The New City Color Spice Me Up Palette is Perfect for Fall

The City Color Cosmetics Spice Me Up Palette ($15.99) is a brand new 2016 re-release of the original Spice Me Up Palette (which I reviewed last year). The revamp adds two additional shades, larger pans, and upgraded packaging. It does cost $7 more than the previous version and the eyeshadows are basically the same size (.034 oz in the old palette and .035 in the new palette). So for the extra $7, you're getting two additional shadows, but are also paying for better packaging and (in my opinion) an upgraded formula. I'll compare the two palettes toward the end of this post, but for now, let's take a closer look at the new Spice Me Up...

I love the look of this palette, and it launched at the perfect time when fall is right around the corner. In a few more weeks, I'll probably be putting my shorts and tank tops away, along with my lighter, summery makeup in favor of jeans, sweaters, and warm, rich eyeshadows, blushes, and lipsticks. This one is right on point...it's still nude shades for the most part (which are the majority of what I wear) but it's filled with toasty warm colors that look like the view out my window when the leaves start changing. Looking at it just puts me in a fall mood!

The formula feels very velvety to the touch (a couple of shades, such as Paprika feel a little drier) but they're not super soft and buttery. This is good news if you don't like a lot of the fallout that comes along with those softer formulas...these have none. They are on the denser side, and pick up beautifully with a brush. You know how the softer formulas don't always pack a lot of color onto your lids because it's too busy dusting all over your cheeks as you're trying to blend? These apply beautifully, and stay where you want them.

The shades are pretty consistent when it comes to the formula. As I mentioned above, the reddish shade, Paprika feels drier than the others, while one or two shades such as Cinnamon (to the right of Paprika) are super buttery. The majority of the shades have that dense, soft, velvety texture and almost all of the shades have a satin finish...Ginger and Mace seemed to have the most shimmer. I was definitely impressed by the formula here and I think it's an upgrade from the previous Spice Me Up palette. 

When I first saw this palette, I thought of the new Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette and wondered if any of the shades were dupes. When I put the two side-by-side, I thought there might be a few, but after swatching them all, I've found that while they have very similar color palettes, there are no exact dupes. Still, if you're not in the market for the ABH palette, the Spice Me Up palette gives you a similar feel for a third of the price!

Finally, I wanted to compare the new Spice Me Up to the old one. You can see how much use mine has gotten...it's a mess! The new version is a lot larger in size and I find the packaging much more appealing, though not as travel-friendly. 

Once I started swatching them both, I realized that the shades in both palettes are almost exactly the same, with the addition of a few new ones. The biggest difference is in the formula...the shades in the older palette have that soft, buttery feel with lots of fallout. They also have more of a shimmery finish. The new palette is that denser, more velvety formula with more of a satin finish.

Below, I've compared the top row of the old Spice Me Up palette to the top row of the new one. The first shade is very different...the older one is a frosty white, while the new one is a satiny beige taupe. However, the rest of the shades are definitely the same colors...just with different finishes. Also, the new palette has one additional shade in the top row, called Saffron.

Top: Old Spice Me Up Palette- Top Row
Bottom: New Spice Me Up Palette- Top Row

The bottom row varied a bit more from the old palette to the new one. The first four shades are similar in color, but vary in the finishes. Then they replaced that lavender taupe shade in the old palette (which I always thought didn't exactly fit in with the other spicy shades) with the reddish Paprika shade in the new palette. Finally, they added the an additional shade, Cinnamon to the new palette.

Top: Bottom row of the old Spice Me Up palette
Bottom: Bottom row of the new Spice Me Up palette 

Overall, I'm impressed with the new Spice Me Up palette from City Color. I think they took an already great palette and made it even better! If you already own the original Spice Me Up palette, you may not need this one since the colors are so similar. However, if you're a fan of more satiny shades vs shimmers, you might appreciate the difference between the two. There are also a couple of different shades that help to set it apart a little bit.

Grab yours now at CityColorCosmetics.com and get 10% off by using code BudgetBeautyBlog at checkout.

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