Makeup sometimes needs a little help toward the middle or end of the day. Maybe your lipstick has faded or your eyeliner has smeared after you accidentally touched your eye. If you’re at work or out and about, you try to use the bathroom mirror or the camera on your cell phone. No matter how close you lean over the sink, you can’t totally tell if you fixed your eyeliner. Compact mirrors, which have been around since the 1900s, are must-haves.
These aren’t just mini- mirrors. The best compact makeup mirrors have two mirrors, one magnified and one normal, and some even have LED lights. The LED lights simulate daylight, so you can figure out how your makeup looks in normal lighting. Plus, when they say compact, they mean compact. These tiny mirrors can fit into your clutch easily. The outside cases are usually made of durable plastic, so they won’t shatter easily.
Compacts allow you to spot-check for blemishes and get up and personal with your face before meetings, dates, nights out and just when you’re on-the-go. One our picks even can be raised up, so you have a makeshift vanity mirror in your purse at all times. Check our selections out below.
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1. KEDSUM Double Sided LED Lighted Makeup Mirror
You’ll want to take this compact with you everywhere. Unlike your average travel makeup mirror, you can raise the bottom of the compact up. This means you can sit at your desk and use your mirror, without having to hover it right above your face. It can just sit there while you have your hands free to do touch-ups. The compact has one mirror with 10 times the magnification and one average mirror. This LED mirror has an off-and-on switch at its base and requires three AAA batteries. It comes in black or white.
Image: Amazon
2. Fancii LED Lighted Travel Makeup Mirror
Lights, mirror—and you’ll be ready to go to drinks. This compact has LED lights that simulate natural sunlight, so you can get a better idea of how your makeup is looking. Fluorescent lights don’t exactly provide an accurate picture. This mirror is two-sided; one size has a regular mirror while the other has 10 times the magnification. This lightweight mirror is durable, because the LED lights last up to 20,000 hours. It’s available in black, silk white or rose gold.
Image: Amazon
3. StudioZONE Best Compact Mirror
If you want to get a close-up look at how your eyeliner is faring throughout the day or check out your pores, the StudioZONE makeup mirror will help you do it. With 10 times the magnification power of an average mirror, you can get up and personal with that stray eyebrow hair or your uneven eyeliner. The mirrors, one magnified and one average, are kept safe in a small 4-inch case that will easily fit in your bag. This mirror comes in a black or rose gold case.
Image: Amazon