This Trendy TikTok Color Is Making Us All Look Old. Here Are 3 Colors That Will Actually Make You Look Younger.
Pink is the new red.
by The Candidly Team
We’ll just tell you the color so you don’t have to hate-scroll for it.
It’s red.
If you love red, great. Enjoy! But for us, red is one of those colors that if we’re not careful, we start looking like a grande dame (pr: grahhhnd dahhhm) and we can’t figure out why.
Yes red can be very pretty. A “power color” you might say. But red is also very harsh, and its manifold shade varieties can all too easily veer off into Chico’s territory, and we just can’t risk it.
And so, when the entire earth including all media and all TikToks and all magazines tell us that red is “trending,” we become very skeptical. An orangey red in a dark skin tone? Perfection. A vibrant red lip color on a pale face? Classic. But if you’re pasty and doughy and have no clue how to find your “perfect undertone” like us, you might want to run just as fast as your feet will carry you. Away from red…
…And towards 3 colors that are universally great on everyone. Brightening. Youth-giving. Impossible to get wrong.
And even if you’re a “soft summer” or a “cool winter” or know “your colors” (which is also a massive trend right now) you can wear these colors. Maybe not all of them are perfect to be worn right at your face, but somewhere. We can all but guarantee it.
We love all three colors deeply but the third is our current favorite. You?
1. PINK
Free People Lowen Midi Skirt
One of us wore this exact skirt out the other day and 3 different people stopped to ask where it was from. It’s truly the perfectly proportioned, spring skirt we’re always searching for. The pink gets us attention, but we bought it in black and white as well, and they’re both absolute staples in our closet.
Price: $60
NVLT Knit Relaxed Blazer
This, instead of a boring old black or beige jacket, turns our everyday jeans and tee into an actual elegant look. The shade of pink paired with the shape keeps things feeling fresh - like a sprawling basket of peonies. Sorry. We’re just really feeling spring rn.
Price: $148
Beyond Yoga Spacedye Caught In The Midi High Waisted Legging
This material is magic if you’re scared of doing a non-black legging. It hides all bumps and has an equally flattering, matching top. Just wearing the set makes you feel your fittest - and not a whisper over 29.
Price: $97
Margaux The Platform Sandal
A light and strappy shoe screams youth. But our feet will no longer tolerate pain. And that is what led us to rationalize the price of this exact shoe. It is, without question, the most comfortable heeled sandal we’ve ever slipped on. We could wear it all day/ all night and not even notice. So the fact that it might be the prettiest shoe we’ve ever owned is sort of secondary. The pink matches everything and makes it an elevated stand-in for every plain old beige shoe we’ve ever settled for in the past.
Price: $375
Hill House The Anjuli Nap Dress
Hill House dresses feel like sleepwear but look like something you could wear to brunch or to a wedding. With the above shoe - perfection!
Price: $178
2. WHITE
The Bennet Buttondown Shirt by Maeve
If you take one thing from this article, let it be the possibilities of a bright white button-down. This oversized version is our favorite, because we can style it 17 ways that age us backwards: half-tucked into ankle jeans, tied over a midi skirt (say #1 on this list), unbuttoned at the top or bottom over shorts in the spring/ summer. Every option feels easy but looks incredibly chic.
Price: $98
Marcella Mila Dress
Like with a red dress, there’s something classic but also some wow factor about a white dress. And when it fits like this one, it’s not scary at all. Astounding on curves and sizes up to XXXL.
Price: $138
Madewell The Harlow Wide-Leg Pant in 100% Linen
We have gone all in on these linen pants from Madewell. The fit is flawless. Nips the waist. Drapes beautifully down the leg. The white looks so chic with a black tank, but if you’re really too spooked for an all-white pant, you can dip a toe by trying the striped version, which is the chicest thing we’ve bought this spring.
Price: $88
Everlane The Day Crossover Sandal
Life hack: find the most comfortable slip-on sandal that you want to live in every day and buy it in white or cream instead of black. It will brighten you right up. Sort of like a glowy, anti-aging serum.
Price: $98
Splendid Sloane Scoop Tee
We would be remiss to talk about the benefits of wearing white and not share the most flattering, whisper soft, white tee known to man.
Price: $48
Everlane The Supima® Cotton Midi Shirt Dress
We admit the photos don’t do it justice. But with a brown braided belt, you ARE a coastal grandmother.
Price: $148
3. LILAC
J. Crew Squareneck Button-Up Top In Linen
All that’s ever really missing from our wardrobe is that unique and pretty top that singlehandedly makes us look like we put some effort in. This one has such a gorj fit, and the color sparks copious amounts of joy.
Price: $98
By Anthropologie Slim Strapless Ruched Dress
Behold, our favorite-fitting, fitted dress. The fabric is magic in that it smooths us out, while still feeling like we can breathe, and the ruching is a godsend for those of us with a belly pooch. It’s a fit like this that makes us confident to wear a bolder color. And we’re so thrilled it all came together with this dress, because this color honestly looks amazing on everyone.
Price: $170
Aritzia Wilfred
Twirl Pleated Skirt
It’s impossible to walk along, feeling the swirly brush of this skirt against your legs, and not time travel to whatever age you were when you most wanted a floaty tulle skirt that looked absolutely stunning on you. Ours was 22.
Price: $150
Skims Soft Lounge Long Slipdress
We were so taken with the feeling of this dress and the way it fits that we wrote a whole thing about it. And that was back before it came in any exciting shades like this one. Wear it under THIS if you want a little bit of coverage and to hit that sweet spot between looking cool and classic.
Price: $80
Quince 100% Organic Cotton Tiered Maxi Dress
Any non-dress people are probably screaming at us right now, but eeeeven non-dress people will be forced to admit how easy this particular dress is to just throw on any day of the week and make us look our best. It’s so light and airy but the cinched waist lets us feel sophisticated instead of like slobs.
Price: $70
Clare V. petit Moyen
The bag designer we’d name if we could only buy bags from one brand for the rest of time, in no small part because they keep coming out with new, exciting colors and textures that make us lose our damn minds. This is their “petit” version, which is perfect for choosing a more vibrant hue like this violet, which weirdly seems to match 87% of what we wear.
Price: $335
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
We have to eat.
