The Best Lighted Makeup Mirrors
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I'm the queen of putting on my makeup in weird places with a time crunch. I am quite literally (not literally) always doing my makeup on the go. I couldn't tell you how many times I've done my eyebrows in the passenger seat of my boyfriend's manual Honda Civic SI, lurching around as he shifts gears, waiting to pass the next streetlight to make sure my arches are even. Or how many times I've spontaneously decided to go out, racing to complete my winged eyeliner despite being in a parking garage with zero lighting. In the club bathroom, I'm the person who's using their lipstick as blush while gripping a tube of mascara between their teeth. At a festival, I am constantly beleaguered by my ADHD-fueled time blindness, racing to get ready in my tent before we need to leave, using the mirror that I smuggled in to make sure that my glitter is glittering properly. I even gave a class to my WIRED colleagues on how to get ready in a time crunch. I am, for better or for worse, that girl.
So it makes sense that my party goblin ways would lead to me testing the ultimate in That Girl innovation. I'm talking about lighted makeup mirrors. They shine a light on your face so you can see it from all angles (and in some cases, they have magnification that will show you every single pore, whether or not you want to see it). You'll be able to use the power of Seeing Correctly to ensure a flawless finish, whether you're going with heavy contour, a smoky cut crease like it's 2016 again, or you simply want to make sure your overlined lips aren't too obvious. These are my favorites.
Be sure to check out our many other guides including the Best Hair Straighteners, the Best Curling Irons, and the Best Beauty Subscription Boxes.
About CRI (Color Rendering Index)
Some lighted makeup mirrors feature specific CRI (Color Rendering Index) measurements. It's a way to measure how closely artificial light can mimic natural light (like daylight). The scale goes from 0 to 100, with 100 being the perfect indication that colors appear the same as they would in natural sunlight. I think this is a nice thing to know about, but ultimately, your environment will affect your makeup application more than a mirror's CRI score (if listed). Placing your lighted makeup mirror in front of a window or in a well-lit area will give you just as good of an idea of how your makeup looks in any room. Once my makeup is finished, I usually cycle through any mirror's available lighting schemes to ensure it looks good in all of them. So, in a nutshell, a high CRI is a good indication of a mirror's color accuracy, but it's not the only thing you need to care about.
How We Tested
I completed my go-to makeup look (sparkly nude eyeshadow, winged liner, lots of blush and highlight, penciled-in brows, heavy mascara) using each of these mirrors at least twice—once in a dark environment, and once in natural daylight. I tested each lighting mode and fully cycled through every battery at least once.
- Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Best of Both Worlds
Fancii TaylorThe Fancii Taylor compact mirror is relatively big, coming in at 5 inches across, but it's also small enough to pack into the average purse. It's available in tons of fun colors and patterns and charges via USB-C in just over an hour. There are three different modes for the LED ring light—natural daylight, soft white, and neutral white. And the top side has 10x magnification, which is super-close to see detailed views—nice for tasks like tweezing your eyebrows.
Note that the 10x magnification side does not have dedicated lighting. The outside of the mirror feels a little cheap and plasticky, and the hinge has some give but can support itself during use before closing with a satisfying snap. The mirror's light automatically shuts off after 30 minutes, and the battery lasts for around a month. Overall, I think this is the perfect pick for the average person looking to shed some light on their makeup routine both at home and on the go.
- Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Most Luxurious
Beautifect BoxEverything about the Beautifect Box is luxe, including the shipping box it arrives in. This reminds me of the makeup playsets that I had as a child, only much more upscale. The box features a quilted pattern on the outside, with a sturdy handle and metal clasps. Open the laptoplike lid to any angle thanks to its strong hinges that don't budge on their own. You'll reveal a huge, just-over-10-inch rectangular mirror with a light-up bar on either side. The lights have five different temperatures, all with three brightness levels and a CRI of over 90. The box itself has built-in storage that's perfectly designed to hold your makeup routine. Two flaps keep everything inside safe and secure, and the flaps have built-in elastic on their inside to hold pencils and brushes. There are plastic Caboodles-style compartments to hold all of your other products. This also comes with a detachable mini 5x magnification mirror that can be magnetically attached to the upper corners of the larger mirror. Pop it on when you need a closer view and detach it when you're finished for more real estate. You'll also get two nice cleaning cloths—one big, one small—that can be used on the mirrored surfaces or the outside of the box.
I usually have my entire makeup routine crammed into one bag, but I was able to fit all of it inside this box with room to spare. The lights recharge via USB-C in a couple of hours, but you can still use them when the battery is recharging. The battery lasts about a month per charge. Overall this is a luxurious, very giftable box that would look just as good on your vanity as it would while traveling. It's too big and rigid to be what I'd consider truly travel-friendly unless you're a checked-luggage person, but if you're constantly doing your whole routine on the go, it's definitely worth checking out.
- Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Most Portable
Fancii Mini TaylorThe Fancii Mini Taylor has a diameter that's just under 4 inches, meaning it's perfectly portable and has no trouble fitting in small bags or jeans pockets (although the latter might be a bit awkward depending on the jeans and also please don't sit down on a mirror by accident). Similar to the full-size Taylor, above, this mirror has a 1x magnification side and a 10x magnification side.
The 1x side has a ring light with three different settings—natural daylight, soft white, and neutral white. The battery lasts for around a month and recharges via USB-C in about an hour and a half. I like that this mirror has a dedicated clasp so it really snaps shut. It's also small enough to hold one-handed for when you're in the back of a cab just trying to make sure your lipstick isn't smudged.
- Photograph: Simplehuman
Best for Magnification
Simplehuman Sensor Mirror MiniThe Simplehuman Sensor Mirror has a built-in sensor that can automatically illuminate the mirror's ring light when you approach. There's a manual lighting option, too, if you'd rather do it yourself. The mirror is only 10x magnification, so this is best for folks who need a real up-close-and-personal view. It has a sturdy base that folds down flat for easier travel, and there's a carrying case included to protect the mirror as well as its micro-USB charging cable.
The mirror has Simplehuman's Tru-Lux Light System, which has a CRI of 90. I don't think this mirror is ideal for a full face application, since it's so small and magnified. But if you've got an important event and you want to make sure your eyeshadow is blended seamlessly, this is a great tool to have around.
- Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Best for Cars
Fancii Juni 2I think it's an as-yet-unproven law of the universe that your makeup just turns out better when you do it in the car. I'm actually the kind of person who will purposefully do my makeup in my car. There's nobody talking to me, my getting-ready playlist is blasting, and I can get my face as close to the mirror as I need to (a problem when it comes to my short stature and tall bathroom mirrors).
The Juni 2 was made for party goblins like myself. It hangs over your car's visor mirror and instantly upgrades whatever existing setup you've got going on. Tap the light to choose from neutral white, soft white, or natural daylight, and tap it again to dim it. The light will automatically shut itself off. The battery is rechargeable via micro-USB and lasts for around seven hours per charge. The mirror also has a built-in kickstand that comes in handy if you're taking it into a hotel room or smuggling it into a no-glass-allowed camping festival (not that I plan on doing this or anything).
- Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Best for Suitcases
Fancii AbigailThe Fancii Abigail folds down quite flat and thin, making it a great option for packing up and taking with you. Unfurl it to reveal a huge, nearly 8-inch mirror with a built-in stand that stabilizes the mirror's base. You can pivot the mirror and height to several different angles so it'll work no matter where you're getting ready—no more sitting like a shrimp on the floor, craning to see what the heck you're doing. The built-in ring light has three different temperatures—soft white, natural daylight, and neutral white.
It recharges via USB-C and lasts for up to 30 days before needing to be recharged (which takes around two hours). The mirror doesn't have any built-in magnification, but it's still a very good option for anyone just trying to do their makeup on the go. I can especially see it coming in handy in a hotel when I'm just trying to get my makeup done but someone's showering in the shared bathroom. I (probably) can stop monopolizing the bathroom counter!
- Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Best for Content Creators
Ilios Lighting Beauty RingThis lighted makeup mirror is a powerhouse for content creators. The heavy base and 21-inch stand anchor a 9-inch mirror that has a 1x side and a 5x side. It's surrounded by a blazingly bright ring light with a CRI score (see above) of 98 that gets easily twice as bright as the others I've tested, if not more so. At maximum brightness it feels a little bit like I'm staring into the sun, if the sun had my face superimposed in the center. It's nearly impossible to miss makeup mistakes like unblended eyeshadow or muddy contour when using this light.
I like that the ring light itself is pretty thick in diameter, so the lighting washes evenly around my face instead of just lighting up the very edges. There are five dimming levels and three color temperatures. The back of the right light has a built-in phone holder, so you can remove the mirror and drop your phone down, mounted vertically or horizontally, for filming videos or looking your absolute best on an important FaceTime call. It's pretty easy to pop the mirror back into place between takes. There's a 10x mirror that you can purchase separately and attach magnetically for additional magnification. There's even a spot to mount a webcam to the top of the ring light. This is a serious combination that isn't portable in the slightest, though the company does sell a stand and a travel case if you have the type of job where traveling with a beefy ring light is part of the description.
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