Introduction

Central to the mythology of mirrors is Narcissus a Boeotian hero, who disliked those who loved him for his own natural beauty. He famously gazed into a pool of water and was so fascinated with the reflection, that he was unable to bring himself to leave the image. Not realising that the image he could see was of his own natural beauty, he couldn’t bring himself to leave the image, and he perished.

The concept of how the mirror works is quite simple. It stems simply from the reflective surface of still water and therefore nature plays its part. When you look down into a puddle or a dark pool of water, the smooth water reflects the light straight back into your eyes.

Mirrors work in a similar way, in that a mirror is made up of a coated glass surface which when a polished metal surface or metal film is applied behind the glass, light cannot shine through and so reflects the image back. Young children particularly, are always fascinated when they look into a mirror for the first time and see their own reflection staring back at them. Anyone who has young children will remember the vision of their young daughter kissing their image on a mirror.My eight year old daughter loves sitting in front of her mirror applying her make up nearly as much as my fifteen year old daughter!

Where would we be today without mirrors? Mirrors are generally used for personal grooming or interior decoration and have evolved from a luxury item into a necessity. There is an enormous variety of mirror shapes and sizes and over the years, mirrors have gradually developed to meet many different requirements. Today there is a large selection of mirrors , ranging from small mirrors to large mirrors, framed, unframed and includes bathroom mirrors, decorative mirrors, illuminated mirrors, LED mirrors, shaving mirrors, make up mirrors and demister mirrors.

Away from personal use, mirrors are also used as part of scientific apparatus such as cameras, lasers, telescopes and periscopes, to reflect light and used as tools in dentistry and medical care.Not to mention the beauty and hair salon industries.

History of Mirrors

The history of mirrors as far as we can see dates back over 8,000 years. The earliest known mirrors were made from pieces of polished stone such as obsidian, a naturally occurring glass from cooled volcanic lava flows. In Anatolia in Turkey, examples of obsidian mirrors dated at around 6000 BC have been found. In south and central America, polished stone mirrors from around 2000 BC on wards have also been found. From around 3000 BC mirrors of polished copper are known to have been crafted in ancient Egypt. In China bronze mirrors were manufactured from around 2000 BC.

The first metal coated glass mirrors are thought to have been made in the first century AD, in Sidon, known today as Lebanon. The Roman author Pliny makes reference to glass mirrors backed with gold leaf in his Naturalis Historia, one of the largest reference books to have survived from the Roman Empire, which focused on natural and man-made objects and was written in around 77 AD. The Romans also created a technique for making crude mirrors by using molten lead to coat blown glass.

In the 10th Century Arabian Physicists, considered different types of mirrors, reflecting mirrors and parabolic mirrors and another discussed concave and convex mirrors in both cylindrical and spherical geometries. In undertaking various experiments with mirrors, finding the point on a convex mirror at which a ray of light coming from one point is reflected to another point was solved.

During the period of the 14th to 17th Centuries, across Europe a method of coating glass with a tin-mercury amalgam was perfected by manufacturers. Venice was recognised for its glass making expertise and soon became a centre of mirror production using this new technique. Glass mirrors from this period were extremely expensive luxuries.

The particular process of silvering to produce the first silvered-glass mirror is credited to German chemist Justus von Liebig in 1835. He developed a process to apply a thin layer of metallic silver onto glass through the chemical reduction of silver nitrate. The process was adapted for mass production and led to the greater availability of affordable mirrors.

The evolution of the mirror over the years is quite interesting, if like me you love mirrors! It has developed from a luxury item to an item which is now taken for granted in daily use. Today, walk into any DIY store to look at mirrors and the selection is vast, with many technology features now finding there way into mirrors, to give added simplicity, luxury and decoration. 

Of course no luxury bathroom would be complete without that all important heated bathroom mirror meaning you can step straight out of a hot steamy shower and still be able to see in the mirror, great for shaving.

How are Mirrors Made?

The manufacture of mirrors includes the application to a suitable material of a reflective coating. Glass is the most commonly used material, due to its ability to take a smooth finish and its rigidity. Glass is also more scratch resistant than many other materials previously used for making mirrors. 

Early mirrors were made of solid metal, bronze or silver and they were far too expensive for many. Metal is also prone to corrosion and because of polished metal’s low emissivity, antique mirrors were less suitable for indoor use. With indoor lighting at the time supplied by candles or lanterns, the metal mirrors reflected a much darker picture. 

In modern times ‘float glass’ is used in the manufacture of mirrors, which is a flat ribbon of glass which is run out of a furnace and along the surface of a bath of molten tin. The temperature of both the glass and molten tin is controlled to enable both surfaces to be made perfectly flat. There are now three common types of mirrors: plain – which has a flat surface, and the two spherical types of mirrors: the convex and the concave. The concave and convex mirrors can be used in an entertaining way, when used at fairgrounds or amusement parks to distort peoples figures reflected in them through bloating, stretching and shrinking, the person or object in front of them. I challenge even the most dour faced individual to stand in front of a mirror in a hall of mirrors without laughing at their reflection!

