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Time to get up close and personal. Forensic Multiband Light Source Filters
Caitlyn Martyn is responsible for writing tested product recommendations and reviews
You could buff on customized formulas with a diamond-encrusted foundation brush for all we care, but if it’s done in poor light, your final makeup look will always be missing…something. Fluorescent-lit hotel rooms and before sunrise wakeup calls rarely provide a MUA with their preferred level of brightness, which is why lighted makeup mirrors have become our guiding, well, you know.
Even if your bathroom or vanity area is already bright, celebrity makeup artist Steve Kassajikian explains that the luminescent mirrors and tools "allow you to see yourself clearly when applying makeup without the cast of shadows," which are typically caused by overhead lighting. "Now, you have a better shot at an even application and blend," he adds.
Since carting around Sephora-sized vanity mirrors with us isn’t feasible, we individually tested and researched the top-rated mirrors — taking into account the mirror’s lighting capabilities, clarity, stability, and design. Then, we consulted two expert makeup artists for their insight on what sets one apart as truly excellent.
What We Love: You can use this mirror to take the perfect selfie with the help of the included magnetic phone clip.
What We Don’t Love: The charging cord can be difficult to connect to the mirror.
The Riki Skinny lighted makeup mirror is everywhere, from your Instagram feeds to Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Lopez’s vanities to Oprah’s Favorite Things list. What makes the mirror so popular, aside from its sleek good looks, are its impressive tech features that offer convenience wherever you’re applying makeup. For instance, the LED lights have r five different brightness levels, there’s a retractable stand to lower or raise the mirror for a better angle, and the magnetic phone clip allows you to simultaneously play makeup tutorials (or take selfies through the coordinating Bluetooth function) while you carefully wing your eyeliner.
Additionally, the tool includes a magnetic magnifying mirror in both 5x and 10x options, which we found super helpful for tweezing our brows and ensuring our foundation was fully blended. And, although we occasionally had trouble connecting the USB charger to the port in the stand, it never impacted its charging capabilities.
Magnification: 5x, 10x | Light Settings: 5 | Features: Magnetic phone clip, Bluetooth, adjustable stand | Colors: 4 | Energy Source: USB-compatible rechargeable battery (charging cord and power cube included) | Weight: 1.5 pounds | Size: 13 x 9.5 inches
What We Love: Featuring a trifold design, we can glimpse every angle of our faces and necks with one glance.
What We Don’t Love: The magnifying mirrors are small.
A lot is happening here: The mirror comes in three colors, features a tri-fold design, is battery-powered and charges through a USB port, and has a sturdy stand that won’t teeter off uneven surfaces. Beyond that, it provides a multi-angle few of your face at three different magnifications: 2x, 3x, 10x. Oh, and there’s even a little tray in the removable stand to keep pink lipsticks, hair accessories, and other small items well within reach.
Jack of all trades, and pretty much master of them all, although the 2x and 3x mirrors are small, we’re still pretty shocked at how this affordable makeup mirror squeezed all these features into one lightweight and compact design.
Magnification: 2x, 3x, 10x | Light Settings: Customizable sliding range from dim to very bright | Features: Removable stand, cosmetics tray | Colors: 3 | Energy Source: USB-compatible rechargeable battery (charging cord included only) or 4 AAA batteries | Weight: 1 pound | Size: 9.4 x 13.3 inches
What We Love: All of its impressive tech features are powered by a remote control.
What We Don’t Love: It’ll take up a good chunk of space on smaller surface areas.
When we realized installing a professional vanity mirror wasn’t exactly in our budget, we turned to the Riki Skinny Smart Vanity Mirror’s sassier, luxe cousin. She’s dressed to the nines with six different placement options for the added magnetic attachments, which include a phone clip and a 5x magnifying mirror. Rest assured, you’re guaranteed angelic lighting during the darkest days with the mirror’s broad range of settings that you can adjust via a remote control, just like the Bluetooth selfie function and power button.
We’re happy the gorgeous circular silhouette, sleek white finish, and delicate acrylic stand blend well with our decor since this larger mirror will certainly be the focal point of whatever room it occupies.
Magnification: 5x | Light Settings: Customizable sliding range from dim to very bright | Features: Bluetooth connection, magnetic phone attachment | Colors: 1 | Energy Source: Outlet plug-in | Weight: 10 pounds | Size: 22.5 x 19.7 inches
What We Love: The storage shelf keeps your tools organized.
What We Don’t Love: There are only two magnifying options.
