Review: Fancii Abigail

I think it’s a universal law that your makeup looks best if you apply it while sitting on the floor. As someone who travels frequently from tent to car to hotel to friends’ houses, a good lighted makeup mirror is indispensable. As I mention in my guide to the best Lighted Makeup Mirrors, I’m the queen of doing my makeup in random places on a time crunch. The Fancii Abigail is a top-tier makeup companion, or my middle name isn’t Abigail. (It literally is.)

The Fancii Abigail measures nearly 8 inches across and folds down into a flat, thin little disc that weighs about a pound. It’s easy to pack into a backpack or suitcase. In my experience, it’s pretty durable. I’ve dropped it a few times, and it still looks brand-new. The folding design protects the mirror from scratches and fingerprints. That disc unfurls into a makeup mirror that’s not too big or too small. It’s large enough that I can see my full face easily, unlike a smaller compact. And it’s small enough that I can take it with me from place to place. It wouldn’t be ideal for truly on-the-go touch-ups, but it’s perfect for getting ready without needing to lean over a hotel bathroom counter or crane your neck to see a mirror that’s awkwardly placed. I usually keep it in my backpack just in case I need to apply a full face on a whim. I wish it came in more colors—it’s currently available in white or black—but I plan on decorating the outside with stickers soon to make it look a little more “me.”

Good Looks

The Fancii Abigail has a neat ring light built right in. There are three light temperature settings—soft white, natural daylight, and neutral white. Cycling through those helps ensure that your makeup is slaying no matter what environment you’re in. It’s plenty bright, and the battery lasts for a month (or longer, in my testing—it’s got approximately 10 hours of run time total), and it recharges in about two hours via USB-C. You can even use it while it’s charging. The adjustable angle has made my life easier no matter where I’m applying my makeup. You can open it up to look like a giant compact—it’s a little top-heavy this way, but maneuvering makes it work—or you can fold it out again for a stand-up option with a more adjustable viewing angle. The interface is easy to use—tap a touchscreen button to turn it on, hold the power button to adjust brightness, and tap the temperature button to cycle through lighting settings. When you’re done, the whole thing closes with a satisfying click. And it stays closed reliably, though it’s also pretty easy to open thanks to the nail groove near the clasp.

The mirror is relatively simple. There’s no built-in magnification, though a smaller magnetic magnifying mirror is available at a $4 upcharge, and it’s sort of a middle child—not huge and not tiny. But I find myself reaching for it over and over again. It’s so versatile that I tend to use it in place of my bathroom mirror at home. I’ve tried many other makeup mirrors, and they’re all fine! I didn’t really try any that I disliked. Some are small and easy to take on the go, and some are huge and perfect as a vanity centerpiece. But despite having access to so many of them, the Abigail is my Goldilocks mirror. It does what it does, and it does it well. Unlike some other mirrors, it has no built-in Bluetooth speaker, the outside is plain, and the size is too big for what some might consider to be truly portable. But I love it anyway.

Good makeup lighting is important. Doing it in the dark leaves you susceptible to all sorts of pitfalls, like smudged mascara, muddy contour, or (heaven forbid) blush blindness. Since reaching for the Fancii Abigail as part of my makeup routine, I feel like I look more put-together than ever. And I don’t have to worry about bad hotel lighting or poorly placed mirrors or elbowing for counter space as I get ready to go out with my friends. I have my own perfectly sized battle station with which to apply my false eyelashes. My brow game is always strong. My eyeliner wings are filled in with no gaps. My lipliner is never over-the-top (unless I want it to be). And it’s all thanks to this handy mirror.