This Ultra-Magnifying Mirror Is Perfect Beauty Lovers With Trust Issues

Makeup mishaps, begone.

This Ultra-Magnifying Mirror Is Perfect Beauty Lovers With Trust Issues

Like many women, ya girl’s got a mustache. Not a huge handlebar one; it's more like the peachy shadow little boys have in elementary school. And while many people are having a body-hair revolution, I've always erred on the side of sleek, smooth sea lion. Since adolescence I've been keeping said fuzz in check via DIY methods, and have been on the hunt for the perfect makeup mirror that would let me get uncomfortably close to the tiny hairs on my face. After years of warped handheld options and cheap but cute vanities, I’ve settled on the genius that is the Simplehuman Sensor Mirror Trio.

As soon as I unboxed it, I started using it for any and all kinds of beauty moves. Want an immaculate blend? The most precise winged eyeliner? To banish errant Frida Kahlo hairs? Feeling a little masochistic and just want to stare deeply into the dark soul of those clogged pores? I can do it all with this downright gorgeous mirror.

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You may be thinking, Simplehuman? Purveyors of chromed-out trash cans? Yes, the very same. But before you close out this window thinking all the brand is good for is a stylish garbage receptacle, think again. It actually has a long line of high-end beauty mirrors that are equal parts chic and smart. With the sensor Trio mirror, the name alone tells you that you get three-in-one—with 1x, 5x, and 10x magnification. I love to use the 1x for quickly applying makeup in the morning, straightening my hair, or slathering on a mask at night. The 5x magnification is ideal for blending foundation and finessing my brows, since I have thick black hair and don't need to zoom all the way in to get a clean arch.

Being comfortable with (and genuinely wanting to use) 10x magnification is what sets apart the perfectly unbothered people from the beauty perfectionists, or just any Virgo really. I fall into the latter camp, and use the mirror to go in on my itty-bitty upper-lip hairs. It’s also how I make sure the highlighter I'm testing has no trace of glitter flecks, how I can revel in the perfect sheen of my favorite lip oil, and where I can keep tabs on the scary sun spots in my eye. (Side note: Wear sunglasses out there, people.) The magnification is real, but if that weren’t enough, this mirror also provides the second most important element of a truly flawless beauty regimen: good lighting.

When Kehlani shared that Rihanna told her she had leftover makeup caked up in her nose ring, I really felt that. Kehlani was understandably mortified, but she also never forgot that beauty lesson. For me, it was when my then boyfriend told me I had lotion stuck in my eyebrow hairs—only it wasn't lotion but poorly blended concealer. Most of us have experienced the cringe-worthy fluorescent-lighting-to-sunlight transition after applying the wrong shade of foundation to your entire face, and it all comes down to the lighting in your bathroom or vanity.

The Simplehuman mirror lends you a hand with a sensor at the top that automatically turns on a beauty ring light while you're doing your business. And it’s not just any ring light: The Tru Lux Simplehuman technology mimics ~actual~ sunlight and distributes the beauty beams evenly to ensure the colors in your reflection remain true. You can adjust the brightness with a swipe of your hand, and change the LED lighting from warm to cool—with warm being the ideal setting for makeup application.

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If there were one thing I was skeptical about, it was the sensor—but it's grown into one of my favorite features. It gradually turns on so you’re not blinded by the light, then dims out once you step away. If you don't need it, you can just hold your hand up against the sensor to black it out. But, trust me, once you use it and see the difference good lighting makes, you’ll be hard-pressed to do your makeup any other way.

As far as the structure of the mirror, I have the eight-inch round, which sits perfectly perched on a sturdy handle, with the ideal amount of resistance when being adjusted. One side has the 10x and 1x magnification, and a tiny handle helps you flip the mirror over to the 5x magnification side without smudging it. It's satisfyingly heavy and actually looks elegant for being a relatively large, stainless steel object.

There's no denying the other weighty bit, though: the price tag. A $300 mirror may seem like a waste of money, but when I considered the amount of money I spent getting my eyebrow and upper lip done every two to three weeks, this paid for itself in just four months. Plus, with the virus coming back strong, I won’t be heading back to any salon for the foreseeable future. Even with daily use, I can see this Simplehuman Sensor Mirror lasting me years—and, if it’s anything like my other Simplehuman products, perhaps even decades.

You may have an incredibly deft hand, fully trust in your skills, and not mind the occasional wonky blend, but for me, getting up close and personal with every product in my arsenal is a must. And if you're here because you too like to keep your teeny-tiny facial hairs in check, it really comes down to this: Do you want to get groomed for the gods? Yes? Then you know what to do.