In some applications, a mirror isn’t a mirror at all. For example, when used in public conveniences, particularly in public or factory toilets, where for reasons of cost and the need for greater durability, a single polished metal sheet is often installed as a form of mirror.

Different Types of Mirror

Throughout the ages, mirrors have been employed as symbols of truth, deception and vanity. Mention a mirror and you instantly know that if you look into one, you will see your own reflection staring back at you. The image you see will resemble your own appearance. In optical principles, the reflections in mirrors do not totally match the objects in front of them. When looking into the mirror, trace the contour of the reflection of your head in a mirror. The reflection may correspond in proportion, but will generally be half in actual size.
With such a variety and huge range of mirrors now available, much has been made of the amount of money spent in purchasing mirrors especially by women, although in this day and age with an increase in men purchasing cosmetics, some men will also be vain enough to carry a mirror. I wonder if in another decade or two, me calling men vain for carrying a mirror will be thought of as ridiculous!

The vain Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs famously asked her special mirror, “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” Mirrors are synonymous with truth.
Mirrors are frequently used in interior decoration to create an illusion of space, and to decorate and amplify the apparent size of a room. They will be used around the home, the office, a pub, club or restaurant to good effect. They work particularly well in night clubs, reflecting the many images of light in the club or room to create a feeling of a much bigger space.

Infinity Mirrors provide an effect of never reaching an end, known as ‘infinity breaking’ and are particularly effective when used in a dark environment. I remember experiencing this phenomenon for the first time as a child in a large department store lift, where mirrors where on all sides of the elevator car. For those who are not good in lifts I should think this effect probably does nothing to calm them, perhaps that’s why you don’t see lifts like this anymore Or is it just because I’m getting old and that was a particular style popular in the 70′s!

My next favourite kind of mirror after the infinity mirror is the heated mirror, these mirrors have a heating element or what is called a demister pad mounted on the back. The reason a mirror steams up when you have a shower is because the surface temperature of the mirror is colder than the air temperature and causes the water vapour in the air to condense on the mirror. Some bright spark realised long ago that it if you heated the mirror this would avoid it steaming up, brilliant!

For many years heated mirrors have only featured in very expensive bathrooms usually costing thousands, and quality hotels have used heated mirrors as a neat differentiator from the increasingly popular budget hotels and motels. Of course it is not until you step out of the hotel shower and see yourself in the mirror that you realise it is there! Whilst at the back of your mind you realise this is one of the reasons why this room is more expensive than the other hotel across the street.

Last week I heard the BBC Radio 2 DJ Ken Bruce state that the best shave you ever had will have been in a hotel, to which he attributed the benefit of the heated bathroom mirror as the main reason. I have to agree, and every time I stay in (nice) hotel I always have a really good look at the bathroom with a view to reproducing the best of its features in my own home.

A stylish heated shaving mirror might not be as expensive as you think it is, as with many mass produced items, prices have come down quite a lot over the last ten years with new mass production techniques.

In 1980, ska group The Beat had a UK top ten hit with ‘Mirror in the Bathroom’ and the bathroom is probably the location where we are most intimate with our mirrors. Many will say that it is not wise to look at yourself in the mirror first thing in the morning, but the bathroom is often the first port of call in the morning. Many bathrooms feature a main bathroom mirror positioned on a wall and a bathroom cabinet with mirror doors. Other than the “oh my god” do I really look like that expression, the uses of a mirror or mirrors in a bathroom will generally be to aid the application of make up, hair styling or shaving.

One of the major problems with bathroom mirrors is that after showering or bathing, the mirror is steamed up. A recent addition in the manufacture of heated mirrors is the inclusion of a demister pad which clears the mirror for use in just seconds. Just think never having to again wait for the steam of the bathroom to disappear from the mirror, or having to open the window, before using the mirror to shave or apply make up. The bathroom mirror demister or steam free bathroom mirror is a great invention. Some manufacturers refer to these products as fog free bathroom mirrors and there is now a huge range available, again some with back lights, LED lighting and built in shaver points.

Demister mirrors and steam free bathroom mirrors are not the only recent developments on mirrors. As suggested above another reasonably new product is the back lit bathroom mirror. Illuminated mirrors maintain the features of a simple mirror, but will enhance any environment in which they are used with the addition of lighting. As with all mirrors, the range of illuminated mirrors is extensive, with a variety of sizes and shapes available. An Illuminated mirror with shaver socket can also be purchased. Illuminated bathroom cabinets with or without shaver sockets are also available.

