My wife asked for a well-lit makeup mirror. I found this mirror at IKEA. From the kitchen lamp project, I had two unused led strips (warm white) in aluminum profiles which match the finish of the mirror well.

This is a simple, low-cost and quick project that can get a high spouse acceptance factor.

Mirror

• Remove the led strip from the aluminum profiles.
• Cut the aluminum profiles and the covers to appropriate length. I used a hacksaw to cut profile+cover at the same time to ensure the got the same length.
• Cut the led strips at one of the cut points using a side cutter.
• Remove the old wires (they are too short to reach the box) and solder new wires.
• Put the led strip back inside the aluminum profile. Note that there is a small grove at the back for the strip, this ensures that the strip is close to the profile to maximize cooling.
• Glue the profiles to the mirror. I used slow-curing epoxy.

Electronics box

• Drill holes in the project box for the switch (6mm) and the potentiometer (6mm should be enough but was too tight so I used 8mm).
• Drill a 4mm hole for the wires to the led strips.
• Upload the sketch to the Arduino
• Connect the Arduino and the battery packs and put them inside the project box.
• Fasten the project box using double-sided tape.

Big thanks to my wife for letting me use the action photo.