Mirrors: Magnifying, LED, Hardwired, Lighted, Vanity, Makeup, and TV and Smart Mirrors
Magnifying / Lighted
Vanity Mirrors
TV Mirrors
Backlit Mirrors
Looking for the right makeup mirror? Browse through our selection of lighted, non-lighted,
wall-mounted, vanity/tabletop, and travel mirrors. All of our makeup mirrors are high quality
to best quality from long-established, well-respected manufacturers.
Selecting a Makeup Mirror:
No Stardards: Incredibly, there are no established standards for specifying the magnification srength of makeup mirrors. The magnification powers you see listed here, and for that matter everywhere else, are determined solely at the manufacturer's discretion. For that reason it becomes critical to only purchase from trusted and well-known manufacturers that take pride in the quality of their product.
How Much Magnification? Many people make the mistake of searching for the highest magnification power available. This is not always desirable. The method by which magnification is achieved must be kept in mind. Unless the mirror is made of optical glass, which is actually a lens - and 97% aren't - magnification is achieved by the bent glass method, forming a concave surface. This brings about some factors to consider when deciding on a magnification power. (Most people are happiest with 5x and 7x Magnification, with 10x a close third.)
• Too Close? Another consideration is focal length. In other words how far - or how close - must you be to the mirror to get a good, in-focus image? The greater the magnification power, the closer you must be to get a sharply focused reflection. 5x and 7x mirrors are the most popular because the magnification power is comfortable for most people and the viewing distance feels normal. Going up to 8x, 10x, and 15x requires that you become increasingly close to the face of the mirror to get an in-focus image. For the 15x mirror, you need to be as close as 2 inches! Many people find this objectionable. Of couse people with vision problems find the greater magnification beneficial and don't object to being very close to the mirror for good viewing.
The Frame: The quality of the frame is important for durability and for one other reason. Makeup mirrors are usually, or at least often, used in bathrooms which can get steamy. High quality frames are heavily plated or plated in multiple layers such that they don't rust, even if they were to be used in steam rooms. Smoothness of operation is an attribute of high quality frames - and when you adjust the makeup mirror to a certain angle, it says put - even after decades of use.