Urban Decay Vice Special Effects Lipstick Topcoat | Review & Swatches

2017-03 / 19 Comments

*Products mentioned were sent for review, all opinions are my own*


The new Urban Decay Vice Special Effects Lipstick Topcoats are seriously cool and I’m super excited to be able to share them with you today. 

Urban Decay Vice Special Effects Lipstick Topcoat

I have all of the shades except one, so I’ll swatch them all for you, but we’ll talk about what they are, what they’re for and the misconceptions about them first.

So, what are they?

It’s exactly what it says, a topcoat. It’s meant to transform your lipstick.

What are they for?

Changing up your lipstick, lip art, making your look more interesting, etc.

Here’s where people are getting confused:

I’ve heard people complaining immediately about them lacking pigment, not being fully opaque, etc. They’re not meant to be worn on their own, they are not a standalone lipstick and are not meant to be used as such. Can you wear it on its own? Of course you can, but don’t expect a full coverage, opaque, pigmented lipstick because that’s not what these are. 

As I mentioned, these are topcoats. They’re meant to transform another lipstick. They’re sparkly, glittery, duochrome, and gorgeous. They can be used for lip art as well, which is why they have such a tiny brush rather than a different applicator. That way you can be more precise.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about everything else.

Urban Decay Vice Special Effects Lipstick Topcoat Swatch

The packaging is the same as the other Vice Liquid Lipsticks, but the caps are silver.

As I mentioned, rather than a doe foot applicator, these have a thin brush applicator for precise application.

The different colors vary in formula. Some are thin and more watery, others are thicker and almost chunky, which require a little more manipulation to work with, but in my opinion it is worth it because they’re gorgeous. It seems that the deeper shades have a thicker consistency. 

There are 12 shades available and all of the colors are gorgeous. There are some shades that I can see being more popular than others, such as the whites, gold, and the peach. I have a picture to share of myself wearing Fever (the peach) over another lipstick.

  • White Lie : Iridescent white with blue-violet shift.
Urban Decay Vice Lipstick White Lie Swatch
  • Litter : Iridescent glitter.
Urban Decay Vice Lipstick Litter Swatch
  •  Monarcy : Bright purple sparkle
Urban Decay Vice Lipstick Monarchy Swatch
  • Bruja : Berry with gold pearl
Urban Decay Vice Lipstick Bruja Swatch
  • Reverb : Purple with pink-gold shift/sparkle. 
Urban Decay Vice Lipstick Reverb Swatch
  • 3rd Degree : Gold glitter.
Urban Decay Vice Lipstick 3rd Degree Swatch
  • Ritual : Smoky blue-gray with iridescent 3D sparkle
Urban Decay Vice Lipstick Ritual Swatch
  • Seether : Metallic red
Urban Decay Vice Lipstick Seether Swatch
  • Circuit : Smoky green with iridescent sparkle
Urban Decay Vice Lipstick Circuit Swatches
  • Fever : Peach with teal 3D sparkle & shift.
Urban Decay Vice Lipstick Fever Review
  • Copycat : bright pink with iridescent glitter
Urban Decay Vice Lipstick Copycat

Here are the swatches:

UD Vice Lipstick Topcoat review
 Left to Right:
Top:Copycat, Fever, Circuit, Seether, Ritual, 3rd Degree
Bottom:Reverb, Bruja, Monarchy, White Lie, Litter
Urban Decay Vice Special Effects Lipstick Topcoat
Left to Right:
Top:Copycat, Fever, Circuit, Seether, Ritual, 3rd Degree
Bottom:Reverb, Bruja, Monarchy, White Lie, Litter
Urban Decay Glitter Lipstick Swatches

Here’s Fever over UD Vice Lipstick Naked:

A post shared by Nikki Ash (@nikmakeupjunkie) on Mar 21, 2017 at 2:44pm PDT

These Special Effects Topcoats can be layered over any kind of lipstick, it isn’t limited to the Urban Decay Liquid Lipsticks, even though I do really like them. I’m going to be wearing some of these on my Instagram over the next few weeks layered over different lipsticks. You can put them over liquid lipsticks or regular lipsticks, it will work over either one. 

These don’t transfer and they don’t move around once they dry. 

I really like them, I think they’re gorgeous and a really cool way to change up your lipstick. If you’re into lip art, I think they’re something worth picking up. If you like adding glitter or a duochrome effect to your lips, pick one or two up. They’re pretty and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

You can find them on Urban Decay’s website, or you can grab them from Ulta or Sephora. 

Which shade is your favorite?

Thanks for reading!

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