Mirror Mirror, Help Me See! Magnifying Mirrors for Older Women

A common problem for older women is how to apply makeup when our close-up vision starts to decline. We have reading glasses to help with small type, but how do we put on eyeliner if the face we see in the mirror is blurry? Magnifying Mirrors are the solution.

I started off with a 3X mirror in my 40s, then graduated up to 10X, and now at 51 I can only see well enough to put on eyeliner, or pluck my eyebrows using a 15X mirror! Now I have quite a selection of magnifying mirrors for every location and occasion. They’re easy to find at Target, Ulta, or Bed Bath & Beyond, but can be quite expensive ($70 – $150)! The only problem with them aside from the high price is you get to see things on your face you never knew were there. It’s a shock to see your pores and wrinkles magnified 15 times after only seeing them in soft focus!

I’ve managed to find a few that are high quality but don’t cost quite so much:

Conair 10X Lighted Vanity Mirror from Costco

Such a bargain at $19.99! This is a large, heavy duty mirror that sits on the vanity. It has 2 sides, 1X and 10X with a lighted ring around the edge of both sides. The light is bright enough that even though 10X is a little weak for me, I can apply makeup in it. Costco might only carry this in the fall and winter and once they’re sold they don’t get more until the next fall. I saw them last christmas, but didn’t buy one then. I went back in the spring to buy one and they didn’t have them on the shelf again until October.

10X Lighted Costco Makeup Mirror

Floxite Vanity Mirror

Most people don’t need 2 vanity mirrors, but I have one in the bathroom and another in my office that I use for making videos. I got this mirror by “Floxite” on Amazon.com* for $35.00 a few years ago. It’s 1X on one side, and 15X on the other. It’s a nice size, good looking, nickel plated mirror that gives very little distortion on the 15X side.

Floxite 1/15X Magnifying Mirror

Swissco 12X Suction Mirror

The mirror I use most often is this one that I stick to my medicine chest mirror. I mainly do my makeup standing at my vanity so this is very convenient. It’s 5″ across and gives 12X magnification. I’d like to find a 15X suction mirror, but they mainly come in the lower magnifications. I got this one at CVS or Walgreens a few years ago but lately I’ve only seen smaller ones there. I did see this same mirror on Amazon.com (http://amzn.to/10a8YPu)* for $11.50.

Swissco 12X Suction Mirror

Floxite 15X Lighted Travel Mirror

Dim hotel room lighting and standard mirrors make it hard to look good while on vacation. I used to bring my suction mirror on trips, but I’ve left it stuck in the hotel too many times to count. I decided to upgrade to a compact lighted travel mirror and this Floxite model is perfect. It’s small, lightweight, and folds down into it’s protective plastic shell. When open, it makes it’s own base so it can sit on a vanity or table top. There are no screws on the battery compartment so changing them is easy on the road. This one is $19.99 at Ulta or Amazon.com (http://amzn.to/1uUUiwW)*.

Floxite Compact 15X Lighted Travel Mirror

Floxite Compact 15X Lighted Travel Mirror

* There are no up-front paid product placements in this video. It contains my honest opinion about the products shown. There may be an affiliate link (marked with an *) for one or more products featured in this post which means that if you click the link and buy something, I receive a commission for the sale, but it doesn’t cost you anything extra. You are free to use the link or not as you choose.