Illuminated makeup mirrors: which one to choose?

In professional studios, stylists apply makeup in stages and periodically look not only at the model itself, but also at its reflection in the mirror. It turns out that it is more convenient to evaluate the result and understand how others will see the person from the outside. For the reliability of this result, both the quality of the makeup and the make-up itself, as well as the competent organization of the working space and the correct selection of the mirror are important.

It should have a perfectly flat surface and not distort the reflection. However, the mirror surfaces, designed specifically for makeup, there is another trick - lights. It is she who largely decides how well a make-up will be applied.

The best lighting for applying cosmetics is daylight, but no one in practice is painted on the street. Professional stylists do not like to work with incandescent lamps, which are attached to the cosmetic mirror for make-up, because their spectrum of light is most closely located in a warm light spectrum, which makes the reflection of makeup not clear and reddish. Sometimes fluorescent lamps are used, but they also have disadvantages, therefore LEDs have been and remain the leader in this area. They give the backlight in the spectrum as close as possible to sunlight.

Make-up mirror surfaces can have various parameters in shape and size. Such a mirror may even be a growth one, but more often it is to use a medium-size oval or rectangular mirror for applying make-up in beauty studios.

If you decide to purchase a mirror with illuminated home, it is important to determine the model and choose the place of its future placement. The fixation option will depend on it.

Before you buy in the first place it is on this factor that you need to pay attention. The next moment is form. Here the important thing is the location of the mirror in the living space. There are such types of these products:

• magnifying;
• manual;
• sensory;

• pierum;
• tricuspid and so on

Choosing a mirror with light for the bathroom, the best solution would be to buy a wall-mounted large rectangular or oval vertical mirror. Backlight in this case should be as close as possible to daylightthat provides LED and halogen lamps.

Buying a mirror surface for the hallway, with its sufficient size, you can not save on free centimeters and choose a large growth mirror with lighting around the perimeter, which will give the opportunity to see every detail not only in makeup, but also in clothes.

But in the bedroom is a dimensional product to anything. It was no coincidence that the bedroom had previously been equipped with a boudoir, where a lady could fix her makeup or prepare for publication. Now it is enough to buy a dressing table and put on it a desktop oval or round product with a uniform illumination around the perimeter with a warm spectrum.

When choosing a mirror with light, it is important to focus on its size.Choosing a wall mirror, whose height is 120 cm, you need to place it so that you can see your reflection down to your knees, when the size of the product is 60 cm - to the waist, 40 cm - to the chest. The classic solution is a square shape measuring 50 by 50 cm. Such mirrors are most often used by professional makeup artists, and these are also the most convenient parameters for home use.

A mirror with such dimensions is rather cumbersome, therefore, it is better to place it on the wall. If you need a make-up mirror with lighting on the table, it’s better to choose the size of a rectangular object 34x17 cm or square - 11x11 cm.

It has already been noted above that different types of lamps are used to illuminate the mirrors. Let us dwell on this issue:

• Incandescent bulbs - the most budget option backlight. These are ordinary lighting fixtures that were used in every home before the invention of energy-saving lamps. They do not differ in long work, quickly burn out and are rather fragile. Currently, such lighting is becoming less and less popular and is being crowded out of the market with more practical options.
• Halogen lamps are ten times more durable than incandescent lamps. This is a good solution when placing the mirror in the bathroom, because such lamps are resistant to moisture.

• Fluorescent lamps have a light spectrum as close as possible to sunlight. A significant disadvantage of such lamps is their flickering effect. With prolonged contact with such lamps, the eyes get very tired and start to hurt. The performance characteristics of these lamps are very worthy - up to 100 thousand hours of work.
• LED backlight (LED) is the most modern and popular type of backlight. On the Web, the most positive feedback is precisely this way of lighting make-up mirrors. LEDs are incredibly durable, the spectrum of their lighting is bright, but pleasant to the eye. In addition, the lamps themselves look aesthetically pleasing, so the mirrors with such a light will fit into any interior.

At home, you can also apply make-up with high quality, but even if you have practiced many times and honed your skills, you need to take into account such factors as light. Surely any girl faced such a problem - at home the makeup looked great, but it was enough to go outside, and everything changes: the eye shadow has a completely different shade, the makeup cream is applied unevenly, the blush is too bright. Why did it happen? It's simple - improper lighting when applying makeup.

Natural light is the simplest and at the same time the best lighting option. Not wanting to buy a mirror with light, when applying cosmetics it is best to place a simple mirror next to a source of natural light, that is, in front of the window. But this option is not possible if you want to apply makeup late in the evening, for example, before a party. Additional lighting devices in this case are vital.

Artificial lighting should have a high color rendering index (CRI). The optimal color rendering index (CRI) of lighting devices for applying makeup should be more than 80, and for maximum realism - 100.

In addition to the color rendering index, it is equally important to use diverse lighting. It is not enough to use only the upper light. Most likely, you paid attention to the fact that in the fitting shops of the store very bright upper lights of the mirrors are used. This light emphasizes all the flaws on the skin. Of course, such lighting is used in the booths not at all to disappoint you and develop complexes, but in order to emphasize the play of light and shade on the fitting clothes.

At the same time, using only overhead lighting when applying a make-up, the light will form shadows under the eyes, on the chin and under the neck, which distorts the real picture. Will not give the desired result, and only lateral lighting.

