The Importance of Good Lighting

By Gina Jet

One of the most important things I tell my students in regard to learning and practicing their makeup skills is the absolutely critical role that good lighting will play in their success. Whenever I ask a new student about their current makeup practices, all too often I am told that they stand in front of the bathroom mirror while applying makeup. These are the same people who reach out to me for instruction, mind you, and that’s because they’re experiencing great frustration over their seemingly endless struggle with makeup. Oddly enough, they’ve not yet put two and two together. The relationship between standing up under poor lighting, while trying to do makeup, and their lack of success is somehow overlooked. To me, this is a no brainer.

Besides the products, tools, and skills necessary for a good makeup application, the two biggest  requirements for success are lighting and body positioning. It is essential to be comfortable and focused, as well as being able to clearly see your canvas! Standing up and bending forward over a sink, trying to see everything under lighting that’s two or more feet over your head and undoubtedly casting shadows, is a recipe for disaster. Do yourself a favor and sit down. Sitting at a table gives you the option to not only be relaxed while applying makeup, but it also gives you the option to rest your elbow on a surface, providing much more stability for your application hand. Being relaxed and stable allows you to focus on the task at hand instead of rushing through the job. Your makeup area setup doesn’t have to be an elaborate or expensive vanity with professional-grade lighting. In fact, I recommend a simple setup like a small table in front of a bright window. Not direct sunlight, but regular daytime light.

The other essential tool you should have is a good magnifying mirror, especially if you have dodgy vision. If you wear glasses, then a high-magnification mirror is an absolute must! I use a regular lighted makeup mirror that has standard magnification on one side and flips over to provide a high-magnification mirror on the other side. Conair makes excellent lighted makeup mirrors, but they’re not cheap. If you don’t want to fork over $40 for a makeup mirror, then you can opt for one of the cheaper (and much smaller) versions on Amazon. I have one of these types and it’s not terrible. In fact, it has a “tilt” function that’s quite helpful for applying lashes, as well as smaller fold-out mirrors on the sides that are high-magnification of different variations. If you can deal with the small visual area and not-very-bright LEDs, then this type might be suitable for you. I also love the “telescoping” mirrors that allow you to adjust the height of the mirror, and this is particularly handy if you’re tall. Regardless of which type you choose, the most important thing to remember is the placement of the mirror. It should always be directly in front of you and slightly above, not below, your sight line. You should never be looking down onto your mirror.

When I do in-person lessons, I use two Conair mirrors; one for my student and one for myself. We each have one directly in front of us, as well as a bright light in front and above each of us. While I will always prefer natural window light, which I will explain in a minute, it’s not always available. If you’re applying makeup for an evening out, or if it’s during the winter months, then a brightly lit window just isn’t an option. Therefore, you must get used to using either a lighted mirror, or at the very least have a bright light (preferably a white-balanced LED light source) directly in front of you and behind your mirror. The now-commonplace “ring” lights are a good option here, although I don’t think they’re quite bright enough. Finding a powerful one can be a challenge and the price will go up considerably. A regular small household lamp with a bright LED bulb will also work. The point is, you need a bright light source directly in front of and slightly above your face and a good mirror with both standard and a high-magnification option.

Why is the bulb type so important? It’s because LED bulbs are white light, whereas standard household, or “indoor” bulbs have a yellow/orange color-cast. This is important because your makeup colors, particularly your eyeshadow and blush, will look very different under each type of light. The standard bulb will cast a yellow-y hue,  making your colors flatter and less visible to the eye, so when you step out into daylight-balanced light, those colors will be way darker and bolder than what you saw at home. This is the reason I prefer a good lighted makeup mirror, because they are daylight balanced and “accurate.”

Remember the golden rule: makeup done under white or day-light will look good in daylight and warm light, whereas makeup done in warm light will only look good under warm light.

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Category: Makeup, Transgender How To