The most common question I get about my videos is, "What type of lighting are you using?" The short answer? I have the Stellar Photo/Video 18" CFL Compact Fluorescent Ring Light.

And, I LOVE IT!

But, I think the real question should be: "What type of lighting are you using and should I get one?"

Ring lights, which are also called Diva Lights (one of the brand names co-opted Kleenex-style to refer to all ring lights) by vloggers, have been a mainstay of professional videographers for a long time. Much like strobing and matte liquid lipstick, though, this light has now gone viral in the beauty vlogging world. You're not going to see many posts tagged #divalight, but it turns out these gurus (including me) looking so polished on Instagram has less to do with their blending technique and more to do with their lighting.

What makes the light appealing is simple:

• It is light weight and helps to achieve brighter, more natural skin tones.
• It's also a dead giveaway when you see a close-up demonstration of an eye and you can see the unique “O” highlight created by the ring light itself.  
• Live Video
• As a stylistic effect.
• Pretty light and easy to move around.
• Ring Lights are so effective because they accomplish with one light what would normally need two or three lights to accomplish.
• The halo of light pours over you. Your face glows, blemishes disappear, and an airbrushed, finished look becomes yours just by turning the light on.
• Unwanted shadows become a thing of the past.

Whether your passion lies in doing portrait head-shots in your studio, doing vlogs on Youtube, or you just want better lighting for your selfies, the versatile ring light will be the simple solution to give you powerful high quality lighting that travels easy and takes up minimal storage space.

Here's a picture of my setup:

So before you scream "Action!", make sure you have all of your lighting taken care of. You can grab my exact light right here: http://amzn.to/2hwdvHU

Check out my video below and look for the "halo" in my eye!

And let's be honest, every "diva" deserves good lighting!