Let There Be Light, but Let’s Make Sure It’s Good Light (Published 2019)

The other metric you want to pay attention to is the color rendering index, or C.R.I. This tells you how true or accurate colors appear under the light. A C.R.I. of 100 is as good as it gets. Ms. Madden said that for most settings, you don’t want to drop too far below 90. Otherwise, things start to look weird, like under the security lighting that ... See more

To look your most attractive in the bathroom, you want lights that flank or encircle the mirror, as you might find in a backstage dressing room. Shaded or covered sconces positioned at head height about the room will further smooth and soften your appearance. But perhaps the best light sources are those you cannot see, said Doreen Le May Madden, a ... See more

People tend to look the best when illuminated by light bulbs that measure around 2700 kelvins. Most bulbs, whether incandescent, LED, compact fluorescent or halogen, are labeled “soft white/warm white” (2,700-3,000 kelvins), “bright white/cool white” (3,500-4,100 kelvins) or “daylight” (5,000-6,500 kelvins).