Lot of buzz in this pretty new category of “lip toppers.” They are special effects you can put on top of your lipstick to give it a unique texture/color/effect. I’ve seen a few brands come out with these with most people dismissing it as just a fancy lip gloss, which I thought they might be too, but not in the case of these from URBAN DECAY. It’s their Vice Special Effects Topcoats ($18 @ urbandecay.com, ulta.com).

What I like is that I can take a regular ol’ lipstick, apply a topper, and this makes the whole lip color dry down like a liquid lipstick. Speaking of, I tried some of these with liquid lipsticks and wow, my lips felt like they were suffocating, so I wouldn’t recommend using these with one.

The duos that I sported (tried with NARS, Maybelline, and MAC) and even though the formulas didn’t move, they seemed to still be a tad transferable.

What I dislike immensely is the brush. The skinny brush looks cheap and makes the product hard to apply evenly. Come on, UD! We certainly expect more at this point in your life.

Shown here:

Copycat (by itself), a bright pink with iridescent glitter - Copycat on top of Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Mysterious Red

White Lie (by itself), an iridescent white with blue-violet shift - White Lie on top of Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Mysterious Red

What I like: you can really get creative with these! Every single lipstick topper will give you a different color with a lipstick, so if you like to be unique, this could be something you’ll want to try out.

Choose from 12 shades total!

Disclosure: Samples of these items were provided for review purposes.