Hi friends!
It’s just starting to get chilly here at least for us in the Northern Hemisphere. I don’t know about you but the first place I feel the temperature change is in my skin. Tis’ the season for dry, chapped and flakey lips unfortunately. So today I’m bringing you a short but sweet list of three affordable moisturizing lipsticks – all under $20 each – that I think you should know about.
Well I might be cheating just a tad; one of these is technically a colored lip balm but we all need at least one of those in our lives, right? Everything I’ve picked for this list is perfect for when you want to wear a bit of color, but don’t want anything that’s not going to suck the life from your already-dry lips.
To be honest none of these recommendations will be a surprise if you’re a long-time reader of mine (well, maybe except one). I love them all dearly, and have talked about or mentioned them on here many times before. But isn’t it a true sign of real love when you can’t shut up about something?? I think so!
(P.S. swatches for all lippies appear at the end of this post!)
CLINIQUE CHUBBY STICK MOISTURIZING LIP COLOUR BALM
WHY I LOVE IT AND WHY I THINK YOU MAY TOO
- Sheer but buildable pigment
- Super easy to use crayon format
- Super moisturizing
- Available in a wide range of wearable colors
- Darker shades subtly and attractively stain lips
PRICE
- $18.50, available at Ulta & Sephora
This is a real no-brainer kinda product that I absolutely love. But to be honest, I’m a big fan of any product that’s easy-to-apply and doesn’t make me look too overdone in the end. The Clinique Chubby Sticks slot right into both spots very nicely. If you have the same preferences, then keep listening!
These are a real treat to have on your lips, as they feel cushiony but not greasy or sticky in the slightest. I have two shades, Super Strawberry and Woppin’ Watermelon, both in mini’s. Super Strawberry has a berry kinda vibe with more pigment than you’d think from a colored balm. Woppin’ Watermelon is a very sheer light pink; for the most part it looks almost clear on the lips but you can build it up for a hint of pink.
Shop the Clinique Chubby Stick range here.
Read this: Five moisturizing lippies for Autumn-Winter
FLOWER BEAUTY MIX N’ MATTE LIP DUO
WHY I LOVE IT AND WHY I THINK YOU MAY TOO
- Full pigment from first swipe
- Creamy-textured but with matte finish
- Very moisturizing
- Very easy to apply
- Good longevity (6 – 8 hours for me typically)
PRICE
- $9.99, available at Ulta & Walmart
I will never stop loving this lipstick! It’s just one of my absolute die-hard favorites that I’ve spoken about many times on here. For $10 you get two lip products – a matte lipstick, and a pearlized gloss. I barely ever use the pearlized gloss to be honest, but the matte lipstick formula is something to be lauded over and over again. Creamy, yet long-lasting and almost smoothing on the lips. Perfection!
I have the shade Honey Nude, which I think is almost an exact dupe for the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Lipstick. My perfect brown-pink nude. To hear much more on that, check out the post linked below!
Shop the Flower Beauty Mix n’ Matte Lip Duo range here.
Read this: A drugstore dupe for Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk Lipstick?
GLOSSIER GENERATION G SHEER MATTE LIPSTICK IN CAKE
WHY I LOVE IT AND WHY I THINK YOU MAY TOO
- Very lightweight texture
- Sheer but buildable pigment
- Super easy to use
- Moisturizing
- Blotted finish that wears off evenly
PRICE
- $18.00, available on glossier.com or in their showrooms
I’ve really, really been loving the Gen G Lipstick in the shade Cake recently. Now, you’ll notice that I specified an exact color in the above headline where I didn’t with the other lipsticks. That’s because I initially purchased Jam as well, the darkest berry tone in this range. It was horribly patchy and drying, so I didn’t want to categorically include all Gen G here. (If you’re interested in what happened to poor ‘ole Jam – it got decluttered.)
But Cake is a whole other story. Beautiful in its peachy-brown tone, it’s a one-of-a-kind in my collection both in terms of texture and color. It’s incredibly lightweight and almost velvety. No matter how much you build it up, it still looks like a blotted-down stain. So if you want low-maintenance lipstick that’s not too in-your-face, check this one out!
And the interesting thing is, it gets more moisturizing the more you work your way into the tube. How crazy is that?? If you watched my video post last year on the Gen G’s, you may remember that I wasn’t the biggest fan initially, even of Cake. But it’s definitely grown on me.
Shop the Glossier Generation G range here.

Clockwise: Flower Beauty Mix n Matte Lip Duo in Honey Nude, Glossier Gen G in Cake, Clinique Chubby Stick in Super Strawberry, & Clinique Chubby Stick in Woppin’ Watermelon.
What are your favorite affordable moisturizing lipsticks? I’d love to know!
xo, Erica
PIN IT!
I always feel the cold on my skin first, too. It’s usually my hands first then my lips. They’re both the dryest part of me during the winter. I can never have enough lotion and chapstick! I’d love to try the Glossier! I love the packaging and the color.
Oh my hands get so chapped right away in the cold, so I completely understand. Cake is a really lovely color and formula. I love it more as I continue to use it!
I need to try some of those Clinique chubby sticks one day! I’m loving more moisturizing crayon type lipsticks these days. My lips are super dry right now too with the weather getting colder, it’s the worst!
They will sort you right out then! They’re probably the most moisturizing lip product I own, so I’m going to start living in them soon!
Omg I’m the same way with my skin! It’s so tough here especially when the weather changes to drastically when the day starts, midday and evening lol
Anyway, all of these sound good. I’m really drawn to the Flower Beauty one because I love those creamy formulas that have a matte finish. I LOVEEE them! And I dont have enough of them lol. Neat that it’s a duo, not sure if I would use the gloss either but it’s nice to have it just in case. Great post love@
Thank you babe! Oh my gosh, you neeeeddd to try out this Flower Beauty lip duo, it’s the best!
You’re welcome! 🤗
I’ll be sure to screenshot the full name from your post for next time.
👍🏻
I notice the change in my skin/lips immediately when the weather changes, too! I totally have been following your blog long enough to know that you were going to include those Clinique Chubby Sticks lol, I just wish they were CF– I wanna try them so bad. How strange that the shades differ the performance with the Glossier lipsticks!
You know I’ve heard that ColourPop does something very similar in terms of those twist-up crayon lipsticks, and they’re definitely CF. I’ve never tried them myself, but I remember that Always Cleia wrote a positive review. You may want to investigate those instead.
I think it’s hard to get those deep, vampy shades right in lipsticks. Most of them go patchy. Anything that has purple pigments seems to problematic, in general. So I wasn’t completely shocked that it didn’t work but it was still disappointing. But Cake is A+ in my book!
I got a similar one, by Honest Beauty, but it’s a bit sticky. I’ve never tried ColourPop but, one day I’ll have to make an order. I always see Cleia’s positive reviews on the brand & I know just the lippies you’re talking about!!
I used to love MAC’s Lipstick in Rebel!
Oh never tried Rebel before, but I know it’s a classic!