The sad but true reality of spring is that it tends to be the most uninspiring season of the beauty calendar. While high-end collections have the benefit of luxe packaging, drugstores brands must work doubly hard in order to produce eye-catching spring launches. It’s a fact they sometimes take a little too seriously, as evidenced by this year’s overwhelming quantity of new releases. Neon Tommy wades through a sea of pastels to bring you the best bargain buys of spring ’13.

Drew Barrymore Flower Cosmetics (Flower Beauty)

Celebrity makeup lines can be hit-or-miss (and there are definitely more misses than hits out there), so Drew Barrymore’s newly-launched makeup line is a pleasant surprise. The range features products for eyes, face, lips, and nails, so there’s bound to be something for everyone. The 'Color Play Crème Eyeshadows' in particular have been receiving rave reviews all over the blogosphere for their unusual but effective texture.

L'oreal Shine Stain (L'oreal)

These sleek little tubes are an often-cited dupe for the much pricier YSL Glossy Stains. The formula has the lasting power of stain with the feel of an ultra-light, non-sticky gloss. Perfect for busy days or nights out, all it requires in terms of touch-ups is an occasional coat of balm to keep lips moisturized. The twelve shades, ranging from classic red to juicy coral, are perfect not only for spring, but all-year round.

3. CoverGirl LipPerfection Jumbo Gloss Balm

Lip crayons have been all the rage lately and CoverGirl is the latest brand to jump on the bandwagon. These chubby twist-up pens come in sixteen shades and require no sharpener. They’re also on-trend with the year’s most popular lipstick finish, a combination of sheer color and moisturizing formula that’s been termed the 'gloss-balm'. These are especially great for those who like to apply their lip products sans mirror, since the crayon tip and opacity allow for virtually foolproof application.

Maybelline Color Whisper Lipstick (Maybelline)

Last on the list are these lightweight lipsticks from Maybelline, which the brand describes as “pure color pigments suspended in a weightless gel.” Like the CoverGirl Gloss Balms, these have a medium to sheer opacity paired with a shiny, moisturizing finish. The majority of the shades are variations on pink, but there’s also some plum and red in here, which ends up being surprisingly warm-weather appropriate when given the gloss balm treatment. And speaking of shades, there’s quite a wide variety of them to choose from. Twenty, to be exact.

Reach Staff Reporter Sarah Wu here.