As any professional photographer, makeup artist, or influencer will tell you, lighting is everything. When you travel frequently, you’ll know how difficult it can be to get even, flawless, natural-looking makeup. That’s where the wonderful travel lighted makeup mirrors were invented. They allow you to have the perfect lighting no matter where you are.
While you can get fixed ones that are perfect for your bedroom or bathroom at home, they aren’t great if you’re constantly on the move. So a compact, portable, travel-friendly-designed one will more than likely become your new best friend. It will become part of your travel toolkit that you just won’t be able to do without.
We’ve scoured the internet to find you the best travel lighted makeup mirrors so that you can limit overwhelm and chose the appropriate one for your needs. From folding designs to ones with their own travel cases, from compact handbag sizes to ultra-thin backpack-friendly ones, there’ll be a choice in our list that’s right for you.
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Factors To Consider When Buying A Travel Lighted Makeup Mirror
Before we get started with our list, you’ll know that there’s an overwhelming number of travel-lighted makeup mirrors out there. So to help you cut through the overwhelm, you’ll want to consider some fairly important factors, such as size, portability, cost, battery life, and more.
Size
The size of your mirror will play an important role in your decision, too small a mirror and you won’t be able to see much to do your makeup, too large and you’ll struggle to fit it into your bag and you’ll start to notice the weight of it too.
Style of traveling
Another important factor when choosing a travel lighted-makeup mirror is the type of traveling you do. If you’re camping and backpacking the size of your mirror will be important as obviously the smaller the mirror the better. If you’re planning on staying in swanky upmarket hotels, then you’ll probably already know that most of the lighting is dim so you’ll want one that lights up well and offers even lighting for the best makeup looks.
Portability and Ruggedness
When looking for a travel mirror, portability is a big factor. You’ll want the smallest and lightest mirror possible that meets all your needs. In which case the smallest you’ll really want to go is around four inches in diameter and around one pound in weight. Travel mirrors also have a pretty rough life so they’ll need to withstand everything traveling can throw at them. Opting for a clamshell design or one with a case will help protect the mirror itself.
Cost
As with everything we buy, the cost of it plays a role in whether we buy something. If you’re a makeup lover then you may want to go for quality in which case the price will be higher, if you aren’t that fussed then go for a cheaper one and if it doesn’t last it’s not the end of the world.
Power Source and Battery Life
You’ll want to consider the power source and battery life of your travel lighted mirror. If you’re a big traveler then the last thing you want is to have to carry about a big brick adapter or hundreds of charging cables. So try and opt for USB. With the battery life, you’ll want to make sure it lasts a while, as you don’t want to be constantly finding somewhere to charge it.
Best Travel Lighted Makeup Mirrors
Once you’ve considered all the factors above you’ll be ready to start mirror hunting. Here’s our pick of the seven best travel lighted makeup mirrors on the market today.
1. SimpleHuman Travel Mirror
If you’re looking for a luxury travel mirror then this option by Simplehuman is perfect. Their magnification-lighted makeup mirror offers no compromises. It folds flat, includes a padded case, and the battery lasts up to 5 weeks on a single charge, making it potentially the best travel lighted makeup mirror out there.Â
With some mirrors the lighting can still be a little off giving you an inaccurate view, however, this one mimics natural daylight, so you’ll see what everyone else does. The reflective surface is around five inches in diameter and it weighs around 1.2lbs. It features a 10x magnification so it’s perfect for detailed work on eyebrows, eyelids, tweezering, and even helping you put in contact lenses.
Its unique swivel design allows it to be positioned exactly where you need it. Its robust design and padded case mean it lasts longer and can be packed in just about any bag when you’ve off galavanting around the world.
2. Fancii Portable Folding Mirror
For a budget-friendly option, the Fancii Portable Folding Makeup Mirror is a great choice. This super-compact mirror is a close rival of the more expensive simplehuman mirror. For those worried about storage and portability then this will win hands down. Its clam-shell design mimics a traditional compact mirror, the only difference is this one contains an LED light ring around one mirror.
One mirror offers 10x magnification that’s perfect for detailed makeup and the other is slightly smaller with the ring lighting. No matter which mirror you look at though it’s easy to position so your face is always lit up. The only downside to this mirror is that the batteries are not rechargeable so you’ll have to replace them when they run out, although this is likely to be several weeks after you buy it.
