When I'm getting glammed up for a party or a night out, I have to admit that I put most of the focus on my eyes. I'm a firm believer in drawing attention to just one feature, so if I play up my eyes, I leave my lips fairly neutral. However, as every girly-girl knows, certain occasions call for switching it up.

Part of my problem with lipcolor is that it's so high maintenance -- if I'm at a party, I'm going to be eating and drinking, and there's no way I'm going to dash to the bathroom to reapply every 10 minutes. And so, when I decided to try a bold, holiday hue a couple of years ago, I opted for a longwear formula -- CoverGirl Outlast. And I have one thing to say about it -- never again.

It was a disaster. Not only did it dry out my lips horribly, but it flaked off, leaving me with a dark ring around the outer edges of my lips (which would not come off without soap and a painful amount of scrubbing) and nothing in the center of my lips. I've heard that they've worked on their formula since then (it sure looks good in the commercials), but once I break up with something --boy, product, you name it -- I'm through.

What I am willing to try is a variety of fun, festive glosses to get the look I want. True, a gloss won't have the lasting power of a longwear formula, but it will wipe off easily, so I can get rid of it when I want without worrying about whether or not I got it all. Additionally, I find glosses to be easier to put on, even when they're darker -- they spread smoothly and wipe away, so I don't have to hit a mirror to reapply.

There are a couple of glosses I'm digging right now, starting with DuWop's Pure Venom, a totally natural (and 90 percent organic) version of their awesome Lip Venom, a long(-ish) lasting, lip-plumping stain. I have it in Pure Nude, which gives my lips a sheer, pink tint, and while I don't exactly have a trout pout after using it, my lips definitely look fuller.

My other recent lip obsession is Cosmoholic's Lipgloss -- specifically, the Golddigger. I can layer just the tiniest bit of that over any color (including my Pure Venom) and automatically, I look like I'm ready for the red carpet. It's the most fabulous shimmer EVER, plus it feels good and moisturizing and has a subtle, slightly sweet flavor.

If you're dying for a bright, beautiful pout, Cosmoholic also offers Bossy Berry and Rockstar Red, giving you the same smooth, shiny smile as the Golddigger but with more color. Pucker up, holiday hotties!

Covergirl Outlast image courtesy of Drugstore.com. Cosmoholic image courtesy of cosmoholiconline.com.