Understanding LUX
Lux is a unit of measurement that quantifies the amount of light that falls on a surface, essentially measuring illuminance. In simpler terms, it defines how much visible light is hitting a particular area, which is critical for determining how well a space or object is illuminated. Lux is not the same as brightness, though the two are related. While brightness refers to the perception of how light appears to the human eye, lux measures the actual light intensity on a surface, giving an objective metric.
For a makeup artist, lux would be how much light is actually hitting your subject from a reasonable distance.
At The Makeup Light (TML), our lights are engineered to provide a surface lux reading of 67,000 and project light up to 5 feet. This means that even when the light source is farther from the subject, it still delivers a substantial and evenly distributed amount of light to illuminate the scene without creating harsh shadows or hotspots. This kind of control is crucial in professional settings where consistent lighting quality is necessary across different environments.
The lightguide refracts and diffuses the light, dispersing it evenly across a wider area. This increases the projection and diffusion of the light, this allows the light to hit the subject without harming the retina of their eye.
In contrast, many cheap LEDs project an inadequate amount of light over a distance, limiting their effectiveness in professional use.In short, while a camera can adjust for lighting conditions through technology, ( ISO, aperture, or shutter speed), a makeup artist relies on consistent, high-quality light to see. This is why makeup artists need more precise lighting in terms of color temperature, LUX, and CRI.