What makes a mirror ‘flattering’?

[Niftythrifter]

I have just been in a charity shop where the mirror was long and narrow and slightly propped at an angle and which made me look good. What constitutes a flattering mirror and what shops do you think have flattering and not so flattering mirrors?

My neighbour has an incredibly flattering mirror in her hallway, when I feed her cat I always prance around in front of it looking all lean and lythe. It's magic! 🤣

I think it's often the lighting (not too bright) as well as the mirror itself.

Having a gorgeous slim person in front of it.

I don't know but the opposite of a good mirror are Primark mirrors. They show the real me and I hate it 😂

😁 Very true!

The narrower Nissedal from IKEA is soo flattering - makes everyone look longer and slimmer.

Please ask them where they got it from and spread the magic 😆

You've said it yourself. Long narrow and leaning. Same mirror flush against a wall and you're ten lbs heaver and 3 inches shorter. If you look at shops with flattering mirrors they're sometimes a bit thicker at the base to accommodate the lean.

I can't trust my bathroom mirror. It tells me I'm the most beautiful woman in the world. It's impossible to look bad in there.

The bravissimo here has horrible mirrors and jaundice yellow lighting.

Lighting- if it's very harsh and bright then every bump, flaw and crease will be accentuated plus fabric will look shinier and cheaper. Lit from funny angles will throw odd shadows making the face look gaunt or lumpy

I suppose the angle if tilted away from you (as in against the wall) means that you'll look smaller from the top down compared to your legs. This would be slimming as the lower legs are the thinnest part usually.

I have a feeling it's from Oak Furniture World, it matches some furniture they have. It's just amazing 🤩

Don't know but we have 2 cheap ikea ones in the kids rooms, tall and thin which lean slightly away from the wall and by god I look at least 7lbs lighter in them. The expensive huge one which leans into the wall in my bedroom makes me look at least 7lbs heavier!

I wish hairdressers would use flattering mirrors 🧟‍♀️

Primark is the absolute worst. I haven’t bought anything in primark since they redid the changing rooms as I just look awful in everything! Cellulite rolls it’s awful! Love the M&S ones you can change the lighting for indoor/outdoor/office/evening

There is NOTHING like the M and S mirrors - everywhere I look I see this woman with a massive arse! Yup that is me. I love the mirrors in H and M - they are those ones with LED lights that make your face look fab 😂

Diffused light above the mirror, knocks out wrinkles. I always look for where the lighting is for shop mirrors to try and avoid that phenomenon where something looks great there and then not so good when you get it home.

Personally I'd rather have an accurate mirror. Who wants to go out thinking they look fab when the reality is more 'back end of a bus'?

Reality is overrated

I wish mine wouldn't. Little equals the disappointment of getting home to discover £200 worth of face framing curtain bangs and subtle highlights have not in fact 'taken years off' me after all.

"Reality is overrated"

Possibly, but other people can still see you as you are, even if you've managed to delude yourself

Other people in the main couldn't care less what we look like though could they? It's we who can feel good about ourselves or not dependent on what we see. There's definitely something to be said for thinking you look good, confidence and a spring to your step. No one's likely to burst your bubble so where's the harm?

Me? Honestly, I have reverse body dysmorphia and I'm happy staying that way.

People in real life don’t see you like you see yourself in the mirror anyway, even if the mirror is accurate!