diff --git a/less/buttons.less b/less/buttons.less
index 3cc7da00d1..ad3c7ac613 100644
--- a/less/buttons.less
+++ b/less/buttons.less
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 
   &:hover,
   &:focus {
-    color: #fff;
+    color: @btn-hover-color;
     text-decoration: none;
   }
 
diff --git a/less/carousel.less b/less/carousel.less
index 7d134ca629..d7dfdf9f66 100644
--- a/less/carousel.less
+++ b/less/carousel.less
@@ -72,9 +72,9 @@
   width: 15%;
   .opacity(.5);
   font-size: 20px;
-  color: #fff;
+  color: @carousel-control-color;
   text-align: center;
-  text-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,.6);
+  text-shadow: @carousel-control-text-shadow;
   // We can't have this transition here because webkit cancels the carousel
   // animation if you trip this while in the middle of another animation.
 
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@
   // Hover/focus state
   &:hover,
   &:focus {
-    color: #fff;
+    color: @carousel-control-hover-color;
     text-decoration: none;
     .opacity(.9);
   }
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@
     height: 10px;
     margin: 1px;
     text-indent: -999px;
-    border: 1px solid #fff;
+    border: 1px solid @carousel-indicators-li-border-color;
     border-radius: 10px;
     cursor: pointer;
   }
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@
     margin: 0;
     width:  12px;
     height: 12px;
-    background-color: #fff;
+    background-color: @carousel-indicators-active-bg;
   }
 }
 
@@ -167,9 +167,9 @@
   z-index: 10;
   padding-top: 20px;
   padding-bottom: 20px;
-  color: #fff;
+  color: @carousel-caption-color;
   text-align: center;
-  text-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,.6);
+  text-shadow: @carousel-caption-text-shadow;
   & .btn {
     text-shadow: none; // No shadow for button elements in carousel-caption
   }
diff --git a/less/close.less b/less/close.less
index 5fe23b3dc8..454a73fdcb 100644
--- a/less/close.less
+++ b/less/close.less
@@ -8,13 +8,13 @@
   font-size: (@font-size-base * 1.5);
   font-weight: bold;
   line-height: 1;
-  color: #000;
-  text-shadow: 0 1px 0 rgba(255,255,255,1);
+  color: @close-color;
+  text-shadow: @close-text-shadow;
   .opacity(.2);
 
   &:hover,
   &:focus {
-    color: #000;
+    color: @close-hover-color;
     text-decoration: none;
     cursor: pointer;
     .opacity(.5);
diff --git a/less/code.less b/less/code.less
index 8dd34670a8..d2aa39cc33 100644
--- a/less/code.less
+++ b/less/code.less
@@ -13,8 +13,8 @@ pre {
 code {
   padding: 2px 4px;
   font-size: 90%;
-  color: #c7254e;
-  background-color: #f9f2f4;
+  color: @code-color:;
+  background-color: @code-bg;
   white-space: nowrap;
   border-radius: 4px;
 }
@@ -29,9 +29,9 @@ pre {
   word-break: break-all;
   word-wrap: break-word;
   color: @gray-dark;
-  background-color: #f5f5f5;
-  border: 1px solid #ccc; // IE8 fallback
-  border: 1px solid rgba(0,0,0,.15);
+  background-color: @pre-bg;
+  border: 1px solid @pre-fallback-border-color; // IE8 fallback
+  border: 1px solid @pre-border-color;
   border-radius: @border-radius-base;
 
   // Make prettyprint styles more spaced out for readability
diff --git a/less/dropdowns.less b/less/dropdowns.less
index 7e35d42871..1430435e4e 100644
--- a/less/dropdowns.less
+++ b/less/dropdowns.less
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
   height: 0;
   margin-left: 2px;
   vertical-align: middle;
-  border-top:   4px solid #000;
+  border-top:   4px solid @caret-border-top-color;
   border-right: 4px solid transparent;
   border-left:  4px solid transparent;
   content: "";
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
   margin: 2px 0 0; // override default ul
   list-style: none;
   background-color: @dropdown-bg;
-  border: 1px solid #ccc; // IE8 fallback
+  border: 1px solid @dropdown-fallback-border; // IE8 fallback
   border: 1px solid @dropdown-border;
   border-radius: @border-radius-base;
   .box-shadow(0 6px 12px rgba(0,0,0,.175));
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@
   // Reverse the caret
   .caret {
     border-top: 0;
-    border-bottom: 4px solid #000;
+    border-bottom: 4px solid @dropup-caret-border-color;
     content: "";
   }
   // Different positioning for bottom up menu
diff --git a/less/forms.less b/less/forms.less
index c366eb0097..e2cb66d7c4 100644
--- a/less/forms.less
+++ b/less/forms.less
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ legend {
   line-height: inherit;
   color: @gray-dark;
   border: 0;
-  border-bottom: 1px solid #e5e5e5;
+  border-bottom: 1px solid @legend-border-color;
 }
 
 label {
@@ -344,9 +344,9 @@ select {
   font-weight: normal;
   line-height: @line-height-base;
   text-align: center;
-  text-shadow: 0 1px 0 #fff;
+  text-shadow: @input-group-addon-text-shadow;
   background-color: @gray-lighter;
-  border: 1px solid #ccc;
+  border: 1px solid @input-group-addon-border-color;
   border-radius: @border-radius-base;
 
