This post has been sponsored by the PRIMP Network. All opinions are my own.
Today, we’re taking a look at an innovative, upgraded household device that unites skincare with technology to help you reach your beauty goals. Introducing the world’s first smart beauty mirror – the HiMirror Plus.
What is the HiMirror Plus?
The HiMirror Plus is a smart mirror that functions as both an everyday beauty tool and a virtual skincare consultant. The mirror itself is generously sized at 17″ tall, with a very minimal, sleek-looking design. It’s both water resistant and anti-fog, so you can place in anywhere in your home (more on the installation down below).
As an upgrade to the original HiMirror, the latest 2nd generation HiMirror Plus features two LED lights that simulate five lighting scenarios. This essentially boils down to five graduated levels of brightness – some with cooler tones, other with warmer tones.
Personally, I love having a mirror with lights. It makes a lamp one less thing to add to my already crowded vanity. However, my only qualm with these dual lights is that they aren’t super bright. They offer decent enough assistive lighting, but you can’t really rely on them without having some secondary source of light (like an overhead light, sunlight coming in from a window, etc). For this reason, I really only ever find myself using the brightest setting (called ‘Outdoor in sunny days’).
No onto the fun part – the tech. At the very top of the mirror you’ll find an HD camera (fit with a manual cover for security) that’s used to snap a high-quality photo of your face. The device then uses the photo to access your skin’s condition and overall health. Here’s a little demo of this in action.
HiMirror Skin Analysis Demo
Step 1 – Snap a photo
After snapping a photo, the HiMirror Plus within minutes analyzes 7 problem areas including wrinkles, fine lines, dark circles, dark spots, red spots, roughness, and pores. Once it’s finished, it will bring up your results, which are broken down into three parts: 1) a rating from 0 to 100 for each of the 7 categories – 100 meaning your skin shows no signs whatsoever, 2) a total count of red spots, dark spots, wrinkles, fine lines and pores that it found, and 3) a percentage change from your last skin assessment.
Step 2 – Review your results
Apparently for me, large pores (679 total!) and fine lines (80 total!) are my biggest issues – yikes! From that analysis, I gathered that 1) I probably should focus more on clearing and refining my pores and 2) that I need to break out my eye cream again to help better hydrate my undereyes.
Along with the initial score screen, you’ll be presented with a little slideshow presentation of your results that map out exactly where the device located those little wrinkles or pores on your face – a fun, but also scary process.
Step 3: Make adjustments to your routine
From there, it only gets more interesting as you continue doing these assessments every day, or every few days. The idea is to watch your charts for changes and use that data to gauge how well your skincare products are performing. The end goal? To continue modifying your routine (both skincare and lifestyle-wise) to the point where your skin starts to improve with each day – to both you and the mirror.
How Accurate Are the Results?
While first getting acquainted with the HiMirror Plus, I decided to take my skincare measurements back-to-back (within a few minutes of one another) to test the device’s accuracy. What I found was that after the second analysis, my 0 to 100 ratings actually changed by a few points. The facial mapping also picked up new problem areas, while missing entire areas that it had picked up with the previous scan.
I assume that these discrepancies were the result of differences in lighting and/or facial orientation between each shot, since after all, the device relies solely on digital photos to gather information about your skin (there are no fancy sensors that scan your face, nor is there any kind of 3D mapping involved). Clearly HiMirrors’ skincare analysis isn’t going to be 100% accurate, and it certainly doesn’t replace a medical professional’s diagnosis and advice. However, I find that it does offer a decent enough guideline on what key areas to target when building your skincare routine.
Extra Features
In addition to functioning as an everyday mirror and at-home skincare consultant, HiMirror Plus also provides you with the weather forecast and the latest world news stories every time you log in. You can also use it to stream music from Spotify, as well as record and send audio/video messages to your phone.
How Do You Set Up & Navigate the HiMirror?
The HiMirror Plus comes complete with the tools needed to mount it to the wall or on top of another large mirror. Alternatively, if you want to setup your HiMirror on a vanity table or dresser, HiMirror offers a stand for around $13 (mine is still on it’s way!)
After plugging the mirror in and turning it on for the first time, it will walk you through the initial setup process. This begins with the tech setup portion, and includes downloading the app on your phone, creating your personal account (the HiMirror Plus allows up to 5 additional accounts), and then connecting the mirror to your wifi. Then you’ll go on to set up the voice commands, face recognition, and practice gestures, and finally finish by doing your first skin analysis.
From that point on, you can log into your personal HiMirror account using your face or voice, and then navigate to the mirror’s features using your voice, hand gestures, or an intuitive remote control (my preference), now included with all the new HiMirrors. There are also a few touch enabled buttons on the right side of the mirror that allow you to quickly switch over to mirror mode and adjust the light settings without having to go through the device’s menus.
Getting a Closer Look with HiSkin
For an even more in-depth look at your skin’s condition, there’s HiSkin. HiSkin is a small, pocket-sized skin sensor that works to detect the hydration and melanin (pigment) levels in the four main areas of your face (upper cheeks, lower cheeks, forehead, and under eyes) and your neck. It then syncs up that information with your HiMirror, and gives you skincare routine recommendations based on the percentages.
This device I found very useful and insightful, especially since hydration is something I personally struggle with, in all areas of my face. After doing my very first analysis, I discovered that my skin is actually drier than I expected – particularly under my eyes and on my cheeks. I’ve since started using a hydrating mask 2x a week (as the mirror recommended), added an eye cream back into my routine, and also increased my daily water intake. I look forward to tracking the changes using the HiSkin and HiMirror Plus over the next month – I’m curious to see if the readings improve!
Overall, if you’re struggling to find balance with your skin, or are curious to see if your skincare products are making a difference, the HiMirror Plus is an innovative little gadget (not to mention a sleek-looking mirror) to consider adding to your home.
The company also frequently releases firmware updates that automatically get sent to your HiMirror, so you’ll always be up-to-date with the mirror’s latest features (which the brand is constantly simplifying, improving, and expanding).
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