When choosing between fluorescent and LED, which is best for makeup? Makeup gurus are well aware that quality lighting is important when applying makeup. It is considered a vital tool in a makeup skill set. Without further adieu, we present tips and information that can benefit your makeup application.
Is LED or fluorescent better for makeup? Between the two, LED lights are better for makeup application because they are the closest alternative to natural sunlight. LED lights have good CRIs and also come in different color temperatures. Meaning, LED lights will make skin appear more radiant and guarantee that you achieve the perfect contours and blends.
Why are LED lights better than fluorescent lights? What are the lighting mistakes that you need to avoid when applying makeup? Which color temperature is best for makeup? These are some of the questions that we will discuss in this article. Check out the rest of this article for more tips and information.
Why are LED Lights Better than Fluorescent Lights?
LED lights are a popular choice for makeup lighting because they provide the right brightness required to create flawless makeup contours and blends. They also mimic natural sunlight and are energy-saving. Below are some of the reasons why LED lights are better than fluorescent lights.
Quality Lighting
LED lights are known to produce different color temperatures. Aside from that, they can also copy the light produced by the sun with a high level of brightness. Some LED lights have features that can easily be adjusted. You can choose between pure white and warmer yellow depending on your preferences.
Energy Efficient
LED lights are energy-efficient, which can save on your budget. They are also environmentally efficient because they do not use any harmful chemicals like lead and mercury.
Flawless Makeup
LED lights can provide natural, daylight, or dim light that can make a huge difference in your makeup routine. It can help avoid makeup mistakes and create a flawless makeup finish.
What is the Difference between LED Lights and Fluorescent Lights?
LED lights are up to 50% more efficient as compared to fluorescent lights. They use less energy, which also means lower electric bills. LEDs also last at least twice as long compared to fluorescents. They also have a solid-state construction and are a lot less fragile. Moreover, LED lights burn at a lower temperature. This means that they dissipate heat in heat sinks, a thermal management tool that is important to the light’s longevity.
LED lights are also environmentally friendly because they do not contain harmful chemicals like mercury. On the other hand, fluorescent lights contain mercury and phosphor inside the bulbs, which are hazardous materials. The broken bulbs release a small amount of toxic mercury while the rest is contained in the glass itself.
What are the Common Lighting Mistakes that You Need to Avoid?
Some of the lighting mistakes you need to avoid include fluorescent lighting, yellow light, pink light, and downlighting. These lightings are not ideal when putting on makeup because they can either be too bright or too dim, messing up your makeup application. Fluorescent lights can wash out your skin while enhancing your flaws, making you go heavy on your makeup. Yellow and pink lights can make it hard to see what colors you are using when blending the products.
Fluorescent Lights
No one looks good in fluorescent lights. Cool fluorescent white lights are overly bright. The unflattering lighting can lead you to overdo the foundation, blush, or bronzer to compensate for the lack of color on your face.
Yellow Lights
These lights can make you look sick and tired. As a result, you may go overboard on concealer and powder to neutralize your face’s color and hide dark spots.
Pink Lights
These rosy lights can make your complexion appear healthy and vibrant. This may sound great, but the opposite is true. Because your face seemed radiant, you tend to slack on the concealer only to find out later that you have missed blemishes and dark spots.
Downlighting
This lighting can shine down on pigmentation and wrinkles. It can also cast shadows under the eyes, which makes you look older. As a result, you will put on unnecessary makeup to cover all of your skin’s imperfections.
Which Color Temperature is Best for Makeup?
The best color temperature for makeup is at least 400K-5000K. This will closely replicate the natural lighting effect and provide the best lighting for your makeup. The warmer the bulb, the more yellow-toned it will be. Yellow light is unflattering and will have a negative effect on the skin, making it look tired and sick. Applying makeup under warm yellow light can result in an overboard foundation and powder.
On the other hand, cool blue-toned bulbs are bad for makeup as well. The blue-toned light will bounce off any red areas on your face like acne. You will most likely pile on color corrector and concealer to camouflage the problem, but it will just lead to a cakey mess.
Color temperature is measured on the Kelvin scale. The color ranges from warm (yellow) to cold (blue). LED bulbs are sold with reference to which color temperature will yield right on the package. You can also check out this article about what color light is best for a bathroom for more information about color temperature.
Why is Lighting Important in Makeup?
Lighting plays an important role in the quality and color of the makeup that you apply. Without the right brightness, your skin will appear dull, and the dark shadows like eye bags will be exaggerated. Because of this, you will likely put on too much concealer and foundation. On the other hand, dark lighting will make it hard to see if your base makeup is blended correctly or not. This can lead to a streaky foundation.
Poor lighting also affects how you see colors. You might think that the pink blush that you are putting on looks subtle, but it looks too bright on your skin. To make sure that your makeup is flawless, you need to have the right lighting when putting on your makeup.
✅ Video – Best LED Bathroom Mirror
Reviews Zoo shared the video below on YouTube and talks about the best LED bathroom mirrors for 2020. There are different options that you can choose from according to your preferences and needs. They are available in various designs, styles, sizes, and functions. Check out the video below for more information.
Related Questions
Are LED Mirrors Good for Makeup?
LED mirrors are ideal for makeup because they provide bright lights that eliminate shadows. The lights are bright yet soft, which makes looking into the mirror easier on your eyes. It resembles natural daylight, which makes you see if you can properly blend your makeup. LED mirrors also provide balanced illumination all over your face. This enables you to see your face clearly without having to move a light source.
You can check out this article that discusses if LED mirrors are good for makeup for more tips and information. We have shared the many benefits you can get from using LED mirrors when outing on your makeup.
What Kind of Lighting is Best for Applying Makeup?
Makeup artists and professionals all agree that natural daylight is best for makeup applications. The light that comes from the sun is clear and evenly diffused which makes it easier to see the right colors of makeup and your actual skin tone.
The next best option if you do not have actual daylight would be to use LED lights. It is the next big thing since it is warm and provides the right light needed when applying makeup. You can also check out this article that talks about what kind of lighting is best for applying makeup? We have shared more tips and information that you can use for a flawless makeup application.
How do You Put LED Lights on a Mirror?
There are many ways to put LED lights on a mirror, and that is by using an LED light strip. Simply attach the strip to the surface of the mirror or on the frame. You can also attach LED bulbs to the corners of the frame. There are many tutorials that you follow with step-by-step instructions on how to add LED lights into the mirror. You can also watch videos for a visual demonstration.
You can check out this article that discusses how to put LED lights on a mirror for more information about the topic. We have shared various tutorials that you can follow for your DIY project.
Conclusion
In this article, we have discussed if LED or fluorescent lights are better for makeup. We found out that LED is the best option between the two because it provides the same lighting as natural daylight. On the other hand, fluorescent lights are bad for makeup because they are overly bright and unflattering. So, the next time that you are looking for good makeup lighting, make sure to choose LED lights. Thank you for reading!