Maybelline Cover Stick Green Vs Ivory: Which Should You Buy

Green wins for redness and blemishes. Ivory wins for brightening fair skin and undereyes. Your main skin concern decides which stick belongs in your bag.
| Factor | Maybelline Cover Stick Concealer, Green | Maybelline Cover Stick Concealer, Ivory |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Cover Stick Green | Cover Stick Ivory |
| Shade | Green | Fair ivory |
| Main job | Cancels redness | Brightens and covers |
| Best for | Blemishes, rosacea | Fair skin, undereyes |
| Coverage | Medium to full | Medium |
| Finish | Natural | Natural |
| Format | Twist-up stick | Twist-up stick |
| Price | Check price | Check price |
Our Verdict
Choose the Green Cover Stick if blemishes, acne redness, or rosacea are your daily battle. Green pigment visibly calms red tones in a single layer. Choose Ivory if your skin is fair and you want brightening plus spot coverage. Its light shade lifts the undereye area in a natural way. Many people own both and use green on spots and Ivory under the eyes. Each costs under six dollars, so the pair is still a bargain.
More Top Picks in This Category
Not sold on either of these two? Here are more bestselling options worth considering.

Best for: medium beige spot concealing
Maybelline Cover Stick Concealer, Medium Beige
- Medium beige natural match
- Creamy blendable texture
- Oil-free wear
Pros
- Natural finish on skin
- Quick touch ups
- Budget price
Cons
- Wears off on oily skin
- Few undertone options
Want the Full Picture?
Green Corrector Across Skin Depths: The Full Protocol
Corrector shades across skin depths are almost never detailed, so here is the green corrector protocol. Green neutralizes red, but the depth and placement change with skin tone. On fair skin, a light hand with the Green Cover Stick directly on redness works, with Ivory or a skin-tone concealer over it. On medium skin, green can go ashy if applied too thickly, so the layer should be sheer, targeted only at the reddest areas, with full-coverage concealer on top.
On deep skin, green corrector is the trickiest: green over deep skin turns gray easily, so use it sparingly, only on intense redness like fresh blemishes, and always under a full-coverage concealer matched to the skin. Where correctors fail: using green all over the face instead of spot-correcting, which creates an uneven cast no concealer fully fixes. And which redness should not be color-corrected at all: rosacea flares and active irritation, where the corrector clings to dry patches and draws attention. The Ivory stick in this comparison is the brightening shade, not the redness solution, knowing which stick does which job is the whole decision. The dark circle concealer guide covers the brightening side of the routine.
Choosing Stick Shade by What You Are Covering
This page is really a shade-choice lesson: Green for redness, Ivory for brightening, Medium Beige for matching. The rule: choose the stick by the problem, not by your foundation shade. Green handles red blemishes and redness around the nose. Ivory brightens fair skin under the eyes and highlights. Medium Beige conceals blemishes on medium skin where it matches.
The discoloration dimension: blue or purple under-eye circles need neither of these sticks alone, they need a peach corrector underneath first. Brown discoloration needs a concealer matched to the pigment depth. The common mistake: buying the Ivory stick for dark circles on medium skin, where it looks too light and ashy, when the Medium Beige would disappear. Stick format specifics: sticks are drier and higher-coverage than liquids, which makes them ideal for blemish spot-concealing but trickier under the eyes, where they can crease. Warm the stick on the back of the hand first for smoother under-eye application. The Benefit Boi-ing concealer guide compares a fuller-coverage formula for blemish work.
Stick Concealer Midday Rescue
Which formulas survive a bag and a touch-up without a mirror is the unaddressed question, and sticks are the answer. The Cover Stick format is built for touch-ups: twist up, dab on, blend with a fingertip, no brush or sponge needed. The midday routine: blot shine first with a tissue or blotting paper, then touch up only where coverage faded, usually around the nose and chin, rather than reapplying all over.
The bag-survival factor: sticks do not leak, do not need shaking, and apply precisely without tools, which is why they beat liquid concealers for on-the-go. The hygiene note: twist-up sticks touch the skin directly, so they should not be shared, and the tip should be wiped clean periodically to prevent breakouts from transferred bacteria. Which stick for the bag: the Medium Beige for blemish touch-ups, or the Ivory for under-eye brightening, choose based on what fades first in your routine. One stick in the bag covers the emergency, the full routine stays at home.
Eye Cream Timing Under Stick Concealer
How long to wait after eye cream before concealer is never specified, and it matters more with stick formulas. The timing: apply eye cream, then wait three to five minutes before the stick concealer. The drier stick formula sits on top of the cream rather than mixing with it, which is good for coverage but bad if the cream has not absorbed, unabsorbed cream makes the stick slide and crease.
The texture pairing: lightweight, fast-absorbing eye gels work best under sticks, while rich eye creams need the full five minutes or should be reserved for nighttime. The application order for the brightening routine: eye cream, wait, Ivory stick pressed in gently with a fingertip, then the tiniest amount of setting powder only if needed. Too much powder over a stick under the eyes emphasizes fine lines, so keep it minimal. If the stick creases by midday, the usual cause is too much eye cream underneath, not the stick itself.