Lighted makeup mirrors?

Jul 21, 2011

Alicia B.

Hello lovelies, I was just curious if anyone uses these and what brand you have or like best? I'm looking into purchasing one for myself...something in the mildly inexpensive range would be great haha :) Thanks in advance! :)

Jul 22, 2011

Rebecca B.

My sister got one from target for $40! It has normal and a zoomed in mirror! It's about the size of a head as well so it's not too small! 

Jul 22, 2011

Alison G.

you can find some really great pretty cheap ones on amazon... the one I use is...http://www.amazon.com/Conair-Double-Sided-Round-Mirror-Chrome/dp/B003JFBXN6/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1311299493&sr=8-17
and then the one i use for on the go is...
http://www.amazon.com/Travel-Vanity-Cosmetic-Makeup-Light/dp/B000A4D18O/ref=sr_1_40?ie=UTF8&qid=1311299514&sr=8-40

hope that helps

Jul 22, 2011

Dylan P.

I got mine at Sears (Canadian, I know) for Christmas. It's a normal sized vanity mirror, normal and 5x reflective sides, but the lights on it are LED... so they're blue.

Who the heck puts blue LED lights on a makeup mirror?

Obviously a man created this product.

I just use it for the mirror now (:

Jul 22, 2011

Erica H.

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/185-9924145-5672850?asin=B001RJBL7E&AFID=Froogle_df&LNM=|B001RJBL7E&CPNG=health%20beauty&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=B001RJBL7E&ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001

I have that one and I love it! It is a double sided mirror and one of the mirrors zooms in. I love it for grooming my eyebrows because you can see a lot better. :) Also it has different light settings :)

Jul 22, 2011

Soma S.

Dylan: LED light technology is advancing pretty quickly and I've seen them advance in lighting temperature since the whole green movement started to become commercialized. Many high-end companies are producing LED bathroom vanity mirrors that mimic natural daylight now, however, they are costly still...

As for lighted makeup mirrors, I find many of the cheaper ones to be too yellow and on the incandescent side - a reasonably priced one is the CONAIR ones easily found online. Amazon has great deals for them. They are yellow, yes... but for detail work, then they do the job well. If you're relying on them to gauge whether or not your makeup is too dark for you, you're better off finding a better overall lighting system for your room.

If you find yourself truly finicky about lighting for your vanity, you can make your own. Find a wall mountable mirror [you can find many in home repair stores for under $20] and flank the sides with strip lighting. Make sure the light bulbs you choose are anywhere between 3500 and 4500 degrees kelvin. I know this sounds a little geek, but that's usually the light temperature that best mimics natural daylight. Home Depot and LOWE's offer strip lights/vanity light housings, and all you have to do is make sure you read the labels on the bulbs you select. The bulb that easily mimics natural daylight is halogen, but those heat up like crazy, and you want that nowhere near makeup application... so technically, it doesn't even matter whether your lighting is fluorescent/incandescent/LED/halogen, as long as the light temperature is somewhat near. Hope that helps! =)

[Sorry, I spent an entire semester doing lighting design... but I promise this was the watered down version!]

Jul 22, 2011

Alicia B.

Thank you all so much! @Alison and Eric, I'd actually been looking at those same mirrors on amazon (I've got prime...so free shipping haha)

@Dylan that's horrible with the blue lighting! Can you find some replacement led's that would work better maybe?

And Soma, can I just say I really appreciate all of your knowledge? I'm pretty sure I'll be working on my own lighting now and just find a nice stand mirror haha I want something natural looking...I hate when you get outside and realize the shade of pink you were using was actually orange. haha ;) Ok that's never actually happened, but you know what I'm saying :D So, thank you!

Thanks everyone!  

Jul 22, 2011

Dylan P.

@Alicia I don't think so, it's like an entire system of wires and junk behind the mirror that I'm kind of afraid to touch o_o;;

Jul 22, 2011

Shelly T.

I have the same one as Alison. I quite like it.

Jul 23, 2011

Soma S.

No problem! Make sure you have lights flanking the left and right sides though - I hate walking into high-end home shows and seeing a designer use over-the-head lighting for a vanity mirror! It casts unsightly shadows and defeats the purpose of having a lit area for task lighting.  =)

Jul 23, 2011

Soma S.

Oh, and here's proof LED lighting IS in fact changing for the better - check out DustyOHunter's vid on the Glamcor lighting system: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAHQIWg7_PI

I want it BAD... haha. FYI: LED lights have a MUCH longer lifespan than regular lights - some can even last up to 18 YEARS w/o needing to be changed. They remain a constant low temperature [so it's not a fire hazard w/ heat] and they use up LESS electricity.  <3

Mar 7, 2013

Flor S.

I've seen mirrors with a yellow tinted light. Would anyone recommend those? Or just the regular white light? Which is better?

Mar 7, 2013

Ema D.

Try the thrift store I see them there all the time. Most of the time they just need new light bulbs. You can get those at home depot.