Mirrors with illuminated LED lights will enhance any bathroom or environment in which they are installed. Being of low energy consumption LED, or light emitting diode, are more environmentally friendly than traditional bulbs. They are designed to withstand the moisture of the bathroom environment. So water vapour mist will not cause a problem. As a real luxury mirror, illuminated bathroom mirrors and bathroom mirrors with LED lighting can also include a demister, to demist the mirror in just a few seconds and an on/off sensor to activate the lights as soon as motion is detected in front of the mirror. Now bathroom cabinets are also available with inbuilt back lights, and LED lighting for that special something different in your bathroom.

As a bathroom accessory the mirror should come high on the list, in fact can you really have a finished bathroom without a mirror? The enormous selection of styles, types, shapes and sizes means that there must be a mirror to match anyone’s budget. Although some of the latest technological versions such as illuminated, back lit and LED mirrors could be considered to be luxury items, some are not as expensive as you may have thought.

A convenient feature for any man who likes to shave before they go in the shower is a heated LED mirror because, if like me, your significant other has had a shower before you get in the bathroom the mirror is all steamed up when you get to it.

Mirrors, Superstition and Auspicious Energy Flow

I have always loved mirrors, probably why I have ended up in the mirrors business! When I was at school I did a project on them, this was before the internet was invented mind so I trawled through piles and piles of reference books in both the school and local library for months. These days of course it would only take an hour on Google, kids these days don’t know how easy they’ve got it!

Once you get immersed in mirrors as I did all those years ago, or ‘mirros’ as I frequently misspelled it, and start researching them, you find that they play a major part in all aspects of life. Mirrors also feature in superstitions. One of the most commonly known superstitions is that someone who breaks a mirror will receive seven years bad luck. A popular belief for this superstition is that mirrors are a reflection of the soul and if a mirror is broken, then part of the soul is broken. Added to this, some believe that the soul regenerates every seven years in an unbroken condition, hence the seven years of bad luck. I bet you’ve always wondered what that was about so I’m glad to share that with you!

It is also said that the mirror does not lie. A mirror can show only the truth. It is a very bad omen indeed to see something in a mirror which should not be there, a technique regularly used in scary movies! Some cultures also have a custom that a newborn child should not look into a mirror until its first birthday because its soul is still developing.

In the southern United States, it used to be customary to cover the mirrors in a house where the wake of a deceased person was being held. If a mirror was left uncovered or exposed, people believed that the deceased person’s soul would become trapped in any uncovered mirror.

Another superstition claims it is bad luck to have two mirrors facing each other. In the ancient art of Feng Shui mirror placement is considered very important. There is a lot of information available about this, and it is a subject that can’t be covered in a mere paragraph or two here. But Chi energy flow can be influenced by mirrors so where the energy needs to be diverted, mirrors can be used for this to great effect. Personally I don’t really follow these rules, although my mum has mirrors strategically placed all over her house to redirect negative energy! One of the principles I do follow though is to make sure I don’t have any mirrors pointing at my bed, or the kids beds, as this is said to reflect your dreams back onto you whilst you are sleeping, which is not a good thing if it’s a nightmare!

Conclusion

A mirror is defined as a coated glass surface for reflecting images. There is a huge range of mirrors for industrial use, and available in many shapes and sizes. The most commonly seen uses of mirrors are for personal grooming and interior decoration. As a race we are thoroughly addicted to mirrors. Who can honestly say that they can walk past a mirror without taking a look at themselves?

Over time, mirrors have evolved from a luxury item to an item of necessity and many particularly women will always carry a mirror in their hand bags. However, today with technological advancements, some mirrors will be seen as a luxury, particularly those which include illumination, LED or demisting devices. As individuals we spend many hours of our life in a bathroom, so why not treat yourself to one of life’s little luxuries and indulge in a stylish bathroom mirror? After all, let’s be honest, who can really live without mirrors?

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If maintaining your looks is fundamental to you then it’s a good idea to obtain the best beauty products available within your budget. There a multitude of beauty products available and these can really come in handy if you are aware of which items to make use of. This natural beauty approach will improve your overall appearance the most.

Regardless of how well you are though , it never hurts to use some beauty products to to look after your nails, hair and skin especially as the atmosphere and sun often take their toll even to those who already look healthy. With the range of products available today , whatever type and condition of hair you have , there will be something designed just for you. Just to prove this, the humble shampoo can now incorporate a range of different affects on our hair maintenance plus styling products that can do almost anything for us. For anyone with difficult hair for example can purchase a de-frizzing agent to bring it under control.

