Best Eyeglasses, Sunglasses and Readers for Women Over 50 in 2024

Best Eyeglasses, Sunglasses and Readers for Women Over 50 in 2024

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(Left to right) Oprah Winfrey, Patricia Arquette, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Brooke Shields. AARP (Getty Images, 4) Facebook Twitter LinkedIn


Many mature women feel more fashionable and attractive when they’re wearing some sort of glasses these days. The reasons? Well, glasses are trending in fashion — especially oversized and


statement styles — but that’s not all. Prescription glasses work like eyeliner to define aging peepers, sunglass lenses camouflage fatigue and under-eye circles without the need for


concealer, and readers enlarge eyes that seem smaller, less awake. The tough part is choosing the right pair for your face, eyes and taste. As a fashion editor, stylist and personal shopper


for women over 50, I know any kind of eyewear purchase comes with questions whether you shop from home, at your neighborhood optician, a mass retailer like Costco, or Target or the


drugstore. Wondering whether to try an angular shape or a cat eye? Thick frame or thin? Tortoise or green? Here’s all you need to know to make a spectacle of yourself:


Members only 1. Updating your eyeglasses is an instant makeover.


Have you worn the same glasses for two years or more? Do you buy the same brand, style or color over and over again? Yes? Stop right there. If you do one thing to update your looks this


year, get new glasses. The reason is simple. Faces over 50 do change with age. They get fuller, rounder and even smoother with weight gain, filler or Botox. Or maybe they get saggier or more


lined due to weight loss, gravity, sun damage and your own genetics. Brows thin and go gray. New glasses have an almost magical ability to restore definition, lift your features, enhance


skin tone and divert attention away from all your concerns. That’s why whether you wear Rx frames, readers or sunglasses, I’m encouraging you to update them ASAP. Take a look at the celebs


below for some trendy inspiration.

(Top left, clockwise) Warby Parker Women’s Pippa Eyeglasses in Black Currant Tortoise ($95,warbyparker.com), Ray-Ban Women’s Topline SquareEyeglasses


Style 0RX4487V in Black on Transparent ($166,targetoptical.com), Marc Jacobs Marc 764S Acetate Square Sunglasses in Black ($160,neimanmarcus.com), Eyebobs Eye-Con Readers in 05 Black to


Antique Crystal Fade Front and Temples ($95,eyebobs.com). AARP (Warby Parker, Target Optical, Neiman Marcus, Eyebobs) 2. Choose a better frame shape for your face.


Many online eyeglass sites like Warby Parker, Zenni Optical and EyeBuyDirect have guides that match specific face shapes to flattering frames. They’re based on the standard heart, round,


oval, square formulas. It’s a good start, but faces over 50 are not neat tight geometric shapes, and we have more issues. Some of us want frames that minimize a receding hairline, double


chin or saggy jawline. Others want glasses that lift droopy cheeks, or soften expression lines and forehead creases. So let’s modify the geometric strategy and simplify your shopping process


with a few advanced beauty and style matchups:  


If you have a full, plump, round face, choose an angular frame like the Coach Eyewear for Women in Dark Tortoise Canary Style HC6226F ($144, framesdirect.com) or the Ralph by Ralph Lauren


Women’s Style RA7174U in Shiny Rose Havana ($133, lenscrafters.com). The sharp lines of square- and rectangle-shaped glasses work like contouring to restore a sense of structure.


If you have a long face or lots of downward expression lines, choose frames that emphasize width with a rectangular or oval shape like the Warby Parker Women’s Pippa Eyeglasses in Black


Currant Tortoise ($95, warbyparker.com) or a large cat eye similar to the Armani Exchange Women’s AX1034 Cat Eye Frame in Rose Gold ($144, lenscrafters.com) to add both width and lift.


If you have deep forehead creases or vertical 11s between the brows, choose a bold frame in a color that contrasts with your skin tone or black like the GlassesUSA.com Women’s Eyeglasses


Muse Mitchum in Shiny Black ($60, glassesusa.com) to pull all the attention straight to your eyes.


If you have saggy lids or tired-looking eyes, choose a modern cat eye frame like the SmartBuy Collection Women’s Lizette DFI-004 001 Cat Eye Glasses in Black ($68, smartbuyglasses.com) or


the Ralph Lauren Women’s Cat Eye Eyeglasses in Opal Mint Style RL6235QU ($210, framesdirect.com) for just enough upward swing to create a more open, alert expression.


If you have an angular face or sharp features, a round frame like the EyeBuyDirect Women’s Chillax Glasses in Round Red & Floral ($19, eyebuydirect.com) or a curvy style like the Tory Burch


Style TY2154U in Blue Honey Tortoise ($244, lenscrafters.com) guarantees a softer more flattering look. 


If your jawline is jowly or double-chinned and saggy at the neck, choose a brow-line style like the Ray-Ban Women’s Topline SquareEyeglasses Style 0RX4487V in Black on Transparent ($166,


targetoptical.com) or two-tone style that’s darker on top and fades to lighter on bottom like the Eyebobs Eye-Con Readers in 05 Black to Antique Crystal Fade Front and Temples ($95,


eyebobs.com) to redirect attention up to eye level without cutting bangs.


If you have a profile problem at the jawline and like to wear your hair pulled back, try a frame with wide, tapered “arms” like the Foster Grant Women’s Santa Monica Haven in Charcoal Frame


w/Smoke Lenses ($53, fostergrant.com) or Marc Jacobs Marc 764S Acetate Square Sunglasses in Black ($160, neimanmarcus.com). Wide arms are a trendy detail and shift the focus away from a


loose jawline.

Laurel Progressives in Shiny Cinnamon ($98, ) (Top), Warby Parker Women’s Sonia Eyeglasses in Oak Barrel ($95,warbyparker.com) (Bottom left) and Swarovski Women’s


Eyeglasses in Black Style 0SK2004 ($261, targetoptical.com) (Bottom right). AARP (Look Optic, Warby Parker, Target Optical) 3. Choose a frame color like you choose makeup.


We select hair color, makeup and clothing in colors that enhance our looks. Now extend this decision to include your glasses. You can select a color that blends harmoniously with your


coloring for a classic look, or a color that contrasts with it to make more of a fashion statement.


Black frames have the boldest effect and always look “cool.” You can control the impact by modifying the frame weight and choosing one that’s classically thin or trendy-chunky.


Tortoiseshell does for the face what highlights do for the hair. It adds lively glints of lighter tones like butterscotch, toffee and caramel (or even pastels in trendier tortoiseshell


mixes) that warm up skin tones and counteract fatigue.