Fancii are very proud and confident in their products, which is why they offer a 24-month warranty, so you know that if you have any issues you can contact them to fix it. At only 6.7 oz you’ll forget this mirror is even in your bag and would make the perfect gift for anyone, whether they are a makeup lover or not.
3. Riki Skinny Travel Lighted Makeup Mirror
Whether you want to perfect that cat-eye eyeliner, shape your brows, or even squish a few blackheads (there’s no shame, we’ve all been there), you’ll want some magnification. The Riki Skinny Lighted Mirror comes in two options; a five times magnification and a ten times magnification. Its super slim design is comparable to an iPad Pro and weighs only 1.5 pounds making it the ideal vanity mirror to take with you no matter where you go.
Another great feature of this travel lighted mirror is the fact that the lights are dimmable. So you don’t need to have them on full if you don’t want to and it will make the battery last longer. Unlike some of the others mentioned in this list, the Riki mirror is rechargeable and comes with a cord and power cube.
It’s the perfect mirror for influencers and selfie lovers as the included phone mount and Bluetooth selfie function will allow you to snap a selfie or video in no time.
4. Riki Cutie Rechargable Mirror
The Riki Cutie travel lighted makeup mirror has been continuously voted as the best on-the-go mirror by many users. Boasting a super compact design allowing it to fit into the palm of your hand, three different levels of brightness, and a kick-stand for hands-free use. However, for those that would prefer to have the mirror closer, the retractable tab lets you hold the mirror on your fingers so you still have two hands free to apply your makeup.Â
Weighing only 117 ounces this will easily slot into any bag or purse and you’ll barely even notice it’s there. It’s rechargeable too via USB so you won’t need to carry extra batteries around with you, power bricks, or a mass of cables. The mirror contains scratch-proof and shatter-resistant glass and comes with a handy carry case for added protection.
5. HiMirror Slide Smart Makeup Mirror
With advancements made in technology over the years, it was only a matter of time before mirrors became the next thing to be hit. So if you’re a tech fanatic and love creating great makeup styles on the go, the HiMirror Slide Smart Mirror may just be what you’re looking for.Â
It will completely transform your beauty regimen. While this mirror may seem simple, it can actually assess your skin condition every morning, pointing out wrinkles, fine lines, clarity, dark circles, dark spots, and more so you can effectively target problem areas. It can also track how your skin changes over time and whether you are getting closer to your beauty goals.
The LED lights have different settings depending on your environment, so you can easily tailor your makeup for the day you’re going to have. Plus the augmented reality technology allows you to try new makeup looks to give you even more inspiration. You can even link the mirror up to YouTube so you can watch and copy tutorials side by side.
6. Wobsion LED Magnifying Travel Mirror
Similar to the Fancii Portable mirror mentioned earlier, the Wobsion LED Magnifying mirror is a fraction of the cost and a great budget-friendly travel mirror. Offering one time and ten times magnification it’s ideal for applying makeup and for more detail-oriented tasks like tweezing, creating the perfect cat-eye eyeliner, and eyebrows.Â
It’s super lightweight making it easy to transport so you’ll have it to hand any time, anywhere. At just over 3 ounces you won’t even remember you’ve got it as it’s so lightweight. The only downside to this mirror is that you’ll need to replace the batteries when you run out of charge and they aren’t your standard AA batteries, they’re CR2032.
7. Beautifive Travel Lighted Makeup Mirror
The last one on our list of the best travel lighted makeup mirrors is the Beautifive travel mirror. It can be used via a USB connection to a laptop or power supply or contains four AAA batteries for portable usage. Unlike other mirrors, this one only offers a seven-time magnification however there are still two mirrors.
Its pedestal design means you have two convenient storage areas for small makeup and jewelry items. The mirror is height adjustable and has a 180-degree rotation and when folded down is only 1.6 inches thick. Weighing 1.6 pounds it is a little heavier than some others but it can still be stored in any carry-on or checked baggage for travel purposes. It comes with a lovely cleaning cloth and storage bag.
It offers a more traditional vanity mirror style that’s robust and reliable for your adventures and the advanced light system gives you control and even illumination so your makeup will look good no matter where you are.