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For those individuals that have the reverse situation to deal with , there are hair care products that can accomplish the opposite and provide limp hair with additional hold and feel. Fortunately in recent years , haircare preparations have improved to the level where every type of hair is provided for. Utilizing vitamin or mineral supplements as a as a way to maintain your nails can often be essential if you are working with your hands a great deal every day. Wherever possible, it is invariably best to choose natural beauty methods but a manicurist can also supply a good result.

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For those person’s with soft nails , artificial nails created from acrylic are growing more common: they are easy to decorate and usually about 60 minutes to apply. Even though there are more , nearly all people naturally think that beauty products for the body are are just to slow down ageing or help keep the skin moisturised. However , there are numerous good skin care products around that promote healthy skin and anti-ageing properties. We always remember , nevertheless , that the skin we have covers our complete body and not just the areas around our hands and faces.

Always remember that day to day living can be hard on your skin regardless of how healthy it is , so it’s going to benefit you to get into the routine of moisturising to keep its natural beauty. By using the beauty product ideas here, you could find your whole appearance takes takes on a whole new meaning.

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IQ tests are tests which attempt to measure intelligence – where intelligence – subject to some contention, is defined as mental ability to among other things, solve problems, comprehend idea, learn new things and benefit from experience.

Attempts at testing intelligence have been with us for quite a long time. Ancient China for example, had an examination system (which really was some sort of an intelligence testing mechanism) and which was employed in the recruitment of civil servants during the Han Dynasty.

Intelligence testing as we know it by that specific name however has its roots in the work of a Frenchman called Alfred Binet early in the 20th century. History has it that Binet – who had established himself as a force to recorn with in psychology in France by that time had been given an assignment by the French government to develop a test that could reasonably predict given children’s potentially for educational achievement. The end result of Binet’s work was what he referred to as the Binet-Simon intelligence scale which was for long was used to ‘measure intelligence’

There have been many developments in the field of intelligence testing since Binet first formally ventured into the field. In fact, the very term IQ test (intelligence quotient) testing has been overtaken by these developments. As it were, when the term IQ test was coined, intelligence was then measured as a ratio of ‘mental age’ and ‘chronological age’.

Simply speaking, there were tasks that were considered apt for a given age and intelligence quotient which was measured by the IQ tests then could be calculated at Mental age/Chronological age x 100. In this case, a child of 10 years who could undertake tasks considered apt for a child of 12 had an intelligence quotient of 120, because 12/10×100 is equal to 120. Ideally, a person could only successfully undertake mental tasks apt for their age, and if a person could do mental tasks beyond their chronological age (e.g. the 10 year doing tasks apt for a 12 year old) was considered remarkably intelligent.

Another 10 year old doing tasks apt for a 14 year old would be even more intelligence and so on and so forth. Obviously, this method of measuring intelligence faced a number of challenges as it proves inadequate for measuring intelligence beyond a given age – because, as we know that (the supposed) intelligence does not just go on increasing with age – and in fact starts declining at a certain age. Modern IQ tests therefore tend to measure the subject’s standard deviation from established means (sort of midpoints) – since it has been established that intelligence in a given sample of people, like many other phenomena, if properly tabulated would form a curve and it is the deviations from the midpoints of that curve which is what is measured by modern IQ tests.

IQ tests and the whole notion of IQ testing have not been without controversy. There is contention, for example, on whether it is really possible to measure human intelligence – given that there is not even consensus on definition of the very term intelligence. The tests employed to measure intelligence have also been criticized for being biased towards certain social groups – especially after a prominent scientist in mid 20th century came up with the argument that certain races were intellectually superior to other races – an argument he backed with data obtained from IQ tests – and which was contested on account that items included in IQ tests give undue advantage to economically privileged (and thus well exposed) social groups – hence their apparent higher IQ test scores.

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Folding chairs are great space savers too as when the need for space arises, they can be folded and stacked till the time they are needed. Whether it is an outdoor function or an indoor one, a formal occasion or a family gathering, folding chairs can be used to make seating easier and accommodate large groups of people for any period of time. Folding chairs are also ideal for children. If you have children at home, you can easily find child sized chairs that will make your space more comfortable and convenient.

Folding Chairs are handy in many situations from additional seating at tailgate parties to nights around a camp fire.  Folding chairs are an economic and versatile solution to all kinds of seating needs. They give you wonderful seating options indoors and outdoors for all kinds of special occasions and events. Whether it is an outdoor function or an indoor one, a formal occasion or a family gathering, folding chairs can be used to make seating easier and accommodate large groups of people for any period of time.

Wood remains the more popular type of material for outdoor folding chairs . The are very attractive and make a great addition to your porch or garden setting. Wooden slatted folding chairs are great for garden parties and dining outside in the summer. Whatever your style is, there is a folding chair set that is right for you! Wooden stackable banquet chairs are ideal for weddings as they are beautifully constructed and look perfect in the correct setting. They have removable seat pads so that customers can change colours to match different themes.

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