This Ultra-Magnifying Mirror Is Perfect Beauty Lovers With Trust Issues

When Kehlani shared that Rihanna told her she had leftover makeup caked up in her nose ring, I really felt that. Kehlani was understandably mortified—but she also never forgot that beauty lesson. For me, it was when my then-boyfriend told me I had lotion stuck in my eyebrow hairs—only it wasn’t lotion, but poorly blended concealer. Most of us have experienced the cringe-worthy fluorescent-to-sunlight transition after applying the wrong shade of foundation to your entire face, and it all comes down to the lighting in your bathroom or vanity.

The Simplehuman mirror lends you a hand with a sensor at the top that automatically turns on a beauty ring light while you’re doing your business. And it’s not just any ring light: The “Tru Lux” Simplehuman technology mimics ~actual~ sunlight and distributes the beauty beams evenly to ensure the colors in your reflection remain true. You can adjust the brightness with a swipe of your hand, and change the LED lighting from warm to cool—with warm being the ideal setting for makeup application.

If there were one thing I was skeptical about, it was the sensor—but it’s grown into one of my favorite features. It gradually turns on so you’re not blinded by the light, then dims out once you step away. If you don’t need it, you can just hold your hand up against the sensor to black it out. But, trust me, once you use it and see the difference good lighting makes, you’ll be hard pressed to do your makeup any other way.

As far as the structure of the mirror, I have the 8-inch round, which sits perfectly perched on a sturdy handle, with the ideal amount of resistance when being adjusted. One side has the 10x and 1x magnification, and a tiny handle helps you flip the mirror over to the 5x magnification side without smudging it. It’s satisfyingly heavy and actually looks elegant for being a relatively large, stainless steel object.

There’s no denying the other weighty bit, though: the price tag. A $300 mirror may seem like a waste of money, but when I considered the amount of money I spent getting my eyebrow and upper lip done every two to three weeks, this paid for itself in just four months. Plus, with the virus coming back strong, I won’t be heading back to any salon for the foreseeable future. Even with daily use, I can see this Simplehuman Sensor Mirror lasting me years—and, if it’s anything like my other Simplehuman products, perhaps even decades.

You may have an incredibly deft hand, fully trust in your skills, and not mind the occasional wonky blend, but for me, getting up close and personal with every product in my arsenal is a must. And if you’re here because you too like to keep your teeny-tiny facial hairs in check, it really comes down to this: Do you want to get groomed for the gods? Yes? Then you know what to do.