MakeUp Application and Lighting

As much natural light as possible to get the truest effect of what it will look like outside.

What vixie wrote. Natural light. I do my makeup in my bathroom but I'm lucky that I have a very large window in there for lots of natural light.

Love this post!

I have the same problem - my windows are small and my house faces the wrong way - the damn sun comes in on the left side where I have NO windows because its a duplex and the sun settles on the right where I have no windows either because my builder was an idiot! LOL!

So, its artificial lighting all the way around for us.

What I found is that if you have your overhead light (ceiling light) on and then two lights that flank your mirror on each side about the same height as your head - you'll get the best lighting.  Soft white is best.

So basically two sconces on the sides of your medicine cabinet/vanity and your overhead light should be enough or at minimum what you need (depending on the size of your bathroom).

Here are some pictures:  Also, beware of down facing light sconces - they create shadows bigtime.

Depending on the look you want there are variations of sconces - you can do the lamp shade look - but remove the shade when you're applying your makeup so that you avoid shadows:

I had the same problem!.. Now I do my make up in the living room where I can get the most natural lighting that comes in, it makes a big difference! 

I have barely any natural lighting in my house where I could get the right amount for putting on my makeup. I have the best windows upstairs in my bedroom and often take my mini caboodle, fill it with the items I will use for the day, and bring it upstairs with me. I have a double-sided makeup mirror so I can sit on the bed with the light coming in behind me to put in on. My bathroom is filled with huge round stage-type bulbs,a and my living room is dark as heck. Of course, when I go out, it always seems to look better so I guess if I'm thinking it looks so-so, it must look outstanding!  LOL

I'm going to go "techie" here, but I researched this a bit. Yes, natural light is best, but often times bathrooms and makeup rooms don't have the capabilities to allow only natural sunlight. As such, here's what I dug up. Hope it helps!

"Too often studio designers will place 25-40-watt incadescent bulbs around a mirror in a makeup area. Not only do they provide insufficient light, but also their color temperature is too low for proper color judging. They also produce excessive radieant heat, thereby warming the area unnecessarily.

A far better system employs special fluorescent bulbs. Now although color temperature is the measure of the energy distributed of the spectral range--that is, color quality of a light source with a continuous spectrum (such as tungsten incandescence)--an apparent color temperature can be assigned to lights like flourescents for comparative values.

Fluorescent bulbs diffuse light with a scattering or criss-crossing of light rays that produces a general illumination rather than a direct radiation. Thus, there is no filament that burns or incandesces under the application of electrical excitation but only the fluorescence of certain gases that produces the light values.  Fluorescents cannot have their light directed or focused as can incandescent lighting.  Many people have a poor knowledge of the varieties of fluorescent bulbs that are available as most hardware and even electrical supply stores stock and sell only one type of bulb--normally, a cool white type of bulb, which as little red in its spectrum so yellow and green portions predominate indicates the apparent color temperature of available fluorescent bulbs and adds a better judging rating known as the Color Rendering Index (CRI) (which has to do with the way that color materials appear under a specific light source). A comparative listing of natural sunlight shows the optimum rating of a CRI of 100 for comparison.

The VITA-LITE has the closest CRI to natural sunlight and apparent color temperature within its exa t range. As such, f these bulbs are the best type to place in a makeup room to judge the color of makeup and hair as well as to provide a proper amount of light with the least amount of heat. For example, a mirror 4ft high and 3ft wide can be placed between two 4-fot and one 2-foot fixtures. With the makeup chair some 4 feet way, the amount of wattage is only 200 and rates about 114 ft. candles, which is quite sufficient for judging and applying most makeups. 

As the color temperature of sunlight is approximated by these lamps, they provide the optimum lighting conditions in color quality and color matching for makeup, hair, or wardrobe.  Any makeup done under regular incandescent bulbs (2,900 degrees K) will not provide the proper color temperature to judge red or pink tones, such as with lip and cheek colors, so when the subject is taken out of doors after having makeup applied under incandescent lighting, the color match can be off or the cheek color might appear streaked." --The Technique of the Professional Makeup Artist by Vincent J-R Kehoe