I doubt a light bulb (especially an LED or fluorescent) would put out enough heat to warrant the need for high-heat paint (that's generally used for grills or engine blocks).

I really agree...I use it for a small lamp shade.... granted it was only a 25w light but it was one of those that fit on the bulb....

Thank you for the input. I decided I'd like the living room bright and colorful for a while (I've been reading Apartment Therapy:)

One may paint the outside surface of a lamp fixture any color desired. However, I recommend white for the inside surfaces facing the light source (bulb), and higher the reflectivity of the inside, the better. The object is to push out as much light as possible and absorb as little as possible, and to avoid coloring reflected light.

I share your concern for temperature resistance except in cases where the lamp holder does not heat much. I have an old fashioned desk lamp that holds two 60 watt bulbs. It has a metal shade and that shade gets hot enough to burn a person's hand. It does not need an extreme temperature resistant paint such as for auto engines and manifolds, but it does need something better than soft paints and the pigment should withstand the temperature, maybe an epoxy or enamel. You'll need to research the temperature understandability to make an informed choice.

Choices depends on how hot the lamp gets. Low wattage lamps (less than 20 watts) likely do not get hot enough to be of concern.

I don't think it should be a problem. I've painted ugly brass bathroom light fixtures with the textured paint to update. If you're painting a lamp, you're only going to paint the lamp or shade. It won't be touching the bulb.