Best lighting for applying makeup

January 18, 2015 6:10 PM

I've been wearing makeup more regularly than before, but I can't seem to get my foundation to look consistent from my home (where I apply it) to work/elsewhere. I think this is because the lighting in my house is mostly incandescent and at work it's fluorescent. What techniques (or technology, do I need a lighted mirror?) can I use to make my makeup look decent at work?

Currently I just put it on in my bathroom which has incandescent lighting, I can't use natural light right now in the morning because it's still dark outside. I have pretty fair skin and find that it looks like I haven't applied enough makeup in the mirrors I see at my office, but at home I think I look fine.

posted by modesty.blaise to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (7 answers total)

The old Conair 4-light makeup mirror is still my go-to. I've had mine since the 80s.
posted by Lyn Never at 6:20 PM on January 18, 2015

Just for a data point, you could wash your face at the end of a workday, reapply makeup in that light, then go home and see what it looks like in your bathroom.
posted by jessicapierce at 6:23 PM on January 18, 2015 [1 favorite]

I prefer natural light or incandescent for makeup application and I don't use a lighted mirror. When you say it doesn't look like you've applied enough by the time you see yourself at work, do you mean that the coverage isn't what you'd like (unevenness or blemishes showing through)? Or, does it just look like you're not wearing foundation? If it's the former, I think you need a higher coverage foundation, or you need to build it up by applying several thin layers and letting them dry/set in between layers. If it's the latter, that's the look many aim for - the flaw hiding of makeup without looking like you're wearing anything.
posted by quince at 6:24 PM on January 18, 2015

Here is a tutorial on how to apply makeup for the harsh lighting in offices.
posted by Youremyworld at 6:34 PM on January 18, 2015 [2 favorites]

I think the best light to apply makeup with is daylight if you can access it.
posted by vegartanipla at 7:35 PM on January 18, 2015

Sounds like your office lighting has been optimized for energy efficiency rather than color rendering index. If you replace (perhaps temporarily) the incandescent bulbs in your bathroom with cheap and nasty cool white compact fluorescents, you should be able to achieve a similarly awful spectrum at home. That should make it much easier to tweak your makeup to suit the environment where you spend most of your day.
posted by flabdablet at 2:42 AM on January 19, 2015

Ah, harsh lighting. The bane of my existence.

The thing is, if you do apply more to adjust for it, you'll end up looking very unnatural once you step outside.
posted by LoonyLovegood at 11:01 AM on January 19, 2015