'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?
ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.
When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.
ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.
The Tik-Tok viral 'Alix Earle phone light' lives up to the hype, and is on sale for Prime Day
Over the past year, influencer Alix Earle has taken TikTok by storm, mainly through her "get ready with me" videos where she talks to her 4.9 million followers as she does her makeup. Like many of her followers, I wondered how her skin always managed to look flawless despite her recounts of a wild night prior and surrounding dim lighting.
While the influencer is open about using TikTok's beauty filter, she admitted her secret to glowing, top-tier videos are actually the $28 Newmowa 60 LED clip-on phone light. Unsurprisingly, the light, now known as the "Alix Earle light," has been sold out for months. After a long wait, however, I was finally able to get my hands on the light. And with Prime Day happening, you can, too (even at a price drop).
I have to say, despite the millions of TikTok reviews of users praising the light, I still had low expectations. Those were quickly lifted, along with the quality of my photos. The clip-on light, which easily attaches to your phone or laptop, has three different light strength settings: a white/blue light, a warmer yellow, and a mix of the two.
Also: TikTok bans explained: Everything you need to know
All three add dimension to my photos, giving the appearance of glowing skin, but without looking unnatural. Everything simply appears enhanced. There's also an option to amp up or simmer down the brightness on each respective setting. I personally like the mix of softer and sharper lighting as it takes away the cloudiness of the raw smartphone photo, replacing it with a clearer image with more "pop" -- even in less-than-ideal office lighting. I used this setting when FaceTiming my family and have never received so many compliments on my video-camera appearance.
At only 4.76 x 1.85 inches and 6.7 ounces, the light is practical to take with you -- which makes sense given Earle's on-the-go lifestyle. I easily carried the light around New York City with me in a standard-sized purse, ready to turn the cityscape into a photoshoot opportunity, regardless of the embarrassed look on my roommate's face. I also like that you can easily adjust the light to 90 degrees, getting whatever angle best suits you or the surrounding environment. To make it even more convenient, the light is rechargeable via a USB micro port, coming with a compatible cable.
Also: What is Lemon8 and why is everyone talking about it on TikTok
Essentially, the Alix Earle phone light is making it way too easy for me to take flattering photos and therefore try my hand at blowing up on TikTok. But until then, I'll let the Alix Earles of the world rule the app and use the accessory to light up my camera roll or Zoom call quality. All this to say, this light is, in fact, worth the hype -- for content creators and the average smartphone photographer or video conferencer alike.