Another factor is the brightness of the lamps. Thus, the luminous flux having the highest power does not mean that the quality of the applied make-up will be transmitted as reliably as possible. The best solution is soft and not too bright lighting, achieved with the help of light filters and frosted glass. In addition, LED lamps provide such light, which once again proves their optimal use.

A mirror with light bulbs on batteries will be indispensable when traveling.

It is worthwhile to dwell on the question of choosing the mirror itself, because the reflection transmitted by it depends on the substance deposited on the back surface of the mirror. Different types of coatings have not only different color rendition, but also differently glare, transfer shapes and sizes in different ways. There are four main types of mirror coating. According to the quality of image transmission in descending order, they can be arranged as follows:

1. titanium coating;
2. silver plating;
3. aluminum coating with an admixture of copper;
4. amalgam coating.

• Amalgam coating is the cheapest. This is a very unstable alloy, and to give it strength, you have to fix it with a special varnish. Amalgam completely does not tolerate moisture, so this mirror in the bathroom after some time will begin to climb.
• Aluminum coating is a little better, but this is also a budget option. Amalgam aluminum conveys colors, but the image in such a mirror is not the most clear, and sometimes distorted. Such a coating is not suitable for high-quality make-up, so buying a mirror for a wall or desktop layout is a big mistake. It is better to use such a mirror as a pocket option, so that you can simply fix the makeup outside the house.

• Mirrors with a silver coating on the back side are significantly more expensive than the two previous types. They are highly resistant to high humidity and extremely durable. Such a mirror is not so easy to damage mechanically, for example, with a key or a knife. Silver mirror is better than others for applying high-quality makeup.
• The most expensive option is a titanium coated mirror. It is incredibly durable and most reliably conveys an image. However, some women say that a titanium-coated mirror has a bluish reflection. It probably depends on the perception of flowers by the eye itself.
• If we talk about the chemical composition and generally accepted characteristics of the above elements, then silver-coated mirrors provide the greatest clarity. In addition, these mirrors are resistant to high humidity, temperature extremes and UV exposure. Titanium coating - the most durable and durable, but sometimes it contributes to the distortion of reflection. The most primitive and unreliable in terms of accuracy of reflection are aluminum and amalgam mirror coatings.

Choosing a mirror, pay attention to its marking by the class of distortion. Mirrors with markings M0 and M1 are distinguished by the highest accuracy. For everyday use, mirrors with a marker up to M4 are allowed. Anything that is below this level (up to M10) is not suitable for domestic use, since it gives a very strong distortion.

There are 4 ways to place a makeup mirror in a room:

• wall mirror mounted on the wall with a reliable bracket;
• table has a stable stand for location on a horizontal surface;
• portable has a compact size that makes it mobile;
• Universal version - a rather large in size mirror with the possibility of fasteners on the wall or on a makeup table.

Buying a make-up mirror, you can choose not only standard forms. With desktop versions of mirrors, you can experiment with their functionality:

1. Rotated mirrors can be rotated 180 or 360 degrees, making a half or full turn around its axis.
2. Mirrors with two-sided reflection on the one hand show the real size of the object, and on the other - with an increase of several times.
3. Mirrors with an accordion mount are placed on the wall so that you can remove or bring the reflection to the required distance without the help of both hands.
4. If the cabinets and shelves have sufficient height and are more like a chest of drawers, then they are called boudoir or make-up tables. Medium-height rectangular mirrors with one shelf practical to place on the wall in the bathroom, where every centimeter is important.

We should also talk about mirrors with an increase. Of course, Buying a magnifying mirror with light is not the best option because it does not give a real reflection. It can be used as an aid in applying makeup, and many makeup artists do it. In stores where they sell equipment for beauty salons, as a rule, they offer mirrors with a fivefold increase.

On the modern market today you can find mirrors with lighting in a huge range. Among them, the following brands have gained the most popularity:

• Beurer - German manufacturer, which proved the highest quality of its products. They are distinguished by accuracy of reflection and aesthetic appeal. Many buyers note their strength and durability. The backlighting of the Beurer mirrors is ideally close to natural light.
• Babyliss - a mirror for a make-up, released in all possible variants of forms, dimensions and an arrangement. Products of this brand are wall-mounted, desktop, rotary, with the effect of increasing and, of course, with high-quality lighting. The mirror surfaces are not cheap, but they look very impressive and are able to provide a presentable appearance to any room.
• Ikea - mirror products of the budget price category. Like any other product of this manufacturer, they are laconic in design, but are convenient and practical to use and have excellent reflective characteristics without distortion. Illuminated mirrors from Ikea provides moderate brightness and uniform illumination.

Surface must be perfectly flat. To check this, you need to place the dressing room on a horizontal surface, and if it is uneven, it will immediately be evident.

In the modern bedroom, you can choose a mirror with light. It perfectly emphasizes the classic interior and helps you to make a high-quality makeup. The backlight in this case should be bright enough.

Cosmetic mirror in bronze looks just gorgeous. It is suitable for many interiors. It can be hung both in the bathroom and in the bedroom. The choice is yours.

On this mirror you can see the extraordinary backlight. It is very gentle and romantic. Such a product is suitable for sensual natures.

You can find out how to make a backlit mirror with your own hands in the video below.