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Using a Ring Light for Makeup – Level up your Makeup Vlogging
Want to know the secret to gorgeous makeup and even more gorgeous selfies and videos? Lighting.
Just ask some of Hollywood’s best makeup artists and photographers — they’ll tell you that lighting makes all the difference. The wrong lighting has the power to sabotage your makeup routine and your photos.
That’s why the top makeup artists and beauty vloggers use a ring light. It provides the perfect type of light that helps you evenly apply makeup and take stunning photos.
Thinking about investing in a ring light? You’ve come to the right place. Today, we go over the importance of a ring light for makeup.
Why is a Ring Light Perfect for Makeup Vloggers?
Lighting can make or break your online content. Your light source should work with your makeup to draw out colors and highlight features. When your lighting is low quality, this could dull your makeup and make you look muted.
That’s why the top photographers and makeup vloggers prefer a ring light. Here are a few reasons why a ring light makes a difference:
Golden Hour Effect with Soft Circular Light
The most coveted time of day for photography is the golden hour — the hour before sunset and after sunrise. This is when the sun is at a low angle and casts a beautiful glow on your face.
The golden hour is known to make photos and videos pop. The reason is that the sun provides diffused light.
The golden hour glow softens and reduces the intensity of direct sunlight. With more dispersed light, photos and videos have less contrast and even exposure.
For makeup vloggers, this look gives your photos and videos a warm and inviting feel. It also makes your highlight glow even brighter and gives you an extra contoured look.
When natural golden hour effect is not available, you can create it yourself, with a ring light.
Bring Out the Details in Your Makeup
Video doesn’t pick up on the color and undertone of your makeup. Traditional fluorescent lighting makes your face too bright and makes your complexion flat. That’s where a ring light comes in.
A ring light offers multiple light settings made to flatter different makeup colors.
Here’s a quick light setting guide:
Blue Light
- Suitable for neutral-toned colors
- Red and pink lipsticks and blushes look deeper
- Blue eye makeup stand out more
- Orange tones look browner
White Light
- Most versatile light setting
- Makeup looks truest under this light
- Reflected by any color
- The preferred light setting of makeup artists
Yellow Light
- Gold tones, like highlighter, become accentuated
- Blue tones become muted
- Skin looks warmer and even — lessens the need for foundation and concealer
Orange Light
- Red and orange tones are strongly reflected
- Evens skin tone
- Has warm effect
- Can highlight redness in skin (i.e, rosacea and acne)
- Under-eye circles disappear — lessens the need for heavy under-eye concealer
- Makes red lipstick look stronger and more vibrant
- Mutes blue and green tones
- Accentuates bronze, brown, and orange tones.
Why to Use a Ring Light for Makeup?
A beauty ring light isn’t just for vloggers and YouTubers, the average makeup lover can also benefit from good lighting. Here are two main reasons why makeup mavens and artists should invest in a ring light:
Diffuses Light
When it comes to lighting for your makeup, brighter is better, right? Wrong. Traditional fluorescent lighting is the worst for achieving a flawless look.
The reason is that it makes your face too bright — causing you to pack on bronzers and blush to compensate for the lack of color.
A ring light for makeup casts just the right amount of light on your face. It also allows you to adjust the brightness settings so that your complexion doesn’t get washed out.
Provides Evenly Distributed Light
Spotty lighting results in even more spotty makeup. How can you perfect your brows if the light is only hitting one side of your face?
A ring light evenly distributes light across your face. This allows you to cover each area of your visage and blend your makeup with ease.
There’s nothing worse than checking your compact mirror and discovering your concealer is a patchy mess. A ring light will help prevent makeup mishaps like this.
What To Look For in a Ring Light?
The market is saturated with different variations of ring lights. Overall adjustability is always great but narrow down your search by looking for these key features:
1. Light Intensity Settings
A ring light with multiple settings lets you tailor your lighting to the colors in your makeup. It also allows you to achieve the desired level of coolness or warmth for your photos or video.
2. LED Light Bulbs
When fluorescent light bulbs get hot, they flicker and make a humming sound— this is a nuisance if you’re trying to film a makeup vlog. Therefore, opt for a ring light with an LED bulb.
LED light bulbs provide constant illumination, and they last longer than fluorescent bulbs.
3. Multi-Functional
Plan on doing flat lay photography or displaying your makeup on a table? You’ll need a ring light with an adjustable neck. A gooseneck ring light allows you to angle the light downward with ease.
4. Lighting power of the Ring Light
Look for ring lights with a high lumen and color rendering index (CRI). Ring lights high in these values will provide greater lighting output on the subject that is being lit. Low CRI value means that the colors will appear more unnatural. Higher CRI value will improve display of the colors and it ensures that your makeup looks stunning.
Transform Your Makeup Content With The Kodak Ring Light 10”
Whether you’re a makeup lover or an influencer, the Kodak Ring Light 10” is a must-have.
Despite its compact design, the Kodak Ring Light 10” packs a mighty punch with 120 individual LED bulbs and a powerful 1800 Lumen output. It also features an adjustable color balance and a CRI 92 that makes any skin tone look radiant.