If your desk is your Grand Central Station — i.e. you work, eat, and do your makeup in one spot — staying organized is essential. The Fancii LED Vanity Makeup Mirror gets us one step closer to Marie Kondo-level living by including an attached storage shelf with five different compartments to tuck away all our itty bits and baubles, from hair scrunchies to hoop earrings, in one tidy place as we get ready.
Additionally, the mirror is sturdy but still smoothly swivels at 180 degrees so we can catch all our angles both vertically and horizontally. And, what it lacks in magnifying options (the mirror itself is 1x and features a small, side pull-out 10X mirror) it makes up for in its gorgeous soft lighting. The LED lights master a level of brightness and cool tones to perfectly simulate natural sunlight, and they shut off after 30 minutes of use so we’re never wasting battery life.
Magnification: 1x, 10x | Light settings: 2 | Features: Built-in organizer | Colors: 1 | Energy Source: USB-compatible rechargeable battery (charging cord included) or 4 AA batteries | Weight: 2 pounds | Size: 15 x 7.3 inches
What We Love: Since it’s battery-operated, there’s no need to hunt around for an outlet, making it that much more portable too.
What We Don’t Love: It only comes in one, non-versatile color.
It’s time to get personal, like, really personal. The Conair Reflection powerfully-lit 10X magnifying mirror allows you to easily wrangle askew eyebrow hairs with a pair of tweezers and quickly alert you to an unblended jawline situation. When you’re done inspecting yourself simply rotate it around to the 1x side for a full view of your facade. Beyond that, you can tote its lightweight, slim body around wherever you please, especially since the mirror runs on batteries.
Sure, rose gold wouldn’t be our first choice as it won’t match everyone’s aesthetic as black or white colorways would, but at an affordable price tag, we’re fine not being picky.
Magnification: 1x, 10x | Light Settings: 1 | Features: 360 degree rotation | Colors: 1 | Energy Source: 3 AA batteries (not included) | Weight: 1.79 pounds | Size: 15 x 15 x 8.7 inches
What We Love: It’s barely bigger than an iPad yet its mirror and bright lights make doing our makeup from anywhere in the world a breeze.
What We Don’t Love: You’ll need to have an outlet nearby since it’s not battery-operated.
As small and inconspicuous as it may seem, the travel-friendly makeup mirror impressed us with its three different light settings that we could easily transition between using the touch sensor. We still found its mirror was large enough to see our entire face, but thanks to its lithe silhouette and foldable stand, we could still tuck it into the most overstuffed suitcase and squeeze it on tiny hotel bathroom counter spaces.
And, since the mirror promises a long battery life, we’re not too worried about finding an outlet to plug its USB cable into before the lights die.
Magnification: 1x | Light Settings: 3 | Features: Foldable stand | Colors: 1 | Energy Source: USB-compatible rechargeable battery (charge cord and power cube included) | Weight: 0.67 pounds | Size: 7.6 x 5.1 inches
What We Love: It's got mighty magnifying power and stows away in even our teeniest clutches.
What We Don’t Love: You can’t adjust the brightness.
Clocking-in at the same size as our blush compacts, and weighing about the same too, the distortion-free, 5x mirror will shine a light anywhere, anytime. Oh, and did we mention that it moonlights as a power bank to charge your phone?
Sturdy as can be, we’re not worried about it getting tossed around in the depths of our work bags, either. For its size, the mirror is nearly perfect, except that we’re not able to adjust the neutral light to a brighter setting.
Magnification: 1x , 5x | Light Settings: 1 | Features: USB power bank | Colors: 2 | Energy Source: USB-compatible rechargeable battery | Weight: Not listed | Size: 2.75 x 3.5 inches
The short answer is yes. "LED lights are best because [they] will give you a more natural reflection without washing you out," says Kassajikian. Many lighted makeup mirrors on the market use LED lights, but you'll occasionally find some models with fluorescent and incandescent bulbs. LED lights are also more energy-efficient than other types of lighting, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Plus, they might actually keep any makeup that's nearby safe, too. "LED bulbs don't emit heat and cool to the touch, so makeup placed by the mirror won't melt," says Kinjo.
Most makeup mirrors come with some level of magnification like 3x or 5x, which makes an object appear 3 times or 5 times larger, to help amplify harder-to-see areas. If you’ll be using your mirror to do some detailed work like plucking hair hairs or putting on false lashes, look for higher magnification like 10x.
Cylinder Lens Irene Richardson is a beauty and fashion commerce writer for InStyle. For this story, she compiled insights from our in-house testers, read dozens of online reviews, and rounded up our top picks. She also relied on previous reporting from former InStyle commerce writer Caitlyn Martin, who interviewed celebrity makeup artists Steve Kassajikian and Janice Kinjo.