- i have purchased a relatively cheap makeup table with a built in vanilla mirror - no lights, no buttons, nothing. it's just a mirror. the table is 30", but the mirror is only about 20" of that, as there is shelving on it. the table comes with a stool, as well.
- the table is also a charging station, with two usb plugs and two grounded wall plugs.
- i have purchased an extension cord to plug into the charging station which has 6 usb ports and 6 grounded plugs. this will allow me to use the makeup table as a general charging table for other bathroom usb devices, like razors, lights, small mirrors or toothbrushes.
- i have bought a couple of strings of usb lights to connect to the vanilla mirror, turning it into a vanity mirror with replaceable bulbs
- i am still considering making a four bulb lamp out of a light fixture and installing it over the makeup mirror or over the bathroom mirror, with the latter being more likely. for now, the string of bulbs is $15. does it last two years or two months? is it bright enough? let's see.
- i have also purchased a small usb-powered mirror with multiple zoom screens (2x, 3x, 10x).
the other option was to purchase a charging desk for $50-80, with a chair for $30 and a standalone mirror with screw-in bulbs, which you'd need to pay $165 minimum (plus shipping) and probably more like $300 for. they really make you pay up front for the screw in bulbs. you still need the extension cord and the magnification mirror, because the lighted mirrors don't do that natively, yet. overall, that would cost you at least $300, if you're lucky, and potentially twice that.
the total cost of the vanilla mirror with the stick on bulbs was under $250, including taxes. the trade-offs are that the mirror is certainly smaller, but i'm not sure i need a giant mirror, and that you can't replace one bulb at a time, but that might not matter. the idea of spending $300 or more for a makeup table with an essentially disposable lighted mirror was a non-starter.
if this doesn't work for me, there are a number of ways to convert the vanilla mirror into a vanity mirror with screw in bulbs, including buying a handful of small light fixtures and gluing them in, or converting a hanging light fixture or two into a lamp by splicing a ground cable into it. i decided to try with the glue-on lights first to see if it's good enough for now.
ultimately, i wasn't able to find a screw in or threaded bulb lighted mirror under $300 that would ship to canada; my only options were disposable mirrors. i have no choice but to make my own. it's not clear yet if that means building my own light fixture or sticking with the glue-ons for now. if the cheapest screw-in lighted mirror is over $500, it makes more sense to buy a mirror for $30 and build my own light fixture, which is essentially what i did. i got a desk with a charging port, some shelves and a stool with it for a reasonable price.
i have not yet purchased a mirror for the sink, or decided how to approach it, but i do have a backup set of stick on usb bulbs. i'm hoping i can get a couple of cheap wall mirrors here in windsor on facebook or kijiji and i'll have to figure it out from there.
i'd like to board up the window, but i'll need to get a fan in there first, and i'll also need to get the wall fixed, as there was a leak the other night fro upstairs that demoed a large amount of it.