Over the past few months, Alix Earle has taken TikTok by storm. The influencer is known for her “get ready for me” videos, makeup as she talks about her life to her 4.9 million followers — which I have to admit is one of them. And like many of her fans, I wonder how her skin always looks so flawless even though she recounts a wild night before and the dimly lit surroundings.
While the influencer is open about using TikTok’s beauty filters, she admits the secret to her brilliant, top videos is actually the $40 Newmowa 60 LED clip phone light. la. It’s no surprise that this type of lamp, now known as the “Alix Earle lamp,” has been sold out for months. However, last week I was finally able to get my hands on it to see if it was really worth the hype.
I have to say, despite the millions of user reviews on TikTok praising the light, I still had low expectations. Those were quickly enhanced, along with the quality of my photos. Clip-on light, which easily attaches to your phone or laptop, has three different light intensity settings: white/blue light, warmer yellow, and a combination of the two.
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All three add dimension to my photos, giving the skin a bright, yet unnatural look. Everything simply appears enhanced. There is also an option to increase or decrease the brightness on each setting respectively. Personally, I like the combination of softer and sharper light because it removes the opacity of the raw smartphone photo, replacing it with a clearer and more “outstanding” image — even in less than ideal office lighting conditions. I used this setting when FaceTiming for my family and never received so many compliments on the looks of my video camera.
Measuring just 4.76 x 1.85 inches and 6.7 ounces, the light is handy to take with you — it fits in with Earle’s on-the-go lifestyle. I easily carry the light around New York City in a standard-sized purse, ready to turn the cityscape into a photo opportunity, no matter the shy look on my roommate’s face. I also love that you can easily adjust the light to 90 degrees, getting whatever angle works best for you or your surroundings. For even more convenience, the light is rechargeable via a micro USB port, and comes with a compatible cable.
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Basically, this light makes it so easy for me to take good pictures and so try my hand at making it stand out on TikTok. But until then, I’ll let Alix Earle’s world rule the app and use the accessory to brighten my camera roll or Zoom call quality. All of this to say, this light is, in fact, worth the hype — for the average or average smartphone photographer and content creator. TV affair same.
