Here's something fun and weird: lip powders are apparently a thing. Lured in by Sephora's neutral lip promotion Thursday morning, I was perusing the site as one does when this new frontier caught my eye. I clicked, was intrigued, navigated away — and returned only to see every single shade had sold out. Pour one out for missed opportunities, but first things first: What are lip powders? Sephora just changed the game with this new release.

Sephora Collection Lip Powder In Red Hot, $12, Sephora

At first glance, they look like a shortcut to metallic lips in six shimmer finishes. Described by Sephora as a "lightweight powder for lips that provides a silky soft matte metallic finish," it "contains pearlized pigments to catch light and give your lips a full, luminous look." Intriguing. More user-friendly and convenient than going through the typical metallic lip motions of patting on sequins or a shimmer eyeshadow, the Lip Powders have a sponge tip that directly presses color onto your lips. Wear it alone or on top of lipstick for a flash effect, and "apply all over the lips for full color, or just in the center to give the lips a fuller look."

Is this formula totally unprecedented? Not entirely, but that doesn't make it any less cool.

Sephora Collection Lip Powder In Red Hot, $12, Sephora

Make Up For Ever pioneered a similar concept with their Pro Sculpting Lip, a duo with one end an iridescent powder-to-cream highlighter.

MAKE UP FOR EVER Pro Sculpting Lip In 50 Purple, $27, Sephora

The main difference, as you can see with your eyes, is the MUFE creates more of an iridescent effect on top of a flat color, while the Sephora combines the two for an all-out metallic color.

CLE Cosmetics Melting Lip Powder in Red Cherry, $20, Cle Cosmetics

Likewise powdery is CLE Cosmetics Melting Lip Powder, which goes on like a powder but shape-shifts into a tint.

Where the Sephora Lip Powders really stand apart is the combination of an ultra-cool, up-and-coming formula with the look everyone and Taylor Swift is striving for. Definitely slam the "notify when restocked" button, although judging by the sell-out rate, this'll be a tough one to grab.

Images: Courtesy of Brands