As a rule of thumb, greatest brilliancy occurs 36 days before and again after inferior conjunction. Still I found two different dates in my references. Take your pick, but the difference is indiscernible. Venus' crescent can now even be seen in binoculars, and is dazzling in small telescopes. I gave you a clue today, so tomorrow we see why planets shine.
Stars create their own light from thermonuclear energy in their cores.
All the planets we can see with our eyes and most telescopes all orbit the sun. They are much colder than stars, and are visible only because sunlight reflects off them. The color of planets is a combination of the color of sunlight and the color of the planet itself. Thus Jupiter Saturn and Venus appear slightly yellowish, the sun's color. Mars is red because its rusty.