The best lighting for applying makeup

The VESAUR three-sided mirror - 96 LEDs around panels at 1x, 5x and 10x, so light arrives from the front and both sides at once, which is what removes the shadow under the brow and the jaw. If you already own a mirror you like, do not replace it: the Consciot Hollywood strip fixes the light for about thirteen dollars.

One number is missing from every listing in this category and it is the one that matters most. Not a single lit mirror here publishes a CRI figure, which for a task that is entirely about judging color is a real omission - so this page compares what is published (direction, magnification, dimming, color modes, power) and says plainly where the gap is.

Almost everyone applies makeup under a light that is above and slightly behind them - a ceiling fixture in a bedroom, or a bar over a bathroom mirror. Both put light on the top of the head and the top of the nose, and leave the eye sockets, the underside of the jaw and the lip line in shadow. Those are exactly the areas being worked on, which is why the result so often looks different in a car mirror twenty minutes later.

Light from in front and from the sides fills those shadows. It is why theater dressing rooms have bulbs down both sides of the mirror rather than a fixture above it, and it is the only thing every pick on this page is really doing - whether by surrounding the mirror with LEDs or by sticking two bars onto the one you own.

Which means the cheapest fix is often the right one. A mirror that is already the right size and in the right place does not need replacing; it needs lights beside it. The hardwired version of this argument is in bathroom vanity lights, where side-mounted sconces beat an over-mirror bar for the same reason.

1. Where the light comes from. Front and sides beats around, which beats above. This ranked the picks before anything else did.
2. Magnification that includes 1x. A 10x-only mirror cannot show you the result, only the detail.
3. Color modes and dimming. Matching the light you will be seen in is the practical use of three modes.
4. Whether it needs an outlet. Rechargeable and USB options exist, and a dressing table is usually nowhere near a socket.

We did not test these; every figure is the listing's own and each is linked below. No lumen, kelvin or CRI value appears on this page because no listing in the category publishes one.

VESAUR 11.8 in. three-sided mirror - the pick. 96 LEDs around 1x, 5x and 10x panels, three dimmable color modes, 360 degree swivel, and it runs on mains or batteries.
Who it is for: a dressing table with room for it, and anyone who has given up on the bathroom mirror. Who should skip it: anyone short of counter space - 11.8 in. wide and 17 in. tall is a real object.
Cons: publishes no lumens, kelvin or CRI; three color modes with no values means choosing by eye; takes significant space; dearer than fixing your own mirror.

Conair LED vanity mirror, 10x - the one with a company behind it. An 8.5 in. double-sided mirror with 10x, three color modes, 360 degree rotation and a 5 ft cord.
Who it is for: anyone who would rather buy a name they can go back to than the cheapest listing on the page. Who should skip it: anyone whose dressing table is nowhere near an outlet - this is mains only.
Cons: dearest pick here; no battery option; no dimming stated, only color modes; nothing published about lumens, kelvin or CRI.

DEIOVWXS rechargeable mirror, 3000mAh - the cordless one. 1x and 10x with adjustable brightness and a published 3000mAh battery - the only number anyone in this category puts on a listing.
Who it is for: a dressing table by a window, with no socket near it. Who should skip it: anyone who will forget to charge it - a mirror that dims mid-application is worse than one that is plugged in.
Cons: output falls as the battery drains; smaller than the VESAUR; no lumens, kelvin or CRI published; marketplace brand.

Consciot Hollywood vanity strip - the cheap right answer. Ten dimmable bulbs on an adhesive strip with adjustable color and brightness, powered by USB.
Who it is for: anyone who already has a mirror in the right place and just needs the light to come from the right direction. Who should skip it: anyone who dislikes visible bulbs - this is a look as well as a fix.
Cons: adhesive is a one-shot placement; needs a USB charger within cable reach; nothing published about lumens, kelvin or CRI.

cambk rechargeable vanity bars, set of 2 - for a rented bathroom. Two cordless stick-on bars with three color temperatures and dimming, charged by USB and lifted off their mounts to do it.
Who it is for: a bathroom mirror lit from the ceiling, in a flat you are not allowed to rewire. Who should skip it: anyone mounting them on a steamy mirror or glossy tile - adhesive and bathroom humidity are a poor combination.
Cons: no runtime figure published; output falls as the battery drains; no lumens, kelvin or CRI; adhesive mounts in the worst room for adhesive.