How Color Changes the Way You Come Across
It's not just about what pieces of clothing you choose to wear, it's about the colors you pick, too. While personal style always matters most, it is true that certain shades can add brightness to the face and create a more youthful effect, while others can add structure, seriousness, and a more grown-up presence. Here are 10 colors that can make you look younger, and 10 that make you appear older than you are.
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1. Soft Pink
Thanks to its fresh, gentle quality, soft pink is a youthful color that adds warmth to the complexion and gives your outfit a light, approachable feel. It can make your features look softer and more awake, lessening any harsh or fine lines you might've gained from aging.
2. Coral
Young people are generally associated with being outgoing and energetic, which is why a lively color like coral makes you more youthful. It's bright and bold without being too intense, which is why it's a great choice if you want to look refreshed but not too overdone.
3. Sky Blue
Sky blue has a clean, open feeling that can make any outfit look relaxed and fresh. It’s softer than navy and less severe than cerulean, so it can brighten your overall appearance without much work. Pairing it with white, denim, or soft neutrals keeps it modern and easy to wear.
4. Mint Green
A color that looks especially great in the spring and summer, mint green is soft, approachable, and carries an undeniably fresh quality. On the right skin tones, this shade can make your face appear brighter and less tired, which helps give your overall look a much younger feel.
5. Peach
Peach is a wonderfully flattering color because it adds warmth to the skin without making anything look heavy. It brings out a natural-looking glow, which adds to its light and friendly energy it exudes. The most youthful effect usually comes from peach shades that look fresh rather than beige or dull.
6. Lavender
For something that feels elegant yet still youthful, lavender brings forth a soft brightness that's hard not to love. It's more forgiving than deeper shades of purple, especially because it works with a larger variety of skin tones. It keeps things looking sophisticated, clean, and gentle, but not in an outdated way.
7. Warm White
As one of the easiest colors to style, wearing warm white can make your outfit look clean, bright, and fresh without the harshness of pure white. It reflects light near the face, which can help you look more awake and put together, and when the fabric has a smooth texture, the color looks especially polished and flattering.
8. Turquoise
An easy color to bring instant energy to any outfit is turquoise. It's vibrant and fun, but can still feel refined when styled well. And when you pair it with neutrals like white or tan, it can brighten up the face so that you seem even younger. It's dramatic, but not so much that it overwhelms anything else.
9. Rose
Rose might be a more grown-up alternative to bubblegum pink, but it still has a fresh and flattering quality. It still adds softness to your overall appearance and brings warmth to your face in a way that keeps you looking youthful and sweet.
10. Light Teal
A refreshing balance of blue and green gives you light teal, a color that makes your outfit feel lively, current, and trendy. It carries a ton of personality, which can make you come off as especially energetic and bubbly. We'd just recommend keeping the rest of the outfit simple so the color can do its work without competing for attention.
1. Black
Yes, black is classic, but it can also create a strong and serious effect, especially when worn head to toe. It can also look quite harsh on the skin, doing the opposite of the colors we just mentioned by removing any warmth that makes you appear younger.
2. Charcoal Gray
Charcoal gray has a professional, structured feeling that can make you come across as a lot more formal. It’s less stark than black, but it can still add a serious tone when worn. And on some complexions, charcoal can make the skin look a bit tired if there isn’t enough warmth elsewhere in the outfit.
3. Burgundy
Rich and elegant, burgundy immediately gives off a more mature energy compared to other colors. It adds plenty of depth to any piece of clothing, which gives it a refined quality you'd only expect someone older to be wearing.
4. Olive Green
Olive green has an earthy, understated quality that makes it more sophisticated than casual. And if the shade leans too brown or gray, it can make the complexion appear muted even if you didn't mean it. That's why this color often works best in jackets, trousers, and accessories rather than as the main color near your face.
5. Chocolate Brown
Chocolate brown is incredibly easy to style, but because of its darker tone, it can create a heavier effect compared to light neutrals. It's grounded and elegant, but you have to be careful not to overdo it; when worn in large amounts, it can make your outfit look too rigid or traditional.
6. Deep Plum
Carrying such a dramatic yet refined presence, deep plum is a unique shade that's definitely at its best when worn in a professional or formal manner. It's beautiful, but because of its darkness, it adds a level of intensity that doesn't feel particularly lively or youthful.
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7. Mustard Yellow
Mustard yellow has a vintage-inspired warmth that looks stylish, but when worn incorrectly, can also make some skin tones appear dull. Because it’s deeper and more muted than bright yellow, it tends to feel more serious and less fresh, too. This shade often works better away from the face, especially if it's not your color.
8. Dark Navy
Is there any color more dependable than dark navy? It's a common favorite for professional wardrobes because it's softer than black, but still gives off a mature impression. It's great for structured, formal pieces, but definitely not if you're trying to make yourself seem younger.
9. Taupe
Despite being such a gentle and subtle shade, taupe still comes off more mature than other colors. And if it's too close to your skin tone, it can also make your features and complexion fall a little flat.
10. Rust
Last but not least, we can't argue that rust carries warmth and depth, but it definitely feels very grounded, especially for cozy autumn looks. Because rust has a muted quality, it makes outfits look more mature than youthful, especially when worn in large amounts. It's beautiful, just not the freshest of colors.
