Lips, which play a central role in kissing, will be getting a greater-than-usual amount of attention come Valentine’s Day.

To have them looking their best on the lovers’ holiday, area cosmetology instructors say there are dozens of products to heighten the lips’ attractiveness.

There’s lip gloss and lipstick, said Ashley Hillwig of East Brady, an instructor for the past three years at Butler Beauty School, 233 S Main St.

“Lipstick is a more solid cosmetic, whereas lip gloss is a more gooey cosmetic that offers a lot of shine,” said Cheri Herold, owner and instructor of Fountain of Youth Academy of Cosmetology, 108 Scharberry Lane, Mars.

The two instructors differ about the merits of different lip product brands.

“You get what you pay for. If you get lip gloss from the dollar store, you can definitely tell it’s from the dollar store rather than from Victoria’s Secret,” said Hillwig. “I think lip gloss from the dollar store doesn’t stay as long. The more expensive lip gloss has more shades and more sparkle.”

“At my school, we teach ingredients. It is up to the consumer to look at the ingredients to see what it is made of,” said Herold. “Expensive doesn’t always mean better, sometimes it just means expensive.”

Expensive or economical won’t matter if it isn’t applied right.

Hillwig said the biggest mistake women make in applying lipstick or lip gloss is not remembering that more is less.

“It’s putting it on higher than their lips or just using too much of it,” she said. “I usually just put it on the upper lip or the bottom lip, not both. Just smack them together.”

“Do not do the upper and lower lip together,” said Hillwig, “Unless you are using some cheap lipstick or gloss that can’t cover both.”

Herold said the biggest mistake women make is not preparing the lips. They should be clean and dry before applying any product, she said.

She recommended using a lip liner, another cosmetic that goes around the lips and outlines them, making it easier to apply lipstick or lip gloss.

Hillwig said the color of the lips should complement the wearer’s skin tone.

“People with a paler skin look more attractive with a darker lipstick,” she said.

“I think the nude look is in,” said Hillwig. “It’s a color that actually combines with the skin tones or it’s a pale color that has a gloss over it.”

Herold said in this era of celebrities getting collagen injections to make their lips fuller and some even opting for permanent silicone implants, lip plumpers are making a comeback.

“Lip plumpers, they’re typically made to reflect the light. They sometimes use glitter and mica to make the lips look plumper,” Herold said.

And it’s not just looks.

“They’re also made with ingredients to create blood flow and slightly irritate the lips to make them swell,” Herold said.

“They use natural ingredients like ginger, cinnamon, wintergreen, menthol, camphor and cayenne pepper,” Herold said.

“Some lip plumpers use fine crystallized glass that slightly cuts the lips which increases the plump effect,” she added.

However, she said, women should be careful that lip plumpers don’t contain ingredients that are so caustic they could stymie the body’s natural response to heal.