   &.input-small {
diff --git a/less/labels.less b/less/labels.less
index d7852d1077..7ee7ee68a4 100644
--- a/less/labels.less
+++ b/less/labels.less
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
   font-size: 75%;
   font-weight: 500;
   line-height: 1;
-  color: #fff;
+  color: @label-color;
   text-align: center;
   white-space: nowrap;
   vertical-align: middle;
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
   &[href] {
     &:hover,
     &:focus {
-      color: #fff;
+      color: @label-link-hover-color;
       text-decoration: none;
       cursor: pointer;
       background-color: darken(@gray-light, 10%);
diff --git a/less/list-group.less b/less/list-group.less
index 34718633ac..abfb957e11 100644
--- a/less/list-group.less
+++ b/less/list-group.less
@@ -58,10 +58,10 @@
 a.list-group-item {
   // Colorize content accordingly
   .list-group-item-heading {
-    color: #333;
+    color: @link-list-group-heading-color;
   }
   .list-group-item-text {
-    color: #555;
+    color: @link-list-group-color;
   }
 
   // Hover state
diff --git a/less/variables.less b/less/variables.less
index 7cbda59ac5..0bd576a669 100644
--- a/less/variables.less
+++ b/less/variables.less
@@ -117,6 +117,7 @@
 @btn-info-bg:                    @brand-info;
 @btn-info-border:                @btn-info-bg;
 
+@btn-hover-color:                #fff;
 
 
 // Forms
@@ -134,12 +135,18 @@
 @input-height-large:             (ceil(@font-size-large * @line-height-base) + (@padding-large-vertical * 2) + 2);
 @input-height-small:             (ceil(@font-size-small * @line-height-base) + (@padding-small-vertical * 2) + 2);
 
+@legend-border-color:            #e5e5e5;
+
+@input-group-addon-text-shadow:  0 1px 0 #fff;
+@input-group-addon-border-color: #ccc;
+
 
 // Dropdowns
 // -------------------------
 
 @dropdown-bg:                    #fff;
 @dropdown-border:                rgba(0,0,0,.15);
+@dropdown-fallback-border:       #ccc;
 @dropdown-divider-top:           #e5e5e5;
 @dropdown-divider-bottom:        #fff;
 
@@ -150,6 +157,10 @@
 @dropdown-link-hover-color:      #fff;
 @dropdown-link-hover-bg:         @dropdown-link-active-bg;
 
+@caret-border-top-color:         #000;
+
+@dropup-caret-border-color:      #000;
+
 
 // COMPONENT VARIABLES
 // --------------------------------------------------
@@ -278,6 +289,9 @@
 @label-warning-bg:            @brand-warning;
 @label-danger-bg:             @brand-danger;
 
+@label-color:                 #fff;
+@label-link-hover-color:      #fff;
+
 
 // Modals
 // -------------------------
@@ -327,6 +341,9 @@
 @list-group-active-bg:        @component-active-bg;
 @list-group-active-border:    @list-group-active-bg;
 
+@link-list-group-color:       #555;
+@link-list-group-heading-color:#333;
+
 // Panels
 // -------------------------
 @panel-bg:                    #fff;
@@ -390,6 +407,35 @@
 @breadcrumb-color:            #ccc;
 @breadcrumb-active-color:     @gray-light;
 
+// Carousel
+// ------------------------
+@carousel-control-color:                      #fff;
+@carousel-control-hover-color:                #fff;
+@carousel-control-text-shadow:                0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,.6);
+
+@carousel-indicators-active-bg:               #fff;
+@carousel-indicators-li-border-color:         #fff;
+
+@carousel-caption-color:                      #fff;
+@carousel-caption-text-shadow:                0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,.6);
+
+
+// Close
+// ------------------------
+@close-color:                 #000;
+@close-hover-color:           #000;
+@close-text-shadow:           0 1px 0 rgba(255,255,255,1);
+
+
+// Code
+// ------------------------
+@code-bg:                     #f9f2f4;
+@code-color:                  #c7254e;
+
+@pre-bg:                      #f5f5f5;
+@pre-border-color:            rgba(0,0,0,.15);
+@pre-fallback-border-color:   #ccc;
+
 
 // Miscellaneous
 // -------------------------