I've actually been pretty good at resisting new makeup lately... Admittedly, that'll probably only last until I do a bit of a declutter in the coming months, but it's a lot easier to leave stuff on the shelf when you know you have nowhere to put it at home. However, when I saw the brand new essence Spice Up Your Life Eyeshadow Palette in a display at Shoppers Drug Mart and saw the colours in it, I knew that I had to try it out. I mean... can you blame me?

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See what I mean? Where I was expecting something much more in the burnt orange family, this palette turns that on its head a little bit. It's definitely a warm toned palette full of the kinds of shades I crave in the fall, but it rather than being quite orange and bronzey, this palette brings a combination of rosy and mossy tones along with a good selection of base neutrals.

The packaging is cardboard and doesn't exactly feel expensive, but it has a pretty sturdy magnetic closure that would give me confidence about tossing it in a bag to take with me on the go. I also really like the design and branding, which really evokes the very autumnal vibe of the palette overall. All of the shade names are releated in some way to spices or aromatic foods, which is adorable without being too cheesy, in my opinion.

Valuewise, I think this is a really good buy. At $12.99CAD, you're getting not only a good selection with the 16 shades, but with a net weight of 1.01oz, you're getting a lot of product in really good size pans. When compared with a lot of the other larger palettes in the drugstore, you're getting 2-3 times as much product in this one - Seriously!

It wasn't until I took photos and did swatches that I really saw how different the two sides of the palette are. On the top, where you would often find a mirror in a palette, are the more bold, punchy shades. For me, this is definitely the half of the palette that really makes it special colourwise. At this price point, it's pretty uncommon to find a straight up red or a bold yellow gold. I also really like that there's a lot of variety in these shades and while testing this I've really been able to use this side of the palette to get several completely unique looks.

The bottom part of the palette is definitely more of a neutral color story, but I actually think that's really smart in order to not only make this palette stand alone, but also to add to the versatility. I personally like to often do a simple contoured eye look with a neutral shimmer on the lid and this side of the palette is where I can really get that type of look easily. My only complaint is that I wish Coco Loco was just a little bit lighter, because if I want to put a transition shade in my crease with this palette I find I have to mix Coco Loco and Vanilla Bean to get my shade.

What I personally worried about was that as beautiful as this shade selection is, the shadows weren't going to perform and pack punch. In fact, when I initially swatched this I felt almost certain that I was going to be disappointed with it. Luckily, this turned out to be one of those palettes that, for me, performed better when applied to the eyes than it did in swatches. This is actually why swatches aren't the best gauge for the performance of a powder product, because they don't tell the whole story. Whenever I use this, I have applied it over the essence I Love Colour Intensifying Shadow Base, which is actually my most frequently used eyeshadow primer in general, and I think that also probably helps add punch as well.

What actually really impressed me were the matte shades. They aren't as buttery as some other matte formulas in the drugstore, but they do have a soft feel and pick up well on a brush. There's a little bit of fall out with this formula, but nothing too crazy, and I find that they actually blend really well and have a good stick to the skin.When it comes to the shimmers, I think this is definitely a formula that gives the most impact when applied wet. You're not going to get a ton of punch or shine if you apply these dry, but when applied wet I've consistently gotten a really beautiful, smooth metallic look from the shimmer shades. All in all, I find the formulas of these shadows to be really consistent across the different shades, really blendable and easy to work with, and head and shoulders better than other essence palettes I've used in the past.

Overall, I think this is a really great new option from the drugstore. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think this is going to rival my high end shadows and anyone who's looking for that will probably be disappointing. What I think is that this is a phenomenal drugstore palette option that's a really, really good value for the money, has a wide amount of versatility in the shades and finishes, and performs and wears really well for me. I'm personally going to continue to reach for it - particular once summer fades and we get more into warmer, bold eye look season.

The essence Spice Up Your Life Eyeshadow Palette is available at Shoppers Drug Mart now and retails for $12.99. Also available are the essence I'm With The Band Eyeshadow Palette, which is filled with blue and berry shades, and the essence Fairy Wings And Magical Things Eyeshadow Palette, which is filled with a wide spectrum of soft pastels, each also retailing for $12.99!

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