Glasses That Can Make You Look Younger

Aging is a beautiful thing. What a joy to grow old and gather experiences, love, friends, laughs, and everything in between. Gray or silver locks, smile lines, changing bodies, it's all gorgeous!

However, sometimes we do like to try a few little accessories and style tricks to give a youthful booster. Wanting to look a bit younger doesn't mean you're ashamed of aging, it just means you're proud of the youth inside of you.

Glasses can be a great tool for making you look younger, so here's our handy guide!

Tips for picking glasses to make you look younger

1. Experiment with a toasty warm shade

This (like all of the following tips) isn't a hard and fast rule, as bright cool tones can be just as youth-enhancing. However, when we age, we tend to lose a little of our color and "glow" in our hair and skin.

This can result in our complexion looking a little ashier and cooler. To counter this, a warm amber tone or golden tortoiseshell can add warmth and life to the face.

We love the warm tortoiseshell tones of our Gentle frames.

2. Try a youthful bright color

Being past the age of *insert decade here* does not mean you need to tone down your light and stick to neutrals. Bright colors are a great way to inject fun, youth, and a sense of whimsical fashion into your look. A brightly colored frame will act as a feature piece, drawing attention to your gorgeous eyes. What's more, it tells the world "I'm here!".

3. Stick with thinner lenses

Thick bifocal lenses aren't exactly the most youthful things in the world. The great news is that advanced technology allows those with very strong prescriptions to enjoy thin, light lenses.

Here at Door2USA Prescription Glasses, we offer high index lenses that feel like air and look great. These not only feel great on the face but they open up your style options! You can even go for rimless or semi-rimless styles.

Speaking of rimless glasses…

4. Try chic rimless styles for a lighter look

Rimless glasses are endlessly chic and simple. They add texture and subtle interest to the face without overpowering your features or taking focus from your dazzling visage. Rimless glasses are youth-giving as they're clean, light, and offer a pared-down, discerning aesthetic.

5. Try bold black power frames

Fashion icon and queen of color Iris Apfel is one hundred years old. Yes, you read that correctly. Iris is known for her bold, bright, outrageous fashion choices (and a bevy of achievements) no matter her age. Her signature glasses are oversized, thick, and black… and they look incredible.

If you want to make a statement, take a leaf out of Iris's book! You could try the bold and beautiful Navy frames in black.

6. Try a wider upper rim

Adding a little width, angles, and curves to the face can enhance the dimension of your features. This style is especially great for square and oval faces as it balances out your proportions. Check out Julie Delpy in these classic frames in a striking, deep shade.

The frames are wider at the top and curve down in a deep oval at the bottom, flattering her face gorgeously.

Want the look? We love our Kingly frames in transparency.

7. Try updated aviators for a fresh look

Just look at Christine Baranski in these glitzy aviators! The aviator style is always associated with pure cool, adventure, and a little masculine, youthful energy.

We love our updated two-tone version the Aesthete style.

8. Try plastic pants for a modern look

Yes, the Panto 45 style is a distinctively vintage one. However, it's so vintage that it's come back around and is now also incredibly modern. I mean, just look at Mr. Silver Fox himself, Steve Carell rocking these.

We adore our Mascot frames with a little hint of Panto style (plus, they come with clip-on sunglasses as an extra!)

9. Have fun with vintage/retro styles

Speaking of vintage frames, why not push it as far as you can? Vintage and retro styles ooze youthful energy, bravery through style, and a sense of whimsical fun.

Here's Jackie O "back in the day" rocking a pair of frames we today would most definitely consider vintage. In fact – we adore her style so much we've written a deep-dive into her eyewear choices.

Why not try these chic and OTT Queenie frames in a deep red tone with a gold accent?

10. Embrace the cat-eye

Cat-eye glasses give such a sleek dimension to the face and give a nod to retro styles of decades past. Cat-eye glasses are great for older faces as they provide length, clean lines, and a hint of sensual style.

We adore our Candid frames in tortoise.

Glasses to avoid if you want to look younger

There's a perception out there that glasses make you look older and possibly more conservative. This perception is slowly changing as glasses are getting the cred they deserve for being 100% cool.

Check out this interesting study that shows that above the age of 45, glasses make us look approximately 5 years older. However, take this with a grain of salt because the participants may have been wearing frames that age them up!

These styles can, (but not always) make us look a little older than our years.

1. Metal rims

Metal rims can look youthful, of course. However, they can also age you up a little, especially if they're in silvery or charcoal tones that drain color from the face. Plastic frames add a little more structure and life.

2. Pearly tones

Plastic rims in pearly, pale tones can be aging as they tend to drain the color from the face. This can be doubled when the frames are large and rounded as it gives off the "grandma" look (most famously worn by the Queen).

Yes, the grandma look may be just what you're looking for, then cool! However, brighter, sharper, bolder colors and shapes will work best for a more youthful aesthetic.

Ageless style icons we adore

There are so many older style icons we've grown up with and continue to applaud as they age. Here are our favorite bespectacled older-style heroes:

• Helen Mirren timeless style icon who proves sexiness doesn't expire.
• Debbie HarryThe lead singer of Blondie has been a pop-rocker style icon since the 70s and continues to teach us all a lesson or two on edgy-chic style. At 76 she's breaking stereotypes and proving age is merely a number.
• Jennifer LopezOkay, okay, the superstar is only 52 which is not old whatsoever. However, in a world where the 20s and 30s are lauded, it's incredible to see a woman two decades down the line killing the style game.
• Diane KeatonAh, Diane, the original cool girl. Diane is known for her pantsuits and helped to usher menswear into women's wardrobes. Her glasses choices are always on point and we bow down to her.
• Michelle ObamaWhile she doesn't often wear glasses, Michelle Obama is the queen of sunglasses and ageless style in general. She knows how to fuse casual with chic, timelessness with modernity.

We hope you're feeling excited and inspired to branch out and find a pair of frames that reflects your truly youthful side. And just remember, the best frames are the ones that make you feel good, age aside.