that the orange in this is a bit subtle and there is a gold sheen to the finish that makes it more appealing.

Stay tuned for the next part in perfect Valentine Day lips, but in the meanwhile, check out lip swatches…